Aussie win spells the end for De Villiers October 9, 2011 SOUTH AFRICA (9) vs AUSTRALIA (11) OUTGOING world champions South Africa will today begin the search for a new coach after Peter de Villiers stepped down following the sterling defensive effort that propelled Australia into a semi-final showdown against New Zealand. The Springboks enjoyed 76 per cent of the territory and had the lion’s share [...]
Weepu kicks All Blacks into grudge semi-final October 9, 2011 NEW ZEALAND (33) vs ARGENTINA (10) NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry hailed Piri Weepu after the scrum-half kicked them into a World Cup semi-final with arch-rivals Australia. Weepu notched seven penalties and a conversion as the All Blacks came from behind to beat Argentina and further their hopes of winning the tournament on home soil. [...]
Sarries maintain winning run October 9, 2011 Premiership champions Saracens recorded their fifth win of the season with a 25-5 victory over Newcastle Falcons to keep the heat on early pacesetters Harlequins. Joe Maddock and Alex Goode were first-half try-scorers, while James Short crossed after the break with Charlie Hodgson contributing two penalties and a brace of conversions. Saracens director of rugby [...]
Varndell stars in Wasps victory October 9, 2011 Wasps returned to winning ways with a tense 27-24 victory over Bath. Tom Varndell’s try, adding to Christian Wade’s earlier effort, meant the home side went in at the break with a five-point advantage. An exchange of penalties followed after the break before Guy Mercer went over to pull Bath back into the match, but [...]
Irish sweep to bonus point win October 9, 2011 A second-half try bonanza saw London Irish sweep to a 42-22 bonus point win over Worcester. The Exiles held a slender 16-10 lead at the break, but four tries after the interval from Christopher Hala’ufi, Jonathon Joseph, Tom Homer, who landed seven kicks, and Adam Thompstone lifted Irish up to fourth in the Premiership table.
Maiden win for Slattery October 9, 2011 Englishman Lee Slattery won the Madrid Masters by just a single shot to claim his first European tour title. The 33-year-old from Southport finished one under for the day and 15 under for the tournament to edge out Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli.
Wilkinson and Flood selection not a gamble, says Johnson October 6, 2011 ENGLAND vs FRANCE ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson has denied gambling with England’s World Cup future by persevering with an out of sorts Jonny Wilkinson and shunting Toby Flood to inside centre for tomorrow’s crunch quarter-final against France. Johnson, ahead of the biggest game of his managerial career, has taken the bold decision to promote Leicester [...]
Tindall injury may prove a blessing in disguise for England October 6, 2011 MIKE TINDALL has been a fantastic servant to English rugby but I’d venture to say the dead leg which has ruled him out of tomorrow’s World Cup quarter-final against France may just have made life easier for manager Martin Johnson. England have been nowhere near as poor in this tournament as has been documented, but certainly [...]
Merritt case is athletics’ Bosman rule October 6, 2011 BRITISH Olympic chiefs have warned they will not drop their controversial lifetime ban for drug cheats despite the threat posed by a landmark European legal case that experts have likened to the Bosman ruling. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday ruled in favour of American 400m runner LaShawn Merritt, who argued that an [...]
Rooney backed for Montenegro mission despite off-field drama October 6, 2011 MONTENEGRO vs ENGLAND MANAGER Fabio Capello insists the arrest of Wayne Rooney’s father in connection with an alleged betting scam will not distract his talisman from shooting England into Euro 2012 tonight. Rooney is expected to start in Montenegro, where a draw will be enough to confirm England’s place at the top of Group G [...]