Lions Set To Rue Missed Chances

After 65 minutes of the opening test in this years Lions tour you could have been forgiven for thinking South Africa were cruising as they drew nearer to a 1-0 lead in the series.

The Spring Boc’s were beginning to pound the weak Lions attack, and having just taken off fly half Ruan Pienaar an air of invincibility and arrogance crept into the World Champions spirit.

The withdrawal of Piennar, who had previously been scrutinised as to his lack of experience in the lead up to the opening test, and then of captain John Smit seemed to give the tourists some added impetus however as they sensed a chance to get at their ‘untouchable’ opponents.

With the South African’s prime out of hand kicker now on the bench they struggled to control the middle of the park, and from then on the Lions created their foothold.

Tom Croft added to his first half try by diving over after a succession of desperate tackles from the hosts, and if it weren’t for a last ditch tackle on Ugo Monye the Englishman would closed the gap further.

Finishing did seem to thwart the Lions progress; with Monye’s effort the second he had failed to ground having failed earlier in the match.

Mike Phillips was just as guilty in the second 40 minutes, but he reduced the arrears further with a dart under the posts from similar range to that of Croft.

With that single score the home side saw their opportunity to claw back the initiative.

Back on came Pinnar and Smit, who some would say is the most dominating international captain in world rugby.

An air of calm was re-introduced into the South African side, and with just five minutes to go they knew they had time on their hands.

Someone should have told Ricky Januarie however, who knocked on straight after the re-start, surely the Lions’ chance was now.

Jamie Roberts and Brain O’Driscoll were dazzling the South African midfield, not for a single minute of the 80 did they know where to turn when either centre gathered the ball.

But with seconds on the clock the home defence stood firm.

And with the Lions looking for another penalty Smit induced yet another infringement, and only then did the World Champions know they’d come through this gruelling encounter with a win.

Who really came out of this match the victor however?

The Lions will be hugely buoyed by their climax to the match; despite coming up short they’ve given their opposition plenty to think about.

It’s obvious that they visitors have the advantage in fitness, and that’s not something the Spring Boc’s can change overnight, they’ll have to learn to kill games off early if they are to avoid a series defeat.

If you’re a Lions fan however this game did bring up a series of what-ifs.

Three times the ball pinched with the line in-sight, not mistakes our Southern Hemisphere opponents would make with glory in such close vicinity.

And to add to that will South Africa be as complacent with their substitutions as they were on this occasion?

After the dismantlement of their game after a series of changes including the departure of awesome prop Tendai Mtawarira, are they going to make the same mistake again? Have the Lions truly missed their chance?

With the altitude of Pretoria sure present even more issues for the Lions side, a test that was always seen as damage limitation rather than a good chance of evening the series, getting back into the series now seems like an impossible task.

The hosts are sure not to let the same mistakes happen again, and are sure to clamp down on the space allowed to Roberts in the centre-who was easily the Lions best player after superb display.

The medical student showed on a world stage he can mix it with the world champions, and it’s not the last we’ve seen of the Welshman either.

But was the end of the Lions chances truly extinguished in those final five minutes in Durban, as South Africa squeezed what could be the most important victory of the entire tour.

How They Play At the Augusta National: Holes Five-Seven

With the 73rd Annual Master Championship up and underway it seemed like a good time to see how each hole was playing in the early going, and how some of the early leaders were getting on.

I'm going to be looking at holes five through seven, three that on paper look like good birdie opportunities, but in reality are proving a whole different ball game.


Fifth-Magnolia-Par Four

As the sun streamed over Magnolia, players found that they could shed no light in the early rounds on how to deal with one of most challenging holes on the course.

In one of the most underrated holes in golf, let alone the Augusta National, the angle has been slightly extended adding extra risk and yardage to the hole.

This 455 yard Par four has been adapted a few times over the years at the Masters with the hole extended in 2007.

The front right bunkers now have to be cleared by a 300+ drive, a distance that might see some players dive to the left to avoid the flat sand.

The green has been significantly raised, and with deeper bunkers on either side contributing to one of the more difficult holes on the course.

Problems that were fully confronted by run-away leader Chad Campbell, who birded the fifth after succeeding on the previous four holes, one of eight birdies we saw in the early stages.

The supposedly difficult green didn’t find out too many players in the opening stages, with just fourteen bogeys coming the first half of the day.

Englishman Ian Poulter was another who was successful on one of the toughest greens on the course, one that was expected to slope away from the left-hand side pin.

Poulter’s improving short game was clear to see here as he collected one of the rare birdies at this hold.

Of those that struggled at the hole look no further than Michael Campbell, whose round of 80 included a boggy on the fifth, as the pleasurable conditions were no assistance to the New Zealand player.


Sixth-Juniper-Par Three

The second shortest hole on the course is sure to tempt many into a birdie chance, but after round one it may teach some players to play for an all so important par.

The Par three has already produced some casualties on the first round at Augusta, but a stream of pars have seen the success rate level out as the afternoon continued.

The sloping green can give players a tough two-put on some occasions, something we saw plenty of in the early going.

It seems that the relative ease of the hole has succumbed a few players into dropping shots, with one of those being Irishman Padraig Harrington, who made a four in the middle of fighting his way up the leader-board.

Harrington has been one of a number of players to adapt his game to suit the shorter playing style of the American courses, something Sergio Garcia has also had to develop.

The Spaniard recovered from a four at the 5th to recover to make a three to eventually put his challenge back on track.

The European’s inconsistent putting has always been there downfall at this Major, and on this difficult sixth with speed almost built in to this green, their collective putting will have to improve.

It’s obvious we will see more birdies on this hole as the weekend continues, as the players learn that the green is higher than it appears.



Seventh- Pampas-Par Four

Almost the end of the back nine before Amen corner, and we see another hole extended by the organisers, to develop this course.

Big hitting drivers such as Garcia and Woods used to bring the ball within the green and make an easy three, but now with a longer pin, and a narrower fairway, playing for a four is now more sensible.

Hitting the ball on the right of the fairway from the tee is more preferable, but even with that shot completed hitting the green in regulation from there is still pretty tough.

Just as with the sixth we’ve seen just seven birdies today so far, and again with the tempted par five, playing to keep in the championship as been the name of the game as we’ve seen more par’s scored on this hole than many of the par fours.

Chad Campbell had to take a step back on this hole, as his successive birdies ended on the sixth, and he had to par the seventh after playing up from his second shot.

One of the players with success however was Angel Cabrera, who was tempted to go for the green with his second shot, and his gamble paid off with a superb three.

Sandy Lyle completed his second successive birdie with a three, to bring him to level par, with the high green proving profitable for those willing to test.

This hole will stop plenty in there stride, and shouldn’t be underestimated, I would go as far to say it’s what the players consider to be one of the toughest on the course, and birdies will be in a minority this week.

I’d say if we see more than 40 this week then the players have done well, and an aggregate score over the weekend of par will really have you in the top-20 players.

Seven Players To Light Up The Masters: Tiger Woods

This is the final in the series of seven where I preview the players who could make a massive impact in this years Masters Championship.

As this is the final piece I thought it was only right that I finished with Tiger Woods, a man who has defied belief at Augusta before, and who is of course making his return to Major Competition after an eight-month lay-off.

Woods’ return to Augusta will of course bring back memories of how he burst onto the scene of Golf with his record breaking victory in 1997, Woods’ first major title, and his most comprehensive to date.

In Twelve years since that stunning victory Tiger has picked up 13 further major titles, while breaking numerous records along the way including becoming the youngster player to record a career Grand Slam, all before the age of 34, which he turns at the back end of the year.

In terms of Woods’ record at Augusta, he’ll be looking for his fifth title, the his first since 2005, where he overcame Chris DiMarco in a two-way play-off.

Although Woods has failed to pick up a title at Auguta since 2005, he has failed to finish outside the top three on each occasion, with being tied for 22nd his worst performance at this championship since the turn of the Millennium.

So his form in previous years in unquestionable, and his pedigree as the longest holder of the World No. 1 is unmatched, so why is maybe not the clear favourite for this championship?

Well the knee injury he picked up, and played through during the US Open put the player out for the rest of the year, and having only returned this year he has hardly had plenty of time on the course.

But like he so often does, he defied logic by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, by one-stroke from Sean O’Hair.

To make the win even more incredible, Woods had a five shot deficit to make up at the beginning of the day, something he completed on the final hold with a mammoth 16-foot putt

In all honestly Tiger is looking as unbeatable as ever, and as his first win of the season showed it doesn’t take long for his form to start to shine, but a victory on Sunday afternoon might end up being his greatest on tour.

Liverpool Fail To Put Benitez’s Words Into Practise

Football is after all a results business.

Teams are judged at the end of every season how they have done bearing on the results they achieved that year.

However while most side’s and managers alike understand this simple logic, the theory is largely lost upon Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

The former Valencia Manager, while proving his Liverpool side are a match for Manchester United in the title race has become rather outspoken in the second-half of this season.

This mind-game culture that has largely been introduced by Sir Alex Ferguson, was used to unsettle opponents with little spiteful comments, while the team on the pitch put his words into practise with thrilling performances.

Unfortunately, Benitez has yet to grasp that either, as his Liverpool side fail to live up to their manager’s words as they were humbled by Chelsea 3-1 on Wednesday evening, to all but end their interest in the Champions League.

Benitez said in a pre-match press conference that the Manchester United manager was scared of his Liverpool side, and that he would be supporting them in the tie, as he knew they were a bigger threat.

Well it’s unlikely Ferguson would have been quivering in his boots on Wednesday evening, as the Spaniard’s side were overcome by a solid Chelsea side, keen on killing the tie in the first leg.

The same could be said for Benitez the previous evening however as United drew 2-2 with a very forward thinking FC Porto.

The difference between the two however?

Benitez put unnecessary pressure on his side by what he said on Tuesday, meaning his side had to produce to back up their managers comments, yet they couldn’t quiet pull through.

The manager has an uncanny knack of triggering poor Liverpool performances with his unholy words, as he proved earlier in the year as his side produced a drab performance in a 0-0 draw with Stoke City.

He accused Ferguson, maybe correctly so that he went unpunished for verbally lambasting referees during matches, as well accusing United of being nervous at the top of the league.

These words, despite some of them being true pilled further pressure on his side to perform, and while his team drew with relegation threatened Stoke, United comfortably beat Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford.

Now Ferguson as I mentioned before has always delved into mind games with other league managers, most famously with Arsene Wenger, but while the duo would answer each other back with fierce words and equally stunning performances by the respective sides, Benitez can’t bring boast the same resources.

He may never be everyone’s favourite but Ferguson has consistently backed up his controversial words up with titles season after season, and while it’s left to be seen whether Benitez can do the same this season, having already contributed to his side’s exit from Europe he might think twice before his next media eruption.

His side have twice let him down when he’s mouthed off to the media, and maybe this latest outburst and disappointing defeat will make Benitez learn when to keep his mouth closed.

Seven Players To Light Up The Masters: Adam Scott

This is the fifth in a series of seven previewing players who could grab this years Masters by the scruff of the neck and take control this coming weekend.

Today is the turn of Australian Adam Scott, whose rise up the rankings has seen comparisons with the great Aussie players of yesterday year, but the youngster is attempting to make his own name in the game stick out.

Scott rise came in 2002, when he won the Scottish PGA Championship by a record breaking 10 shots, just two years after turned Pro.

In 2007 however he secured his best ranking position of 3rd with victory at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

The man from down-under has in-fact secured 15 titles in the last eight years, with consistent performances on the PGA Tour.

This week will be a chance to show the golfing world what he can do after a string of disappointing performances at Major Tournaments.

Scott started last year in good form capturing the Commercialbank Qatar Masters going into the Masters, but finished tied for 25th on Sunday.

Another title followed after the Augusta Tournament but he yet again endured a torrid time at the US Open and then the Open Championship.

The end to his Major season was caped off with a failure to make the cut at the PGA Championship, not the climax to the season Scott had hoped for or deserved.

His best finish at Augusta actually arrived as far back as 2002, when he finish tied for ninth.

Comparisons have already been made with Greg Norman, who has provided his own advice to this talented individual, who typically picks Norman as his all-time golfing hero.

His chances at Augusta rely on his superb natural swing, which seems to mimic the previous technique used by Tiger Woods, as seen here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZecViQxUwss

He certainly wouldn’t be a shock winner, due to the respect he has on the tour, but does he have the technical game to survive all four days, I think he does.

For me he’s the dark horse of the championship, and even thought plenty of focus will be on the American players, Scott has the talent and most importantly the wherewithal to keep up with the home favourites.

Burton Feeling the Pressure as Torquay Close In

With the Premiership, Champions League and International scene sure to dominate the football arena for the next few months, there are sure to be some stories that go under the radar.

None more so than in the Blue Square Premier, which after looking like a forgone conclusion is set to climax with a fascinating race for the single automatic promotion spot, with the prize of the Football League awaiting the winner.

With just five games remaining for the majority of teams, things have started to get interesting after the seeming collapse of runaway leaders Burton Albion.

Ever since the Brewers 1-0 victory over Northwich Victoria at the beginning of November, the club have sat proudly at the top of the Blue Square Premier, and have since extended their lead to as much as 18 points at one stage.

As if things couldn’t get better for the club, the fortunes of their fixtures within the difficult weather conditions were favourable, as they rarely had games postponed, leaving no backlog of matches to play.

Burton’s form did continue until a surprising draw with struggling Woking was the catalyst for just three wins in the clubs next 10 games.

That dreadful run included Monday nights dismal defeat to Torquay United, as Roy McFarland’s men showed that both late season nerves and loss of form can equal a string of dreadful performances.

While Burton have been enduring a loss of form it’s been the emergence of Paul Buckle’s men that have given the runaway leaders the biggest fright.

Unbeaten in their last ten, Buckle has pulled together a squad every bit as strong as last years side that missed out on promotion.

But while they lost the all-so important promotion showdown with Aldershot Town at almost the same stage last season, they have given themselves a chance of catching the table-toppers this time around.

Monday evening’s win leaves an eight point gap between the two, but with a game in hand for Torquay and the two still meet on the final day, Burton have at best a two point cushion.

And that cushion is hardly the most stable, with some tough games still in the offing before the showdown on the final day.

A trip to improving Kidderminster Harriers is sandwiched between hosting both Histon, who are deep in the play-off fight, and improving Oxford United, who are set to miss out on a top five place but will still pose a worthy opponent.

The fixture list couldn’t be more difficult for Burton, who will find the going tough without top scorer Greg Pearson who saw a straight red on Monday night for a lunge at Tim Sills.

To rub salt in the wound Shaun Harrad has been on the sidelines for a few games now, and his return hasn’t been pinpointed yet, so goal getting could be an issue for McFarland, whose own job hasn’t been made easy by the quick start made by his predecessor this season.

Although it might be an easy accusation to make, the departure of Nigel Clough to Derby County in early January could well be a factor in Burton’s inability to cross the finishing line.

Clough had built his Burton side over a number of years, and for many football fans around it was disappointing not to see him complete the job he started 11 years ago.

Torquay of course have it all to do to pile the pressure on Burton, with all four of their up coming games before the match with Burton must wins for the South Devon club.

Their own games to play are far easier than their rivals, with the trip to Stevenage Borough the most difficult game for the Yellows to endure.

Can the comeback be completed though? Well I believe it can.

While Torquay just keep getting better and better, Burton are really feeling the nerves, and I expect the title to still be up for grabs when the two tussle in the final game of the season.

After writing off Torquay for almost the entire year, I feel this is their big chance to grasp promotion back to the Football League, while Burton will be left thinking what if, after the departure of Clough earlier in the season.

So as Manchester United attempt to throw Liverpool off the title scent in the Premiership, there a title battle that’s proving just as exciting at the other end of the football pyramid.

Manchester United's Youth Policy Coming To Fruition Once Again

A hallmark of many successful sides under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson is the injection of talented youngsters with a mix of some of the Scot’s classic signings from overseas.

It’s been a constant theme of his title winning sides, and while the memory of the likes of David Beckham and Nicky Butt is starting wear thin, a new breed of youngsters are starting to make the grade in this current trophy chasing side.

Even if the level of ability from that famous 1992 Youth Cup winning side will probably never be matched, this new crop of players are starting to make there own mark on the first team this season, with their emergence in the side quicker than anyone at Old Trafford could have dreamed of.

In terms of players coming through the youth system, the transition of players had largely dried up for the current European Champions.

In recent years it’s been the likes of John O’Shea and Wes Brown who have broken through from the youth ranks as plenty of United fringe youth players venture off to pastures new.

This season however has seen more players given a chance from the youth ranks, and Ferguson begins yet another process of bringing through his gifted youngsters.

Jonny Evans has been one of the players of the season not only for United but in the Premiership, and is sure to be included in the shortlist for Young Football of the Year.

Evans only made his United debut in 2007, and less than two years later he is an ever present in a record breaking United defence.

The Northern Irishman’s impact in the side was capped off with a superb performance at the San Siro as the Champions drew with Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.

He hasn’t been the only one however.

We’ve seen striker Danny Welbeck’s hard work in the Academy and Reserve sides rewarded this season with his first team debut against Middlesbrough, and a starting place in United’s successful Carling Cup side.

It’s been quiet a season for the England Under-21 International, who attracted the attention of Stuart Pearce in February as he made his debut against Ecuador.

Welbeck has been part of every England side right from the Under 16’s youth team, and is sure to be involved in the full squad in the coming years.

Darron Gibson has finally made his break into the United side having made his debut for the first team in 2005, but his patience in the reserves saw the midfielder start in United midfield for the Carling Cup final.
Danny Simpson had made a credible impact for the team last season, but was dispatched on loan to Blackburn Rovers, something probably down to the return to fitness of club captain Gary Neville.

As for the players that have been brought into the youth set up and then gone on to the first team, you needn’t look further that the Brazilian twins of Rafael and Fabio Da Silva.

The duo have really made there mark in the first team this season, especially Rafael who when fit is first choice right-back for the Old Trafford club.

His goal against Arsenal in a 2-1 United defeat showed the full-backs flair and attacking process, not unlike similar Brazilian full backs, while Fabio usually billed as a left back, is even more adventurous on the club and international stage.

Fabio captained and top scored for Brazil at the Under-17 World Cup in 2007 and followed up his numerous first team appearances with a hat trick for the reserve side against Rochdale this season.

The Brazilian pair are joined by fellow countryman Rodrigo Possebon, whose impact has been decreased in the second half of the season, but his calming influence on the ball is sure to result in further starts for the central midfielder.

And yesterday we saw the emergence of yet another United youngster, Federico Macheda as he made his first appearance for the club and capped it with a stoppage time winner for United in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa.

This goal is sure to increase the focus on Macheda, who going into the game was a relative unknown after scoring a hat trick for the reserves in mid-week.

But while the focus may well be shifted to the Italian alone, the entire youth set-up at United should be praised, and as critics rave over United’s strength in depth it’s down to that same set up for providing players who could be the difference for the club this season.

When any club is trying to chase the amount of trophies United are, the need of the back up of the reserves and youth squad is vital, and maybe this could be the difference between them and their envious rivals.