| Exeter 22-17 Newcastle Exeter Chiefs 22-17 Newcastle FalconsExeter are rapidly running through the range of performance-types of the fully fledged Premiership team. They have done the inspired home victory over local fancy boys, they have bloodied the nose of the very best away from home. Here, they churned out a no-nonsense victory over visitors who caused them problems without ever coming close to dominating.A penalty by Gareth Steenson with 10 minutes to go earned Exeter a one-point lead moments after they had fallen behind in a game they enjoyed enough possession to have won a few times over. Steenson added another with four minutes to go to open up a little daylight, left and they saw off a late Newcastle rally to make it two wins from three. They look a Premiership side all right.Because they did not play that well. Or at least they could not make their overwhelming dominance tell, which is not good if you are a relegation candidate. Their big problem with this game was that they were fancied to win it. The heroics they had pulled off in their first two matches, when they were not given a prayer, were a piece of cake compared to this. At times, they played like favourites, too – favourites labouring under the mantle.The whole match was theirs, convincingly, in terms of territory and possession, but they could squeeze little from their pressure. They have forwards who, if they carry on like this, will start to interest people further up the hierarchy in English rugby. James Phillips, James Hanks, Tom Johnson – they are big, they are fast and they can handle. Newcastle Falcons had no one to match them.That said, the Falcons never stopped tackling them, and that looked as if it might become a problem as the Falcons were the more clinical outfit. They scored a try midway through each half – Charlie Amesbury slicing through off an attacking scrum he and a few others had created in a sudden break-out in the first, and Rob Vickerman finishing off after Luke Eves had broken the midfield defence from an attacking lineout in the second period.Both tries earned Newcastle an unlikely lead, the second by a point with just over quarter of an hour to go. As impressive as anything, though, was the way Exeter responded. They had their only try within six minutes of Newcastle's first. It came from a Newcastle error at the base of a scrum, with Johnson benefiting.After the second Newcastle try, which earned a 17-16 lead, the forwards kept coming as they had all day and waited for those penalties to come. They duly did, and they were slotted over by Steenson, who looks as if he might be one of the deadliest marksmen in the league. They really do seem to have a lot of the boxes ticked. Someone big could easily be relegated once again.PremiershipExeterNewcastle FalconsRugby unionMichael Aylwinguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Jose Bautista hits 50th homer; how his prowess ranks with Ruth, Gehrig Jose Bautista has a chance for a home run feat achieved by some distinct company. rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button eager for fray at Japanese grand prix • 'Now is the time to fight,' says Hamilton at Suzuka• Button: 'I know I can win this championship'Lewis Hamilton is relishing the prospect of getting to grips with "one of the great racetracks of the world" as Formula One arrives in the far east for this weekend's Japanese grand prix at Suzuka.Regardless of how the 2010 season plays out between now and the finale in Abu Dhabi on 14 November, it is sure to be fondly remembered as one of the tightest and most keenly contested championships on record. With four races remaining, five drivers remain in the hunt for the title – Hamilton and his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and the Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.And with just 25 points – one race win – separating the championship leader Webber from the fifth-placed Button, every turn of the wheel at Suzuka will be crucial and Hamilton is determined to rise to the challenge. "It's a real driver's circuit – you need to be committed and precise to do well there, and there's no room for error either: no tarmac run-off, and all the barriers are pretty close, so any mistake is going to hurt your chances big-time," he said.Mistakes have been a feature of Hamilton's recent outings, tangles with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in Italy and Webber in Singapore have cost him a hatful of points and arguably the lead of the title race heading into the season's closing stages.Returning to a circuit that delivered him a third-placed finish on his grand prix debut there 12 months ago, Hamilton, who trails Webber by 20 points, is determined to get his title bid back on track, and has vowed to remain on the ragged edge of performance. "On arrival at Suzuka for the first time last year, it was clear that this was one of the great racetracks of the world," said Hamilton, whose first two grand prix in Japan, in 2007 and 2008, were contested at the Fuji Speedway."Suzuka is very much unfinished business for me. I raced the best I could last year, but our car just wasn't fast enough. This year, I'm holding nothing back – I need a strong result to get my title hopes back on track, and that will be my complete focus from the moment I first sit in the cockpit on Friday morning. Now is not the time to hold back; now is the time to fight."Hamilton's reigning world champion team-mate is also looking forward to the "supreme challenge" presented by the 3.609mile circuit. "I've spent such a large part of my Formula One career working in Japan that I almost consider it something of a second home nowadays," said Button. "Suzuka is the perfect venue for the Japanese grand prix – one of the world's truly great circuits, and a supreme challenge for any racing driver."I love the whole Suzuka experience – the fact that it's a real trek to reach from Europe, the amusement park that you walk through to get to the paddock, the incredibly loyal and friendly Japanese fans – who cheer me on all weekend – and the whole atmosphere, which is invariably extremely tense and frantic, because the race always plays such a decisive role in the outcome of world championships."Button's best Japanese grand prix result was a third place at this circuit in 2004 but he nevertheless believes the venue is well suited to his strengths. "I've had some great results at Suzuka, but I've never won in Japan," he said. "I think it's a circuit that suits my style – it's all about scrubbing off as little speed as possible through the corners and maintaining a very smooth and precise rhythm: get it wrong and you're usually scrabbling to regain your momentum for several more corners. It's a punishing place."Reflecting on his title chances heading into the final four rounds, Button added: "I think the world championship is still completely open. Obviously, there's no room for mistakes, but any of the top five drivers could easily steal the title. It might seem a disadvantage to be behind in the points standings but, make no mistake, I know I can win this championship. I'm still as determined as ever to keep the number one on my car for 2011."Lewis HamiltonJenson ButtonFormula OneMcLarenMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Tony Stewart lands Mobil 1 as sponsor for 11 races in 2011 During an unsettling sponsorship climate for NASCAR, Tony Stewart has found security. The two-time Sprint Cup champion announced Tuesday his ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
TCU accepts invitation to join Big East Conference The Big East is growing by one. TCU has accepted an invitation to join the league for the 2012-13 academic year. rssfeeds.usatoday.com |