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| Armitage brothers extend Irish contracts • 'I want to be here to lift silverware,' says Delon• 'There is no other club I want to be at,' adds SteffonDelon Armitage has his sights on delivering silverware to London Irish after signing an extension to his contract with the club. The England full-back has committed himself to the Exiles until 2012 with his younger brother Steffon signing on until the summer of 2013.London Irish were beaten in last year's Guinness Premiership final by Leicester but they are firmly in the trophy hunt again, lying second in the league and top of their Heineken Cup group."Signing for London Irish again was not a difficult decision for me," said Delon Armitage, who joined the club's academy in 2002. "I have been with the club as its success has grown and the future looks exciting – I want to be here to help lift the silverware we rightly deserve."Irish reinforced their Premiership title credentials on Sunday by inflicting a first league defeat of the season on the table-topping Saracens and they face another key match this weekend when they travel to Franklin's Gardens to take on the third-placed Northampton.Booth said of the Armitage brothers: "They are two of the most talented players in rugby at the moment, and outstanding at both Test and club level."Delon returned to action just before Christmas after three months out with a shoulder injury and he will be a key member of England's Six Nations side. Steffon broke into the England set-up last season and believes London Irish is the best place for him to secure a regular place in Martin Johnson's plans."Since joining in 2006 my game has gone from strength to strength and I've been capped for England. I have to hand much of that down to the quality of coaching at Irish," said the flanker. "There is no other club that I want to be at right now, things can only get better and I'm here to stay."London IrishGuinness PremiershipRugby unionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Wigan Athletic 4-1 Hull City THE SIGHT OF Stripey the Laticat and Roary the Tiger sitting in an otherwise unoccupied South Stand, arms folded and engaged in conversation, said everything. There were ways of measuring the levels of apathy at the DW Stadium, from the derogatory chants about the lack of fans and the low volume to the number of first-team players each manager omitted. But the most abiding image was provided at one end of the ground, closed to the paying public and populated only by two disinterested mascots.Given the low attendance – just 5,335 paying spectators were in a ground that can accommodate five times as many fans – it is hard to describe Wigan's comeback as memorable, admirable though it was. Charles N'Zogbia's stellar second-half display may be seen as evidence of commitment to Athletic's cause, but too few witnessed it to bring about a sea change in opinion. Rather, the overriding sense was that the prioritisation of the Premier League is now shared by managers and supporters alike. Roberto MartÃnez made six changes, Phil Brown seven and followers of both clubs amended their weekly routine by ignoring their side's fixture when glorified reserve teams were fielded.The absenteeism disappointed the visiting manager. "Yeah, if truth be known," said Brown. "I know it is a cold, snowy, wintery day. A lot of people talk about the FA Cup still having its magic, but when you look at the crowd it was a poor turnout. It was a poor turnout from us in the second half.""In my opinion, it is the best cup competition in the world," said MartÃnez, though this was scarcely a day to justify that statement. "I am focusing on the fans we had; they were very good. But I'm not surprised [at the crowd] because of the weather. We have had such atrocious conditions that people did not want to take a risk to come."At least it provided a chance to impress. Two stand-ins, James McCarthy and Scott Sinclair, seized it, the midfielder opening his Wigan account and the winger doubling his tally for the Latics on their second and third starts for the club respectively. But the catalyst for the fightback was Wigan's costliest signing.N'Zogbia had been among those demoted to the bench. The feeling had been that his eventual destination was rather farther away. While reportedly touting himself to Birmingham City, the midfielder courted further controversy on Wednesday by heading straight for the Old Trafford tunnel and opting not to shake hands with his replacement, Sinclair, when substituted in Wigan's 5-0 defeat to Manchester United.On this occasion, neither his behaviour nor his contribution could be questioned. Martinez has appeared reluctant to summon reinforcements during his time at Wigan. Decisive action brought a response, however, when N'Zogbia, introduced at half-time, struck within two minutes. Trademark acceleration enabled the Frenchman to combine with Jason Scotland, accepting the latter's pass before producing a crisp finish. "Charlie is a world-class player," Martinez said. "He made a huge difference and his attitude was very good." His second followed a well-worked corner as he exchanged passes with Sinclair before cutting infield and curling a shot through a crowded penalty area.His brace bookended McCarthy's strike. The 19-year-old Scot was found by N'Zogbia before his shot took a decisive deflection to defeat Boaz Myhill.. The on-loan Chelsea winger Sinclair, who had begun the game in scintillating fashion, concluded it on the scoresheet, with a rasping, rising shot.Hull had led, Geovanni curling in a free kick to end a 12-game wait for a goal. Enter N'Zogbia. "The substitution at half-time looks like it has worked for Wigan," lamented Brown. "It didn't work for us, though." Nor did it work for Stripey and Roary. They were sitting in splendid isolation 100 yards away while each of the five goals was scored in front of the fans in the North Stand.FA CupWigan AthleticHull CityRichard Jollyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Ricky Hatton plans summer return Ricky Hatton has confirmed that he will return to the ring for one last fight. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Tom Croft injury a blow for England TOM CROFT, England's first-choice blindside flanker, suffered an injury to his left knee 26 minutes into this lopsided Leicester bonus-point procession which puts his participation in the Six Nations in serious doubt. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
NC State upsets No. 7 Duke 88-74 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Tracy Smith scored 23 points, Dennis Horner added 20 and North Carolina State stunned No. 7 Duke 88-74 on Wednesday night.... hosted.ap.org |