Wales switch Hook to fly-half for Scots clash February 8, 2011 WALES boss Warren Gatland has dropped experienced fly-half Stephen Jones and handed the No10 shirt to James Hook for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations trip to Scotland. Hook switches from full-back, where he played in Friday’s defeat to England, while Jones, who suffered a blow to his neck in that match, has been named on the [...]
Hala’ufia handed lengthy ban February 8, 2011 RUGBY UNION: London Irish forward Chris Hala’ufia has been banned for eight weeks for a dangerous tackle on Northampton Saints’ Shane Geraghty during an LV= Cup match last month. Hal’ufia pleaded guilty before an RFU disciplinary panel and now won’t be eligible to play again until 6 April.
Republic too good for sorry Wales February 8, 2011 FOOTBALL: New Wales boss Gary Speed began his reign as manager with a disappointing Nations’ Cup defeat against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Wales were undone with second half strikes for Darren Gibson and Damien Duff in the space of seven minutes. Kevin Fahey scored the third from a free-kick.
New Barca contract for Guardiola February 8, 2011 FOOTBALL: Barcelona boss Josep Guardiola has agreed a new contract with the Spanish champions. The deal will take Guardiola, appointed in 2008, through to the end of next season.
OLYMPIC PARK LIFE: TOTTENHAM UNVEIL PLANS FOR NEW STADIUM February 8, 2011 TOTTENHAM have released images of how they hope the Olympic Stadium will look if they win the fight to take over the venue after the London 2012 Games. Spurs, who are vying with Premier League rivals West Ham for the £537m venue, and their bid partner, the entertainment giant AEG, hope to rebuild the stadium [...]
Theo: World Cup snub the making of me February 7, 2011 ARSENAL’S Theo Walcott firmly believes missing out on last summer’s World Cup has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Having featured in the three warm-up matches leading up to the announcement of Fabio Capello’s squad, despite some indifferent form, Walcott was expected to play a significant role in South Africa. Capello, however, lived [...]
3-5-2 is back and it adds up to trouble for Chelsea February 7, 2011 IT’S a system that drifted out of fashion in the Premier League some years ago, but 3-5-2 worked a treat for Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool at Chelsea on Sunday. It smothered the attacking threat of the home side’s three forwards, allowing the improving Reds to spoil Fernando Torres’ debut with a shock win. Lining up [...]
Life bans for fixing the only way to rid game of scourge February 7, 2011 AT some point during the looming Cricket World Cup there will be an unusual result; a minnow will beat one of the big teams, or someone will claw back from an impossible position. The immediate reaction among some people will be: it’s a fix. And for that I blame the International Cricket Council. The game’s [...]
Renault boss defends Kubica rally decision February 7, 2011 RENAULT chiefs have defended the decision to let driver Robert Kubica compete in the rally which almost ended his motorsport career. The Polish driver, 26, needed seven hours of surgery and spent the night in an induced coma after breaking his hand, arm and leg in a crash on Sunday. Doctors warned yesterday it is [...]
Simpson-Daniel and Corbisiero called up February 7, 2011 ENGLAND have called up London Irish prop Alex Corbisiero and Gloucester wing James Simpson-Daniel to their squad ahead of Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy. Corbisiero (right) has replaced the Wasps loose-head Tim Payne, who has returned to his club for treatment on a sternum injury. Simpson-Daniel joined up with the senior squad as [...]