England player ratings November 18, 2014 Fraser Forster 6 Largely redundant on return to old stomping ground until Robertson put paid to shut-out James Milner 6 Unassuming yet ubiquitous. Found a cute pass to link with Lallana for England’s third Nathaniel Clyne 7 Composed all evening and looks to be laying claim to making right-back slot his to lose Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 8 [...]
Lancaster axes Care and Vunipola in bid to arrest five-match slump November 18, 2014 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has made three changes to his 23-man matchday squad as the Red Rose bid to salvage their autumn programme against Samoa at Twickenham on Saturday. Saracens scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth, Wasps skipper James Haskell and Gloucester centre Billy Twelvetrees all make the cut for the first time this series. There has [...]
Fifa faces FBI call after triggering criminal probe November 18, 2014 FOOTBALL’S world governing body Fifa was last night urged to pass its files to the Serious Fraud Office and the FBI after lodging a criminal complaint with Swiss authorities over World Cup bidding. Fifa president Sepp Blatter yesterday asked the Swiss attorney general to investigate “possible misconduct” in relation to the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, [...]
Qatar to stage athletics worlds November 18, 2014 QATARI capital Doha yesterday won the race to stage the 2019 World Athletics Championships after fending off rival bids from Barcelona and the American city of Eugene in Oregon. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), meanwhile, could be set to break with the tradition of awarding the summer Olympic Games to a single host city, opening [...]
UK £1bn Rugby World Cup lift November 18, 2014 BRITAIN’S economy is set to receive a boost totalling close to £1bn from hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup, a report commissioned by the tournament’s organising committee revealed yesterday. An economic impact study undertaken by accountancy firm EY predicts the showpiece event, which will be staged at 13 stadia in 11 cities across England in [...]
Ireland hit United States for four as Ronaldo and Messi fail to fire November 18, 2014 REPUBLIC of Ireland bounced back from their Euro 2016 qualification setback against Scotland to brush aside the United States 4-1 in a friendly clash at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last night. Hull City’s Robbie Brady netted twice as Anthony Pilkington and James McClean also registered for Martin O’Neill’s side, with Max Diskerud on target for [...]
Hodgson: Three Lions will thrive in Scotland test November 17, 2014 ENGLAND boss Roy Hodgson believes tonight’s highly-charged friendly against rivals Scotland at Celtic Park can provide some of the intensity which is lacking from their tepid Euro 2016 qualifying group. The Three Lions infamously endured their worst World Cup showing for more than half a century during the summer but currently sit pretty at the [...]
Golf Comment: Stenson and Westwood hit stride for Dubai November 17, 2014 ACROSS the Atlantic they have talked of Brooks Koepka being a potential Major winner for some time. The Turkish Airlines Open may not be a Major, but as one of the European Tour’s biggest events the field is just about as good. Koepka’s win there on Sunday is another step towards fulfilling his promise and [...]
Caterham woes prompt rethink from Ecclestone November 17, 2014 FORMULA One chief Bernie Ecclestone has revealed talks are underway about the sport’s future direction after the Caterham and Marussia teams collapsed into administration last month. Ecclestone says his aims for the coming year are preventing more teams from hitting the wall and taking over media accreditation to curb a proliferation of online media in [...]
Lancaster: England’s slump is not terminal November 17, 2014 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has dismissed suggestions his side’s slump in form represents a crisis despite mounting pressure ahead of their crunch showdown with Samoa at Twickenham on Saturday. Lancaster has added five players to the 23-man squad on duty against South Africa at the weekend with centres Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees, scrum-half [...]