Sport Magazine - Issue 242

Issue 242 | February 3 2012

Rose tainted But can England bloom again in the 2012 Six Nations?

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issue 242, february 3 2012 radar 06 Super Bowl crib sheet Want to sound like you know what you’re talking about this Sunday? Read on...

08 Becks in his pants We couldn’t resist the global sports icon in his new smalls.

But then, who could?

36

10 Football with toads One man’s quest to play football with the worst international team on the planet to do this coming week features

16 Rebuilding England

16

As the Six Nations rolls around, we ask three England legends how the national team can rise again

31 Rugby League Team-by-team analysis of this year’s Super League

34 Lizzie Armitstead

56

The cycling star insists all is ‘fine’ in the Team GB camp

36 Super Bowl Full preview of the big game between the Giants and Patriots

extra Time 50 Kit Cover image: Paula Lewis. This page: David Rogers/Getty Images

Each of the Six Nations shirts, although you might only want one

52 Monyca Byrne-Wickey A pro surfer makes these pages, not for the first time

54 Gadgets Includes a Ferrari speaker system. How nice...

56 Valentine’s Day special Gift ideas for those of you currently bereft of, er, gift ideas

60 Entertainment

Teen Wolf and Les Dawson, together for the first time | February 3 2012 | 05

p08 – Beckham’s pants

Radar

p08 – Laureus World Sports Awards p10 – Tune like a Ferrari mechanic

toM BradY nEw England Patriots

Eli Manning nEw York giants

Cheat sheet

A bluffer’s guide to the two superstar quarterbacks who go head to head in this Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI Previously overshadowed by his brother, Indianapolis Colts star Peyton Manning, erratic Eli, 31, is now showing he’s an Eli-te quarterback too

Al Bello/Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images

Has the edge with a 2-1 win/loss record against Brady and the Patriots, including ruining their attempt at a first ever 19-0 season. The Giants won the 2008 Super Bowl 17-14 in a big upset (Manning was the MVP) Annual salary: $16.25m (six-year contract worth $97.5m).

Endorsements: $7m. Net worth: approx $60m

in a nutshell Head to head the money

Ice-cool 34-year-old is the most decorated player of his era, going for a fourth Super Bowl win. A real all-American boy (minus the hyperobesity) Beats Manning on career touchdowns (300 to 185), passing success (64% to 58%), Super Bowl victories (3-1) and cheerleader underwear sent to his home address (probably). But that 2008 defeat still smarts Annual salary: $18m (four-year contract worth £72m).

Endorsements: $10m. Net worth: approx £100m

Has come alive since sneaking into the playoffs, orchestrating a 37-20 win over Super Bowl favourites the Green Bay Packers. Has a tendency to throw long and score big in the final quarter of crunch games

Form guide

Threw an all-time record-equalling six touchdown passes in the divisional playoff, but said he “sucked” as his team squeaked past Baltimore to reach the Super Bowl. It’s said Brady never sucks twice in a row

Eli has a dynamic pack of receivers to aim for, and the Patriots defense is a weak spot. We say he pips Peyton to that second Super Bowl ring, calling him afterwards to yell “Little bros before hos!” then hanging up

who wins

Brady will do his usual stellar job, but he can’t help the Patriots’ defense.

Another upset loss sends him home weeping to his mansion, millions of dollars, numerous NFL records and supermodel wife Gisele. Chin up

06 | February 3 2012 | Sport

Radar

Becks’ kecks W

hat’s Becks got down there, eh?

We don’t mean inside his undies – that’s clearly a rolled up copy of Sport – we mean the kecks themselves.

Officially, it’s the brand new David Beckham Bodywear collection for fashion retailer H&M. And, unofficially, we’re relieved.

Relieved because we love and respect Beckham – a footballer, a gentleman, an icon – but we don’t necessarily want his name or face all over our bobby dangler.

So it’s great to see that Becks’ briefs and boxers are subtly branded with an emphasis on classy design and fit. As well as four styles of underwear, the collection includes David’s perfect T-shirt, vest and even long johns to keep you snug in the winter months. An ideal fit in every sense.

David Beckham Bodywear launches this week. Available in store or via hm.com

Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images, Will Russell/Getty Images, Ryan Pierse/Getty Images, David Ramos/Getty Images, Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images, Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Guess who London hosts the Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday, so we tell you, with 100 per cent certainty, who will win

Sportsman of the Year Noble runners-up places

to Lionel Messi and Sebastian Vettel for being the planet’s outstanding footballer and driving the world’s fastest car (respectively), but we’re going for 2011’s three-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic to ace this with ease.

Sportswoman of the Year Taiwanese golfer

Yani Tseng has done her best Tiger Woods impression (circa 2000, rather than 2009), dominating her sport at age 22. However, we smell a tennis double is in the offing with Petra Kvitova perhaps sneaking this for her Wimbledon victory and all-round improvement.

08 | February 3 2012 |

Team of the Year England’s Test cricket team rose to world number one, while Barcelona had a passable 2011 (if you like big, shiny trophies). However, New Zealand’s rugby union team overcoming their ‘chokers’ tag to win a World Cup on home soil is going to snare this.

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability It’s lazy to

Comeback of the Year Darren Clarke gets a nod for his Open win (and his comeback from a monstrous hangover to actually talk the next day), but it’s hard to overlook Barcelona’s Eric Abidal, who had surgery for a tumour on his liver in March, then played the full 90 minutes of their Champions League final triumph in May.

Breakthrough of the Year Petra Kvitova has a chance here if she doesn’t win the woman’s award, but we’re banking on one of a pair of Brits to deliver a home success: Rory McIlroy for his US Open victory or Mo Farah for his gold and silver at the World Championships.

The latter might just dip at the line for the win.

just pick world-famous ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius, but becoming the first amputee to win a non-disabled World Championship track medal means he’ll pip it. Scottish triple gold-medallist David Weir has a strong case too.

Find out more at laureus.com

ManOnALedgeUK

IN CINEMAS TODAY

MODERATE VIOLENCE AND 12A CONTAINS ONE USE OF STRONG LANGUAGE

Radar

Speed of sound W

e always thought F1 pit crews were protecting their eardrums with those fancy headsets, but it turns out they’re just rocking out to Def Leppard or whatever it is Italians listen to (probably Pavarotti singing that ‘just one Cornetto’ song). We have conclusive proof of this with these snazzy P200s, part of a new range of headphones produced for Ferrari by sound specialists Logic3 (and featuring design cues taken from the headphones used by the Ferrari F1 team).

Coming in April and priced at £199, let’s hope they sound as magnifico as they look.

See the full range at ferrari-by-logic3.com

Game changer R

Toadal football 10 | February 3 2012 |

O

ne player showing up for training, a toad-infested pitch, constant rain and a national obesity rate of 90 per cent. These are just some of the challenges faced by Paul Wilson, who took that genius pub idea – find the world’s lowest-ranked football nation, become a naturalised citizen and see if they’ll let you have a go as player/ manager – and actually ruddy did it.

Thus Paul flew to Scotland – sorry, we mean Pohnpei in the South Pacific – and set about arranging a key international grudge match with Guam.

He also wrote this light, funny, enjoyably punchy book about the experience (which is more than we’ll get from Don Fabio post-summer).

Up Pohnpei, out now, £12.99

ugby fans may not be known for their love of technology – who needs an iPhone when you have a pint of ale in your grasp? – but that could be about to change with the launch of a new app.

Available to download free from today, the RBS 6 Nations Live Challenge activates 40 minutes before each match, giving viewers the chance to test their rugby knowledge before trying to predict what will happen ahead of key moments in each game. A bit of fun to go with your beer. rbs6nations.com/ livechallenge

Radar Editor’s letter Pakistan celebrate as they realise England just cannot play spin www.sport-magazine.co.uk @sportmaguk facebook.com/sportmaguk

Sport magazine Part of UTV Media plc 18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ Telephone: 020 7959 7800 Fax: 020 7959 7942 Email: firstname.lastname@ sport-magazine.co.uk

EDITORIAL Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951) Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861) Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431) Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915) Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914) Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963) Contributors: David Lawrenson

Best side in the world?

England are showing that when conditions don’t suit, they cannot cut the mustard

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

fellow bowlers Graeme Swann and Jimmy Anderson.

The capitulation was appalling. There was no time pressure. The bowling was good, certainly – but to not even get close to a target of 145 is beyond belief for a side that claims to be the best in the world. Suddenly we are crying out for a batsman in the mould of Paul Collingwood: someone with a bit of spine who can stick around when the going gets tough.

Personally, I hope the bowlers didn’t pat the batters on the back and tell them not to worry. I hope they spoke up in the dressing room and told them they should be ashamed of themselves.

What I really hope is that Panesar picked up Eoin Morgan’s bat and threatened to beat him around the head with it before setting fire to it on the balcony, for all the use Morgan is making of it. Don’t suppose he did, though.

Has any sport ever had such a phenomenal golden period as men’s tennis is having right now? We thought we were fortunate at being able to watch Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal playing at the same time; now Novak Djokovic has taken the game on to yet another level. His Australian Open final with Nadal was another for the vaults: a brutal, devastating, epic match that only real heroes can put on. And, once again, from afar, Andy Murray will have looked on and realised that winning one of the tournaments that count is nigh-on impossible for him right now.

Chris Robshaw is a very interesting appointment as England skipper for the start of the Six Nations campaign. From what he has shown at Harlequins, he may just be one of those natural leaders of men. Boy, how English rugby could do with one of those.

Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Advertising Managers: Paul Brett (7918), Dan Dawson (7822), Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Head of Brand Solutions: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Adam Bullock PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826) Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham (Peterborough) Ltd © UTV Media plc 2011 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold

Hearty thanks this week to: David Alexander, Ashley O’Rourke, Cat Pia, the good folk at Shockwaves Total Average Net Distribution: 306,217 Jan-Jun 2011

Reader comments of the week @simoncaney a touch unbalanced about horse racing today I think.

Attendances up significantly, prob attracted more newbies than other sports.

great perspective on the #olympic opening ceremony article – personally think a breakdancing Boris would go down a treat @simoncaney.

@simoncaney Liked your assessment of Arsene.

Football is cyclical, yes, and also cynical.

@paolobow Twitter

@AliFoster2 Twitter

@mylastsong Twitter

12 | February 3 2012 |

Fantastic article on Scotty Parker. Very well written and shows what a modest, unassuming bloke he is.

Proud to say he was a Hammer.

You are a total c*** mate.

You look like one, and write like one. Stick to a sport that you know about. And by the look of you that would be Tennis or Hockey.

James, via email

John, via email

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.

Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk

Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

O

ne wonders how the normally mild-mannered Monty Panesar reacted to England’s shameful defeat to Pakistan last weekend.

For all that this England team talk about harmony in the camp – how everyone works for everyone else – the first two Tests of this series have shown that, as well as the bowlers are doing, the batsmen are performing equally badly.

Panesar, out of Test cricket for almost three years, came back superbly in the second Test. He looked a constant threat in both innings and is a different player to the one who disappeared so timidly from the international scene in 2009.

And yet when it came to it, his colleagues with the bat let him down. They also let down the admirable Stuart Broad (who actually currently appears to be our most capable batsman), as well as

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Radar Frozen in time

14 | February 3 2012 |

What, would you say, is the ultimate test of manliness? Wrestling a bear until one of you is dead? Arm-wrestling a drunken sailor?

Or quaffing a yard and eating a phaal? All very rugged and all very manly, but if you want to show the world how big a pair of stones God gave you, you’ll really need to win the Tough Guy Challenge – a true test of manliness in which the organisers set fire to your underpants and see how far you can run.

And here’s the winner, a Mr Beelzebub of Watford, who was set alight in Telford and last seen running towards Penzance.

If you see him, do stand well back.

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Michael Regan/Getty Images

FIRE STARTER

Six Nations 2012 our three wise Men

Jeff Probyn Despite not making his England debut until the ripe old age of 31, the Wasps prop went on to play in 37 of England’s next 44 matches and played a key part in two Grand Slam wins as well as featuring in the 1991 World Cup final. A former member of the RFU committee, Probyn helped elect Sir Clive Woodward and Martin Johnson as England coaches. He is a regular on talkSPORT show Full Contact.

will Carling The former Harlequins and England centre won 72 caps for his country, becoming its youngest ever captain, aged just 22, when he took the honour in 1988.

Carling led the side to back-to-back Grand Slams in 1991 and 1992 before completing a belated hat-trick in 1995.

He is now director at The Rugby Agency. For more information, email info@therugbyagency.com.

‘we Can

Stuart Lancaster leads a new-look England side to Murrayfield tomorrow, but is this the start of a new era or just another false dawn? Sport kicks off a 10page Six Nations special by talking to the experts as we investigate how this once great side have fallen so far – and whether they can return to the top of the game What’s been going so wrong for England?

Matt Dawson England’s most capped scrum half represented his country 77 times and won the Grand Slam and World Cup in the same year in 2003. He was also a member of the England Sevens side that won the first Sevens World Cup in 1993, and is one of only two players to win the World Cup at both disciplines (Lawrence Dallaglio is the other). Dawson is part of Radio Five Live’s Six Nations team for this year’s tournament.

Jeff Probyn: “Well, nothing went too wrong in relative terms, but that’s English rugby’s problem in itself. No England side has had continued success since the Geoff Cooke era back in the early 1990s – knocking the Aussies out in 1995 was a high, the home tournament in 1999 was a big low, 2003 was a peak, and so on. But we always expect more. The lack of consistency in the team’s results comes from a lack of continuity from bottom to top.

English rugby has people at the top with one agenda, people on the field with another and then coaches with different ideas.”

Matt Dawson: “A lot has been written and said about England’s troubles, and we all know the majority of the problems. The past

few years I’ve seen players struggling to express themselves and playing within a system they didn’t quite look comfortable with. It all comes down to a lack of communication.”

will Carling: “Yeah, players weren’t given enough responsibility across the board and weren’t accountable for anything on or off the field. After the amount of time the guys had together, the players should have been running most of the sessions themselves, with coaches just dipping in and out to tweak things. I think that was only just starting to happen at the end of Martin Johnson’s era.

The added advantage is that this creates an environment in which players are heavily involved in what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, as opposed to being treated like school kids. If you treat them like kids, then they behave like kids.”

JP: “On the playing side of things, I feel the

issues were more selectorial. When the IRB made a big fuss of the breakdowns before

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16 | February 3 2012 |

RebuilD TheM’ MD: “We’ve become the laughing stock of the

rugby world, but it’s only because countries are scared of what England could be.”

WC: “There’s just a lack of trust and understanding between the RFU and the clubs, and the RFU and the players. There’s a lot of rebuilding to be done.”

Who needs to take responsibility – players, coaches or the RFU?

MD: “I don’t know about placing blame. But, as

I said, other countries are scared of what England could be. This is because of the sheer size of the player base we have available, the finances being put into the game and the enormity of the RFU in general.

It’s not about being arrogant in any way.

Someone just needs to start realising what we have, and if we get that right there’s no reason why England shouldn’t be challenging for honours every single year – and at every single World Cup.” JP: “There’s just no synergy between the

RFU council and the players – remembering, of course, that the RFU is a business. The directors of any business aren’t involved with those at the coalface – the players, in this case. That’s a reality for every club in the country.”

“oTheR CounTRies aRe sCaReD of WhaT english Rugby CoulD aChieve”

WC: “I think everyone shares the blame.

The players need to step up, though, and think about their relationship with the RFU, their sponsors and how they can project a better image. You can’t just blame the RFU for some stuff that happened at the World Cup.”

MD: “Maybe it’s the fans as well. I want England to win every game, as most people do, but maybe I have to change that outlook slightly. Of course I want them to win, but maybe we need half a season that’s just about performance, to let these players express themselves and find their feet.”

Russell Cheyne/Allsport, David Rogers/Getty Images, Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

the World Cup, for example, it indicated that this was going to be an important area of the park – and yet England didn’t select an openside flanker in their squad. That’s kind of a damning statement. The stars at the World Cup were Theirry Dusautoir, David Pocock, Richie McCaw... all number sevens.

It’s something that’s been identified by Graham Rowntree, but it’s not a position that’s necessarily needed in the style of rugby that Premiership sides play. They’re looking for utility back-rowers because of their large squad demands – so there are less out-and-out sevens to pick from.”

With so many relationships needing to be healed, what needs to change?

MD: “Ian Ritchie’s appointment as chief executive is a welcome start and will help provide the stability that England required.

There are now appointments who will put their own spin on how England should go forward, and we should give them the opportunity to do that.”

WC: “Hopefully, Ian Ritchie can start to create trust and respect between the >

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| 17

Six Nations 2012 players, the clubs and the RFU. The relationship between the RFU and players has been poor, to say the least, for the past 20 years. So it’s about time a proper relationship was built. That’s going to take a lot of effort, but it’s crucial. There has been a fundamental breakdown between Rob Andrew and the players for whatever reason, so there needs to be a new figurehead to deal with the players. And they need to get the right personnel in there to do that.”

JP: “The professionalisation of the game

brought with it an end to regional rugby, so it’s hard because national coaches can’t see players outside the comfort of their club rugby until they are with the national side.

That is a big step up in quality. As a result, successive planning in terms of coaches and management is essential. The RFU and in a way the performance department of the RFU have to look at up-and-coming coaches and bring them in to the Under 20s, the Saxons and so on. They should let them take charge of England at various levels over the years.

“That means that when a space opens up for the head coach’s job, the Saxons coach can step up or at least help in the recruitment process, and other coaches can then all be promoted into the next role on the ladder. What this does is promote a coach who’s been working with the Saxons, and thus knows the quality players who are knocking on the door for selection, as opposed to just picking the next best thing because he’s playing well in a club side that are playing well.”

“We have four years To MoulD a TeaM The WorlD Will fear”

excuses and that no stone has been left unturned. We have four years with this squad to find the right brand of rugby and mould them into winners – a team the world will fear.”

Is Stuart Lancaster’s squad the right first step?

WC: “That said, I don’t think Lancaster will be the long-term coach. I think that will change after the Six Nations, when someone like Nick Mallett will come in.”

JP: “Well, carrying on from the point I just

made, Stuart Lancaster is the right man for the successive coaching right now, because he’s been working with the likes of Chris Robshaw, Owen Farrell and so on for a while.

He knows how good the youngsters can be when thrown into a new environment.

As for the actual squad, it’s hard to judge because he’s only been allowed to tinker with the squad as opposed to picking his own entire team. But I like the balance of it on paper.”

JP: “I’m not sure about long term. Lancaster’s only been allowed to pick this interim squad by tinkering with the elite squad, so I think it would be a bit unfair to make a judgement on him and decide his future just on these games. The RFU need to see if there is an improvement in the attitude of the squad and if there’s a more defined playing style – something that’s been missing for some time. If they see steps in the right direction, then the RFU should quickly ensure he stays on board, at least in some capacity.”

WC: “I would have picked Nick Easter. He just gives the pack a focal point, especially with a fairly young look to the rest of the back-row options, and he has that presence to help them in tough times. He’s probably the only one I’d change. People talk about throwing youngsters in, but you have to strike the right balance. I think Lancaster has.”

MD: “There’s no point getting ahead of ourselves. Lancaster has been given the reins and has impressed most people so far.

It’s now up to him and the players he’s picked to show the public and the media they’re the right squad to carry England through to 2015.

They have two monumental tasks first up, in Scotland and Italy away. England need to focus on them and nothing else – if they come back to Twickenham on the back of two defeats, the pessimism will already be creeping back in.”

MD: “I agree. It’s a brave decision to clear out

so many players and go with a young squad, but it’s one that everyone in rugby wanted to see. It’s a brilliant opportunity for England to get ready for 2015 and say there are no

The sTaTs Don’T lie: englanD’s DeMise sinCe The 2003 WorlD CuP Win

Games since 2003 World Cup final won 45, drawn 1, lost 46 win% 49.5 tries 207 lost 18 of 45 at Twickenham lost 17 of their 40 Six Nations games beat the Tri Nations sides in 6 out of 29 games

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Games before (and including) 2003 World Cup final won 66, drawn 2, lost 24 win% 72.8 tries 320 lost 6 of 46 at Twickenham lost 7 of their 36 Six Nations games beat the Tri Nations sides in 13 out of 29 games blackberry.co.uk/bold

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18 | February 3 2012 |

Adam Pretty/Getty Images

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Six Nations 2012 The Teams

england Stuart Lancaster, the new man at the helm, stepped up from the Saxons to take the job (for now). Has introduced humility to the side, and has the advantage of knowing the younger players from the Saxons set-up.

Key player Ben Foden (right). In a side littered with new faces, solidity at the back is key.

Seemingly reignited by the challenge of Mike Brown, Foden’s clearing up of problems at 15 could be essential to getting this side on the front foot – as well as keeping them in the tight games.

the past 12 months Rollercoaster doesn’t begin to desribe a crazy 12 months for English rugby.

From the verge of a Grand Slam, England fell to the depths of a World

Paddy Power Six NatioNS chamPioNShiP oddS 4/1

Cup quarter-final exit thanks to a 40-minute blitz by France. Off-field headlines overshadowed their entire tournament (and year), with English rugby doing more for tabloid ‘-gate’ headlines than Richard Nixon managed in an entire career. The fallout was Martin Johnson’s resignation, Lewis Moody’s retirement and a reshuffling of English rugby at the higher levels.

the current squad Youth and inexperience is the X factor in a side in which experienced heads are noticeable by caps, not age. How Lancaster sets his team out is another matter, with injuries to Toby Flood, Tom Wood and Manu Tuilagi giving England a very different look to the one we can expect come the end of the tournament.

Sport’s prediction: 4th

Paddy Power Six NatioNS chamPioNShiP oddS 25/1

scotland coach

Now in his third season with Scotland, former England coach Andy Robinson has brought fleeting glory to the Scots, albeit by taking flair out of their game.

Since his appointment in June 2009, Scotland have scored 20 tries in 24 Tests. The prosecution rests its case.

Key player Richie Gray. The unmistakable figure of the 6ft 10ins shaggy blond second row is one that Scottish fans will want to see a lot of. A towering presence in the lineout, Gray can carry and hassle with the best of them. He can have a big impact in this tournament.

the past 12 months A dismal Six Nations – Scotland scored just six tries and lost four of their five games – was followed by an ultimately

disappointing World Cup. Some chinks of light can be seen, though, after Robinson’s men came within a dodgy call (against Argentina) and a late try (against England) of qualification.

Defeated, yes, but unluckily so.

the current squad The loss of Chris Paterson is Scotland’s biggest worry, as whoever steps into any one of the numerous shirts Paterson wore will be under a heck of a lot of pressure. The pack looks as strong as ever, so expect the usual tight game with kickers making the difference. That said, Rory Lamont’s return is a timely boost – if he and Max Evans can get their hands on the ball consistently and to good effect, this side has potential.

Sport’s prediction: 5th blackberry.co.uk/bold

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20 | February 3 2012 |

Sandra Mu/Getty Images, Hannah Johnston/Getty Images

coach

Scotland v england Murrayfield | Saturday 5pm | BBC One

Six Nations 2012 Dylan Hartley

ForWard Thinking A captain retired, a manager resigned, a team remodelled.

There’s a revolutionary look to Stuart Lancaster’s England side and, as they head to Murrayfield for their first test, hooker Dylan Hartley tells Sport they’re refusing to look back...

W

FOR MORE FROM DYLAN HARTLEY, DOWNLOAD THE FREE SPORT IPAD APP NOW – AVAILABLE AT THE APP STORE

e’re sitting in a small London office with England’s Dylan Hartley when a thought suddenly crosses our mind – there’s nowhere to hide in here. In fact, between agents, PRs, Hartley, us and our Sport app cameras, there’s barely space in the office to stand, let alone hide. Not a problem, you might think, but when you’ve just asked a 6ft 1in, 17-and-a half-stone hooker a question he doesn’t like – namely, “what went wrong at the World Cup?” – these things tend to cross your mind.

“Come on, we want to talk about a fresh start,” is his reluctant reply. “No one wants to talk about the World Cup anymore, do they?” You can see our problem. But you can see Hartley’s as well, because the World Cup in New Zealand has become a virtual swearword in the annals of English rugby – and something from which all those involved want to move on.

Luckily, move on they appear to have done.

Of the 32-man squad that was named before the trip to New Zealand, 15 changes have been made. Lewis Moody and Jonny Wilkinson have both retired from international duty, while Mike Tindall, Shontayne Hape, Nick Easter and Mark Cueto now find themselves in the ‘too old’ bracket. The 2015 World Cup is the clear target.

Nine new caps have been brought in – plus a further four players who have all represented their country on only one occasion – meaning the elder statesmen on the team now consist of experienced players as opposed to ageing faces.

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22 | February 3 2012 |

Obviously no one in the camp wants to talk about the World Cup, but can you take any positives from the whole experience?

“Yeah, definitely. Personally, I believe you can always learn, and I’ve returned from the tournament on good form. I’ve been on a good run with Northampton and the new era awaiting this England side is something I can’t wait for. A new coaching set-up, a new squad and training at a new location. It’s all very exciting.”

What are your thoughts on Stuart Lancaster’s squad?

“I’m happy to be in it. Other than that, there are obviously a lot of new faces, but I think that’s testament to the quality of the Aviva Premiership. You look around at the top four teams and they’re well represented, which is always good. And there are a lot of young players who are really standing up and proving themselves. It’s positive, and it’s really encouraging seeing players picked on form.”

Is there any worry about a lack of international experience?

“No. I’m a believer that if you’re playing well, you deserve to be looked at. You’ve got to remember that, while there are 15 or so new faces, there are still 15 or so existing players. So there’s still plenty of experience.

On the other side of that, there are now a lot of players in there who want to impress and players who are desperate to show what they can do. A lot of lads – the likes of Phil Dowson, Lee Dickson and Chris Robshaw – have been knocking on the door for a few years, so it’ll be exciting to see what they can do given the chance.”

You’re one of the more senior players now...

“I know. I’m only 25, and I feel like one of the old boys!”

Are you happy to take on that extra responsibility?

“Yeah, of course. I’m considered a senior player at Northampton, so quite naturally I think I can take that into the England squad. Having said that, I think there’s going to be a core group of senior players there, not necessarily in age but in terms of experience.”

And does it help that there are seven of your Northampton teammates in the squad?

“Yeah, like I said, I think it’s a testament to the top teams in the Premiership that there are so many Northampton, Harlequins, Saracens and Leicester guys in there. The bulk of the squad is made up the top four teams, so there will be a lot of familiar faces for a lot of players. The other thing is there are a lot of combinations that are used to playing together as well, which obviously helps. Our back row at Northampton has been playing very well, then there’s the Ben Foden and Chris Ashton combination, or Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell.”

Looking ahead to the Six Nations, can you see any easy games or any weak sides?

“No, but then there’s no such thing as an easy international these days. At the moment, our squad is just thinking about Murrayfield away this weekend. With a fresh team, it will be an even bigger challenge for us to put in a performance there and hopefully get a result – and we are very aware that everyone will be watching us.”

‘everyone is hungry For iT, and i Think ThaT will show on The Field’ Calum Clark was with him in the Leeds Academy and he has a lot of good things to say about him. The same goes for all the boys who trained under him with the Saxons, so I’m looking forward to working closely with him. It’s a new start for us all.”

Martin Johnson handed out just eight new caps in his 15 Six Nations matches in charge. By comparison, Lancaster has named no fewer than nine new faces in his first England squad

And presumably you’re not expecting a warm Scottish welcome after knocking them out of the World Cup? “No, we never expect much of a welcome from them anyway. We had the last result go our way, but that means nothing and we know that. Murrayfield is a difficult place to play and they never give an inch on the field, especially in the front row, so it will be tough.”

How much did you know about Stuart Lancaster before the squad came together?

“He was involved in the Saxons while I’ve been with the senior squad, so we always saw him around a lot and I’ve had lunch with him a few times. He comes across as more casual than Martin Johnson to a lot of people, but don’t be misled by that.

There’s been a lot of talk about an exciting new brand of rugby from England. Is that something that you’ve talked about?

“Not really. We’re aware that you can’t go into any game saying you’re going to play a certain way, mainly because you’ve got to play the conditions. There’s no point trying to play an expansive game if it’s going to to be heaving down with rain at Murrayfield.

You have to be able to adapt. That’s where you need leaders throughout the side who can make those decisions on the day.”

After all that’s happened, people expect England to come out flying. Win or lose, how important is it not to get carried away?

“Very important. Of course you want to win, but you’ve got to improve along the way. It’s a long trip to the next World Cup – we have four years. The good thing about this squad is that none of us have won a World Cup, so the drive’s there and the ambition’s there. We need to win something as a squad, so everyone’s hungry for it –and I think that will show on the field.”

So is the Six Nations about the performances or the results?

“As long as we’re improving along the way, we’ll be happy. Last year, England won 10 out of 13 matches. But everyone forgets that because we slipped up in the final Six Nations game. The steps forward we took were great. And, as long as we’re improving along the way this year, the results will come.”

Finally, can England win the Six Nations?

“Of course.”

Mark Coughlan @coffers83 Dylan Hartley wears PUMA PowerCat 1.12 boots.

Visit facebook.com/pumarugby for more details

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| 23

Action Images/Jed Leicester/Livepic

With Tom Wood, who at 25 years old has just nine caps, seemingly Lancaster’s choice as long-term captain, it will fall to the likes of Ben Foden (26, 22 caps), Toby Flood (26, 46), Tom Croft (26, 31) and Hartley himself to provide the more experienced heads in the dressing room. It’s an exciting new beginning for English rugby. Hartley, who turns 26 one week after the final Six Nations game and has 34 caps to his name, is relishing the chance to be at the centre of it – especially with the benefit of having learned some important lessons from the, er, ahem, you know, World Cup...

Six Nations 2012 The Teams

frAnce cOAcH

THe pAsT 12 mOnTHs

After the madness of Marc Lièvremont, the French have turned to the experience of Phillipe SaintAndre to take them forward. His 11 years coaching in England give him a knowledge of the hard-graft side of the game, while two years with Toulon bring with them an understanding of French flair and that crucial ability to control big egos.

Defeat to Italy in the Six Nations was a low point, and a desperate loss to Tonga in their World Cup pool should have ended their interest. Results elsewhere saw them through to the quarters, where they took care of England with a stunning first half. Alain Rolland’s red card helped them past Wales and in the end they were unlucky not to win the final, falling a point short.

KeY pLAYer

THe currenT squAd

Thierry Dusautoir. Gone are the days when France were all about lightweight flair, and Dusautoir is typical of the power and directness this team now possess. Against New Zealand, in New Zealand, when New Zealand won the World Cup, Dusautoir was voted man of the match. What more do you need to know?

Saint-Andre has brought normality back to French rugby, and his reign begins with the reselection of Lionel Beauxis and Clement Poitrenaud to add stability. Keep an eye out for Wesley Fofana – the uncapped youngster could well light up this tournament.

france v italy Stade de France | Saturday 2.30pm | BBC One

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Sport’s predIcTIOn: 1sT

ITALY cOAcH

Jacques Brunel spent six years as France’s assistant coach and knows how to mix stylish rugby with efficient victories. He’s talked about a more exciting brand of rugby for Italy, as well as winning the Six Nations within three years. Big call, perhaps, but Brunel is nothing if not confident.

KeY pLAYer Sergio Parisse. In a side of good players, Parisse is outstanding.

Arguably the best all-round number eight in world rugby, Parisse carries his side to results with his handling, tackling, pace, power and even kicking.

THe pAsT 12 mOnTHs Having overseen Italian rugby’s progression to a genuinely dangerous outfit, Nick Mallett will be disappointed

with his last year in charge. Victory over the French was all they had to show from the Six Nations – albeit a victory that will long live in the memory – while a tough World Cup pool proved to be just that, as Australia and Ireland failed to slip up against the Azzurri.

THe currenT squAd The new man in charge is not messing around, dropping four veteran stars in favour of four uncapped youngsters.

Mauro Bergamasco, who missed last year’s tournament, is back to boost a strong pack, while the backline will look to create more than previous seasons.

Keep an eye on Giovanbattista Venditti – the Aironi winger might line up at 13, but he has had a few Heineken Cup defences chasing shadows this year.

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| February 3 2012 | 25

Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images, Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images

Paddy Power Six NatioNS chamPioNShiP oddS 150/1

Six Nations 2012 The Teams

IRELAND Former Munster coach Declan Kidney has turned Ireland into a younger and more exciting outfit during his three and a half years in charge, and knows his players inside out.

followed before they hit their stride – and how – with a memorable victory over Australia. Drawn against anyone other than an in-form Wales side, they just might have found themselves in their first World Cup semi final.

KEy pLAyER

ThE CuRRENT SquAD

Paul O’Connell. Captain POC will have to be at his best to inspire his side in Brian O’Driscoll's absence. Set-piece success is led by him, while his spoiling of opposition ball is key to Ireland’s defence.

There are few surprises in Kidney’s squad, with just five uncapped players included after being promoted from the Wolfhounds. Question marks remain over the front three, but the rest of the forwards are world class and this squad boasts the right mix of experience and quality. Issues may arise at 13, where the man entrusted with Brian O’Driscoll’s shirt (most likely Keith Earls or Fergus McFadden) will be under pressure to perform.

ThE pAST 12 moNThS The 24-8 dismantling of a Grand Slam-chasing England ensured that their Six Nations campaign ended in some style, despite finishing third in the table. Warm-up defeats and two dour pool victories at the World Cup

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Sport’S pREDICTIoN: 2ND

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WALES CoACh

Warren Gatland, entering his fifth Six Nations, is aiming for a second Grand Slam. He’s brought a youthful exuberance and exciting brand of rugby to a Welsh side that is playing with incredible confidence.

match (after that James Hook kick wasn’t given) was forgotten in a flash, as their flowing rugby saw them bound into the semi finals. Sam Warburton’s red card was surely the difference between France and this Welsh side reaching its first World Cup final.

KEy pLAyER

ThE CuRRENT SquAD

Jamie Roberts. The Cardiff Blues man is the key to the way Wales play, getting the team on the front foot and allowing their quick brand of rugby to punish opposition defences.

While an outstanding backline means Shane Williams’ absence will not be as keenly felt, the expected loss of Rhys Priestland at 10 means James Hook will probably slip straight back into a key position. In the forwards, injuries mean a lot depends on how the new pack settles, with second row a particular issue. If they get the lineout sorted quickly and remain injury-free, this side will take some stopping.

ThE pAST 12 moNThS After a poor Six Nations campaign, Wales regrouped with a younger squad, went on a fitness drive in Poland and came back flying ahead of the World Cup. Narrow defeat to South Africa in their opening World Cup

Sport’S pREDICTIoN: 3RD blackberry.co.uk/bold

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26 | February 3 2012 |

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CoACh

ireland v wales AVIVA Stadium | Sunday 3pm | BBC One

Six Nations 2012 Jamie Roberts

The DocTor IS IN After an extended period on the sidelines since the World Cup, Welsh centre Jamie Roberts tells Sport he’s desperate to leave the physio room and return to the field. And all while studying for a medical degree...

How much are you looking forward to getting back on the pitch?

“I can’t wait. To go the whole World Cup without an injury and then pick something up eight minutes into domestic competition was frustrating. Then to do it again against the Dragons in December was pretty gutting.

I’m champing at the bit to get back out there.”

Studying for a degree in medicine, you must know a bit more about your own injuries than other players would?

“Definitely – although I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing at times.”

They say doctors make the worst patients.

Is that the case with you?

“I’m what I would call an impatient patient.”

How exhausted were you by the end of the World Cup? “It takes a lot out of you – of course it does.

I think I played 15 Tests in the calendar year last year, so that’s quite a lot of rugby to have played. Having that break after the World Cup, albeit forced upon me by injury, has certainly refreshed me, both physically and mentally. Life’s all about trying to keep the body in decent nick, and rugby does take its toll when you don’t get any time off.”

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28 | February 3 2012 |

It was a strange World Cup because you exceeded expectations in many ways, but then you came so close to the final. Did you come back on a high or a low?

“It was half and half, really. It was certainly bittersweet and very emotional after that France game. I’ve been around long enough to know that chances like that don’t come along too often, and to lose a World Cup semi final by a point was pretty devastating. That will hurt everyone for a long time.”

Was being on the pitch after that semi final the lowest point of your career?

“It was up there. You lose a World Cup semi by a point... you’re not going to be in a good place. Losing the Lions Test series with a last-minute penalty in the second Test and losing in the penalty shootout [Cardiff Blues v Leicester in the semi final of the Heineken Cup]

Warren [Gatland] has picked a squad with a great blend of youth and experience, and the boys who have been playing out in France will be back. They’ll have experienced a different brand of rugby and a different lifestyle, so it’s a nice mix – and great for the future of Welsh rugby.”

The youthful look means you’re one of the older players in the squad. Are you happy with that?

“I relish that pressure and I’m always one to step up and willingly take responsibility.

It’s part of who I am and I enjoy it. It’s part of the game – although it’s certainly pretty scary being 25 and being one of the senior players in the squad. But a few boys have a bit more experience than me, so it’s important for all of us to help the younger lads settle into Test rugby quickly.”

Despite 39 caps for Wales, Roberts has only scored four tries for his country – none of which have come at the Millennium Stadium

You’ve got a rematch of the World Cup quarter final first up. How much are Ireland going to be up for a revenge mission?

“Yeah, there aren’t any easy games in the Six Nations, and I think this is the hardest tournament to call in a long time. But I don’t think you could pick a harder game than Ireland away to begin. They will still be hurting from that quarter-final defeat, and we would be naive to think anything other than that they’ll be hugely motivated by it. Dublin’s an amazing place to go, though. I guess being a fellow Celtic nation, their fans are similar to ours and like to get behind their team. We’re also going to

“We desperately Want to improve on What We did at the World Cup” are both up there. Certainly, I’ve had a career that has been a very close call in a lot of games. If they had all gone my way, my career could be a very different story.”

Being such a young squad, this Wales side could be together for a long time to come.

How good can this current crop be?

“Hopefully, very good. The players are very focused and dedicated to continuously raising the bar, and that is massively important.

This is a group of very enthusiastic guys and we desperately want to improve on what we did at the World Cup. We played some great rugby out there and we want to replicate that – and better it – in the Six Nations and over the next couple of seasons.

play against a team who are similar to ours in that they like to play an attractive brand of rugby. It’s a huge challenge for us.”

And later in the tournament you have the chance for some revenge of your own against the French...

“Yeah, it’s another one of the many subplots of this year’s Six Nations. The French domestic league is as strong as anywhere in the world, and the calibre of player they can name from one to 15 is scary, really. On their day, they can beat anyone. But we welcome them to the Millennium Stadium and hopefully we can get a bit of revenge.”

What do you make of Stuart Lancaster’s new-look England side?

“I think it’s an exciting time for England.

Obviously a lot has gone on in the World Cup and a lot has happened both off and on the field. It’s a chance for them to wipe the slate clean I suppose and implement a new ethos into the squad, and it’s also a great chance for their young players to play Test match rugby for England. Like us, they’ve got a nice balance of youth and experience; if their young lads can step up to Test rugby, they’ll cause a lot of problems.”

You’re in the fourth year of a medical degree, playing full-time rugby and you’ve just moved back into a nicely renovated flat.

Is it fair to say you like being busy?

“Yeah, I definitely enjoy it. If you’re not busy, you’re not living. I stand by that motto. I think it’s important to work hard towards certain goals, and one of my goals is graduating in medicine. It’s something I’ve worked hard to achieve over the past seven years, and I’ll hopefully graduate in May 2013. It’s a good balance for me. I play rugby, I train hard. I’m very focused on what I want to achieve in rugby, and my daily routine is very specific.

So that break I get from rugby when I go to uni – that problem-solving process I put myself through when I’m on the wards and in theatre – stimulates me. I enjoy science because I’m a bit of a geek. I enjoy learning new things. It puts me in a different environment, allows me to meet different people and gets me away from rugby. And I get away from medicine and upcoming exams by playing rugby. It’s a nice balance.”

And you said your contract comes to an end when your degree finishes, in 2013.

Will think about a move abroad?

“It’s something I’ll decide nearer the time.

There are a lot of factors that go into that – family factors, financial factors, where you are in your career, whether you’re still playing international rugby or not, and loads more – so you’d be daft to make a decision before you cross that bridge. But yeah, the opportunity to learn a new language and a new culture is very appealing. We’ll see. I’m not sure, but it’ll certainly be a big decision for me to make next year.”

Mark Coughlan @coffers83 Jamie Roberts is part of the Guinness Made of More RBS 6 Nations campaign.

For updates from inside the Welsh camp, go to facebook.com/guinnessgb

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| 29

Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

The Spala training camp helped you recover.

Just how good, and how bad, is Spala?

[Laughs] “Yeah, it’s pretty brutal. The first two camps before the World Cup were pretty tough, both physically and mentally, but the pre-Six Nations is even tougher. It’s a different camp because it’s in the middle of the season instead of preseason, so a lot of elements are different. The main thing is it helps focus the mind as well as the body.

It’s hard to replicate the 60th or 70th minute of a Test match – it’s a very intense place to be, especially when it’s close – so when we can replicate that intensity out in Poland, that stands the team in good stead.”

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Stobart Super League

Season’s greetings

As if the start of the Six Nations wasn’t enough, this weekend also sees the launch of the new Super League season. So here’s our team-byteam guide to the 2012 campaign, starting with defending champions, the Leeds Rhinos...

Leeds Rhinos

Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

Last season: Champions (5th) The Rhinos staggered everyone by and Richard Moore to beef up the pack, but becoming the first club to come from fifth the lack of a replacement hooker for the place to win the title last term. Injuries now-departed Danny Buderus is a concern. affected their early-season form, but by the time the playoffs arrived the big guns were Key man: Kevin Sinfield back and firing on all cylinders. As such, The talismanic loose forward there haven't been too many personnel remains the side’s heartbeat. changes at Headingley. Coach Brian A brilliant goal-kicker who can McDermott has brought in Darrell Griffin play hooker and stand-off. >

| February 3 2012 | 31

32 | February 3 2012 |

Last season: Semi finals (2nd) After an indifferent start to last season, Wigan gathered momentum on their way to winning yet another Challenge Cup – and they looked to be finishing top of the league before being pipped by Warrington, before then being denied a trip to Old Trafford by St Helens.

They still have a strong squad, but new coach Shaun Wane will be under real pressure to achieve – and the lack of a replacement scrum half for Paul Deacon might prove costly.

Key man: Sam Tomkins Still the brightest star in the rugby league firmament, the long-striding full back is a devastating brokenfield runner. Once he gets going, he’s very difficult to stop.

Last season: 4th The Giants have threatened to join the Big Four – Wigan, Warrington, Leeds and St Helens – for a number of seasons now, without actually managing it. The uncertainty over the future of coach Nathan Brown didn’t help them towards the end of last season, when they managed to win only three of their last 12 fixtures. There have been no big-name signings, either, but Brown remains – and he has a knack of getting the best out of his players.

Key man: Jason Chan The big second-rower from Papua New Guinea impressed with the doomed Crusaders last year.

His combination of good footwork and raw power should get the Giants going forward.

Catalans Dragons

Huddersfield Giants

Wigan Warriors

Warrington Wolves Last season: Semi finals (1st) Much will be expected of a squad chock-full of big-name signings – even more so after the anticlimax to last season, when the Wolves would have been desperately disappointed to finish top of the league but miss out on a Grand Final appearance.

They will still probably be the team to beat this season, however.

Former Australian Test forward Trent Waterhouse is a major signing, but they will be without David Solomona for a while, the ball-playing forward having broken his leg in preseason.

Key man: Adrian Morley At 34, the veteran prop remains the charismatic leader of the team. But can he keep on producing in what is probably the toughest position on the pitch?

Last season: 6th New coach Trent Robinson had a baptism of fire with the Dragons last year, winning just two of his first seven games.

They came good in the second half of the season, though, beating Hull KR in the playoffs before falling to Wigan. Australian scrum half Scott Dureau, who made the Super League Dream Team, was a real find.

With only two new recruits – back-rower Louis Anderson and stand-off Leon Pryce – they have a settled, solid look about them.

They also enjoyed good wins over Wakefield and the London Broncos in preseason.

Key man: Leon Pryce Pryce’s last season with St Helens was dogged by injury, so the big stand-off will be hungry and eager to impress. His powerful runs and ability to offload can be a real test for defences.

Hull FC

Last season: Runners-up (3rd) Given an injury crisis and the furore surrounding Kyle Eastmond’s defection to rugby union, Saints overachieved by finishing third and coming within 20 minutes of winning the Grand Final last year. Their young guns now have a solid Super League season under their belts and will be all the better for it, while New Zealand international Lance Hohaia is a quality signing; he can play full back, stand-off or hooker but will probably form an impressive half-back pairing with Super League Young Player of the Year Jonny Lomax.

Key man: Lance Hohaia A lack of real experience at half-back probably cost Saints last season. That shouldn’t be a problem this year; Hohaia is a complete footballer who could take the league by storm.

Hull KR

Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images, Action Images/Paul Thomas, Chris Brunskill/Getty Images, Stu Forster/Getty Images, Dave Howarth/ PA Photos, Action Images/Jason Cairnduff, Adam Davy, PA Photos, Tom Shaw/Getty Images, Action Images/Jed Leicester

St Helens

Stobart Super League

Last season: 7th Hull KR were wildly inconsistent last season, which wasn’t helped by the circus surrounding Willie Mason’s brief sojourn at New Craven Park.

There has been a dramatic shake-up of personnel, with nine new signings and many stalwarts, including coach Justin Morgan, leaving the club. New man in charge Craig Sandercock will rely heavily on Aussie recruits Shannon McDonnell and Con Mika, both from his old club Newcastle Knights, and strong-running forward Mickey Paea.

Key man: Michael Dobson The talented scrum half is at the heart of everything his team does. Dobson is a clever player with a great kicking game.

Last season: 8th Once again, Hull failed to deliver on so much promise last season – and, more to the point in a league-mad city, they finished below Rovers. Much will depend on how new coach Peter Gentle can weld his nine new recruits into a much-changed squad, and whether he can deliver some long-overdue consistency. The pressure will be on scrum half Brett Seymour, who joins from the New Zealand Warriors, and former Wests Tigers full back Wade McKinnon. Up front, Andy Lynch and Eamonn O’Carroll should add some grunt.

Key man: Andy Lynch The former Bradford prop leads by example and should add some much-needed leadership and stability to a new-look squad.

Last season: 12th Rookie coach Rob Powell got his Super League coaching career off to a flying start with four wins out of his first five fixtures last season, but injuries eventually caught up with his thin squad. Ten new signings, plus a host of promising homegrown players, point to a much better campaign for the newly renamed Broncos. Powell will rely heavily on experienced Australians Craig Gower, Michael Robertson and Shane Rodney, but watch out for stand-off Dan Sarginson and full back Kieran Dixon, both youngsters from the Hemel Hemsptead club.

Key man: Craig Gower Back in rugby league after playing union in France and representing Italy, Gower is a quality Australian half-back who will be expected to lead the team both on and off the field.

Last season: 13th The Wildcats were favourites to lose their Super League licence last season – until the Crusaders went under, at which point they were somewhat fortunately reprieved. The club has had the biggest turnover of players of any side in the league, and new coach Richard Agar has an undoubtedly big job on his hands. There’s no lack of experience in his recruits, but can he mould them into a competitive unit?

Key man: Andy Ellis The hooker has been absolutely outstanding for Quins RL over the past two seasons. He does all the basics well and can be a threat at dummy half, but he’ll need support from his new teammates.

Widnes Vikings

Last season: 11th Losing head coach Matt Parish after just four months in the role threw Salford’s plans into confusion last year. His assistant Phil Veivers has stepped up, but he has a massive job on his hands to improve on last season’s generally disappointing form.

A new stadium should help, but with no big-name signings it promises to be another tough campaign for the Reds.

Key man: Matty Smith The former St Helens scrum half was once on Everton’s books, so he is a clever footballer and excellent kicker – but he needs a solid platform up front if he’s to operate to his full potential.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

Salford City Reds

Last season: 10th The Bulls continue to be a shadow of the team who were a powerhouse in the early days of Super League, and suffered badly at half-back and in the threequarters last season. They have addressed the half-back problem with the addition of Luke Gale from Quins RL and Jarrod Sammut from the defunct Crusaders RL. Experienced Aussies Keith Lulia and Adrian Purtell come into the threequarters, but the departure of former skipper Andy Lynch will leave a big hole.

Key man: Luke Gale The former Leeds Academy player had two good seasons in London, making the England Knights squad along the way.

Now 23, Gale is ready to step up another level; he is an excellent place-kicker with a good all-round kicking game.

London Broncos

Bradford Bulls

Castleford Tigers Last season: 9th The Tigers just missed out on the playoffs last season, despite a great start that saw them top the table after eight rounds. They fell away badly when injuries and indiscipline began to take their toll, but the New Zealand-born stand-off Rangi Chase – who earned England honours on his way to being named Man of Steel – remains at the club. Coach Ian Millward can also call upon a raft of promising homegrown players; the big question is how successfully he will be able to manage his still limited resources.

Key man: Rangi Chase A mercurial half-back, Chase combined wonderfully with Danny Orr last year.

He can only do so much, though, and desperately needs his pack to give him a proper platform.

Last season: n/a The Super League new boys will do well to avoid the wooden spoon in their first season back in the big time. They have recruited a host of solid performers without any big-name signings, so coach Denis Betts is going to find it understandably tough.

The fact that they will be playing on an artificial pitch at the Stobart Stadium might give them an edge in home fixtures, however.

Key man: Patrick Ah Van The powerful goal-kicking winger was signed from Bradford and certainly knows his way to the try line, but can those inside him create enough try-scoring opportunities?

Super League Round 1 Fixtures Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR Friday 8pm Widnes Vikings v Wakefield Wildcats Friday 8pm, Sky Sports 1 London Broncos v St Helens Saturday 3pm Salford City Reds v Castleford Tigers Saturday 6pm, Sky Sports 1 Bradford Bulls v Catalans Dragons Sunday 3pm Hull FC v Warrington Wolves Sunday 3pm Wigan Warriors v Huddersfield Giants Sunday 3pm

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Lizzie Armitstead

Rough ride

Forced to find a new employer at the last minute and locked in a power struggle with her teammate, it’s been a difficult winter for Team GB cyclist Lizzie Armitstead. She explained everything to Sport

AA to the rescue With days to spare, the catchily named Dutch team AA Drink-leontien.nl signed up Armitstead along with fellow British rider Emma Pooley, who had also been part of the Garmin set-up. “It was all quite last-minute, so I’ve not trained with anyone yet or got

34 | February 3 2012 |

any kit, but our first training camp starts on February 8 in Spain,” says Armitstead. “I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and getting the ball rolling. All four British girls from the Garmin team have gone across [Lucy Martin and Sharon Laws complete the four], but there will be a few new faces.”

Changing teams so close to the Olympics doesn’t sound like ideal preparation – and Armitstead has no idea whether she will be chosen as a key sprinter. She is, however, determined not to let it affect her build-up.

“You have to think of it in a positive way,” she says. “I’m with the same bike manufacturer, the same British teammates and I should still get the same race programme I wanted when I was with Garmin.”

Big decisions Having started her cycling career on the track (where she’s won multiple World Championship medals), it was feasible that Armitstead could compete on both the road and track at the Games. But in November she decided to throw all of her energies into the Olympic road race. It was no easy decision.

“It probably took me about a year to make it,” she admits. “I thought I could do both, but the women’s team pursuit has advanced a lot. They go so fast now that you really have to be specifically trained for that event. And, as improvements on the road happened with me, I kind of changed into a different athlete.”

Those improvements meant Armitstead was the designated ‘leader’ of the British women’s team for the World Road Race Championships in Copenhagen in September last year – quite a coup, considering Olympic champion Nicole Cooke was in the squad.

Team troubles All was going to plan until, with 450 metres to go, Armitstead was involved in a crash that pushed her back to seventh place while Cooke sprinted to fourth. In an interview with Cycling Weekly two months later, Armitstead admitted to feeling let down by Cooke, whose job had been to ride for her.

Has time healed the riff? “We’ve spoken and things are fine,” insists Armitstead.

“There’s certainly no grudges. She’s training in Australia, so we don’t speak that much.

When we do, it’s fine.” Things are fine, then.

Which of the two is selected to lead Team GB for the Olympic road race will depend on results, ranking and form. She says nothing has been decided as yet, but if Armitstead emerges as the chosen one come July 29, Cooke will be asked to forget defending her Olympic title and support her teammate’s bid for gold. Don’t take your eyes off this one.

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag

Lizzie Armitstead is a brand ambassador for Hornby. Visit hornby.com/2012 for Hornby’s Team GB Scalextric Velodrome Cycling set

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

W

hile most athletes spent the latter part of 2011 drawing up detailed schedules for the months leading up to the Olympics, Britain’s national road race champion Lizzie Armitstead was wondering whether she would even have a bike to ride in 2012.

In December, Armitstead’s professional road racing team, Garmin-Cervelo, revealed they had run out of cash, meaning she faced an Olympic year without anyone to pay her wages, supply kit or transport her to races.

“It was fairly stressful,” sighs the 23-yearold. “But both times I’ve signed two-year contracts, the teams have folded midway through the first year – so I’m used to it.”

The Commonwealth Games silver-medallist says she was in limbo on returning to training from a post-2011 season break. But friends and family were there to accompany her on some sodden (and snowy) Yorkshire rides – and, to their relief, she was welcomed on a warm-weather training camp for the GB track team in Majorca.

Super Bowl XLVI

Giant killing Super Bowl XLVI is a rematch between the New York Giants and Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, who lost in dramatic circumstances four years ago. We asked Sky presenter Kevin Cadle whether Sunday will see revenge for Brady and the Patriots, or another win for the Giants

1

1. Quarterbacks “Tom Brady has 16 career wins in the playoffs, which is a joint record with Joe Montana. But, on the flipside, Eli Manning has won more road games than any quarterback in NFL history in the playoffs – and the Super Bowl is essentially a road game. So you’ve got Brady, who’s had a lot of success, but Eli has been playing as good as, if not better, than any other quarterback. So I think it’s a wash. It’ll depend on other factors.”

2. Wide receivers “The Patriots’ wide receivers don’t compare to the Giants, but their game tends to go through their tight ends. The Giants have Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, and their receivers are all young boys who are going to get better all the time.

So it’s an advantage for the Giants.”

3. Tight ends

3

“The Pats have a different set – the tight ends are their main receivers, and Wes Welker is a wide receiver but tends to play further in in the slot position.

So it’s not even close – the Giants are way behind. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is also setting records for the Patriots, with 17 receptions in 2011.”

4. Running backs “The Giants have the worst rushing attack in the NFL. The Patriots are in the top 15, but their running game is more complementary – it’s built around allowing Tom Brady to step back and pass it. They’re more of a passing team. The New York Giants running has dropped off 50 to 60 yards a game since they won the Super Bowl [against the Patriots in the 2008 season], but in the past month or so since they’ve had to win to turn their season around, their running game has improved.”

5. Tackles and linebackers

6. Safeties “The Giants’ cornerbacks and safeties could be their Achilles’ heel – they have problems marking up. But if the front line can put pressure on Brady, it makes their job much easier. It’s important to remember that Eli Manning is going up against the second-worst pass defense in the history of the NFL, and there’s not any quarterback who can sit with him at the moment. The Patriots’ safety Patrick Chung has been out, but he’s back and has made a considerable difference to pass completion.”

Super Bowl XLVI is the 57th live NFL game on Sky Sports this season.

Catch all of the action in the season finale in HD live on Sky Sports 1, Sunday February 5 from 10.30pm

36 | February 3 2012 |

5 Road to the Super Bowl

“We talk about the defensive line being able to get up to the quarterback to stop the pass. The Patriots’ nose tackle, Vince Wilfork, has the leading sacks – he has been outstanding. Then they have Mark Anderson, but they don’t get to the quarterback to the extent that the Giants get there. For the Giants, Jason Pierre-Paul has 16 sacks – and no one knows how good he’s going to get. London-born Osi Umenyiora, who moved to the US aged six, and Justin Tuck will, with Pierre-Paul, be looking to get out there to Tom Brady. If they can do that, the Giants have a chance.”

Weeks 1 to 7

Weeks 8 to 12

The Giants did not have a good start to the season, going down 28-14 at the Washington Redskins in their opening game. Tom Brady threw 517 yards, the fifth-highest single-game total in NFL history, to help the Patriots to a 38-24 win over the Miami Dolphins. They went on to win five of their first six games, compared with the Giants’ four wins – which included a 29-16 win over Philadelphia thanks to four touchdown passes from Eli Manning.

After a week off in week 7, the Patriots lost their next two games – the first against Pittsburgh, in which they scored a season low of just 17 points. The second was against their Super Bowl opponents, and was a very similar story to their famous Superbowl XLII meeting. Eli Manning once again guided the Giants to a late win, as he sealed the crucial points in conjunction with tight end Jake Ballard with just 15 seconds left. Despite the momentum of that 24-20 victory, the Giants lost their next four games and found their hopes of a playoff spot in jeopardy going into the final few games of the regular season.

2

4

Games 13 to 17

Divisional Playoffs

Championship Games

Super Bowl

That defeat to the Giants was the last time the Patriots lost for the rest of the season, as they picked up a number of big wins, including a comeback from 17-0 down against the Miami Dolphins to win 27-24.

A win over the Denver Broncos, to end their Tim Tebow-inspired six-game winning streak, sealed the AFC East title for the Patriots. They finished the regular season with 13 wins and three defeats. The Giants won three of their last four games and became the first team ever to gain the dubious accolade of gaining the NFC East title with fewer than 10 wins.

As the worst division winners in the NFC, the Giants had to play a wildcard game against the Atlanta Falcons, who they dispatched with ease 24-2. This set up a game against Super Bowl holders and NFC North winners the Green Bay Packers, who relinquished their crown with something of a whimper, losing 37-20. Meanwhile, the Patriots faced a rematch against the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow, whose remarkable season was sensationally brought to an end by the brilliance of Tom Brady. He threw a record-equalling six touchdown passes in a 45-10 win.

Brady stuttered somewhat in the AFC Championship game, failing to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 36 games, as the Patriots were somewhat fortunate to escape with a 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens spurned the chance to tie the game with 11 seconds to go when kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt. The Giants also left it late to secure their Super Bowl place, needing a Lawrence Tynes field goal in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17.

Superbowl XLVI will be a rematch of the 2008 final, which ended with a shock 17-14 win for the Giants. It was also the Patriots’ only defeat of the whole season. This will be the Patriots’ fifth Super Bowl appearance under coach Bill Bellichick, but Sky’s Kevin Cadle still thinks the Giants can repeat their heroics of four years ago. He told Sport: “I like the Giants. Both teams had a stroke of luck to be here – both conference finals could have gone in any direction. The Pats are on a 10-game winning streak, but the Giants have improved a lot and the momentum is with them.”

| 37

All pictures Getty Images

6

Michael Vaughan

In a spin Ahead of the third and final Test against Pakistan in the UAE, Sport caught up with Michael Vaughan to find out why the number-one Test team in the world are faltering in the Gulf fter a humbling 10-wicket defeat with two days to spare in Dubai, England went to Abu Dhabi for the second Test of three hoping to level their series against Pakistan with a much-improved batting display.

It was all going to plan – Pakistan elected to bat first and scored a disappointing 257, and England managed to post a tidy 327 in response. The returning Monty Panesar tore into Pakistan’s line-up in the second innings, taking six wickets and leaving England with a very simple target of 145 to chase – and a day and a half in which to do it.

Instead of a comfortable stroll to victory, what followed was a spectacular batting collapse, as England’s best batsmen reprised

A

38 | February 3 2012 |

their performance from the first Test and simply failed to come to terms with the spin of Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman. They were bowled out for 72, in just 36 overs, losing the Test and the series with it. England return to Dubai for the third Test, which starts today, with their position at the top of the Test rankings in jeopardy, and questions hanging over several key batsmen. We asked former captain Michael Vaughan for his assessment...

What on earth happened in Abu Dhabi?

Aren’t England supposed to be the best Test team in the world?

“The attitude of the openers [in the second innings] could have been more positive – they could have gone for a few boundaries early on.

Because we got off to such a slow start and the middle order aren’t in the best form, England panicked and flapped a bit – 98 times out of 100 they’d make that target easily.”

Has reaching the number-one spot and beating India so comprehensively at home gone to their heads? Could their poor performances be a sign of complacency?

“I don’t think any England team I’ve ever played in has been complacent. When they went to Pakistan in similar conditions they lost – it’s just different conditions that we’ve not played well in for a number of years.

For three and a half days in Abu Dhabi, England were excellent – it was just those last two and a half hours.”

pakistan v england: 3rd test Day 1 Dubai | Friday 5.30am | SS1

‘England have to prove that they can stand the pressure of spin bowling’

At 2-0 down in the series, the third Test is essentially a dead rubber – can the players and coaching staff get anything out of it?

“I see it as an opportunity for Andy Flower to see how a group of batsmen who have been dominated by spin react to the pressure situation of being 2-0 down in a Test series. There are places up for grabs in the Sri Lankan Tests, which will also be a test against spin. As well as their places in the team, if the players lose in Dubai they might lose their number-one ranking as well.”

Michael Vaughan is an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports projects using sport to help disadvantaged children.

The England team are nominees in the Laureus World Sports Awards, which take place at Central Hall, Westminster on Monday

Of the 40 English wickets taken in the series so far, 34 have fallen to spinners, with Saeed Ajmal particularly effective. Is playing top-class spin a perennial English problem, and what can be done about it?

“This team in particular has struggled against spin, but if you go back to the 2000s, we went to Sri Lanka under Nasser Hussain and played Muttiah Muralitharan pretty well, and to Australia and played Shane Warne pretty well. I guess this team hasn’t played much cricket in the subcontinent – quite a lot needs to be changed in terms of technique and approach, but the likes of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen are locked in with their technique and it’s very difficult to change the way you play. But if you look at the second Test, Ajmal didn’t actually do the damage – it was Rehman, and Umar Gul took four top-order wickets in the first Test. Maybe they’re focusing too much energy on Ajmal – they’ve got to be careful that they’re not focusing too much on one end.”

Do you think we’ve seen Ajmal’s teesra yet – the special delivery he talked up before the series?

“I don’t even think he’s had to bowl it yet – and I’m not sure he’s got one. It doesn’t really affect the batsmen mentally when someone says that – they’ll just laugh it off.

But his accuracy, his off-spin and his doosra are good deliveries that are causing England enough problems on their own.”

What will the captain be saying to the team?

“It’s quite an easy position when you’re playing well and it’s not a problem. Strauss will be saying to them: ‘This is when it counts – now is the time when individuals have to stand up as tough characters and show us what you’re worth.’ I think the players will know that there are places up for grabs – if it happens again in Dubai, there’ll be places for Sri Lanka.”

Are we talking about dropping some of the top-order batsmen? Do we have the talent coming through from the county game to step into the Test team?

“The main concern in Test cricket has been bowlers, because without bowlers you can’t win – but there’s so many quality young bowlers coming through at the moment that you kind of forget about the batters. They need opportunities. One thing I’ll always say is that you will always find batsmen. The question is whether they can face highquality spin bowling. My approach straight after the game, and it hasn’t changed, is to let the same 11 go out and play. They’ve got to prove that their games can withstand the pressures of spin bowling. If you were playing England right now, you would positively absolutely prepare a spinning wicket.”

The Decision Review System has been in use a lot for LBW calls. Do you think it’s working well, and are England using it well?

“I think it’s excellent. The umpires have been proved to be right most of the time, and it just shows what a good job they’re doing.

I think England have been using it well – it’s harder for a captain to know which ones to review, but it’s another thing added to the art of captaincy.”

Finally, are there any positives to take from the series so far?

“Again, for three and a half days in Abu Dhabi, England were excellent – and they did well in Pakistan’s second innings. It was just those last two and a half hours. Two of three disciplines have been excellent – [Graeme] Swann and Monty [Panesar] have got a great partnership, and if the team can find the batters to bat the time and withstand the spin, they’ll do well in the future.”

Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

| 39

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Does a team that can’t play against spin bowling really deserve to be the top-ranked Test team in the world?

“England got to number one by playing great cricket, but I think there’s too much emphasis on this number-one spot. For so many years it was impossible to get to number one because the Australians were so dominant – it was like Tiger Woods in golf.

I can’t see another era of dominance like that – I don’t think anyone will stay at number one for a really long time.”

175 Days to go

Focus 2012

Its name translates to ‘gentle way’, but the aim of this game is to hurl your opponent to the ground THE VENUE The vast expanse of ExCel in London’s Docklands will host the judo competition this summer, as well as six other Olympic sports and a further six Paralympic sports.

THE EVENT It’s a big ol’ knockout in the judo. All 14 medal events (seven weight classes for men and the same for women) are played in a knockout format in bouts that last a maximum of five minutes – so for some judokas the Olympics could all be over rather swiftly.

Developed from jujitsu, judo pits athletes in a one-on-one battle using only their bodies as weapons. Jujitsu itself was developed when practitioners learned the most efficient methods for battling a weapon-wielding enemy were pins, joint locks and throws.

Contests take place on an eight-metre square mat, or ‘tatami’, and can finish as soon as one athlete is awarded ‘ippon’ (or ‘one full point’) – the maximum score. To achieve that, a judoka must throw their opponent to the ground on their shoulder, pin them to the ground on their back or force them to submit to a choke, strangle or arm lock.

A health and safety nightmare? Safety precautions are taken (although according to

40 | February 3 2012 |

GB hopeful

Euan Burton

Wikipedia, there were 114 child judo deaths in Japan between 1983 and 2010). Judokas are taught how to fall so that, when hurled to the ground, they land safely. And the choking?

Apparently, a properly applied choke hold, if released soon enough after submission or unconsciousness, causes no injury. Still, we don’t recommend trying this on anyone you like.

Smaller scores are awarded for different throws and holds. If a bout ends with neither judoka winning by ippon, these scores decide the winner.

AGe in 2012 33 MedAl RecoRd World Championship bronze 2007, 2010; European Championship bronze 2005, 2007, 2010

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “I’ve seen some very good judo and I’m happy because some of the Olympic Squad confirmed their places while others now know they need to work harder,” said Daniel Lascau, British judo performance director, after the recent British Closed Championships.

“The question I asked players today was not how many contests they won, but how many they won by ippon – because that’s very important.”

“It’s like playing a game of a chess but someone’s trying to beat you round the head,” says Euan Burton, who has a collection of international bronze medals from World and European Championships, but could finish only seventh at the Beijing Games. The Scot went there with a shoulder problem that required surgery, but delayed the operation until after the Games. Providing he’s in peak condition this summer he will surely be a contender, having laid down a huge marker at the start of 2012 by winning bronze at the World Masters in Kazakhstan, where he faced a field that contained the world’s top 16. That success means he could be one of the top eight seeds in London.

JUDO AT LONDON 2012 DATES July 28-August 3 SEATING 6,000-10,000 HOW TO GET THERE DLR

The two-time world bronze-medallist is looking to upgrade his medal collection in London...

KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 Paris Grand Slam February 4-5, Paris Moscow Grand Slam May 26-7, Moscow

Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images

Judo

7 Days OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

FEBHIGHLIGHTS 3–FEB 9 » Football: Chelsea v Man Utd » p44 » Football: Birmingham v Southampton » p46 » Tennis: WTA Open GDF Suez » p46 » Cycling: Tour of Qatar » p48 » Best of the Rest » p48

THURSDAY > GOLF | OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC | EMIRATES GC, DUBAI | SKY SPORTS 1 6AM

It’s not just cricket hitting the sporting headlines in the Middle East at the moment: some of the world’s best golfers are out there, too.

Last week, Tiger Woods threatened to win the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship before being seen off by former club pro Robert Rock. And on Thursday an event of equal importance, the Dubai Desert Classic, gets under way.

Rory McIlroy, the 2009 champion and newly installed world number two, heads the field.

He is joined by the man he has displaced in the rankings, Lee Westwood, and world number four Martin Kaymer.

42 | February 3 2012 |

McIlroy’s win in 2009 was an overdue first victory as a professional. “The memories of the 2009 are still are very strong, but I feel as if I’m a more complete player now than I was in 2009,” he said in the build-up to the tournament. “I definitely swing it better.

I’m able to shape the ball both ways, physically I’m stronger, and I feel like I’m definitely headed in the right direction.”

With the Masters little more than two months away, now is the time for McIlroy to hit top form. The signs are good – he would have won in Abu Dhabi were it not for a silly violation of Rule 13.2 (he brushed some sand away with his hand when not on the green

Rory McIlroy's average driving distance, in yards, in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship . Only one other player – Nicolas Colsaerts at 303.3 – hit the ball further all week

– spotted by a rather sheepish Luke Donald, who muttered “I don’t think you can do that”).

This tournament is one that has a storied roll call of winners since its inception in 1989.

Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els (three times), Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O’Meara and Woods himself (twice) are among the names alongside McIlroy’s on the trophy. Last year, the enormous-hitting Alvaro Quiros pulled off something of a surprise victory, but it’s hard to see McIlroy being out of the top three again this week. As he said, he’s getting better – and that spells trouble for the rest of the world.

301.9

David Cannon/Getty Images

Rory’s desert storm

7 Days sunday premier league | Chelsea v man utd | stamford Bridge | sky sports 1 4pm

Falling giants In idle moments, when his mind wanders while he completes household chores like ironing his absurdly tight trousers, Andre VillasBoas must wonder if he’ll still have a job this time next season. His Chelsea team sit safely in Champions League territory at the moment, and have the added bonus of still being in the competition – both factors that should stay the hand of his ruthless Russian employer.

Roman Abramovich must realise that Chelsea are a side in transition, and one suspects that he will be happy as long as his playthings qualify for next year’s Champions League. But the rebuilding process hasn’t been without its setbacks. Chelsea have lost five games already this season, and although they came second with nine defeats last year, their opponents are not being quite so forgiving this time around.

Chelsea’s record against the teams around them should be a cause for concern as they welcome Manchester United on Sunday. In their six games against the other sides in the top seven, Chelsea have won just twice – an admittedly impressive 2-1 victory over fellow aristocrats Manchester City and a 3-0 win over an injury-ravaged Newcastle.

44 | February 3 2012 |

In the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in September, United raced into a 3-0 half-time lead. They then made defending it as uncomfortable as possible by conceding a minute into a second half probably best remembered for Fernando Torres’ appalling miss from seven yards out.

Chelsea haven’t exactly been scoring freely lately – at the time of writing you have to go back seven matches for the last time one of their strikers bagged from open play.

Still, it’s a good time for them to face United, who are suffering badly from injuries in defence and midfield. The most crucial absentee is probably Nemanja Vidic, who managed just eight games before his season-ending knee injury. United conceded just two goals in those eight fixtures, compared to the eight they’ve conceded in their past eight (before Stoke). Is this the perfect opportunity for Torres to rekindle his confidence against a team he’s terrorised in the past?

Domestic games since Manchester United last won at Stamford Bridge – their previous victory in the league was in April 2002, although they did win a Champions League tie last year

United fans express their sympathy and understanding while Torres looks for a hole to swallow him last September

Around the grounds Arsenal v blackburn emirates stadium, saturday 1pm Norwich v BOLTON Carrow road, saturday 3pm QPR v Wolves loftus road, saturday 3pm STOKE v Sunderland Britannia stadium, saturday 3pm West Brom v Swansea the hawthorns, saturday 3pm wigan v everton dW stadium, saturday 3pm Man city v fulham etihad stadium, saturday 5.30pm, espn

A big week for...

SUnday Premier League | newcaStLe v aSton viLLa | SPortS direct arena | Sky SPortS 1 1.30Pm

1. Luis Suarez

2. Senegal’s strikers

After a deserved spell on the sidelines thinking about what he did, Liverpool’s pantomime villain Luis Suarez will be available for selection for Monday’s clash with Spurs. The Reds have coped reasonably well without the striker during his eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, even knocking both Manchester clubs out of the

Newcastle’s humbling 1-0 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup highlighted the importance of the absent Demba Ba (above, left), who has been in Africa on Cup of Nations duty while his club have struggled. Luckily for Alan Pardew, Senegal crashed out after losing all three group games, and Ba has returned in time to face Aston Villa.

domestic cups, but Kenny Dalglish will be glad to have him back. The Uruguayan has not exactly set the world alight this season, though, with a moderate return of five goals and three assists in the league. In his absence, Craig Bellamy and the returning Steven Gerrard have stepped in to cover the lack of firepower, but Suarez can still offer a different level of menace.

Against Spurs, he will surely be given the chance to get his season started.

He hasn’t come back emptyhanded, either – as well as hastily purchased Toblerones from Gatwick Duty Free, Ba has brought along international colleague Papiss Demba Cisse (above, right), Newcastle’s new striker signed from Freiburg. If the duo can quickly form a potent understanding, Newcastle have a real chance of retaining their lofty league position.

Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images, Michael Regan/Getty Images, Richard Heathcote/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images, Mamadou Toure Behan/AFP/Getty Images

Monday Premier League | LiverPooL v tottenham | anfieLd | Sky SPortS 1 7.45Pm

7 Days TUESDAY > TENNIS | WTA OpEN GDF SuEz | pArIS | BrITISh EurOSpOrT 12pm

Australian aftermath It was at this very tournament last year that Petra Kvitova announced her arrival as a real threat at the highest level, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final to lift the trophy.

It was her third – and most prestigious – trophy, prompting Clijsters to predict there and then that Kvitova would go on to win a Grand Slam – which she duly did at Wimbledon in the summer. At time of writing it’s unconfirmed whether Kvitova will be there to defend her title and make moves on Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo’s record of three titles at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.

Now retired from the game, former world number one Mauresmo is keeping herself busy by acting as co-director of the tournament which bought her so much success. This year marks the tournament’s

20th anniversary and a respectable line-up of some of the top names in women’s tennis has been secured – led by Australian Open finalist Maria Sharapova.

The Russian (right) was due to play at the Open GDF Suez 12 months ago, but was forced to pull out of the event with bronchitis. If she makes it to Paris in good health this time, she’ll arrive as favourite ahead of China’s Li Na – the next highest-ranked player in attendance.

The home crowd will have some hope of a winner though, in one-time Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli. The 27-year-old is coached by her father, Dr Walter Bartoli, whom she famously told to ‘do one’ from his seat on court at Wimbledon during her third-round match last year. After losing the first set to Italian Flavia Penetta, Bartoli gestured to her father to get out – which he duly did, watching his daughter go on to win the match from elsewhere. Perhaps he’s best steering clear of the French capital next week, if only for his daughter’s sake.

Mark Dadswell/Getty Images, Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

SATUrDAY FOOTBALL | ChAmpIONShIp: BIrmINGhAm v SOuThAmpTON | ST ANDrEW’S | 5.20pm Sky SpOrTS 2

Saints go marching north 46 | February 3 2012 |

Birmingham City have changed divisions more times than any other club in English football, with 12 relegations and 12 promotions.

Their campaign for a 13th promotion (at the first time of asking after last year’s relegation) has been slightly disturbed by the club’s involvement in the Europa League.

The Blues gave a good account of themselves in Europe, winning three of their six games and finishing third in their group with 10 points. It’s a credit to manager Chris Hughton that Birmingham have managed to stay reasonably close to the front-runners despite this distraction – they have a very real chance of securing a playoff place, currently sitting seventh in the table.

Southampton have had an equally turbulent time of it. After dropping out of the Championship three years ago following a points deduction, their attempt to bounce straight back was derailed by yes, another points deduction. Promoted last year from a division they were far too good for, the Saints find themselves in second place and on course for back-to-back promotions. They have let their impressive record slip of late, however, and collected just eight points from the 24 available in December and January.

Southampton won the reverse fixture 4-1 at St Mary’s in September, but Birmingham are undefeated at home in domestic competitions and have conceded only six league goals at St Andrew’s, the best record in the league. They’ve also been scoring freely of late, with 23-year-old Adam Rooney (no relation) in particularly fine form. It should be an engrossing encounter at the business end of the Championship.

7 Days SUNDAY CYCLING | TOUR OF QATAR STAGE 1 | BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 12.15PM

Saturday BOxING | SCOTT QUIGG v JAMIE ARTHUR | REEBOK STADIUM, BOLTON | SKY SPORTS 1 8PM

Bury’s boy stepping up Scott Quigg is a boxer so good that Bury Council actually overturned a ban on boxing in the town purely so the local boy could legally biff people in the face there.

Now 23 and the unbeaten British super-bantamweight champion, Quigg has flown the nest for a bigger perch (well, Bolton), where he’s defending his title on Saturday night. Opponent Jamie Arthur is a tough, durable Welshman with solid boxing skills, but the 32-year-old probably doesn’t have the power to keep the pressurefighting Quigg off him. A decent scrap, but hot prospect Quigg will be looking to line up bigger fights before the end of 2012.

season, though – one in which he won the coveted Green Jersey at the Tour de France, took gold at the World Championships and adorned the cover of the nation’s favourite sport magazine (you’re reading it, by the way).

This year, things will be different – not least because he’s now riding in the colours of Team Sky. The British pro-team benefited from the collapse of HTC-Highroad, Cavendish’s former outfit, by picking up not only the world’s finest sprinter, but also his old teammate – and right-hand man – Bernhard Eisel.

The pair will be joined by six other Team Sky riders for the Tour of Qatar, including two other Brits – Ian Stannard and Jeremy Hunt (the other one). On a course renowned for being flat (and hot), the Manx Missile’s early-season speed will be well tested, as will his relationship with his (mostly) new teammates.

Mark Cavendish makes his Team Sky debut this weekend, in a stage race with which he has a bit of history. Surprisingly for the world champion, however, it’s not a history he will remember particularly fondly.

Last year, the Tour of Qatar was Cavendish’s second race of the season after the Tour Down Under, where a crash on the second stage left him bleeding from the head.

Things didn’t get much better in Qatar, where another crash on the first day’s prologue left him nursing knee, hip and elbow injuries and wondering whether he would be able to continue.

He did, but completed the five-stage race without a single podium finish. Not that it affected the rest of the Manxman’s 2011

BEST OF THE REST

FRIDAY CRICKET Australia v India: 2nd T20, Melbourne, Sky Sports 2 8.30am

FOOTBALL La Liga: Getafe v Real Madrid, Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Sky Sports 4 7pm

MONDAY NBA New Jersey Nets v Chicago Bulls Prudential Center, ESPN 12.30am

FOOTBALL La Liga: Barcelona v Real Sociedad, Nou Camp, Sky Sports 4 9pm

TUESDAY

SNOOKER German Masters Semi Final, Berlin, British Eurosport 9pm

FOOTBALL JPT Area Final Second Leg: Swindon v Barnet, County Ground, Sky Sports 1 7.45pm

NBA Boston Celtics v New York Knicks, TD Garden, ESPN 1am

SUNDAY

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY

CRICKET CB Series 1st ODI: Australia v India, Melbourne, Sky Sports 3 3am

CRICKET CB Series 2nd ODI: India v Sri Lanka, Perth, Sky Sports 1 4am

FOOTBALL Scottish Cup: Inverness CT v Celtic, Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Sky Sports 3 12.45pm

FOOTBALL Scottish Cup: Hearts v St Johnstone, Tynecastle, Sky Sports 3 2.15pm

FOOTBALL Africa Cup of Nations Semi Final, Bata, British Eurosport 4pm

FOOTBALL Africa Cup of Nations Quarter Final, Malabo, British Eurosport 6pm

SNOOKER German Masters Final, Berlin, British Eurosport 9pm

FOOTBALL SPL: Hearts v Celtic, Tynecastle, Sky Sports 1 7.45pm

DARTS World Cup of Darts: Session 2, Hamburg, Sky Sports 1 7pm

48 | February 3 2012 |

Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images, Action Images/Adam Holt, Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Missile launch

Rules of The massive £40 divot taken out of the price of an hour on our game-changing simulators must be replaced by March.

Until then an hour’s golf for you and three mates costs just £10.

Offer excludes Thursdays. For full terms and conditions, go to www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner

Email ....................................................................................................

Name ....................................................................................................

From now until February 29, you and three mates can enjoy an hour on one of our brand new aboutGolf™ simulators for just £10, instead of £50. Over sixty of the world’s finest courses, including Pebble Beach, Sawgrass, and St Andrews, in a golf revolution. So lifelike it’s what world number one, Luke Donald, practices on. Now there are 22 simulators exclusive to Urban Golf Soho, Smithfield and Kensington. Visit www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner for full details and bring this coupon along when you come to play. Urban Golf rules.

Rule 54 - Divots

FRI 3 - SUN 5 FEBRUARY

FREE WEEKEND

P54 Set your alarm to unleash the formidable scent of Sex Panther

Extra time Kit

Making the most of your time and money

The Joy of Six

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Wear your colours, puff out your chest and sing that anthem until the tears dry up – it’s Six Nations time

1Nike England Home Shirt

Sign up for the Stuart Lancaster revolution by getting your hand on this brand new shir... what?

It’s the same as the World Cup one? Oh. Well, hopefully these new guys can make you proud to wear it again. £55 | nikestore.com/rugby

2 Under Armour Wales Home Shirt

After the Sam Warburton incident in the semi final, you’d think Wales would be bored of the colour red.

Sadly, they ignored our suggestion to go bright pink and yellow stripes this year, and have opted for the same old boring red number. A mistake, we’re sure you’ll agree. £40 | sportsdirect.com

3 Puma Ireland Home Jersey

O2’s attempt to change the current Ireland skipper’s name to Paul O2 Connell might have failed, but their logo still stands proudly on the new shirt. As for the little hexagons, we presume they’re for extra grip.

Either that, or they’re like some kind of male bra. £75 | prodirectrugby.com

4 Canterbury Scotland Home Test Jersey

This is the shirt that Stuart Lancaster’s new-look England will be staring at for 80 minutes in Edinburgh this weekend. Please note: tirades of abuse and anti-English songs not included. £75 | prodirectrugby.com

5 Nike France Test Home Jersey

Yes, they made the World Cup final, but could you seriously look at yourself in the mirror if you had one of these on? Well, if you’re French, then you probably could, yeah. So enjoy. £95 | prodirectrugby.com

6 Kappa Italy Home Shirt

Let’s face it, the Plucky Italians™ are probably going to beat one team in the next two months. So, just in case it’s the French again, get yourself one of these to wear proudly. £50 | rugbystore.co.uk

50 | February 3 2012 |

WWW.DOVEMENCARE.CO.UK

OFFICIAL PARTNER TO EUROPEAN CLUB RUGBY

52 | February 3 2012 |

T

his, gentlemen, is Monyca Byrne-Wickey, a professional surfer from Maui’s Hana Coast, in Hawaii. If these words had your attention at all – and we’re pretty sure the few of you who were still with us have by now tuned out in order to Google this fair lass – then you will be pleased to know you can see more of Monyca in Nike’s Leave A Message.

It’s a surf movie (without Gary Busey) intended to ‘revolutionise the women’s surfing scene’. But Byrne-Wickey is no tube-catching bank robber. Instead, Leave A Message depicts a sort of Big Brother house populated exclusively by six preening, posing, surfing fitties, Byrne-Wickey among them.

They surf, dance, pose and wrestle in the sand (yes, really) to a soft rock soundtrack. And if none of that captures your imagination, then we can tell you that Byrne-Wickey is a hula dancer and grew up on her parents’ donkey farm. You’re doing your own jokes now.

Byrne slippy

Extra time Monyca Byrne-Wickey Richard Freeman/richard-freeman.com

| 53

Extra time Gadgets

Out of this world An extraterrestrial selection of electronic oddities for you this week – including a mini projector dock and an alarm clock that stings the nostrils

Ferrari Cavallino GT1 by Logic3 Taking its design cues from luxury sports cars, this speaker system is discreetly marked with Ferrari’s famous prancing horse insignia. We’re not convinced the kind of people who would buy a Ferrari speaker system really go in for discretion, but hey – who are we to judge? £499 | ferrari-by-logic3.com

Alienware X51 Hyper-geek brand Alienware focuses on making gaming PCs for the kind of people who turn their greasy noses up at console gamers.

Fittingly, their latest offering wouldn’t look out of place in a top-secret US government base.

It includes a 1GB graphics card and 8GB of RAM, all RAMmed (sorry) into a slim design, freeing up desk space for empty pizza boxes, energy drink cans and other gaming fuel. £699 | dell.com/alienware

Nike+ Fuel Band

BenQ GP2

Every other gadget we see here at Sport seems to be some sort of dock, but this one caught our eye because instead of just playing music, it’s also a powerful mini projector. So, you can treat family and friends to that dancing cat video you saw on YouTube. They’ll love it – honest.

Slip this on and it’ll measure your daily activity – the clever/terrifying twist is the wristband’s measurement unit, ‘Nike Fuel’. The more active you are, the more ‘Fuel’ you clock. Set an activity target and the array of lights will keep you up to date with your progress. And if you don’t earn enough Nike Fuel, you’ll be dragged off by men in all-white Nike tracksuits. They’re watching you.

£500 | store.apple.com/uk

£139 | nike.com/fuelband (available May)

MadeByZen Opus This alarm clock wakes you gently with the power of light and smell. A range of fragrances are available, including coffee. We filled ours with Sex Panther to create a terrifying biological weapon.

Sixty per cent of the time, it works every time... £80 | madebyzen.com/opus

54 | February 3 2012 |

The

app is out now

Free every Friday The best of Sport magazine on the iPad with extra content • Exclusive video • More stunning imagery • More pages at your fingertips Download the app from the App Store

Extra time Valentine’s Day

Make her day Two pages of top Valentine’s ideas with which to impress the good lady, starting with this set of romantically themed gifts

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1. Molton Brown Pink Pepper Pampering

2. Versace Bright Crystal 50ml

3. Rituals Sweet Sunrise Fragrance Sticks

4. Hotel Chocolat The Beauty Box

5. Oskia Skin Smoothing Massage Candle

When it comes to luxury bathroom goods for your girl, there is no more reliable option than Molton Brown. This giftset includes shower gel and body lotion, both infused with pink pepperpods from the Gulf of Guinea and bearing a warm, lightly spiced fragrance.

A guaranteed winner.

A fresh fragrance combining luminous fruit and floral notes with a delicate, musky base.

An uplifting scent through the day that tranforms into its subtly seductive sibling at night, Bright Crystal could very well be the fragrance to get your lady purring on February 14.

The refined fragrance of cedar combines with the refreshing aroma of sweet orange in these popular fragrance sticks that will leave your home smelling less of your rotting carcass and more like your beloved would actually want it to. Perfect for her to come home to on Valentine’s evening.

Because no Valentine’s Day would be complete without a big old box of chocolates.

This one from Hotel Chocolat is, as you’d expect, a whole load of delicious – but when the good stuff is gone your lady will be left with a beauty box featuring mirror, compartments and ribbondressed drawers. Tasty and sustainable, just like your relationship.

Featuring natural ingredients such as beeswax, soybean and coconut oil, all of which were chosen for their incredible skin-healing properties, this massage candle also comes with a Rose de Mai perfume that will leave your woman’s skin beautifully scented.

Just melt and pour, old boy.

Melt and pour.

£35 | moltonbrown.co.uk

£45 | harrods.com

£19.90 | rituals.com/uk-en

£50 | hotelchocolat.co.uk

56 | February 3 2012 |

£34.50 | www.oskiaskincare.com

Full Stop Photography

5

7- 9 MARCH 2012 PALAU DE CONGRESSOS DE CATALUNYA - BARCELONA

Global Sports Forum Barcelona (GSFB) is the world’s leading exchange platform for sport.

Come to Barcelona to hear from some of the industry’s top names and explore the upcoming trends in sport business, social media, entertainment and sustainability

Speakers include: Éric CANTONA // Director of Soccer at New York Cosmos Sebastian COE // Chairman of London 2012 Paul VAUGHAN // CEO England Rugby 2015

HAVAS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Oscar PISTORIUS // London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic hopeful

Session “ Women in sport ” – GSFB 2011

Debates// Experiences//Networking REGISTER NOW ON WWW.GLOBALSPORTSFORUM.ORG ORGANISING PARTNER

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Extra time Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air...

the treat

... or is that just the special Valentine’s breakfast you’ve ordered in for your lady?

Grayshott Spa Valentine Indulgence Seeking a treat for your loved one, but short of ideas because you’re as unimaginative as the next lad? Yeah, us too, which is why we were overjoyed when we found out about this deal at Grayshott Spa in leafy Surrey.

From £210 per person, you get a one-night stay any time between Friday February 10 and Tuesday February 14. That includes a bottle of champagne and red rose when you get there, full board from dinner on arrival until lunch the next day, and a 40-minute facial or classic massage for both of you. What you get up to when the lights go off is absolutely free. Fnar! grayshottspa.com

the box

the breakfast

Panier d’Amour Sensuelle Gift Box Back in the day, Sport spent a halcyon summer in the south of France, living in a trailer that was to become known as le caravan d’amour. Carefree times we’d not thought of for a long time – until we saw this similarly-named product on offer for Valentine’s Day. A hand-selected basket aimed at couples looking for quality time this February 14, the Sensuelle Gift Box comes in three sizes and includes massage oils, scented candles, delicious chocolates and love tokens for you to give... and your girl to cash in. Good lord. panierdamour.co.uk From £49

58 | February 3 2012 |

I’d Love You For Breakfast Hamper from Betty Blythe What better way to begin a day of spoiling your special lady than with a breakfast lovingly prepared and delivered by someone other than you?

No better way, is the answer, and this is where the Betty Blythe Fine Food Pantry in London’s Brook Green comes in.

Between Saturday February 11 and Tuesday February 14, the good folk at Betty Blythe will hand-deliver a hamper full of delightful breakfast goodies to any location within the M25.

For £55 (plus delivery), that will include everything you see to the right plus any number of additional treats you care to imagine. Contact them direct for a full list of ingredients, mind – we can’t do everything. bettyblythe.co.uk

£55

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). MAC13561_1111

Talking to your family about cancer can be really tough.

But a chat with one of our experts on the Macmillan Support Line can help you find the words you need. So you and your family can face the future, together.

This is just one of the ways the Macmillan team can help you through cancer. Our medical professionals, cancer support specialists and benefits advisers are just a phone call away.

For cancer support every step of the way call the Macmillan team free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm)

or visit macmillan.org.uk

Extra time Entertainment

Light fantastic

DVD

Air shoot for the moon, the Nordic West Wing on DVD and Teen Wolf howls back on Blu-ray. You can’t fail to win in the end MUSIC

Le Voyage Dans La Lune Air

Borgen Season One

Pretentious French electro-pop hipsters – it’d be so easy to dislike Air if they weren’t so damn good.

Even their next release – an expanded version of a soundtrack they created to accompany a silent film made in 1902, for Pete’s sake – is far better than that toe-curling concept sounds. Tracks Parade and Seven Stars show Air haven’t lost their knack with a pop tune, while the album merges together to create a wonderfully ambient whole. In truth, Air are still using many of the synth tricks first seen on 1998’s Moon Safari – but it’s still sounding pretty sexy, boys.

Two series of atmospheric and intense mystery drama The Killing confirmed the nation’s appetite for Danish-made television in 2011, so it was no real surprise when BBC Four shelled out to import its stylish and fast-moving political sibling Borgen at the start of 2012.

The first season, charting the rapid rise to power – and struggle to stay there – of populist milf Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen, above), comes to a climax this Saturday, but you have only two days to wait before its DVD release. And, while Borgen lacks The Killing’s combination of knitwear and pure menace – some things in Denmark do happen in daylight, after all – its close scrutiny of the nature of modern government, not to mention its relationship with a ravenous media, compels and intrigues in equal measure. Classy viewing.

BLU-RAY

BOOK

FILM

The Trials and Triumphs of Les Dawson Louis Barfe

Midnight in Paris Owen Wilson brings his wonky-nosed charm to this Woody Allen comedy about a writer visiting Paris who goes on a series of outlandish adventures late at night.

As usual with Allen, the film is something of a self-portrait, but this is one of his finest in years. Out on Monday.

Eat one, you snide, tight T-shirt-wearing, trendy haircutted, panel show-hungry, unfunny douchebag. This is what an hilarious comedian actually looks like: a hound-faced deadpan genius. This is his story.

And it’s out now.

Teen Wolf

Man on a Ledge

The best high school/werewolf/ basketball/van-surfing comedy of all finally lands on Blu-ray this Monday. Enjoyably ridiculous (forget the wolfman, we’re just perplexed that 5ft 4ins Michael J Fox made the basketball team) and worth it alone for best friend Stiles’ T-shirts – especially his ‘What are you looking at dicknose?’ number. A must-wear for your next big meeting.

Further proof that Jamie Bell has outgrown his Billy Elliot days comes in this thriller, which also stars Sam Avatar Worthington as a man threatening to leap from a New York skyscraper. But is it all just an elaborate distraction from the spectacular heist Bell and the sultry Génesis Rodríguez are involved in on the other side of the street? Dizzying stuff.

60 | February 3 2012 |

DVD