Warren Gatland and the rest of the rugby union world will be in Kyoto on Wednesday when the groupings are determined for the 2019 tournamentEven Phileas Fogg would have struggled had he been involved in modern-day rugby union. One day Warren Gatland is in London talking up the Lions, the next he is en route to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup draw. Next week he has to be back in Wales, the week after it is Ireland followed by a long wintry trek around New Zealand. If it is Wednesday, it must be Kyoto, in theory at least.There will be precious little relaxation at 39,000 feet either, if the pool draw takes on a deathly complexion once more....
Dual Oaks-winning trainer accused of slapping Australian racing in the face with a fish after incendiary blogRalph Beckett has been accused of slapping Australian racing in the face with a fish, after he posted an incendiary blog on his website suggesting that the lack of Australian entries at Royal Ascot this year is a result of tighter rules on steroid use in that country. The Hampshire-based trainer suggests that Australian participation in the Group One sprint races at the Royal meeting might now be a thing of the past and that some of their winners there may have benefited from doses of steroids during their careers, a suggestion which has previously been denied by some of the trainers involved. Related:...
A BBC radio documentary this week reflects on how the brash Australian revolutionised cricket and how the modern-day Twenty20 explosion has its roots firmly in WSCThe first time Kerry Packer died was on Sunday 7 October, 1990. He had a heart attack during a polo match. Three minutes into the first chukka he slumped down, arms around the neck of his horse. He was clinically dead and stayed that way until he was brought back to life with a defibrillator.When Packer was asked about the experience he replied: “I’ve been to the other side, and let me tell you son, there’s fucking nothing there.” When he died for the second, and final, time in 2005, they played a clip of...
There is nothing much left to say about Sydney FC’s winningest A-League season, but Graham Arnold’s methods are worthy of unconventional appraisalCongratulations Sydney FC. The runaway premiers enjoyed the first of what should be two presentation ceremonies this season on Saturday, hoisting the premiers plate aloft after a typically methodical dismantling of Newcastle Jets.It’s good manners in moments like this to laud the best team in a competition, especially one a record margin ahead of its nearest challenger. But what more is there to say about the winningest team in an A-League season that hasn’t been said already? We’ve talked up the coach, drooled over the marquee No10, and marvelled at the collective ability to seize the moment. Anything else...
The past decade of AFL football has seen an increase in league rule changes, which are often reactive and not in the interests of the game’s aestheticIt’s probably best to start this missive with a promise: what follows is not another self-indulgent paean to the glory of 1990s football, or some wistful plea for the return of torpedoes, $1.50 meat pies and Jason Dunstall kicking the ton every year. But … even discounting the breathless outrage surrounding Callum Mills’ rushed behind for Sydney last weekend, the rules of AFL football are now a topic so maddening that one could be excused for seeking solace in the nostalgic comforts of Allen Jakovich’s AFL Tables page.Let’s get the Mills one out of...