Barcelona deny whistleblowing in Real probe January 27, 2015 TENSION among the two superpowers of Spanish football is never far from the surface but this week has seen the emergence of fresh cause for suspicion between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Concerns that Real could be banned from signing players were given credence when the European champions confirmed on Monday that they are subject to [...]
Lancaster urges Cipriani to seize his chance after Farrell ruled out January 27, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has thrown down the gauntlet to his remaining fly-halves after Owen Farrell was last night ruled out of the entire Six Nations campaign with a knee injury. Bath No10 George Ford is expected to start against Wales in the Six Nations curtain-raiser at the Millennium Stadium a week on Friday [...]
Familiar foe threat to Murray’s Australian bid January 27, 2015 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray has played down the threat of Tomas Berdych’s insider knowledge after setting up an Australian Open semi-final against the in-form Czech. Murray made swift work of ending a 15,000 sell-out Melbourne crowd’s hopes of a famous home victory by thrashing 19-year-old rising star Nick Kyrgios in straight sets yesterday. The Scot, seeded [...]
Countdown 232 days to go: Injury blows not a concern for Corbisiero January 27, 2015 England prop glad to be over own setback and sure of squad depth. INJURIES may be a consistent theme threatening to derail England’s World Cup bid but prop Alex Corbisiero insists the selection conundrum facing head coach Stuart Lancaster is made more fathomable by the squad’s residual strength. Corbisiero’s latest war wound forced him onto [...]
India clash set to act as prelude to World Cup knockout tension January 27, 2015 ENGLAND’S pivotal tri-series clash against India on Friday provides the ideal preparation for the World Cup knockout phase, according to assistant coach Paul Farbrace. Victory over India at the Gabba last Tuesday was only England’s sixth in 19 one-day internationals and they will have to repeat the feat to progress to Sunday’s final where hosts [...]
Blues rattled by cup blow, says Rodgers January 26, 2015 LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers has attempted to pile pressure on Chelsea before tonight’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg by insisting a shock FA Cup exit has left them riddled with “trepidation”. The Blues host Rodgers’ men for a place at Wembley tonight, just three days after squandering a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 at [...]
Murray ready to tame Wild Thing and home crowd January 26, 2015 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray is well versed in shouldering the hopes of a nation starved of tennis success – something his opponent in today’s Australian Open quarter-final, Nick Kyrgios, is learning all about. Kyrgios, 19, is the cocky, fluoro-clad next big thing Down Under who shot to fame by knocking Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon and [...]
Draw sees Pardew primed for reminiscences January 26, 2015 CRYSTAL Palace boss Alan Pardew faces a potential quirk of fate in the FA Cup fifth round, should Liverpool keep their end of the bargain and navigate a potentially treacherous replay at Championship side Bolton Wanderers. Pardew’s Selhurst Park coronation earlier this month was greeted with recollections of his most famous moment in a Palace [...]
Farrell to discover Six Nations fate as woes mount for Lancaster January 26, 2015 ENGLAND fly-half Owen Farrell’s Six Nations prospects remained in the balance last night as head coach Stuart Lancaster continues to endure deepening injury woes. The knee injury picked up by No10 Farrell during Saracens’ European Champions Cup defeat against Clermont Auvergne on Sunday has been scanned and the 23-year-old was set to be assessed by [...]
Golf Comment: Grace impresses with assured win in Qatar January 26, 2015 TO HAVE won six European Tour titles at the age of 26 is impressive enough, but to have done so in the convincing manner that Branden Grace has is something else. The South African claimed his second win of the season on Sunday at the Qatar Masters, following up last month’s seven-stroke victory at the [...]