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 [...]
Arsenal strikeforce is my best ever, says Arsene Wenger January 25, 2015 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his current repertoire of attacking players is his deadliest yet after the FA Cup holders swaggered into round five and assumed the status of favourites. Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil both scored their first goals since lengthy injury absences, while evergreen playmaker Tomas Rosicky crowned a man-of-the-match display with a [...]
Football Comment: Blues stars unprofessional and City disrespected cup January 25, 2015 I DON’T blame Jose Mourinho or Manuel Pellegrini for their teams’ shock FA Cup defeats to lower-league opponents on Saturday; I believe the fault is with the Chelsea and Manchester City players, who have let their managers down. Mourinho’s pre-match remarks about the disgrace of losing to inferior sides show that he would have prepared [...]
Farrell and Eastmond join England injury list January 25, 2015 SARACENS fly-half Owen Farrell and Bath centre Kyle Eastmond joined England’s lengthening list of Six Nations injury worries as their clubs progressed to the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-finals yesterday. Farrell was withdrawn with a knee injury during Sarries’ 18-6 defeat at Clermont Auvergne, while Eastmond damaged his shoulder in a decisive 20-15 victory over [...]