Easter gets armband as Johnson rings changes November 17, 2010 HARLEQUINS No8 Nick Easter will captain England in a Test match for the first time on Saturday after manager Martin Johnson resisted the urge to make wholesale changes for the visit of Samoa. With a final Test of the autumn against South Africa on the horizon, Johnson has shuffled his pack slightly by making four [...]
‘We knew we could play that way’ November 17, 2010 NORTHAMPTON lock Courtney Lawes may have played a pivotal role in transforming England into stylish world-beaters but has reminded his colleagues of the virtues of winning ugly. Lawes is one of a clutch of youngsters at the heart of Martin Johnson’s emerging outfit, along with Saints team-mates Chris Ashton and Ben Foden and Leicester duo [...]
Fergie: Rooney wasn’t greedy November 17, 2010 MANCHESTER UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists Wayne Rooney did not threaten to leave Old Trafford in order to engineer a huge wage hike. Rooney walked away from contract talks and demanded a move last month, flirting with rivals Manchester City and complaining about United’s lack of ambition. The striker performed a swift U-turn and [...]
Mika rips into Schumi slump November 17, 2010 FORMER world champion Michael Schumacher is a “tragic ex-hero” who is “dismantling his own legacy”, according to his one time rival on the track, Mika Hakkinen. The Finn clashed with Schumacher on several occasions during a career that saw him claim two world titles of his own. The 42-year-old has toyed with the idea of [...]
Owls have 28 days to pay £1.4m bill November 17, 2010 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY have been given a 28-day stay of execution by a High Court judge in order to find new owners and pay off an outstanding tax bill of £1.4m. The League One club had been facing a winding-up petition from HM Revenue & Customs for £600,000, but the judge revealed in court that the [...]
Injury forces Moya to retire November 17, 2010 TENNIS: Former French Open champion Carlos Moya has announced his retirement due to an ongoing foot injury. The Spaniard made his last appearance on the ATP Tour at the Madrid Masters in May, losing in the opening round. Moya plans to play one more tournament in Seville next month before quitting. “I wanted to say goodbye [...]
Lawson set to captain Scotland November 17, 2010 RUGBY UNION: Rory Lawson will stand in for Mike Blair at scrum-half and also take over the captain’s duties for Scotland’s second autumn Test match against South Africa on Saturday. Scott MacLeod takes the place of Jim Hamilton in the second row while Nathan Hines’ inclusion at flanker means a change of position for Kelly Brown, [...]
EVEN MONTY’S CATCHING FEEL-GOOD FACTOR November 17, 2010 ENGLAND should feel they have a great chance of winning the Ashes in Australia when Monty Panesar is taking catches like the one he pulled off in Hobart yesterday. The one-time figure of fun, far from renowned for his fielding prowess, pouched a stunning effort, diving to his right at mid-wicket, during the final warm-up [...]
Capello sure England call will focus Carroll November 16, 2010 ENGLAND v/s FRANCE NEWCASTLE’S Andy Carroll has made as many front page as back page headlines during his fledgling career, but England boss Fabio Capello believes the glare of the international spotlight will help focus the mind of the talented striker. Carroll, 21, the joint leading goalscorer in the Premier League this season, is set [...]
Injured Alex joins Terry on Chelsea’s treatment table November 16, 2010 CHELSEA’S defensive crisis deepened yesterday when the club announced centre-half Alex will miss up to eight weeks with an ongoing knee injury. The Brazilian international has already been absent from the Blues’ last two Premier League fixtures against Fulham and Sunderland because of the problem, although he had linked up with Brazil for this evening’s [...]