sport magazine - issue 247

Issue 247 | March 9 2012

Up close and personal with England rugby’s new captain

CHRIS ROBSHAW

GET YOURS WITH ONE OF FIVE INTERNSHIPS AT RED BULL RACING.

TO APPLY, VISIT REDBULL.CO.UK/RACINGAPPLICATIONS CLOSE MAY 4TH. OPEN TO ALL UK CITIZENS AGED 16 AND OVER.

RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS.

reD BULL gIVeS YoU WIngS.to See carISSa’S StorY VISIt reDBULL.co.Uk/WIngS

ISSUE 247, MARCH 9 2012

Radar

08 Six Nations stats In an infographic that wouldn’t look out of place at your next budget meeting

10 Drugs runners Some of those who have failed drugs tests but could challenge for Olympic medals this summer

12 The knives are out A first for Sport: knife throwing. But on this evidence, it should be a regular thing

to do this coming weekFeatures

18 Chris Robshaw

England’s new rugby captain on the honour of leading his country and helping to restore pride 27 Six Nations France v England is the big clash of the weekend

31 Cheltenham Festival

Our brilliant eight-page preview of the jumps racing showpiece

42 Focus 2012

This week it’s sailing in the spotlight, as the London Olympics drifts ever closer

Extra Time

52 Kit Six tracksuits in which you can either train or just slob around

54 Kelly Carlson Look, don’t touch. The usual rules of society, then

56 Gadgets Yet more stuff to put on your wish list. Christmas a way off

58 Grooming This week, a colour theme. And two (two!) moisturisers

60 Entertainment

Street Fighter meets Tekken – things could get a bit tasty

18

31

Co

ve

r: C

hri

sto

ph

er

Th

om

on

d/G

ua

rdia

n N

ew

s &

Me

dia

Ltd

. Th

is p

ag

e: D

av

id R

og

ers

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

60

42

| March 9 2012 | 07

hree down with two crunch games

to go, now is the ideal time to see

what we can learn from the key Six

Nations 2012 stats so far – with some

surprising results. Scotland prove they’re

rugby’s tiki-taka masters, with 704 passes

(Wales are second, 215 behind), but their

much maligned lack of cutting edge means

that’s been rewarded with just three tries.

Radar p12 – Knife is beautiful

p10 – Dopey athletes

08 | March 9 2012 |

T

Six Nations by numbers

p13 – PFA predictions

PEN

S C

ONCED

EDMIN

S IN

O

PP

OS

ITIO

N

HA

LFTR

IES

TACKLE

S MADE

LIN

E B

REA

KS

PASSES MADE

PEN

S

CO

NCED

ED

MIN

S IN

O

PP

OS

ITIO

N

HA

LF TR

IES

TACKLES MADE

LIN

E B

REA

KS

PASSES MADE

ITALY

FRANCE

ENGLAND

IRELAND

WALES

SCOTLAND

That said, it’s one more than England, who lie last in tries scored

and line breaks, and hover just above Italy in terms of total minutes

spent in the opposition half. Unsurprisingly, it’s Wales who lead in

this category, while proving they’re adept at the defensive arts by

putting in the most tackles too. France can take heart from the

fact they’re the cleanest nation (no, really) with just 16 penalties

conceded, while Ireland entertain by scoring at least two tries

in every match so far for an overall total of nine.

See page 27 for our preview of this weekend’s matches

PENS CONCEDED

MINS IN

OPPOSITION

HALF

TRIES

TACKLES MADE

LINE BREAKS

PASSES MADE

PENS CONCEDED

MINS IN

OPPOSITION

HALF

TRIES

TACKLES MADE

LINE BREAKS

PASSES MADE

PEN

S C

ON

CED

ED

MINS IN

OPPOSITION

HALF

TRIES

TA

CK

LE

S M

AD

E

LINE B

REA

KS

PA

SS

ES

MA

DE

PEN

S C

ON

CED

ED

MIN

S IN

OPPOSITIO

N

HALF

TRIES

TA

CK

LE

S M

AD

E

LINE

BREA

KS

PA

SS

ES

MA

DE

3112

8

28

274

400

7

13

16

321

415

2

114

3

31

337382

132

7140

12

32

371

489

3

14

28

260

704

9

123

12

28

309441

130

The BOA’s lifetime Olympic ban for British athletes caught doping could soon be ruled illegal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, freeing the likes of Dwain Chambers to compete in London alongside (non-British) drug-test fl ops. These four, for example, could take gold despite their rap sheets

Radar

10 | March 9 2012 |

Dopes welcome

hat’s right

brother, it’s

time to don

your neon lycra – the

1991 arcade classic

WrestleFest has been

converted for iOS.

Featuring stars

current (John Cena,

The Rock), legendary (Steve Austin, Jake ‘The

Snake’ Roberts) and sadly departed (‘Macho

Man’ Randy Savage), it’s graphically sharp and

easier to get to grips with than an oiled-up

grappler. Throw in the various match types,

such as cage, tag team and royal rumble, and

you have hours of button-mashing enjoyment.

WrestleFest (iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch), £1.99

T

1. Justin GatlinThe former 100m Olympic champion failed a

routine drugs test in July 2006, almost two

years after winning gold in the Athens

Olympics. Banned for four years from the

sport, he returned to the track in 2010 and

reached the 100m semi finals at last

summer’s World Champs in Daegu despite

being hampered by frostbite on both feet.

Apparently, entering a cryogenic chamber

in wet socks isn’t the best idea. Who knew?

2. LaShawn MerrittAfter winning 400m gold at Beijing 2008

and the 2009 World Championships, Merritt

turned his attention to being the best man he

can be away from the track too. In the winter

of 2009-10, the US athlete failed three drugs

tests after taking what his lawyer claimed

was an “over-the-counter male-enhancement

product”. Merritt was handed a two-year

ban from the sport, but faces a lifetime of

locker-room ‘banter’.

3. Claudia PechsteinA five-time Olympic speed-skating champion,

Germany’s Pechstein received a two-year ban

for doping in 2009 after becoming one of the

first athletes to fall foul of blood profiling. She

returned to the ice last year, winning a bronze

medal at the World Champs, but has since

turned her attention to cycling as she bids to

compete in the Velodrome this summer.

4. Harrison JonesThe US diver tested positive for cannabis for

two years running at the same swim meet,

leading FINA to slap a one-year ban on the

22-year-old last June. The man with the

curiously Raiders of the Lost Ark name will

return three months before the US Olympic

trials, but would be advised to avoid any

university campuses for the foreseeable. The

kid probably can’t be trusted to just say no.

Ready to rumble

1 2

3 4

Oli

vie

r M

ori

n/A

FP

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

, Je

rry

La

mp

en

/AF

P/G

ett

y I

ma

ge

s, H

arr

y H

ow

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

nife throwing is not a sport

we regularly cover. In fact, we

might previously have ended that

sentence after the first six words. But that

was before this vintage classic flashed up

on our radar: a book clearly titled Knife

Throwing: Sport..Survival..Defense.

The author behind it is Blackie Collins – US

knife maker, writer and, erm, designer of

holsters that conceal firearms – who died in

a motorcycle accident last year. At the age

of 71. Frankly, Blackie sounds like the most

badass guy who ever lived. So if he says knife

throwing is a sport, who are we to argue?

His short, sharp intro to this domain was

written in the 1970s and contains info on

knife types, accuracy, making targets and

‘survival’. While we’re against the illegal

idiocy of carrying a knife

around, we’re definitely

into the safe, sensible

teaching of knife throwing

as a sport. Preach on

from beyond the grave,

brother Blackie.

From amazon.co.uk and

other vintage booksellers

K

Target audience

Ro

ge

r V

ioll

et/

Re

x F

ea

ture

s

12 | March 9 2012 |

PFA Player of the Year predicted shortlistRobin van Persie (winner), David Silva, Wayne Rooney, Yaya Toure, Scott Parker, Sergio Aguero

If you’re a self-centred

individualist footballer (in the

Premier League? Perish the

thought), the time is nigh to kick

back, cool your boots and coast

until the end of the season.

Because, from here on in, the

hard work is done: March is the

curious choice of month when

voting for the PFA Player of

the Year awards takes place.

So forget the crucial final 12

weeks of the season when titles,

relegations and European places are

decided – players are judged up to now.

So, ‘why wait until the end of the

season to hear the winners’, we hear

you cry. Thusly, Sport has poured

this season’s data thus far into our

steam-powered supercomputer, and

the following results have emerged.

Apparently Robin van Persie will

become the first Arsenal player since

Thierry Henry in 2004 to win the overall

award, pushing silky playmaker David

Silva into second place. That is, unless

footballers just vote for someone from

the team who

will win the

league (sorry

United fans, that’s Man City,

the computer also informs us) and

ignore the Arsenal team-carrier.

Young Player of 2011-12 took longer

to calculate, as the archaic rules mean

all that’s required is for a player to be

under 23 at the start of the season

to qualify. This means relatively

ancient Premier League stars

such as Gareth Bale and

Sergio Aguero (who turns 24

this year and has played 33

games for Argentina) are

viable choices. However,

our computations show

that a lot of players will

ignore this and plump

for someone a

bit more clearly

youthful, with the

breakthrough of

Danny Welbeck

earning him the

honours.

I

Radar

Ian

Kin

gto

n/A

FP

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s, L

au

ren

ce

Gri

ffit

hs

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

PFA Young Player of the Year predicted shortlist

Danny Welbeck (winner), Gareth Bale,

Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero,

Phil Jones

PFA winners revealed

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF AAAAAAAA AAAA AA AA PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP llllllllllllllll aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr oooooooooooooooo ffffffffffffffff tttttttttttttttt hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee YYYYYYYY ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee aa aaaaaaaaaaaaaa rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr pppppppppppppppprrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr eeeeeeee eeee ee ee dddd dd dd dd dd dddd iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii cccccccccccccccc tttttttttttttttt eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedddddddddddddddd ssss ss ss ss ss ssss hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh oooooooooooooooo rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr tttttttttttttttt lllllllliiiiiiii ssssss ss ttttttttRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRoooooooobbbbbbbb iiii ii ii nn nn nn nn vvvvvvvv aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn PPPPPPPP PPPPPPPP eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ssssssssssssssssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee((((((((((((((((wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww iiiiiiiinnnnnnnn nnnnnn nn ee ee ee ee rrrrrrrr )))))))) ,,,,,,,, DDDDDDDD aaaaaaaa vvvvvvvv vvvvvvvv iiiiiiii iiiiiiii dddddddd dddddddd SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii llllllllllllllll vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy nnnnnnnn nnnn nn nn eeee ee ee ee ee eeee RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR oooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooo nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTToooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu rrrrrrrr rrrr rr rr eeee ee ee ee ee eeee ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS cccccccccccccccc oooooooooooooooo tttttttttttttttt tttttttttttttttt PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSeeeeeeeerrrrrrrr gggg gg gg ii ii ii ii oooooooo AAAAAAAA gggggggg uuuuuuuu eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr oooooooo

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIffffffffffffffff yyyyyyyyoooooooo uuuu uuuu ’’’’’’’’rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee aaaaaaaa ss ss ss ss ee ee ee ee llllllll ffffffff -------- cccccccc eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn tttttttt rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee ddddddddIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIffffffff yy oo ’’ rr ee

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn dd iiiiiiiivvvvvvvv iiiiiiiidddddddd uuuuuuuuaaaaaaaallllllll iiii iiii ssss ss ss tttt tt tt ff ff ff ff oooooooo oooooooo tttttttt bbbbbbbb aaaaaaaa llllllll llllllll eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr ((((((((nnnnnnnndd ii dd aa ll

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPrrrrrrrreeeeeeeemmmmmmmm iiiieeee rr rr rr rr LLLLLLLLeeeeeeee aaaa aaaa gggg gggg uuuu uuuu eeee ee ee ???????? PPPPPPPP eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr iiiiiiiissssssssPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP ee mm ee LL ee

tttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh oo uuuuuuuugggggggghhhhhhhh tttt tttt )))))))),,,,,,,, tt tt tt tt hhhhhhhheeeeeeee ttttttttiiiiiiii mmmm mm mm eeeeeeee iiiiiiii ssssss ss nn nn nn nn iiiiiiii gggggggghhhhhhhh tttt tt tt oo oo oo oo kkkkkkkkhhhhhhhhoo gg hh )) ,, hh tt ii ee

bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbaa cc kk ,,,,,,,, ccccccccoooooooooooooooo llllllll yyyyyyyyoooooooouuuuuuuurrrrrrrr bbbbbbbboooooooooooooooo ttttttttssssssss aaaa aa aa nn nn nn nn dddddddd cccccccc ooooooooaaaaaaaacc oo oo yy uu bb

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunn ttttttttiiiiiiiillllllll tttt tt tt hhhhhhhheeeeeeee eeeeeeeennnnnnnndddddddd oooooooo ffffffff tttttttthhhhhhhh eeeeeeee sssssssseeeeeeee aaaa aa aa ss ss ss ss oooooooo nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ll hh ee ee dd

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBeeeeeeeeccccccccaaaaaaaauuuuuuuusssssssseeeeeeee,,,,,,,, ffffffff rrrrrrrroooooooommmmmmmm hhhhhhhh eeeeee ee rr rr rr rr eeeeeeee oooooooo nnnnnnnn iiiiiiii nnnnnnnnBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB cc uu ee rr mm

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaa rrrrrrrrdddddddd wwww ww ww oooooooorrrrrrrrkkkkkkkk iiiiiiii ssssssss dddddddd oooo oo oo nnnnnnnneeeeeeee:::::::: MMMMMM MM aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrccccccccaaaaaaaa dd oo kk

ccccccccccccccccuu rrrrrrrriiiiiiiioooooooo uuuuuu uu ss ssss cccccccchhhhhhhh oooo oo oo iiiiiiiicccccccceeeeeeee ooooooooffffffff mmmmmm mm oooooooonnnnnnnntttttttt hhhhhhhhccccccccccccccccuu ii oo ss hh cc

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvoooooooooooooooo ttttttttiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggg ffff ffff oooo oo oo rrrrrrrr tttttttt hhhhhhhheeeeeeee PPPP PP PP FF FF FF FF AAAAAAAA PPPPPPPP llllllll aaaaaaaa yyyyyyyy eeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv ii gg rr hh

tttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ee YYYYYYYYeeeeeeee aaaa aaaa rrrrrrrr aaaaaaaa wwwwwwwwaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr ddddddddssssssss ttttttttaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkeeeeeeeessssssss eeeeeeee ee rr ww

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSoo ffffffff oooooooorrrrrrrrggggggggeeeeeeee tttt tttt tttttttthhhhhhhh eeeeeeee cccc cc cc rr rr rr rr uuuuuuuu cccccccc iiiiiiiiaaaaaaaallllllll ff ff ff ff iiiiiiiinnnnnnnnSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSoo oo gg ee tt hh

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk ssss ssss ooooooooffffffff tttttttthhhhhhhh eeee ee ee sssssssseeeeeeeeaaaaaaaassssssss oooo oooo nnnn nnnn wwww ww ww hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn tttttttt iiiiiiiittttttttllllllll eeee ee ee sssssssswwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ee kk oo ff tt hh ss aa ss

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee lllllllleeeeeeee ggggggggaaaaaaaa tttt tttt iiii iiii oooooooonnnnnnnn ssss ssss aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnndddddddd EEEEEEEE uuuuuu uu rr rr rr rr oooooooo pppppppp eeeeeeee aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn pppppppp llllllll aaaaaaaa cccccccc eeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee gg aa oo nn aa dd

ddddddddddddddddee cccccccciiiiiiii ddddddddeeeeeeee dddddddd –––––––– ppppppppllllllllaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy eeee eeee rrrr rrrr ssss ssss aaaaaaaa rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee jjjjjjjj uuuuuuuu dddddddd ggggggggeeeeeeeedddddddd uu uu uu uu ppppppppddddddddddddddddee dd ee dd –– pp aa yy

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSoooooooo,,,,,,,, ‘‘‘‘‘‘‘‘ wwww wwww hhhh hhhh yyyyyyyy wwwwwwww aaaaaa aa ii ii ii ii tttttttt uuuuuuuu nnnnnnnn tttttttt iiiiiiii llllllll tttttttt hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn dddddddd oooooooo ffffffff SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ,, ‘‘ ww yy

ssssssssssssssssee aa ssssssssoooooooo nnnnnnnn ttttttttoooooooo hhhh hh hh ee ee ee ee aaaaaaaa rrrrrrrr tttttttt hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee wwwwwwww iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr ssssssss ’’’’’’’’,,,,,,,, wwwwww ww eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaa nn tt

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoooooooooooooooo uu cccccccc rrrrrr rr yy yy yy yy ........ TTTTTTTThhhhhhhh uuuuuuuussssssss llllllllyyyyyyyy,,,,,,,,yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoo uu SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSppppppppoooooooo rrrr rr rr tttttttt hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh aaaaaaaassssssss pp pp pp pp oooooooo uuuuuuuu rrrrrrrr eeeeeeeetttttttt hhhhhhhh

tttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh iiiiiiiissssssss ss ss ss ss ee ee ee ee aaaaaaaa ssssssss oooooooo nnnnnnnn ’’’’’’’’ ssssssss dddddddd aaaaaaaa tttttttt aaaaaaaa tttttttt hhhhhhhh uuuuuuuu ssssssss ffffffff aaaaaaaa rrrrrrrr iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn tttttttt oooooooo

sssssssssssssssstttttttteeeeeeee aaaa aa aa mm mm mm mm -------- pppppppp oooooooo wwwwwwww eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee dddddddd ssssssss uuuuuuuu pppppppp eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr cccccccc oooooooo mmmmmmmm pppppppp uuuuuuuu tttttttt eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr

tttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh eeeeeeee ffff ff ff oo oo oo oo ll ll ll ll llllllll oooooooo wwwwwwww iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn gggggggg rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee ssssssss uuuuuuuu llllllll tttttttt ssssssss hhhhhhhh aaaaaaaa vvvvvvvv eeeeeeee eeeeeeee mmmmmmmm eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAApppppppp pppp pp pp aa aa aa aa rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn tttttttt llllllll yyyyyyyy RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRoooooooobbbbbbbb iiii ii ii nn nn nn nn vvvvvvvv aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn PPPPPPPP eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr ssssssss iiiiiiii eeeeeeee wwwwwwww

bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbeeeeeeeecccccccc oooo oo oo mm mm mm mm eeeeeeee tttttttt hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee ffffffff iiiiiiii rrrrrrrr ssssssss tttttttt AAAAAAAA rrrrrrrr ssssssss eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn aaaaaaaa llllllll pppppppp llllllll aaaaaaaa yyyyyyyy eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTThhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh iiiiiiiieeeeeeee rrrrrr rr rr rr rr rr yyyyyyyy HHHHHHHH eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn rrrrrrrr yyyyyyyy iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn 22222222 00000000 00000000 44444444 tttttttt oooooooo wwwwwwww iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn tttttttt hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwww aaaaaaaarrrrrrrr dddd dd dd ,, ,, ,, ,, pppppppp uuuuuuuu ssssssss hhhhhhhh iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn gggggggg ssssssss iiiiiiii llllllll kkkkkkkk yyyyyyyy pppppppp llllllll aaaaaaaa yyyyyyyy mmmmmmmm aaaaaaaa kkkkkkkk eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSiiiiiiiillllllll vvvvvv vv aa aa aa aa iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn tttttttt oooooooo ssssssss eeeeeeee cccccccc oooooooo nnnnnnnn dddddddd pppppppp llllllll aaaaaaaa cccccccc eeeeeeee ........ TTTTTTTT hhhhhhhh aaaaaaaa tttttttt iiiiiiii ssssssss ,,,,,,,,

ffffffffffffffffoooooooooooooooo ooooooootttttttt bbbb bb bb aa aa aa aa llllllll llllllll eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr ssssssss jjjjjjjj uuuuuuuu ssssssss tttttttt vvvvvvvv oooooooo tttttttt eeeeeeee ffffffff oooooooo rrrrrrrr ssssssss oooooooo mmmmmmmm eeeeeeee oooooooo nnnnnnnn

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAA AAAA AA AA wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee vv

14 | March 9 2012 |

Radar Editor’s letter

Editor-in-chief

Simon Caney

@simoncaney

Sport magazine

Part of UTV Media plc

18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ

Telephone: 020 7959 7800

Fax: 020 7959 7942

Email: firstname.lastname@

sport-magazine.co.uk

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951)

Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954)

Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897)

Art editor: John Mahood (7860)

Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861)

Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431)

Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958),

Alex Reid (7915)

Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901),

Amit Katwala (7914)

Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961)

Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963)

Contributors: David Lawrenson

COMMERCIAL

Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991)

Advertising Managers:

Paul Brett (7918), Kevin O’Byrne (7832)

Head of Brand Solutions:

Adam Harris (7426)

Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852)

Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon

Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825)

Head of Communications:

Laura Wootton (7913)

Managing Director: Adam Bullock

PA to Managing Director:

Sophia Koulle (7826)

Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd

Printed by:

Wyndeham (Peterborough) Ltd

© UTV Media plc 2012

UTV Media plc takes no responsibility

for the content of advertisements

placed in Sport magazine

£1 where sold

Hearty thanks this week to:

Amy Sherman; Carolyn Small at Nike

Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.

LAUNCH OFTHE YEAR

2008

Total Average Distribution: 304,700 Jul-Dec 2011

www.sport-magazine.co.uk

@sportmaguk

facebook.com/sportmaguk

T here’s not much point in banging on about how things were different in the good old days, and how Sir Fergie was given five years by a patient

board before he won anything. If those

same people were running Man Utd

now, and Ferguson went as long without

success, they’d be as trigger-happy as

the next board. Football has changed.

But even that doesn’t excuse what has

happened at Chelsea. Let’s forget for a

second the sheer unbridled joy that Andre

Villas-Boas must feel to be out of the

poisonous atmosphere pervading the club

– and with a ludicrous amount of money

in his back pocket. He has been treated

very harshly.

Indeed, it was with interest I noted

his record over 40 games matched that

of Roberto Mancini’s first 40 at Man City

almost exactly. Villas-Boas’ problems

were clearly twofold – he didn’t have the

dressing room and he didn’t have the

backing of the owner. He tried to impose

his own team and tactics, and was beaten

back on all fronts. Now one must ask the

question: apart from the obvious financial

incentive, why on earth would anyone

want to manage Chelsea?

Abramovich, presumably surprised

that there was someone out there with

more money than him who wanted to buy

a football club, knows he can no longer

really compete with Man City on a financial

level. But he could still compete on a

football level. He could build a club with

stability; one that is not undermined by

player power; one that has an eye on the

future rather than just the here and now.

Maybe Villas-Boas was the wrong man

anyway. Chelsea fans probably think that.

But eight managers in eight years tells its

own sorry story.

Wonderful to see Rory McIlroy become

the world number one golfer last

weekend, and deservedly so. Often,

such rankings can be skewed by a host

of different factors, but in this instance

there’s no quarrel – McIlroy is the

best player out there. I expect Lee

Westwood to take a run at him (not

literally) in 2012, but McIlroy is the

long-term future of golf. He is adored

both in Europe and America, and is

playing a brand of golf that is a joy to

watch. Roll on the Masters in April.

Elsewhere in this magazine you’ll find a preview of the Cheltenham Festival. It’s been written by people who know a great deal more about the racing game than I, despite 25 years of devotion to handing my money to the bookies. But what I do know is that few sporting events can match the festival in terms of sheer emotion. Magical.

Patience is a virtue...... but when you’ve got as much cash as Roman Abramovich, who needs to be virtuous?

Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk

Ia

n K

ing

ton

/AF

P/G

ett

y I

ma

ge

s

Boas constricted: AVB is the seventh manager in eight years dismissed by Abramovich

Reader comments of the week

I agree that English rugby

is in a better state than

under Johnson but still

think there a few of the old

guard of players who need

to be dropped for real

progress to happen.

Peter, via email

@simoncaney nice piece on

Lancaster today. Eng defeat

to Wales was best

performance for years!

@Official_RFU

#longwaytogo

#ontherighttrack

@JRBatch

Twitter

@simoncaney agree Lanc

shd get job, brilliant ethic,

refreshing.H/ver, 1

change, Ashton HAS 2 go.

Arrogance personified &

woefully out of 4m.

@JamieHockin

Twitter

Loved the Charles van

Commenee interview.

He’s a breath of fresh air

in sports administration:

he wants to win!

Jason, via email

No great surprise that

English teams have

struggled in the

Champions League: the

best players in the world

don’t play here any more.

We’re behind the curve.

Michael, via email

16 | March 9 2012 |

According to the file information on this image,

this is a shot of Iker Pou climbing the 9A+ difficulty

Nit de Bruixes at Margalef, Spain. We’ll level with

you here: we haven’t got a chuffing clue what

any of that actually means, but the sight of a man

hanging for dear life off a craggy cliff as the sun

slowly sets was too much to pass up. Hey, come on,

cut us some slack here.Alb

ert

o L

es

sm

an

n/

Re

d b

ull

Co

nte

nt

Po

ol

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAcccccccccccccccc cccccccc cccc cc cc oooooooooooooooo rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr dddddddddddddddd iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn gggggggggggggggg tttttttttttttttt oooooooooooooooo tttttttt hh hh hh hh ee ee ee ee ff ff ff ff ii ii ii ii ll ll ll ll ee ee ee ee ii ii ii ii nn nn nn nn ff ff ff ff oo oo oooo rrrr rrrr mmmm mmmm aaaa aaaa tttt tttt iiii iiii oooo oooo nnnn nnnn oooo oooo nnnn nnnn tttt tttt hhhh hhhh iiii iiii ssss ssss ssss ssss

tttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh iiiiiiii iiii ii ii ssss ss ss ss ss ssss iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ssssssssssssssss aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ssssssssssssssss hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh oooooooooooooooo tttttttt oo oo oo oo ff ff ff ff II II II II kk kk kk kk ee ee ee ee rr rr rr rr PP PP PP PP oo oo oo oo uu uu uu uu cc cc cc cc llll llll iiii iiii mmmm mmmm bbbb bbbb iiii iiii nnnn nnnn gggg gggg tttt tttt hhhh hhhh eeee eeee 9999 9999 AAAA AAAA AAAA AAAA ++++++++++++++++ dddddddd

’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

Hanging tough

Radar Frozen in time

© 2012 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved. BlackBerry,® RIM,® Research In Motion® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Devices shown above: BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9790 smartphones.

blackberry.co.uk/bold

Upgrade to our best-ever BlackBerry smartphones.

With a 1.2 GHz processor, 8GB of onboard memory and 720p HD video recording, the

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Bold 9790 offer the most powerful BlackBerry experience yet.

18 | March 9 2012 |

Chris Robshaw

It’s a quiet Monday afternoon in the

suburban back streets of Kingston and,

as the dust settles on Wales’ late

smash-and-grab victory at Twickenham

the previous Saturday, we – like

thousands of people across the

country – are sitting chatting about the

game with a cup of tea and a biscuit. The

only difference is our cup of tea was made

for us by the man who led England on to the

field not 48 hours earlier, and the biscuits

were bought for his guests.

“I got a pack earlier because I knew I’d be

having people round today and I didn’t know

if they would have eaten,” England’s new

captain explains. It seems a trivial point, but

we can’t imagine many Premier League

footballers making tea for their guests and

popping out to buy them biscuits. But then,

Chris Robshaw is not a Premier League

footballer. He is no ordinary rugby player

either; virtually unknown outside rugby

until two months ago, and all but unknown

outside of the corridors of Harlequins until

a year ago, Robshaw has been thrust into

the limelight as the poster boy for Stuart

Lancaster’s new-look England. The new

skipper is loving it, he tells us – even if the

first 30 minutes of life as captain of his

country was a bit surreal.

“I couldn’t tell anyone, which was quite

a strange feeling,” he says. “Stuart had a

meeting with all the senior players, of which

I was one, and had a chat with them one at

a time. I was called in second to last and he

asked me if I’d lead the side that Saturday.

The problem is nobody else was going to be

told for another half an hour and I couldn’t

wipe this big grin off my face – so I had to

go to my room on my own and sit in silence.”

Robshaw’s selection as captain makes

sense in so many ways. After the World Cup

debacle, England were crying out for a

clean-cut, likeable guy – one who leads by

example on and off the field. Robshaw ticks

all those boxes and – perhaps more

importantly – the players respect him.

Along with Tom Wood, Robshaw was

named the stand-out performer in England’s

pre-World Cup training camp. While

Robshaw was overlooked for the final squad,

Wood made the trip to New Zealand but

barely featured. As such, both were obvious

choices to lead England’s new dawn – with

Wood injured, the captaincy fell to Robshaw.

He led a starting XV out at Murrayfield

with a total of just 236 caps between them

for their first game under Lancaster; a game

that, with Scotland failing to take their

chances, England won. A new England, then,

a new hope and a new leader. How was it for

the man carrying the hopes of a nation?

“It was freezing,” Robshaw says first of

all. “But the most important thing for this

Leader of thRevolution

The England rugby team has undergone a dramatic overhaul since falling short at the World Cup. Three games into the new era – and ahead of a trip to Paris for their biggest test yet – Sport talks to Chris Robshaw, the man at the centre of England’s new dawn

side was to get the win, because we hadn’t

been together long. A good performance

that ended in defeat would have been nothing

compared to coming away with that win.”

That’s fine, but what of leading his troops

out for the first time?

“Oh, yeah. I was hugely honoured, of

course. To captain them up at Murrayfield for

the first time was absolutely incredible. It was

weird, because I had so much to do on the day.

But of course I loved it once I was out there

– that’s when I can just play my game.”

FIRsT sTEPs as CaPTaIn

It took just 17 minutes for Robshaw to stamp

his authority on the game, emerging from a

ruck and grabbing Chris Cusiter after an

altercation – he ripped his own shirt in the

process and refused to let go until he was

dragged away by officials. A minor incident,

perhaps, but Robshaw was setting his – and

England’s – stall out. He wasn’t going to take a

backwards step, and nor should his team. >

When Robshaw led

England out last month

at Murrayfield, in just

his second cap, he did

so as England’s least

experienced captain

since Nigel Melville

took the armband on

his debut in 1984 –

28 years ago

‘to captain england

for the first time up

at murrayfield was

absolutely incredible’




The new, fully-loaded BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Bold 9790 combine the

accuracy of a QWERTY keyboard with the responsive control of a touchscreen.

Ch

ris

top

he

r T

ho

mo

nd

/Gu

ard

ian

Ne

ws

& M

ed

ia L

td

| 19

the

20 | March 9 2012 |

Chris Robshaw

After tackling himself into the ground for

80 minutes, his reward came as he lifted the

Calcutta Cup – marking England’s first win

on Scottish soil since 2004.

How did England’s new skipper celebrate

his first win in charge? “I knew you’d ask

that,” he laughs. “I actually celebrated my

first cap as captain with wine gums and a

packet of Skips at the airport. We were on

a chartered flight straight back after the

game, so there was no time to celebrate.

We got back pretty late and, even worse, I

ended up digging my car out of the snow at

about 1.30am. That’s about as rock and roll

as it gets for me.”

Despite being just 25, Robshaw talks with

the experience of a man far beyond his years

– perhaps it’s something that comes from

playing regular rugby from such a young age.

Robshaw has been a virtual ever-present in

the Harlequins back row since breaking into

the side in 2005. It’s here, under Dean

Richards and, more recently, Conor O’Shea,

that Robshaw honed his game – and his

leadership skills.

“Yeah, being captain can be a weird one,”

he says. “When I was first given the role at

Quins [at the start of the 2010-11 season],

I think I tried too much. It’s a common mistake.

You worry about individuals, you worry about

team patterns, you worry about who missed

what tackle, and – in the end – you forget

what got you to where you are in the first

place, which is playing consistently well.

“It took me a while to learn that at

Harlequins – it wasn’t until Nick Easter took

me aside at training one day and explained

that everyone else in the team is there to

help and it’s not all down to me. I think that

experience allowed me to carry it on to the

international scene. I’m still learning with

England, but I’m enjoying every minute.”

What about the recent Wales game? After

two victories on the road, Robshaw’s first

home game as captain ended in defeat –

and with that David Strettle ‘try’.

“Strets still says it was a try, and I’ll back

my players all the way,” Robshaw says with

a laugh. “But yeah, it was devastating to lose

it like that. Having said that, we felt we did

ourselves proud. The first two games were

about functionality, and getting the wins on

the board first and foremost. But we had a

week and a half together between Italy and

the Wales game, in nice weather, so we got

to know each other a bit better – and I think

it showed at Twickenham.

“The attacking flow was there and we

wanted to prove to everyone that we are

a force to be reckoned with. We’ve taken a

massive step forward as a squad, and we’ll

head to Paris next with confidence.”

‘we wanted to prove against wales

that we are a force to be reckoned

with. we’ve taken a step forward –

we’ll go to paris with confidence’

Da

vid

Ro

ge

rs/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

| 21

Having played numerous times at

Twickenham for his club – Harlequins’ close

links with the ground have seen them turn

out there at least twice a season for the

past four years – Robshaw is certainly no

stranger to rugby HQ. But surely leading

your country out there is a different

prospect altogether?

“Of course, it was one of the best days of

my life,” he explains. “To captain the guys in

Murrayfield and Rome was a huge honour,

but to lead them out at Twickenham, to hear

the roar of the crowd – it was something

else entirely. Singing the national anthem –

a little out of tune, I must admit – along with

80,000 other English people was something

I’ll never forget.”

highs and lows

If leading out his team in that game signalled

the high point in Robshaw’s career (to date,

at least) then he has certainly had his fair

share of low points – not least the injuries

that haunted his early career after signing

for Harlequins from school, including two

broken feet, a broken leg and a damaged

anterior cruciate ligament. He is, however,

quick to point out that Harlequins couldn’t

do enough for their young star.

“It was a hard time for me, definitely,” he

says. “I remember wondering if I needed to

drink more milk or take on more calcium to

make my bones stronger, and there are days

when you think: ‘Is my body up for this?’

You go through dark days when you see your

friends having fun playing rugby while you’re

stuck on the sofa, especially as such a young

guy. But Harlequins were great. At the time

I did my knee, someone told me that the club

can get rid of you if you’ve been out for six

months – and I remember sweating a bit

about my future after that.

“Dean Richards [then Quins’ director of

rugby] obviously got wind of this because

he went out of his way to come and tell me

to take my time and get myself fit. He said

Quins would be there for me when I got

back, which helped a lot. On top of that, >




With the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Bold 9790, you can share ideas, send updates

and organise events quicker than ever before. Time to say goodbye to your old phone?

22 | March 9 2012 |

Chris Robshaw

the club physios were great getting me

playing foot tennis – not that it did much for

my kicking! And the lads gave me support,

and stick, all the time. Now I just have to keep

an eye on my injuries, but it’s looking back on

moments like that when you realise what a

special club Harlequins is.”

It was Richards who carried Robshaw

through his early years and pushed him to be

the best he could be. “Yeah, I remember Dean

comparing me to Lewis Moody when I first

broke through,” he says. “He used to tell me

that I should be playing Premiership rugby

and that I need to be on the international

stage in three or four years and establish

myself as a great player. Dean was great

at getting the players going. He believed in

building an English club with English players

that could challenge all the way.”

It is impossible to discuss Richards’ time

at Harlequins without discussing Bloodgate

– the moment that changed this club forever.

Sunday April 12 2009, with time ticking down

in the Heineken Cup semi final against Leinster

and Quins trailing the Irishmen 6-5, the

Londoners made the blood substitution that

rocked rugby. “I honestly had no idea what

had happened,” Robshaw recalls. “It was

such a tight game that I had no time to see

what was going on 50 metres away.

“In the changing room afterwards, all our

thoughts were on how gutted we were to

lose such a tight game. It wasn’t until the

papers started reporting it that we realised

what had happened. A lot of people lost their

jobs over that incident, so obviously it was

a sad time. It’s a hard thing for a club to

recover from, but we’ve had to try move on

and Conor O’Shea’s arrival has been a breath

of fresh air and allowed us a fresh start.”

A NEW BEGINNING

It was this fresh start that saw O’Shea name

the then 24-year-old – fresh from winning

Premiership player of the year – as captain.

With a young squad around him, Robshaw

was tasked with the job of rebuilding

Harlequins’ reputation after Bloodgate,

a job he readily admits was no easy task.

“We definitely struggled in that season,”

he says. “We got a lot of stick for that blood

incident. I mean, we were in the wrong,

so we expected it. And although we said it

hadn’t affected us, you see it on the news, on

the TV and everywhere, so subconsciously it

probably did. We were lucky to finish seventh,

but qualifying for the Amlin Challenge Cup the

following year was the perfect rebuilding

platform for us, with some good trips across

Europe. That season really helped us reform

the Harlequins team, and the fans stuck with

us, so it was nice to repay them with a trophy.”

Amlin Cup glory came on the back of a

win away to Munster and victory in Cardiff.

“To lift the trophy with some of the guys I’ve

been playing with since I was 17 or 18 was

incredible and something I’ll remember

forever,” says Robshaw. And it finally put

the Bloodgate days to bed. This club was

going somewhere again and, with a World

Cup on the horizon, its back-row figurehead

couldn’t have lifted the trophy at a better time.

But Martin Johnson left Robshaw out of

his World Cup squad, opting instead to stick

with the old guard. Was there a feeling of

jealousy watching on TV back in England?

Or perhaps even a temptation to enjoy

England’s early return?

Absolutely not, says Robshaw. “At the

end of the day, I’m an England fan like anyone

else,” he explains. “I was up at six or seven in

the morning – or using my Sky+ box at least

– for all the games, and it was disappointing

to see them lose. Obviously, when Johnno

taps you on the shoulder and tells you you’re

not going to the World Cup, it’s pretty hard

to take because you know you might not get

many more opportunities for your country.

I came home and had a little sulk and a mope,

as anyone would, but then I went back into

the club for training and the lads started

giving me stick for missing pre-season with

them and getting above myself. They’re a

great bunch, and to go on our incredible run

of 13 or 14 wins in a row was the perfect

response to missing out with England.”

The perfect reward followed when he was

named captain of his new side – one Robshaw

excitedly insists is full of potential.

“When you first get the call for

international rugby it’s exciting, but that

feeling is exaggerated with this group

because it’s a new, fresh squad,” he says.

“Everyone wants to make their mark, and it’s a

really exciting place to be. Stuart sat us down

before the Six Nations and asked us about

our goals. Not today, not in six months, but

our long-term goal. That’s what we’re all about.

“This project is about getting us back to

potentially being the best side in the world.

We know that won’t happen overnight, but the

plan is to be there ready to compete in a big

way at the 2015 World Cup in England. We are

here to take English rugby forward again.”

Sensible words from a very grounded man.

For now, all eyes are on Paris on Sunday –

an appropriate place for the next phase of a

revolution. Success for England, and Robshaw

in particular, would really take the biscuit.

Mark Coughlan @coffers83

Chris Robshaw is ready to make this game count

for England. Whatever your goal, tell us about it.

Make this year count and make your pledge by

signing up at nike.com #makeitcount

‘THIS PROJECT IS ABOUT

GETTING US BACK TO

POTENTIALLY BEING THE

BEST SIDE IN THE WORLD’

Stu

Fo

rste

r/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

Within reach: the plan, says Robshaw, is for

England to compete ‘in a big way’ at the

2015 World Cup

Over 18 only. Enjoy responsibly. Terms and geographic restrictions apply. Internet enabled phones. Data charges may apply. The England rose is an official registered trade mark of the Rugby Football Union.

Proud of England Rugby

Our customers can get a free rugby pack with pies and beer

delivered to their door before England’s RBS 6 Nations games.

Only with Priority Moments.

Text RUGBY to 2020




The new BlackBerry Bold 9790 – elegant lines and a premium finish conceal

a powerful processor that delivers a truly outstanding experience.

Wa

rre

n L

ittl

e/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

Sunday France v England | Stade de France | BBC One 3pm

| March 9 2012 | 27

Six Nations 2012

France v england

Fresh from battling back to draw with Ireland, World Cup finalists France welcome the new-look England to Paris this weekend. We take a look at the two sides ahead of the game, and pick out the men to keep an eye on

French look Fallible

Phillipe Saint-Andre’s first two games in charge saw

the French ease to relatively comfortable wins over

the Scots and the Italians – even if the Scots caused

a brief scare. But last week’s home game against

the Irish betrayed a team struggling for form.

The French backs looked toothless in attack,

running from too deep and letting Ireland spoil

their ball, while the forwards lacked some of their

usual power – until they got going in the second half.

France had more of the ball and Ireland scored two

opportunistic tries, yes, but the French need to

rediscover the spark in their backs in order to get

going again. Tiredness from the World Cup is surely

no longer a viable excuse – a big performance is

needed to rediscover the je ne sais quoi that French

rugby thrives on.

one to watch

Wesley Fofana’s finishing ability got the French

out of trouble against Ireland last Sunday, and the

Clermont centre’s quick feet continue to impress

in a French backline that is flattering to deceive.

This weekend, Fofana will be tasked with stopping

the rampaging Manu Tuilagi as well as trying to

create something of this own.

english need to bounce back

The last thing England did on a Six Nations field was

fail to score a match-defining try against the Welsh,

and the two-week break since won’t have helped

them quickly forget. Stuart Lancaster’s job is up in

the air, but it’s on the field where England need to do

their talking, and Ireland’s big showing in Paris will

have stoked the English fires ahead of Sunday’s game.

With Owen Farrell set to remain at 10, the English

side will have a familiar look to the one that flew out

of the blocks against the Welsh. The problem, then,

is finishing off chances. England are starting to

create opportunities now that they’re a more settled

outfit, but getting across the line has proved to be

a problem, with Charlie Hodgson’s two chargedown

tries the sole scores they’ve managed thus far.

Quicker recycling is needed, and Manu Tuilagi and

Brad Barritt need to be used to punch holes in

defences. Chris Ashton and David Strettle thrive

off second and third-phase ball – England just need

to be on the front foot when it comes.

one to watch

In front of his own fans and behind a dominant

pack, Owen Farrell shone on his Twickenham debut –

his first England start at fly half – where he showed

he has all the assets required to be the team’s

long-term solution in that position. The French

fans will be less supportive (surprisingly) of the

young number 10, while his pack are unlikely to

be the dominant force. It will be fascinating to

see how he stands up to the test.

Sport’s prediction

With the battle in the forwards set to be titanic,

the fly halves could be an essential part of both

teams’ gameplans. Francois Trinh-Duc put in a

hit-and-miss performance against Ireland, while

Owen Farrell belied his years against the Welsh.

Both packs will be huge, while both backlines are

short of creativity. Expect a tight game, with

two tries likely to win it for either side. Both

teams are in transition, but England seem to

be a bit more sure about what they want to do.

Expect that to make the difference.

18-24

ireland v scotland




Sleek and thin, the BlackBerry Bold 9900’s iconic design comes with stainless

steel frame body and sculpted surfaces. It’s as solid as it is stylish.

wales v italywales

The Welsh have shown all aspects of

their game in their three wins to date

– strong running, good discipline

(Bradley Davies aside), great defence

– and will be confident of hosting

France next week with Grand Slam glory

in sight. Misfiring Rhys Priestland will

hope Gatland sticks with a consistent

line-up, while the expected absence of

Sam Warburton is less of a hindrance

with the return of key men elsewhere in

the pack. Having picked Wales to lose

and been wrong three times out of

three, Welsh fans will be sad to hear

we’re backing their boys this week.

one to watch

Mike Phillips (right). The big number

nine will be key to creating space for

the Welsh backs. A few early carries

will keep the Italian forwards

interested, allowing him to move the

ball wide and let the backs run riot.

italy

Three defeats out of three makes bad

reading for the early days of Jacques

Brunel’s reign, but what makes it

worse for the men from Rome is that

their first-half performances have

been so solid. As ever, their problems

stem from the lack of a creative pivot

at fly half. While performances are

improving, a victory here would be one

of the biggest upsets in Six Nations

history – and the odds are that the

Italians will face Scotland in a wooden

spoon showdown (again) next week.

one to watch

Sergio Parisse. Predictable, maybe,

but it’s hard to pick out any other

player in this Italian squad, particularly

with such a monumental task ahead. If

they are to keep Wales quiet, Parisse

needs another one of those days.

Sport’s prediction 27-10

Sh

au

n B

ott

eri

ll/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

, arr

en

Lit

tle

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

Saturday Wales v Italy | Millennium Stadium | BBC One 2.30pm

Saturday Ireland v Scotland | Aviva Stadium | BBC One 5pm

28 | March 9 2012 |

Six Nations 2012

ireland

It’s been a Six Nations to forget for

the Irish, and things didn’t improve

much in Paris last weekend – letting a

17-6 lead slip is inexcusable. The pain

will only have been made worse upon

hearing that Paul O’Connell and Conor

Murray are now out for the remainder

of their games. Their tournament now

hinges on a win over the Scots, which

would give them a shot at overtaking

England in the final standings. But that

is easier said than done without an

on-form O’Connell. The pack need to

stand up the Scottish power, but get

good ball out to the backs and Ireland

should be comfortable.

one to watch

Tommy Bowe (left). Scotland have

conceded six tries in three games, and

they’ve all been scored by backs. With

Tommy Bowe in the kind of form he

showed in Paris, expect that number

to grow on Sunday.

scotland

The Scots are hurting after three

defeats from three, all of which were

very winnable. Still walking the

employment tightrope, Andy Robinson

has gone for consistency ahead of

Sunday’s game, leaving Max Evans,

Ruaridh Jackson and Euan Murray on a

strong bench. Stuart Hogg is the man

who can light up the stadium, but it’s

the link between the forwards and

backs that needs to be fixed. Get

the ball moving and Scotland could

be more dangerous than expected.

one to watch

Much-maligned centre Nick De Luca

looked back to his best against France

two weeks ago. If the Scots are to get

around and through the Irish blitz

defence, De Luca’s quick hands and

strength will be a key weapon in

their armoury.

Sport’s prediction 24-15

GO SOMEWHEREJUST AS HOTAS THENORTHERN LINE.ONLY MOREPLEASANT .Take a break from London City

Launching Menorca NEW (25.05.12)

Also fl ying to Faro, Barcelona, Malaga,

Ibiza and Mallorca*

Flights + 7 days car hire from £229 pp**

Book at ba.com/londoncitysummer

To Fly. To Serve.

no soft centres

from the studio that brought you

‘Lock, stock & two smoking barreLs’

‘the best british crime fiLm i’ve seen in years’

britgeek – ain’t it cooL news

JANE ANDERSON CDG CASTING

DIRECTOR DAVID MARTELLSOUND CHLOE BRADY PRODUCTIONDESIGNER SARA DEANEDIRECTOR OF

PHOTOGRAPHY TOM E MORRISON COMPOSER LARA GREENWAY DEMELZA JONES MICHAEL RILEY PRODUCEDBY MARGARET MATHESONEXECUTIVE

PRODUCER DAVID L G HUGHESWRITTEN, DIRECTEDAND PRODUCED BY

CONTENT FILM PRESENTS A FATAL BLACK PRODUCTION HARD BOILED SWEETSPHILIP BARANTINI ELIZABETH BERRINGTON ADRIAN BOWER LIZ MAY BRICE PAUL FREEMAN TY GLASER LAURA GREENWOOD IAN HART NATHANIEL MARTELLO-WHITE DANNY SAPANI PETER WIGHT SCOT WILLIAMS RENÉ ZAGGER

www.hardboiledsweets.com

© 2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Check out the Facebook page facebook.com/HardBoiledSweets in cinemas now

CONTAINS VERY STRONG LANGUAGE, STRONG BLOODY VIOLENCE AND SEX REFERENCES

Scan here to view trailer

| March 9 2012 | 31

Cheltenham 2012 The Festival

Ala

n C

row

hu

rst/

Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

field of dreams

The 2012 Cheltenham Festival, when the great and good of British and Irish jumps racing descend on the Cotswolds, is now just four days away. And here begins our bumper eight-page preview, featuring expert tips, big-name interviews and all you need to know on the major races >

In association with

Tuesday March 13

– Friday March 16

All races are live

on Racing UK; daily

terrestrial coverage on

Channel 4 from 12.30pm

CHELTENHAM

32 | March 9 2012 |


Life as a jumps jockey isn’t easy. You are only ever moments

away from the next potential fall, and all the danger that

inherently comes with it. The body conditions itself to

cope with such trauma, though, enabling the men who put

themselves through such a job to develop a frame of steel,

a will of iron and, if Barry Geraghty is representative of his

kind, a mind as sharp as a tack.

“My first ride at Cheltenham was on a mare called Fishin Joella in

1999,” recalls the 32-year-old when Sport asks the question in an

exclusive chat ahead of the 2012 festival. “I did 9st 12lbs on her, so

I had to sweat off a few pounds beforehand. She travelled well and

I had a chance coming down the hill, but she just wasn’t quite good

enough, and eventually finished fifth behind Khayrawani.”

RetuRn to MoscowThirteen years on, you suspect Geraghty could recall every single

one of his festival rides in such detail – in particular the 20 winners

that see him sit fourth on an all-time list of jockeys headed by king of

the hill Ruby Walsh. But he reserves special mention for the first of

those, aboard the great Moscow Flyer in the 2002 Arkle Chase.

“It was brilliant,” he smiles. “It was an exciting race, but he was an

exciting horse as well. He’d been a top-class hurdler but missed

Cheltenham the year before, when he’d have been a contender for

the Champion Hurdle. He’d had a patchy build-up with a couple of

falls, but he was very good that day – and your first winner at

Cheltenham means the world to you.”

Geraghty went on to form a special bond with the Jessie

Harrington-trained gelding he confirms as the best horse he has

ever ridden, winning two Champion Chases in an era of top-class

two-mile chasers. It’s a discipline at which he excels, having also

ridden Forpadydeplasterer to win the 2009 Arkle and Big Zeb to

victory in the 2010 Champion Chase – and one about which he

bristles with excitement when asked to speak on this year’s festival.

HaRd to beat“He’s the first horse I’ve ridden since Moscow that has that raw pace

and ability to jump over two miles,” says Geraghty when asked how

good Sprinter Sacre, favourite for the 2012 Racing Post Arkle and

the apple of trainer Nicky Henderson’s eye, could be. “He could be

every bit as good as Moscow was, and time will tell if he’s better.

But he really is something else. When you start popping [jumping

fences] with him, the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.”

Third in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, when he travelled

like the best horse but was seemingly outstayed up the Cheltenham

hill, Sprinter Sacre has taken his form to a new level since switching

to fences. He’s unbeaten in three starts, including one breathtaking

victory over former Arkle favourite Peddlers Cross. Such is his style

of jumping that Henderson refers to him as ‘the black aeroplane’,

and his jockey is in no doubt as to his ability to see out the trip.

“He was only a five-year-old last year, a big, weak horse,” stresses

Geraghty. “He’s a much bigger stamp of a horse this year, and I’d

have no concerns at all about him getting up the hill. Given a clear

round, he’ll be very hard to beat. I wouldn’t want my confidence to be

mistaken for arrogance, either; I just really do think he’s that good.”

stRong suitGeraghty has registered at least one race victory at every festival

since that maiden win in 2002. It’s hard to see past Sprinter Sacre

(right) in the Racing Post Arkle on the opening day, but he has plenty

of chances elsewhere too. It’s not inconceivable that Simonsig

(Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle), Bobs Worth (RSA Chase) and

flight attendantstable jockey to the powerful nicky Henderson yard, barry geraghty has a host of chances at this year’s cheltenham Festival. but, as he told Sport, the best of the lot is sprinter sacre – a horse his trainer calls ‘the black aeroplane’

Although stable jockey

to Nicky Henderson,

Geraghty has a 16 per

cent strike rate when

riding for Irish trainers

at the festival since

2000. That’s roughly one

win every six rides, so

it’s worth keeping an

eye on any horse he

rides from across

the Irish Sea

Ala

n C

row

hu

rst/

Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

| 33

In association with

Book corner

Finian’s Rainbow (Champion Chase) could give him a hat-trick on

Wednesday, while Oscar Whisky is set to take on the mighty Big

Buck’s in the World Hurdle on Thursday. Throw in Riverside Theatre

(Ryanair) and strong stayer Burton Port in the Gold Cup, and he

could have quite the week – but is there one horse he’s not riding

that he would dearly love to?

“All I know is that, if I was someone else, I’d love to be riding

Sprinter Sacre,” insists Geraghty. “I guess there’s Big Buck’s, but

I’m hoping to beat him on Oscar Whisky; then Long Run or Kauto

Star, both of whom you’d love to ride, but I’m hoping to beat them

on Burton Port. But no, Sprinter Sacre is the one for me – I’m not

looking past him.”

Come 2.05pm on Tuesday and the likelihood is that nor will

anyone else.

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

For all you need to know about a day at the races, visit www.lovetheraces.com

THE ESSENTIAL

READ

Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2012There are other

guides to the

festival out there,

but the Racing

Post remains the

venerable old sage of racing publications

– and it’s no surprise that this 192-page

tome leaves the pretenders trailing.

Edited by Nick Pulford but with

contributions from any number of

knowledgeable horsey types, the guide

features an in-depth look at all the major

stables, a staggeringly detailed race-by-

race guide and a plethora of tips from the

Racing Post’s impressive team of experts

– led, inevitably, by the incomparable Tom

Segal, otherwise known as Pricewise.

You have four days in which to buy this

before the festival starts – if you want to

make a profit, we suggest it’s very much

in your interests to do so.

£9.99 | racingpost.com/bookshop

THE BIG NAME

Ruby: The AutobiographyBarry Geraghty

boasts a mighty

impressive

record at the

Cheltenham

Festival, but one

jockey stands

alone – and he

is this man:

Ruby Walsh.

He may not have the most natural smile

in the world, but Walsh is a master in the

saddle, and his total of 32 Cheltenham

Festival winners is a record he looks likely

to extend this year. First published in

October 2010, this autobiography

features Walsh speaking openly about his

relationships with Paul Nicholls, Willie

Mullins and AP McCoy, and giving an insight

into what it’s like riding horses such as

the great Kauto Star and Denman. Now

updated to include the former’s amazing

win in the 2011 King George Chase, this

will provide top-class reading in between

races – and, indeed, the likely tears.

£9.99 | orionbooks.co.uk

CHELTENHAM

Tuesday: The Other Races

34 | March 9 2012 |


Hurricanes are not renowned for their fragility, known instead

for the relentless force with which they batter and often

destroy anything that has the temerity to get in their way.

Having arrived at the festival last year with a reputation

for the former, the lightly raced Hurricane Fly duly produced a

performance worthy of the latter, showing electric pace and iron

resolution to hold off Peddlers Cross for a stunning victory in the

Champion Hurdle.

The eight-year-old has been seen only twice since, his trainer

Willie Mullins insistent that he will run only when he is totally happy

with a horse with a history of injury problems. It’s an approach

that has worked, however – Hurricane Fly remains unbeaten since

November 2009 and was staggeringly impressive when winning

the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January.

It will take a performance of some quality to usurp him this

time round, and the 2012 field is arguably weaker than it was 12

months ago. Former winner Binocular is an unpredictable beast,

while the talented Paul Nicholls pair of Zarkandar and Rock On

Ruby will both have to improve plenty to offer a true threat.

Expect another Hurricane to hit the festival on its opening day.

Elsewhere on the card, the in-form Alan King can take the

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Montbazon, Mullins can hit a first-day

hat-trick with Quevega and Scotsirish, and our chief interviewee

Barry Geraghty can pilot the exciting Sprinter Sacre to glory in the

Arkle – but then we’ve told you that already.

Day 1: CHaMpion HurDle 3.20pM

A HuRRicAne STRikeSif he turns up fit and well, expect reigning Champion Hurdle king Hurricane Fly to kick off a golden day for irish trainer Willie Mullins

Time Race Sport tip1.30pm William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (2m ½f) Montbazon2.05pm Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy (2m) Sprinter Sacre2.40pm JLT Specialty Handicap Chase (3m ½f) Magnanimity4.00pm Glenfarclas Handicap Cross Country Chase (3m 7f) Scotsirish4.40pm OLBG Mares’ Hurdle (2m 4f) Quevega5.15pm Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase (2m 4½f) Vino Griego

expert view with Paul kealy of the Racing Post

The last two winners of the Champion Hurdle are set for a battle royal in 2012, with Hurricane Fly and Binocular both coming off impressive warm-up wins – and it’s the latter that could provide the value.

Binocular did not get to defend his title last year, withdrawn late with antibiotics still in his system, but he showed all his old panache when slamming Celestial Halo at Wincanton last month. Hurricane Fly is a deserved favourite, but didn’t win as easily as everyone seems to remember last year – he looks short enough at odds-on.

Another odds-on shot who could struggle up the Cheltenham hill is Sprinter Sacre in the Racing Post Arkle. He stopped quickly after the last in the Supreme last March and may run out of stamina again. Two of his confirmed rivals, Al Ferof and Cue Card, are both former festival

winners – and Cue Card (above) looks terrific each-way value, with jockey Joe Tizzard promising to make it a test from the front.

Ireland can land the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle courtesy of Steps To Freedom, put away by Jessica Harrington after winning in November. She did exactly the same with her 2007 Champion Bumper winner Cork All Star.

Ala

n C

row

hu

rst/

Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s, S

co

tt H

ea

ve

y/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

| 35

Wednesday: The Other Races

Only one horse in the past 10 years has won the Queen Mother

Champion Chase at the venerable age of 10 or above. That

was the great Moscow Flyer back in 2005, who defied the

grand old age of 11 to romp home under Barry Geraghty.

It takes a special animal to buck such a trend, then – but in the

10-year-old Sizing Europe Ireland and trainer Henry de Bromhead

may well have just that.

Despite a course record of two wins from three outings, one of

which came in the previous year’s Arkle, Sizing Europe went off

at a remarkably generous 10/1 for last year’s renewal. He duly

hammered 2010 winner Big Zeb by five lengths, and as such

returns an evens favourite to repeat the feat in 2012.

At 10, Sizing Europe is no spring chicken – but his form this

season, winning the Tingle Creek at Sandown at a canter, has been

rock solid. His old rival Big Zeb is now 11 years old and was firmly

put in his place last time out, while an English challenge most likely

spearheaded by 2011 Arkle runner-up Finian’s Rainbow looks to be

a tad short of the quality required to upset the favourite. It will be

a big shock if he is beaten.

Elsewhere on the day, we’re predicting a grand day for Philip

Hobbs, who can take the Coral Cup with Dunraven Storm and the

Champion Bumper for a second straight year with the grand-looking

Village Vic. If David Pipe decides against running his exciting novice

chaser Grands Crus in the Gold Cup itself, the seven-year-old can

and will take the RSA Chase.

Day 2: Champion ChaSE 3.20pm

EuROpEan RulEit’s hard to look beyond the defending champion and hot favourite Sizing Europe in the big race on Wednesday

Time Race Sport tip1.30pm Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase (4m) Alfie Spinner2.05pm Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle (2m 5f) Batonnier2.40pm RSA Chase (3m ½f) Grands Crus4.00pm Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (2m 5f) Dunraven Storm4.40pm Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2m ½f) Red Inca5.15pm Weatherbys Champion Bumper (2m ½f) Village Vic

In association with

Expert view with paul Kealy of the Racing post

If there is a banker at this year’s festival, it is surely Champion Chase favourite Sizing Europe, who won the Racing Post Arkle in 2010, this race last year, and has destroyed virtually all the worthwhile opposition at two miles over fences this term. He would have won the Champion Hurdle here in 2008 if he hadn’t broken down; that remains his only defeat at the course, so he really does look bombproof.

Elsewhere, Noel Meade has a good record in the novice hurdles and could land another Neptune courtesy of the impressive Naas winner Monksland. This horse could be a bit of a loon, as he ran out when looking the winner in his only point and flashed his tail at Naas, but there’s a huge engine in there and Meade appears certain that he’ll improve dramatically for a bit of decent ground.

In the RSA Chase, don’t fall for the claims of the possibly Gold Cup-bound Grands Crus at a short price. His Kempton victim Bobs Worth (above) is going to be a different proposition back racing left-handed, and won last season’s Albert Bartlett on his way to compiling a 3-3 record at Cheltenham. He’ll absolutely storm up the hill.

CHELTENHAM

36 | March 9 2012 |


Paul Nicholls is used to his phone ringing in the run-up to Cheltenham. This, after all, is his time of the year. The

champion trainer has had at least one winner at each

of the last nine festivals, winning the top trainer award

five times in the process; and, lest we need tell you,

he has trained the great chasing pair, Kauto Star and

Denman, to win the Gold Cup three times between them.

But this year, his phone has been ringing for different reasons.

Where once journalists would have been asking how many winners

Nicholls was expecting this year, and whether Kauto or Denman

would be winning the Gold Cup, they are now asking simply if the

former will be there at all. The latter, of course, is now retired.

“It would obviously be fantastic to get Kauto Star to Cheltenham

fit and well, and we could have done without this,” says Nicholls,

referring to the recent schooling fall that has jeopardised the

12-year-old’s participation in a sixth straight Gold Cup. “But what

we don’t want to be doing is running him when he’s not right.

That’s why it’s such a big and tough decision; before he had the

fall he couldn’t have been in better form, but that’s the way things

go and we have to deal with it as best we can.”

LOOKING UPA decision on Kauto Star’s participation is due as early as today,

with the noises generally positive in recent days. But it hasn’t

been all doom and gloom at the Nicholls stable. Despite closing his

MAN ON A (RESCUE) MISSIONA cough in the yard and doubts surrounding the fitness of his stable star... it hasn’t been the ideal pre-festival preparation for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, but punters write him off at their peril

yard to the media after a recent bout of coughing, the trainer has

been able to celebrate his head lad Clifford Baker being named

employee of the year at the recent Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff

Awards – and he heads for Cheltenham with plenty of chances.

Big Buck’s is the obvious selection in Thursday’s World Hurdle,

with Nicholls admitting that “Oscar Whisky is a new and very good

opponent, but Big Buck’s keeps on winning and is in very good

shape”. It’s hard seeing the nine-year-old getting turned over in a

race he has made his own in recent years (see right), but he’s far

from his trainer’s only hope of the week. Nicholls is bullish about

Zarkandar and Rock On Ruby, both of whom have the unenviable task

of trying to usurp Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle, while Pearl

Swan (Triumph Hurdle), Ulck Du Lin (Fred Winter) and Cristal Bonus

(Jewson) are all genuine contenders for glory.

But there is one horse Nicholls sounds more than quietly confident

about: Al Ferof, who faces up to talking horse Sprinter Sacre in the

Racing Post Arkle on Tuesday. “You saw how well he outstayed them

in the Supreme Novices’ last year,” says Nicholls of a race in which

Sprinter Sacre finished well beaten in third. “It all depends on how

he jumps, but if he’s anywhere near them, snapping at the heels of

the leaders turning in, then he’s going to have every chance.”

Al Ferof got the yard off to a winning start 12 months ago. If he

does the same again in 2012, that phone may start ringing for the

right reasons once again.

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

Number of runners

Paul Nicholls had at

the 2011 Cheltenham

Festival, down from

97 the previous year.

The more selective

approach worked; his

strike rate grew from

16 to 23 per cent

Ala

n C

row

hu

rst/

Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s, D

av

id D

av

ies

/PA

Ph

oto

s, A

dri

an

De

nn

is/A

FP

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

| 37

Thursday: The Other Races

T his time last year, we previewed the festival’s big race on

Thursday by simply reeling off a list of statistics that proved

why the inestimable Big Buck’s was about to equal Inglis

Drever’s record of three victories in the championship race

for staying hurdlers. This time this year, we’re doing the same thing

to explain why he’ll break that record and win a fourth.

So here goes: the nine-year-old has now run 15 times over

hurdles in Britain, and remains yet to even come close to defeat.

Since last year, he has increased his greatest winning margin from

seven lengths to eight; and, while 12 months ago he saw off a David

Pipe pretender in Grands Crus, this season he has twice done the

same to another Pipe grey, Dynaste.

The skinny odds at which Big Buck’s is available for this race

suggest the bookies think he is unbeatable, and he does continue to

look so. But every unbeaten run comes to an end – and now Nicky

Henderson has thrown his classy hurdler Oscar Whisky into the mix.

Third in last year’s Champion Hurdle and thrice a winner over two

and a half miles on this very course, the seven-year-old has speed in

abundance – but does he have the stamina to get three miles up the

Cheltenham hill and see off the beast that is Big Buck’s? We say no.

Elsewhere on Thursday’s card, we think Somersby can back up his

Victor Chandler Chase win at Ascot with victory in a competitive

Ryanair Chase. Barwell Bridge can improve on sixth in last year’s

Pertemps Final to win this time round, while canny trainer Nick

Williams can take the Jewson with the strong-staying For Non Stop.

Day 3: worlD HurDle 3.20pm

buck’s fizza fourth world Hurdle looks a formality for the wondrous Big Buck’s... or is it?

Time Race Sport tip1.30pm Jewson Novices’ Chase (2m 4f) For Non Stop2.05pm Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle (3m) Barwell Bridge2.40pm Ryanair Chase (2m 5f) Somersby4.00pm Byrne Group Plate Handicap Chase (2m 5f) Out Now4.40pm Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (3m 1½f) Start Me Up

In association with

Expert view with Paul kealy of the Racing Post

The Ryanair Chase looks like being the most open Grade 1 chase of the meeting, and Poquelin – a beaten favourite in the race for the past two seasons – could finally land the prize when everyone least expects it. He has been undone for the last two seasons by a lack of pace in the race, but with a huge field looking all but guaranteed he could get the conditions he wants – and he proved he’s as good as last year when second to the ridiculously well handicapped The Giant Bolster last time out. He’ll be at least 10/1 this time.

Buena Vista (right) is prepared for one race every year, and he bids for a hat-trick in the Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle over three miles, having scored easy victories for the past two years. He’s only two pounds higher than last year so has a major chance of emulating

Willie Wumpkins, who won three on the spin between 1979 and 1981, the last time at the ripe old age of 13. Buena Vista is a relative youngster at 11.

Oh, and you won’t get rich backing Big Buck’s to land the World Hurdle for the fourth consecutive time – but you won’t get rich opposing him either.

38 | March 9 2012 |


Ala

n C

row

hu

rst/

Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

Friday: The Other Races

Q uestions, questions, everywhere, and not an answer in sight.

Such is the state of things ahead of next Friday’s Betfred

Cheltenham Gold Cup – the race that gets the purists purring.

The biggest question mark at the time of writing hangs

over two-time winner and 12-year-old horse of the people Kauto

Star. Can Paul Nicholls’ charge, who has recaptured his spark to

twice defeat Long Run this season, recover in time from a schooling

fall a fortnight ago to make the line-up for a sixth straight Gold Cup?

Only time will tell on that, but it really is just one question of many.

Will the aforementioned Long Run bounce back to his best to regain

his crown? How about his stablemate at Nicky Henderson’s yard,

Burton Port – can he avoid the dreaded bounce factor after

impressing so much on his return from a long layoff at Newbury last

time out? Will David Pipe let the scintillating novice Grands Crus take

his chance in the big one? And do any of the support acts, including

Jonjo O’Neill’s Synchronised, big Irish hope Quel Esprit and course

specialist Midnight Chase, have enough to take centre stage?

It’s one great puzzle indeed, and we’ll be taking a closer look in

next week’s issue. For now, though, Paul Kealy of the Racing Post

gives his tips for the rest of the card over to the right. As for us:

well, we really fancy Olofi in the County Hurdle at 2.05pm – 16/1

looks a very nice price for a horse that deserves a big-race win.

See next week’s edition of Sport for a full preview of the 2012

Betfred Gold Cup, with analysis from Paul Kealy of the Racing Post

Day 4: betfreD gOlD cup 3.20pm

gOOd FRiday?With the great Kauto Star’s participation still in doubt, long run looks set to start favourite for a repeat win in the festival’s showpiece race

Time Race Sport tip1.30pm JCB Triumph Hurdle (2m 1f) Dodging Bullets2.05pm Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle (2m 1f) Olofi2.40pm Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (3m) Sea Of Thunder4.00pm Christie’s Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup (3m 2½f) Merchant Royal4.40pm Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (2m 4½f) Open Hearted5.15pm Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup (2m ½f) Slieveardagh

In association with

Expert view with Paul Kealy of the Racing Post

Alan King probably won’t have a runner in the Gold Cup, but the first two races on the final day may well go his way. He has a terrific record in the Triumph Hurdle, having won it in 2005 with Penzance and 2007 with Katchit – and, if fit, Grumeti (right) is very much in the Katchit mould, as he’s tough as old boots and enthusiastic with it. King also has an understudy with a major chance in Balder Succes, who should be backed if the ground goes on the soft side. Otherwise, it’s Grumeti all the way.

Next up is the County Hurdle, and King’s Raya Star is selected in the hope that he’ll get the fierce pace he craves. He was able to overcome a slow gallop when landing the valuable Ladbroke at Ascot in December, but couldn’t quite repeat the trick at Newbury last month in the Betfair. They rarely go anything

other than hell for leather in this, though, and he can finally show what he is really made of.

Nicky Henderson won the first running of the Martin Pipe Conditonal Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle and can take it again with Oscar Nominee, who has been handicapped on his two-mile form but looks a certainty to improve dramatically once raised in trip.

Chelsea v Napoli

Wednesday 7.45PM, ITV1

Roman Abramovich tasted the familiar flavour of European defeat (along with chocolate and strawberry)

when his team visited the Neapolitans at the Stadio San

Paolo a fortnight ago, in what was a very predictable

‘upset’. A more palatable performance from Chelsea

this time around would be welcomed by Abramovich,

who is probably starting to wonder if it might be easier

to just step in and pick the team himself. If you want

something done right...

They say too many cooks spoil the broth, and Chelsea

are a mish-mash of random ingredients pulled together

by six chefs in five years. Andre Villas-Boas tried in vain

to throw the whole lot out and start again, and it will be

interesting to see whether Roberto Di Matteo continues

that process or opts to return to the old staples

(assuming he hasn’t been sacked by Wednesday).

Contrast that with Napoli’s clear attacking vision

under Walter Mazzari, and you begin to see why the

Blues came undone a fortnight ago. Two unanswered

goals would still see them progress, but Napoli are at

their most dangerous on the break – and when you

have David Luiz in defence, the opposition are pretty

much guaranteed to score. Chelsea won all three home

group games for the second year running, but that

record has a habit of breaking down in the later stages:

they’ve failed to win any of their past five matches at

Stamford Bridge in the knockout rounds, succumbing

to the pressures of hosting like a Come Dine with Me

contestant crying into a soufflé.

LAst timE: NApoLi 3-1 ChELsEAChelsea took the lead against the run of play on 27

minutes, Juan Mata’s side-footed volley capitalising

on a Paolo Cannavaro mistake. A sublime curler by

Ezequiel Lavezzi levelled things, and Chelsea wasted

chances to retake the lead. The Italians made them

pay – Edinson Cavani shouldered home a cross from

Gokhan Inler in first- half stoppage time before

outmuscling Luiz halfway through the second half

and inviting Lavezzi to add a cool second.

40 | March 9 2012 |

Champions League The Last 16 Part II

Just desserts

| 41

An

dre

as

So

laro

/AF

P/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

, De

nn

is G

rom

bk

ow

sk

i/B

on

ga

rts

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s, B

ori

s H

orv

at/

AF

P/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

, Ha

rry

En

ge

ls/G

ett

y Im

ag

es

Bayern Munich v Basel

Tuesday 7.45PM, sky sPorTs 2

The German champions were mooted by many

(including us) as the most likely team to take the

European Cup out of Spain this season. That said,

perhaps Basel’s 1-0 win two weeks ago shouldn’t have

come as that much of a surprise, given the way in

which they eliminated Manchester United.

Basel are undefeated away from home in the

competition, with two highly credible draws against

Benfica and at Old Trafford. Another draw would be

enough to see the Swiss roll into the next round, but

there’s still much work to do for Heiko Vogel and his

team if that’s to happen. Bayern have won 11 of their

past 12 home games in the Champions League and

have won all four of the games played at the Allianz

Arena in the competition this year. However, they’ve

been below par of late in the Bundesliga – and despite

enjoying the majority of possession in the first leg,

looked sluggish and predictable in attack. The trickery

and speed of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery will

be crucial if Bayern are to avoid becoming another

major Basel scalp.

LAst timE: BAsEL 1-0 BAyERN

After an eager start by Bayern, Basel came into

the game, twice hitting the frame of the goal

in the opening stages. The Germans were largely

restricted to long-range efforts, and were thwarted

by Yann Sommer when they did manage to break

through Basel’s defence. This Swiss scored just

four minutes from time, as Valentin Stocker was

played in by substitute Jacques Zoua to slot past

Manuel Neuer.

Inter Milan v Marseille

Tuesday 7.45PM, sky sPorTs 4

French side Marseille will be hopeful of building on

the 1-0 advantage they earned at home as they seek

to make it through to the quarter finals for the first

time since 1993, the year they won the trophy.

Didier Deschamps, their captain that day, is now in

charge at the Stade Velodrome, and it should be a good

omen – he never lost to Inter in the five games he

played against them at the San Siro. A better omen (for

Marseille) is probably Inter’s appalling form – at the

time of writing they had lost five and drawn one of their

past six, including that first-leg defeat in France, and

hadn’t won at all since January 22. They truly are a club

in crisis, and the fact they even made it out of the group

stage is probably more down to the poor quality of

their adversaries than anything else. The Nerazzurri

still conspired to lose two of their three home games,

against CSKA Moscow and Trabzonspor, so they

probably won’t be too optimistic ahead of Marseille’s

visit to the San Siro. Like Inter, Marseille lost two home

games in the group, and made it through thanks to

their away record, collecting seven points out of nine.

LAst timE: mARsEiLLE 1-0 iNtER miLAN

Marseille finally ran out deserved winners after a

pulsating contest in which they created the majority

of chances and continually pinned Inter back. Still,

Diego Forlan had a golden chance to score for Inter,

his close-range volley saved by Steve Mandanda.

Marseille’s goal finally came in the third minute of injury

time, and it was pure simplicity – a corner whipped in

by Mathieu Valbuena, and headed home by Andre Ayew.

Advantage to the French.

Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow

Wednesday 7.45PM, sky sPorTs 2

Clearly not wanting to be left out of a night full of

last-minute goals, CSKA delivered a sucker punch of

their own with the last kick of the first leg to pull level

with Real Madrid – and in the process end the Spanish

team’s run of six straight Champions League wins.

Still, a 1-1 draw on the Luzhniki’s plastic pitch

is not a bad result, even for Madrid – especially

considering the impressive fact that they’ve gone

through on all nine previous occasions that they’ve

drawn the away leg 1-1. Jose Mourinho will be

confident that his side can do the business again at the

Bernabeu – they’ve lost only two home games all year

(both to Barcelona, naturally).

With all respect to the Russian side, who were

impressive, that’s probably the problem the Special

One is spending most of his time worrying about (that,

and selling electric shavers). He will go into the second

leg knowing his team are better equipped, better

prepared and have the quality to see out the tie,

inching ever closer to another seemingly inevitable

showdown with Barcelona.

LAst timE: CsKA 1-1 mosCow

The Russians looked sharp in their first competitive

fixture for several months, and created chances early,

but Madrid soon found their feet when Ronaldo fired

them into the lead on 28 minutes. From there they

dominated possession and created a number of

chances, but deep into injury time Alan Dzagoev

crossed for Aleksei Berezutski to nod back across

goal. The ball fell to heroically named debutant Pontus

Wernbloom to fire home a late equaliser.

Focus 2012 140 Days to go

42 | March 9 2012 |

THE VENUEThe glorious south coast of England will get

its share of Olympic action when the sailing

gets under way at the end of July. Weymouth

and Portland National Sailing Academy and

the nearby commercial marina were chosen

for their existing facilities – the site hosted

the 2006 ISAF World Youth Championships –

and for their position on the exposed spot at

the western end of the English Channel, one

expected to provide the best natural sailing

waters in the UK. So, the south coast will

inevitably be hit by torrential rain, hail and

gale-force winds this summer. But we’re

sure LOCOG has contingency plans for that.

While tickets to the sailing events are sold

out, there will still be several vantage points

from which to watch the action even without

one of LOCOG’s precious passes. There will

also be a big screen on Weymouth beach

showing the racing – the same place we

presume 99 per cent of attendees will be

wearing sunglasses on their foreheads.

THE EVENTContrary to how it may appear, there are only

10 medal events in Olympic sailing – six for

men and four for women. Competitors have

to complete 10 races (or 15 in the 49er

class) with points awarded depending on

finishing positions in each race (one point

for first place, two for second, and so on).

Each boat can then discard its worst score,

leaving the 10 with the lowest total to fight

for the medals in the, er, medal race. Match

racing, on the other hand, is run as a round-

robin competition to start with, before the

top teams advance to the knockout stage.

Crew sizes vary according to craft –

there’s just one sailor in the Laser, Laser

Radial, Finn and RS-X classes, two in the 470,

49er and Star, and three in women’s match

racing. The latter event is a new addition to

the Olympic schedule that has come at the

expense of the Yngling class in which GB’s

‘three blondes in a boat’ sailed to gold in

Beijing. It’s set to be a new crowd favourite

though, with its thrilling one-on-one racing

action played out over a two-lap course.

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “We have the aim to win four medals at the

Olympics, and we also want to be ‘medal

competitive’ in each of the 10 classes,”

says Stephen Park, the Royal Yachting

Association’s Olympic manager. “So perhaps,

if things go well, we will win more than four.

Realistically, considering the improvement of

other nations, it will be very tough for anyone

to reach the six-medal tally we had in Beijing.”

ROWING AT LONDON 2012

DATES July 29-August 11

CAPACITY 30,000

HOW TO GET THERE National Rail,

Park and ride

Cliv

e M

as

on

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s, C

live

Ro

se

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

Sailing

Nick Dempsey

KEY EVENTS BEFORE

LONDON 2012

RS:X World

Windsurfing

Championships

March 20-29,

Cadiz, Spain

Skandia Sail for

Gold Regatta

June 4-9, Weymouth

and Portland

GB hopeful

AGe in 2012 31

MedAl ReCoRd Miami World Cup gold 2012;

Olympic Test Event silver 2011; RS:X World

Championships gold 2009; RS:X European

Championships gold 2006; Olympic bronze 2004

Married to Sarah Ayton, a double Olympic

champion in sailing’s Yngling class, windsurfer

Nick Dempsey has been to three Olympic Games

but is yet to better his bronze medal from

Athens in 2004...

On the same day his then wife-to-be, Sarah

Ayton, won her second Olympic gold medal

in the Yngling class at the Beijing Games,

Nick Dempsey finished in the worst possible

position in the RS:X – fourth. The final race

was full of drama, with medal positions

changing hands several times, but Dempsey

was left as the unlucky loser.

Missing out on a medal when he’d won

bronze four years earlier was a painful

experience, and he is desperate to make

amends this summer. A former world number

one in the RS:X class, Dempsey finished a

disappointing 13th at the World Championships

last December, but followed that result with a

gold medal at the Miami World Cup regatta in

January. Now it’s full steam ahead to London

(or, rather, Weymouth) where, with his wife

now retired, at least he doesn’t have to

worry about her upstaging him again.

Great Britain is the most successful sailing nation in Olympic history, coming top at the past three Games

7 DaysMAR 9–MAR 15

HIGHLIGHTS

» Football: Arsenal v Newcastle » p46

» Athletics: World Indoor Championships » p48

» Motorsport: WTCC Rounds 1 & 2 » p48

» Tennis: Indian Wells » p50

» Best of the Rest » p50OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

44 | March 9 2012 |

Ad

am

Mo

ran

/R

ed

Bu

ll C

on

ten

t P

oo

l

France’s Northern Alps will be overflowing with adrenaline next week, when more than

125 world-class athletes arrive for the

Winter X Games Europe in Tignes.

It’s the third edition of the event, which

features both slopestyle and superpipe

competitions for skiers and snowboarders,

as well as a snowmobile freestyle exhibition

for those who prefer to be seated while,

quite frankly, scaring the bejesus out

of themselves.

WEDNESDAY > WINTER SPORTS | WINTER X GAMES EUROPE | TIGNES | ESPN 1.30PM

Ride the rideAnd for the first time,

snowboarding’s best known

face (and hair), Shaun White,

is competing in Tignes. The

‘Flying Tomato’ has already

collected 17 Winter X Games medals (12 of them gold), but was forced

to miss the slopestyle event at the American Winter X Games in Aspen

earlier this year after injuring an ankle in training. The Californian did

manage to compete in the halfpipe, though, winning the gold with a

perfect score – the first athlete in Winter X Games history to do so.

Canadian freestyle skier Kaya Turski also made history in Aspen,

landing the first switch 1080 – three full rotations through the air –

in the history of women at Winter X. Kelly Clark did the same in the

superpipe last year, and the American will be in Tignes to try and

repeat the feat. The lingo takes a while to pick up, but there’s little

expertise required to watch and marvel (and ooh and aah, etc).

The age of Shaun White

when he won his first

amateur snowboard contest

and got his first sponsor –

snowboard makers Burton

46 | March 9 2012 |

MONDAY PREMIER LEAGUE | ARSENAL v NEWCASTLE | EMIRATES STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 1 8PM

Gunning for Europe

7 Days

Aston Villa V Fulham

Villa Park, Saturday 3pm

Chelsea V Stoke

Stamford Bridge, Saturday 3pm

Sunderland V Liverpool

Stadium of Light, Saturday 3pm

Wolves V Blackburn

Molineux, Saturday 3pm

Everton V Tottenham

Goodison Park, Saturday 5.30pm

ESPN

Man Utd V West Brom

Old Trafford, Sunday 2pm

Swansea V Man City

Liberty Stadium, Sunday 2pm

Norwich V Wigan

Carrow Road Stadium, Sunday 4pm

Sky Sports 1

Man City 27 21 3 3 69 19 66

Man Utd 27 20 4 3 66 27 64

Tottenham 27 16 5 6 52 33 53

Arsenal 27 15 4 8 55 38 49

Chelsea 27 13 7 7 47 32 46

Newcastle 27 12 8 7 39 39 44

Liverpool 26 10 9 7 30 25 39

Fulham 27 9 9 9 37 36 36

Stoke 27 10 6 11 27 38 36

West Brom 27 10 5 12 34 35 35

Norwich 27 9 8 10 38 44 35

Sunderland 27 9 7 11 35 31 34

Everton 26 9 7 10 27 28 34

Swansea 27 8 9 10 30 34 33

Aston Villa 27 6 12 9 30 35 30

QPR 27 5 7 15 28 46 22

Blackburn 27 5 7 15 38 60 22

Wolves 27 5 7 15 30 56 22

Bolton 27 6 2 19 29 56 20

Wigan 27 4 8 15 23 52 20

P W D L F A Pts

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Around the grounds

Premier League table

South shield: can Simpson

(below) shut out the prolifi c

Robin van Persie again?

It’s Saturday February 5 2011. Arsenal have won their past six games in a row, and are 4-0 up away at Newcastle after just 26 minutes. A win will close the gap to league leaders

Manchester United to just two points and,

with 13 games remaining, the Gunners have

every chance of overhauling them.

If Arsene Wenger could pick the moment

the wheels fell off the title campaign last

season, this would probably be it. Who knows

what he said to his players at half time, but it

had a disastrous effect. Five minutes into the

second half, Abou Diaby was dismissed for

shoving Joey Barton. It heralded the start of

a famous Newcastle comeback, as they pulled

it back to 4-4 with Cheik Tiote’s blistering

equaliser three minutes from time. Arsenal

went on to win just four of their remaining

13 league games.

They would have been hoping for a fresh

start when they met Newcastle again on the

opening day of this campaign, but there was a

sense of deja vu for the Gunners as debutant

Gervinho was sent off for slapping perpetual

victim Barton. The match bore little other

resemblance to the previous goal fest,

though – a 0-0 draw was a sign of things to

come for underachieving Arsenal, and for

a Newcastle side that had the best defensive

record in the division early in the season –

largely thanks to an unchanged back five of

Tim Krul, Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor,

Stephen Taylor and Danny Simpson.

Both sides have been squabbling over that

prime patch of Premier League real estate

that grants access to Europe’s private

garden, but Newcastle have fallen away

of late. After impressive back-to-back wins

over Liverpool and Spurs, the Gunners now

look favourites for that final Champions

League place (you know, the one that counts

as a trophy in Wenger’s book). The boss

won’t be on the phone to the silversmith just

yet, knowing better than anyone his side’s

capacity for falling apart under pressure.

A win here would be Arsenal’s fifth

in a row in the league, and will put

them in prime position to secure the

inaugural Arsene Wenger Cup as the

season draws to a close.

3start when they met Newcastle again on the

3333333333333333opening day of this campaign, but there was a

3333333333333333sense of deja vu for the Gunners as debutant

3333333333333333Gervinho was sent off for slapping perpetual

3333333333333333though – a 0-0 draw was a sign of things to3333333333333333inaugural Arsene Wenger Cup as the

3333333333333333inaugural Arsene W

season draws to a close.

3333333333333333season draws to a close.

An Arsenal player has

been sent off in each of

the past three meetings

between the teams:

Gervinho this year, Abou

Diaby last year and Laurent

Koscielny in 2010

Tuesday LiverpooL v everton | AnfieLd | Sky SportS 1 8pM

A big week for...

The Carling Cup triumph has papered

over some serious flaws in Liverpool’s

league campaign. The Reds are now 10

points behind Arsenal in fourth, after

last weekend’s oddly one-sided defeat.

They have a big chance to narrow that

gap this week, as they play Sunderland

on Saturday and again on Tuesday

against Everton. The Merseyside derby

is Liverpool’s game in hand, and Kenny

Dalglish will be desperate to collect

three points to avoid slipping into the

mid-table mire. They won the previous

derby in October after Jack Rodwell

was dismissed for an innocuous

challenge on Luis Suarez. The Reds

might need a similar stroke of luck this

time – Liverpool have won just two of

their past 10 league games, while

Everton are unbeaten in six.

saTurday BoLton v Qpr | reeBok StAdiuM | Sky SportS 2 12.45pM

You have to question how much longer Phil Gartside is going to stick with Owen Coyle. After their worst start to a season for

109 years, Bolton wandered out of the

relegation zone briefly in January, but

have lost their past four league games.

The departures of Daniel Sturridge and

Johann Elmander have left a hole that

David N’gog and Ivan Klasnic have not

looked equipped to fill. Klasnic hasn’t

netted since November, and

£4m signing N’Gog has

scored just two league goals

in 22 games (although at £2m per goal,

he’s still better value than another

former Liverpool striker). Kevin Davies

has had a mixed season, netting just

thrice in 15 starts, and he has missed

the past few games through injury.

But, with Coyle identifying the last 11

games as a favourable run-in for his

side, it’s time for experienced battler

Davies to step up once again.

1. King Kenny’s reign 2. Kevin Davies

Ric

ha

rd H

ea

thc

ote

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

, Mik

e H

ew

itt/

Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

, La

ure

nc

e G

riff

ith

s/G

ett

y I

ma

ge

s,

D

ea

n M

ou

hta

rop

ou

los

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

, Pa

ul

Ell

is/A

FP

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

48 | March 9 2012 |

7 DaysA

dri

an

De

nn

is/A

FP

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

; FIA

Wo

rld

To

uri

ng

Ca

r C

ha

mp

ion

sh

ip im

ag

e c

ou

rte

sy

of

WT

CC

FRIDAY > ATHLETICS | WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS | ISTANBUL, TURkEy | BRITISH EUROSPORT 8AM

Sunday MOTORSPORT | WTCC ROUNDS 1 AND 2: MONzA, ITALy | FROM 12PM, BRITISH EUROSPORT 1 & 2

UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee might have told Sport last week

that he won’t set much store by the results

from this weekend’s World Indoor Athletics

Championships in Istanbul, but the athletes

competing know he will still be keeping a close

eye on their performances.

For defending world indoor pentathlon

champion Jess Ennis (left), it’s an opportunity

to take on the athlete who beat her to

heptathlon gold at the World Championships in

Daegu last summer – Tatyana Chernova. The

Russian is considered to be one of Ennis’ main

rivals for the Olympic crown, and the Brit

would love nothing more than to show she’s

on track for the top step of the podium in

London with a victory this weekend.

The same goes for Mo Farah, who was

disappointed with his run over two miles at

the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham last

month, where he was beaten into second

place – something he seems to have become

unaccustomed to over the past year or so.

In Istanbul he’ll race over 3,000m, pitting him

against two-time world indoor 3,000m

gold-medallist Bernard Lagat, who could only

watch on from second as Farah sprinted to

5,000m gold in Daegu last summer.

Dwain Chambers is the third British

headline act heading to Turkey, where he’s

likely to come up against fellow former

convicted doper Justin Gatlin (see page 10) in

trying to defend the world indoor 60m title he

won in 2010. The 33-year-old could find his

path to the Olympics cleared over the coming

weeks – and gold in Istanbul would be some

way to start his road to the Games.

Top Brits take on Turkey

The World Touring Car Championship season begins at Monza this weekend, in the first

meet of a drastically changed calendar. Gone

are the rounds in the UK, Belgium, Germany

and the Czech Republic, replaced by Austria,

Morocco, Slovakia and the United States.

Despite the changes to the itinerary, the

series should still offer exciting wheel-to-

wheel racing and the kind of close contact and

overtaking that’s often sorely lacking from

certain other formulas (we’re not pointing any

fingers, lest Bernie’s FIA police squad come

hammering on our door in the dead of night).

Chevrolet continued to dominate the series

last year – Yvan Muller pipped his British

teammate Rob Huff to the title by just three

points, with fellow Chevrolet driver Alain Menu a

distant third. Huff led the standings for much

of last season, and had some riveting battles

with Muller as he sought the first drivers’

championship of his WTCC career. He leads

a large British contingent in the series, with

James Nash, Tom Chilton and Tom Boardman

joining 32-year-old Huff and Alex MacDowall.

With a Chevrolet driver winning 21 of the 24

races last season, they remain the team to

beat – and even at the ripe old age of 42, it’s

hard to see anyone other than young(er)

upstart Huff challenging Muller as he seeks

his fourth drivers’ championship.

Lads on tour

UP TO 50% OFF OUR WINTER RANGESIN-STORE & ONLINE

END OF SEASON

NOW ON!SALESALE

www.snowandrock.com

Chertsey, Covent Garden, Croydon, Harrods, Hemel Hempstead, Holborn, Kensington, Monument, Romford

& MANY MORE TOP BRANDS

UP TO 50% OFF OUR WINTER RANGESIN-STORE & ONLINE

END OF SEASON

NOW ON!www.snowandrock.com

50 | March 9 2012 |

7 Days

Ga

bri

el

Bo

uy

s/A

FP

/Ge

tty

Im

ag

es

, Stu

Fo

rste

r/G

ett

y I

ma

ge

s

FRIDAY

SWIMMING British Gas

Swimming Championships,

Olympic Aquatics Centre,

BBC Red Button 6.25pm

RUGBY UNION LV=Cup Semi Final: Bath Rugby v

Leicester Tigers, The Rec, Sky Sports 3 7.30pm

CRICKET New Zealand v South Africa: 1st Test

Day 4, Dunedin, Sky Sports 3 9.25pm

BASKETBALL NBA: San Antonio Spurs v

LA Clippers, AT&T Center, ESPN 1.30am

SATURDAY RUGBY UNION Super Rugby: Sharks v Lions,

Kings Park Stadium, Sky Sports 1 3.05pm

HORSE RACING Paddy Power Imperial Cup

Handicap Hurdle, Sandown Racecourse,

Channel 4 3.15pm

RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Hull KR v

Bradford, Craven Park, Sky Sports 1 5.05pm

FOOTBALL La Liga: Real Betis v Real Madrid,

Benito Villamarin, Sky Sports 1 9pm

UFC Alves v Kampmann,

Allphones Arena, Sydney, ESPN 1.45am

SUNDAY

FOOTBALL Scottish Cup: Dundee Utd v Celtic,

Tannadice, Sky Sports 1 1.15pm

CYCLING Paris-Nice Stage 8: Nice-Col d’Eze,

British Eurosport 2 1pm

RUGBY UNION LV=Cup Semi Final: Northampton v

Scarlets, Franklin’s Gardens, Sky Sports 2 1pm

GOLF WGC-Cadillac Championship Day 4,

TPC Blue Monster at Doral, Sky Sports 2 5pm

TUESDAY

CYCLING Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7: San

Benedetto del Tronto, British Eurosport 2pm

WEDNESDAY

CRICKET New Zealand v South Africa: 2nd Test

Day 1, Hamilton, Sky Sports 4 9.25pm

BASKETBALL NBA: Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat,

United Center, ESPN 1.30am

THURSDAY SNOOKER PTC Grand Finals Day 1 ,

NUI, Galway, British Eurosport 7.30pm

FOOTBALL Europa League Round of 16 2nd leg:

Athletic Bilbao v Manchester United,

San Mames, Channel 5 6pm

BEST OF THE REST

At the grand old age of 30, Roger Federer has been enjoying a balmy autumn to his career so

far this season. Since losing to Rafael Nadal in

the semi finals of the Australian Open, he has

won in Rotterdam and dismissed Andy Murray

to take the title in Dubai last week, making him

the form player going into Indian Wells.

The Swiss won this tournament three times

between 2004 and 2006, but was beaten in a

thrilling three-set semi final last year by Novak

Djokovic during that 41-match unbeaten streak.

Djokovic (above) went on to take the title,

coming from a set down to beat Nadal – the

first time he had beaten the Spaniard in a final.

That was the start of the Serb’s dominance

over Nadal in a run of finals that Rafa will be

desperate to break, having lost to the Djoker

at Wimbledon, the US Open and in January’s

Melbourne epic. Nadal will at least be fresh

– this will be his first ATP tournament since

that gruelling slugfest.

Victoria Azarenka heads the women’s draw

(qualifiers for which began on Monday) after

her Australian Open win, with former Indian

Wells winner Maria Sharapova and defending

champ Caroline Wozniacki joining Petra Kvitova

in seeking to stop the Belarusian making further

headway at the top of the world rankings.

SaTuRday > TENNIS | BNP PARIBAS OPEN | INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN, CALIFORNIA | SKY SPORTS 4 7PM

Indian summer

FRIday RUGBY LEAGUE | STOBART SUPER LEAGUE: LEEDS RHINOS v WARRINGTON WOLVES | HEADINGLEY CARNEGIE STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 1 7.30PM

The pick of round six of the Stobart Super League sees

league leaders

Warrington Wolves

take on the reigning

champions and

current world club

champions Leeds Rhinos. The Wolves remain

unbeaten and came through a tough test at

Bradford last week. They have class across

the squad, too, with hooker Michael Monaghan

and stand off Lee Briers hugely influential.

Leeds continue to bask in the glow of their

victory over Australian champions Manly, and

in winger Ryan Hall have one of the deadliest

finishers in world rugby – underlined with his

seventh hat-trick in Leeds colours in their

recent 34-16 win over Castleford Tigers.

In Friday’s other match, an out-of-sorts St

Helens take on Hull FC at Langtree Park. Saints

haven’t won since their victory over Salford in

their first Super League game at their new

stadium, and may be without hooker James

Roby, who is a doubt with a knee injury.

Saturday sees Hull Kingston Rovers take on

Bradford Bulls and London Broncos, looking

for their first win, play Castleford at the

Twickenham Stoop. Catalans Dragons will look

to put last Sunday’s defeat at Wigan behind them

when they entertain Salford City Reds on

Saturday evening, while Sunday sees bottom

club Widnes take on second-placed Wigan, with

Wakefield hosting the Huddersfield Giants.

Big hitters face off

Extra time Kit

52 | March 9 2012 |

Making the most of your time and money

1 Do Unlimited Ultra Light Pro JacketLime green and blue, eh? Well, to each their own. The

advantage of this jacket is that you can make hilarious

(well, hilarious to us) jokes about your new ‘do. People

will think you mean hair, then you tell them you meant

your jacket. Just think of the fun you can have.

£35 | dounlimited.com

2 Puma T7 Track PantsThese are like shorts, only they cover more of your

legs. Oh, and they come in other colours. And they have

pockets. Sorry for getting all technical on you there.

£35 | puma.com

3 Lonsdale Tracksuit Bottoms You can’t go too far wrong with grey tracky b’s for

wearing around the house or working out. Plus, these

ones are made by boxing brand Lonsdale. And boxing’s

a pretty honourable sport – right, Dereck?

£12 | lonsdaleboxing.com

4 ODLO Race JacketODLO’s motto is ‘always make sure you’re one step

ahead’. While this top can’t guarantee that, it can at

least make sure you look good – and keep nice and warm

– while everyone else on the track stays many, many

steps ahead of you. If you’re anything like us, that is.

£100 | odlo.com

5 Official Virgin London Marathon JacketIf you’re planning to run the London Marathon this

year, congratulations – and please stop reading now.

Have they gone? Right – the rest of you, just get one of

these, pour water over your face, turn up at the finish

line and everyone will think you ran it. You’re welcome.

£60 | virginlondonmarathon.com/shop

6 Franklin & Marshall Tracksuit BottomsAretha Franklin and Marshall Mathers (or Eminem,

as he’s better known) seemed an unlikely combination,

but proved with No Love Deeper that their partnership

can work. Now the duo are back with another item to

add to their collection. Respect.

£31 | franklinandmarshall.com

Smarten up in a (track) suitWhether you’re planning to head out for

a run or spend the weekend at home on

the sofa, this lot should keep you comfy

1 2

3 4

5 6

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEExxxxxxxxtttttttt rr rrrr aaaaaa aaaaaaaa tttttttttttt iiiiiiiiiiii mm mmmmmmmm eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

P56

Watch a ridiculously

small screen and look

menacingly futuristic

*Conditions apply. See tda.gov.uk/conditions for full details.

54 | March 9 2012 |

Nip/Duck!

Sor

ry o

ld b

oy –

sh

e’s

tak

en. E

nd

yo

ur

inte

re

st

rig

ht

aw

ay a

nd

tu

rn

ove

r,

be

ca

us

e K

ell

y C

arls

on

– s

he

of

US

pla

sti

c

su

rg

ery d

ra

ma

Nip/Tuck f

am

e –

is t

he

arm

ca

nd

y o

f re

tire

d C

an

ad

ian

ice

ho

cke

y

pla

ye

r T

ie D

om

i.

An

d w

ha

t a

n a

rm

. D

om

i’s

ro

le d

urin

g a

16

-ye

ar

ca

re

er

as

en

forc

er

for

the

To

ro

nto

Ma

ple

Le

afs

, N

ew

Yo

rk R

an

ge

rs

an

d W

inn

ipe

g

Je

ts w

as

to

po

un

d a

wa

y o

n t

he

fa

ce

of

an

y a

nd

all o

pp

os

itio

n p

laye

rs

he

to

ok a

dis

lik

ing

to

.

An

d t

he

re

we

re

ma

ny (

se

rio

us

ly, Y

ouTu

be

him

).

Sti

ll t

hin

kin

g o

f h

avin

g a

cra

ck

? S

o is

Do

mi,

pro

ba

bly

. H

e’s

hit

th

e g

un

ish

me

nt

bu

tto

n f

or

les

s.

In 1

99

5, h

e w

as

su

sp

en

de

d f

or

eig

ht

ga

me

s f

or

a d

eva

sta

tin

g s

uc

ke

r p

un

ch

th

at

kn

oc

ke

d o

ut

Ne

w Y

ork R

an

ge

rs’ d

efe

ns

em

an

Ulf

Sa

mu

els

so

n

(nic

kn

am

ed

Ro

bo

co

p),

ap

pa

re

ntl

y b

ec

au

se

Ulf

ca

lle

d h

im ‘T

ie D

um

my’.

If y

ou

’re

sti

ll in

sis

ten

t o

n s

ee

ing

mo

re

of

Ca

rls

on

, w

e r

ec

om

me

nd

yo

u d

o s

o f

ro

m a

sa

fe

dis

tan

ce

an

d c

atc

h h

er

in s

oo

n-t

o-b

e-r

ele

as

ed

film

Jimmy –

wh

ich

, a

cc

ord

ing

to

IMD

B, is

‘th

e

sto

ry o

f a

me

nta

lly c

ha

lle

ng

ed

te

en

ag

er

wh

o

inte

ra

cts

wit

h s

up

ern

atu

ra

l be

ing

s’.

So

, if

Sport

do

es

eve

r p

luc

k u

p t

he

co

ura

ge

to c

om

e f

ac

e t

o f

ac

e w

ith

he

r, a

t le

as

t s

he

will

be

ca

pa

ble

of

re

lati

ng

to

us

on

ou

r le

ve

l.

Apix Syndication

Extra time Kelly Carlson

The MuThis concept has been doing the rounds online

for a couple of years – and now it’s finally been

brought into production. It unfolds into a three-pin

UK plug, has a USB socket so you can plug in a

smartphone charger and is small enough to fit in

your pocket, making it ideal for travel. We just hope

it doesn’t open the floodgates for other internet

virals to emerge into the real world. The horror!

£25 | themu.co.uk

Philips HMP2000 HD Media PlayerSometimes, even with Freeview or satellite TV,

there really isn’t anything on. This box frees you

from the sadistic whims of the schedulers by

providing access to on-demand streaming

services like iPlayer and Netflix through an HD

TV, instead of on your laptop. And it connects to

Wi-Fi, so you never have to face a six-year-old

episode of Mock the Week on Dave again.

£58 | amazon.co.uk

Fujifilm FinePix XP150This rugged camera is impervious to all manner

of liquids and powdery substances, from water

to sand. With a rubberised grip and solid exterior,

it’s great for adventure holidays. It’s also

freeze-proof down to -10°C, so it was ideal for

the in-freezer surveillance system we built to

work out who was stealing our chicken dippers.

£219 | fujifilm.co.uk

So, it turns out that RoboCop’s

glasses were actually just for

watching Cheers reruns in his car

in between annihilating criminals

Extra time Gadgets

56 | March 9 2012 |

Vision express

TP-LINK TL-WR702NIt’s frustrating when you’re in a hotel room with

only one phone point and can only use one internet

device (#morefirstworldproblems). The credit

card-sized and catchily named WR702N solves that

by dint of being the smallest router in the world.

£15 | tp-link.com

Epson Moverio BT-100These glasses are designed for entertainment on the

move, although they’re probably more suited to a first-class

airport lounge than the N35 to Clapham Junction. They are

the equivalent of watching an 80-inch TV from five metres

away, so no more tiny tablet screens (#firstworldproblems)

– and they have transparent lenses, so you’ll remain somewhat

aware of your surroundings. They pack an impressive several

gigs of storage, and Wi-Fi connectivity in case you run out of

stuff to watch. A touchscreen remote is also included for easy

navigation, though telepathy is not a built-in function... yet.

£519 | epson.com

Subscribers make great savings every day

Visit timespacks.com/sportsavingor call 0800 389 6893 quoting ‘SportSaving’

From just

70P a day

With our 7 Day Pack, subscribers enjoy seven days of

papers for just £6 a week, normally £8.70 a week.

Save 30p on The Times every weekday – 70p compared to £1

Save 50p on The Times on Saturday – £1 compared to £1.50

Save 70p on The Sunday Times – £1.50 compared to £2.50

Paco Rabanne Black XS L’Excès, DKNY Summer Men

The seasons come together this week, in the form of

two new fragrances from Paco Rabanne and DKNY.

The former has just released Black XS L’Excès,

which when you say it out loud just sounds like

you’re repeating yourself for no real reason.

Anyway, the scent itself is a darkish, deepish

concoction that is being marketed as ‘an intense

rock fragrance’. That would explain the little skull

adorning the bottle (see right), less so the vibrant

accord of lemon and lavender that comprises its

top note. That said, the deeper base notes of amber

wood and patchouli soon take over, to give off the

kind of rocky aromas that are ideally suited to dark

and dingy indie clubs on a cold Friday night in winter.

That’s the black sorted, now what about the blue?

DKNY’s new limited-edition Summer Men fragrance

is the answer – which, despite coming in the lankiest

bottle known to all of perfumery, is a pleasing scent

that really does scream summery sweetness. The

combination of white pepper, geranium, labdanum

and cedar may be a little heavy on the sweet for

some, but those who like it will really like it.

Paco Rabanne at boots.com,

DKNY exclusive to theperfumeshop.com

Ole Henriksen Truth Crème Advanced Hydration

March, it would seem, is

the month of the moisturiser.

Not only have Lab Series for

Men launched the tinted effort

to the left, but the ever-colourful

Ole Henriksen have also been

busy with this: the all-new

Truth Crème Advanced

Hydration.

This one may not have

the tinted technology of its

competitor over there, but

what it has is an exclusive

Advanced Hydration

Complex that,as you may

guess, ensures optimal

hydration while delivering

strong anti-ageing

benefits and promoting

healthy cell turnover.

All of which (and maybe

more) you’d expect after

shelling out more than half

a ton on a 50ml tub. But you

generally pay for quality with Ole

Henriksen, and the signature

citrus orange and vanilla scent of

the Truth range will keep your mush

smelling great throughout the day

– and that’s almost priceless.

harveynichols.com

Lab Series for Men BB Tinted Moisturiser SPF 35

The name ‘Lab Series’

has always conjured up

images of men in white

coats messing about with

smoking test tubes, for

us; but, while that isn’t

necessarily the case, it is

true that science is at the

heart of the brand’s ethos.

Take their new BB Tinted

Moisturiser, which launches

nationwide next Friday.

Nominally a moisturiser that

firms, tones and hydrates

the skin, it also features

special technology that

customises in colour to

match all skin tones. Thus does

it camouflage imperfections in

the skin, resulting in a pretty

much immediate noticeable

improvement. Very nice work.

labseries.co.uk

58 | March 9 2012 |

THE MOISTURISER

Black and

blue...

... and, er, a bit of orange in this week’s

lazily colour-themed grooming page

THE FRAGRANCES

THE OTHER MOISTURISER

Extra time Grooming

£32

£52

£44.50 for 100ml

£33.50 for 100ml

MANY ROADS LEADTO THE MEDAL,BUT ALL BEGIN WITHA GREAT START.

SIR CHRIS HOY, 4X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST

©©©©©©©©222222220

00000001

1111

11

12222

2222

TTTT

TTTThhhh

hhhheeee

eeee

GGGG

GGGGiiii

iiiillll

llllllll

lllleeee

eeeetttt

tttttttt

tttteeee

eeee

CCCC

CCCCoooom

mm

mp

pp

pa

aa

an

nn

ny

yy

y.

..

.

facebook.com/GilletteUK

NOTHING BEATS

A GREAT START.

Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3/Xbox 360)

Two of the greatest fighting games have merged –

and the results are as refreshing as a hadouken to

the face on a cold day. New features include cross

assaults (allowing you to attack with two bruisers

at once in tag team mode) and

even four-on-four scramble

mayhem. However, the best thing

is how well the Tekken characters

have been integrated into the

Capcom world. A winning combo.

Mass Effect 3 (PC/PS3/Xbox 360)In the final instalment of the Mass Effect trilogy, players reprise

the role of Commander John (or Jane) Shepard, battling to save a

bewildering array of alien races from annihilation at the hands of

the Reapers, a race of sentient machines (who don’t actually have

hands). The story develops differently depending on your actions,

and it plays out with cinematic scope and ambition regardless of

the path. The stunning graphics were created with motion capture

and real sets, and the immense dialogue boasts voice actors from

Martin Sheen to Seth Green. Developers BioWare actually launched

a copy of this game into space, in one of the more dubious publicity

stunts we’ve heard of. It’s not as if it needed the hype – this RPG

has rightly been at the top of the ‘must-buy’ lists for months.

Home Again Michael Kiwanuka

Winning the BBC Sound of 2012

poll seems less a blessing and more

a curse to us: a big, dull Blue Peter

Badge to say that you’re Auntie

Beeb-approved. However it’s clear

from the first moment you hear

Michael Kiwanuka’s rich, textured voice that the

London soul singer isn’t an easy man to categorise.

On the best parts of Monday’s debut album – such as

opener Tell Me a Tale – he sounds a worthy heir to the

likes of Bill Withers. At his less inspired, he’s a bit too

close to the Family of Lighthouse. A mixed bag, but

the warm, rapturous highs outweigh a few yawns.

The Man Without a Face Masha Gessen

Moscow journalist

Masha Gessen delves

into the rise of Vladimir

Putin and finds that

there’s more than just

judo belts in the Russian

PM’s closet. It seems

he’s fond of controlling

his populace, removing

his enemies and crude

jokes. The utter cad.

This is England ’88

Bleaker than ever, but

still superbly observed

and crafted, the latest

in Shane Meadows’ This

is England series is out

on DVD on Monday. A

necessary counterpoint

to the glossy bullshit

of The Iron Lady, it’s

seeped in authenticity

and dark humour. TiE ‘90

can’t come soon enough.

Visions Grimes

Don’t let the grubby title fool you, Grimes is no

heavy metal act. Rather, the 23-year-old Canadian

is a creator of quirkily brilliant ‘dream pop’ likely to

appeal to a totally different audience. The lavish

1980s-style synths (all the rage,

we know) mix with her vocals to

create some sublime songs.

It may be a little too kooky for

some, but there are soaring

highs on this fantastic album. Ra

ph

aë

l Ou

ell

et

60 | March 9 2012 |

MUSIC

Special effect

Vladimir Putin’s toilet humour,

Grimes gets sublime and Tekken

meets Street Fighter. This week: wins

GAME

MUSIC

GAME BOOK DVD

Extra time Entertainment

TO SEE DANNY’S STORY VISIT REDBULL.CO.UK/WINGS

RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS.

to See DaI’S StorY VISIt reDBULL.co.Uk/WIngS

reD BULL gIVeS YoU WIngS.

sport magazine - issue 247

Documents

nations stats

red bull racing

page preview

nations france v england

fact theyre

theyre adept

olympic medals

overall total