Wilkinson: Ford needs time to make mistakes March 29, 2015 ICONIC England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has backed modern day successor George Ford to cope under the escalating level of pressure being heaped on his shoulders in World Cup year. The 22-year-old Bath No10 has been a revelation since ousting Owen Farrell and making his full Test debut against Samoa in November. He now looks set [...]
Football Comment: Hodgson should test first-choice defence in Italy March 29, 2015 ENGLAND could hardly be in better form, after a fifth Euro 2016 qualifying win in a row on Friday against Lithuania, as they head to Turin for tomorrow’s prestige friendly with Italy. Their record in the current campaign is unmatched throughout the continent and you have to give credit to the players and, in particular, [...]
Losing run bites as Bath defeat condemns London Welsh to drop March 29, 2015 LONDON Welsh coach Rowland Phillips insists the club will bounce back after defeat against Bath yesterday – their 18th consecutive loss – confirmed their relegation from the Premiership. The Exiles, who came straight back up last season after being demoted to the Championship in 2013, mustered two tries but could not prevent Bath from prevailing [...]
Khan next on Brook’s hitlist March 29, 2015 IBF WELTERWEIGHT world champion Kell Brook has targeted an all-British showdown with Amir Khan at Wembley in June after successfully defending his title in the first bout since his stabbing. Brook, who suffered life-threatening injuries when knifed while on holiday in Tenerife last year, extended his unbeaten record by stopping Romanian Jo Jo Dan in [...]
Wrestlemania 31: WWE’s new business model needs Brock Lesnar, John Cena and co to put on a show March 29, 2015 In the above video, ‘90s rap icon LL Cool J officially opens Wrestlemania 31 with a statement on the transforming face of media and technology. “The world has become a lot smaller; we’ve all been connected. From the dawn of the radio to the ‘golden age’ of television. From Silicon Valley to the [...]
Italy: From fine wine backwater to Sassicaia superstar March 27, 2015 It is only in the last 40 years that Italy has been re-discovered and recognised as a high quality wine producer – but now it is a source of a great variety of fine wines. There are an estimated 1,000 vitis vinifera varieties cultivated in Italy and it has more than 300 different wine producing regions [...]
All about Bordeaux: Why Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the Left Bank and the Right is perfect for Cabernet Franc March 27, 2015 Bordeaux is the predominant region in the world for fine wine investment, completely dominating all other regions and comprising anywhere from 60-85% of regional trade by value in fine wine trading. Located in the southwest region of France, Bordeaux has three main wine producing regions: the Left Bank, Entre-Deux-Mers, and the Right Bank. Wines from [...]
Theatre review: Rules for Living March 27, 2015 National Theatre | ★★★★☆ So this is it: the final curtain for Sir Nicholas Hytner, the revitalising creative director of the National Theatre. That he would bow out with Rules for Living, a new play from young writer Sam Holcroft and directed by stalwart Marianne Elliot, exemplifies the combination of steady-handedness and risk he has [...]
Art review: Anish Kapoor at the Lisson Gallery March 27, 2015 Lisson Gallery | Until 9 May This new solo show by one of Britain’s most famous sculptors marks his return to painted works. A triptych of silicon and resin pieces dominates one room; raised red and burgundy bringing to mind torn flesh. The works are in part a continuation of Kapoor’s long-term fascination with [...]
Film review: Blind is divisive but gripping March 27, 2015 Cert 18 | ★★★★☆ Films about the blind, like films about the deaf, are faced with a formal problem: how do you convey the subjective experience of blindness without showing the viewer a blank screen for two hours? Compellingly, the Sundance-winning Blind gets around the problem by focusing on the flights of imagination that can [...]