Jason Roy interview: Kevin Pietersen is brilliant and I want to be a match-winner every game, but I’m me – not the young KP October 28, 2015 He may be spearheading England’s one-day renaissance but power-hitting opening batsman Jason Roy concedes that his extracurricular antics were not always befitting of a player craving international acclaim. South Africa-born Roy was a prominent figure during this summer’s battles against New Zealand and Australia as England took the first tentative steps towards building a prosperous [...]
NFL international series estimated to have given London £45m boost October 28, 2015 The NFL international series' three games at Wembley this year will have generated £45m for the London according to economic estimates. In the final of three fixtures staged in London this year, over 80,000 fans are expected to fill Wembley to watch the Detroit Lions make London play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon. And [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Australia’s David Pocock battered but unbowed as Wallabies hunt for final glory over All Blacks October 28, 2015 Australia No8 David Pocock remains battered and bruised from his side’s defeat of Argentina but is ready to realise his boyhood dream of playing in a World Cup final when the Wallabies face New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday. Powerhouse forward Pocock was sporting a pair of black eyes as well as a disfigured nose [...]
Taulupe Faletau Bath move vetoed by Warren Gatland as Leicester sign former South Africa skipper Jean de Villiers October 28, 2015 Wales coach Warren Gatland last night vetoed the proposed transfer of No8 Taulupe Faletau from Newport Gwent Dragons to last season’s Premiership runners-up Bath. The Dragons had sought to release the 24-year-old forward, whose contract runs out next summer, but under the funding agreement for Welsh domestic rugby, Gatland has to approve international players moving [...]
Injuries add to Arsene Wenger’s woe as Arsenal suffer Capital One Cup hammering at Sheffield Wednesday October 28, 2015 Injuries to key duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott compounded a miserable evening for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as his side suffered a Capital One Cup hammering at the hands of Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday last night. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott had to be withdrawn in the opening 17 minutes before goals from Ross Wallace, Lucas [...]
Gloom deepens as Chelsea malaise goes on with Capital One Cup spot-kick woe at Stoke October 28, 2015 Beleaguered Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho returned fire on his critics after the gloom from his side’s catastrophic season deepened with shootout heartache at Stoke in the Capital One Cup fifth round last night. Playmaker Eden Hazard missed the decisive penalty to hand Stoke victory after a last-gasp Loic Remy strike had sent the match into [...]
West Ham are bound for Europe under brilliant Slaven Bilic – if they can keep Dimitri Payet fit October 27, 2015 It's impossible not to be impressed by West Ham this season and in particular the job done by Slaven Bilic since the Croatian took charge as manager in the summer. I remember hearing defender Winston Reid speak after they beat Arsenal on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, and he was full of [...]
London Irish v Saracens to be played in New York as Aviva Premiership Rugby lands in America October 27, 2015 London Irish and Saracens will play each other in New York in the Aviva Premiership's first ever overseas fixture. The two London clubs will swap the Big Smoke for the Big Apple on Saturday 12 March, with the Exiles' home fixture set to be staged at the 25,000 capacity Red Bull Arena, home of the New York [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 odds: Australia rugby bosses have £140,000 bet on their team to beat New Zealand in final in order to cover Wallabies bonus payments October 27, 2015 No one can accuse Australian rugby of lacking in confidence. The Wallabies may not have arrived at this year's World Cup as favourites, but the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) backed their team with a massive $AUS 300,000 (£141,891) bet with a corporate bookmaker on them lifting the Web Ellis trophy. If Michael Cheika's team beat [...]
Fans deserve greater transparency from the Aviva Premiership’s salary cap settlements October 27, 2015 With the Rugby World Cup drawing to a conclusion, English rugby fans' attention is switching to domestic matters – where they have found even more sources of frustration and confusion. Last Thursday evening, following a board meeting, Premiership Rugby released a statement setting out salary cap arrangements for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, a [...]