20 March on this day… March 19, 2015 1999: Lawrence Dallaglio led England to a 20-10 victory over France in the last ever Five Nations clash at Twickenham and made it three wins out of three in the championship. Future World Cup-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson kicked a record seven penalties that day, but England’s anticipated Grand Slam evaporated in injury-time at Wembley three [...]
Six Nations trophy England’s to lose on thrilling Saturday March 19, 2015 HARRY MADLEY PREVIEWS THE FINAL SIX NATIONS WEEKEND AND BEN CLEMINSON LOOKS AT LIVERPOOL V MANCHESTER UNITED WALES’ hard fought win over Ireland last Saturday ensured there will be no Six Nations Grand Slam winner for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the last five editions. Many will argue this points to [...]
Red hot Reds too much for United to handle at Anfield March 19, 2015 LIVERPOOL are set to break into the top four for only the second time this season if they land the knock-out blow in Sunday’s north-west derby with bitter rivals Manchester United. On Monday evening the Reds escaped from Swansea with maximum points owing to a fortunate winner from man-of-the-moment Jordan Henderson. It was a scrappy [...]
Maximum excitement on Liverpool v Man United March 19, 2015 FOR MANY Liverpool versus Manchester United remains the biggest game in English football and it’s a clash that frequently entertains. However, the Reds’ new-found defensive strength, combined with United’s strikers misfiring for much of the campaign, could mean this is a match that will lack goalmouth action. In the last four meetings only one side [...]
Champions League: Pellegrini blames FFP for City exit as English fail in Europe March 18, 2015 BARCELONA 1 MANCHESTER CITY 0 (Barcelona won 3-1 on aggregate) Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini pointed an accusatory finger at Financial Fair Play (FFP) sanctions after his side crashed out of the Champions League following defeat at Barcelona’s Camp Nou last night – leaving no English teams remaining in the competition. For all [...]
Six Nations title boost priceless, insists Farrell March 18, 2015 ENGLAND defence coach Andy Farrell believes winning the Six Nations title would be invaluable for his side and have immeasurable longer-term benefits ahead of the World Cup. Leaders England stand on the cusp of their first Six Nations success since 2011, although reigning champions Ireland and Wales remain in the hunt for a championship set [...]
Cricket Comment: Now Trott should open for country March 18, 2015 BATSMAN Jonathan Trott holds a proven record at international level so having a class player like him back in the squad for their three-Test tour of the Caribbean next month can only benefit England. There is going to be a lot of attention on his first return, having left the 2013-14 Ashes tour with a [...]
Murray through to quarter-final March 18, 2015 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray progressed to the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open with a strong victory over France’s unseeded world No38 Adrian Mannarino at Indian Wells yesterday. Fourth-seed Murray will now face Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in the last eight after recording his 496th career win, which equalled Tim Henman’s Open-era record for a British male. [...]
Your cultural guide for spring 2015: Must-see theatre, film, music and visual arts events March 17, 2015 We pick out the must-see theatre, film, music and visual arts events that you just can’t miss, even if the heat wave arrives. FILM ANT-MAN 17 July Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish may have jumped ship, but there’s still plenty to look forward to with the upcoming release of Ant-Man. Paul Rudd leads [...]
Champions League: Wenger: Arsenal were so unlucky March 17, 2015 Gunners crash out at last-16 stage for fifth year running MONACO 0 ARSENAL 2 (3-3 on aggregate. Monaco won on away goals) DEJECTED Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitted his side paid for their tactical naivety in the first leg after falling agonisingly short of a historic and heroic comeback in their improbable Champions League assignment [...]