Sport Magazine 257

Issue 257 | May 25 2012

Cover girl Jess Ennis, the darling of Team GB, talks exclusively to Sport

ISSUE 257, MAY 25 2012 Radar 05 How to stop Nadal on clay Apart from turning the red brick blue – we reckon kicking over his drinks at the change will do it

07 DiRT Showdown Codemasters’ latest release helps you let your roadrage out without acquiring penalty points

23

08 McGuigan on Froch

27

The former world featherweight champ calls Carl Froch’s fight with the unbeaten Lucian Bute

Cover image by Jon Enoch. This page: David Rogers/Getty Images

to do this coming week Features

14 Jess Ennis Britain’s great heptathlete hope on why she’s ready to run, jump and throw her way back to glory

56

14

23 Ugo Monye The Harlequins wing talks to Sport ahead of his first Premiership final

27 Wojciech Szczesny Arsenal’s Polish keeper looks forward to a summer at home

32 England doesn’t expect But we answer the questions Uncle Roy will be facing anyway

44 Motorsport Special The Monaco GP, Indy 500 and Isle of Man TT. This is no drive-by

Extra Time 52 Grooming The best lotions under the sun to slap on, er, under the sun

54 Lauren Vickers The pit girl engaged to MotoGP rider Randy de Puniet and known as ‘Legz’. We think we know why

56 Entertainment Bruce Willis returns as a cop, but without the yippee-ki-yay

58 Gadgets A pair of Skullcandy headphones that can be our wingman any time | May 25 2012 | 03

Radar

1. Mess with his mind

2. Hit his backhand

Beat the unbeatable Rafael Nadal’s French Open record is a modern sporting phenomenon — six titles in seven attempts, 45 match wins against one career loss.

So how do rivals even think about stopping him in the coming fortnight?

1

Intense focus is key to Rafa’s success.

Ruffle this by staying with him when he’s on top (Novak Djokovic blew a 4-0 first-set lead to Nadal on clay in the 2011 Madrid Open, but had the mental strength to rebound and win the set 7-5), or by kicking over his carefully lined-up drinks bottles at the end of every break.

2

The obvious tactic against Nadal: try not to get into the constant exchange of his whipping forehand going to your backhand. Dictating points with a booming forehand is how Robin Soderling beat Nadal in the 2009 French Open. Both pace and placement are key, as Nadal will attempt to run around and turn natural backhand shots into forehands.

3

You can’t be fitter than Nadal. Did you think that was possible? Did you? It isn’t. Go and stand in the corner. What you can do, however, is try to match him.

Rafa’s fitness used to give him an edge on

3. Match his engine

attritional clay, but now that players like Djokovic have got their levels up to his, he hasn’t got quite the same big advantage.

4

Rafa stands far back from the baseline; a potential (if rarely exploited) weakness on other surfaces, less so on slow-playing clay. However, it’s still important to try to break up his rhythm with a few shots that have him scuttling forward towards the net. High risk, but the alternative is you being battered from behind the baseline.

4. Caught coming forward

5

Let’s be honest: Nadal is the greatest clay-court player ever.

Even given the above, you’ll need him to be below par in order to best him. His high-intensity style has resulted in a number of injury problems, however.

It’s not a plan filled with any honour, but try to stick with him and make him work, and his troublesome knees may let him down.

See Page 49 for our French Open preview

5. Knees in trouble

| May 25 2012 | 05

@ashworthgolf

/ashworthgolf

TOUR STRONG. JUSTIN ROSE

Š2012 Taylor Made Golf Company Limited

EUROPEAN AND PGA TOUR PROFESSIONAL

Apparel that inspires individual style and delivers superior performance for who you are. And everywhere you go.

Justin Rose has joined the Ashworth Tour staff, now numbering more than 30 players strong. ashwortheurope.com

Radar

Dirty racing

Sweet Euro history ntertaining pre-Euro 2012 nostalgia comes in the form of a new, 10-disc DVD boxset featuring extended highlights of 50 great UEFA European Championship matches.

For a tournament that’s sometimes said to miss the variety that South American and African teams bring to World Cups, watching these games is a heartening reminder of just how many five, six and even seven-goal thrillers the Euros have produced. Some classic matches have — yes — even involved England, such as the 4-2 triumph against Croatia in 2004, when an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney ran riot. There’s also the 4-1 win over Holland at Euro ‘96 and the same tournament’s back-and-forth 1-1 semi final against Germany, which ended in our old friend, glorious failure (much missed, now that England fans have to settle for plain old ‘failure’).

The only downside is that watching Paul Gascoigne, Steve McManaman and Teddy Sheringham play slick triangles of passing football around the Dutch is a sharp reminder that the current crop probably can’t do anything like the same.

Apart from that, this is an absolutely top-class goggle.

UEFA Euro: 50 Classic Matches, £39.99, available from Monday, amazon.co.uk

orget about pit stops, tyre wear and bloody aerodynamics. Sometimes you just want to smash something up.

Of course, if you’re Lewis Hamilton and that ‘something’ is Felipe Massa’s front wing, then we advise caution — and a whirl on this game.

An offshoot of Codemasters’ wildly successful DiRT franchise, Showdown is a departure from the rallying side of the game, and focuses instead on the kind of destruction that would leave your insurance company

F

cowering in fear. There’s anything-goes racing (no getting hauled before the stewards in this game, Lewis), demolition derby maps in which you score points for inflicting damage, and stunt areas with ramps and obstacles.

Our favourite, though, is the innovative online multiplayer modes, including eightplayer capture the flag – where you split into teams of four and try to hold on to the flag for the longest. It’s good, hearty, chaotic fun.

DiRT Showdown, out now on PS3 and Xbox 360

Beat the count

o you dream of beating up Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping?

Well dream on, because the British UFC star is harder than Chinese arithmetic. He’s demonstrating this very fact at London’s SENI combat sports show next weekend, which Bisping is attending alongside the likes of heavyweight Alistair Overeem.

These tough hombres and more are offering a series of training sessions, demonstrations and workshops to those attending, while there’s also live boxing on show, including an English Middleweight Championship tussle. Take a chance to get up close with some stars (though preferably not while they’re trading blows).

London’s ExCel, June 2-3, senishow.com

D

Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

E

| May 25 2012 | 07

Radar

Carl crunch time Winning margin “This really could go down to the wire, and it might be that Froch is too strong and awkwardly effective. However, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I think Bute will probably nick this on points. He’s very good on the back foot and he’s a big super-middleweight, he’ll weigh in at 12 stone and be a full stone heavier by Saturday. But it’d be great for Froch to win it at home in Nottingham. It’s a very tough fight, but that’s the story of his life. He hasn’t avoided anyone, he’s had one tough opponent after another.

You’ve got to take your hat off to Carl Froch.”

LUCIAN BUTE v CARL FROCH CARL FRAMPTON v RAUL HIRALES SATURDAY SKY SPORTS 1 10PM

Barry McGuigan breaks down Carl Froch’s fight against Canada’s unbeaten titlist Lucian Bute, and tells us about his young protégé, Carl Frampton

Style council “Stylistically, Bute could have problems with Froch. Froch holds his hands about chest or waist-high and offers his chin, but isn’t an easy guy to hit cleanly, paradoxically. He can fight on the inside, he’s powerful and he’s immensely strong at super-middleweight. He really has the strength of a cruiserweight.”

Body punch power “On the other hand, Bute has developed into a sensational fighter. He can box, punch and he’s stronger than people imagine he is. He doesn’t look that robust, but his [unbeaten] record proves that he can mix it fighting on the inside. Bute has also got an incredible body shot that he throws. He knocked out Brian Magee with a left hook to the body.”

Froch’s gameplan “Froch boxed impeccably against Arthur Abraham, but this is different. He’s fighting a southpaw who’s marginally taller than him.

I don’t think he can outbox Bute. The way to win is to track him, engage him, force him to the ropes and then let his shots go. Froch can’t afford to stand off Bute – he has to take it to him. The question is: can he do that without walking on to a stream of punches?”

The Frampton project “Carl Frampton is a super-bantamweight with a most attractive style of fighting. He’s explosive, he attacks from different angles and he can box off the back foot as well, although nobody has forced him to do that so far. However, I believe this Mexican [Raul Hirales] will be able to make him fight off the back foot, so we need Frampton to show his boxing skills as well as his offensive skills.”

Step up in class “He’s in against a very tough opponent on Saturday. Hirales has had 17 fights; 16 wins with one draw. I imagine it’ll go the distance, so he’ll have to be able to handle adversity and fire back against a classy opponent.

I don’t want to look beyond Saturday, because people get tripped up, but we have to plan the future – and, if all goes well, we’d have him in a European title fight in Belfast in September, then potentially even a world title fight before the end of the year. He really is a special talent.”

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Tough guy Froch “Bute against Froch is a great, 50-50 fight.

They both have similar records, are of a similar age — Bute is 32, Froch is 34 — and both were outstanding amateurs. However, Froch has had stiffer opposition in his pro career. He’s fought Jean Pascal, Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler; all very tough fights. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. It can put wear and tear on you, but it can benefit you in terms of experience.”

Barry McGuigan’s acclaimed autobiography Cyclone: My Story (Virgin Books) is out now in paperback, £7.99

GET YOUR 2012/13 FULHAM SEASON TICKET, AVAILABLE NOW. GUARANTEED SEAT FOR 19 BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE GAMES FROM £399 ADULTS, £95 JUNIORS. www.fulhamfc.com/seasontickets 0843 208 1234 (option 3)

08 | May 25 2012 |

Radar Editor’s letter Bosingwa spoils JT’s picture and gets a knee in the back www.sport-magazine.co.uk @sportmaguk facebook.com/sportmagazine

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: Luke Nicoli, David Lawrenson

Truly, a funny old game There’s more than one way to skin a cat – and Chelsea found one that involved parking a bus

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

That’s what football can do. As much as we delight in watching Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, sometimes pure footballing ability is not enough.

Sometimes you need that little something else – and the man who supplied that at Chelsea was the caretaker manager, Roberto Di Matteo. I’ve said it before, but surely he has to get the job full-time now.

A few months ago Chelsea was a club on the point of imploding, and now they have two trophies to their name – one of them the one that Roman Abramovitch coveted more than any other.

I do feel mildly sorry for Tottenham fans, who saw their own dreams of Champions League football snatched away. But they have only themselves to blame, having thrown away so many points this season. And in any case, I’m not sure a team that finishes fourth ought to get much at all. So there.

Regardless of the way England played in the first Test, it was nice to see the West Indies take the match into the final day. One suspects that the Windies may run out of steam but – a little like Chelsea – they showed that hard work and digging deep can get results. Well, a losing result, but you get the idea.

I shall be at Trent Bridge tomorrow, and while I’ll naturally be supporting England, a little bit of me always loves to see the West Indies do well.

One final mention for our Gazza cover from last year, which is up for a gong at the prestigious PPA awards next month – the Oscars of the magazine industry. It’s a public vote for cover of the year, so we’d be very grateful if you could go to www.ppa.co.uk/coveroftheyear and give us your seal of approval. In advance, thanks.

Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Business Director (Magazine and iPad): Paul Brett (7918) Business Director: Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Advertising Manager: Steve Hare (7930) New Business Sales Executive: Hayley Robertson (7904) Brand Creative Director: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Digital Marketing Manager: Sophie Tosone (7916) 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

Issue 230 | October 21 2011

© 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: Paul Morgan, Alex Coulson, Jane Cowmeadow, Alison Hackney, Emma Jones, Abi Colgan, Becky Simms Total Average Distribution: 304,700 Jul-Dec 2011

Reader comments of the week Agree the best team won the Prem this season but let’s see what City win in the next 20 years before comparing them to United.

Paul, via email

10 | May 25 2012 |

@simoncaney Excellent insightful analysis of Bayern

by Uli Hesse. Not so much the Andy Gray cliché collection. More of these please.

“@pedwarr: Pleasant surprise seeing @GadgetPolly in @sportmaguk this morning, brightened up the morning’s commute :o)” hope u liked it...lol

@dspencer47 Twitter

@GadgetPolly Twitter

When I’m on a packed tube surrounded by people and I turn your otherwise fabulous magazine 90 degrees so I can have a jolly good old perv on the likes of Pollyanna Woodward, I get the feeling that people (especially women) look at me and think ‘That guy is a massive pervert!’ My point is while I am a massive pervert I don’t want women to know it! So, I suggest that you stick a photo of a scantily clad beauty on one page and have another article (I’ll even write it for free) on the other.

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

2008

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.

Oliver, via email

Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk

Adrian Dennis/AFP/GettyImages

T

he Chelsea team of a few years ago could quite easily have won the Champions League. Indeed, it probably should have done.

Yet this one, with players suspended, injured or just plain old, was the one that managed it.

They managed it with that most English of qualities – resilience. And, appropriately, their best player on the night was one of the few English ones in Ashley Cole. There certainly wasn’t much football from the team in blue, but then Chelsea’s fans won’t care one bit. They are champions of Europe.

Despite their anti-football on the night, nobody can deny Chelsea their hour of joy.

They came back from the dead against Napoli, they beat the (alleged) best the continent had to offer in Barcelona. And they went to Munich and conquered the mighty Bayern in their own backyard.

COMMERCIAL

Radar Frozen in time

12 | May 25 2012 |

Now that immortal quote, above, was uttered by the legendary Barry Davies nearly 40 years ago. But here are lots of German faces to look at, including the despairing Manuel Neuer, as Bayern Munich’s Champions League dreams died.

For Chelsea fans, this was sheer ecstasy.

And as Davies also once said: “Where were the Germans? And frankly, who cares?”

| 13

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Just look at his face!

Jess Ennis

In pursuit of perfectio This weekend, Jess Ennis will return to the place where her Beijing Olympic dreams died in 2008.

But Gotzis holds few fears for a heptathlete more concerned with reasserting her dominance over the world's best runners, jumpers and throwers...

14 | May 25 2012 |

ion | 15

Jess Ennis

16 | May 25 2012 |

it’s not a reason to make big changes like that, because that’s when things go wrong.”

Olympic agony The pain that comes from things going wrong in an Olympic year is one she knows intimately. Four years ago, a then 22-yearold Ennis was preparing to make her first foray into Olympic territory – and the whispers were that this huge talent wrapped up in a perfectly compact 5ft 5ins package had an outside chance of winning gold.

But then disaster struck.

After the first day of the biggest heptathlon meeting in the lead-up to the Games in the Austrian town of Gotzis, Ennis was in second place, and ahead of the Olympic favourite Lyudmila Blonska. But during the competition’s first four events, a niggling ankle injury progressively worsened until, after the final event of the day (the 200m), Ennis couldn’t even walk.

The following morning she caught a 7am flight to London for the MRI and CT scans that would confirm the very worst — namely, a career-threatening stress fracture in her right ankle. “I can’t begin to imagine how Jess must be feeling,” said Ennis‘s fellow Great Britain heptathlete Kelly Sotherton at the time. “I know I would be devastated. This is a cruel blow for her.”

There were tears — unrelenting streams of them, at times — from Ennis over the long months of rehab that were to follow. And a gut-wrenching fear that, even if she were to return, she might not be the same athlete who had once promised so much.

“The injury in Gotzis is still really fresh in my mind, but it is nearly four years ago now – a lot has happened since” Banishing bad memories Four years on, and those fears seem almost laughable. Since delivering a career-best performance on her heptathlon return in Italy, nearly 12 months after the injury in Gotzis, Ennis has established herself as one of the finest female athletes Britain has ever produced — albeit one who has yet to test herself on the Olympic stage.

With the Games now just two months away, it’s once again time for the world’s best multi-eventers to gather in western Austria for the Gotzis HypoMeeting, at which Ennis will complete her final heptathlon before the big one. Although she’s returned to Gotzis (and won the thing) for the past two seasons, returning in an Olympic year will surely represent an altogether tougher test mentally.

“Sometimes it feels like it was only a few months ago,” Ennis says of the injury that knocked her out of Beijing. “It’s really fresh in my mind, but it is nearly four years ago now and a lot has happened since then. At the time it was like: ‘Oh, I never want to come back to this place again.’ But then coming back and winning there was great. I’ve learned a lot since the injury and hopefully >

Jon Enoch

W

hile many of her fellow British athletes are soaking up the sun at warm-weather training camps in glamorous locations, Jess Ennis is doing her best to stay warm — and, more importantly, dry — in Sheffield.

It’s not a choice many would make. Indeed, Sport would rather be anywhere but the Steel City when we arrive soaked through and chilled to our shivering core at Don Valley Stadium, for an interview with one of Team GB’s most famous faces.

But Ennis makes the same decision every year. Not out of some misguided belief that maybe this will be the spring when she’s able to train outdoors in spikes, rather than flippers, but because it’s the base for what’s become known as ‘Team Jennis’ — which, in case you were wondering, comprises her coach Toni Minichiello, her medical team, physiologist, biomechanist, javelin coach and, of course, her management.

“They’re all a big part of my training,” she explains over a hot beverage in the stadium’s bar area. “Without the treatment like my physio and massage... well, that’s a big part of how I’m able to train as hard as I do and recover from it. So going away and missing that would have a detrimental effect on my training and performances.

“It’s about keeping things consistent as well. Staying in Sheffield is what I’ve done for the past few years and I just don’t see any point — I mean, I know it’s a huge year — but

First is everything, second is...?

And the 2012 event, perhaps more than ever, sees Ennis going there with a point to prove.

Having won the World Championships/World Indoor Champs double in 2009/10, Ennis lost both titles over seven months in 2011/12, swapping them for a pair of far less satisfactory silver medals. The two women who beat her to gold (Tatyana Chernova in Daegu, and Nataliya Dobrynska in Istanbul), are expected to be her main rivals for Olympic glory this summer — and she’ll be up against both this weekend.

“You don’t do many heptathlons in a year, so you only get two or three opportunities to go head to head with your main competitors,“ she says. “It’s good to face them as often as you can — it gives you a good indication of where you are in relation to everyone else, and how your training and season is going.”

Is this weekend a dress rehearsal for the Games, then? “Well, it’s only a few months out from the Olympics, and it’s a full heptathlon, so it gives a good indication,” she confirms. “But at the same time a lot can happen between now and the Olympics – not to mention during the two days of

Ennis shorts On meeting coach Toni Minichiello when she was 10 years old...

“I thought he was really scary... really scary. At that age it was just fun for me. I didn’t see the serious side of sport. He saw athletics in a very different way, that it could become

18 | May 25 2012 |

“I went from a massive high to rock bottom. A silver medal is the worst thing in the world when you think you’ve won gold. I never want that to happen again” competition at the Games. You do want to do well at Gotzis, but when you go to the Olympics you’re all back to zero anyway — back to a level playing field where you’ve got to produce again.”

Cruel Turks Olympic connotations aside, Ennis will this weekend look to finally wash away the taste of defeat from Istanbul — a taste soured infinitely more by a scoreboard cock-up that showed Ennis as the gold-medallist for a few blissful seconds, before showing Dobrynska as the correct champion.

“Oh it was horrible,” she says, screwing her face up as if coach Toni has just strolled in wearing nothing but a pair of saggy Y-fronts. “That is the worst feeling ever. It’s not really anger, it was just... well, it was real disappointment more than anything.”

Ahead of the final event of that pentathlon — the gruelling 800m — Ennis knew she had to beat Dobrynska by 6.48s to take the gold.

your career. So he was very serious and I was a little bit scared by that.

He’d laugh at the thought of that now.”

On pronouncing Gotzis correctly (or not)...

“My granddad calls it Goitz. He asks: ‘Are you going to Goitz this year?’ I’m like: ‘Where’s Goitz?’”

On rumours she keeps a photo of Chernova for motivation...

“No, I don’t — it’s an image that’s definitely in my mind, though. Crossing

“I just ran as hard as I could,” she recalls — enough for an indoor personal best and to see her cross the finish line in first place, the Ukrainian coming in third. “You feel dreadful after you run and I was so tired.

I knew it was probably going to be too much for me to do, but then I saw my name flash up and it said ‘CR’. I was like: ‘Championship record? You can’t have championship record if you’ve not won, so I’ve won!‘ “Then I went from a massive high to like rock bottom. It’s still a silver medal, but it’s just... well, a silver medal is the worst thing in the world when you think you’ve won gold.

It’s something I’ve not experienced before, and never want to experience again.”

Ennis may be smiling now, but at the time all she wanted was another shot: “Immediately after, I just wanted to do it again. Even though I was absolutely knackered, I just wanted to go back in time and change a few things. But once I got back into training it was like after any other >

the line while she’s cheering and, you know, she’s massive. So in my head she’s like ’roarrr!’ [raises arms aloft] And I’m like literally down here [motions to the floor]. But I haven’t got pictures of her round my house or on my fridge or anything… Andy (Ennis’ fiancé) wouldn’t like that!“ On collecting all the magazine covers she’s adorned through her illustrious career...

“When I’m old, wrinkly and probably overweight, I’ll have them up all round

the house and say: ‘That’s what I used to look like.’ The kids will be like: ‘Oh no, not these pictures again.’”

On who’s doing the planning for her forthcoming nuptials...

“Me. Well, we do discuss things and, er, I like to have Andy’s input because obviously it’s his special day as well.

[Laughs] But I know what I want it to be like, and he’s happy for me to go on and do most of it. We haven’t got a theme, but I know what I want and I can picture it already.”

Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images, Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

I’m a stronger, better athlete for it, so now I do look forward to going back.”

CHANGE YOUR GAME

We’re using sport stars and sport skills to improve the lives of young people in secondary schools.

Find out more at skysports.com/livingforsport

Find us on

Jess Ennis of upper-body work and core work and we’re throwing a lot... so your shoulder hurts too.

Yeah, it’s just everything.”

No easy rider

“Knowing I did everything I could would make me happy... although I’m never happy”

Always wanting more What about the claim of UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee that a silver medal is the best one an athlete can win ahead of an Olympics? Ennis smiles. She’s not convinced: “If I look back five years ago, I’d have been made up to think I’d go to major championships for three or four years and win gold or silver. I’d have taken that any day, it’s brilliant.

“But when you set your standards really high and you’re so close to winning gold, it just brings in that element of disappointment.

Sometimes I do think: ‘Oh you’re just being stupid, it’s a silver medal at the end of the day.‘ But as an athlete you always want that much more, so you keep pushing.”

In a world of elite athletes, most of whom push themselves towards breaking point on a daily basis, Ennis’ attitude to training is held in high regard — to the extent that Olympic sprint canoe champion Tim Brabants told Sport earlier this year: “Jess Ennis says

20 | May 25 2012 |

if you’re not hurting, you’re probably not training hard enough.”

How far does that go, though? Does each morning bring with it a breakfast of pain with a side order of agony? “Yeah, pretty much,” she sighs. “Because you train hard. A lot of people send me messages on Twitter saying: ‘Oh, it’s good to know elite athletes still hurt when they train.’ People think that because you’re at such a high fitness level, you can just do anything. But once you master one running session or weights session, you then have to run quicker or add another rep the next week. It changes and adapts all the time.

“So your body is in a constant state of shock and you’re hurting all the time.

Sometimes I can’t sleep because my legs are aching so much when I move about in bed.”

Is it always the legs? “It’s everything,” she continues. “Mainly the legs — the hamstrings, calves and feet — but as a heptathlete you have to be conditioned everywhere. I do a lot

British Airways, the official airline of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is proud to support Jessica Ennis by flying her around the world as she prepares for London 2012

Jon Enoch

major championships — whether I win or get silver, I put it behind me and start working towards the next thing. The indoor season was over after Istanbul, so I refocused my mind on to getting ready for Gotzis.”

And a recent addition to her gruelling training schedule by Minichiello has ramped things up a level. Say the words “watt bike” to Ennis and her face does that screwy thing again: “Ugh. We got it a few weeks ago.

It’s horrendous. Last year I had a bit of an Achilles injury and did a lot of training on a gym bike because I couldn’t run. When I got back into training we noticed I’d not lost that much speed or strength, which was through training on the bike. So Toni got the watt bike — it’s just a better version of the gym bike.

“You can push yourself really, really hard on it. You have to try a session, it’s unbelievably hard. We only go for 20 or 30-second reps, so you power through that as hard as you can and then recover, so you just fill your body with lactic [lactic acid, that is — the stuff that makes your body feel like it’s gone 12 rounds with a Klitschko after your quarterly gym session].”

It’s not likely we’ll see her on the boards, a la Victoria Pendleton, one day then? “No way,” she answers, unequivocally. “It makes me realise how hard she and Chris Hoy must train, because they do that all the time. I could not be a cyclist. It’s a different kind of pain to the running; it fills your body with lactic and it really hurts. More than running an 800m at the end of a heptathlon? They’re equally horrendous, I suppose.”

Should Ennis require another mammoth effort over two laps in London this summer, we’ll know the pain that’s gone into powering her round. But at the end of it all, when this all-consuming Olympic year reaches its climax, how will she judge whether 2012 has been a personal success? Ennis emits a long, deep breath, weighing up the scenario: top step of the podium versus the lower tiers.

“I suppose just knowing that I’d got to the Olympics in great shape, competed out of my skin and given it absolutely everything,” she finally responds. “If you know you’ve done all you can and it’s good enough to win a gold medal, then great. If it’s not, then you couldn’t do much more because you’ve left it all on the track. Knowing that I trained as hard as I could and did everything I could on those two days, without making any mistakes, would make me happy. I think.

Well, probably not — I’m never happy.”

Ennis smiles when she finishes that last sentence, mocking her own desire for perfection. But this weekend, as she completes a four-year cycle that has seen her battle back to the very top from an injury that would have ended the career of many, she’ll surely find a moment to realise not every great achievement gets rewarded with gold.

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag

SUCCESS Prepare thoroughly.

Commit totally.

Deliver.

LIVE TO DELIVER

business.fedex.com/rugby Š Copyright 2012 FedEx

Aviva Premiership Final

VICTOR UGO?

After more than a decade at Harlequins, England and Lions wing Ugo Monye is set to play in his first Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham tomorrow.

And, as he told Sport, he is intent on winning it

Harlequins topped the regular-season table, but only four of the 11 teams that previously did so went on to win the Premiership final.

How conscious are you of that?

“I think the one thing the playoff system has taught us over the years is that it’s not about finishing first in the table. It’s lovely for us to finish first because we’ve never done that, but it’s the team that goes into the playoffs with the most momentum that often ends up winning it. I mean, Wasps kind of mastered it with Shaun Edwards and Warren Gatland

back in the day; their whole season was geared to trying to find that form in and around March and April, to get to the playoffs and then go from there – and they did it really well. I mean, you’ll have some old Quins supporters telling you that the team that finishes top should finish top. [Smiles] That’s probably the only year they’ve ever said that, but the challenge we have ahead of us is one we’re really excited about. Leicester are the ultimate Premiership champions, and if you beat them then you’ve kind of announced yourself a bit. It’s probably the final we wanted.”

You talk about momentum, but no team finished the season stronger than the Tigers did...

“I don’t think many people were calling them to be in the playoffs back in October or November, when they were struggling, but fair play – they’re a team that’s been there and done it, and always put themselves in with a good shout. I know they’ll be disappointed with their Heineken Cup performance this season, but if anything it gave them more time to focus on the Premiership. That was all they had, but fair play to the players for digging in, because they were in a pretty bad place; the supporters, who just kept coming and filling a 26,000-seater stadium every week; and to Richard Cockerill. He took a fair bit of flack at

the start of the season, but he’s come good just when they needed him to.”

Days from the start of this year’s Aviva Premiership before Harlequins suffered their first defeat, against Saracens at Twickenham. By the time the final kicks off on Saturday, Leicester Tigers will themselves be on a 105-day unbeaten run

Saturday Aviva Premiership Final: Harlequins v Leicester Tigers, Twickenham, ESPN 3pm

And, of course, this is Leicester’s eighth straight Premiership final. Does that make Quins underdogs?

“Yeah, I think we probably are underdogs.

Tigers have nine straight wins, seven bonus-point tries in that time, so they’re probably the form team in the Premiership.

They’ve been there eight years consecutively and have a tremendous record, but I think the underdogs tag is something that suits us; it’s something we’ve had to deal with for many years, but then it’s not always about form when you’re in a final. It’s about who’s able to deal with the pressure on the day, put their nerves to one side and showcase their skillset under huge pressure. Forget our 10-game winning streak at the start of the season, their nine in a row now and whatnot... it all comes down to that one game.”

The recent game between the two sides at the Stoop was a high-scoring affair, Leicester coming out on top by 43 points to 33. Do you expect this to be a cagier affair?

“No, I honestly don’t think it will. I keep going back to it, but when you score seven bonus points in nine games, it dictates the style of your rugby – and while it’s working for you, as it has been for them, why would you change it just because it’s a final? >

| May 25 2012 | 23

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Fitness permitting, you’ll be part of a team making its first appearance in a Premiership final tomorrow. How important is that for the club?

“You think of Harlequins and you think of the brand we are – the recognisable shirt, the fanbase, the location, everything – and you expect a lot more from our history and trophy cabinet than what is presently there. But we have made great strides in the past few years, since Conor [O’Shea, director of rugby] has come in; and winning the Amlin Cup last year gave us that springboard and confidence going into this new season. To be top all the way from September to May and then not to be in the final would have been... well, a bit of an injustice to be perfectly honest. But the table doesn’t lie; the top two teams are in the Premiership final, and I think that’s really fitting.”

Aviva Premiership Final for us, and I’m sure Leicester are aware of that, but with their international pack and bench it’s going to be pretty tight. For me, though, the more basic and simple it becomes in a big game, the better.

Do your basics well, and you’ll have a chance of winning.”

And we’re the same at Harlequins – we’re engineered to play rugby. That’s what has got us to this position, so we’re not going to be changing anything. For me, that match was the game of the season... 43-33, two great teams, big hits, yellow cards – it had everything. I’ll be expecting pretty much exactly the same in terms of tries and excitement... while hoping for a slightly different result.”

There are some intriguing battles all over the park, including a potential meeting of Ben Youngs and Danny Care at nine – but where do you see it being won and lost?

“I think you’ve got to look at the set-pieces; I know it’s a big cliche, but you can’t do anything if you don’t have the ball. If you can’t secure ball at the scrum, the line-out, then you’re struggling – regardless of whoever you have in your backline... if you can’t get the ball on the front foot, you’re gonna struggle.

That area has become something of a weapon

GIFT ME O C 25 WEL e SPO1 d o C

24 | May 25 2012 |

On a personal level, how great would it be for you to represent Quins on the biggest stage at Twickenham?

“Absolutely, I mean it’s my first Premiership final and I’ve been here 11 years in November.

I’ve won the Amlin Cup twice, but in terms of a major, major title, this is my first shot at it.

It’s uncharted territory for the likes of myself, but for other guys... I mean, someone like Matt Hopper was playing in the Championship last year [with Cornish Pirates], and now he could be playing in a Premiership final. It’s just an amazing story – it’s going to be so special, my family are going to be there, and if we were able to get the result I think it would be the best day in the club’s history. This club’s been around for a long, long while, so to be part of that history – to see it written on the walls here – would be pretty incredible.”

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

Christopher Lee/Getty Images

“Our 43-33 loss to Leicester had it all – two great teams, big hits, yellow cards.

I’m expecting exactly the same in the final, while hoping for a different result”

Wojciech Szczesny

Pole apart The unsung hero of Arsenal’s late-season charge into the Champions League, Wojciech Szczesny looks back on the Gunners’ seesaw season - and ahead to Euro 2012 A lack of signings, high-profile departures and last-minute buys counted towards a poor start to the season for Arsenal.

What did you make of it all?

“It was horrible. We look back and we know we had the worst possible start. The only positive we can see now is that we came through it. I can’t point at the reason why it was so bad — we all wanted to do very well for the club. We tried very hard, we trained very hard each day. It just didn’t go for us. It was very tough, but we came through it and it’s probably made us stronger, if anything.”

Michael Regan/Getty Images

The low point, of course, was that 8-2 hammering at Old Trafford. Was it your worst experience of the season?

“Not really. I don’t care whether I concede eight goals or two. If you’ve lost three points, you’ve lost three points. Conceding eight was embarrassing because a club of Arsenal’s stature shouldn’t be losing like that. I felt sorry for the fans, for the club, for the history of the club — but to me all that mattered was that we didn’t get any points.

It was all about moving on to the next game — which we did. We won 1-0 against Swansea and it was over. I don’t like to say what is my best game or my worst; if we win and I keep a clean sheet, that’s a good game.

If I concede and we lose, that’s a bad game.”

Was beating Tottenham 5-2 a turning point?

“The turning point in our heads was winning 5-3 at Chelsea. At that point we still weren’t playing very well, but after that we had it in our heads that we could beat the best by playing really good football. The Tottenham win, given the circumstances, made it the most enjoyable game at the Emirates so far for me — it’s up there with beating Barcelona.

Being 2-0 down at home, against your biggest rivals, you know when you’ve let the fans down and we could hear it. You know you’ve got to do something special to turn it around and, credit to the team — and the fans who were behind us the whole game — we got there in the end. We’ve had ups and downs since, but we’ve always been up there.”

Results certainly improved once the team had a settled back four...

“It makes a massive difference when you’ve got the same back four. If you are used to playing alongside each other, you understand each other’s game, you communicate better, — then it’s only a matter of time before you start getting clean sheets. In the last couple of months of the season we had a 50 per cent ratio of clean sheets, which is what you want.”

Would Arsenal have done better if you had had a fit Jack Wilshere?

“If, if — it’s hard to say, but he was probably one of our best players, if not the best player, last year and we’ve missed him. It’s not like he’s been out for three months — he hasn’t played a single game, which is probably more of a personal blow to Jack than it is to Arsenal because we have replacements who have done well. But for a player to have a long-term injury at such a young age is a blow. Hopefully he’ll be back and be a big part of the team next season.”

Arsenal finished third, but lost 10 league games. Does that make the Premier League a good or bad league?

“It makes it a good Premier League. It makes it exciting, and it makes it the best league in the world. You can play against Wigan at home and lose 2-1, and you can be almost certain of winning the title like Man Utd were before they played Wigan and lost 1-0. It’s all about form on the day and a bit of luck. When you are Barcelona or Real Madrid, you know you are going to win, but in the Premier League anything can happen. I wish we could be the Invincibles again, but you have to accept and enjoy the fact that we play in the most exciting and competitive league in the world.” >

| May 25 2012 | 27

Wojciech Szczesny

“We’re underdogs, but nobody fancied Greece and they did it”

Adam Nurkiewicz/AFP/Getty Images

Looking ahead to the Euros, is it true you have a flat overlooking the national stadium in Warsaw?

“It’s not overlooking it as such, but it’s only a five or 10-minute walk away and, as we are on the 10th floor, you can see it quite well.

Unfortunately, my mum won’t be able to watch the games from her bedroom window, but yes — you can see the stadium. When I was a kid, I used to look at the stadium when it was an old ruin — but now it is one of the best in Europe. When I see that and know that I could be playing there this summer, it shows how far I have come in a short time.”

Can Poland surprise everyone and win it?

“In modern football, anything can happen — anything. We are probably the underdogs of the tournament, but nobody fancied Greece a few years ago and they did it, so why not?

Before the draw we would have wished to get the teams in our group [Greece, Russia, Czech Republic], but the tricky thing is that every team in the group will believe they can get out of it. I think there will be a lot of draws. It might be four points can get you

28 | May 25 2012 |

out of the group, so it’ll be tight. But, with the help of the fans, I think we can do it.”

Who is Poland’s dangerman?

“Robert Lewandowski at Borussia Dortmund has a goal in him every game. He’s scored 25-odd goals for them at the top of the table, and I want him to make the difference for us.”

There are a number of Polish keepers out there — are you confident of starting?

“We’ve got the likes of Fabianski, Kuszczak, Tyton at PSV, Boruc at Fiorentina — all good goalkeepers. There is competition for the number-one spot. I’m favourite to wear the number-one shirt now, but I need to keep performing to prove myself as number one.”

Joe Hart will also be number one for England.

What do you make of his form this season?

“If you’re asking me who is the best keeper in the world at the moment, I would probably say Joe Hart. I know they are big words because you often think the best is not around you, it’s far away in another country, but Joe has been so consistent this season it’s unbelievable. To

be that consistent at this level, for 60-odd games, is really hard. He’s made a big difference to Man City and he will be a big help for England.”

Is Roy Hodgson a good appointment?

“I don’t have an opinion. If he was appointed Poland manager, then I’d have an opinion. But I wish England luck — I really do.

Obviously I want Poland to win, but my second team is England because I love the country.”

Will you be talking to Lukas Podolski in Polish or German when he comes to the Emirates next season?

“Oh, Polish — 100 per cent.”

Is he playing for the wrong country, then?

“Definitely, don’t joke about it. I think we all realise he’s more Polish than German. He plays for Germany — we have to respect that.

He’s played 90-odd games for them, but we’re disappointed because he is one of the best players in the world. We’d be delighted if he played for Poland, which he should do. When he comes to Arsenal, he’ll definitely be greeted as one of the Polish lads in the squad!”

Luke Nicoli Wojciech Szczesny supported the launch of The Locker Room by Foot Locker, the new destination for sports performance footwear, apparel and accessories

Want more?

For Szczesny on ballroom dancing, his dad punching Roberto Mancini and his Twitter troubles, download the app version of Sport magazine now

Realise your potential by helping children realise theirs. $& $

$ $ ! $ ! $ ! ! ! # $ $ $ ! ! " % ! $ & $

$ $ # $ " ! ! $ To find out more search ‘teaching primary’ or call 0800 389 2500.

Rewarding Challenging Teaching

$ ! " ! ' !

Dan Hardy

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES Tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nottingham’s Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy takes on Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig in UFC 146. First though, he tackles Sport

You actually live in Vegas now, having relocated from Nottingham. It’s a stupid question, but why?

“Well, a lot of fighters make Vegas their home because the weather’s so good, the training facilities are all exceptional and close to each other, so there’s far less travelling involved, and the quality of training partners here is as good as it gets. So it makes complete sense. And, on top of that, I get to sleep in my own bed the night before the fight. It’s little details like that which make a big difference.”

Have you lost any sleep over your opponent, Denver’s Duane Ludwig, who holds the official fastest knockout record in the UFC? “I wouldn’t say I’ve lost any sleep, but he’s a good fighter and a good guy. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time and I can remember watching his fights before I turned pro. He’s fought a lot of the big names in the sport, a lot of guys who have been around for a long time, so he’s coming in with a lot of experience and he’s a very dangerous guy.”

And of course they call him ‘Bang’ because he usually ends his fights abruptly...

“He has exciting fights; he likes to get in and go for it and he’s very durable. Am I scared?

No. I’m excited — looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good one and I’m confident because I’m bigger, stronger and quicker, and I have a more diverse skillset. I know how good I am. I just have to go out there and prove it to everyone again.”

Sadly, there doesn’t appear to be any great beef going on between the two of you...

“No. Like I said before, I’m a fan of what he’s achieved and I think it goes both ways — I signed one of my action figures for him at the last event, which is kind of funny.

So we’re going to get in there, shake hands, smile and start trading punches. The best man wins on the night.”

UFC can change in a punch. One minute you’re a title contender facing Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight belt at UFC 111, now you’re on a four-fight losing streak and people are asking questions...

“Well I think the thing for me was I came in [to UFC] and went 4-and-0 and got a title shot, and everyone was looking at me as the next big thing. That title fight didn’t go my way, but that was just one of those things.

After that there were a lot of issues around my coaching and the organisation of my training camps, and I got on a slide that became very hard to reverse.”

“I’m bigger, stronger, quicker and have a more diverse skillset than Duane. I know how good I am.

I just have to prove it to everyone”

Want more?

For rising young Brit Paul Sass on fighting, fear and facing Jacob Volkmann at UFC 146, download the app version of Sport magazine now

Why? Is there a simple reason for that?

“Anger and frustration, I think. Common sense went out of the window. I became a brawler — I became a different fighter.

Before that title fight, I was a counterfighter. I was very smart about my approach, but that kind of went out of the window. I just wanted to get in there and have a fight, and it wasn’t the right approach.

It’s taken the move to Vegas and a new start here to get it out of my system. Now I’m in a good place. I should have made the move four fights ago because, unless you’re right mentally, you’re not going to win.”

So how will it end tomorrow night? How have you visualised it?

“I can see me overwhelming him, but I hope it doesn’t end in the first round. I’d like a late second-round or early third-round stoppage because I have some new skills I want to show off, and I’ll be disappointed if I don’t get to show them. If all goes to plan, it should be pretty spectacular.”

UFC 146 is live on ESPN at 3am on Saturday

| May 25 2012 | 31

ZUFFA LLC

So, a big man nicknamed ‘Bang’ wants to turn your lights out tomorrow. Are you ready for him?

“Yeah, I feel very good. I’ve trained very well, I feel in great condition — fully focused on what I need to do and I’m mentally right for it, which is key. It can’t come soon enough, to be honest.”

Euro 2012 England Doesn’t Expect

QUESTION TIME A new boss with two weeks and two friendlies to prepare for Euro 2012. Sport assesses the key questions Roy Hodgson will need to answer as he takes the reins

SATURDAY NORWAY v ENGLAND ULLEVAAL STADIUM, OSLO ITV1 7.45PM

DOOMED FROM THE START? Even by England’s standards, it’s been a pretty chaotic lead-up to an international tournament. But has preparation predefined performances in previous tournaments?

32 | May 25 2012 |

HOW WILL ENGLAND PLAY UNDER ROY HODGSON? Collymore’s comment:

The FA made very clear in their press activity, and with their offer of a four-year contract, that the appointment of Roy Hodgson was made with the long-term development of the national team in mind. Germany’s recent successes have their origins in a decision taken by Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Loew to develop a national style, which was implemented at all levels of the national team, from the Under-17s to the senior side.

That style was ‘quick counterattacking’ and, as Gareth Barry will tell you, it’s worked rather well. Hodgson has pledged to take a hands-on role at all levels of the national team via the FA’s new academy in Burton, so what will his signature style involve?

Hodgson is very much an advocate of the ‘system’, and the system he’s preferred throughout his recent career is two banks of four, with a front two arranged either horizontally or vertically. But with England he might opt for a 4-2-3-1, with wide players tracking back to create a midfield four when out of possession. Of course, we won’t know for sure until the team lines up tomorrow. >

“I think he’ll play with two defensive midfielders — Frank Lampard and either Scott Parker or Gareth Barry. A 4-2-3-1 provides defensive cover for the back four. In international football now, a lot of traffic goes through the central area and it gets very congested.

Having two defensive midfielders means there’s four attacking positions. You could go with Theo Walcott or Steven Gerrard on the right, Wayne Rooney (eventually) in the middle and Ashley Young on the left behind Andy Carroll.”

WORLD CUP 1970 QUARTER FINAL

WORLD CUP 1990 SEMI FINALS

EURO 1996 SEMI FINALS

The defending champions’ pre-tournament work was disrupted by the arrest of their captain Bobby Moore for allegedly stealing a bracelet from a jeweller’s shop in Bogota before the tournament.

England went out to Germany in extra time.

The FA, not for the first time, shot themselves in the foot by not offering Bobby Robson a new contract and revealing their decision pre-tournament.

Robson, as was his right, secured a job with PSV and was savaged by the press for it. Still, England managed their best tournament since 1966.

England qualified as hosts, so they hadn’t played a competitive game for more than two years by the time Euro ’96 rolled round.

They warmed up with 3-0 wins over Hungary and China, and reached the semi finals in front of a home crowd. Maybe not playing together is the answer?

Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images, Billy Strickland/Getty Images

S

o, a manager finally installed, a squad rapidly selected and hotels and flights to Eastern Europe all booked up. All that’s left now is a couple of international friendlies and England will be fighting fit, ready for the challenge of Euro 2012. England travel to Oslo to face Norway tomorrow, before returning to London to welcome the Belgians a week later. The new boss has got his work cut out to get his squad ready, and he and his side have a number of questions they need to answer in these friendlies before heading into the tournament. Here we ask and answer the four key questions, with the help of former England international, talkSPORT’s Stan Collymore.

! e d i r p Be the RELIVE SOME OF THE GREATEST MOMENTS

England Classic home & away shirts now available online.* JJB Sports, the destination for all England fans.

jjbsports.com *free delivery with this code SM2012

be a part of it

Euro 2012 England Doesn’t Expect

WHAT TO DO WITHOUT WAYNE ROONEY? Collymore’s comment:

WHY DID HE PICK STEWART DOWNING? If the two banks of four are relatively set in stone, there are a number of options for the front pairing, in terms of both personnel and configuration. Wayne Rooney will of course miss the first two games, so Hodgson will need to formulate some sort of Plan B. Eyebrows were raised at the inclusion of just four strikers, but Hodgson has spoken of players like Ashley Young or Alex OxladeChamberlain being able to play as a second striker, which suggests he might opt for a 4-4-1-1. He enjoyed great success at Fulham using Bobby Zamora ahead of Clint Dempsey in a more creative role, so one possibility is Andy Carroll up front and perhaps Steven Gerrard behind him. A more fluid alternative for the later stages of the group would be reviving the understanding between Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck, who combined well at Man Utd during the season. The friendlies will offer a hint as to whether Carroll can continue his recent return to form, and who looks best equipped to play alongside/behind him for the games against France and Sweden.

We’re no longer surprised by the moronic views sometimes espoused on social networks, but were still a little taken aback when #hodgsonout began trending on Twitter minutes after the squad announcement. Hodgson justified his decisions eloquently and rationally in the subsequent press conference, although because of the focus on Rio Ferdinand, we didn’t get as clear a picture into his thoughts as we would have liked. Hodgson needs to win the support of the fans by drawing a strong performance from his players — particularly from those who, according to popular opinion, don’t deserve to be in the squad. For example, Stewart ‘no goals, no assists’ Downing.

Will these games justify some of Hodgson’s more controversial choices, or simply confirm the fears of his doubters?

Collymore’s comment:

“Stewart Downing is a contentious one. I can see why he has been picked – he hasn’t let himself down for England. He was in the 2006 World Cup so he’s been in the England squad a long time, as opposed to someone like Adam Johnson – who not only hasn’t been in the England squad a long time, but hasn’t been in the Man City team a lot.”

WILL THE PLAYERS RESPOND TO THE NEW MANAGER? In the aftermath of Fabio Capello’s departure, England’s stars were quick to throw their weight behind Harry Redknapp, and equally quick to back Roy Hodgson when he was confirmed as the shock choice.

If only they showed such speed and agility on the pitch, eh? There’s always an element of uncertainty when a manager joins a new set-up, and previous successes are no guarantee of future ones. Hodgson is, by all accounts, a very thorough, hands-on manager who will use every available second between now and kick-off in Donetsk to drill his players on their positioning and play. It’s impossible to predict how the players will take to this — will they be keen to work hard on the pitch for him and stick to their assigned roles? The games against Norway and Belgium will start providing some answers.

Collymore’s comment:

“I think they’ll be quite impressed with his coaching. Roy Hodgson will go on to the training pitch and literally be hands-on. He will walk people through the zones that he wants them to stay in at corners and set-pieces. I think he’ll be very fair to everybody, he’ll give everybody an opportunity, and as a player you look forward to a manager doing that. So hopefully there’ll be a tangible lift – but even if there isn’t, Hodgson is the kind of manager that won’t leave any stone unturned.”

EURO 2000 GROUP STAGE

WORLD CUP 2006 QUARTER FINALS

WORLD CUP 2010 SECOND ROUND

EURO 2012 TBD

Glenn Hoddle’s contract was terminated in January 2000 after he expressed controversial views on the disabled, leaving Howard Wilkinson and then Kevin Keegan to take the reins. The players didn’t take to the manager and finished third in their group, losing to Portugal and Romania.

The curse of the metatarsal struck again, leaving Wayne Rooney short of match fitness heading into the tournament. That, combined with SvenGoran Eriksson’s curious decision to take the untested Theo Walcott, meant that England crashed out when Rooney got himself sent off.

Under Fabio Capello, England breezed through qualifying and looked to be in great shape, sequestered away from the WAGs and paparazzi with nothing but lions for company. The lions probably would have done a better job, as England were truly awful – which shows anything can happen.

Rooney suspended for the first two games, training camps cancelled and a new manager installed just a matter of weeks before... surely this is the most shambolic build-up England have had to a major tournament. How will that affect players’ performances? At least expectations are low.

34 | May 25 2012 |

John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images, Ross Kinnaird/Allsport, Patrick Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images Mike Hewitt/Getty Images, David Rogers/Getty Images, Leon Neal/AFP/GettyImages

“Roy Hodgson has included Andy Carroll on his performances in the last three or four games of the season. I think they were exceptional. If England are going to be successful they’ll need to hold the ball up well, and I think Andy Carroll does that so much better than Danny Welbeck, who many people were thinking would take that place for those two games before Wayne Rooney comes back. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if against Norway we see Welbeck, and then against Belgium we see Carroll – 90 minutes of football for both to see who gets the starting berth at the Euros.”

Silence the irritation with NIVEA FOR MEN Sensitive

PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING PROUD SUPPLIER OF THE ENGLAND TEAM

NIVEAFORMEN.co.uk

Motorsport Special

START YOUR ENGINES MONACO INDIANAPOLIS ISLE OF MAN

From the azure Mediterranean to dusty Indiana, three of motorsport's most prestigious events roar into action this weekend. What makes the Monaco GP, the Indy 500 and the Isle of Man TT so special? Let's find out... | May 25 2012 | 37

Motorsport Special

MONACO GRAND PRIX Sunday, 1pm, Sky Sports F1 and BBC1

Illustration: James Paterson www.james-paterson.co.uk, Mark Thompson/Getty Images, Paul Gilham/Getty Images

R

oaring through the streets of majestic Monte Carlo, the Monaco Grand Prix remains the jewel in Formula 1’s everexpanding crown. Cars fly through the harbour area of the principality, inches from barriers, mere feet from landmarks. “It’s an absolute assault on the senses,” says Sky Sports F1 pit-lane reporter Natalie Pinkham.

“It’s quite incredible. The noise, the people, the adrenaline is gripping, and obviously the glamour is on another level. It is so surreal and so detached from reality that you start to lose grasp of what sort of money is around you as you go from one super-yacht to another. It’s mind-blowing, it really is.”

It’s not just because of the harbourside setting and wealth that the race appeals, however – something that three-time Monaco Grand Prix winner Sir Stirling Moss can attest to. “The great thing about Monaco is that it’s such a personal circuit because the public are so close,” he says. “You can see them as you drive past — I remember one very pretty girl blowing kisses and you could

38 | May 25 2012 |

really see her because maximum speed wasn’t that high. Certainly from when I began racing in the 1950s, Monte Carlo’s always been held as one that any driver would like to have on their CV.” The race has been altered in scope since then, of course. In Moss’ day, the cars were much smaller, providing more room for manoeuvre, but it was still tough. “It used to be 100 laps, now of course it’s only 80 and they’re going twice as fast,” he explains.

“When I won my last one it took me three and three quarter hours, so physically it’s hard.

But when your life is at stake and you’re going round corners, it gives you an extra bit of energy from somewhere. It’s the most rewarding circuit, though – very rewarding.”

The cars may have changed beyond all recognition, but modern drivers feel the same way, according to Pinkham: “If you ask all the drivers which race they most want to win, they say their home Grand Prix and Monaco. It’s a real test of ability like no other, because it’s on a street circuit and there’s no room for error.”

It’s hard to convey just how tight the circuit is compared to others on the F1 calendar, but drivers can hear the sound of their engines echoing off nearby buildings – and if you’re lucky enough to be able to watch from inside the world-famous tunnel, you can “feel your ribcage rattling as the cars go through”. The tunnel, the hairpin at the Fairmont Hotel, Casino Square — these are all names that roll off the tongue of diehard F1 fans. But the whole circuit and the whole city is special, asserts Pinkham,

who is having none of any criticisms that the race is often dull and processional due to the difficulty of overtaking.

“I would understand processional if it was a boring circuit, but it’s not,” she argues.

“It’s thrilling and it’s through the very heart of Monaco. The fact you’re walking around a circuit in the evening that’s being used in the day is in itself thrilling. It’s an incredible place that comes alive for those few days of the year. It's quite a sedate place normally, but for those few days of the year, there is nowhere else on earth like Monaco.”

Sky Sports F1 HD has created a limited edition Sky+HD 1TB designer box by Sir Stirling Moss. For more information, visit sky.com/designerboxes

Motorsport Champions Special League

W

hile the twists and turns of Monte Carlo are considered the jewel in motorsport’s European crown, it’s a very different story across the Atlantic, where the pinnacle of the sport has always been something more guttural, more frantic than Formula 1’s harbourside procession. It is, of course, the Indianapolis 500: five-hundred miles around an oval circuit, at an average speed of over 220mph.

It’s a gruelling race, as hard as any F1 circuit, and no one knows that better than two-time winner Dario Franchitti, who’ll be competing in his ninth Indy 500 on Sunday.

“In the IndyCar series, that one race is as big as the rest of the year combined,” he says when we catch up with him. Despite growing up in Scotland, thousands of miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit, Franchitti was always drawn by the allure of the ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’. “It is a very special race,” he continues. “There’s 100 years of history there, and the fact that there are 350,000-plus people in the stands creates a buzz and a mystique about it.

“Some of that is the length of the race, some of that is the nature of the track — as

the race goes on the rubber goes down on the track, and the marbles the rubber produces narrows the track quite considerably. The usable part narrows down and lapped cars get involved, strategy gets involved. It is a very, very difficult race to win, and then there’s the pressure of the fact that it is the Indianapolis 500, which you try not to let enter your thinking.”

It’s notable that Franchitti always refers to the race by it’s full title. It’s the Indianapolis, never the Indy, 500 – almost as if it’s a mark of respect for a race the vastly experienced driver ranks as the toughest he’s ever raced in. While other circuits and disciplines put the driver’s body through more punishment, the 500’s challenge is very much a mental one, according to Franchitti: “Physically, Indianapolis is not that difficult in comparison to another race — you’re not under the same G-loadings as you’d be on a road or street course. But mentally, it’s incredibly tough. The speeds are so constant — on a lap your average speed will be about 225mph, your highest is about 230-something, and the lowest you probably get is about 220 in the middle of a corner. Because of that you have to be absolutely inch-perfect with the car. You’ve got to position that car with pinpoint accuracy for three and a half hours.”

The penalty for failure can be high, much higher than in other disciplines, as we saw last year with the tragic death of British driver Dan Wheldon at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, an Indy-inspired oval circuit.

“There are no run-off areas,” explains Franchitti. “It’s not like a modern-day Formula 1 circuit, where there’s 200 yards of run-off. If you get it wrong there’s a concrete wall 50 feet to your right. There’s

THE INDY 500 Sunday, 5pm, Sky Sports 4

40 | May 25 2012 |

slightly less margin for error, and we saw that last year with Dan Wheldon unfortunately being killed.”

Like Franchitti, Wheldon was virtually unknown in his native Britain, but was a household name in America thanks to his two Indy 500 wins. Wheldon’s second win came in incredible circumstances last year – when, in his first race of the season, with a tiny team, he took the lead for the first time on the final lap as race leader JR Hildebrand crashed out. It’s that kind of drama that makes the Indy 500 so special, and makes winning the race, as Franchitti did in 2007 and 2010, feel so sweet. “Because it’s the Indianapolis 500 it has that extra-special thing,” he says.

“I can see arguments for the 24 hours at Le Mans, for the Monaco Grand Prix, for the Isle of Man TT, but to me it’s very special — it is still the greatest race.”

Dario Franchitti is a TW Steel Brand Ambassador. His signature watch, the TW608, is available from twsteeluk.com for £595

From Saturday, highlights on ITV4

E

ven in these days of crumple zones, roll bars and run-off areas, there remains an island untouched by the heavily gloved hand of health and safety. When Sir Stirling Moss says you need “big balls” to take part in an event and Dario Franchitti gives his “ultimate respect” to anyone who takes part, you know it’s a serious challenge, and a seriously dangerous one.

We’re talking, of course, about the Isle of Man TT: over 200 miles weaving through the undulating Manx countryside, inches from fences, hedges and other agrarian partitions. A far cry from the precision engineering of MotoGP, the TT is manic and deadly, a week of racing that averages two fatalities per year. For 33-year-old Guy Martin, a truck mechanic from north Lincolnshire competing in his eighth TT this year, that’s part of what makes it so special.

“Get it wrong and you’re dead,” he says. “I like the buzz from it — there’s not many things now where it’s allowed to carry on. Most things have been doctored by health and safety, but the TT hasn’t.”

Martin’s wild mane-like hair, his unruly sideburns, which extend impossibly far down

his jaw, and his clipped, curious accent combine to make him seem the personification of the TT. We ask whether attempts should be made to make the race safer, and are met with a furious response: “You can’t shine shit, can you?

You’re never gonna be able to make the Isle of Man TT safe — we’re racing past houses at 200 miles an hour, so let’s be honest. It’s never gonna be safe, no matter what you do.”

He knows the risks better than most.

Fighting for the lead in the 2010 race, Martin lost control of his bike at the tricky Ballagarey corner, was flung from it and engulfed in the resulting ball of flame. He broke his ribs, bruised his lungs, twisted his ankles and fractured his vertebrae, but was back on the bike three months later. He calls the crash “nothing major”, which might be understating it just a bit.

The injuries didn’t dampen his desire to become ‘King of the Mountain’. “I keep wanting to win one,” he says. “You don’t give in, you just keep on keeping on.” It’s a phrase he repeats a couple of times during the interview, along with the six Ps: “Perfect preparation prevents piss-poor performance.”

“You want to get out what you put in,” he explains. “Y’know I spent a year and a half learning the place before I even went there because I knew it was gonna be a challenge.

And if you’re not prepared, if you don’t know what the course is doing and where you’re

going, you’re gonna end up coming back in a box. The challenge of learning the whole thing and linking one part to the next — it’s 250 corners, 40-odd miles — it’s a lot of learning to do.”

In his early days, between watching videos of the track “over and over and over again” to learn it, Martin worked five jobs through the winter to pay for the summer expense of the TT – a habit he inherited from his father, who also took part in the iconic race.

“My dad raced there in ‘88 — I remember going, I’ll have only been six years old,” he recalls. “He’s the same as me; he used to work like hell and all his money used to go into doing it, and we’d all have to make do with stuff just because he wanted to race.”

Curiously for someone who’d grown up with the TT looming large in his life, it wasn’t until he’d exhausted the possibilities of circuit racing that Martin decided to try it out: “I’d never thought of doing it myself, but then I got bored of racing around tracks like this [we’re speaking to him at Brands Hatch circuit] and I wanted more of a challenge. And there’s no greater challenge than going to race the TT.” Amit Katwala @amitkatwala Guy Martin is sponsored by Dainese, a leading player in protecting active sportspersons competing in motorcycling, cycling, skiing and equestrian events — visit dainese.com

| 41

Mark Thompson/Getty Images, Paul Gilham/Getty Images, Robert Laberge/Getty Images, Ilja Meefout, Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images, Simon Patterson, Stephen Davison

ISLE OF MAN TT

63 Days to go

Focus 2012

Triathlon

THE VENUE The locals might want to avoid walking their dogs in Hyde Park on August 4/7 this year, or they risk pooch getting mown down by a lycra-clad triathlete while searching for the perfect place to cock a leg.

For, on those days, London’s largest Royal Park hosts the men’s and women’s Olympic triathlons – and, with realistic chances of a British winner in both, wise spectators will secure their spots around the course at the earliest opportunity.

While there is a ticketed allocation for the races, there are also a number of free-toview spots around the course, with British Triathlon recommending heading for the Serpentine — from where you’ll be able to take in the swimming as well as parts of the cycling and running.

The course begins and ends in Hyde Park, and takes athletes past some of London’s most famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch and, er, Hyde Park Corner. The latter will be closed to traffic for some 13 hours on race days, ensuring the Brownlee brothers will never be able to hail a black cab in London ever again.

the water, athletes enter a transition area where wetsuits are removed and bikes grabbed as fast as possible.

The bike section is 43km, or seven laps of the course in London. This is the part of the race where athletes will look to refuel after the swim, to ensure they’re well hydrated and full of energy for the final leg.

The start of the 10km run is a challenge as athletes can suffer ‘jelly legs’ in trying to adapt from moving their limbs in one way (on the bike) to another way for running. The run takes athletes around a 2.5km course four times, by the end of which we’ll know if Britain really does rule the triathlon world.

THE EVENT The Olympic triathlon begins with a testing 1,500m swim around the Serpentine, with competitors starting en masse and jostling for position throughout. On emerging from

TRIATHLON AT LONDON 2012 Dates August 4-7 Capacity 3,000 temporary seats How to get there National Rail, London Underground

42 | May 25 2012 |

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “We have been successful in securing our maximum possible number of slots for the Olympics, with three men’s and three women’s places available,” says British Triathlon’s Olympic performance manager Malcolm Brown. “This is something we did not achieve in Beijing on the women’s side, and having three athletes can only strengthen our team in London this summer. Overall, I think we are in a strong position.”

GB hopeful

Helen Jenkins AGE IN 2012 28 MEDAL RECORD Commonwealth Youth Games silver (women’s team) 2000

The Welsh triathlete had a nightmare on her Olympic debut in Beijing, but in London she’ll use that experience to propel her to gold...

As reigning world champion, Jenkins is among the favourites for gold in London.

She was in the same position four years ago, but at a time when the World Champs were decided by a one-off race as opposed to a World Series, as now. After two events of the 2012 series, Jenkins tops the rankings – but in Olympic year she’ll place less emphasis on the three events to come before the Games.

Helen Jenkins is sponsored by Triple Dry. Download her free triathlon race guide at triple-dry.com/triathlon-sponsorship

KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 ITU World Triathlon Madrid May 26-27, Madrid ITU World Triathlon Kitzbuhel June 23-24, Kitzbuhel Dextro Energy Triathlon July 21-22, Hamburg

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images, Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Royal Park life has never been as energetic as it will be in London this summer, when triathlon comes to town

7 Days

MAY 25–MAY 31 HIGHLIGHTS » Football: League One Playoff Final » p46 » Cricket: England v West Indies » p48 » Tennis: French Open » p49 » Rugby League: Magic Weekend » p50 » Best of the Rest » p50

OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

FRIDAY ATHLETICS | GOLDEN SPIKE OSTRAVA | MESTSKY STADION, OSTRAVA | BRITISH EUROSPORT 6PM

9.82s Czech him out For one evening every year, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic becomes the centre of the world’s sporting attention. And, perhaps surprisingly, it’s nothing to do with Ostrava’s two floorball teams. It is instead

44 | May 25 2012 |

because the fastest man on earth chooses to open his European season there.

So, tonight’s Golden Spike meeting welcomes Usain Bolt to the Mestsky Stadion for the sixth time in seven years. The Jamaican superstar will be making his fifth consecutive appearance at an event where, in 2009, he ran a wind-assisted 9.77s in the 100m. He’s gone faster, of course, but there’s no doubting the importance of the meet in his preparations for London 2012.

“It is widely known that I love the meet and it is one of the first that I pencil in my calendar each year,” he said when confirming his appearance. “The Golden Spike always

Number of animals on show at Ostrava Zoo when it officially opened in 1951: three roe deer and five pheasants

has a full house and the fans are so full of energy – every year they push me to good performances.”

Ostrava is the first of three European cities (the others being Rome and Oslo) in which the great Usain is scheduled to compete before heading home for the Jamaican Olympic trials, but he’s not the only attraction on show this evening. American pair Walter Dix and Wallace Spearmon are set to lock horns in an intriguing 200m, while forgotten Olympic heroine Christine Ohuruogu takes on former world champion Sanya Richards-Ross in the women’s 400m. It will, however, surely take something special to steal the headlines from Bolt.

Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

The current world leading time in the men’s 100m for 2012, set by Bolt (who else?) in Kingston earlier this month

REDEFINE THE LIMITS OF POSSIBILITY | LIMITED EDITION OAKLEY RADAR® OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF TEAM GB

UK.OAKLEY.COM ©2012 Oakley, Inc.

|

01727 795791

7 Days SUNDAY FOOTBALL | LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFF FINAL: CHELTENHAM v CREWE | WEMBLEY STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 2 3PM

Moving on up

It’s familiar ground for Huddersfield, last year’s beaten playoff finalists, as they return to Wembley with largely the same group that got them there 12 months ago, minus manager Lee Clark. New boss Simon Grayson was unable to improve on the fourth place Huddersfield were in when Clark departed, but did guide his team through a tricky playoff semi against MK Dons. Sheffield United will be disappointed they didn’t grab the second automatic promotion spot, having frequently swapped positions with Sheffield Wednesday and finished only three points behind their cross-town rivals. Huddersfield’s momentum may have stalled after a 2-1 home defeat to the Dons in the semi-final second leg, but then United had almost ground to a halt before their 1-0 aggregate win over Stevenage got them to Wembley. It’s a tough one to call.

46 | May 25 2012 |

Favourites for the drop at the start of the season, Cheltenham have confounded expectations by even finishing in the top seven, let alone by reaching the playoff final. They’ve won their two previous visits to Wembley – in 2002 and 2006 – and are looking for a return to League One after three years. They’ll also be seeking a measure of revenge: it’s been almost a year since Crewe thumped Cheltenham 8-1 at Gresty Road, a defeat that proved a turning point in their fortunes. Crewe have been stagnating in the bottom tier for a couple of years, but just sneaked the final playoff place after a strong season under new boss Steve Davis. His side are 18 matches unbeaten, having last lost to Southend – who they beat in the semis – in February. They’ll be looking to make it 19 as they take that confident run to Wembley.

Gareth Copley/Getty Images, Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

SATURDAY FOOTBALL | LEAGUE ONE PLAYOFF FINAL: SHEFFIELD UNITED v HUDDERSFIELD | WEMBLEY STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 2 3PM

7 Days FRIDAY CRICKET | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES: 2ND TEST | TRENT BRIDGE, NOTTINGHAM | SKY SPORTS 1 10.30AM Fears that a series against the West Indies would be a one-sided affair have been despatched by a five-day opening Test that occasionally looked to be veering out of England’s control. One thing is clear: England may have won, but their winter ills have not been fully cured by a return to home soil.

The batting line-up still doesn’t look fully assured, despite Andrew Strauss’ cathartic century and Ian Bell’s return to his smooth best.

At 57-4, England were in trouble in their second innings before Bell and Alastair Cook steadied the ship. The Windies attack – with hot young gun Kemar Roach living up to his billing – will see that their chance of a win in this Test rests on reducing England to a lower first-innings score than the 398 they garnered at Lord’s.

The West Indies’ main worry is, of course, scoring runs. Shivnarine Chanderpaul has raised his average to an incredible 70.63 from his 14 Tests in England, but it’s those above him who are failing. England’s admirable bowling unit will again be confident of taking apart the Windies’ top four – the challenge is then getting past the great immovable object of the Caribbean as quickly as they can.

Close for comfort

The big decision: Tim Bresnan or Steven Finn?

With James Anderson England’s player of the year, Stuart Broad in the bowling form of his life and Graeme Swann locking down the spin spot, there’s only one place open in England’s attack. Tim Bresnan (left) took it in the first Test, but just one wicket for 144 runs will have Bresy sweating. England don’t tend to alter a winning formula, but on the fast Trent Bridge pitch there’s a chance the brisker Steven Finn may get the nod. Whoever is selected will have one eye over their damp collar, fully aware of the calibre of back-up England have at their disposal.

48 | May 25 2012 |

SUNDAY >TENNIS | FRENCH OPEN | ROLAND GARROS, PARIS | BRITISH EUROSPORT 9.30AM & ITV1 2.45PM

The wonderfully named Coupe des Mousquetaires is up for grabs again over the coming fortnight, at the French Open in Paris. While another epic final between any two of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer would do nicely, there’s plenty to keep you interested before the tournament gets that far. Namely:

1. The big (female) guns are back Serena Williams (pictured) is up to fifth in the world, Maria Sharapova is up to second and even the old lady Venus is coming back, jumping 11 places from 63 to 52 in the latest rankings. It’s the Russian, though, who’s the form player going into Paris. Despite once claiming to move “like a cow on ice” on clay, Sharapova won the Rome Masters title last weekend and has reached the semi finals twice at Roland Garros. With world number one Victoria Azarenka struggling with a shoulder injury, Sharapova will fancy her chances of finally completing her career slam.

He might turn 31 this summer, but Roger Federer’s appetite for winning seemingly remains as strong as ever. Since his narrow defeat to Djokovic in last year’s US Open semi finals, the 16-time Grand Slam winner has gone on to claim the spoils at seven ATP tournaments, including the Madrid Masters on novelty blue clay earlier this month. He was beaten

by Djokovic – again in the semi finals – in Rome last week, but blamed that on having played so much tennis over the previous weeks. True, he’s without a Grand Slam title win for more than two years, but it doesn’t look like he’s quite ready to give up on number 17 just yet.

3. Andy Murray (sigh...)

Because we should mention him, and he has at least got a man in his corner now who knows how to win at Roland Garros – Ivan Lendl won the French Open three times during his playing career. But Murray also has a bad back, and is on a run of three disappointing defeats to lower-ranked players in his last three tournaments. Put bluntly, we’re not overly optimistic.

| 49

Glyn Kirk/AFP/GettyImages, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Second slam syndrome

2. Federer’s flowing

7 Days SATURDAY > RUGBY LEAGUE | STOBART SUPER LEAGUE MAGIC WEEKEND | ETIHAD STADIUM, MANCHESTER | SKY SPORTS 3 1PM

Derby days BEST OF THE REST

FRIDAY

FOOTBALL Copa del Rey Final: Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona, Vicente Calderon Stadium, Madrid, Sky Sports 1 8.30pm

GOLF BMW PGA Championship Day 4, Wentworth, BBC Two 2.30pm RUGBY UNION England v Barbarians, Twickenham, Sky Sports 4 2.30pm

MONDAY SATURDAY RUGBY UNION Super 15: Brumbies v Reds, Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Sky Sports 4 10.40am

has already scored some spectacular touchdowns this season.

And so to Sunday, when the opening clash between Catalan Dragons and London Broncos brings a new meaning to the phrase ‘local derby’. The weekend is completed by two more traditional rivalries, however, as Bradford Bulls take on Leeds Rhinos and St Helens face off against table-topping Wigan Warriors for the third time this season.

A fitting finale, and one to guarantee the viewers keep watching to the bitter end.

Magic Weekend: all the fixtures SATURDAY MAY 26 Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: 1pm Warrington Wolves v Widnes Vikings: 4pm Hull FC v Hull KR: 7pm SUNDAY MAY 27 Catalans Dragons v London Broncos: 12pm Huddersfield Giants v Salford City Reds: 2pm Bradford Bulls v Leeds Rhinos: 4pm St Helens v Wigan Warriors: 6pm All matches televised live on Sky Sports 3

TUESDAY FOOTBALL Women's FA Cup Final: Birmingham City v Chelsea, Ashton Gate, Sky Sports 2 12.15pm FOOTBALL International Friendly: Republic of Ireland v BosniaHerzegovina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Sky Sports 4 3pm HORSE RACING Betfred.com Temple Stakes, Haydock Park Racecourse, Channel 4/Racing UK 3pm SPEEDWAY FIM Swedish Grand Prix, Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sky Sports 4 6pm GREYHOUND RACING William Hill Derby Final, Wimbledon Stadium, Sky Sports 4 9pm

BASEBALL MLB: Boston Red Sox v Detroit Tigers (with Prince Fielder, above), Fenway Park, Boston, ESPN America 12am

WEDNESDAY BASEBALL MLB: Tampa Bay Rays v Chicago White Sox, Tropicana Field, St Petersburg, ESPN America 6pm RUGBY UNION Championship Final 2nd Leg: London Welsh v Cornish Pirates, Kassam Stadium, Oxford, Sky Sports 1 7.45pm

THURSDAY CRICKET Clydesdale Bank 40: Hampshire v Notts, Ageas Bowl, Sky Sports 2 4.30pm

SUNDAY MOTORSPORT British Superbikes Round 4, Snetterton, British Eurosport 2 12.30pm

ATHLETICS Samsung Diamond League: Rome, Olympic Stadium, Rome, BBC Three 7pm

Competition

Win! Season tickets at The Kia Oval!

S port magazine has teamed up with The Kia Oval to give away two memberships to the Kennington Club, a premium season ticket at the historic ground, which guarantees members top seats all year round. Kennington Club memberships are fully transferable, enabling you, your clients, colleagues, family or friends to enjoy ALL domestic and international matches at the ground throughout the year. For more information on the Kennington Club, please contact Steven Blackwood on 020 7820 5718, or kenningtonclub@surreycricket.com.

50 | May 25 2012 |

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN, JUST ANSWER THIS SIMPLE QUESTION: Who contests the Ashes with England?

A West Indies B India C Australia

To enter, text OVAL plus your answer A, B or C and your name to 81089

Texts cost 50p +std network charge. Competition closes at midnight on Thursday May 31. Full terms and conditions at www.sport-magazine.co.uk

Nigel French/Empics Sport, Leon Halip/Getty Images

It may still be wallowing in its recent footballing success, but Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium will be reverberating to the sound of a different sporting crowd this weekend – rugby league, to be precise, and the annual Super League Magic Weekend.

The concept sees a whole round of Super League fixtures played over two days at the same venue. And, after spells at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and Murrayfield in Edinburgh, it has now arrived in Manchester.

Local derbies are the theme, which should serve to ratchet up both the atmosphere and intensity at a stadium not all that familiar with rugby league. The first of three Saturday fixtures sees Castleford Tigers welcome back Man of Steel Rangi Chase from suspension for their basement battle with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, while bottom club Widnes Vikings have the daunting task of taking on second-placed Warrington Wolves.

The opening day’s proceedings climax with one of the bitterest confrontations in the sport, when Hull FC take on Hull Kingston Rovers. The Black and Whites are playing well under new coach Peter Gentle, and their young England wing Tom Briscoe (above)

MOTORSPORT World Superbikes Round 6, Miller Motorsports Park, USA, British Eurosport 2 7pm

Advertising feature

The Ultimate Defence

That chap over there is sporting The Nooo! Face — he’s just realised his PC has been infiltrated by cyber villains and there’s nothing he can do. If only he’d known about Trend Micro...

A

s the saying goes, just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. And never has this statement been more true than where your online activities are concerned. Because while you happily go about your business of downloading films and music, sharing images of friends and family, or accessing your bank accounts to buy sports tickets online, out there in cyber space, prying eyes and purest evil lurk at every turn.

One wrong click and you leave yourself at the mercy of an attack from trojans, worms and vicious viruses designed to infiltrate your PC and bring your world crashing down around you.

We’ve all felt that moment of knowing that something has gone horribly wrong, we’ve all experienced that utter helplessness as the threat takes control and your computer hits meltdown. All too late, the realisation finally hits you and you’re left sporting what can only be described as The Nooo! Face. This can’t be happening, you’ll scream, but it can and it is. Luckily, though, that face can be banished forever, for some serious help is finally at hand.

ON GUARD Arming yourself against cyber criminals is simple. Being careful with which sites you click on and what you download are the very basics, alongside protecting your passwords and never saving credit card details on shopping sites. Installing the latest Windows updates takes your security to a higher level, likewise using secure online backup and sync platforms like the ever-reliable SafeSync.

On top of that, installing trusted Internet Security provides a greater level of defence and allows you to surf with greater confidence. But there’s still a problem... because cyber thieves never sleep or tire of finding new ways to inflict their damage on you, the sad truth is that most people who suffer an attack already have some form of personal security running on their computer.

In most cases, however, that security is found wanting. But that’s where Trend Micro Titanium comes in.

CLOUDBUSTING Those who take their security seriously put their faith in Trend Micro Titanium, a new and far more effective way of protecting your PC with software that won’t slow you down.

Unlike other protection, it attacks and stops the threats long before they reach you, waging war up in the clouds rather than inside your PC. And with more than 20 years’ experience of protecting some of the world’s biggest businesses from online threats, when you buy Trend Micro Titanium, you’re buying unrivalled security and true peace of mind.

With Trend Micro Titanium in place, from this day forth you can turn the tables and unleash The Nooo! Face on the cyber criminals.

The bad guys have finally met their match...

www.trendmicro.co.uk SAVE A ND B For 50 E SAFE % off T

rend M Titaniu ic m www.t Maximum, v ro rendm isit icro now! .co.uk

| 51

Extra time Grooming

P58 A Maverick pair of cans if ever we saw one. Yeah, well so’s our Johnson

Making the most of your time and money

To serve and protect

James Lincoln, jameslincoln.co.uk

Our pick of the products to keep your skin safe from that ominous sun this summer

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick SPF30 £5.99 | boots.com, Nivea Sun Pure & Sensitive Sun Spray SPF50 £14.99 | boots.com, Lab Series Power Protector SPF50 £42 | labseries.co.uk, Caudalie Soleil Divin Body & Face Sunscreen SPF20 £20 | caudalie.com/uk, Elemis Liquid Layer Sunblock SPF30 £24.60 | timetospa.co.uk, Garnier Ambre Solaire Team GB Clear Protect+ High SPF30 £14.99| boots.com, Rituals Sun Protection Face Cream SPF50 £15.90 | rituals.com, Sisley Fluid Body Sun Cream SPF30 £82.50 | houseoffraser.co.uk, Institut Esthederm Adaptasun Tanning Face Cream £30 | liberty.co.uk 52 | May 25 2012 |

Extra time Lauren Vickers

54 | May 25 2012 |

| 55

Apix Syndication

auren Vickers is 5ft 11ins. Which, when the Australian Superbikes Championship TV presenter and Playmate is wearing heels, surely makes her anything but obtainable for anyone shorter than Peter Crouch.

Or so we thought. Because the grid girl affectionately known as ‘Legz’ is engaged to MotoGP Power Electronics Aspar rider Randy de Puniet — all 5ft 6ins of him. Well, we suppose if you’re French and you travel the world racing the fastest things on two wheels, then presumably you can afford to give away a couple of inches here and there.

Which is something Vickers would, it seems, like to be able to do herself. She has proclaimed in the past that she looks “like a giant around the riders because they’re not the tallest of breeds”. To add to her woes, she says it’s difficult to buy jeans “because they’re always too short”. Still, she seems to have solved that problem here.

L

Tall order

Extra time Entertainment

Groundhog day

FILM

Bill Murray in another Wes Anderson film, a superhero origin tale and a new Tom Clancy game. Have we been here before?

DVD

Chronicle It may be a composite of popular trends – a superpower origin movie, filmed in found-footage, hand-camera style – but this 2011 US indie hit is engagingly original.

It helps that Chronicle (released on Monday) avoids traditional hero and villain boxes to focus on what three teenage boys would really do if they developed special powers: play sport in the sky and use them on hot girls. That is, until the film abruptly takes several darker twists.

Superhero films are all the rage, but it’s great to see one that cracks the formulaic mould. Sequel please.

MUSIC

Moonrise Kingdom How does Wes Anderson do it? His lo-fi comedies never make for box office bucks, but he always gets an elite ensemble cast to star in them.

Moonshine Kingdom – a 1960s-set film about a 12-year-old couple who go on the run, leading to the town’s hapless adult community having to track them down – stars Edward

BLU-RAY

Norton, Bruce Willis plus a laconic Bill Murray (above) as the girl’s not-overly-worried father. It also features Anderson’s trademark themes of precocious youngsters, wry humour and smart, subtle observations. Hang on – we just answered our own question about how he snares that A-list cast.

GAME

Chinatown

Kill For Love Chromatics

Jack Nicholson’s finest performance (yes, we realise what a colossal statement that is) comes in Roman Polanski’s 1974 film noir about a cynical gumshoe dragged into a sinister web by a beautiful dame.

On Blu-ray from Monday and, simply, one of the best films ever made.

What We Saw From the Cheap Seats Regina Spektor She has the name of a James Bond villain, but Miss Spektor is more likely to get her mouth around a piece of indie-pop brilliance than around 007’s, er, martini. Monday’s new album from this princess of piano and lyrical gems is her sixth – and, to judge by the throbbingly urgent All the Rowboats, she’s added a new twist to her usual class.

56 | May 25 2012 |

MUSIC

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Plenty of games have had the Tom Clancy seal, but Future Soldier (out on PS3 and Xbox today) might be the best yet. Setting the balance between team stealth and visceral firefights, an intriguing upgrade is the futuristic weaponry – such as the optical camouflage tech that allows you to sneak through hot spots and shock your adversaries. For them, ghost-busting just got tougher.

It opens with a cover of Neil Young’s Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) but that doesn’t mean the Chromatics are short on ideas. They have so many that Monday’s new release is a full 90 minutes of mesmeric electro-pop. It’s less an album, more the languid soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist. Which makes no sense, but at least it sounds great.

Extra time Gadgets

A Maverick edge

Skullcandy Aviator Modelled on the sunglasses famously worn by Tom Cruise in Top Gun, these supercomfy headphones would have been a fitting addition to Maverick’s wardrobe.

Sure, he probably would have wasted them by just listening to Take My Breath Away on repeat and crying over Goose, but he would have looked damn stylish doing it. Available in a range of colours, these hit shelves at the start of next month.

This week: stylish headphones and an iPad case that matches our many leatherbound books. Yes, our office smells of rich mahogany

£150 | uk.skullcandy.com

Leica M Monochrom What’s black and white and red all over? It’s not a newspaper, or a dead penguin or an embarrassed nun – it’s this camera, which shoots only black and white photos (and has a little red light on it).

Sure, we can see the appeal of the incredible detail you get from collecting only one type of light information, and the brilliant portraits and shots you could take – but you’d think for six grand they could have thrown a couple of extra colours in. £6,120 (body only) | leica-storemayfair.co.uk

TW Steel Dario Franchitti Tech TW608

Twelve South BookBook

If you were inspired by our Indy 500 preview and want to show your support for two-time winner Dario Franchitti, then we’d advise buying a poster or something. If you want a high-quality watch as well, then we’d go for this oversized watch from TW Steel – it has a massive 48mm face and was designed in conjunction with the Scottish-Italian racer himself.

They say any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. That’s especially true if you hide the tech in a leatherbound book.

Get one of these. Put an iPad in it. Download an app that lets you control the lights and stereo.

Get a bit of voice control going. Pretend it’s an ancient book of spells. Alakazam! £70 | accessoryvillage.co.uk

£595 | twsteeluk.com

Panasonic Viera TX-L42DT50 Not, as you’ll note from the slight difference in spelling, named after former Arsenal midfield stalwart and current Manchester City something (what the hell does he do there?) Patrick Vieira, this TV still has the kind of substance the Frenchman would be proud of. It comes with both Freesat and Freeview HD capability included out of the box, plus built-in Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to stream video on demand if the delights of free-to-air TV become a bit tiresome. £1,399 | johnlewis.com

58 | May 25 2012 |

Extra time Kit

Shady business Aviators might look cool, but if you’re after something a tad more convenient for an active summer, try this lot for size Gill Sport £39 | gillmarine.com

Adidas Adizero Tempo £120 | adidas.co.uk

Salice 006 £70 | salice.co.uk

Bloc Shadow Multilens

James Lincoln, jameslincoln.co.uk

£50 | bloceyewear.com

60 | May 25 2012 |

Silhouette Centre Court £208 | silhouette.com

Sunwise Equinox £36 | sunwise.co.uk