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 [...]
Aussies are in chaos and showing weakness November 16, 2010 WITH little more than a week until the first Ashes ball is bowled, the two teams could not be on more different trajectories. Preparations have gone as well as they could have for England, while Australia are a side in chaos. Australia’s shambolic state was summed up this week when they named a huge 17-man [...]
Border fears Empire striking back November 16, 2010 FORMER Australia captain Allan Border has taken a swipe at England’s cosmopolitan Ashes squad, branding Andrew Strauss’s side the “Empire XI”. On Monday, Australia announced an unusually large 17-man squad ahead of the first Test which starts on 25 November, heightening the suspicion that captain Ricky Ponting is still far from certain of his best [...]
South Africa coach plays down crisis as Habana injury adds to doping row November 16, 2010 SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has attempted to draw a line under the doping storm that has derailed preparations for Saturday’s clash with Scotland. The Springboks lost two men on Monday when hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and winger Bjorn Basson were sent home after testing positive for a banned stimulant. De Villiers admitted then he [...]
Murray and Federer to collide at O2 November 16, 2010 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray will resume his long-standing rivalry with Roger Federer next week in London after the pair were drawn in the same group for the ATP World Tour Finals. Murray, one of a select few in the world to enjoy a favourable head—to-head record against Federer, will be looking to add to his eight [...]
England 2018 bid gets Fifa boost November 16, 2010 FOOTBALL: England’s hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup will be boosted by the publication of Fifa’s technical reports, which will categorise the bid as a low legal risk with a high potential financial return. Karren Brady, the West Ham United vice-chair who is also head of the 2018 advisory board, said yesterday the publication of [...]
Former Gunner Pires joins Villa November 16, 2010 FOOTBALL: Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of 37-year-old former Arsenal star Robert Pires on a free transfer. Pires had been released in the summer by Villarreal and was training with the Gunners earlier in the season in a bid to regain his fitness. Villa’s assistant manager Gary McAllister said: “It’s perfect. He’s a player everyone [...]