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| Fabio Capello gives David Beckham vote of confidence Fabio Capello has revealed David Beckham will definitely be in England's World Cup squad if he impresses and stays fit during his second loan spell at AC Milan. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Plucky Carlisle denied shock by inches EVERTON manager David Moyes summed up an afternoon on which his team could well have suffered another third-round embarrassment with three simple words to his opposite number Greg Abbott: “You were unlucky.†feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Wigan congratulate Chris Ashton but plan to hang on to local talent • 'He's always been an exciting player, blessed with great pace'• Ashton is evidence of 'abundance of talent in Wigan area' Wigan were quick to congratulate Chris Ashton for his rapid union rise, but warned that their up-and-coming talent will not be released so carelessly in future. The 23-year-old, who was called up to England's Six Nations squad today, was not a particularly popular figure with the club's supporters or players before he left in August 2007, but Wigan's chairman, Ian Lenagan, said: "Chris has done very well, and we're pleased for him."He's always been an exciting player blessed with great pace," added Lenagan, stressing that Ashton had been allowed to leave for Northampton by a previous regime at Wigan. "I've seen him play for Northampton a few times this season and playing out on the wing you can see he doesn't have the defensive difficulties that he had at full-back in rugby league."He may be playing rugby union now, but he is further evidence of the abundance of rugby talent in the Wigan area. We have made a conscious decision to build our squad around that talent, and 20 of the 31 players we have in our first-team set-up are Wigan born and bred. One of them, Sam Tomkins, had his big breakthrough last year and is already an established international, and we're confident that there are plenty more like him on the way through."Lenagan talks of a potential golden generation of players including Joe Mellor, an 18-year-old half-back whose expected Super League debut will be delayed by a knee injury sustained in pre-season training, and the centres Stefan Marsh and Ian Thornley.Kris Radlinski, the former Wigan and Great Britain full-back who turned down an offer from Clive Woodward to switch to union before the 2003 World Cup, has worked closely with many of those youngsters as the head of the club's scholarship scheme on what is inevitably being dubbed "The Golden Generation"."The lads on the way through now are as good as we've had for quite a few years," he said. "It dropped off a bit around the time Wigan Athletic were getting into the Premier League, but it's picked up again now. As well as the lads like Sam Tomkins who have already played first team – and another group at under-20s and under-18s who are pretty much ready – we've got under-15s and under-14s groups who have a lot of potential."The priority for Lenagan, Radlinski and Wigan's new Australian coach, Michael Maguire, is to retain talented youngsters such as Ashton and a host of others who have enjoyed great success since joining rival Super League clubs, while a succession of Wigan teams overly reliant on expensive overseas imports have won only two major trophies since 1996."The Rugby League did some research last year showing that 14% of all the players in the Super League were from Wigan, which shows what a fertile nursery it remains," added Lenagan. "It is our intention to capitalise on that."Wigan WarriorsRugby leagueEngland rugby union teamRugby unionAndy Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Colts see off Ravens, while Saints shine • Peyton Manning excels as Colts end losing run• New Orleans Saints overwhelm Arizona CardinalsTwo touchdowns in two minutes at the end of the first half helped the Indianapolis Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 last night and advance to the AFC Championship game.The Colts, the AFC's top seed, will host the winner of today's match between the New York Jets and the San Diego Chargers for a Super Bowl place after they ended a losing run in playoff games following a bye."It's a myth that you can't win at home after a bye week, but I didn't believe in it," the Colts quarterback Peyton Manning told reporters after completing 30 of 44 passes for 246 yards. "I thought we came out sharp on both sides of the ball really from the get-go, kind of set the tempo of the game."Manning broke the game open with touchdown passes to Austin Collie and Reggie Wayne in the final 2:06 of the first half. The scores turned a 3‑3 tie into a 17‑3 Colts lead from which Baltimore, one of the league's top defensive teams, never recovered.Seven penalties and four turnovers only compounded problems for the Ravens against an aggressive Indianapolis defence."The defence did a tremendous job," the Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "When you look at what Baltimore's been able to do to teams over the last few weeks, our defence did indeed play hard and played well."Baltimore did not score a point after the Ravens' first drive, which ended with Billy Cundiff's 25-yard field goal to tie the score at 3-3.The visitors failed to make a first down in the second quarter and Ray Rice, who rushed for 159 yards in Baltimore's opening-round win over New England, gained only 67 against the Colts.Manning, however, had Indianapolis on the move late in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown pass to the rookie Collie capping a 75-yard drive, and a 64-yard effort that ended on Wayne's three-yard catch.Meanwhile two touchdowns from an explosive Reggie Bush helped the New Orleans Saints to a 45‑14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, sweeping them into the NFC title game.Although the Cardinals made the perfect start by going in front with only 19 seconds gone, through a Tim Hightower 70-yard run, the Saints quickly hit back and established supremacy.Three first-quarter touchdowns delighted a raucous Louisiana crowd and put the game firmly in the hands of a New Orleans team looking like the side who won their opening 13 games of the season."I thought in all three phases we played a real good game," Saints' head coach Sean Payton said. "We talked about turnovers being all important and protection too, and that was the case."Arizona, who gave up two turnovers, struggled to respond as they conceded 45 points for the second successive game. With key players missing through injury the Cardinals, who had spectacularly beaten Green Bay 51‑45 in the wildcard round, failed to protect the quarterback Kurt Warner."We were playing with a depleted secondary today and that hurt us," said Arizona's head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who blamed missed tackles and the turnovers for the loss.Warner, who after the game declined to reveal whether he will retire, suffered a rib and chest injury that took him temporarily out of the game in the second quarter. The touchdowns from Lynell Hamilton, Jeremy Shockey and Bush allowed New Orleans to lead 35‑14 at the break. Although Warner later returned he was unable to lead a comeback.Bush's first score had come from a brilliant, weaving 54-yard touchdown run and the Saints running back made sure of the victory with an 83-yard punt return in the third. The quarterback Drew Brees threw three touchdowns for 247 yards for the Saints, who will face the winner of Sunday's clash between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.Payton paid tribute to Bush. "He is as healthy as he has been," he said. "He is a dynamic player and he played real well today."NFLUS sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Marin Cilic stands between Andy Murray and Australian Open final Marin Cilic was rocking at 4-4, deuce in the fifth set against Bernard Tomic, the 17-year-old from the Gold Coast in the second round of the Australian Open, an insomniac’s delight of a match that stretched past two o’clock in the morning. Cilic hit one flowing backhand, then a forehand to break and served out for the match. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |