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| New era for Cotton Bowl A new era for the Cotton Bowl begins Jan. 2 when Mississippi plays Oklahoma State at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium.... hosted.ap.org |
Mason rejects chance to join Crusaders • Forward agrees deal with NRL champions Melbourne Storm• Brian Noble targets several other signings for CrusadersWillie Mason, the fiery second row who is still best known in this country for flooring Stuart Fielden and Sean Long during Great Britain's last win against Australia in 2006, has rejected the chance to play in Wrexham with the Crusaders next season.Mason is instead expected to join Melbourne Storm on a two-year contract, which could mean making his debut for the National Rugby League champions in the World Club Challenge against Leeds at Elland Road in February.The renamed and relocated Crusaders have completed deals for two considerably lower-profile overseas players – Tony Martin, a goalkicking centre who has given good service to London Broncos and more recently Wakefield, and his former New Zealand Warriors team-mate Michael Witt.The Welsh club's new coach, Brian Noble, is hoping to make several further signings before they launch the Engage Super League season with their first game at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground against Leeds on 29 January.The CrusadersSuper LeagueRugby leagueAndy Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Kenny Miller rescues a replay for Rangers Rangers, the Scottish Cup holders, avoided a shock fourth-round exit away to Hamilton Academicals after a thrilling 3-3 draw at New Douglas Park. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
West Ham face FA sanctions over crowd violence West Ham United have been found guilty of breaching FA rules after crowd violence at the Carling Cup tie with Millwall at Upton Park in August, but Millwall have been cleared on all charges. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Bath 10-28 Ulster Bath 10-28 UlsterEven allowing for the fact that Bath were forced to play for more than half of this match with 14 men after Danny Grewcock, whose career has not been totally immune from reckless ill-discipline, was sent off for stamping on the arm of British Lions flanker Stephen Ferris, Ulster's chances of reaching the last eight of the Heineken Cup for the first time since lifting the trophy in 1999 looked a long shot. In fact, they needed to leave the Rec with a bonus-point victory and hope that Stade Français failed to muster anything from their fixture against Edinburgh in Scotland.As events transpired, Ulster gave it a decent crack. After a conservative first half in which Niall O'Connor kicked three penalties to give them a 9-7 lead, the provincial side put themselves in with a shout of maintaining their part of the qualification bargain with a quick-fire brace of tries shortly after the break.Andrew Trimble set the wheels in motion when he skinned Joe Maddock on the outside to complete a sensational score from 60 metres out, whereupon Darren Cave went over by the posts after Simon Danielli, on his old stamping ground, had set up the outside centre with a searing infield break. Paddy Wallace bagged a third touchdown with two minutes remaining to keep lingering Irish hopes alive, though Stade's losing bonus point in Edinburgh meant that a fourth Ulster try – and the ensuing bonus point – would have been immaterial in any event. Still, it was a much merited triumph for Ulster, who had previously lost all of their 11 Heineken Cup matches on English soil, though Bath also deserve a pat on the back for the guts they showed after Grewcock's dismissal. Red card maybe, but there was no hint of a white flag from the west country club, that's for sure.Maybe Grewcock was a mite unfortunate to be shown red following an incident at the breakdown six minutes before the interval. Ferris, who performed with aplomb all afternoon, was holding on to Grewcock's leg at the time, despite the fact that neither player was in possession of the ball. But Jérome Garces, the French referee, had no hesitation in showing red after a touch judge had drawn his attention to Grewcock's felony. Yellow may have been fairer.And so ended a miserable Heineken Cup campaign for Bath, whose lone victory came against Edinburgh at the Rec. Any mathematical hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals disappeared in the Parisian mud last weekend, when they lost to Stade, though all realistic aspirations of progressing further had long since gone. With their form in the Guinness Premiership, in which they are only six points ahead of bottom club Leeds, just as disappointing, it has been a grim old season for the former kings of English rugby.Still, this was a match of some importance to them, not least for their quartet of England Elite Player Squads players - Shontayne Hape, Matt Banahan, David Wilson and Lee Mears. Wilson, who performed solidly enough, could well be named at tight-head prop in the starting XV for the Six Nations encounter against Wales on 6 February while Hape, the 28-year-old rugby league convert from New Zealand, also did his chances of an international debut much good.Heineken CupBathUlster RugbyRugby unionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |