England (7/2 to win the Six Nations) head coach Martin Johnson has hailed his players after they beat the Australian Barbarians 15-9.
In a tight fixture, which saw no tries scored, the England second string side managed to beat the Ba Bas after drawing in their last meeting.
Sale stand-off Charlie Hodgson and Bath?s Olly Barkley scored the penalties that sealed the win for the visitors.
Martin Johnson has told his England players that a big improvement is needed if they are to stand any chance of beating Australia in next Saturday’s second Test (Aus 1.2, Eng 3.05, Draw 23 - Betfair Match Odds).
The England manager was left fuming by what he saw as a missed opportunity in the first Test, when the tourists slipped to a 27-17 defeat in Perth.
Toulon fly half Jonny Wilkinson has been declared fit for the first test against Australia (11/4 to win the Tri Nations Series with bet 365) on England’s summer tour Down Under.
Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson should be fit when England depart for the five-match summer tour of Australia and New Zealand on May 31 (England 17 with Betfair - World Cup 2011 Outright).
The 2003 World Cup winner suffered a suspected broken rib in Toulon’s Amlin Challenge Cup final defeat by Cardiff Blues.
Paul Casey has revealed that he was “a bit stiff” after Tuesday’s practice session at the Masters, accepting that he may need to play through the fatigue if he is to win his first major. He is a 30/1 shot for success with bet365.
Casey did not defend his title at the Shell Houston Open last week after injuring his shoulder and rib prior to the tournament. This forced him to retire from the competition and he is now undergoing medical treatment ahead of this week’s Masters.
France won the Grand Slam by beating England 12-10 at the Stade de France on Saturday evening and are now 11/8 favourites to win the Six Nations next year.
Ireland could have won the title if they had beaten Scotland and overturned a 50 point deficit over France. However, they lost 23-20 to a spirited Scottish side and are 15/8 second-favourites for the 2011 title.
France will be aiming to secure the Grand Slam as they take on England in the RBS Six Nations on Saturday evening.
England have come under criticism during the campaign – particularly after last week’s draw with Scotland in the Calcutta Cup match. Now, their only influence on the title race is stopping France from winning it but at 11/2 for England to succeed, the odds are against them. France are 1/5 to prevail.
The racing Levy for the next financial year is expected to yield £72.4million, with fixtures down by 30 to 1,450 for 2012. A deal was finally agreed just before the midnight deadline to prevent the 51st levy scheme being handed over to government secretary of state Jeremy Hunt to determine. The three largest bookmakers – [...]
Lucinda Russell’s high-class chaser Silver By Nature has been ruled out of the current campaign with a leg injury. The nine-year-old won the Grand National Trial at Haydock in February for the second successive year and was sent off as one of the favourites for the big race itself. He could only finish 12th on [...]
Connections of Diamond Harry are optimistic the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup winner will make his seasonal debut this month after being forced to miss his intended engagement at Wetherby on Saturday. The eight-year-old has not run since his Newbury triumph almost 12 months ago and was forced out of the Charlie Hall Chase after being [...]
Paul Nicholls was delighted to see Kauto Star show plenty of enthusiasm as the veteran chaser enjoyed a spin with stablemates Big Buck’s and Mon Parrain after racing at Exeter. The 11-year-old Kauto Star has enjoyed a stellar career, winning the King George VI Chase at Kempton on four consecutive occasions and taking Cheltenham Gold [...]
The racing Levy for the next financial year is expected to yield £72.4million, with fixtures down by 30 to 1,450 for 2012. A deal was finally agreed just before the midnight deadline to prevent the 51st levy scheme being handed over to government secretary of state Jeremy Hunt to determine. The three largest bookmakers – [...]
Lucinda Russell’s high-class chaser Silver By Nature has been ruled out of the current campaign with a leg injury. The nine-year-old won the Grand National Trial at Haydock in February for the second successive year and was sent off as one of the favourites for the big race itself. He could only finish 12th on [...]
Connections of Diamond Harry are optimistic the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup winner will make his seasonal debut this month after being forced to miss his intended engagement at Wetherby on Saturday. The eight-year-old has not run since his Newbury triumph almost 12 months ago and was forced out of the Charlie Hall Chase after being [...]
