Hales and Cook flop to heighten England’s opener worries December 15, 2015 All-rounder Ben Stokes reiterated the pivotal importance of England counteracting the new ball if they are to enjoy success against No1-ranked Test side South Africa this winter after an early wobble in yesterday’s warm-up clash. England finished day one of their opening tour match against a South African Invitational XI on 470-5 as Stokes eased fears [...]
Bristol hit out as England go for former skipper Steve Borthwick December 15, 2015 Head coach Eddie Jones’ premiership as England boss descended into an unseemly club versus country row only weeks into his tenure after a tug-of-war over former skipper Steve Borthwick broke out yesterday. The Rugby Football Union[RFU] released a statement confirming Borthwick, who worked under Jones with Japan before joining Bristol as their forwards coach following [...]
Fifa crisis: Sepp Blatter compares investigation into controversial £1.3m payment to the Inquisition December 15, 2015 Embattled Fifa president Sepp Blatter has compared the internal investigation that threatens to bring an abrupt end to his 17 years as the head of football’s world governing body to the Inquisition. Blatter’s remarks come as he prepares to appear before Hans-Joachim Eckert, the head of the adjudicatory chamber of Fifa’s ethics committee who could [...]
Jose Mourinho is not the only one to blame for Chelsea’s crisis but looks to be on borrowed time December 15, 2015 It's surreal – possibly the most surreal fall from grace I can remember witnessing in football – but the aim for Chelsea and their under-fire manager Jose Mourinho now has to be survival. They have gone from champions to relegation candidates in a matter of months and their performance level is unrecognisable from last season’s [...]
Leicester City will have to be historically bad to finish outside the top four…and Chelsea would have to be historically good to make it December 15, 2015 Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri joked that he was still focused on discovering the final five points that would take the Foxes to the magical 40 mark said to guarantee Premier League survival following a 2-0 win over Chelsea, yet his team would now have to be historically bad not to make the top four. In [...]
Kevin Pietersen calls Qantas “muppets” after being refused entry to airline lounge for wearing flip-flops December 15, 2015 Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen vented his fury on Twitter after being refused entry to Qantas' airline lounge for wearing flip-flops. Pietersen brandished Qantas as "muppets" for their dress code, describing "thongs" (as flip-flops are called in Australia) as "an institution in this great country!". Earlier this year Qantas issued new clothing guidelines for its [...]
Ruthless Jones axes Rowntree, Catt and Farrell as overhaul of England’s backroom team continues December 14, 2015 England head coach Eddie Jones has accelerated the overhaul of his backroom team by severing ties with predecessor Stuart Lancaster’s trusted assistants Graham Rowntree, Andy Farrell and Mike Catt yesterday. Rowntree, Farrell and Catt belatedly followed Lancaster out of the Twickenham exit to become the latest casualties of England’s ill-fated World Cup campaign, during which they [...]
Leicester City 2, Chelsea 1: Defeat to Foxes cranks up pressure on forlorn Mourinho December 14, 2015 Under-pressure Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho accused his players of betraying him after the club’s season of crisis plunged to new depths with defeat at fearless table-toppers Leicester last night. England forward Jamie Vardy ended his one-game goal drought to take his season’s tally to 15 before Riyad Mahrez added a second to leave Chelsea staring [...]
Jordan Spieth has matched Tiger Woods’s best but Rory McIlroy will be back in 2016 December 14, 2015 Now that the last golf ball of 2015 has been struck in anger, it’s time to reflect on a remarkable and significant season that has at times felt like a changing of the guard. Former world No1 Tiger Woods has admitted that he may be finished as a force, and there have to be doubts [...]
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham handed shot at revenge after being handed European rematches against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Fiorentina December 14, 2015 Arsenal and Chelsea face familiar foes in the Champions League after they were once again drawn against their European nemeses Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Manchester City were dealt a kinder hand in the last 16, in the form of a tie with Dynamo Kiev, the away leg of which will be played behind closed doors [...]