Greenwood: England must utilise Foden and Ashton September 12, 2011 FORMER England centre Will Greenwood has urged Martin Johnson’s side to throw off the shackles and return to the expansive style of rugby that saw them brush Australia aside last autumn if they are to make a major impact at the World Cup. The error-strewn performance against Argentina on Saturday could not have been further [...]
THE BREAKDOWN | WORLD CUP BRIEFS September 12, 2011 IT’S A KNOCKOUT FOR WALES Lock Luke Charteris has reflected on Wales’ shattering defeat against South Africa by declaring: “We are playing knockout rugby now.” Wales flew out of Wellington yesterday ready to regroup and prepare for Sunday’s Pool D showdown with Samoa in Hamilton. “It’s the World Cup, and unfortunately we are playing knockout [...]
Getting shirty: England told to sort numbers out September 12, 2011 WORLD CUP organisers have warned England they face a potential fine if they fail to fix their peeling shirt numbers. The white numbers on the controversial black jerseys began to rub off during England’s opening victory over Argentina. Rugby World Cup Ltd have said they will be seeking assurances from England that there will be [...]
Chelsea boss to quiz Torres September 12, 2011 Villas-Boas to take embattled striker to task over apparent criticism of colleagues CHELSEA vs BAYER LEVERKUSEN MISFIRING record signing Fernando Torres’ Chelsea future has been plunged into doubt after the club launched an investigation into an interview in which he appeared to criticise his team-mates’ “slow” play. Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas has vowed to quiz [...]
New signings give Warnock cause for hope September 12, 2011 QPR (0) vs NEWCASTLE (0) QPR manager Neil Warnock heralded the start of a new era after his overhauled side outclassed Newcastle but failed to crown their dominance with a winning goal. Controversial recent signing Joey Barton captained Rangers on his debut and Shaun Wright-Phillips stole the show with a dazzling display. His and Adel [...]
Wenger primed for toughest of European assignments September 12, 2011 BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs ARSENAL ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger believes his side has been placed in the toughest Champions League group he has ever encountered. Following their tense two-legged victory over Udinese in the final qualifying round, the Gunners continue their European campaign against German champions Borussia Dortmund in the atmospheric Signal Iduna Park, which is [...]
Broad shoulder provides England with more worries September 12, 2011 ENGLAND all-rounder Stuart Broad is unlikely to play for his country again this year after a scan yesterday revealed he has torn a muscle in his shoulder. Broad will miss the last match of the one-day series against India and the return tour next month, which compromises five ODI fixtures, as well as the chance [...]
Trott and Cook land awards September 12, 2011 CRICKET: Jonathan Trott pipped fellow Ashes-winner Alastair Cook to the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy Award for the International Cricket Council’s Cricketer of the Year. Trott, along with Cook, was the bedrock of England’s victory in Australia last winter with 445 runs batting at No3. Cook, who made 766 runs in Australia, won the Test Cricketer [...]
Dawson could miss two months September 12, 2011 FOOTBALL: Tottenham defender Michael Dawson is set to be sidelined for at least two months due to an Achilles injury. The England international picked up the problem in training and played no part in Spurs’ 2-0 victory away to Wolves on Saturday. William Gallas and Vedran Corluka also missed the clash with Wolves due to [...]
Hamilton focused on next year September 12, 2011 FORMULA ONE: McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton says he has already started to turn his attention towards next year’s Formula One campaign. The Briton finished fourth in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix behind winner Sebastian Vettel, and as a result finds himself 126 points adrift of the defending world champion with six races left to run. Asked for [...]