TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Born-again James Vaughan delivers a timely reminder of his talents The sense of irony was so apparent it was palpable. No sooner had the stadium announcer signalled the start of “Operation Goodison†than James Vaughan, a player who has had more than his fair share of surgery, arrived on the scene to save the day for Everton just as ten-man Burnley appeared ready to deny them. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Monty says Woods will no longer be the same threat Colin Montgomerie believes Tiger Woods will return from his marital problems to win more majors but says he won't be the iconic player who dominated ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Eddie Butler's verdict on England's Six Nations squad Despite England's inclusion of Shontayne Hape and Chris Ashton, Martin Johnson has resisted wholesale changesWhat did you expect? Revolution? You only had to see the names of the props – Julian White, Andrew Sheridan, Tim Payne and David Wilson – to know that the big fingers of Martin Johnson had taken the burning fuse and snuffed out the fire. Dan Cole and Matt Mullan will have to go down the road of Saxon convention before being thrust into the full England team.Or at least they'll have to wait until the end of the month when, among others, Sheridan will have his injury reassessed. So, while the young Cole has to wait, the prop he inconvenienced at Welford Road at the weekend, Tim Payne of Wasps, retains his place in the elite squad. It all depends on how you interpret current form, I suppose.At scrum-half Harry Ellis survives an inconvenience of his own – of hardly having played this season – to see off the challenge for the moment of Ben Youngs, who, along with Cole, has done so much to make Leicester the force of the hour. Current form can take many shapes, like good posture, in Ellis's case, on the physio's bench.There is something in the small print of the Treaty of Versailles, or whatever the concord is called that allows the England manager some sort of control over the best players in his land, that restricts the number of changes he can make. Perhaps Johnson is abiding by the letter of the contract, which makes him unique in salary-capped England, a law-abiding citizen.Chris Ashton forces his way into the squad at the expense of David Strettle, a reward for the one for being in red-hot form and a price paid by the other for making a couple of mistakes at just the wrong moment. Jordan Crane retains his place at No8, presumably because of his contribution to the collective effort at Leicester, rather than for anything he has done as an individual. When he goes off-message Crane can be a liability.Shontayne Hape, on the other hand, is included for what he might bring to the midfield by way of spontaneity. The path of former league players into the England three-quarter line – with Jason Robinson a stunning exception – has not always been smooth, but they seem to understand the absolute priority to run a straight line, a direction not always visible last autumn.Lee Mears returns after injury, but in place of George Chuter, not Steve Thompson, on whom light continues to fall after the gloomy times he endured after 2003. He won the World Cup, went into a dark place and then wrecked his neck. His return is a triumph for the powers of reinvigoration on offer through rugby.Courtney Lawes is there and his chances of a place in the match-day 22 must be enhanced by his recent effectiveness as a No6 for Northampton. Or will he suffer for being an all-rounder, bound to walk in Engo-limbo like Ben Foden and Mathew Tait, both of whom have been retained?This is not time for anything but positive thoughts about how this England squad might brighten up the Six Nations. Except that if the back-line from 10 to 15 went something like Wilkinson, Flutey, Hape, Ashton, Cueto and Armitage D, there would only be Mark Cueto as a pure product of the rugby union nurseries of England. And even the Sale winger preferred football to rugby until he was 17.Jonny Wilkinson has been born again – on many fronts – in France while Delon Armitage was raised there. Ashton and Hape are from league, and Hape and Riki Flutey are from New Zealand, as is Dylan Hartley. I don't care where people come from, but there are grounds to suspect that formal progress through the age groups of England is as joyless as their play at Twickenham last autumn.All that investment in a pathway that makes for dull play ... this squad suggests that there is a note of protest in Johnson's selection after all.England rugby union teamMartin JohnsonSix Nations rugbyRugby unionEddie Butlerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
UNC nips N.C. State on football TV ratings North Carolina State University’s football team may have beaten the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the gridiron last season, but the Tar Heels won the battle over the airwaves. feeds.bizjournals.com |
High school basketball player in Arkansas critical after collapse A Parkview High School basketball player remains in critical condition after collapsing during a game. Fifteen-year-old Chris Winston was in ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |