We have no-one to fear, claims Wales coach Gatland February 4, 2010 WALES head coach Warren Gatland says his side fear no-one in their quest to reclaim the Six Nations Championship. Gatland’s men meet England at Twickenham tomorrow looking to recreate their start of two years ago when victory in south-west London launched their Grand Slam campaign. The Welsh suffered heartbreak last season when Stephen Jones’ missed [...]
Mancini fury at ‘incredible decision’ to deny Kenya star Mariga a work permit February 4, 2010 MANCHESTER City manager Roberto Mancini has slammed the Home Office for scuppering his deadline-day move to sign Kenyan midfielder McDonald Mariga. City agreed a fee with Parma and terms with the player but could not complete the signing because Mariga was refused a work permit on the basis of Kenya’s low world ranking. Mariga, 22, [...]
Bruce predicts curtains for the transfer window February 4, 2010 SUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce believes the transfer window will be scrapped when a player eventually challenges the system in court as a restraint of trade. Bruce succeeded in pushing through a loan deal for Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari despite missing the Monday deadline, but said the episode might otherwise have provided a test case. [...]
Britain crash to Austrians February 4, 2010 TENNIS: Great Britain’s Fed Cup team saw their promotion hopes dented as Austria opened up an unassailable 2-0 lead in their Group D tie in Portugal. Anne Keothavong’s first match back after six months out with a knee injury ended in a 6-2, 6-2 defeat by Patricia Mayr, while Elena Baltacha lost 6-3, 6-3 to [...]
Mayweather to take on Mosley February 4, 2010 BOXING: Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr will take on WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley in a Las Vegas showdown on 1 May. Both fighters will undertake Olympic-style drug testing before the fight – similar to the conditions which scuppered Mayweather’s bout with Manny Pacquiao earlier this year. Mayweather said: “This is for the fans as I [...]
Hiedfeld named reserve driver February 4, 2010 FORMULA ONE: Nick Heidfeld has been named as reserve/test driver for the all-German Mercedes team. Hiedfeld, 32, steps down from racing after 10 years with the Prost, Sauber, Jordan, Williams and BMW Sauber teams. He lines up as back-up to Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg and said: “While I would of course have preferred a [...]
McIlroy shares Dubai lead February 4, 2010 GOLF: Defending champion Rory McIlroy is in a six-way tie for the lead after the opening day of the Dubai Desert Classic. The Northern Irishman shot a four-under-par 68 to share the lead with Welshman Stephen Dodd, Edoardo Molinari, Jeev Milkha Singh, Alexander Noren and Charl Schwartzel. England’s Paul Casey is a shot off the [...]
Lucky Leo can star at Donny February 4, 2010 LAST weekend’s meeting at Doncaster was frozen off, so let’s hope the weather doesn’t disrupt tomorrow’s action. KALAHARI KING, runner-up in last season’s Arkle Chase, carries top weight in the feature contest, the Blue Square Handicap Chase. Ferdy Murphy’s stable star heads the field of 15 in the £70,000 contest and will take some stopping [...]
Postive England setup should trouble Welsh February 4, 2010 ENGLAND Vs WALES UNDERACHIEVING England coach Martin Johnson has thrown down the gauntlet. By picking a positive starting XV – which notably includes Mathew Tait at outside centre – they are sending a message not just to Wales, their opponents at Twickenham tomorrow, but also to the other members of the Six Nations. Sale Shark [...]
SUPER BOWL XLIV February 4, 2010 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Vs INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PREPARE for an afternoon snooze if you plan to stay up for the 44th installment of America’s greatest sporting spectacle. Super Bowl debutants and the NFC’s top seeds New Orleans Saints (Who Dat?!) face the AFC’s best, Indianapolis Colts – the first time since 1993 that both top seeds [...]