Monkey off our backs at last, says relieved Irish boss Booth January 16, 2011 LONDON IRISH (24) vs OSPREYS (12) LONDON IRISH boss Toby Booth believes his team have turned the corner after ending a 10-match losing streak with a shock Heineken Cup triumph over the Ospreys. Tries from Sailosi Tagicakibau and Topsy Ojo earned the Exiles a long-awaited victory in their penultimate Pool Three fixture and all but [...]
Wasps Euro hopes stung in Glasgow January 16, 2011 WASPS boss Tony Hanks admits his team’s hopes of reaching the Heineken Cup last eight have been slashed by a surprise 20-10 defeat at Glasgow. A late drop-goal from Ruaridh Jackson denied Wasps a losing bonus point and means their only hope of qualifying next weekend is as one of two best runners-up. “We’ve made [...]
Kuyt penalty hands Dalglish his first point January 16, 2011 LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish toasted his first points since taking charge after Dirk Kuyt’s penalty earned a 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby. Goals from Sylvain Distin and Jermaine Beckford had put the visitors in front following Raul Meireles’ first goal for the Reds. But Kuyt ensured Dalglish did not suffer a third defeat from [...]
Olympic tickets will go on sale in March January 16, 2011 TICKETS for the London 2012 Olympic Games will go on sale on Tuesday 15 March, organisers have announced. Tickets for the Paralympic Games will go on sale on Friday 9 September. Prices start from £20 and the ticketing process will be open for six weeks. Full details of the purchasing process and the finalised schedule [...]
Spurs boosted as Olympic chief stays out of stadium row January 13, 2011 TOTTENHAM have been handed a boost in their bid to move into the Olympic Stadium after Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), ruled out intervening in the escalating row. Rogge, one of the most powerful men in world sport, had hinted he would actively oppose Tottenham’s plans to tear down the [...]
The rotten luck of the Irish January 13, 2011 RUGBY UNION LONDON IRISH forward Nick Kennedy insists spirit in the camp is as healthy as it’s ever been despite a run of 10 consecutive defeats. That miserable sequence of results stretches back to the beginning of November, before when the Exiles had won six of their previous seven matches and put themselves in healthy [...]
Wasps and Quins must finish strongly to claim top spots January 13, 2011 Lawrence Dallaglio, Amlin rugby ambassador, uses the new Amlin Opta Index player performance analysis to give his verdict on this weekend’s European clashes involving London clubs. The Index is the first ever player performance comparison analysis in rugby. LEINSTER V SARACENS (TOMORROW, HEINEKEN CUP) Leinster will hope to dominate in the fly-half battle: their No10 [...]
Ipswich were playing rugby, says Fabregas January 13, 2011 ARSENAL captain Cesc Fabregas has criticised Ipswich’s supposed heavy-handed tactics during their shock Carling Cup semi-final first leg win at Portman Road on Wednesday. Tamas Priskin’s second-half strike handed the Championship strugglers a famous victory, but Fabregas was unimpressed with their game plan and claimed the winning goal came from a “rugby kick”. “I don’t [...]
Murray’s preparation hit by rain January 13, 2011 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray’s preparations for next week’s Australian Open have been hampered by heavy rain in Melbourne. Murray had been hoping to fit in one more practice match, against Croatian Marin Cilic, the man he beat last year in the semi-finals, ahead of the start of the first grand slam event of the new [...]
King can’t Cope with Jamie January 13, 2011 SNOOKER: Masters debutant Jamie Cope produced a stylish display to hammer Mark King 6-1. Cope will face Ding Junhui in the semi-finals after the former finalist defeated an out of sorts Graeme Dott 6-2.