World in Union: Falcons earn vital points in the relegation battle at Carneige.

Thanks to our friends at Premier Rugby and Aviva, here is the latest 'World in Union' post.

Poor weather conditions at the weekend meant that it was teams who could hold their nerve that generally came out on top in Round 16 of Aviva Premiership Rugby. A fourth straight league win for Gloucester Rugby means they retain their place in the top four behind leaders Leicester Tigers and second placed Saracens; fourth place is now taken by Bath Rugby thanks to a run of five successive league wins, while Northampton Saint's poor run of form means they slip out of the semi-final spots.

On Friday night at Edgeley Park, Jeremy Staunton kicked all of the away side's points as Aviva Premiership Rugby table toppers Leicester Tigers secured their ninth successive Aviva Premiership Rugby victory and maintain their position at the top. Fly-half Staunton landed an impressive six penalties to Charlie Hodgson’s two, but it was the home side that claimed the only try of the match in the 50th minute when Hodgson’s long pass sent centre Chris Bell over. Final score: Sale Sharks 16, Leicester Tigers 18.

On Saturday it was an early May day for Gloucester Rugby at Franklin’s Gardens. Winger Jonny May grabbed two tries to inspire Gloucester to their fourth straight Aviva Premiership Rugby victory. Nicky Robinson kicked two penalties and a conversion to help secure the tight win which consigned Northampton Saints to their fifth league loss in succession and a slip from fourth to fifth place in the table. Final score: Northampton Saints 16, Gloucester Rugby 18.

At Sandy Park on Saturday Bath stretched their unbeaten run in Aviva Premiership Rugby to five matches with a narrow victory over Exeter Chiefs. Gareth Steenson slotted over three crucial penalties for the Chiefs but it was the boot of Olly Barkley, kicking four penalties for Bath that sealed the win and a move up the table from sixth to fourth place. Final score: Exeter Chiefs 9, Bath Rugby 12.

Meanwhile another tense game was taking place over at the Madejski Stadium with London Irish coming out on top against London rivals Harlequins in a battle of the boot. Chris Malone kicked four penalties and Tom Homer one for London Irish while Rory Clegg landed three for Harlequins, who have won 10 out of their 11 previous matches. The win means London Irish move up from seventh to sixth position in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table, and Harlequins drop from fifth to seventh. Final score: London Irish 15, Harlequins 9.

On Sunday, Saracens secured their first ever victory at Adams Park against fellow London side London Wasps who had three players sin-binned. Alex Goode kicked a total of seven penalties to Dave Walder’s four, and coupled with a try from Andy Saull after four minutes, meant a valuable away win for the North London side. Final score: London Wasps 15, Saracens 26.

At Headingley Carnegie on Sunday Newcastle Falcons took a giant step towards Aviva Premiership Rugby safety with a crucial away win over Leeds Carnegie. Leeds are now seven points adrift of their northern rivals with eight games still to play, including a return match at Kingston Park in April, yet the Falcons delivered a heavy psychological blow with this comprehensive victory. Ally Hogg ran in an eighth-minute try, Jimmy Gopperth’s boot added 12 points before Jeremy Manning crossed to seal the win, after Scott Freer had given Leeds Carnegie a glimmer of hope with a try. Final score: Leeds Carnegie 5, Newcastle Falcons 22.

Basketball: Hull Wasps have another weekend of mixed results.

The Wasps double weekend, saw them win and lose. Thanks to the Wasps management for these two reports. If anyone is interested in commercial opportunities available at the club, please send us details and we pass them onto Geoff Brown.


HULL Wasps triumphed over the Bury Blue Devils for the first time on Saturday evening with a solid 87-70 win at the Bonus Arena. The home side put in a strong performance in the first half to all but see the game off.

Player-coach John Brignell top-scored again for the Wasps with 15 points, Rob Birchmore scored 12 with Chris Cummings scoring 10.

The Wasps move up one place into fourth, above Stockport Falcons II who lost at Huddersfield Heat. Wasps travel to the Heat tomorrow in the second of their double-game weekend.

HULL Wasps couldn't contain a table-topping Huddersfield side as they went down 76-55 on Sunday afternoon.

Wasps travelled to West Yorkshire hoping to continue their form of recent weeks but Huddersfield, who have lost just 3 games all season, dominated the game and out-scored the Wasps each of the first 3 quarters.

Jamie Goodwin top-scored for the Wasps with 13 points, John Brignell scored 12 and Miles Anderson scored 9.

Hull have a chance to hit back against the Heat next Sunday when they come to the Bonus Arena in the second of another double-game weekend for the Wasps. Before that, Cheshire Jets are next for the Wasps on Saturday 5th March, 7:30pm at the Bonus Arena.

Kult & Punk: Hangover after the Hannover match. 96 Pitchers, still the pain.

Kult & Punk. certainly did have a hangover after the Hannover match.  They tore themselves away from the table Space Invader machine, recently installed in Zoes Bar, and headed to the game.  Hannover 96 maintained their push at the top of the Bundesliga, in their gallant attempt for next seasons European competitions.

FC St. Pauli 0-1 Hannover 96


After winning their previous two home games, St. Pauli suffered a setback in their bid for mid-table solidity, succumbing to a last-minute defeat against Hannover. For the 96ers, the result earned them another three points in their ongoing push for a place in European competition and best-ever Bundesliga finish.

The first half was a decidedly low-key affair, with both sides finding it difficult to attain any degree of fluency on a rutted surface at the Millerntor. In fact, Jan-Philipp Kalla, making his Bundesliga debut for St. Pauli at left back, had their only shot on target in the first half, albeit a harmless one in the 12th minute that was no trouble for Hannover keeper Ron-Robert Zieler. The 96ers matched that with a single, similarly ineffective effort of their own from Lars Stindl three minutes later.

Better late than never

There was little initial change in the quality of the proceedings after the interval, although neither team could be faulted for their commitment. A solo effort from Jan Schlaudraff, foiled by St. Pauli keeper Thomas Kessler on the hour mark, provided a rare creative highlight for the fans. With the game appearing to be inevitably heading for a scoreless draw, Sergio Pinto pulled a great save out of Kessler in the 87th minute with a piledriver from a 25-metre free kick. Pinto took the resultant corner and Christian Schulz met it at the near post to power home the header that gave Hannover all the points and left St. Pauli empty-handed on this occasion.

Dean Richards: A tribute from WolvesBlogger. RIP DEANO

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dean Richards. We hand over to WolvesBlogger for their tribute to a true Gentleman.

Tribute to Dean Richards

By Nathan Lloyd - 27th February 2011 at 09:02PM

At around 3:15pm on Saturday 27th February, the Molineux crowd begin a chant in unison of ‘Deano’ followed by ‘there’s only one Dean Richards’ and finished with a spontaneous round of applause. And I’ll admit that I started to fill up.

The reason for the tears was that I’d heard only a few hours earlier of the passing of Dean Richards, a tremendous centre-back who spent four years in the gold & black from 1995 -1999.

I’m not usually one for outpours of emotions at the best of times, especially at football matches. In my 20+ years of going to Molineux, this was only the second time I can remember feeling this way. The only other occasion was when Matt Murray came onto the pitch and gave a heartfelt speech about his love for the club and his reasons for his premature retirement.

It is always sad when an ex-Wolves hero passes away, but usually it’s because they are in the twilight of their life and have reached an age where the old clichés are trotted out about having a good innings and so on.

But like Paul Birch and Mark Kendall before him, Dean Richards’ untimely death makes Shankley’s quote about football being more important than life itself seem like irrelevant garbage.

I remember seeing his debut in a dull scoreless home game against Luton in March 1995. Instantly, you could tell he had something special; he had quality and vision with the ball you would rarely see from a defender at the time. He would often take the ball out of defence and instigate attacks

Today this type of player is not uncommon, but back then, Richards was as rare as hen’s teeth. I like to think that the Molineux crowd is quick to spot a good player and after a few chants of ‘sign him up’ Graham Taylor turned Richards’ loan from Bradford into a permanent deal for a fee just shy of two million quid.

The next season, Mark McGhee, probably many Wolves fans least favourite manager from the past 20 years, took over the reins and at least did something right by bringing in Keith Curle from Man City.

Over the subsequent seasons, Richards and Curle formed what I still consider to be our strongest central defensive partnership in the last 30 years. Both read the game fantastically well and both were good on the ball, but Richards had that something extra that set him apart.

His Molineux stay was a bit of a bumpy ride. He suffered a car crash on his way back from a cup game at White Hart Lane in 1996 and struggled to regain his form when he came back into the side. On his return to the side, he ensured his name in Wolves folklore by banging one in against the Albion with a belter of a header.

He was a colossus in the air and after all his injury problems; Richards became an ever-present in his final season at Molineux. By then his talents had been spotted by many clubs, but it was future Wolves manager Dave Jones then at Southampton who snatched him away from Wolves on a Bosman.

He stayed injury free on the south coast and played 79 games in just over two years, compared to just 112 appearances at Wolves in four years.

And when Sol Campbell left Spurs for North London rivals Arsenal in 2001, Hoddle shelled out £8.1m to take Richards to White Hart Lane. Scoring against Man Utd on his home debut immediately endeared himself to the Spurs supporters, although that was the game that Tottenham let a 3 goal lead turn into a 5-3 defeat!

Still in his early Thirties, Richards retired from football after just 73 appearances for Spurs in four years, blaming an inner-ear infection on dizzy spells and headaches.

And in 2007, after passing his coaching badges, Dean took up a part-time coaching post at Bradford City.

As well as proudly witnessing at first hand the elegance of Richards in Wolves colours, I also remember meeting him at an end of season awards function at Molineux (below). He came across as quiet, unassuming and almost the antithetical football player.

These sentiments were echoed by Steve Froggatt, a superb winger who played in the same Wolves team as Dean for 3 seasons, who spoke eloquently about his devastation about losing his former colleague on local radio at the weekend. He said in a dressing room of big characters such as Mike Stowell, Kevin Muscatt and Steve Bull, Dean was absolute loved and was part of a group of players that were very, very close.

Froggy spoke how Dean had the talent to go on and play for England alongside Rio Ferdinand had his career not been so cruelly cut short.

Wolves fans and Spurs fans will get their chance to pay tribute to Deano at next week’s fixture when the two clubs meet at Molineux. It’ll be an emotional and poignant occasion, but importantly we all should remember what a great talent he was and our thoughts will be with Dean’s family and friends.

R.I.P Deano

Super Rugby: The Rebels enjoy a narrow victory against the Brumbies

SuperRugby continued with a narrow victory for the Rebels. There are, however, far more important events going on in this part of the world. All at AAMI Park, paid their respect to the victims and those injured in the earthquake in Christchurch this week. This will happen at all SuperRugby matches this weekend.


Rebels 25 Brumbies 24

The Melbourne Rebels have secured their first points in Super Rugby with a breathless 25-24 victory at AAMI Park against the Brumbies. An 80th minute Danny Cipriani penalty gave the Rebels the points at the death to send the 14,234 strong Rebel Army into delirium.

The win rewarded a vastly improved Rebels performance against a classy Brumbies outfit that led for almost the length of the game.

The home side was outscored by two tries to one but Cipriani’s boot more than made up the deficit and his kick on the siren will go down as a defining moment in the club’s history.

The Rebels executed their game plan far more effectively than against the Waratahs, particularly their kicking game. The inclusions of Mark Gerrard at fullback and Cipriani at flyhalf hinted at an increased use of the boot and Gerrard’s dangerous bombs and Cipriani’s working of the angles proved effective throughout.

In front of them, the Rebels pack played with more verve, with the back-row consistently crossing the gain line and Michael Lipman and Gareth Delve contributing a series of shuddering hits.

As with round one, the Rebels started brightly and controlled much of the opening exchanges. Little quarter was given by either side as the ball remained almost exclusively the possession of the forwards, with both packs competing for the same centre-field real estate.

Cipriani and Matt Giteau shared three penalties apiece with the half giving little indication of the exciting dénouement to follow.

It wasn’t until five minutes before the interval that either backline found space to accelerate. Giteau made the first decisive midfield break, streaking towards the Rebels’ try line. He was stopped ten metres out and then orchestrated a series of pick and drives that sucked in the Rebels defence. The ball was eventually switched wide to the right wing for fullback Pat McCabe to touch down in the corner. Giteau continued his flawless kicking performance by converting from the touchline.

The 16-9 scoreline remained the same until 10 minutes into the second half. The Brumbies had good field position during the early stages but the Rebels defence held firm. Emboldened by their resilience, a searching Cipriani kick turned defence into attack and from threatening field position the Rebels forced another penalty for the five eighth to narrow the gap - he duly obliged.

Four minutes later and the Englishman’s left boot was at it again, this time smashing over a 48 metre penalty to narrow the gap to just a single point.

The Brumbies riposte was immediate, with a Giteau drop-goal restoring the Brumbies four point lead. By now the game was fraught, the midfield fracturing and tired bodies leaving widening gaps.

This looked to suit the Brumbies, when, on 69 minutes, Henry Speight went over unopposed in the right corner. However, celebrations were cut short as referee Jonathan Kaplan called play back for an earlier knock-on.

Within seconds that moment took on even greater significance as Stirling Mortlock crossed for the first Rebels try in Super Rugby.

On 72 minutes, it was the captain who fittingly went over for the historic score after great work down the left from Cooper Vuna. The Rebels had recycled quick ball in a central attacking position but when Huxley fed Vuna on the left touchline the attack looked to be over. The Auckland-born powerhouse was not to be denied though and held off one tackle while looping a one-handed pass inside for his skipper to crash onto and dive over.

The conversion made it 22-19 and an improbable victory was on the cards.

The script was not yet complete though as from the restart the Brumbies returned fire with a try of their own. It was again Speight again who crossed in the right corner but this time he would not be called back and the game looked over. Crucially, Giteau chose this moment to miscue his first set-piece of the night, his difficult kick clipping the outside of the post.

With so little time left, this seemed not to matter and 24-22 looked to be the final scoreline.

That was until front-row handbags prompted a whistle from referee Kaplan with just seconds remaining. From 37 metres out, 15 metres in from the left touchline Cipriani was handed the opportunity of a place in Rebels history.

With the ground hushed in anticipation and expectation, the Englishman was composure personified and the winning penalty soared through the uprights as AAMI Park erupted.

Round one provided an occasion never to forget. Round two has thrown up a result to cherish forever.

Rebels

1. Nic Henderson, 2. Ged Robinson, 3. Greg Somerville, 4. Adam Byrnes, 5. Kevin O'Neill, 6. Jarrod Saffy, 7. Michael Lipman, 8. Gareth Delve (vc), 9. Nick Phipps, 10. Danny Cipriani, 11. Cooper Vuna, 12. Julian Huxley, 13. Stirling Mortlock (c), 14. Lachlan Mitchell, 15. Mark Gerrard

Reserves: 16. Heath Tessmann, 17. Laurie Weeks, 18. Alister Campbell, 19. Tom Chamberlain, 20. Richard Kingi, 21. Afusipa Taumoepeau, 22. Luke Rooney

Head Coach: Rod Macqueen

Bumbies

1. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore, 3. Dan Palmer, 4. Ben Hand, 5. Mark Chisholm, 6. Mitchell Chapman, 7. Julian Salvi, 8. Ita Vaea, 9. Josh Valentine, 10. Matt Giteau (c), 11. Francis Fainifo,12. Robbie Coleman, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Pat McCabe

Reserves: 16. Huia Edmonds, 17. Salesi Ma’afu, 18. Peter Kimlin, 19. Colby Faingaa, 20. Patrick Phibbs, 21. Matt Toomua, 22. Andrew Smith

Head Coach: Andy Friend

SuperRugby: Preview of the Rebels Round 2 game against Brumbies

Rebels v Brumbies – Super Rugby 2011


Like London buses, you wait a lifetime for a Super Rugby match and then two come at once. Hot on the heels of last week’s memorable debut against the Waratahs, the Melbourne Rebels are in action again, this Friday, against the Brumbies.

The quick turnaround means Rod Macqueen’s side has an immediate opportunity to get points on the board after last week’s 43-0 defeat while it also provides an opportunity for the Rebel Army to consolidate The Stockade as the number one rugby destination in Australia.

The Brumbies will make the short trip from Canberra in good spirits after a 28-20 home victory over the Chiefs in round one. The try count was even, at three apiece, but the reliable boot of captain Matt Giteau brought the Brumbies home. With Giteau, and fellow Wallabies, like Adam Ashley-Cooper and Steve Moore on song, the competition’s intensity shows no sign of abating for the Rebels.

The Rebels will be without five-eighth James Hilgendorf and flanker Hoani MacDonald for the second Australian derby of the season after both copped knocks in the defeat to the Waratahs. MacDonald’s broken hand will sideline him for around five weeks, while Hilgendorf is expected to be out for at least that amount of time with a damaged AC joint. Cooper Vuna’s injured shoulder will be assessed during the week.

The contest with the Brumbies will stir plenty of emotions in a number of Rebels who share rich histories with the Canberra-based side. Amongst these, Head Coach, Rod Macqueen, was the Brumbies’ foundation coach, captain, Stirling Mortlock, played for the franchise over 100 times; Julian Huxley had two spells with the club, while Mark Gerrard won a championship with them in 2004.

Fix 'n' Mix: March to the Arch covers F.A.Womens Cup and F.A.Trophy.

Welcome to another issue of Fix ‘n’ Mix. The feature that informs you where all our ‘adopted’ clubs are this weekend. If you have an event or cub fixture you want included here, please contact and provide us with details and we will post them on the blog. At present we have none; however, we will have space for at least 10 of your postings each week. Contact: info@sporttrades.co.uk, mark Fix ‘n’ Mix on all correspondence.

As always, with the fixture list below, please contact the relevant clubs to confirm time, venue and date. After last week, check to see if the match is still on, although I don’t think UD Lanzarote will be waterlogged, might be too hot.

Rugby Union:

Melbourne Rebels: The 2nd round of SuperRugby takes place this weekend. The Rebels entertain the Brumbies on Friday night; they will be looking to at least put points on the board. While we are in that area of the world, our thoughts are with all who are involved or have family and friends in the earthquake, across the water at Christchurch. We also send our thoughts and prayers to those who have lost loved ones in the tragedy.

Harpenden: The boys from the ‘Den travel to local rivals Hemel Hempstead this weekend. They go with confidence, after a shut out against Grasshoppers last week and lying 2nd in the league.

Rugby League:

London Skolars: The Skolars continue their involvement in the Northern Rail Cup. Last week they won their 1st point with an excellent draw against the York City Knights. So last week, knights, a history lesson you may say, this week it’s French. On Saturday, the mighty Skolars travel to Toulouse Olympique in the Northern Rail Cup Group games. That will be a quiet weekend then!

Football:

UD Lanzarote: In Sol y Futbol, los Rojillos entertain CD Victoria – no not a new musical offering from Mrs Beckham – on Sunday. Lanzarote go into this game in top spot after victory last time out.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli are playing at home this weekend. so the boys may leave Zoë’s Bar and file a report. Andy James you’re on standby. The boys email states that St Pauli are playing Hangover 69, but of course it’s Hannover 96. Oh dear, still their cheap.

March to the Arch: Last weekend was the F.A.Cup, Stoke City are now the ‘adopted’ club in that tournament after knocking out Brighton. That was the Seagulls 5th appearance in the competition and places them on top of the Merit Table. Our attentions turn to the F.A.Trophy and F.A.Womens Cup.

In the Trophy our boys Mansfield Town travel to Chasetown, the winners progressing to the Semi Final. On Sunday in the F.A.Womens Cup, our Ladies, Derby County host Sunderland – come on the super Rams.

Basketball:

Hull Wasps return home to the Bonus Arena this weekend. They had mixed results last time out in the North West. They hope to have a great result on Saturday when they welcome Bury Blue Devils. The Wasps are still looking for commercial partners and have many opportunities available. Contact us if you are interested and we will pass your details onto Geoff Brown.

Hockey:

North East’s greatest hockey club, are not playing this weekend. If you want your fix of hockey, Jesmond Parish Churches play at home to Stockton in the league this Saturday.

Please note in Ice Hockey Chelmsford Chieftains have this weekend off, but development teams will be playing at the ice rink.

Other:

We are looking for teams and sponsors for the 7 a-side football festival in Newquay this summer. The festival is over the 18th/19th June, involves a lot of fun. The tournament will be covered by the media and is the biggest in Europe. For interested teams, we will pass your details to Dan Codes and for sponsorship opportunities contact info@sporttrades.co.uk.

Happy Sporting.

Rugby League: Skolars draw against the Knights and claim first points

Skolars earn a well deserved point against the Knights, post taking in full from London Skolars.







London Skolars 16 York City Knights 16

Northern Rail Cup - Sunday 20th February 2011


Skolars got their first points of the season, gaining a draw against a York side from the division above them. They actually looked the most likely to score in the last 10 minutes, and that left Joe Mbu unhappy after the game. “It’s a game we could have won, so I’m actually disappointed with the result. We had them on the backfoot, but didn’t apply enough pressure. We competed against a very good side from the Championship and showed we’ve got guys with the strength and enthusiasm to challenge and that’s what is key.”

On a damp day the muddy conditions made handling difficult for both sides with 29 scrums in the game. However, that didn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining and a tense finish saw neither side able to break the deadlock.

Skolars opened the scoring with Ade Adebsi chasing a Neil Thorman kick to the corner, pouncing on the ball to score as Danny Wilson failed to pick up the loose ball.

Ryan Esders and Ian Bell were both held up over the line and with Nathan Massey putting in some big hits, the second game York good field position. After a high tackle by Matt Thomas, the quick tap saw the stong running John Davies slip past a despairing tackle by Gareth Honor to race 20 metres to the line. Four minutes later the Knights took the lead. Lee Waterman did well to catch a crossfield kick by Chris Thorman and then slipped the ball to the wing for Mark Barlow to score.

After a scuffle broke out, Chris Thorman was sin-binned for dissent and with two minutes to half-time, Skolars took advantage to move downfield. Quick hands by Dylan Skee gave Luke May some space to score in the corner. Neil Thorman missed the difficult conversion to leave York just two points clear.

With the Knights having used just two substitutions before the break, the expectation was that they would start to take control of the game. This they did for a while, but they just could not break through the defence. Waterman and Bell were both held up over the line and Neil Thorman made a try saving tackle on Jack Lee five metres from the line.

But as the half progressed, York’s dominance started to wane, with Saqib Murtza and Dave Williams both working hard in defence for the home side, the latter joining the club on loan from Quins RL, as is Ben Bolger, who made his home debut on loan.

Both sides realised the importance of field position, both trying to kick deep in the expectation of the inevitable knock-on as both sides started to slide in the increasingly muddy conditions. After Skee’s long kick had forced an error by York 20 metres out, he quickly pass out to the left where the partnership of May and Adebisi saw the winger score his second try.

York bounced straight back into the game, gaining a scrum immediately after the restart following another dropped ball. Esders moved the ball out to the right and Danny Wilson scored in the corner. However, Chris Thorman missed the conversion and the scores were level.

With the ground conditions such that neither side was able to risk a drop goal both sides tried grubber kicks in the few opportunities they had in the final 13 minutes. Chris Thorman’s kick along the ground was gathered up well by Neil Thorman 5 metres from his tryline, whilst Skolars had a couple of closer chances at the other end, May and Adebisi twice getting close to Skee kicks that were both just too long.

Match Teams/Other Stats

LONDON SKOLARS

3 James Anthony
2 Smokie Junor
17 Dave Arnot
4 Luke May
5 Ade Adebisi
7 Dylan Skee
1 Neil Thorman
8 Tony Williams
9 Gareth Honor
31 Saqib Murtza
11 Matt Thomas
33 Ben Bolger
18 Austen Aggrey

Subs (all used)
34 Dave Williams
20 Dave Samson
13 Stephen Ball
14 Liam Prescott

Tries: Adebisi (9,65), May (40)
Goals: N Thorman 2/3

YORK CITY KNIGHTS

20 Tom Bush
2 Dave Sutton
17 Ian Bell
4 Lee Waterman
5 Danny Wilson
6 Chris Thorman
27 Scott Woods
32 Nathan Massey
9 Jack Lee
31 Ben Jones
13 Ryan Esders
29 John Davies
24 Mark Barlow

Subs (all used)

14 Jack Stearman
22 Ed Smith
25 Steve Lewis
34 Adam Howard

Tries: Davies (24), Barlow (28), Wilsom (67)
Goals: C Thorman 2/3

Sin-bin: C Thorman (38) - dissent

Penalty count: 11-11

Half-time: 10-12

Referee: Matthew Kidd

Attendance: 264

SportTrades Newsflash: Aston Villa shirt sponsorship available- NOW!

SportTrades, through, Sports Pulse are very pleased to announce an absolutely fantastic opportunity.  It will lead to unprecedented exposure for your company, not only within the UK, but Worldwide.  Although unable to name the club due to a general non disclosure policy, please rest assured it is a team with a fantastic history, a strong trophy cabinet, laden with talent and a very high profile manager.  This club is not adverse to European competition either.

Please contact us leaving details at info@sporttrades.co.uk, we will immediately call you back to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

WE CAN NOW REVEAL THE CLUB CONCERNED. SPONSOR

 ASTON VILLA FC 2011/2012

Rugby Union: Harpenden lock out Grasshoppers at the Lane.

Harpenden 40 Grasshoppers 0

Thanks to all at Harpenden Rugby for providing the match report. Taking in full from http://www.hrfc.com/.

Harpenden’s bouncebackability would be sorely tested at Redbourn Lane against a resurgent Grasshoppers team on Saturday. The turgid conditions suffocated the early exchanges, with mistakes, turnovers and set pieces taking centre-stage. Both sides had opportunities to trouble the scorers, Harpenden first through their pace-laden backline, with only last-ditch tackling denying winger Payne, and then Grasshoppers opting for the robust approach following a series of reset scrums and short-range drives. Haddock’s right boot enabled Harpenden to open the scoring, with a well-struck penalty following a G’s indiscretion at the breakdown. However, the game didn’t really come to life until a moment of madness by the away side’s second row changed the complexion of the game irrevocably. Following some good close-quarter work by Graham, Green broke the initial defence only to be tripped by the Grasshopper’s boot under the nose of the referee. The result was a red card, and this instantly had a galvanising effect on Harpenden. The Men in Black were diligent in keeping the pressure on G’s, and set up camp deep in the twenty-two. Following a series of short-range drives, South released Tennant whose flat miss-pass found Cooper, who rounded off the move superbly. A further penalty attempt by Haddock went awry, but Harpenden, despite having the upper hand in terms of statistics couldn’t quite kill off a spirited G’s side. HT 8-0

The message from the coaching staff was clear enough, and Harpenden set about putting the game to bed. Powerful breaks from deep via Dumbleton and Graham enabled front-foot possession, and with the tempo on the incline Harpenden began a 30minute ruthless streak. On his full debut for the first team, Murphy crossed the whitewash following a neat offload from Tennant. Haddock crashed over the conversion and Harpenden held a 15-0 lead mid-way through the second half. The Men in Black had seen enough as early as the 60th minute, opting to kick for the corner rather than settle for a mere three points. From a driven maul Tennant duly dived over on the short side beneath an attempted tackle from the visiting flanker. Alan Barton, back to his favored position and form, ran virtually everything and Harpenden merrily picked up the bonus point on offer, and are now five points behind the Hammersmith and Fulham, whom they play in four weeks time.

A further coat of gloss was added to the score line with centre Cooper adding a second to his first half try. Both South and Kearns got their reward from the tireless work of the Harpenden backrow trio of Green, Graham and Drain, the latter offering glimpses to the spectators of his prodigious talent both in the loose and on the wider pastures. FT 40-0

Note: Following an accidental clash of heads between two players, the Harpenden first fifteen and the Club itself would like to wish the Grasshoppers player a full and speedy recovery.

Team:

Peck, Murphy, Blake, Hoare, Dumbleton, Green, Drain, Graham, South, Tennant (C), Payne, Cooper, Kearns, Haddock and Barton.

Subs:

Lacey, Thompson and Muskett.

From the Cosmos Pele's Goals Stat sheet - Pure Magic

As you may know, the New York Cosmos have been reformed. If like me you remember the NASL (pre MLS & Becks) and the joy of finding out American Team names, Vancouver WhiteCaps, Tampa Bay Rowdies, California Surf, Detroit Express, Boston T Men, Philadelphia Fury, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, San Jose Earthquakes, Portland Timbers, Seatle Sounders, the list goes on.  You will like this, the Cosmaos 70's badge has been saved, but also from their archives a stat sheet regarding Pele - just incredible!

Sol y Futbol: Lanzarote notch up another away win to top the table.

Mr Lane reports from a triumphant away win for los Rojillos and a return to the top.


LAS ZOCAS 1 LANZAROTE 2


Once again U.D Lanzarote swap places with Las Palmas B to and replace them as league leaders following their third consecutive away win against Tenerife side, Las Zocas.

The game began at a slow pace with the local side defending and with Lanzarote dominating possession in midfield. In the 19th minute Lanzarote opened the scoring. Javi Betancort robbed the home side of possession in the centre and fed striker Yaco who made no mistake beating goalkeeper Dani to send the visitors 0-1 up.

Less than a minute later and Toñito had a fantastic opportunity to double his sides lead but his shot fell straight into the arms of the Las Zocas keeper. Gradually the home side began to control their nerves but it was the Rojillos who controlled possession and looked the more threatening but were unable to extend on their lead in the remainder of the first half.

Las Zocas did pose more of a threat in the opening of the second period but were restricted into firing long balls into the Rojillos danger zone. Lanzarote dealt with the pressure with ease waiting to hit their opponents on the break.

In the 74th minute Lanzarote found the all important second goal. A defensive mistake allowed Javi Betancort to get through the last line of defence, he then squeezed the ball past the Tenerife goalkeeper to give his side a comfortable 0-2 lead.

Deep into stoppage time the Lanzarote goalkeeper Alejandro brought down striker Alejandro and the official pointed to the spot. You’ve guessed it! Alejandro picked himself up from the floor and blasted past Alejandro to reduce the deficit to 1-2. No time remained for the home side to draw level as the Ref blew full time straight after the restart.

Las Palmas B lost the day previous so Lanzarote knew that if they won in Tenerife that they would regain top spot. Lanzarote´s home form has been jittery as late but away the Rojillos have not tasted defeat since the 14th November. Lanzarote lead the table by a point from Las Palmas B but Tenerife side Atlético Granadilla look set to gatecrash the party by moving into third place after picking up 13 points out of a possible 15 and now trail the Rojillos by six points with a game in hand. Lanzarote still have to visit both Las Palmas B and Atlético Granadilla on the run in.

Next Sunday Lanzarote host second from bottom side C.D. Victoria. The Tenerife side will be boosted by a 2-0 win over the weekend and know three points against the league leaders could see them move out of the relegation places.

GOALS
0-1 min 19 Yaco
0-2 min 74 Javi Betancort
1-2 min 93 Alejandro (penalty)

World in Union: Review of Round 15 of the Aviva Premiership

Our weekly round up of the Aviva Premiership. My boys the ‘super Falcons’ need to start winning very soon. Relegation seems to be between Leeds and Newcastle unless something miraculous happens. Aviva, competitive insurance rates, not available on comparison sites. We use them for our cars at Sports Pulse, good price and service. Why make a drama, (for those old enough to remember Commercial Union).


Aviva Premiership Rugby Round 15 went very much with form as Gloucester Rugby won their seventh consecutive match in all competitions at home to London Irish, while Northampton Saints lost their fourth straight league match away at Bath Rugby. Leaders Leicester Tigers and second placed Saracens both won, and there was no joy for bottom clubs Newcastle Falcons or Leeds Carnegie who both lost, but it will be Newcastle who're feel the loss more keenly having let another home match slip away.

On Friday night at Kingsholm, Gloucester moved up to third in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table after their forwards pummelled London Irish into submission. It was Gloucester’s seventh successive win in all competitions thanks to an early try from skipper Luke Narraway, 13 points from fly-half Nicky Robinson and a second-half touchdown by Akapusi Qera. Irish could only register two Chris Malone penalties and a Tom Homer strike. Final score: Gloucester Rugby 23, London Irish 9.

Over at Kingston Park Newcastle Falcons were plunged deeper into relegation trouble as a late surge saw Exeter Chiefs claim an away victory. There was little to choose between the sides in the first half and it was 6-6 at the break as Jimmy Gopperth and Gareth Steenson kicked two penalties each. In the second half another Steenson penalty edged the visitors ahead, although the hosts hit back with a try from James Hudson. A Matt Jess try and three more penalties from Steenson sealed victory for the Chiefs. Final score: Newcastle Falcons 13, Exeter Chiefs 23.

On Saturday Bath Rugby condemned Northampton Saints to their fourth successive Aviva Premiership Rugby defeat with a comprehensive victory at The Recreation Ground. England wing Matt Banahan was the architect of Bath’s bonus point triumph, scoring three tries and brilliantly creating another for Australia centre Matt Carraro, while Olly Barkley added five conversions and a penalty, including the extra for Sam Vesty’s late touchdown. Saints could only manage a Greig Tonks try and a Stephen Myler penalty in reply as they suffered their heaviest defeat of the season. Final score: Bath Rugby 38, Northampton Saints 8.

Harlequins made it 10 wins from their last 11 matches in all competitions with a comfortable victory over a limited Sale Sharks side at the Twickenham Stoop. The home team had the more creative runners with an impressive performance from Mike Brown at full-back and good contributions from Rory Clegg, who stood in for Nick Evans at fly-half, as well as Joe Gray and Chris Robshaw in the Quins pack. Harlequins tries came from Gray and Brown with a conversion and three penalty kicks slotted over by Clegg. Charlie Hodgson kicked three penalties in reply for Sale. Final score: Harlequins 21, Sale Sharks 9.

Former London Wasp Jeremy Staunton totted up an individual 16 point haul for Leicester Tigers over his old club in an intensely physical contest at Welford Road on Saturday. Tries from Steve Mafi and Staunton, who also kicked three penalties and converted his score, were enough to give the Aviva Premiership Rugby table toppers a comfortable win. Wasps, playing their first game since the departure of Director of Rugby Tony Hanks last week, could only reply with four penalties kicked by Dave Walder. Final score: Leicester Tigers 21, London Wasps 12.

On Sunday Saracens closed the gap on Aviva Premiership Rugby leaders Leicester Tigers with a crushing win over bottom club Leeds Carnegie. Saracens were 14 points clear in as many minutes and never looked back, collecting the maximum five-point haul early in the second half. Full-back Alex Goode kicked two penalties and converted four of the five tries scored by Michael Tagicakibau, Brad Barritt, James Short, Richard Wigglesworth and Chris Whyles. Final score: Saracens 39, Leeds Carnegie 0.

Thank you to Aviva Premiership for supplying information for this post.

Wasps weekend in the North West was a mixed bag.

The Wasps busy weekend in the North West, started in Stockport on Friday night, before a trip to Burnley. A mixed bag, it has to be said.

HULL Wasps leap-frogged both Stockport and Burnley on Friday evening with a 74-64 win at Stockport Falcons. Wasps came from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to win the first leg of their double-game weekend.

HULL Wasps travelled to Burnley on Saturday afternoon in the second game of their double-game weekend but lost out 81-72 in a close game against Burnley Blaze.

Wasps, who were victorious over Stockport Falcons on Friday evening, started confidently and a close opening quarter ended 27-25 to the Wasps.

Burnley matched the visitors in the second period and took a narrow half-time 44-42 lead into the dressing room.

Burnley went on a strong run in the third to open up a 10-point lead over Hull who could not pull it back in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost to Malcolm Leak's side by just 9 points.

John Brignell top-scored again for the Wasps with 27 points, captain Jamie Goodwin scored 17 and forward Miles Anderson scored 12.

DEVILS ROCKED IN FIERY CLASH

The Chieftains V Cardiff ENL Devils clash always has that edge and Saturdays' game was no different. The Chieftains had put themselves in an unassailable 7-2 lead with a brace from Tom Long and Aaron Connolly each with Danny Hammond, Kyle Jones and Darren Brown, but the game will be remembered not only for the skill on show but with what happened in the final few minutes. With just over 4 minutes to go an incident between BT Williams and Bryn Griffiths ended with Griffiths jumping on BT Williams and throwing punches at the Chieftains tough guy. Once Williams had his gloves off, it was only going to go one way and Williams ended the fight by taking the Welshman down much to the delight of the home crowd.

20 seconds after the first fight ended all hell broke loose when Devils netminder Mike Brabon went to the ice to make a save and clashed with Blaho Novak and this invoked the ire of the Devils players and Brabon who triple teamed the Chieftains youngster. The rest of the players on the ice came over to help out the 17yr old and it ended up being uneven numbers as the Devils had already sent some players out for a normal line change. Williams, in the penalty box, was desperate to get out to help Novak and eventually managed to, once Griffiths had jumped out and gone after star Chieftains forward Danny Hammond. This signalled the remaining players to leave the benches and come on to the ice and a mass brawl broke out with all players on the ice pairing off, or in some cases teaming up with teammates to double-team others. The huge crowd of over 700 were all on their feet cheering and watching something that is quite rare in ice hockey, but in many respects is a special moment to witness.

Once things had calmed down and the penalties awarded, the referee Jurijs Solavjovs, had awarded match penalties to both Griffiths and Williams for leaving the penalty box, as well as match penalties to Tom Long and Steve Fisher. Each side also had 3 players put in the penalty box on roughing penalties. The game itself played out without much further incident and as is tradition all players shook hands after the game, other than Novak and Brabon who visibly didn't shake hands with tension clearly between the two still rife

Kult & Punk: St. Pauli run comes to an end in Dortmund

Kult & Punk, with help from Andy, report on the match in Dortmund. The truth is they didn't move from Zoe's Bar, thanks to the delivery of a table top Space Invaders machine - oh so retro. Truth be known it was young Andy James who was giving the responsibility and what a good job.

Dortmund - Borussia Dortmund recorded their first home victory since the winter break with a 2-0 success against FC St. Pauli, extending their lead at the top to 13 points.


Jürgen Klopp's champions elect bossed proceedings from the off and rarely came under pressure against the form team of 2011 so far, taking a first-half lead through Lucas Barrios' tenth of the season before a Ralph Gunesch own goal shortly after the restart secured another impressive three points.

Stanislawski limited for choice

Forced into six changes owing to injury, St. Pauli quickly found themselves under pressure at the Signal Iduna Park with Kevin Großkreutz testing Thomas Kessler within the first two minutes after making a smart diagonal run into the box. Nuri Sahin also went close with an arrowed left-foot strike which missed the right-hand upright by a whisker.

With Roman Weidenfeller wholly untroubled at the other end, Dortmund continued to claw at their retreating guests, who again had Kessler to thank for top saves to deny Großkreutz and Lucas Barrios with each clean through on goal, as well as Sahin, whose scorching effort from range had the Pauli shot-stopper at full stretch high to his left.

First goal of the year for Barrios

Meantime the best the visitors could muster in way of a response was a Charles Takyi swipe from a set-piece which was always rising. Stil Dortmund's opener never felt far away and it duly arrived just six minutes before the break. Barrios was the scorer for the first time in 2011, controlling Sahin's cross with balance before dragging across his marker and finishing against the run of Kessler.

Pauli's hopes of an equaliser were spoiled within minutes of the restart. Barrios was again the perpetrator, the Paraguayan afforded far too much space in the box to beat his marker and clip across the face of goal, where the unwitting Gunesch added a clumsy finish with Robert Lewandowski lurking and ready to pounce behind.

St. Pauli run comes to an end

It took the Kiezkicker over an hour to force Weidenfeller into his first save of the afternoon as Takyi and Marius Ebbers combined to tee up Fin Bartels, whose firm finish was met with a solid pair of hands by the BVB shot-stopper. Though Großkreutz fluffed another good chance following a good run and cross from the right by Lewandowski, the hosts were otherwise content to sit on their two-goal advantage, allowing Pauli a little more of the game without ever looking danger of conceding.

The Yellow-Blacks could have added a third in the closing stages but for a first-class Kessler save from Antonio da Silva's deflected curling finish, though the 2-0 scoreline was more than enough to reiterate Dortmund's title credentials. They again move further in front at the summit, St. Pauli's unbeaten start to the year comes to an end.

Line-ups:

BVB: Weidenfeller - Piszczek, Felipe Santana, Hummels, Schmelzer - S. Bender, Sahin (Stiepermann 85') - Götze (da Silva 77'), Lewandowski (Feulner 87'), Großkreutz - Barrios

Pauli: Kessler - Thorandt, Gunesch, Morena, Oczipka (Volz 12') - Lehmann - Hennings, Takyi, Kruse (Bruns 70') - Ebbers, Sukuta-Pasu (Bartels 46')

Goals: 1-0 Barrios (39'), 2-0 Gunesch (o.g. 49')

With many thanks to Andy James for the post

If this was true, it would be a window (January) to make Ted Moult proud.

For our younger readers, the late Ted Moult advertised double glazing on T.V.  The picture that has created such a stir, but very funny. We'll let MirrorSport explain.

Greek side Aris Thessaloniki destroyed housands of copies of their Europa League matchday programme when it was revealed they'd printed a fake picture of the Manchester City squad by mistake.


Bungling club officials sourced the image from the internet - and failed to notice that it depicted the Premier League club's ranks bolstered by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Kaká, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Mesut Ozil... and Where's Wally!

City officials apparently saw the funny side of the mistake but their hosts were so embarrassed that they ordered the offending publication to be pulped.

A handful of copies made it through the net, however, and are now being sold on eBay as collector's items.

Super Rugby: Rebels without a cause or indeed any points.

Rebels 0 Waratahs 43

If the Melbourne Rebels thought it was going to be a tough season of Super Rugby, they found out how tough, going down 43-0 to the Waratahs at AAMI Park. Two tries in the first half and five in the second secured the Waratahs the win, a bonus point and the Weary Dunlop Shield.

The defeat couldn’t dampen the spirits of a partisan 25,524 crowd, however, on a night of celebration for the Rebels. Despite being out of the contest early in the second half, the Rebel Army remained in full voice throughout, even breaking out a Mexican wave late on.

Two yellow-cards did not help the Rebels cause but the Waratahs, and their slick backline in particular, deserve great credit for their slight of hand and fleet of foot. Consistently the gain line was broken and support runners were always on hand for the offload or overlap.

The passion off the field was reflected on it, with a bruising opening quarter fought out by two sides determined to not concede an inch.

An indication of how compact the contest was can be seen in the first score taking 25 minutes to arrive. Waratahs skipper, Phil Waugh, forced his way over the gain line and in the following phase the elite NSW backline shifted it wide at speed for Kurtley Beale to touchdown in the corner. Lachie Mitchell did his best to drag the Wallaby flyer out of touch but television replays showed the try was legal. Barnes missed the conversion from the left touchline.

The Waratahs doubled their advantage on 32 minutes in a move straight from the training ground. The ball was picked off the lineout and handed immediately to Berrick Barnes who delivered a precise right-footed kick behind the onrushing Rebels defence. The ball bounced perfectly for Drew Mitchell to scoop up, step inside Julian Huxley and cross in the left corner. Barnes again failed to add the two points.

The 10-0 lead lasted until halftime.

Most of the rest of the first half was a tight affair, fought up front – at times literally. The first action of note in the game involved referee Mark Lawrence sin-binning Kevin O’Neil and Dean Mumm for acquainting themselves after just seven minutes.

The Rebels saw plenty of the ball in the early stages and looked more assured in contact than throughout the preseason. The fierce Waratahs attack on the breakdown prevented the speed of ball required to generate overlaps and it was only when the ball went to the boot of Danny Cipriani and Lachie Mitchell that the Rebels looked like creating something from nothing.

Cipriani, on early following a shoulder injury to James Hilgendorf, was heavily involved throughout. A try-saving intervention shortly after his arrival thwarted what looked like a certain Beale try, while his 39th minute penalty from 40 metres was the Rebels’ only shot at goal for the half.

Break from gave Beale the chance to stretch his legs but Cipriani read the play well and thwarted what looked like a certain try.

The second half began badly for the Rebels. After two minutes of the restart Ged Robinson was sent to the bin and from the resulting scrum Tatafu Polota-Nau drove his way over. Barnes missed his third kick of the night.

Just five minutes later Drew Mitchell crossed for his second and guaranteed the Waratahs a bonus point. With Robinson off, the Waratahs opted to take scrums at every opportunity and from a set-piece on halfway good hands and quick passing created space for the speedster to run in under the posts. Barnes opened his account for the season at the fourth time of asking.

Beale reinforced the man advantage, snagging his second of the night after 52 minutes as the Waratahs midfield continued to stretch the play. Barnes’ conversion from the right touchline made the scoreline 29-0.

The Waratahs’ sixth and seventh tries arrived in quick succession. Centre Rob Horne rewarded his side’s domination of the ball by finishing in the left corner before captain Waugh pushed his way over from the base of a maul. Barnes and Beale added two points each time.

A late Rebel resurgence threatened to break their Super Rugby duck but the Waratahs held firm.

A great occasion, a disappointing result, but the seeds of Rebelution have been sown.

Rebels

1. Nic Henderson, 2. Ged Robinson, 3. Greg Somerville, 4. Adam Byrnes, 5. Kevin O'Neill 6. Hoani Macdonald 7. Michael Lipman, 8. Gareth Delve (vc), 9. Sam Cordingley, 10. James Hilgendorf 11. Luke Rooney, 12. Cooper Vuna, 13. Stirling Mortlock (c), 14. Lachlan Mitchell, 15. Julian Huxley

Reserves: 16. Heath Tessman, 17. Laurie Weeks, 18. Alister Campbell, 19. Jarrod Saffy, 20. Nick Phipps, 21. Danny Cipriani, 22. Afusipa Taumoepeau

Head Coach: Rod Macqueen

Waratahs

1. Sekope Kepu, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 3. Al Baxter, 4. Dean Mumm, 5. Kane Douglas, 6. Dave Dennis, 7. Phil Waugh (c), 8. Ben Mowen, 9. Luke Burgess, 10. Berrick Barnes, 11. Drew Mitchell, 12. Tom Carter, 13. Rob Horne, 14. Lachie Turner, 15. Kurtley Beale

Reserves: 16. Damien Fitzpatrick, 17. Benn Robinson, 18. Sitaleki Timani, 19. Chris Alcock, 20. Brendan McKibbin, 21. Daniel Halangahu, 22. Ryan Cross

Head Coach: Chris Hickey

Referee: Mark Lawrence

The Rebels re-group and welcome the Brumbies to Melbourne a week Saturday

Champions League Final Tickets, at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask.

£176 for cheapest Champions League final ticket, at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask.


This post taking in full from our friends at the Football Supporters Federation. The organisation is free to join, for further details please visit their website www.fsf.org.uk

Uefa has announced the ticket prices for the 2011 Champions League final – and they’re high enough to make your eyes water. Supporters can expect to fork out between £150-£300 for a single match ticket along with a whopping £26 administrative fee.

Tickets for the final, which takes place at Wembley on Saturday 28th May, go on sale to the general public between Thursday 24th February and Friday 18th March. Standard match tickets are split into four categories: Category 1 – £300; Category 2 – £225; Category 3 – £150; and Wheelchair £80.

The 2010 Champions League final saw Category 4 tickets available at the price of €90 (approximately £75 at today’s exchange rate) meaning that Uefa has effectively doubled the cheapest standard ticket. Around 86,000 fans will be in Wembley for the Champions League final with each finalist entitled to 25,000 tickets.

When Uefa moved the Champions League final from its traditional Wednesday evening slot to Saturday evening European football’s governing body claimed one of the main reasons was to make the final more family friendly: “It is also hoped that playing the Uefa Champions League final on a Saturday will give families, especially children, the chance to see the game,” said Uefa online. Yet a “youth package” comprising of one adult and one child ticket for the 2011 final costs £338.

“To ask fans to fork out between £150-£300 for a single match ticket is absolutely outrageous; it just strikes of profiteering at the supporters’ expense. The price on some tickets has doubled in one year and that’s before we even get started on the £26 admin fee which is the cherry on top of a pretty disgusting cake,” said Michael Brunskill of the Football Supporters’ Federation.

“Part of Uefa’s reasoning for a Saturday evening final was to encourage children and families along. How does this square with charging £338 for a family ticket comprising of one child and one adult? On their own website Uefa warn fans not to buy ticket from touts as they’ll only be charged ‘exorbitant prices’ – the FSF would suggest that those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

Cricket World Cup 2011: team-by-team guide

A look at all the sides contesting the Cricket World Cup 2011 hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The guide taking in full from our friends at Telegraph Sport.



GROUP A

AUSTRALIA

Forget the Ashes, Australia are a different team in one-day cricket as they demonstrated with their recent 6-1 thrashing of England.

Seeking their fourth successive World Cup but lack of a decent spinner in the absence of the injured Nathan Hauritz might prove their undoing.

Coach: Tim Nielsen Best XI: Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Cameron White, David Hussey, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Shaun Tait.

Key Man: Ricky Ponting. Lost Ashes, is he about to relinquish the World Cup?

What happened last time out: Won their third consecutive World Cup by beating Sri Lanka in the final.

PAKISTAN

Unpredictable and chaotic. Whether Pakistan go out of the competition at the group stage, as they did four years ago, or end Australia's domination depends on what mood they are in.

Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq offer experience and 19-year-old batsman Ahmed Shehzad the raw talent.

Coach: Waqar Younis

Best XI: Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar.

Key Man: Younis Khan. Back in the international fold after a brief suspension last year. Experience important in an unpredictable side.

What happened last time out: Went out at the group stage after defeats by West Indies and Ireland.

NEW ZEALAND

A cabal of senior players has ruled the dressing room for too long, ousting a succession of coaches. Now it is time for them to be judged by the performances.

Will they stand up? Doubtful. They have the potential to go a long way with Daniel Vettori an outstanding one-day spinner, explosive batsmen and awkward one-day seamers.

Coach: John Wright

Best XI: Daniel Vettori (captain), Martin Guptill, Jessie Ryder, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Scott Styris, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee.

Key Man: Ross Taylor. Explosive batsman and the Kiwis' potential match-winner.

What happened last time out: Trounced by Sri Lanka in semi-finals.

SRI LANKA

A major threat on home soil and will be keen to send Muttiah Muralitharan into international retirement with a trophy. Muralitharan played in the side that won the World Cup in 1996.

A batting line up that features Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan has to be respected.

Coach: Trevor Bayliss

Best XI: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Key Man: Muttiah Muralitharan. The leading wicket-taker in Test history will retire from international cricket at the end of this tournament and he would like to go out with a second World Cup.

What happened last time out: Beaten by Australia in final.

ZIMBABWE

On a political charm offensive but ultimately they will be judged on results. Will continue to struggle at the highest level until they can find quality performers to replace the lost generation that included the Flower brothers, Heath Streak and Henry Olonga.

Sean Ervine's decision to stay with Hampshire is a major blow and the absence of experienced seamers is an obvious weakness.

Coach: Alan Butcher

Best XI: Elton Chigumbura (captain), Brendan Taylor, Shingirai Masakadza, Regis Chakabva, Tatenda Taibu, Craig Ervine, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Greg Lamb, Ray Price, Christopher Mpofu

Key Man: Brendan Taylor. Three centuries and 20 fifties in ODIs should help balance Zimbabwe's lack of skill and experience.

What happened last time out: Tied with Ireland but failed to win a match.

CANADA

Likely to be making up the numbers again in their fourth World Cup. Their group match against Kenya in Delhi represents Canada's best hope of only their second World Cup win in their fourth appearance.

Heavily dependent on veteran John Davison who made a 67-ball century against the West Indies eight years ago.

Coach: Pubudu Dassanayake

Best XI: Ashish Bagai (captain), John Davison, Nitish Kumar, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Jimmy Hansra, Zubin Surkari, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Hiral Patel, Harvir Baidwan, Balaji Rao.

Key Man: John Davison, born in Canada but played for South Australia and Victoria. Still Canada's best batsman at the age of 40.

What happened last time out: Lost all three group matches but made England labour in St Lucia.

KENYA

A solitary victory over Canada four years ago was no reason for celebration for a side that reached the semi-finals in 2003.

Former Derbyshire chief executive Tom Sears has been brought in to sort out the internal politics and introduce a coherent domestic playing structure.

But Kenya remain too reliant on Steve Tikolo and Collins Obuya, an embarrassing overseas recruit by Warwickshire eight years ago.

Coach: Eldine Baptiste

Best XI: Jimmy Kamande (captain), Seren Waters, David Obuya, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Maurice Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Peter Ongondo, James Ngoche

Key Man: Steve Tikolo, playing in his fifth World Cup at the age of 39 but still Kenya's best hope of a making a decent total.

What happened last time out: Beat Canada but went out at group stage.

GROUP B

INDIA

Under pressure to win the competition for the first time since 1983 on home soil. Have a squad capable of doing that with powerful batting line up, decent spinners and skilful swing bowlers.

All eyes will be on Sachin Tendulkar and India will be a major threat to Australia if they can hold their nerve.

Coach: Gary Kirsten

Best XI: MS Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel.

Key Man: Sachin Tendulkar. Will relish the challenge of trying to end Australia’s domination in front of his adoring public.

What happened last time out: Only managed to beat Bermuda in group matches so went home early.

SOUTH AFRICA

A side lacking World Cup experience but the four who have played before - Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Robin Peterson - are key players.

Two outstanding pacemen in Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel but spin will be a major factor on the sub-continent and the experience of Imran Tahir, who has played most of his cricket in Pakistan, will help South Africa.

Coach: Corrie van Zyl

Best XI: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Key Man: Imran Tahir, prolific wicket-taker in county cricket with Warwickshire and Hampshire, recently qualified to play for South Africa. His leg spin could prove potent on the sub-continent.

What happened last time out: Beaten by Australia in semi-finals.

ENGLAND

A 6-1 series thrashing in Australia was hardly ideal preparation but the side was ravaged by injuries. Need to bounce back quickly.

The ability of batsmen to adapt to the slower pitches on the sub-continent will determine whether England, who won the World T20 last year, can defy the sceptics again.

Coach: Andy Flower

Best XI: Andrew Strauss (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Mike Yardy, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, James Anderson.

Key Man: Jonathan Trott, the only batting success in the recent hammering by Australia. Can he work the ball around on slow pitches?

What happened last time out: Reached the Super Eights but beaten by the four semi-finalists.

WEST INDIES

Won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979 but this lot are not in the same class as the side that Clive Lloyd captained.

Their pace attack is no longer feared, their batting is erratic and their fielding can be embarrassing. A win over Holland is a minimum requirement but even that cannot be taken for granted.

Coach: Ottis Gibson

Best XI: Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle, Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach.

Key Man: Chris Gayle. Needs to find form if unpredictable side are to end run of wretched form in ODIs.

What happened last time out: Reached Super Eights but only Bangladesh and Ireland finished below them.

BANGLADESH

Unpredictable but capable of producing upsets on their day, as England discovered at Bristol last summer.

Playing on home soil will be an advantage and they go into the tournament on the back of ODI series wins over New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Tamim Iqbal will entertain but the canny Shakib Al Hasan is the more likely match-winner.

Coach: Jamie Siddons

Best XI: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam.

Key Man: Shakib Al Hasan. Impressed in brief stint as Worcestershire’s overseas player last season. Bats, bowls and captains.

What happened last time out: Stunned India in group match but disappointed in Super Eights.

IRELAND

Players needed to book extra time off work four years ago when they surprisingly reached the Super Eights. Better prepared now with 13 full-timers, seven of whom play for English counties.

Return of former England batsman Ed Joyce after five years and the pace and bounce of Warwickshire’s Boyd Rankin means no-one will take them lightly this time.

Coach: Phil Simmons

Best XI: Will Porterfield (captain), Paul Stirling, Niall O’Brien, Ed Joyce, Kevin O’Brien, Gary Wilson, Andrew White, John Mooney, Trent Johnston, Boyd Rankin, George Dockrell.

Key Man: Ed Joyce, Sussex batsman has rejoined Ireland having played for England against them in 2007.

What happened last time out: Stunned Pakistan and tied with Zimbabwe to make the Super Eights where they crushed Bangladesh.

HOLLAND


England will not need reminding that Holland inflicted a humiliating defeat on them in the World Twenty20 opener at Lord’s two years ago.

Dutch cricket failed to capitalise on that triumph but Holland’s return to county cricket’s CB40 competition last summer should have toughened them up. England will be wary of Essex’s Ryan ten Doeschate and Alexei Kervezee, Worcestershire’s gifted Namibia-born batsman.

Coach: Peter Drinnen

Best XI: Peter Borren (captain), Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Atse Buurman, Mudassar Bukhari, Bernard Loots, Pieter Seelar, Adeel Raja.

Key Man: Ryan ten Doeschate, big-hitting Essex all-rounder and middle order dangerman.

What happened last time out: Beat Scotland, but so did everyone else, trounced by South Africa and Australia.

Sports Pulse are Following Melbourne Rebels in SuperRugby

The super 15 or SuperRugby tournament starts tomorrow. SportTrades have selected Melbourne Rebels as their ‘adopted’ side. We will be providing you with match reports and occasional news from the club. The reason why we chose the Rebels is very simple – Danny Cipriani. We start with tomorrows team selection, enjoy the season.




The Melbourne Rebels have named a 22 –man squad ahead of Friday’s Super Rugby season opener against the Waratahs at AAMI Park.

Head Coach Rod Macqueen said, "The team is looking forward to the challenge of playing the Waratahs and that all players named in the squad will get a run on the night."

“The build-up of excitement around the club this week has been incredible and we are excited to be playing in front of a home crowd at AAMI Park,” Macqueen said.

“Adam Freier has been unavailable for selection due to injury but we are pleased Sam Cordingley has passed a medical clearance and will be taking the field,” Macqueen said.

“We know this will be our greatest test yet, the Waratahs are a well-drilled, physical team, who have been playing together and enjoying success in Super Rugby for many seasons, we are definitely the new kids on the block,” Macqueen said.

The two teams will play for the inaugural Weary Dunlop Shield, to be awarded to the winner each time these teams meet for years to come.

Rebels Team For Round 1

1 Nic Henderson

2 Ged Robinson

3 Greg Somerville

4 Adam Byrnes

5 Kevin O'Neill

6 Hoani Macdonald

7 Michael Lipman

8 Gareth Delve (vc)

9 Sam Cordingley

10 James Hilgendorf

11 Luke Rooney

12 Cooper Vuna

13 Stirling Mortlock (c)

14 Lachlan Mitchell

15 Julian Huxley

16 Heath Tessmann

17 Laurie Weeks

18 Alister Campbell

19 Jarrod Saffy

20 Nick Phipps

21 Danny Cipriani

22 Afusipa Taumoepeau

Post taking in full from Melbourne Rebels website.

Rugby Union; A preview of Super 15, SuperRugby starts this weekend.

I hope you’re ready for this, please sit down make a coffee and concentrate I will say this only once. A massive thank you to our friends at Planet Rugby, for supplying this post www.planetrugby.com.


It's here - well, almost! The new Super Rugby tournament is closer to lift-off as fifteen teams prepare to battle it out for southern hemisphere rugby's biggest inter-provincial prize. An extra team thrown into the mix means added fixtures which means the length of the competition in 2011 will increase from 16 weeks to 21 due to the forthcoming Rugby World Cup later this year (however during non-World Cup years, the length of the competition will be 24 weeks).

The 2011 season gets underway in Wellington on February 18 and continues for another mind-boggling 16 rounds before the knock-out stages climax in the final on July 9. That is virtually six months of non-stop rugby! Or as the missus put it, a divorce waiting to happen.

So how the heck does the new competition all work? It's been the topic of many conversations around barbeques and braais Down Under and in South Africa respectively, with the same blank look on everyone's faces afterwards - I for one refuse to explain it to my mother-in-law again. Though, in saying that, I don't think she knew how it worked last year either. So in a nutshell, here we go:

Conferences

The fifteen teams are divided into three conferences (each with five teams) representing their respective countries: Australia (Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs); New Zealand (Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders and Hurricanes) and South Africa (Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Sharks, Stormers).

Each team's aim is to win their conference!

Round-robin


Each team will play the others in their conference on a home and away basis (eight derby games). They will also play four teams in each of the other two conferences, four home and four away, in a similar way to how it worked in the Super 14. That gives a total of 16 games, although by only playing four of the five teams in cross-coference matches, the Cheetahs for instance won't meet the Force or the Chiefs in group play this year. It's the quirk of the draw.

This means each team will play 12 of its 16 regular-season games within its own country - with only four matches overseas.

Play-offs

Ok, this is when it gets a bit tricky!

There are now four tables to watch.

Each conference (country) has its own 'internal' table whereby the top team in each advances to the six-team play-off series. Then there is an overall table, which encompasses all 15 teams (like what we had last year) and from which the next-best teams - regardless of which conference they come from, will gain wildcard entry into the knock-out stages.

The top two teams, in terms of log points, will have a bye in the first week of the play-offs while the other four play in two 'quarter-finals'.

The two winners of the 'quarter-final' games advance to a semi-final to play the two highest-ranked teams. The final will be contested at the venue of the highest ranked team to reach the final.

Get it?

Australia:

Australian sides have just two titles in the 15 years of Super Rugby and there is little expectation that will change in this season's southern hemisphere championship.

The established trio of the Waratahs, Reds and Brumbies hold Australia's title hopes for this season's expanded Super 15 series, but it's newcomers - the Melbourne Rebels - who will dominate the early interest.

That means the Western Force are no longer Super Rugby's youngest franchise and results are dearly needed for the Perth-based team.

New Zealand:

Which New Zealand team might emerge from the internecine rivalries of conference play to challenge for the tournament title is not easy to predict.

The Crusaders - crowned Super Rugby champions seven times - are typically strong, and have more All Blacks on its roster than other teams. However they may therefore face more pressure to balance the workload of those players with the World Cup ahead, affecting its selection and combinations.

The Blues have talent but not depth, leaving them vulnerable to injuries. The Hurricanes, under new coach Mark Hammett, the Chiefs and Highlanders will also depend on the regular availability of All Blacks to be competitive but all three teams traditionally lack consistency.

South Africa:

For a third Super Rugby triumph in a row - and a fourth in five years - the Bulls will have to hold off an extended challenge at home with the new-look national conferences.

It means more local derbies. In South Africa, that means more bruising, physical encounters - which could have repercussions for the national team in rugby's most important year.

They face stiff challenges from the Stormers - last year's runners-up - as well as the Sharks, a team hungry to build on a domestic Currie Cup title and capture an elusive Super Rugby title.

Then there's the Cheetahs and the Lions - two teams that relishes its constant underdog status.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli take all 3 points in the rearranged Hamburger Derby

SV Hamburg 0 FC St Pauli 1

While the rest of Europe were watching Arsenal beat Barcelona at the Emirates, Kult & Punk watched St Pauli beat Hamburg in the rearranged derby.  To be honest the guys were so ecstatic that Andy James had to write the report - cheers Andy.

Hamburg - Gerald Asamoah's second-half header left a bewildered Hamburger SV empty handed as FC St. Pauli took the points in a pulsating Stadtderby on Wednesday evening.

The former Germany international's winner was one of few St. Pauli chances in a fiercely-contested encounter in which Armin Veh's side were unable to convert their domination into goals. The Kiezkicker now take over at the top of the 2011 form table as their unbeaten run extends to five games. Hamburg miss the chance to put themselves back among the European contenders.

Atmosphere fit for a derby

The floodlights at the Imtech Arena gave added spectacle to the fixture which had been rescheduled due to heavy rain ten days earlier. It was as though the atmosphere had been left to simmer with both sets of fans delivering vociferous support. The evening began with the hosts taking it upon themselves to set the tempo, with Pauli happy to sit back and await their chance to counter.

The visitors' plan threatened to backfire early on as HSV began to dictate proceedings on home turf. Heiko Westermann had the game's first chance on 16 minutes as Ze Roberto's free-kick found its way to him at the far post, but the skipper was quickly shut down by Pauli keeper Benedikt Pliquett, who was given a surprise start ahead of regular No1 Thomas Kessler.

Melting pot of emotions

Tensions soon began to boil over on the pitch with several fouls punctuating Hamburg's attempts to break the deadlock. Ruud van Nistelrooy should have done better when he headed straight at Pliquett from a Dennis Aogo cross, while Änis Ben Hatira also wasted a good opportunity from the edge of the box after Carlos Zambrano gifted him possession.

The Red Shorts were again the fastest out of the blocks in the second half and went mighty close to an opener just four minutes after the restart. Showing superb pace to latch onto a stray ball, Petric then displayed incredible footwork to shake off three markers and feed Ze Roberto on the left side, but the Brazilian World Cup winner cracked his finish into the side netting.

Asamoah wins it

Then the unthinkable happened, at least for the hosts. Having bossed the game for the best part of an hour, HSV experienced their first spate of pressure, and it was to be fatal. Max Kruse's poorly-struck corner was hooked on by Fabian Boll, and with the home defence flat-footed, Asamoah could hardly believe his luck as he nodded over the line from minimal distance. To say the goal had come against the run of play would have been an understatement.

As Hamburg threw everything forward in search of an overdue equaliser, Pauli had two excellent chances to cement victory as substitute Marius Ebbers first drew a good save from Frank Rost with a downward header and then failed to find Matthias Lehmann with the latter free in the box. The visitors continued to defend heroically at the other end, the final whistle sparking scenes of untempered celebration among the travelling support as St. Pauli won their first Hamburg derby since 1977.

Line ups:

HSV: Rost - Demel, Westermann, Mathijsen, Aogo - Jarolim, Ze Roberto - Ben-Hatira (Pitroipa 72'), Jansen (Elia 46') - Petric, van Nistelrooy (Guerrero 72')

Pauli: Pliquett - Thorandt, Zambrano, Gunesch, Volz - Lehmann, Boll (Bruns 89') - Kruse, Takyi (Ebbers 58'), Bartels - Asamoah (Daube 71')

Goals: 0-1 Asamoah (59')