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St. Mary's Hall is fielding new gridiron teams Saint Mary’s Hall, private K-12 school, has added two football teams to its athletic repertoire. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Premier League approves Liverpool takeover By ROB HARRIS 2010-10-08T15:49:43ZLONDON (AP) -- The Premier League approved the proposed sale of Liverpool to the American owners of the Boston Red Sox on Friday, and could end up docking the club nine points if the takeover falls through.... hosted.ap.org |
Stephen Jones willing and able to bridge Wales' generation gap On the eve of his 75th Heineken Cup match the fly-half is as hungry as ever for Scarlets and his countryEven now Stephen Jones clutches his head in embarrassment at the memory of the day he almost signed for Leicester. It was 2004 and the Tigers were so keen to impress their Welsh guest that they had assigned two of their leading players, Geordan Murphy and Lewis Moody, to act as his social minders. They duly took their potential new team-mate to a nice restaurant before embarking on a prolonged refuelling session which ended with Jones barely aware what country he was in. At 8am next morning, with his chaperones enjoying a lie-in on their day off, Jones stumbled out of bed to meet the Leicester hierarchy. He still cannot recall a word anyone said.Fast forward to this weekend and a clear-eyed, motivated Jones, in the colours of his beloved Scarlets, are due back in the midlands for a Heineken Cup encounter fizzing with possibilities. It says everything about the enduring commitment of Wales's fly-half that Leicester would like to rewind history even more than he does. After 91 caps and 815 points for Wales, Jones long ago passed the tipping point which separates good-time boyo from top-class professional operator. Few players in the British Isles have proved a greater number of people wrong during their careers.Maturity strikes us all eventually but, in Jones's case, there remain some who still view him as a Carmarthen-reared cuckoo in the pantheon of all-time Welsh No10 legends such as Barry John, Phil Bennett and Jonathan Davies. History may determine otherwise; the modest 32-year-old's lasting achievement, aside from his six Lions Test appearances, has been to demystify the jersey and prove that quality playmakers are not necessarily defined by a twinkling sidestep. How strange it must be to donate your body and soul to your country for 12 years and still hear people debating your worth.On the eve of his 75th Heineken match, perhaps as a result, there is not a hint of bombast about the Scarlets' understated pimpernel. "I cringe to look back at the player I was," he says softly, deep in the bowels of the new Parc y Scarlets complex which has superseded evocative old Stradey Park as the oval-ball shrine of Llanelli and west Wales. "I look at old matches and think: 'Why was I doing that?' It was a case of ignorance is bliss. You thought: 'This is what we do, it's good enough'. We couldn't fathom why Wales couldn't compete against certain teams. It's only when people open your eyes that you see what's needed."In Jones's case it was a combination of Steve Hansen, Scott Johnson and Andrew Hore who persuaded him that, culturally, things had to change. In the bad old days Jones might sink five or six pints on a Friday night after a game, enjoy another good evening on Saturday and report innocently back to work on the Monday. "It was completely different but that was the norm then. I don't miss it but it was bloody good fun. Even in the early days of professionalism it was still amateur in so many senses. Everybody had a good crack, didn't they?"Eventually the penny dropped that world-class sporting excellence is not bred in the Dog and Dragon. His Leicester experience also played its part. "I didn't dip into my pocket much I remember that … the club were brilliant and very professional and I probably wasn't. You try and disguise it [the next morning] but you've got no chance of disguising some things."Eventually he signed for Montferrand, spending two horizon-broadening years in the Massif Central where Richard Cockerill, now the Tigers' head coach, acted as his tour guide on his first visit. He returned home more confident and open-minded, better equipped to enthuse others. "What I hammer home to the youngsters is how lucky they are: we've got fantastic facilities and the training pitch is like a bowling green. There are no excuses. Being a rugby player is a great life but it's up to you what you want to make of it."Which is where Jones's talent truly lies. These days few in Wales prepare more assiduously for games, nor negotiate the tactical minefield with surer instincts. "For me the game has to be learned. You have to bring a new dimension to your game every year." Leicester, accordingly, will find the enterprising Scarlets tricky to read. "Within 3-4 video clips you can see exactly what a lot of sides are trying to do," says Nigel Davies, the Scarlets' head coach. "We've decided to be different." That kind of multilayered, reactive game is only possible if you have a conductor of Jones's quality.The time has also come for the Scarlets and the national team to kick on. Wales are set to announce their autumn Test squad on Monday and even Jones, their reliable linchpin, knows the next six weeks will be crucial. "It's no coincidence the last two teams to win the World Cup – South Africa and England – were the dominant side a year out. If Wales want to feature in the World Cup I believe we've got to perform now. It's momentum, isn't it? Yes, we've got confidence in the way we train but international rugby is about winning." Last week's spectacular four-try victory over Perpignan, in which Jones scored 28 points including his 50th try for his local side, has already given the new-look Scarlets fresh hope following a lengthy spell of financial uncertainty. "As a region we're in the best place we've been for a couple of years. This weekend is a great test for us. It'll tell us exactly where we're at."There remains the small matter of Leicester's tendency to edge big games between the sides, not least the semi-finals of 2002 and 2007. With local emotions still swirling in the wake of Gavin Quinnell's serious eye injury, victory for the Scarlets would mean a lot. Jones still reckons Welsh stand-offs are only ever one game away from a public kicking but long ago realised where his priorities really lie: "As long as they say 'He's an honest guy who represented his region with passion' I'll be happy with that." How does he think his predecessor Phil Bennett would fare in the professional game? "Well, he is 61 now," he replies, chortling to himself. Like every good Welsh fly-half, Jones can sidestep beautifully when he wants to.ScarletsHeineken CupLeicesterWales rugby union teamRugby unionRobert Kitsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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