TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Hawaii Bowl: SMU dismantles Nevada in postseason return Freshman Kyle Padron threw for an SMU-record 460 yards, leading the Mustangs to a 45-10 victory over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl on Thursday night ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
England save Test in last-wicket thriller In what was the second nailbiting finish of the series, England again staged a great escape to save the third Test, thereby protecting their one-nil lead going into the final Test next week. Their last wicket pair of Graeme Swann and Graham Onions had to survive the last 17 balls of the match after England slumped from 272 for five to 290 for nine in the space of 11 overs. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Richard Williams: Johnson must find time for Cipriani The manager's readiness to reintegrate England's most creative player will say a lot about his chances of successIt was just after England had fallen to another defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the final match of Twickenham's autumn international series that a reader emailed to upbraid me, politely but firmly, for coming to premature and possibly inaccurate conclusions about Martin Johnson's performance at the start of his second season as team manager.Making his case with quiet but articulate passion, the emailer strengthened his argument by admitting that the quality of England's rugby against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand had been humdrum at best and lamentable at worst. He was not trying to avoid the undeniable. But that, he emphasised, was beside the point.Look back to last spring's Six Nations tournament, he said, and you will recall an England team in Johnson's care for less than a year but already capable of finishing in a respectable second place, just behind an Ireland side outstanding enough to be fancied as the northern hemisphere's standard bearers in the next Rugby World Cup. Not only that, but after completing the tournament with a resounding victory over France they ended up with the highest number of tries and points scored.This, surely, was a more reliable indicator of Johnson's progress. In a relatively short time, he had turned the team into a coherent entity capable of capitalising on the attacking flair of some of the players whose gifts he had introduced into the team with great success, notably Delon Armitage and Riki Flutey. Able to choose from a squad relatively untroubled by injury, he appeared to have reconciled the two warring factions of English rugby coaching: a belief in ironclad defence on one side, a yearning for expansive, free-flowing attack on the other.The problem this past autumn, my critic pointed out, was that injuries had wrecked Johnson's plans, so cruelly distorting the selection that it would be unfair to draw conclusions. A fair point, although it does not address the inability of England's second-string players to think on their feet or to find a way of producing quick ball. At this stage all Johnson's players should be showing at least a hint of the ability to maintain the coaching team's desired approach to the game.Tomorrow is the day Johnson announces his final squad for this year's Six Nations. Armitage, Flutey, Toby Flood and Nick Easter are among those returning, no doubt with places in the starting line-up pre-booked. And, as usual, campaigns are being mounted for various outsiders, among them the wing Chris Ashton and the full-back Ben Foden from Northampton, the Leicester prop Dan Cole and the Bath centre Shontayne Hape.Some appear worthier than others. Foden, we are told, is worth a place despite being suspect under the high ball – can you imagine Twickenham's reaction were he to play in the opening match against Wales and fumble two of the first three steeplers that came his way? But the one whose almost certain omission concerns me most is Danny Cipriani, who still seems not to have fully redeemed himself after a damaging altercation during a pre-tournament training camp in Portugal a year ago.Brian Ashton, Johnson's predecessor, had the right approach to Cipriani's immaturity: the imposition of a clear punishment for an unauthorised night-club excursion, followed by a fresh start. Johnson seems less inclined to put a pastoral arm around his shoulder.Not even Cipriani can do much when playing behind an overpowered pack, although he had a pretty good go behind Wasps's crumbling scrum at Leicester on Saturday, but Johnson's eventual readiness to reintegrate England's most creative player into his plans will say a lot about his chances of succeeding in a role to which he is still comparatively new and in which, as my correspondent quite correctly suggested, he deserves time and patience.Ferguson should be careful respect does not ebb awayA note of indulgence is creeping into commentaries on the behaviour of Sir Alex Ferguson. As he nipped down the tunnel shortly after the start of the second half against Birmingham City on Saturday, ESPN's Jon Champion made a remark about the Manchester United manager perhaps having been "caught short". Subsequently he confirmed that Ferguson had indeed been "answering a call of nature", adding that it was, after all, a very cold afternoon.Even the director showed discretion, quickly cutting away when a low-angle camera started to make a bit too much of a feature of the 68-year-old's nasal hairs. And Ferguson's predictable post-match rant about the refereeing was generally greeted with the now customary raised eyebrow and weary sigh.You wouldn't put money against one last majestic renaissance, of course, making fools of us all. We know that Old Trafford's season does not start until January. But he will surely want to have put his successor in place before indulgence turns to pity.Deacon Blues showed Brits poetry of Crimson Tide"They call Alabama the Crimson Tide," Steely Dan's Donald Fagen sang so many years ago, causing frowns of bewilderment on this side of the Atlantic among those unfamiliar with American college football.It was, however, one of those phrases that sticks in the mind. "Crimson Tide reclaims the glory", a banner headline in the New York Times announced this past weekend, proclaiming the University of Alabama's triumph over the University of Texas in this year's national college championship final. It was their first since 1992, with Mark Ingram Jr, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, rushing for 116 yards to be named the day's most valuable player. And it made me wonder yet again whether any sports team has ever enjoyed so poetic a nickname.Two clubs good, one club badAs Landon Donovan joins Everton for half a season before returning to the US for the start of the next Major League Soccer season, replicating his LA Galaxy team-mate David Beckham's arrangement with Milan, it occurs to me that we might be witnessing the birth of a new phenomenon: the two-club man.Martin JohnsonDanny CiprianiEngland rugby union teamSix Nations rugbyAutumn internationalsRugby unionRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Longtime Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald dies at 67 Dan Fitzgerald, the coach who built Gonzaga into a national basketball power but resigned before the school began its current run of NCAA tournaments, ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Robinho leaves a lasting impression at Manchester City The alluring charm of the FA Cup has always been in its ability to throw up incongruous situations. There was no upset at Glanford Park yesterday, but the sight of Robinho tiptoeing through the mud-spattered corridors in a pair of sky-blue boots is an image that will endure, particularly if this turns out to be his final appearance in a Manchester City shirt. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |