The hosts took a decisive 2-0 lead in the T20 series by chasing down the West Indies total of 196
He’s got him first ball! A snorter of a yorker beats Lewis for pace and bangs him right in front. The batter reviews but it’s more in hope than anything. Maybe he thought he made contact with the ball as he attempted to dig it out, but there’s a gap between leather and willow. A stunning start for Wood and England.
The players are now geared up and ready to roll.
Continue reading...Wealth of Big Three is skewing Test cricket and a big win for Australia at Lord’s would only emphasise this gulf
On a recent episode of The Grade Cricketer podcast, the hosts, Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, tore lumps out of South Africa in a foul-mouthed tirade about the World Test Championship final against Australia. Perry predicted a finish “inside three days” and Higgins, practically thumping the table, said: “If I don’t look at a scorecard and South Africa are three for spit my TV is going through the window.” Cue big alpha chuckles and main-character knee slaps.
I know they were joking, skewering Australian arrogance as much as South African frailty, and that they have built a formidable brand that runs on side-mouthed jibes and hyperbolic bluster. Still, the lizard part of my brain lit up in protest. How dare they dismiss my countrymen? I wasn’t alone in taking offence.
Continue reading...Rohit Sharma’s side are all-time greats but Indian dominance has created imbalance and over-dependence
They can tear you apart with a thousand incisive cuts or systematically grind you down to a fine powder. They have a bottomless well of talent with multiple world class options in every position. Winning is not only expected but demanded, both from within the camp and throughout their legions of loyal supporters that have turned them into a commercial behemoth.
No, not India, who eased past New Zealand to claim the Champions Trophy this weekend. We’re talking about Ricky Ponting’s Australia. Actually, it’s Clive Lloyd’s West Indians. Or should that be Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, Richie McCaw’s All Blacks, or the Americans under Christie Rampone, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe?
Continue reading...Antoine Dupont, France’s talismanic captain and the player widely considered to be the best on the planet, has said that he ruptured cruciate ligaments in his right knee during his team’s win against Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday.
“The heart hurts even more than the knee when you have to leave your friends before the last step,” Dupont posted on Sunday on Instagram. “I am proud of what we accomplished yesterday and with all my strength with you, you will do it. Rupture of the cruciate ligaments. This is the beginning of a new challenge, I’ll see you in a few months on the field.”
Continue reading...Ollie Sleightholme scored twice as England got a bonus-point victory to boost their slim hopes of snatching the Six Nations title
They’ve gone 60 metres in a flash! After Varney was isolated and spilled in contact, England were up the field in no time. First Daly with a strong counter down the left. Then Freeman down the right wing after another break. Then it was about continuity and Willis steamed onto a short pass. He was short of the line but reached out a meaty arm to dot down. Smith with the extras and England are up and running.
2 min: England go short with the kick-off but Italy are wise to it. A bit of kick tennis ends with an English line-out back in their own half. A decent strike off the back of it makes yards with Lawrence busting over the gainline, but the Italians swarm and win a penalty on the ground. They’ll have the line-out in English territory.
Continue reading...If there were questions over France’s ability to finish teams off after coughing up numerous chances against England a fortnight ago, they have been thoroughly put to bed. A ruthless 11-try demolition of a handy Italy side on their own patch served as a reminder that, on their day, there are few better outfits in rugby than a French team in full flow.
Fabien Galthié, the head coach, made some bold selection decisions, dropping his ace wing Damian Penaud and fly-half Matthieu Jalibert from the match-day 23. A seven-one bench split was a sign of the plan and France’s power game duly delivered. They stomped over the gainline with just about every carry, unloaded six heavies off the bench in one go on 48 minutes and pulverised the Italians, who sparkled on rare occasions but were totally outgunned.
Continue reading...After an end-to-end start, France roared away from their hosts with 11 tries to bounce back from England defeat in style
Anthems done. Not long to go now.
Italy are looking to make it three straight home wins for the first time in the Six Nations.
Continue reading...Ireland’s forwards and Sam Prendergast make it 11 wins in a row for Ireland over Scotland.
Cycling legend Chris Hoy hands referee James Doleman the match ball.
He’s almost welling up. Nice touch.
Continue reading...Warren Gatland said he “understands people’s frustration” after his Wales team slumped to a 14th consecutive defeat and a worst‑ever world ranking of 12th, one place below Georgia, losing 22-15 to Italy in Rome.
Speaking to the Welsh language broadcaster S4C, Gatland empathised with his team’s supporters. “I can understand people’s frustration and we are frustrated and disappointed as well because we created opportunities but we have made mistakes and the penalty count was disappointing,” he said. “As a coaching team and players they are not hard fixes but we need to make sure we focus in those key moments.”
Continue reading...Another week, another Welsh defeat, another 80 minutes in which those in red gave their best as individuals but proved that it is nowhere near good enough for this level. A 14th straight defeat has dropped them to 12th on World Rugby’s rankings, one place below Georgia and the lowest position in their history. In Roman rain, Warren Gatland’s Divine Comedy descended another circle.
Perhaps the most damning point of all is that this never felt like a contest. The losing bonus point, procured at the death with a penalty try after two Italians received yellow cards, felt undeserving and failed to gloss over the preceding dross. Even with so much riding on this result, and even with the weather stifling Italy’s attacking threat, Wales simply failed to manufacture a challenge. Forget about a Plan B, Gatland’s team now appear bereft of any plan at all beyond aimless kicks, toothless carries and unjustified hope.
Continue reading...France cruise to seven-try victory as Wales draw blank in 13th straight loss
There are a bunch of new laws in place for this year’s Six Nations:
Conversions must take place within 60 seconds.
Lineouts to be formed within 30 seconds (same as scrums)
No stoppage for lineouts that aren’t straight if the defending team doesn’t contest.
9s (or players at the base of a ruck, maul or scrum) have more protection from defenders (effectively given more space).
20 minute red card – players can still get sent off, but after 20 minutes they can be replaced by a teammate, which means we can hopefully stop talking about red cards ruining games.
Continue reading...Five first-half goals give Spurs thumping win over hopeless Southampton, whose fans turned on manager Russell Martin
This has a bit of a desperate feel to it. Both managers on TNT were doing their best to mask their anxiety (at least that’s my pop psychology take). They know that the ice below their feet is getting thinner.
The players are now making their way out the tunnel. All the noise, all the pressure, all the injuries and absentees, this could be anything.
Continue reading...Excitement and optimism abounded after two statement wins but result shows Schmidt’s work is just starting out
It had been a fortnight of razzle-dazzle and eye-catching headlines. Offloads and sidesteps, pyrotechnics and sliding tries in the corner had filled highlights reels and provided content for podcasts and think-pieces. There wasn’t a spare seat on the bandwagon. The hype train was chugging along at full throttle. Everyone wanted to know: Were the Wallabies back?
This was the reality check that Australian rugby needed. Because for all their brilliance in their record wins in London and Cardiff, they were handed a lesson here in Edinburgh. This 27-13 defeat serves as a timely reminder that for all the positivity that has been accrued this autumn, there are still more pressing questions that need answering.
Continue reading...South Africa score seven tries in comfortable win that consigns Wales to a 12th straight defeat.
Tell you what, that was a moving rendention of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.
No matter the context, the Welsh know how to back their boys. Tears in the eyes of Lake and Dyer. If they can bring that to the pitch we might have a game.
Continue reading...The record-breaking wins against Wales and England have been built on a bedrock of principles that don’t make the highlights reels
It took less than two minutes for Australia to show their continued progress under Joe Schmidt. Having secured the ball they set about their work with Nic White zipping short passes to narrow runners who charged straight and hard into contact. And again. And again. And again. In no time they’d worked their way to a 13th phase before a spill of the ball handed Wales a scrum on their own 22. The move didn’t yield any points but it offered a glimpse of what is possible under this new regime.
Last week Australia snatched a remarkable victory at Twickenham with true blue Aussie gumption. Lightning hands, down the line, into the corner via tap-ons and sidesteps. It was a remarkable display of razzle-dazzle pulled off by naturally gifted ballers with licence to strut their stuff when the chance is on. But that’s always been there and, as long as 15 blokes show an interest in taking the field for some union footy, they’ll be there whether or not the code recedes from the mainstream. What this group needed was some steel and discipline, a dose of patience to go with their panache. That’s what wins Test matches.
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