Issue 483

Issue 483 | January 27 2017

D e f i a n t Peter Crouch on a career spent changing minds

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ACTION REPLAY

Anthony Geathers/Getty Images

Boxing Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz Sky Sports 1, from 1am Conventional boxing wisdom has it like this: with instant rematches, the guy who won the first fight wins easier second time around. Yet boxing is a sport often divorced from logic (even its own), so Carl Frampton’s featherweight rematch with Leo Santa Cruz in the early hours of Sunday morning feels too close to call.

July 2016’s original scrap was a cracking combination of will and skill, featuring top-class boxing and fiery exchanges. The result was close but clear: a Frampton points victory for his sharper, cleaner work. He also rocked Santa Cruz with his left hand early on, but the Mexican ploughed gamely forward to land hard punches

of his own in the middle and late rounds at New York’s Barclays Center (pictured).

Now, Frampton (23-0, 14 knockouts) must repeat the trick in Las Vegas, close to Santa Cruz’s west coast US base. No easy task. The 28-year-old Santa Cruz (32-1-1, 18 KOs) regularly throws more than 1,000 punches per fight and is the slightly taller, rangier man. Punishing him while on the back foot is a tightrope act requiring a balance of speed, precision, timing and distance control.

Frampton has those qualities in abundance and, at his best, he doubles down on his win in Vegas. But if the 29-year-old pride of Belfast is even slightly below par, the relentless Santa Cruz will be all over him like a $10 suit.

As well as a tasty main event, the undercard boasts Scotland’s 140lb rising star Josh Taylor, plus Welshman Lee Selby (who aims to fight Frampton in the summer) taking on Argentine veteran Jonathan Victor Barros.

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Since 1928, just three UK boxers have been awarded the prestigious Ring magazine Fighter of the Year.

All have come in the past 11 years: Ricky Hatton (2005), Tyson Fury (2015) and Carl Frampton (2016).

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J A N U A R Y

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“ I ’ M LU C K Y I D I D H AV E T H E D OW N S A N D I T WA S H A R D F O R M E TO G E T W H E R E I G OT TO”

Cover image and this page: Jon Enoch

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Love and Hate Boris Becker on bangers, mash, booze and Becks

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Peter Crouch He’s got 99 Prem goals and he needs just one

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Diary Jo Konta gets deep, Ben Stokes gets redemption, Steve Bruce gets a kebab

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Sam Sunderland The first Brit to win the Dakar Rally on jungles, salt flats and milkshakes

Flats on Friday David ‘The Cornerstone’ Flatman on the power of mental coaching

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E X T R A

F E AT U R E S

F R O N T

Six Nations Bonus points, high tackles and Lions appeal: the key Six Nations talking points

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T I M E

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Business of fitness How exercise, nutrition and fitness became a big-money industry

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Motors Make a little room in the BMW M2 – searching for some peace of mind

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Shane McGuigan Boxing trainer on Carl Frampton’s big rematch

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Grooming Super Hanz in your hair and a visit to super Ted’s

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FA Cup Pick of the fourth round, featuring Uniteds Leeds, Manchester and Sutton

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Fitness Work your ubulus muscle as never before. It’s boring but it’s part of your life

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Boris Becker REMAINER, FISH-AND-CHIP MAN, NOT DAVID BECKHAM “I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR ANDY MURRAY’S WORK and

“I’M MORE OF A WINE DRINKER THAN A BEER DRINKER.

his team. He had an unbelievable year last year. You don’t become number one over a month or two – it’s a lifelong ambition. He has been unbelievably consistent, especially when you have a guy like Novak [Djokovic] winning pretty much every tournament until June. What’s left for you? Credit to his endurance. He kept the motivation.”

Having said that, being German, I like the weissbier. But if I have a choice in the evening, it’s wine. Which one depends on the food I’m eating. If it’s a steak, meat or veal, I have red. A lighter meal, white.”

“I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IGNORANT PEOPLE. It bothers me.

Disrespecting different colours, nationalities and religions. I really have a problem with it. Being a foreigner in this country, I couldn’t believe the [Brexit] news. What were you thinking? Where do you think your ancestors are from? That’s what I mean by ignorance. People are not educated enough. Because of that, we have wrong decisions.”

“ THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF TALK THAT SERVE-AND-VOLLEY PLAY IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE. So I’d like to bring back some of

the serve-and-volleyers I played and see how they do against the great baseliners of today. Pete Sampras – I’d love to see a 25-year-old Sampras play on Centre Court against Andy, against Novak. Whoever wants to play a 25-year-old Pete at Wimbledon, I’d pay money for that match.”

“FOOD CULTURE IN LONDON HAS CHANGED A LOT...

and that’s because of the international clientele. Because of the foreigners! So don’t throw them out! You eat better because of the Italians, the French and the Asians. I eat in pubs. I don’t mind fish and chips, or bangers and mash... but I’ve never eaten a pork scratching.”

“I DON’ T MISS THE DAILY GRIND [of being a player]. The hours

of practice, the discipline and lifestyle you have to live. It’s tough. It looks glamorous, but it’s far from that. You have your moments, of course, but not often. It’s a very limited lifestyle, if you want to be the best.”

“ THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

Matthew Brazier

“WIMBLEDON IS SORT OF A NATURAL HOME. I like the way of

[about me]. Less over here, more in Germany. Some of the headlines there are mind-blowing. For me, the media is more respectful in the UK, but I’m not a national icon. I’m not David Beckham. I’m David Beckham in Germany. In Germany, sometimes, it’s bonkers.”

life there. We love the common, we go for walks, we have a dog and a horse. It’s nice to take your kids and your family and go to the pub and not be bothered. People normally respect me, and like the fact that I’m living there. They almost protect me a little bit: ‘He’s off limits now, so don’t take a picture; don’t ask him.’ It’s important. I’m also a private citizen. I’ve been living there for many years. I love it.”

Boris Becker is a proud ambassador for Anakena Wines. To view his tales of ‘Ambition & Dedication’, follow @AnakenaWinesUK. #RiseUp

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Quote of the week RedemPtion of the week Nobody doubted Ben Stokes would bounce back from his nightmare in last April’s World T20 final in Kolkata. Still, the all-rounder’s performance on the same ground, driving England to victory in the third ODI against India with 57 not out and bowling figures of 3/63, was both ballsy and brilliant.

“You have to keep the simple things in mind. Are you healthy?

Is your family healthy? Do you have people around you who you love? Do you have people around you who love you?”

Asked how she disassociates herself from big moments on court, Johanna Konta served an ace answer that explained her cool demeanour and scintillating form at the Australian Open.

numbeR of the week

-129 tweet of the week You should check out the exchange between Kevin Pietersen and Dan Evans, but how can we omit this? Is Steve Bruce licking his lips?

Superb Glasgow Warriors sunk Leicester 43-0 last Saturday, setting up a Champions Cup quarter final against Saracens.

Tigers crashed out with a grim points difference of -129 after six games. Only Italian whipping boys Zebre (-241) had a greater deficit. No wonder Ben Youngs (left) couldn’t believe it.

Confession of the week

Photo of the week Silver selfie Dave Ryding isn’t a snow dentist filming some sort of screaming self-examination.

In fact, Ryding matched Britain’s best alpine World Cup result – Konrad Bartelski’s second place in a downhill in Italy in 1981 – with a podium finish in the Kitzbuhel slalom last Sunday.

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All pictures Getty Images

Ronnie O’Sullivan was far from his best in the Masters final against Joe Perry, but did enough to take the newly named Paul Hunter trophy for a record seventh time. The Rocket said he had “never felt so vulnerable” after having to repair a broken cue tip.

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Je regrette beaucoup, but it makes me a better man

Main illustration: David Lyttleton. Pen pic: Peter Strain

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never quite believe people who claim to exist with no regrets. Surely if there are things that, given the opportunity, you’d travel back and do differently, then they are regrets of sorts, no? Whatever, I think we all have cock-ups we’d rather like to amend but can’t.

Dodging the car that knocked you off your bike that time, or not lunging to stroke the Alsatian that bit your fingers, isn’t what I’m getting at. More, I’m perturbed by those decisions that, in reality, highlighted weaknesses in my character.

We all have them, and I think it’s futile to pretend otherwise. Looking back on what was ultimately a decent enough career in professional sport – albeit one that was, at crucial times, damaged by long-term injuries and a slight lack of talent – there are some very real regrets.

One was booze. I wasn’t a total pisshead but, as a young man in the Saracens first team and in the England squad, I’d ‘pop out’ with sufficient regularity that Richard Hill, probably England’s best player at the time, felt the need to ask me when I was going to

stop “pissing away my potential”. By the time I realised what being professional really meant, I was three shoulder reconstructions down and it was, in real international terms, too late. This was more to do with ignorance, granted – but I never took the time in those early days to look to the future and adjust my behaviour accordingly.

I also regret not investing more time and money in mental preparation or psychology.

On an England tour to Argentina in 2002, I booked in an hour with Dave Alred – Jonny Wilkinson’s kicking coach and a keen and accomplished student of the sporting mind.

In truth, I did this to keep the scrum coach – my hero to this day – happy, but it had more of an impact than I could have imagined.

“Richard Hill felt the need to ask when I was going to stop pissing away my potential” 10

We addressed some perfectly normal insecurities I had. We talked around how I might dilute those in a couple of simple, repeatable steps. And it led, I firmly believe, to the best performances I ever produced.

I was desperate not to let England down in the scrum, so Dave had me calling myself “the cornerstone” under my breath, mid-match. I was worried that I was too sluggish around the field so, in order to keep my on my toes, I would say “toes” every time I emerged from tight phases and into the light.

It all sounds a bit basic, but it was brilliant.

Then I got home to a club that didn’t bother with all that and I followed suit, ultimately too lazy to go out and get something that wasn’t laid on for me. This was laziness of thought as well as deed, and I regret it.

I don’t lose any sleep over it, but I think about it often. Of all the lessons gleaned from my sporting career – and with translation into real life the measure – addressing regrets in order to avoid repeating them is one that stands out. So happy Friday! Don’t cock it up. @davidflatman

E D I TO R ’ S

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Comments of the week Issue 482 | January 20 2017

“I’ll never give up” Tom Daley on his Olympic dream

@TomDaley Great article!

I’ll be using your ‘long corridor’ visualization 4 sure! #MindOverMatter @bendavismusik

Formula 1 looks to weekends without Bernie he great comedians George Burns and Bob Hope famously agreed a $50,000 wager back in the day, the winner to be decided simply by who outlived the other. Hope, the younger man by seven years, emerged victorious. And breathing.

I like to think Bernie Ecclestone and Rupert Murdoch, born five months apart in the early 1930s, have long had a similar bet based on who lasted longer at the top of their respective multibillion-pound empires. If so, the latter has won – Bernie is no longer the man with the passcode to the Formula 1 vaults.

The news broke this week that the sport’s new owners, the US group Liberty Media, had called time on the 86-year-old’s reign. The luxuriously moustachioed Chase Carey – a longtime Murdoch ally – is the new

Pen pic: Peter Strain. Lars Baron/Getty Images

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“The most Ecclestone has entertained in recent years was failing to negotiate the High Court revolving door” chairman, with former ESPN executive Sean Bratches lined up to run commercial matters and the familiar face of Ross Brawn to take care of racing matters.

Insiders will tell you that this is Formula 1’s chance to free itself from the control of a man who, while responsible for a staggering amount of growth and

revenue over a 40-year period, had for too long operated as a one-man band and was increasingly prone to odd business and racing decisions.

Certainly, the most Ecclestone has entertained me in recent times was when failing to negotiate the High Court revolving door in 2013. In the meantime, F1 has become a predictable, uncompetitive spectacle plagued by endless rule changes and staged at an increasing number of soulless, cash-rich venues.

Few will mourn Ecclestone’s removal, while many are buoyed by the pedigrees of those chosen to steer the sport, at last, into the 21st century. But motor racing is a simple business – it needs to be fast, furious and, let’s face it, dramatic. If they can return F1 to its rich, rapid heritage, their job will already be half-done.

Last weekend proved to be huge for two England footballers, albeit for very different reasons. We all wish Hull midfielder Ryan Mason the very best in his recovery from the fractured skull he suffered in a dreadful collision with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill on Sunday – here’s hoping we see him on a Premier League football pitch again soon. Equally, we can only congratulate Wayne Rooney on the remarkable strike that saw him become Manchester United’s leading goalscorer. He now has one more goal than the great Sir Bobby Charlton. And, let’s be clear about this: for what Rooney has achieved for the club, he more than deserves to be spoken of in the same tones. He is, quite without doubt, a Manchester United legend.

Anyone suggesting otherwise is plainly crazy. @tonyhodson1

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@davidflatman couldn’t agree more – unlike football, wealthy/largest budget rugby teams don’t always win! Camaraderie etc key @mckeown1986 @tonyhodson1 I think it’s wrong to crush a player’s opportunity to move like that. Spurs wanted Berahino now look at him. @Hunter1_lj Provocative views about ‘transparency’ in cycling in @SportMagUK. Also applicable to tech & privacy? @Eustaran

@GaryLineker bit of a dodgy portrait in this week’s @SportMagUK didn’t know you are a lookalike for Simon MacCorkindale #Manimal @MrAndyHoward

Keep in touch with @sportmaguk sportmagazine sportmaguk info@sport-magazine.co.uk

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How to watch the Super Bowl Next Sunday night, the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots face off in Super Bowl LI. Here’s our five-step guide to making the most of it 1. Lay the groundwork

Chicago Rib Shack

It’s going to be a late night. Monday morning will not be pleasant. So, get those holiday requests in now – or start dropping in the occasional fake cough or sneeze during next week at work, building to a glorious crescendo just before you go home on Friday.

From £15, designmynight.com A free drink, snacks and a guaranteed seat with your ticket – plus some of London’s best ribs, wings and burgers at locations in Aldgate East and Clapham.

4. Do your homework

2. Book a venue

Atlanta Falcons 1 appearance, 0 wins

Dozens of bars across London throw late-night parties for the game. Booking ahead is usually essential. We recommend:

The Falcons have destroyed teams this season, averaging 33.8 points per game – the seventh best in NFL history. Led by quarterback Matt Ryan (below, right), they’re like Liverpool: great going forward, iffy at the back, and still waiting to end a long drought.

Mascot: Freddie Falcon, a yellow-billed monstrosity with kind – but somehow unsettling – eyes and a Donald Trump haircut.

From £10, designmynight.com Ten screens and two projectors, classic American food and cheerleaders. Plus a swimming pool with Super Bowl inflatables, for some reason.

The Gridiron Super Bowl Party, Bloomsbury Lanes £10, gridiron-magazine.com/ SuperbowlLI Our favourite NFL mag’s party will feature three giant screens, a free drink with every ticket, prize giveaways and bowling.

Everything you need, as well as a karaoke option, if you’re keen.

New England Patriots 8 appearances, 4 wins One of the most successful teams in NFL history – the Pats are more like Man Utd in the Alex Ferguson years. In Bill Belichick they have one of the game’s best coaches, and quarterback Tom Brady (left) continues to amaze.

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Brush up on your Super Bowl history with a copy of next week’s Sport, in which we’ll have a full preview of the game and a look at the greatest quarterbacks ever to grace the turf as Ryan and Brady go head to head.

5. Stuff your face American football is as much about the food as the sport, we reckon. Stateside, it’s the second biggest food consumption day of the year behind Thanksgiving. Think processed meat, cheese, sodium, fat and E-numbers mashed into the shape of a football. Chicken wings are a favourite. More than 1.25 billion portions will be eaten during the game. Guacamole is the go-to dip, with up to 70 million pounds consumed during the game according to the Bleacher Report.

That’s enough to cover a football field to the height of 12 feet. Dive in.

All pictures Getty Images

3. Pick a team

Club Aquarium, Shoreditch

They had the third-best attack, but the best defense – conceding just 15.6 points per game.

Mascot: Pat Patriot, a frenzied soldier of the American revolution, who we’re pretty sure is just Tom Brady in a hat.

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Patrick Bernard-Quentin Salinier/abacapress.com

Run le Marathon du Medoc Also referred to as “the stupidest race in the world” and “the world’s most idiotic/longest marathon”, the Marathon du Medoc requires runners to take on 26.2 miles of the region’s scenic vineyards in fancy dress, indulging in a glass of wine at 23 ‘degustation’ stops en route.

Local specialities such as oysters, foie gras, brie, steak and ice cream are also on the menu.

It’s not a classic marathon nutrition strategy, even by Sport’s alternative standards (prerecovery cookie, anyone?). But consuming the richest food the region has to offer while the miles tick by means the focus is on the fun, not the run. Organisers even state that “record seekers are not invited”. Joyous.

It also means you shouldn’t be surprised to see fellow runners dressed as Elvis doubled over and projectile vomiting around the 20-mile mark (the fancy dress theme this year is ‘Music in 33 rpm record’). The famous ‘wall’ is likely to hit you harder than it will in your average marathon.

Indeed, writing up the race for The Telegraph, adventure athlete Tobias Mews said: “By the time we’d ‘hit the wall’, we were nursing a hangover, suffering a severe carbohydrate deficit and fending off dehydration. But with an orchestra playing at every corner, the incredible support from the crowds and the offer of an ice cream as we ran the last kilometre... by the time we’d crossed the line, we couldn’t stop smiling.”

Be quick to register – the race is popular and sells out fast, with an entry fee of £70 per person – at marathondumedoc.com. The website includes everything you will need to set yourself up for the weekend, including discount codes for Air France flights and hire cars, local hotels and activities planned around the main event.

Expect it to be warm. We are talking about the south of France in the second week of September, after all. Aside from a cast-iron stomach, the most important requirement for this race seems to be enthusiasm. Get stuck in.

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NEED TO KNOW WHERE The race starts and finishes in Pauillac, about 50km northwest of Bordeaux, France WHEN September 9 2017.

Registration opens in March KEY TIPS If you’re enjoying yourself at one of the pasta parties the evening before – a generous mix of wine and carbs – to the extent you forget you’re set to run 26.2 miles, don’t fret. That’s sort of the point. Take it slow, but not too slow – there is a six-and-a-half hour limit if you want a medal.

Also, importantly: Imodium

Turn a whole day of runners

into a handful of contenders with the Racing Post App

Narrow down the runners on the Racing Post App, with things like form, jockey, trainer, stats and most tipped. Once you’ve made your selection, place a bet directly with your bookie without having to leave the app.

Download for free now Racing Post backs responsible gambling.18+ gambleaware.co.uk

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Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

Liverpool and the Lions These Cameroon fans loving life at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon can now boast common cause with Liverpool fans – and not just due to a shared love of Rigobert Song. The Indomitable Lions face Senegal in the quarter finals on Saturday. If they can triumph, free-scoring Senegal striker Sadio Mane will be back at his club that much quicker.

So come on Reds: it’s tops off, paint on, feather wigs and beating out drum solos on Saturday.

If Cameroon win, you get your Mane man back.

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Peter Crouch on a career that’s taken him from zero to (almost) 100 Words Sarah Shephard Photography Jon Enoch

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eter Crouch is enjoying a few days off. With Stoke City not

involved in this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round, Mark Hughes’ side have an 11-day gap before they play again – against Everton, this Wednesday. You might expect a 35-year-old striker to be grateful for the break. Not this one.

He arrives for our photoshoot sporting a black eye – the leftovers from a bloody nose he suffered during Stoke’s victory at Sunderland a fortnight ago. But the battle scars are worth it. Crouch is loving being back on the pitch after a month that has seen his return to the Potters’ starting XI after more than a year on the periphery.

No footballer enjoys being on the bench, but Crouch’s game has always been complemented by a level of enjoyment that has helped him become a player beloved by many fans – whether he has played for their club or not. His time away was, therefore, difficult. He still enjoyed being part of the squad in training. But without being in that starting line-up, he felt lost.

“It was frustrating to have to sit and watch and not get an opportunity,” he says, before adding: “I knew I could still make an impact in Premier League games.

I knew I could still do it.”

Just after Christmas, Hughes gave his veteran striker the chance he’d been waiting for. Crouch got his first start since

August against a familiar foe – Liverpool, one of his former clubs. After troubling the title chasers early on, the Potters succumbed to a 4-1 defeat. But Crouch’s performance was impressive enough to earn him a start when Stoke travelled to league leaders Chelsea on New Year’s Eve. At Stamford Bridge, the former England man notched in the Premier League for the first time since May 2015.

The goal was Crouch’s 97th in the top flight, leaving him three away from being the 26th player to reach 100 Premier League goals. He scored again in Stoke’s following two league games, against Watford and Sunderland. Now, he is one goal away from adding his name to an exclusive list.

Among them, only three are still active: Sergio Aguero (113), Jermain Defoe (155) and Wayne Rooney (195). It’s a target the former England striker is desperate to reach, not least because it seemed he was in danger of being all out for 96.

“It’s a good list to be on, let’s put it that way,” he smiles. “They’re all household names. I would certainly look back with a bit of regret if I didn’t get myself in there.”

One more goal to go then, Peter. Are you hoping for a spectacular finish?

“I’m not bothered in the slightest. I’ve had a few go in off the shin and the backside over the years. I’ll take another one of

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those, not a problem. Obviously I’d love it to be a volley from outside the area, but I’ll take anything. I don’t want to rest on 100, though. I want to get further up the list if I can.”

Has joining the 100 club been playing on your mind for some time?

“Yeah, certainly when I wasn’t playing for the past year and a bit it was. It got to the stage where people were playing ahead of me, so even though I knew I was on about 96 I was thinking: ‘God, am I gonna get there?’ Thankfully I’ve got back in the team and am playing again now and loving it. Of course, now I’m on 99 I’m thinking about it a lot more. It’s something I wanted to achieve before I retire because there are so many players on that list who I’ve looked up to and played with.”

How do you deal with not playing as much as you feel you should be?

“I did knock on the manager’s door a couple of times, but I’m not kicking it down and shouting and screaming. And certainly I’m not the type of player to go to the press and start talking about it. It’s just a matter of getting your head down, working hard and making sure you’re giving yourself the chance to get back in the team. I’d like to think I did that and that a few people respected me for k

doing it that way. It’s a lot easier to shout and scream and start making noise.

I wanted to do things right.”

Mark Hughes doesn’t have a reputation for being the most empathetic character. How did he respond when you knocked on his door?

“In all honesty, he was quite open with me. He said: ‘You’re going to play games.

You’re going to be a big part of what we do here. I know I’m frustrating you at the moment, but you’re going to have a big part to play.’ He was always adamant he’d get me to sign a new contract [Crouch put pen to paper on a new one-year contract earlier this month] and that I’d end up playing games. Although it has taken a while, it’s started happening. So he’s been true to his word.”

Do you have to be less patient though, at this stage of your career?

“It’s actually amazing what this period out of the team has done for me, because I realised that I don’t want to give it up easily. I don’t want to be not playing football. It’s something I love doing. I love going in every day. That little – well, that long – spell out of the team really opened my eyes to the fact that I want to do this for as long as I can, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens. The manager said to me that he played until he was 40, and he said the same could happen for me. I genuinely feel at this precise moment I could do that.”

Not many players – strikers, especially – play at the top level well into their 30s. Why have you have been able to?

“My game is not built around being electrically fast and – touch wood – I’ve not had many injuries. Players who rely on their pace lose that as they age and then find it difficult to adapt, whereas I’ve never had it. And my abilities aren’t ones that are going to waver any time soon.

LIFE AND TIMES OF PETER CROUCH We quizzed the striker about the people, stats and goals that make up his career in football

Can you pick your best goal?

“Two spring to mind. One is the goal I scored for Liverpool against Galatasaray in the Champions League – a scissor kick [in 2006]. The other one would be against Manchester City for Stoke [in 2012]. It was a half-volley from just outside the area against Joe Hart, which I always find amusing.”

As a schoolboy footballer at Tottenham, is it true your dad once left you to find your own way home after a training session?

“Tough love, he called it. I jumped out of a tackle and he wasn’t too pleased with me, so he left me at White Hart Lane

to get back to Ealing. I think it involved the Overground, Underground and a walk.

I learned my lesson.”

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With which manager would you want to be stuck in a lift?

“I have to take Harry [Redknapp]. Not because he’d

Any phone calls from China?

“Not yet. They [Chinese football scouts] are not doing their job properly [laughs].

That’s just gone mental, hasn’t it? I don’t

begrudge the players who go – it’s lifechanging. I know people will say they’re on a fortune where they are, but of course it’s worth a conversation when it’s money like that. So I wouldn’t say it’s mental for them to go there, because obviously they’re looking after their families. But the Premier League is the best in the world – the Chinese league is only emerging. So maybe when you’re 50-odd and looking back at your career you might regret it… but you might have a nice house, at least.”

“I D O N ’ T WA N T TO B E N OT P L AY I N G FOOTBALL. IT’S SOMETHING I LOVE DOING. I LOVE GOING IN EVERY D A Y. I T H I N K T H A T L I T T L E – W E L L , THAT LONG – SPELL OUT OF THE TEAM REALLY OPENED MY E YES TO THE FACT THAT I WANT TO DO THIS FOR AS LONG AS I CAN” You will be 36 on Monday, and your career has been far from linear. How do you reflect on the journey it has taken you on?

Tall order: Crouch celebrates goal number 99, versus Sunderland

be good at getting the lift working – he’d be awful at that – but he’d be entertaining. I wouldn’t take Rafa [Benitez].

I love him, but I don’t think he’d have much else to talk about other than football. He lives, sleeps and breathes it. I might be tearing my hair out before we got out of there.”

Have you ever laughed at a chant from the crowd?

“I like the QPR song from Only Fools and Horses. [Semi-sings:] ‘No income tax, no VAT; a 60-grand transfer fee; black or white, rich or poor; Peter Crouch is gonna score… God bless Peter Crouch...’ Songs have got worse since then.”

“It has probably shaped me as a person and as a player. You look at players who burst on the scene at 16 or 17 and play at the top their entire careers – sometimes you can forget where it started. I’m lucky that I did have the downs and it was hard for me to get to where I got to – and even harder to try and maintain that.

“I think it has always grounded me. I know how much I didn’t enjoy those times.

Whether that was playing non-league [at Dulwich Hamlet] or out in Sweden [for IFK Hassleholm, prior to joining QPR in 2000] when I was a kid, or when I wasn’t in a team and had to move. These things have made me realise how lucky I am to do what I do.”

In 2010, you were named the top man in British sport for something. What was it?

“It must have been the robot.”

You were named the Funniest Man in British Sport.

“I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ll take it. That was after I was asked: ‘What would I be if I wasn’t a footballer?’ [Crouch answered: ‘A virgin.’]

You don’t think these things will have so much impact - you forget that they go places and live with you forever. But they get you awards, so it’s alright.”

‘He’s got a good touch for a big man’ is a phrase that’s followed you throughout your career. Does it frustrate you?

“It’s better than having a bad touch for a big man, isn’t it? I’ve always taken it as a compliment. Certainly when I was younger, I think people looked at the size I was and thought: ‘He can’t play, surely?’ I don’t look like your stereotypical footballer, so of course people do judge me. But when I was a kid, I was solely concentrating on technique and working on my finishing. Everyone grows up wanting to be Lionel Messi or, for me, Paul Gascoigne, don’t they? So everything I wanted to do in football involved technique and first touch – that kind of stuff. And it stood me in good stead.”

Do you feel satisfied you’ve proved any doubters wrong?

“I’d say so. There were times when I’d be getting booed by my own fans for England and people were thinking: ‘He shouldn’t be playing for the national team.’ It was hard to take. But that was just before I scored 10 goals [Crouch scored 11 for England in 2006] and went to the World Cup and did the robot – all those good things happened.

It was nice to change people’s opinions.

There will still be people who don’t rate me as a player. I’ve always divided opinion wherever I’ve been. But I don’t think people can argue with what I’ve done.”

What would you say has been the favourite period in your career?

“Stoke have some of the best fans I’ve ever played in front of, and I’m enjoying every game at the minute. But if I had to, I’d say the time I was having the most fun was during the Liverpool and England days.

We had a great side at Liverpool. We were playing in the Champions League, won the FA Cup and finished third in the league. They were great days, probably the happiest times of my career.” @sarahsportmag

Who’s the best defender you’ve faced?

“When I first broke on the scene, Tony Adams was probably the best. And Sol Campbell. With his sheer strength and size, he was so difficult to play. Ledley King [left], too. He’s a mate, so I have to throw him in. He was one of the most naturally gifted footballers, let alone defenders, to play the game.”

Best strike partner?

“Either Jermain Defoe or [Rafael] van der Vaart. Me and Defoe

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Preferred partner: Crouch on England U21 duty with Jermain Defoe

[above] scored goals together whenever we played. Not that he passed to me many times, but the ratio was good. As a partnership, myself and van der Vaart seemed to work well because he was such an intelligent player. He always seemed to know where I was going to put it, and he crossed a few in for me too.”

Jon Enoch. All other pictures Getty Images

I’ve always been naturally quite fit, too. I don’t put on any weight, which is helpful.

In recent games, the statistics have shown that running-wise I’ve not just matched the other lads, but probably done more running than anyone. Hopefully that’s showed I can continue to play at this level.”

Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool

L

ost in the Andean foothills on day 10 of the Dakar Rally, Sam

Sunderland could feel his lead slipping away. The 27-year-old from Dorset was on his third attempt at the famed 5,000-mile bike, car and truck race across South America. He was suffering in the 45-degree heat, guiding his motorbike around rocks and bushes in a driedup riverbed near Chilecito in northern Argentina, and trying to get back on track.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Team rider had not managed to actually finish the race before (half of all entrants don’t), and it was playing on his mind – especially after missing last year’s race entirely because of a broken leg sustained in a crash in Morocco.

“You’re thinking to yourself: ‘Man, I’ve worked so hard for this,’” he explains. “‘I have two days left and now I’m lost.’ You just picture your whole year of preparation going downhill. It really started to get on top of me a bit, and take over the mind.”

Fortunately for Sunderland, his competitors were in similar trouble on that day – one actually passed out from

the heat – so he lost only about 15 minutes on the day. After starting in the jungles of Paraguay and rising to salt flats of Bolivia, he finished in Buenos Aires on January 14 with a total race time of 32 hours, six minutes and 22 seconds – the quickest bike by more than half an hour, making him the first Brit to win the Dakar on any vehicle.

We spoke to Sunderland, at his base in Dubai, shortly afterwards.

Has winning the Dakar Rally sunk in?

“Only just now, really – getting home, going to see my buddies – you kind of start to feel it. When you’re there, it’s a bit hectic going from thing to thing. But now it feels really cool. To get the Dakar is unreal. The Dakar is like the Olympics of our sport, so it’s an incredible feeling. When you’ve put so much effort and work into something, and you have so many ups and downs, I think the reward feels even better.”

Were you surprised to be leading?

“I mean, I race these guys in the [CrossCountry Rallies] World Championships and

K I N G

I finished second in the past two seasons; this year I missed out by a point. So it’s not a massive shock. Leading was a really cool feeling, but it comes with a lot of pressure – a lot of weight on the shoulders. To lead it for six days was pretty heavy, dude.”

Did you change your approach this time, after going out before day four on your previous two attempts?

“Yeah, I think I definitely went into it with a different mindset. I tried to work on the psychological side, to try and be more prepared and relaxed in stressful situations, and really try and take it easy that first week to get through it. But at the same time, you’re racing, you know? If you were to go out there and say: ‘I’m going to take no risks at all,’ you’d be 30 minutes behind and you’ve lost the race before it has even started. There is risk. It’s motorsport, and you have to try and calculate that risk and be as safe as you can, but at the same time you’re racing bikes through the desert.

“A hundred per cent of the time, we’re going over new terrain. We don’t know

O F

T

Sleep deprivation and warm chocolate milkshake. What it takes to triumph in Words Amit Katwala

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“ WE DON’T KNOW W H AT ’ S C O M I N G AT U S . T H E R E A R E STONES, ROCKS, RIVERBEDS, DUNES, BUSHES – A LOT OF COWS ON THE ROUTE THIS YEAR” what’s coming at us. There are stones, rocks, riverbeds, dunes, bushes – a lot of cows on the route this year.”

Is it hard to stay focused?

“Yeah man, it’s really heavy. We have to ride, we have to navigate. Then you start to add in the long days – 12 to 15 hours a day on the bike, and lack of sleep. We get five

H E

or six hours of sleep per night, and then you start adding in altitude – we were at 4,000m in Bolivia. It’s really hard.”

You’re much more exposed to the elements than the car and truck racers, too...

“Yeah – I guess you could say the faster you go, the more wind you get, so that’s motivation to go fast. We went from 45 degrees in Paraguay, and it was humid as hell, to two degrees in Bolivia for six days at altitude, so there was no oxygen. Then the last five days were back at 45 degrees in Argentina.

“But it’s the same for all the guys on the bike – every year you have problems with guys getting dehydrated and overheating and blacking out. You have to try and manage it as best you can. But if you have too much water, you flush your system of salts, and it’s almost as bad as having no water. It gets really hard to focus during those times and difficult to see straight – and if you miss one stone in the riverbed, it can be the end of your race. Toby Price,

who won it last year, that’s what happened to him [this year]. It was the end of a long, straight, big, dry riverbed, and he kicked a stone that he didn’t see and that was that.

He broke his femur.”

How do you eat and drink during the race?

“On the bikes we have a camel pack, and we put food and electrolytes and a mix of protein in there. Then we have a small pouch with a liquid meal inside. It’s just being tube-fed, to be honest. And then [on each stage] we get the refuel, which is 15 minutes to put fuel in the bike, and in that 15 minutes we’re trying to cram in as much as possible.

“I’ve experimented with a lot of different things. This Dakar, I used these drinks that they give to hospital patients – they’re like small milkshakes, but really high in calories. They seem to do pretty well, but at the same time it’s like 45 degrees outside and you’re drinking a warm chocolate milkshake. It’s not that enjoyable.”

@amitkatwala

D E S E R T

the th Dakar Rally, by Sam Sunderland – Britain’s first ever winner of the race

25

Six tips We list the red-hot talking points set to shape an absorbing Six Nations Words: Charlie Morgan

Girls aloud Sky’s commitment to broadcasting every match of England Women’s campaign is a progressive step for the sport. Small developments such as an autonomous Twitter account are helpful, too. But it is important to stress these are logical moves for an increasingly good product.

This season should see the highest quality competition yet. Ireland host August’s World Cup and want momentum. Inspired by playmaker Elinor Snowsill, Wales have improved out of sight. Ferocious Gaelle Mignot is sure to lead France in a fiery title bid.

In shifting funds from sevens to 15-a-side, the RFU has prioritised England’s World Cup defence.

Reigning World Player of the Year Sarah Hunter (above) and her fellow forwards are finally getting paid to train full-time. November’s slick 39-6 victory over Canada was a sign that England will be tough to stop.

Eyes on officials

Lion-shaped shadow A certain trip to New Zealand this summer is sure to remain front and centre in the minds of fans and headline writers for the next two months.

June’s British and Irish Lions tour already feels more parallel narrative than secondary subplot.

“A massive attraction and a massive distraction” is the take of Eddie Jones, who has warned his players against thinking ahead.

Warren Gatland (right) will accumulate plenty of screen-time

as he sits in the stands on selection surveillance.

Expect close-ups and scrutiny on his every facial expression. As far as omens go, Ireland plundered their sole Grand Slam in 2009 and Wales stormed to victory before the 2013 voyage. Who could forget a 30-3 thumping of England in Cardiff? It cost some of Stuart Lancaster’s charges a plane ticket.

After stepping up to skipper Wales, Alun Wyn Jones (above) starts the tournament as favourite for the Lions captaincy. Watch Sam Warburton’s drifting odds, though. The openside might be Gatland’s go-to if he rediscovers his all-action best.

26

Scrutiny of refereeing decisions is nothing new. But recent high-tackle directives have caused a stir in domestic rugby that might well translate to the international arena. Stricter sanctions for contact above the shoulder means defenders must set themselves lower, lest they be shown a card. Significantly, perhaps, Frenchman Jerome Garces (above) oversees England twice – in Cardiff and Dublin.

Simulation is another touchy subject. Rugby types often bash football’s diving culture, but playacting is certainly creeping into the sport. However, it will take a brave official to accept as much by penalising it.

Bonus ballers Breaking the chains of tradition, this season sees bonus points introduced.

Some feel this is a gimmick; an artificial means of encouraging expansive rugby.

In truth, it will not drastically change a short tournament contested over five rounds at a time of year when inclement weather is common.

Winning, by whatever means, remains paramount. Still, hauling the Six Nations into modernity and aligning its rules with those of World Cups is an absolute no-brainer. Besides, if the fixture list is already lopsided, why not reward heavy wins or brave defeats? Total tries have climbed steadily over the past three Six Nations, from 61 in 2014 to 71 last year.

According to Accenture analysts, ball-in-play time has also risen from 46 per cent to 50 in the same period.

Defences will be stretched further again in 2017, with fitness and ruck speed important. Scotland’s fast-twitch full-back Stuart Hogg (left), for one, is in pesky form. Hopefully, a revamped system heightens ambition across the Six Nations rather than the accepted pattern of a dire start setting up a final-weekend rush for points.

Normally, an autumn victory over the Springboks would allow a team to begin the Six Nations in an optimistic mood. But for Italy, even with a coach as bright as Conor O’Shea (above) at the helm, an air of anxiety remains.

South Africa were worse than abysmal last year, and the Azzurri followed up their 20-18 win by losing 19-17 to Tonga. Add in Zebre’s ghastly Champions Cup campaign and O’Shea has a hefty task. Three home fixtures could help his team escape the wooden spoon, but do not count on it.

St Patrick’s Day dust-up March 18, 5pm. Circle it in your diary and make sure you are in front of a television. Unless you possess a ticket to be among the lucky 51,700 spectators at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, that is.

If everything goes to plan for Eddie Jones – and that is no guarantee with a trip to Wales on the schedule – England will arrive in Ireland on the cusp of an 18th successive win that would seal a

27

Grand Slam and steal New Zealand’s record.

Remember, Joe Schmidt’s charges halted the All Blacks’ winning run in Chicago.

Disciplined, intelligent and skillful, Ireland can expect to be competing for a clean-sweep as well.

With Maro Itoje likely to get a run in the number six shirt in Chris Robshaw’s absence, a medieval tussle with superb CJ Stander (above) awaits.

@CharlieFelix

All pictures Getty Images

Blue doom?

Why fitness is big business The Body Coach is hot news – but he’s not the only one banging the fitness drum to an audience of millions. Sport investigates Words Sarah Shephard Illustration Daniel Mitchell

W

hich author sold the most print books on Amazon in the UK last year? Clue: it

wasn’t JK Rowling. It was personal trainer turned social media ‘influencer’ Joe Wicks – The Body Coach, as most know him.

His debut book, Lean in 15: The Shift Plan, sold 77,000 copies in its first week of release in 2015. Last year, it shifted 972,000 copies, making it the third best-selling book of 2016. Even as Sport goes to press, it is number two on the Amazon bestseller list, with Wicks’ other two books (The Sustain Plan and The Shape Plan, also published

by Bluebird), at numbers three and six.

A fourth book is due out later this year.

“I had a good idea at the right time and I’ve caught people’s attention,” says Wicks when we meet him in the offices of his overworked publicist. He’s not talking about cookbooks, more the millennial concept of filming himself making a quick, healthy meal and sharing it with the world via social media.

It’s something he started doing in 2014 after Instagram introduced a 15-second video function allowing users to share more than just static selfies.

There was nothing slick about Wicks’ early videos, but they grabbed attention.

He was loud, animated and seemed to be having the time of his life, hurling packets of rice into a microwave from across the room and offering plates of food to passersby from the balcony of his first-floor flat.

Cooking videos were soon joined by ones focused on fitness, showing his followers effective exercises they could do without leaving the house.

Three years on, Wicks has a following of millions across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat.

It’s a rise to fame so steep that the 31-year-old is spinning his wheels trying to keep up. He describes the past few years as insane. Not so long ago, Wicks was running bootcamps in Richmond Park and lingering

by Tube stations, thrusting flyers for his services at disinterested commuters (you

would never catch us doing something like that). Now he has an eight-book publishing deal, top-selling workout DVD and a host of celebrity fans including Chelsea’s John Terry and singer Ellie Goulding.

Building a body of work

“He’s the first ‘fitness superstar’,” says Jean-Claude Vacassin, owner of W10 Performance Gym and veteran of 12 years in the fitness industry. “Interestingly, it’s not the information he’s brought to the table that’s new – it’s his way of packaging it and communicating with people.

“What he’s done better than anyone is to meet the general population where they’re at. Most of us are boring the pants off people talking about elements of fitness that are so removed from 95 per cent of the population. I see his success as a positive thing for the rest of us because it has raised awareness of fitness and nutrition in a way that’s well-rounded and suits the majority.”

Wicks is the most high-profile health and fitness guru to emerge from the social media sphere, but there are scores of others wanting to usurp him. That includes LDNMuscle, a group comprising two sets of brothers: the Exton twins, Tom and James; and Bridger brothers, Max and Lloyd. This month LDNM released their own ‘lean

“Most of us are boring the pants off people talking about elements of fitness that are so removed from 95 per cent of the population. Joe’s raised awareness in a well-rounded way” JEAN-CLAUDE VACASSIN

29

themed’ book, providing healthy recipes and training guides. Leaner, Fitter, Stronger likely won’t hit the heights of Lean in 15, but for LDNM it is just one part of a business that exceeded all their expectations.

Training guides, fitness qualifications, supplements and a clothing range are all available under the LDNM brand.

“It wasn’t designed to be a business at all when we first started,” says James. “It was just an advice pool – a blog answering questions we were asked all the time about what we ate and what we did in the gym.”

The founders of LDNM were at university together in Nottingham ( James and Tom qualified in law), where they trained as hard as other students boozed. They built impressive physiques and reputations to go with them.

“There was a bit of a cult following in our area,” explains James. “So we put together a website explaining what we stood for and to try and get some more transparent information into the public domain – something we thought was lacking when it came to fitness.”

After six months of seeing the website traffic grow and ever increasing numbers flocking to their social media channels, LDNM became a registered business.

“It was massively time-consuming,” says James. “We had a Twitter account, Facebook and Instagram – it’s a full-time job. We were at work on our phones when we probably shouldn’t have been.

Something had to give.”

James left his job at a legal firm in London to help launch LNDM’s first ‘product’: a training guide costing £1.99.

“It was a digital workout delivered to you,” he explains. “Every Sunday was ‘chest Sunday’, so every week you’d get a new chest workout on a Sunday. That scaled up to a diet and training plan that cost £30 and sold really well. We had a massive following who’d had free content for six months, so we didn’t think there would be any resentment [at being asked to pay for it]; there wasn’t.” k

From niche to normal

resting on it for us. The next two years are critical. We’d like to see the brand become a place where you can get your training plan, food, education and apparel.”

LDNM pride themselves on offering a realistic approach to fitness. Tom Exton, for example, juggles his training with a demanding job in the City, fitting 35-minute gym sessions in at lunchtimes.

“A few years ago people weren’t that interested in the fact I went to the gym,” says Tom. “Now it’s part of culture and it’s inclusive – not elitist in a way it used to be.

“We were keen to catch on to the mainstream market and bring fitness to everyone. We wanted to show that it’s not terrifying. There are 101 different ways to skin a cat; you don’t have to be absolutely obsessed and cut out everything. This is the way we do it, and we’re relatively normal.”

Fitness itself has gone from niche to normal. That is largely thanks to social media, says James: “It has opened the doors to fitness for everyone. At the click of a button you can watch videos for how to get in shape at home, or be told what to eat for dinner and how to make it. If you’re on Instagram, it’s littered with fitness posts – people feel more obliged to get into it because they see it in their feeds.

“It’s cool now to put up a nice-looking meal, whereas before it was like: ‘Why are you showing me your breakfast?’ Health has become trendy. You even see it with clothing. Leggings are the new jeans.

Running trainers are now trendy enough to wear out.”

LDNM and Wicks have grand plans.

The Body Coach wants to go beyond Instagram’s likes and follows into the NHS and schools, where he feels he can make the biggest difference.

“As a nation I think we are getting fitter,” he says. “But there’s still a massive part of the country that are sedentary – people who don’t even walk and hate the thought of exercise. I want to influence them, because if you can do that then you can change habits. If you can’t change someone’s habits, you’re never going to change their body. It’s my mission. I really believe I will influence millions of people around the world. Someone has to do it.”

Three of LDNM (Tom aside) have given up full-time professions to focus on the business. “It has to be successful,” says James. “We are as passionate as we have been from day one, but now there’s a lot

SOCIAL MEDIA’S FITNESS STARS Meet the Instagrammers following in the footsteps of The Body Coach and making their business from fitness

Zanna van Dijk 145k followers @zannavandijk

The blogger, vlogger and Instagram star is a qualified personal trainer and adidas ambassador. Her first book, Strong (healthy recipes and exercises), was published in December. Also a founder of the #GirlGains women’s fitness movement.

Mass messaging

Last year, the Leisure Database Company’s annual report into The State of the UK Fitness Industry revealed that for the first time, gym membership numbers exceeded nine million, with the total market value reaching approximately £4.4bn (3.2 per cent higher than 2015). Fitness, wellbeing and health have become fashionable.

“If you can’t change someone’s habits, you’re never going to change their body. It’s my mission. I really believe I will influence millions of people around the world” JOE WICKS “It’s a good thing in many ways,” says Vacassin. “But it’s also a bit of a problem because, as with anything, once it becomes mainstream the message can get diluted.”

He says the industry must look at itself: “We should ask: ‘What’s wrong with our message?’ Low-carb diets, interval training protocols that beat the crap out of you, body beautiful models – these are not the messages people want. We want to get as many people engaged as possible, and convince them to make better choices. So far, Joe has done that better than anyone.”

A booming industry brings with it a need for scrutiny. “We have a lot more experts now than we’ve ever had,” says Vacassin.

“But over the next two or three years I think social media is going to sort the wheat from the chaff.”

By then, of course, Wicks could be the new health minister. @sarahsportmag

Bradley Simmonds 150k followers @bradleysimmonds

The former pro footballer turned personal trainer has built a huge following with videos of training sessions with Chelsea defender John Terry and Arsenal forward Theo Walcott. Also an ambassador for adidas.

No book, as yet.

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Alice Liveing

The Lean Machines

487k followers

101k followers

@clean_eating_alice

@TheLeanMachinesOfficial

Liveing is a personal trainer, blogger and author whose own fat-loss story inspired her to want to help others.

Her second book, Clean Eating Alice: Eat Well Every Day, came out in December and is at number 27 in Amazon’s best-sellers chart.

John Chapman and Leon Bustin are personal trainers, YouTube sensations and, of course, authors. Eat Well, Move Better and Feel Awesome was published last year, and gives advice on being happy alongside recipes and workouts.

JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Ltd) is a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 295716) and in Scotland (No. Sc040123). Registered address: 17/18 Angel Gate, London EC1V 2PT.

BOXING CLEVER Trainer of Carl Frampton and son of an icon – Shane McGuigan talks fighting and fame Words Alex Reid

F

eatherweight world champion Carl Frampton and his trainer have a tight bond, yet are total

Charles McQuillan/Getty Images, Sportsfile/Corbis via Getty Images

opposites. “I was a pressure fighter,” says Shane McGuigan of his amateur boxing career. “I won three national titles, but I had a pro style. My dad taught me to fight like a pro; come forward and take ground.

“With that, I knew what style could beat me. So I love Carl fighting pressure fighters.

Because I was one, I know their strengths and weaknesses. I know how to get on top of them and nullify the things they do. Plus it helps that while Carl is a great boxer, he has that equaliser – he has real power.”

Belfast native Frampton had a defining year in 2016, going on the road to spoil the unbeaten records of two pressure fighters: Britain’s Scott Quigg and Mexico’s Leo Santa Cruz. Frampton has a rematch with the latter in Las Vegas this weekend – but before we get on to his charge, the obvious question is why McGuigan, still 28 years young, didn’t pursue his own pro career.

“What I loved about boxing was the discipline: training, sparring, the journey,” he explains. “But I didn’t really get much enjoyment from competition. Getting your hand raised at the end of a fight is amazing – but all I wanted to do was get back in the gym. Plus with my dad being who he is [former featherweight world champion Barry], the pressure was enormous.

“I was winning national titles and it was like: ‘Oh McGuigan’s son, he’s got the remedies here, he’s gonna be great.’

Everyone was turning up to see me and it didn’t really do it for me. I never wanted to replicate what my dad did. If I could box in front of 10 people, that would be me.”

Rather than 10 people, live audiences would swell greatly when he was fighting.

That’s because Shane’s father wasn’t just a world champion, he was a hero to millions.

“Walking down the street, people would shout out to him and I thought: ‘Oh, this is a bit strange’,” says McGuigan. “People ask: ‘What’s it like growing up with a famous father?’ Well, I didn’t know any different!”

After McGuigan stepped away from amateur boxing, he learned a new trade as a strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist. That’s the capacity in which he first worked with Frampton. However, Frampton began to rely on the younger McGuigan for his boxing insight, too. Shane became Frampton’s co-trainer in 2011, taking sole responsibility in 2013.

Frampton’s superb success since – and the fact several elite fighters have turned to Shane McGuigan (see box, below) – has marked his card as one of Britain’s top trainers. Yet there must have been a time, given his youth and surname, when people questioned whether McGuigan had got to where he is in boxing because of his father.

S H A N E’S S TA B L E David Haye

George Groves

Josh Taylor

“A phenomenal puncher. Every touch of the pads – even when he’s not loading up – you feel the power in every shot. He’s also incredibly quick, an athlete who picks things up so quickly. I don’t think the Tony Bellew fight is going to be a hard fight for David. If you look at natural ability, David trumps him in every area.”

“When I got the phone call to train George, I was buzzing. He had four good wins last year and next he’s challenging for a world title against Fedor Chudinov. He beat James DeGale already, but DeGale-Groves II is mouthwatering. Callum Smith is on the horizon too – but I believe George can unify the 168lb division.”

“The problem with Josh is he’s too good for his own good. He’s had seven fights, seven wins, seven knockouts – but it’s what I see in the gym that’s really exciting. I believe he’s already the best light-welterweight in Britain.

No disrespect to Ricky Burns, who’s a three-weight world champion. It’s the fact that Josh is an incredible talent.”

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Focused: McGuigan talks to Carl Frampton during last February’s “boring” bout with Scott Quigg

“I NEVER WANTED TO REPLICATE WHAT MY DAD DID. IF I COULD BOX IN FRONT OF 10 PEOPLE, THAT WOULD BE ME”

“Yeah, it was going on – it probably still does,” he says, without rancour. “But if you read the negatives, you’re going to walk around with your head in your hands.

“One of the things boxers struggle with is, they go from walking around as a normal lad, then get success and they’re famous.

They don’t know how to handle that. But I grew up around my dad and saw how some people treated him: they’re there one minute, gone the next. They want something from him, then they don’t.

“I remember seeing that at a young age and thinking: ‘I don’t know if I like that person.’ You automatically build a barrier around you. So I don’t absorb negative information now. You have people like [trainer] Joe Gallagher try to get under my skin before the Quigg fight, but it doesn’t phase me – I’ve had it my whole life.

It’s laughable, because if you’re good at something, you’re going to shine anyway.”

McGuigan may be aware of the trappings of fame, yet he’s understandably pleased with the rising global profile of Frampton.

And while the rematch with Santa Cruz is a tough prospect, McGuigan is firm that his fighter has room for improvement.

“He made some fundamental errors in the first fight,” he says. “He tried to load up too much on the inside, tried to knock Santa Cruz out – and when you try too hard for it, the knockout doesn’t come. He got success early in the fight with the left hook.

But after that, he took a few too many shots in order to land it throughout the fight.”

“I actually think he wanted to be in a hard fight,” he adds. “The fight before, with Scott Quigg, was a bit boring, frankly. It was advertised as an absolute shoot-out – but Scott sort of froze on the night and Carl did enough to win. Off the back of that, Carl thought: ‘I need to be in an exciting fight now. I want to be a great one.’ Well, that’s what we got in the first Santa Cruz fight.

“Now he’s had that fight, he’s come back to America and everyone is buzzing around him. So it’s great for his profile, but those kind of fights can take a lot out of your career. It’s about boxing clever as well.”

@otheralexreid Shane McGuigan is an ambassador for nutrition brand EQ Nutrition. See eqnutrition.com

7 DAYS JAN 27-FEB 2

OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

ACTION REPLAY

Anthony Geathers/Getty Images

Boxing Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz Sky Sports 1, from 1am Conventional boxing wisdom has it like this: with instant rematches, the guy who won the first fight wins easier second time around. Yet boxing is a sport often divorced from logic (even its own), so Carl Frampton’s featherweight rematch with Leo Santa Cruz in the early hours of Sunday morning feels too close to call.

July 2016’s original scrap was a cracking combination of will and skill, featuring top-class boxing and fiery exchanges. The result was close but clear: a Frampton points victory for his sharper, cleaner work. He also rocked Santa Cruz with his left hand early on, but the Mexican ploughed gamely forward to land hard punches

of his own in the middle and late rounds at New York’s Barclays Center (pictured).

Now, Frampton (23-0, 14 knockouts) must repeat the trick in Las Vegas, close to Santa Cruz’s west coast US base. No easy task. The 28-year-old Santa Cruz (32-1-1, 18 KOs) regularly throws more than 1,000 punches per fight and is the slightly taller, rangier man. Punishing him while on the back foot is a tightrope act requiring a balance of speed, precision, timing and distance control.

Frampton has those qualities in abundance and, at his best, he doubles down on his win in Vegas. But if the 29-year-old pride of Belfast is even slightly below par, the relentless Santa Cruz will be all over him like a $10 suit.

As well as a tasty main event, the undercard boasts Scotland’s 140lb rising star Josh Taylor, plus Welshman Lee Selby (who aims to fight Frampton in the summer) taking on Argentine veteran Jonathan Victor Barros.

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Sat

Since 1928, just three UK boxers have been awarded the prestigious Ring magazine Fighter of the Year.

All have come in the past 11 years: Ricky Hatton (2005), Tyson Fury (2015) and Carl Frampton (2016).

JAN 27-FEB 2

FA CUP FOURTH ROUND BEST OF THE REST

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Sun

Man Utd v Wigan BBC One, 4pm

MAKING A SPLASH Sutton United v Leeds United BT Sport 2, 2pm

FA Cup holders Manchester United have scored four goals or more against Wigan Athletic on nine occasions, from only 18 meetings in all competitions. The aggregate score stands at 56-5, and the Latics have only ever scored once at Old Trafford (a Leighton Baines penalty in 2006).

So you would forgive their fans for being nervous. After promotion from League One last season, the 2013 cup winners are hovering above the Championship relegation zone.

Wayne Rooney (below) might well add to his all-time club scoring record on Sunday.

Sutton United’s FA Cup campaign started with a 2-1 win over Forest Green Rovers in the fourth qualifying round. Since then, they’ve beaten Dartford, Cheltenham Town and League One AFC Wimbledon to set up an eye-catching tie with Leeds United.

The National League side are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, and have used some of the inevitable television windfall that entails to fix a leak in the home dressing room that has dripped for months.

It has tended to rain goals in Sutton’s previous fourth-round outings. In 1989, they shocked First Division Coventry in the third round, but then lost 8-0 away at Norwich. In 1970, when they were still a firmly amateur outfit, the south Londoners lost 6-0 at home to Don Revie’s Leeds.

This repeat fixture is unlikely to be quite as straightforward for the Lillywhites. Garry Monk’s side are flying high in the Championship thanks to the goalscoring efforts of striker Chris Wood, but Sutton have proven they’re no pushovers. Their squad has plenty of Football League experience, including former Stevenage midfielder Roarie Deacon. He has four in four in the cup this season, and grabbed a well-taken equaliser against the Dons.

Sun

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Fri >

Darren Bent (pictured – remember him?) and Tom Ince got the goals as Derby County knocked out West Brom in the previous round.

Their reward is a trip to misfiring Premier League champions Leicester in the Friday night game (BBC One, 7.55pm).

Elsewhere, Liverpool – who needed a replay to beat Plymouth – now have to get past Championship Wolves (Saturday, BT Sport 2, 12.30pm). Paul Lambert’s side knocked out a lacklustre Stoke in the third round, and the Reds are no longer unbeaten at the expanded Anfield after losing to Swansea. Let’s see how much Jurgen Klopp decides to rotate for this one.

Later on Saturday, Arsenal go to Southampton in one of only two all-Premier League ties (BT Sport 2, 5.30pm). Watford fans, meanwhile, face a challenging Sunday-morning trek across London to play Millwall (BBC One, 12pm), who beat a hapless Bournemouth 3-0 in the third round.

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Cricket India v England: Second T20 Sky Sports 2, 1pm

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The second of England’s three-match Twenty20 series in India takes place on Sunday in Nagpur.

One intriguing element is the toss. Yep, the bit with the coin. Not as visually spectacular as seeing MS Dhoni belt a six or Ben Stokes splay the stumps, admittedly, but it’ll be interesting to see if a new trend continues to play out.

In Test cricket, the standard wisdom goes that if you’re in doubt, you bat first. In England’s five-match Test series in India in the winter, the captains chose to bat on all five occasions.

However in modern limited-overs cricket, with its sky-high totals, chasing pressure seems less of a worry than having to set a target score. In the thrilling ODI series between England and India, captains Eoin Morgan (pictured) and Virat Kohli chose to bowl first on every occasion.

Backing their batters to chase down any total seems the preferred method – but perhaps that’s just a reflection of both sides’ stronger suit. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if ‘bowl first’ becomes the wider norm in T20 and ODI cricket.

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The 82-game NBA season is already past the halfway mark, and a familiar picture is beginning to take shape at the top of both the Western and Eastern Conferences. The Golden State Warriors have the best record in the NBA and sit top of the Western Conference, although they haven’t been able to match the dominance of their 2015/16 season.

The Eastern Conference is headed once again by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season’s NBA champions retain the core of their team: LeBron James (pictured), Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love. Although they have been missing shooting guard JR Smith since December, it is difficult to see who will really challenge them for top spot.

This Sunday, the Cavaliers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who took the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the Conference Finals last year but are still reeling from the loss of forward Kevin Durant, who signed for the Warriors at the end of last season.

They still pose a threat, with the brilliant Russell Westbrook at point guard. He currently leads the league in points per game and is second in assists, but this is a team still very much in transition. Home win.

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NBA Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers BT Sport 2, 8.30pm

JAN 27-FEB 2

10 Tennis Australian Open Women’s Final Eurosport 1, 8am Men’s Final Eurosport 1, Sunday 8am

THREE THINGS ABOUT…

FAUGHEEN

TIGER PINES FOR GLORY Golf Farmers Insurance Open Sky Sports 4, 8pm

Fri >

Before this year’s tournament, Novak Djokovic had reached the fourth round or better for 10 straight years at the Australian Open.

This year, the six-time winner crashed out in round two. His defeat to world number 117 Denis Istomin means that for only the second time since 2010 (Stan Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal in the 2014 final) there will be a men’s singles winner not named Novak. Catch both the men’s and women’s singles finals on Eurosport this weekend.

All pictures Getty Images

Sun

Sat >

Horse Racing Irish Champion Hurdle At The Races, 3.05pm

No golf course has felt the golden touch of Tiger Woods quite like Torrey Pines. A 15-year-old Tiger won the 15 to 17-year-old division of the Junior World Championships at the San Diego course in 1991, but that was just the start – eight wins as a pro followed, including his 14th and to date final Major, when he won the 2008 US Open pretty much on one leg.

It would make sense, then, that the injury-plagued 41-year-old takes his first tentative steps into 2017 at a venue he classes as a second home. His seven wins in a tournament now known as the Farmers Insurance Open date from 1999 to 2013, but include five in six years between 2003 and 2008.

The other winner in that period? John Daly – a reminder not only that Tiger’s glory days belong to a different era, but also of the task facing him if he wants to seriously challenge at the top of the sport once more.

1. Monster Machine The nine-year-old hurdler is nicknamed ‘The Machine’, such has been his dominance in winning 12 of 13 career starts to date. His only defeat, to stablemate Nichols Canyon at Punchestown in November 2015 when starting at odds of 1/6, will not go down as jockey Ruby Walsh’s finest moment of horsemanship.

2. Gap year Should Faugheen line up in Sunday’s Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, it will be his first appearance on a racecourse since his 15-length cruise to victory in the same race last year.

That would be 371 days – the longest absence of his racing life.

3. Big horseshoes to fill With an official rating of 176, Faugheen is the highest-rated hurdler in training – and has a mark higher than anything the great Hurricane Fly ever achieved. He has a way to go before matching the Fly in trainer Willie Mullins’ affections, though. The now-retired champion won five consecutive Irish Champion Hurdles from 2011.

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E XT RA T I M E

D R I V E

Small is beautiful The BMW M2 is one of the most rewarding and entertaining small cars on the road

I

f you want a fast, fun car, you don’t need a Ferrari, Jag or Porsche. Small, quick cars are terrific to chuck around. Ally that to a hunky engine, and it’s party time.

Which brings us to the BMW M2. Unless you need a stack of interior space for a family, there is absolutely no point in going any further up the BMW M range.

The engine is a stunner. It’s a 3.0-litre, turbocharged, six-cylinder, petrol unit developing 365bhp. Sixth gear is a fairly long-legged affair to help with economy, but in the lower gears the acceleration is terrific.

Generally, we’d always plump for the manual box because it seems more fun in this type of car, but the double-clutch auto transmission provides spontaneous acceleration, improved economy and sharper performance, with 0-60mph a shade quicker.

The one minor disappointment is the sound. Okay, there’s the typical six-cylinder rumble, but it’s not delivered with sufficient volume. You can opt for a sports exhaust that allows you, via Bluetooth, to adjust the volume. You’ll want it.

Aggressive and terrific The ride is firm but never harsh, although the M2 really comes alive on country lanes or anywhere offering an opportunity to point and squirt. There’s loads of grip up front; even though there is a mountain of power going through the rear wheels, you’d need to do something really stupid to make it step out of line.

In terms of kit, you get everything that you sensibly need – although there are plenty of options to customise your M2. Satnav, DAB, Bluetooth, USB connections, sports seats, tyre-pressure monitors and rear-parking sensors all come as standard.

As you’d expect, build quality is excellent.

The interior is stylish if slightly understated, although things get shoutier outside. The skirts and body mouldings make the M2 stand out. It’s aggressive and looks terrific.

The BMW M2 is a true driver’s car. If you are someone who will happily hop into a car and go for a drive purely for pleasure, then the M2 is right up your street. It oozes fun and desirability. We loved it.

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N E E D

Price Top speed 0-60mph Economy Engine

T O

K N O W

From £44,320 155mph 4.5 seconds 32.2mpg (combined) 3.0 litres, 6 cylinders

G R O O M I N G

Super Ted Ted’s Grooming Room, Canary Wharf The latest in Ted’s chain of Grooming Rooms is a typically slick affair, with nods to the locale (hello, flashes of canary yellow) in the stylishly designed decor and impeccable service from expert Turkish barbers. Walk in for a shampoo and a cut (£28.50), a ‘Full Service’ cut and shave (£48.50, rounded off with ear-flaming), a traditional ‘Tommy ‘N’ Turkish’ cut-throat shave (£22.50) or brow threading (£12.50). Whichever one you go for, Ted promises an invigorating experience.

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H&B tell us they have revived traditional barber grooming rituals using simple, natural ingredients. The result: a smooth look with a healthy shine. Sleek. £8.95, 100ml | hawkinsandbrimble.co.uk

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F I T N E S S

Cardio v Weights: the big debate Expert trainer and owner of W10 Performance gym Jean-Claude Vacassin on an age-old debate in fitness. Plus, part three of his four-week back to fitness guide

I

f there’s one discussion in fitness that’s guaranteed to get people hot under the collar, it’s the cardio-versus-weights training debate. Some believe the ticket to a lean and athletic physique is to hit the weights and steer clear of cardio. Some go so far as saying that cardio actually makes you fat (it doesn’t). Others assert that weight training is for knuckle-draggers and that if you want to shift a few pounds, cardio is the only way. So, who’s right?

The fact is that both work. Look at triathletes and bodybuilders: both lean, both using completely different approaches. Most of us would be best served doing a combination of the two, based on our individual goals and preferences. We can do this by alternating resistance training and cardio days or doing what we refer to at my gym as

metabolic resistance training (MRT), where you hit both at the same time. The approach you choose comes down to the time that you have available. If you have three sessions per week, use MRT. If you’re more advanced or have more time, you can separate your sessions.

However you choose to do it, remember that fat loss will always come down to creating an energy deficit (consuming fewer calories than you expend). This is why nutrition is so important when it comes to shifting fat. Eat too much, and it doesn’t matter what you do in the gym.

The trick is to find a balance of training that allows you to keep your diet in check (cravings are a killer), while still allowing you to train with oomph.” w10performancegym.com

1. Squat: 5×10

Illustrations: bewilder.tv. Image: Getty Images

Week three

» The squat is perhaps the most effective lower- body and core exercise you can do. Keep tension throughout, work through a full range of motion and keep your torso angle consistent.

If you’re looking to add lean mass, be prepared to put the effort in.

For most people, this takes time, specific effort and consistency to gain muscle. Genetics have a say, too, in that certain body types are more predisposed to adding muscle mass than others (though it can be done whatever your body type).

Put simply, the key to muscle growth is to provide the body with overload – a stimulus that is more than or different to what it is used to. This forces it to adapt and grow.

For most beginners – people with less than two years’ proper training experience – full-body programmes are a good option, especially if the goal is also to drop body fat.

Here is an example of a full-body workout with the goal of hypertrophy.

The exercises are in a super-set format to save time, but you can do them separately (i.e. do all the sets and reps of 1 before moving on to 2) if preferred. Try this three times per week on non-consecutive days, resting in between or doing cardio.

2. Lat pull-down: 5×10 » Sit with your thigh against the pad. Take a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width and pull, leaning back slightly as you do so.

Return to the starting point slowly, moving your torso forward slightly so that you are directly under the bar at the top. k

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6. Lateral raise: 3×15 » Start with the weights by your side. Keeping your trunk stable, lift the weights into a crucifix position until your hands are level with your shoulders. Hold this position for a second before lowering the weights to the start point.

Tip: rotate hands slightly as you lift, making sure your little finger is higher than your thumb in the top position.

3. Dumbbell bench press: 4×12 » Hold the dumbbells with a semi-supinated (palms facing each other) grip. Squeeze your shoulders down and back, keeping your upper body tight as you press the weights upwards. Return slowly to the starting point.

7. Tricep dips: 3×15 » Using dip bars, start at the top of the movement with your arms extended. Squeeze your shoulder blades together before lowering yourself down, so that your biceps came towards your forearms. Squeeze the chest and triceps to return yourself to the top position. Tip: think about rotating your shoulders at the top.

4. Bent-over row: 4×12 » Hold the bar just wider than shoulder-width. Hinge forward at the hip until the bar reaches knee level. Keeping your core tight, row the bar to your belly button, making sure that your elbows pass your ribs in the top position.

Squeeze your back in this position before slowly lowering to the start.

8. EZ bar curls: 3×15 » Stand tall, holding the bar in both hands at thigh level.

Keeping your chest up, shoulders squeezed back, contract your biceps, raising the bar so your forearms come up towards you biceps. Squeeze for a second at the top of the movement, before slowly lowering the weight to the start position.

5. Dumbbell lunges: 3×15 (each leg) » Holding a dumbbell tightly in each hand, step one of your legs forward, allowing your knee to come past the toes.

Lower your thigh towards your calf, before squeezing your backside and returning to the start position by pushing off your whole foot. Repeat on the other leg.

Optional conditioning finisher » 10 jump-squats, 10 push-ups. Repeat x10

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