Eddie Jones confident of Dylan Hartley’s match fitness to face France after confirming hooker as his Six Nations skipper January 25, 2017 England head coach Eddie Jones insists Dylan Hartley is match-ready for his side’s Six Nations opener against France after confirming the Northampton hooker as his captain for the championship. Hartley’s six-week suspension for striking Leinster flanker Sean O’Brien in December only expired on Monday, and the 30-year-old will not have played for nine weeks by [...]
Rafael Nadal stays on course for vintage final with Roger Federer at Australian Open January 25, 2017 Resurgent Rafael Nadal savoured his return to the big time after reaching a first grand slam semi-final for nearly three years at the Australian Open on Wednesday. Ninth seed Nadal, 30, belied Milos Raonic’s status as the top-ranked player left in the men’s draw with a commanding 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 triumph over the Canadian. [...]
Serena Williams tips Johann Konta for Australian Open crown after ending Briton’s run January 25, 2017 Title favourite Serena Williams hailed Johanna Konta as a future Australian Open champion after ending the Briton’s dazzling run in Melbourne on Wednesday. Williams, who is seeking an Open-era record 23rd grand slam crown, overpowered Konta 6-2, 6-3 to set up a semi-final against unseeded Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. It halted Konta’s run of nine consecutive [...]
End of the road for London Welsh as professional club January 24, 2017 Crisis-stricken London Welsh have ceased to exist as a professional club after being denied permission to continue playing in English rugby’s second tier for the remainder of the season and beyond. The Richmond-based Exiles were granted a temporary licence by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to continue as a Championship side on 22 December after [...]
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka questioned by police after being alleged to have racially abused member of airline staff January 24, 2017 Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has been interviewed under caution by police after he was alleged to have racially abused a member of staff at Heathrow Airport on Monday evening. It is believed that Xhaka was with a friend, German sixth division footballer Leonard Lekaj, who arrived late for his return flight to Germany and was subsequently [...]
Roger Federer and Venus Williams roll back the years on way to Australian Open semi-finals January 24, 2017 Evergreen Roger Federer is plotting the downfall of compatriot Stan Wawrinka after becoming the oldest men’s singles semi-finalist at a grand slam for 25 years. Federer, 35, continued his impressive return from injury at the Australian Open by despatching Sir Andy Murray’s conqueror Mischa Zverev 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. It made [...]
New F1 boss Chase Carey confirms British Grand Prix will remain on racing calendar January 24, 2017 Newly-installed Formula One chief executive Chase Carey insists a British Grand Prix will remain on the sport’s calendar despite speculation that Silverstone could ditch the race from its calendar in 2019. The circuit’s presence on the F1 schedule is in doubt after Silverstone’s owners confirmed earlier this month they were considering exercising a break clause [...]
Wayne Rooney gets all the credit he deserves within football – and now he has broken Manchester United scoring record he should head to China January 24, 2017 If the outpouring of praise and goodwill that followed Wayne Rooney breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United goal-scoring record on Saturday felt unfamiliar it’s probably because it had been a long time since he was talked about in such glowing terms. It was almost as if the goal woke people up to what he has [...]
Check out the Premier League’s delicious new sponsor January 24, 2017 The Premier League has a new sponsor, and it's sweeter than your average: Cadbury. The chocolate brand has signed a three-year partnership with the league, kicking off from the start of the 2017/18 season. The pair will create a "bespoke" element of the Health for Life community programme, focused on helping 600,000 school children, with [...]
Why Formula One’s new owners Liberty Media must step on the gas to reclaim lost ground from rivals January 24, 2017 The ousting of long-time Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone marks a coup and leaves a series of unanswered questions facing the sport. For decades critics have questioned how F1 is governed and how it generates revenues, and have therefore cast doubts on its long-term future. Although some commentators – notably former broadcaster Murray Walker – have observed how instrumental Ecclestone [...]