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Issue 299 | April 5 2013
Justin Rose heads to the Masters ready to break his Major duck
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
ONLY IN THE SUN
BURSTING WITH WAYS
FOR YOU TO ENJOY
THE GRAND NATIONAL
ONLY IN THE SUN
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SPOT ON COVERAGE OF
THE GRAND NATIONAL
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Find out more on page 47
ISSUE 299, APRIL 5 2013
20 3310
60
Radar
07 Colour clash The vital red versus blue statistics ahead of Monday’s Manchester derby 10 Flashback The story of the Grand National’s biggest upset: Foinavon’s 100-1 win back in 1967 o this coming weekFeatures
20 Justin Rose Looks good on our cover. Would look better in a Green Jacket. Can the world number three fulfil his promise at Augusta? 27 The Masters contenders The men who – along with Rose – might consider taking their chest and arm measurements with them to Georgia next week
33 Mako Vunipola The Saracens prop reflects on his Six Nations experience and looks ahead to his side’s Heineken Cup quarter final
36 The Grand National Trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Daryl Jacob relive their dramatic victory of 12 months ago. Can they do it again on Saturday?
Extra Time
50 Gadgets Toshiba’s 9Series HD television and Canon’s new DSLR camera 52 Kit We bring you two pages of gear to help you master your own game ahead of the Masters
56 Grooming Gucci Guilty Black, Nivea’s Invisible range and Acqua di Parma turn us to the dark side 60 Entertainment Spring Breakers brings you a combo of bikinis and armed robbery – not in that order
| April 5 2013 | 05
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Radarp10 – Flashback: The 1967 Grand National, won by the rank outsider Foinavon
p12 – Our old friend Wisden is 150 not out
| April 5 2013 | 07
ome sections of the
Cardiff City fanbase
were incensed when
it transpired the club’s new
Malaysian owners wanted their
team to play in red instead of the
traditional blue. They would
probably have been more easily
convinced had they seen the
evidence that playing in red
can actually boost a team’s
performances, however.
A 2008 study published in the
Journal of Sports Sciences
looked at results in English
football over a 55-year
period, and found teams
that play in red
have performed
consistently better
over the years – a
finding backed up by
similar studies of other sports.
Certainly, it’s obvious that the
most successful teams in English
football have played in red (see
table, right), and that teams
who play in red have tended to
outperform their city rivals
(bottom right), with the notable
exception of last season.
It’s theorised that the so-called
‘red advantage’ might occur
because it’s an easier colour to
recognise in peripheral vision, or
because it’s associated with
dominance. Either way,
Cardiff fans have seen the
benefits – their team are
top of the Championship,
and are odds-on for
promotion. Perhaps
Man City should switch
to red for next season?
S
RED
BLUE
MANCHESTER UNITED 19
LIVERPOOL 18
ARSENAL 13
SUNDERLAND 06
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 01
SHEFFIELD UNITED 01
MANCHESTER UNITED 19
LIVERPOOL 18
ARSENAL 13
SHEFFIELD UNITED 01
09 EVERTON
04 CHELSEA
04 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
03 MANCHESTER CITY
03 HUDDERSFIELD
03 BLACKBURN
03 MANCHESTER CITY
09 EVERTON
04 CHELSEA
04 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
MOST TITLES WON BY COLOUR
CITY COMPARISONS
VS
Manchesters United and City meet on Monday, with the title slipping from the Sky Blues’ grasp. It’s no surprise – red teams always do better
THE STATS
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Radar
10 | April 5 2013 |
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In 1967, 100-1 shot Foinavon won the Grand
National. David Owen, the author of a new book about
the race, looks back at the extraordinary result.
It was a battlefield. It was a defeated cavalry
charge. It was reminiscent of those blood-curdling
19th-century sporting prints. It was like cars in
a multiple motorway concertina in fog. It was a
cauldron of furious activity. It was a chain reaction
of ruin.
In the days that followed the 1967 Grand National,
all these images – and more – were used by
writers striving to convey the trauma of seeing
one of the world’s great sporting spectacles
disintegrate into chaos in the blink of an eye.
The incredible pile-up at the 23rd fence, caused
by a loose horse, which stopped two dozen or more
galloping half-tonne thoroughbreds in their tracks,
undoubtedly decided the outcome of that particular
race. But it also encapsulates, better than any
other single incident, the sheer unpredictability
that is the Grand National’s hallmark and which
has helped to turn it into a national institution –
a magnet for millions who would never normally
think of watching a horse race. And a vehicle for
thousands of office sweepstakes.
The anonymous 100-1 outsider in peculiar
blinkers who picked his way through the wreckage
and plodded home to win – Foinavon – became for a
few months a bona fide celebrity. Indeed, you might
say he is the slowest racehorse ever to be
immortalised, since that 23rd fence now bears
his name.
As a seven-year-old watching on TV in a
bay-windowed Taunton living room, the episode
had me transfixed. It has never left me. So much
so that I have now written a book about it.
For John Buckingham, Foinavon’s delighted
jockey, who only got the ride a few days earlier, it
was the shining moment of a career that ended
four years later after a fall at Wetherby.
John Kempton, Foinavon’s young trainer, who
operated from an obscure yard in Berkshire, near
the ancient Ridgeway, was unable to be at Liverpool
and hence missed by far the greatest feat of his
training career.
Also a rider, Kempton watched the race from the
jockeys’ room at Worcester racecourse, where he
had just ridden another of the horses he trained to
victory in an obscure novices’ hurdle.
As Foinavon and Buckingham emerged from
the Aintree melee, the rake-thin Kempton, beside
himself with excitement, sprang up on to a table to
get a better view. When they passed the winning-
post, still with 15 lengths in hand on their closest
pursuer, he jumped into the air with what one
witness remembers as an “extraordinary
screech”.
When I went to meet him four decades on,
Kempton confesses that he thinks the table
might have “broke a bit”.
1967 GRAND NATIONAL
The Grand National’s greatest upset
As remembered by David Owen
1956 THE MYSTERY FALLTheories abound as to why
the Queen Mother-owned
Devon Loch suddenly
sprawled hopelessly to the
ground with but 100 yards to
go – and the race at his
mercy – in the 1956 National.
The most likely explanation
is that the horse saw the
water-jump on an adjacent
part of the track and thought
he had to jump it for a second
time – although anyone who
backed eventual winner
E.S.B. won’t much care.
1981 THE COMEBACKJockey Bob Champion was in
remission from cancer ahead
of the 1981 National, in which
he was due to ride Aldaniti –
an 11-year-old chestnut who
had himself recovered from a
career-threatening injury to
take his place in the line-up.
In a result for the romantics,
the pair streaked clear to
beat favourite Spartan
Missile by four lengths;
within two years, the pair
were immortalised in a film,
Champions, in which Aldaniti
played himself.
2010 THE CHAMPMany of the sport’s greatest
jockeys – Dick Francis (see
1956), John Francome, Peter
Scudamore – ended their
careers without ever
winning the National. And,
after 14 failed attempts, the
greatest of them all, AP
McCoy, was threatening to
add himself to the list. But
then, in 2010, he teamed
up with the talented but
enigmatic Don’t Push It; the
pair went off 10-1 joint-
favourites and duly came
home five lengths clear of
Black Apalachi. A hoodoo was
broken, and eight months
later a disbelieving McCoy
was named Sports
Personality of the Year.
Three more Grand Nationals that will live long in the memory
Nationaltreasures
<<FLASHBACK <<
Foinavon:The
Story of the
Grand National’s
Biggest Upset,
by David Owen,
is published by
Bloomsbury,
£18.99,
hardback
Radar
12 | April 5 2013 |
he world has changed a lot in
the last century and a half, and
cricket has been dragged
begrudgingly along for the ride, into
a brave new era of decision review
systems, Twenty20 Super Overs and
DLF maximums. As the winds of
change have swept through, however,
one publication has documented it all,
from WG Grace to Allen Stanford.
And, this year, it celebrates its 150th
edition. The cricketing bible that is
Wisden has changed little over time, as
you can see from a selection of covers
ranging from the original, launched by
John Wisden in 1864 and priced at one
shilling (top left), to this year’s edition.
In a transient world, the iconic yellow
woodcut cover is here to stay.
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2013,
150th edition, out Thursday, £35
Every time we bet on the Grand
National, we spend half of the race
struggling to identify which horse it is
we’ve actually staked our mortgage
on. Luckily, losing track of your horse
is now a thing of the past (insert
obligatory Tesco joke here), thanks to
a new app from Channel 4 Racing. Hold
it up to whichever screen you happen
to be watching and it will track your
horse, with data on speed, position
and distances to the next horse and to
the finish (if it stays on the screen).
Horse Tracker, free, iOS
A new app helps identify your horse during the Grand National. If your luck’s like ours, it’s probably been shot
T
A long innings
Hold your horses
i
£17.95 / €24.95LIVE & EXCLUSIVE
14 | April 5 2013 |
Radar Editor’s letter
Deputy editor
Tony Hodson
@tonyhodson1
Sport magazine
Part of UTV Media plc
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Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951)
Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954)
Art editor: John Mahood (7860)
Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431)
Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958),
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Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901),
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Designer: Matthew Samson (7861)
Digital designer: Chris Firth (7952)
Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963)
Contributors: David Lawrenson
Commercial
Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991)
Advertising Managers:
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Hearty thanks to: Jack Mansell, Steph
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Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.
LAUNCH OFTHE YEAR
2008
Total Average Distribution: 302,466 Jul-Dec 2012
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facebook.com/sportmagazine
Yet more proof of football’s enduring status as the most conservative and retrograde of sports last weekend, as the sacking of Martin O’Neill
prompted outrage among former pros.”I can’t think of anyone who could have
done a better job at Sunderland than Martin
was doing,” bleated Tony Cottee on Sky
Sports News, seemingly unaware that the
Black Cats are without a win in eight league
games and hovering dangerously close to
a previously unthinkable relegation. Steve
Coppell went a step further on BBC Radio 5
live, accusing the club’s American owner
Ellis Short of a ”spoilt-brat reaction”.
”There are so many foreign owners, I have
nothing against that,” continued Coppell,
immediately suggesting that he probably
does have something against that. ”But they
don’t understand the history and heritage
of British football... there is a way of doing
things in English football that has now gone
out of the window.”
Absolute nonsense. Martin O’Neill has
been a fine manager over a number of
years, but Sunderland’s season has been
little short of a disaster. The club went out
of both cups at home to lower-league
opposition and have been by some distance
the dullest team to watch in a generally
exciting Premier League season. That
wouldn’t matter as much if results had been
good, but they have not; starve the natives
of both success and entertainment, and
they will inevitably become restless.
To be fair to the Stadium of Light faithful,
they never really turned against O’Neill. He is
one of the sport’s good guys and deserves
the respect they gave him. But the spark had
gone and, as owner, Short was absolutely
right to wield the axe. Whether or not the
undoubted fruitloop Paolo Di Canio is the
right man to replace O’Neill, though, only
time will tell. One thing is for certain – life
under the Italian will be anything but dull.
Great to see Andy Murray winning in Miami, but why is everyone getting so excited about him rising to number two in the rankings? With Roger Federer taking an extended mid-season break, the Scot’s ascension was pretty much inevitable – and he’s still a mile behind world number one Novak Djokovic.Yes, it means he will now avoid the Serbian before the final of any tournament in which they are both playing – but the claycourt season is imminent and Murray failed to get
beyond the last eight in any of his four clay outings in 2012. Improving on that moderate record must now be his main priority – if he does that, then we really can get excited.
With the leading amateur jockey JT
McNamara still in hospital after his
horror fall at last month’s Cheltenham
Festival, horse racing again comes under
the spotlight this weekend. The Grand
National is one of my very favourite
sporting events of the year, combining
stunning action with great drama. As
Channel 4 prepares to broadcast it live
for the very first time, we can only cross
our fingers that all 40 horses and jockeys
return safe and sound after the race.
Many of us will have watched open-mouthed
at the horrific leg break suffered by US
college basketball star Kevin Ware last
weekend. It was proper David Busst stuff,
reminding us that serious injury can result
from the most innocuous of situations, but it
also gave us an insight into the psyche of
elite sportspeople. As he was carried away,
his leg shattered, all Ware could think of was
to order his teammates to go win the game.
Appropriately, they did just that.
For footballing reasonsThink what you like about foreign owners, but Ellis Short was correct to sack Martin O’Neill
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Gra
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Get your coat: O’Neill has
appeared a shadow of his
former self this season
Free iPad app available on Newsstand
Cover of the Year
16 | April 5 2013 |
Radar Opinion
There are tons of really good pieces of music that have been ruined by their overuse on TV. But there are
also a good few so synonymous with their
respective programmes that nobody even seems
to know if they were nicked or indeed written for
that purpose. I have no clue whether or not that
tune that plays on Heineken Cup weekends, for
example, was written by a bearded guitarist in
the 1970s or not – but it works.
As soon as I hear that music, the hairs properly
stand up on my knuckles and upper back, and my
mind drifts back to European memories of old.
I recall being at an England training session, just
warming down after a tough workout with a few
pretend stretches, listening to a legend of the
game telling the group a quite unbelievable story.
So unbelievable was it that nobody believed him,
but I knew it was true. I knew because it was my
story and he had pinched it, forgetting that his
original source was in fact sitting beside him.
I was a kid in the game and by no means qualified
to out the banter thief, so I sat still and allowed my
mind to drift back to those heady days…
I was 18 and, despite only having finished school
a few minutes earlier, found myself playing against
Toulouse in a huge Heineken Cup match in front of
a baying French crowd. We won the game – which
was nice – but that wasn’t really the main event.
Just as we thought a fun night was drawing to
a hazy close, a couple of extremely prominent
French players (the omerta prevents further info)
literally burst out of a nightclub into the street.
Enjoying a manly wrestle, they flung each other
this way and that, with one of them eventually
landing on a neatly chained-up Vespa scooter,
knocking it to the ground. The owner, stood but a
yard away, yelped as his pride and joy crashed to
the concrete and left purple blood stains on the
pavement. The offending ape, instead of living up
to his macho appearance and reputation, instantly
picked up the prone vehicle, hugged the man in
apology and took out what seemed to be a million
Francs from his pocket, giving it all to the
despairing scooterist.
Then, short of a few quid for the journey home,
he hijacked a taxi – removing the driver with a
fireman’s carry and placing him in his own boot
– got all eight of us in and wheelspun back to the
team hotel. Where, obviously, he stole a ninja sword
from behind reception and pretended to splice
everyone in the bar. Somehow, everybody loved it.
The next morning, as we wobbled gingerly down
to breakfast, we found him, still going. He was, at
this point, chatting up a waitress in the restaurant
with said sword tucked into his jeans and a
bandana wrapped around his large, battered head.
“Aren’t you hungover?” I asked him. “Non, mon
cochon,” he replied. “I do not drink.”
Didn’t want to dilute the memories, he said.
Looking back, he had a point.
@davidflatman
Da
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Flats on Friday
Just another Heineken Cup night out
Those of a UKIP tendency in English football
predicted that the influx of foreign players would
ruin both the domestic game and the national
team. They have, of course, been proved as profoundly
correct as Irish scientist Dionysius Lardner, who
anticipated that high-speed rail travel would never be
possible because passengers would inevitably asphyxiate.
To the UKIPers, we are able to say au contraire.
Mata, Silva, van Persie et al have transformed the
Premier League into the best in the world, and the
national team has not deteriorated at all. It is, in fact,
precisely where it has always been – somewhere
between qualifying for a major tournament and
going out in the first
knockout round.
But it’s not just about
flair and ability – Cantona
and Balotelli and
Klinsmann and Ronaldo all
had that in spades. It’s
about personality. And,
as Paolo Di Canio takes
over at Sunderland,
Roberto Mancini talks
about wanting to punch
one of his own players
and Rafa Benitez can say
Chelsea are having ‘a
great season’ with a
straight face, you have to
say that even the foreign managers are great value.
To throw things into even greater relief, in the same
weekend all the above took place, ‘Colin’ (a quasi-
affectionate nickname for Neil Warnock, and the first
part of an anagram of his name) left Leeds and Martin
O’Neill (perhaps the pre-eminent amateur criminologist
in world football) was given the boot. Their departures
leave a raft of clean-shaven British bosses who look and
sound like they should be in the lower reaches of the
management structure at a DIY store in Northampton.
Other than the FA handbook, where does it say that
a great British player or manager has to be vacuous
cavity, a humourless on-message android, a cliché-
spouting no-mark? A Michael Owen clone or a Stepford
boss? Taggart aside, all we are left with is Joey Barton,
in France and on Twitter, and wanting Crystal Palace to
get promoted so Ian Holloway can return to the Prem.
That’s how bad it is.
@billborrows
Plank of the weekAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, London
The Boat Race takes place in London, the idiot went to
Oxford University, and if he can okay the deployment of
the Royal Marines to protect the grade-dodgers in the
big canoes, he can surely sanction a game of pooh-
sticks that involves the lower orders dropping
baronets from Hammersmith Bridge.
It’s like this…Bill Borrows
“As Di Canio takes over at Sunderland and Benitez says Chelsea are having ‘a great season’ with a straight face, you have to say that even the foreign managers are great value”
18 | April 5 2013 |
Frozen in time
| 19
Peter pedaller picked a pinch of poor propriety No doubt disappointed to have finished only second
in last weekend’s Ronde of Flanders Classic, Slovak
cyclist Peter Sagan decided to console himself with
a quick fondle of a podium girl’s saddle area during
the post-race ceremony. He seemed pretty happy
with himself at the time, but has since apologised via
video message. “I promise to act more respectfully
in the future,” he muttered, a million rebukes from the
right-thinking world ringing in his grubby little ears. Bry
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Justin Rose
Those natty green jackets they
hand over in that rather awkward
ceremony at the Masters every
year don’t just symbolise victory.
They signify life membership to Augusta
National Golf Club: the most prestigious
golf club in the world.
Many of the finest players in the game
never got to put on the Green Jacket.
The Masters provides a unique test in golf –
only a handful have ever got to grips with it.
One player who feels he can join that
select band is Justin Rose. The world number
three is yet to win a Major, but it is now
accepted in the game that it is merely a
matter of time before he does. His record at
Augusta is impressive; he has never missed
a cut in seven trips down Magnolia Lane –
and while his wardrobe is missing a jacket,
he still feels at home in the deep south.
“I guess you can look at it like this: winning
the tournament makes you part of the club,”
says Rose. “But every time I turn up on tour, I
feel like I belong, and that includes the Majors.
“There is no reason at all why I can’t put
together four good rounds there and
contend. Last year I shot 72-72-72 and then
had a good final round [68, on his way to an
eighth-place finish]. I like the golf course – it
exudes good feelings for me. I’ve putted well
at Augusta for the most part. And, if I feel
like I’ve got my touch on the greens, I can
score low. I always have the sense that with
my iron play, I can really attack the flags.”
This is not spoken with any sense of
bravado. The softly spoken Rose answers
questions thoughtfully and with no sense of
self-aggrandisement. But he has reason for
his confidence. In 2012, he led both the PGA
Tour and the European Tour in greens in
regulation: nobody in the world struck a golf
ball more consistently than him. Not only
that, but his game is improving all the time.
As the strength in depth of golf gets ever
greater, his current run of form – he has
finished in the top 25 in his previous 13
tournaments – is remarkable. Last year
also saw his first World Golf Championship
victory [the WGC-Cadillac Championship].
A Major tournament success is the logical
progression.
ROLLERCOASTER CAREERBut it was not always so. While Rose enjoyed
a stellar amateur career as a youngster –
he was the 1995 English Boys Stroke Play
Champion, and his last tournament before
joining the paid ranks was a fourth place in
the 1998 Open Championship at Royal
Birkdale – he found life as a pro tough.
Indeed, he missed the cut in his first 21
tournaments – a run that would have been
the end of many players.
When Sport asks whether he’s pleased, in
hindsight, that he had a tough apprenticeship
on tour, one that he can look back on with
pride, the answer is unequivocal. “No way,”
says Rose in a flash. “I’d trade it, say, for
Rory’s start to his career any day.
“I would say it made it much harder for me.
I had to work my way back to truly believing
in myself. When you have had that sort of dip
in form, it can leave some scar tissue, and
you have to work really hard to get over that.
Depth of confidence takes a long time to
properly build up, and I’d say that only in the
last three or four years has that come about.
That’s been the change – I now have that
confidence. Had I not gone through that
tough time, I may have had it a lot sooner.”
That said, those formative experiences
help Rose keep his success in perspective.
“It has made me appreciate the game, it’s
kept me humble and it’s kept me working
hard at it,” he explains. “It’s meant I’ve never
taken success for granted – and I learned
that talent has to be coupled with hard work
in order to pay off. It possibly made me a
better person, so I don’t regret it. But if you
look at it from a golf point of view, you’ve got
to think I’d have got to this level sooner if I
hadn’t had those setbacks.” >
JUSTIN ROSE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BEST GOLFERS ON THE PLANET, BUT IT’S BEEN A LONG, HARD ROAD – CAN HE PUT THE ICING ON THE CAKE AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL NEXT WEEK?
READY TO BLOOM
20 | April 5 2013 |
Ho
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Justin Rose
22 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Da
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The #1 Driver at Augusta for 13 years straight.
2013#1DriverInGolf
THE BREAKTHROUGHSomehow, Rose kept going. He looks back
and reflects that, on turning pro, he gave
himself a three-year plan to crack it on tour.
It proved very accurate, although his plan
envisaged him spending a year on the
Challenge Tour and having a ’normal’
grounding in the game, rather than missing
cut after cut on the main tour.
“The thing was, the expectation wasn’t
coming from me,” says Rose. “It was your
[the media’s] expectation. Unfortunately,
I got a bit wrapped up in everyone else’s
expectations. It’s why turning pro early can
be a problem, because you’re often not
mature enough to understand those things.
“When I turned pro, people had the
misconception I did it because I finished
fourth in the Open. But that wasn’t the case.
I had already made the decision – I had
invites for the Dutch and Scandinavian Opens
before that Open. In hindsight, the three-
year plan turned out to be realistic. It just
took a little time to realise it.”
His breakthrough year was 2002, when he
won four times worldwide, and by 2003 he
was world number 33, receiving invitations
to the biggest tournaments in the world.
It looked as if the golden boy of British
golf was going to come good after all –
and possibly be the man to challenge
Tiger Woods, who by then was already
a colossus in the game.
But as quickly as form came, it disappeared
again, and Rose’s world ranking suffered.
He moved to the PGA Tour in a bid to improve
his game, but could not arrest his slide as he
tumbled out of the world’s top 100.
But Rose is nothing if not a battler, and
he ground away at his game. Bit by bit, he
gained a foothold on tour, and in the 2005
season he kept his tour card. The following
year, he won the Australian Masters –
his first title for four years. It served as a
catalyst. He finished in the top five of the
Masters the following season and was
Europe’s top golfer in 2007, resulting in a
debut Ryder Cup appearance in 2008.
It is easily forgotten, amid all his success
in recent years, that Rose’s travails were not
over: in 2010 he won twice on the PGA Tour,
but was not deemed worthy of a Ryder Cup
spot by European captain Colin Montgomerie.
He returned to the team in 2012, famously
beating Phil Mickelson in the final-day singles
with a performance that had even his
opponent applauding, when a monstrous
curling putt dropped on the penultimate hole.
THE MAJOR MENThe evergreen Mickelson, with a victory
already on the PGA Tour in 2013, will be
among Rose’s main rivals at Augusta.
But so will plenty of others.
“The course really suits me,” says Rose.
“But it suits a lot of players. It suits Bubba,
it suits Rory, Keegan Bradley, Phil, Tiger and
others. It’s not just a course for long hitters.
Zach Johnson won it there when we had
some quite extreme conditions – a very, very
tough Masters, and a really good grind.”
The challenge for Rose is to treat this
week like any other – something he admits he
will always find difficult until he has his first
Grand Slam title under his belt.
“When you become a Major champion
there’s no doubt it must take the pressure
off,” he says. “We all go about our careers
trying to win one, and it can get in the way >
“I GOT WRAPPED UP IN EVERYONE ELSE’S EXPECTATIONS. IT’S WHY TURNING PRO EARLY CAN BE A PROBLEM, BECAUSE YOU’RE OFTEN NOT MATURE ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THOSE THINGS”
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122013
The #1 Driver at Augusta for 13 years straight.
Justin Rose
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sometimes, because you put too much
emphasis on them. Once you get one out
of the way, I’m sure it does become easier.
Majors shouldn’t be any different to regular
tournaments in terms of the process of how
you play the game. The more you can hold
Majors in the same regard as other events,
the better you will play.
“But to win a Major, you have to deal with
pressure at its greatest – and beat the best
players in the world on the toughest courses.”
MAKING PROGRESSRose’s career has netted him in the region of
£25m on the golf course, and plenty more in
endorsements, but he is adamant he is not
the finished product. “The progression has
been good,” he says. ”But I can still become a
more prolific winner on tour. Winning breeds
winning. I still feel there are elements to my
game that have great room for improvement,
and that’s what I’m most excited about.
I’m three in the world, and I’ve won some
great tournaments – all with what I would
describe as some glaring gaps in my game.
“Take my wedge play from 100 yards and in.
Up against someone like Luke Donald, I give him
a couple of shots a week from that distance.
And inside 10 feet on the greens I probably
give the best putters in the world four to six
shots a week. Those sort of gaps are huge.”
Rose is renowned as one of the thinkers of
the game, choosing to spend practice rounds
alone and weigh up his surroundings. It’s an
approach he has no intention of changing.
“Yes, I’m very concerned with the process
of the game,” he says. “I’ll give you an example
of something I’ve been thinking about. Two
exact same putts – the one I holed against
Phil in the Ryder Cup [on the 17th green] and
one on the final green in Abu Dhabi this year
that I needed to force a playoff. I read them
both the same – just outside right edge – and
I hit two great putts. I felt like I hit exactly the
same putt, but one goes in, one rims out.
That’s the nature of the game. I’m a hero
at Medinah, but miss out in Abu Dhabi.
“You have to keep showing up and
executing your game under pressure. Some
days they go in, some days they don’t. It was
nice that everything went for me that day at
the Ryder Cup – the stars aligned. Three
putts went in for me, and I couldn’t have
chosen a better moment for that to happen.”
One better place could be Augusta National
next week. Nobody will arrive in better form
or better prepared. All it needs is for the
stars to align again, and Justin Rose will be
wearing the Green Jacket. Not bad for a kid
who missed 21 straight cuts.
Simon Caney @simoncaney
Justin Rose plays the new TaylorMade R1. The R1’s
three adjustability technologies mean it can be
tuned 168 different ways, allowing golfers of all
abilities to customise their swing to optimise
distance and accuracy. www.taylormadegolf.com
That elusive Major“I’m looking to have a multiple-winning
season this year, and I’d love one of those
to be a Major. But I’m not solely focusing
on the Majors. I’m going to make sure my
preparation is perfect for them, but from
an expectation point of view there is a lot
more for me to achieve in the game before
I look 100 per cent at the Majors only.”
Getting better“I had a strong amateur career, but I’ve
made huge improvements. They come
from knowing my swing, understanding
the tendencies I have and learning how to
keep the bad shots at bay. Managing my
game and maturity play a big part.”
His rivals““There’s a nice story you want to tell about
the success of British golf, but there’s not
really a lot in that. We’ve all got our eyes on
our own careers and, while there’s good
camaraderie, there’s a diverse mix on tour
as a whole. Rory’s very young, Luke is
mid-career, Tiger is this superhero, Louis
Oosthuizen is very humble, very talented.
I have quite an interesting story, and Adam
Scott is another great player starting to
fulfil his potential and knock on the door in
the Majors. It’s a diverse group of guys.”
Practice“I can be a lone wolf. I like to go out there
and learn the course. I’m not really into
going out and having money games.
Those are perhaps good for making putts
under pressure, but that’s the only thing
you get from that sort of practice. I like to
establish a game plan, and it’s much easier
to do that on your own, because you can
take that little bit longer on each hole.”
Favourite course“Probably Royal Birkdale. Obviously it has a
sentimental reason, but it’s a really fair links
course. The fairways are relatively flat. If you
hit a good tee shot, the ball stays in play.”
The Ryder Cup“It is staggering to see how much it means
to people, and you really do sense you’re
playing for your continent. The first tee
shot is a unique atmosphere, like hitting
a tee shot at a football match. We’re not
used to that.”
ROSE ON...
“TO WIN A MAJOR, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH PRESSURE AT ITS GREATEST – AND BEAT THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ON THE TOUGHEST COURSES”
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OUT NOWWWW.EASPORTS.COM/UK/TIGER-WOODS
The Masters
| April 5 2013 | 27
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The #1 Driver at Augusta for 13 years straight.
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THE CONTENDERS
SCHWARTZEL OOSTHUIZEN WOODS POULTER WATSONWinner here two years ago,
and bang in form so far
in 2013, South African
Schwartzel has the perfect
profile to take a second Green
Jacket. His tee-to-green game
is electric (he has hit 79 per
cent of greens this season
– at one stage it was a
European Tour-leading 82.4
per cent) and ranks second
on stroke average, too. Has
played at Augusta National
three times now, and it’s
clearly a course that suits his
eye. If a few putts start to
drop for him, Schwartzel will
take some stopping.
Masters appearances 3
Best finish 1st (2011)
World ranking 15
Paddy Power odds 22-1
It’s virtually certain that
Schwartzel’s countryman
Oosthuizen will be in the mix
again: very quietly, he has
turned himself into one of the
very best players in the world,
and his playoff defeat here
last year (a tournament he
really deserved to win)
demonstrates his aptitude for
the unique test of Augusta.
Quite simply, there are no
weak spots in his game –
when he won the 2010 Open
Championship, plenty of
people called it a fluke. He has
demonstrated that, without
question, it wasn’t.
Masters appearances 4
Best finish 2nd (2012)
World ranking 6
Paddy Power odds 28-1
Oh, him. Well, yes, Tiger is
world number one again. And
yes, in typical Tiger style, he is
one win away from 100 as a
professional, and there’d be
no better place to do it. And
he’s won three times on tour
this year already. And four
times previously at the
Masters. In fact, on paper,
this is a one-horse race.
However, his driving can still
be wayward – he’s fighting a
hook – and Augusta does not
favour him quite like it used to.
He won’t be far away, but can
he hold his swing together for
72 holes?
Masters appearances 18
Best finish 1st (1997, 2001,
2002, 2005)
World ranking 1
Paddy Power odds 7-2
If they gave out Green Jackets
for self-belief, Poulter would
have a walk-in wardrobe full of
them. As it is, he is still without
a Major – but there is a
growing sense that his time
is coming. He claims he has
added more distance off the
tee to his game (though the
stats don’t back that up), but
it’s his short game that comes
into its own here. Few people
can hole putts under pressure
quite like Poulter, and his
scrambling (fourth best on
tour) can be spectacular.
Finished seventh last year, and
could improve this time around.
Boom! Bubba Golf! Last year’s
winner played one of the more
remarkable shots ever seen
at Augusta to break Louis
Oosthuizen’s heart in a
playoff, and there is nothing to
say that the big-hitting owner
of the Dukes of Hazzard’s car
won’t be up there again. His
enormous drives mean eagle
and birdie opportunities on
the par-5s, while approaching
par-4 greens with shorter
irons give him greater control.
All will depend on his putting
– his putting average ranks
him 74th on tour this year, but
when he’s hot, he’s very hot. >
No
1 No
2 No
3 No
4 No
5 CHARL LOUIS TIGER IAN BUBBA
Masters appearances 8
Best finish 7th (2012)
World ranking 12
Paddy Power odds 45-1
Masters appearances 4
Best finish 1st (2012)
World ranking 14
Paddy Power odds 35-1
If the man you’ve just been reading about isn’t to win the Masters, then which player will? Sport selects the 10 most likely alternatives
The Masters
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BRADLEY MICKELSON KUCHAR MCDOWELL CHOIPurists at the R&A would
choke on their late-night
sherry would the long
putter-wielding Bradley win
a second Major, but there’s
no question he is one of the
world’s most improved
players of the past two years.
Only 0.5 yards behind Watson
off the tee, Bradley is a par-5
scoring machine (average
score on long holes this year is
4.38), which always goes down
well at the Masters. He may
need an eagle or two on holes
13 and 15, but Bradley has the
tools to take down Augusta.
Masters appearances 1
Best finish 27th (2012)
World ranking 11
Paddy Power odds 28-1
Few players have mastered
the Masters like Lefty since
the turn of the century. In
those 13 tournaments he has
won three and finished in the
top 10 on a further eight
occasions. Factor in current
form – a winner already in
2013 – birdie stats (second
on the PGA Tour) and scoring
average (he has been as high
as sixth), and there are few
reasons why he won’t win
again. Except... he is far from
straight off the tee, so he may
find it tough. Never rule him
out, though.
Masters appearances 20
Best finish 1st (2004,
2006, 2010)
World ranking 10
Paddy Power odds 11-1
Kuchar’s an enigma. A star
amateur in the 1990s, he
faded into obscurity for
several years before bouncing
back and becoming the top
money-winner on tour in
2010. Indeed, he qualified to
play in only one Masters
between 2000 and 2009, but a
third-place finish last season
– having shared the lead on
the back nine – suggests he
knows his way around here
now. He putts and scrambles
(especially out of bunkers)
very well. Will that be enough?
Possibly.
Masters appearances 6
Best finish 3rd (2012)
World ranking 9
Paddy Power odds 33-1
On the sly, McDowell is
enjoying a very solid season
indeed. He has limited his
competitive starts to just four,
but has returned three top-
10s, including two in World
Golf Championship events.
The Ulsterman hits the ball
very straight off the tee and
is among the best on tour on
par-4s, averaging 3.95. Five
appearances at Augusta have
yielded three missed cuts and
two top-20s, but one thing’s
for sure – if he’s in contention,
he won’t back down. McDowell
has ice in his veins.
Masters appearances 5
Best finish 12th (2012)
World ranking 17
Paddy Power odds 66-1
Choi loves Augusta National.
He’s recorded three top-10s
here and, with a little more
luck, could have won one.
In both 2004 and 2010, he was
never out of the top four, using
his ultra-consistent all-round
game to wonderful effect.
He is not necessarily great at
any one aspect of the game,
but rather he is very good at
the vital ones at the Masters
– driving accuracy, greens
in regulation, scrambling,
putting and bunker play.
He’s 42, but knows Augusta
like the back of his hand.
No
6 No
7 No
8 No
9 No
10KEEGAN PHIL MATT GRAEME KJ
ON THE SCRAP HEAP...
Masters appearances 10
Best finish 3rd (2004)
World ranking 83
Paddy Power odds 90-1
RORY MCILROY (10-1) is
having a season to forget and
has somehow contrived to
lose the coveted world
number one spot after a run
of performances that have
been ordinary at best, and
downright dreadful at worst...
LUKE DONALD (28-1) on paper
has all the attributes to sweep
all before him at Augusta, but
seven top-10s in 39 majors
suggest he’s not a man for
the big occasion...
BRANDT SNEDEKER (28-1)
has stormed up the world
rankings this season and has
a short game to die for, but a
rib injury has curtailed his
progress...
ADAM SCOTT (28-1) is a little
like Donald – bags of talent and
potential, but really should
have won a major by now (last
year’s Open will haunt him)...
LEE WESTWOOD (28-1) has
been in contention at the
Masters more times than he’d
like to remember, but simply
does not putt well enough.
23Lowest average 18-hole
score for any player (of
those who have played at
least 25 rounds) around
Augusta National, set by
Tiger Woods. Only four
others average under 72
– Phil Mickelson (70.97),
Fred Couples (71.89),
Jerry Pate (71.96) and
Jack Nicklaus (71.98)
0104
The Masters
| April 5 2013 | 31
The #1 Driver at Augusta for 13 years straight.
2013#1DriverInGolf
THE MASTERS BY NUMBERS
1,500 14Amount, in dollars, won by
inaugural winner Horton
Smith in 1934
Age of Guan Tianlang, who
will be 14 years and 168
days old when the Masters
begins, making him the
youngest ever player in
the tournament. He
qualifies as Asia-Pacific
Amateur Champion
46Age of Jack Nicklaus when
he won the Masters in
1986, making him the
oldest man to ever pull
on a Green Jacket
52Record number of
Masters appearances,
held by Gary Player. Jack
Nicklaus has made the cut
the most times (37) while
Arnold Palmer made the
most consecutive
appearances (50)
235Distance in yards from
which Gene Sarazen holed
out for double-eagle on his
way to victory in 1935 –
the ’shot heard around
the world’ that put the
Masters on the map
12Biggest winning margin,
set by Tiger Woods when
he won his first Masters in
1997. For the record, Tom
Kite was second. Woods’
final score of 270 is also
a record
Number of champions
who have led for all
four rounds: Craig Wood
(1941), Arnold Palmer
(1960), Jack Nicklaus
(1972) and Ray Floyd
(1976)
Only one rookie has ever
won the Masters: Fuzzy
Zoeller in 1979
289Highest ever winning
score, recorded by Sam
Snead in 1954 and Jack
Burke Jr two years later
14Most appearances at the
Masters before finally
winning, set by Mark
O’Meara in 1998
75Highest first-round score
of eventual winner, carded
by Craig ’Walrus’ Stadler
in 1982
63Augusta course record,
shared by Nick Price
(1986) and Greg Norman
(1996). Neither man won
Number of holes in one
recorded in the Masters
– 15 of which have come
at the 16th hole
22Most top-10s recorded at
Augusta by one player:
Jack Nicklaus (again)
70.87
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Mako Vunipola
| April 5 2013 | 33
EURO PROP
After winning plaudits for his (very) direct style of play with England, Mako Vunipola is back at Saracens with a Heineken Cup semi final in his sights – and it’s still his ‘breakthrough season’
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind season for you.
How are you enjoying it?
“A lot. Yeah, my target at the start of the year
was to get a regular start for Saracens and
to be involved with England Saxons when the
chances came up – so to get a call back in the
autumn to train and be injury cover for the
England senior side was a massive surprise.
I certainly didn’t expect to be in the squad
for the Six Nations.”
Do you think the hurt of ‘that day in Cardiff’
will help in the long run?
“Yeah, definitely. You have to learn from
experiences like that, and we’re still a young
side, so we have the time to do so. We had a
good tournament, and it was really hard to
finish it in that way. But we know we have
to learn quickly and become better for it,
so hopefully we can come back in next year’s
Six Nations and go one better.”
How was the Six Nations experience?
“It was amazing to be involved at senior level
in such a big way, and it was a great learning
experience for me. It was strange being away
for so long when it wasn’t a tour, though.
I’ve been involved with the under-20s before,
but it’s different being in the senior side and
being away from your club side for eight
weeks. It’s tough to come back in and try to
get back into the swing of things straight
away with the club, but to have a game
against Harlequins straight after what
happened in Cardiff was exactly what we
needed to get focused back on club matters.”
How big was that win over Harlequins?
“It was amazing. As a team, we were really
happy with our performance – not just in the
result, but also the way we defended and
brought a physicality to the game. Our
physicality has really improved since the start
of the season, and we obviously knew this
game could give us a lead at the top of the
table. We knew our performance didn’t matter
as much as the result, but to not concede a
try against them, especially at the end when
we were down to 14 men, was massive for
us. Wasps last weekend was tough as well,
but to get those wins gives us the confidence
and belief that we’re a hard team to beat.”
It’s Ulster in the Heineken Cup this weekend.
Can you approach this like any other game?
“We have to. We said that in the lead-up to the
Quins game. We knew it was a massive game
because it decided the lead in the league,
but it’s a case of targeting the next game.
It’s getting to the point of the season where
every game is huge, so we’re not looking
beyond any one fixture. We just sit down at
the start of the week and start our approach
all over again.” >
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34 | April 5 2013 |
Mako Vunipola
Have you seen a lot of Ulster this season?
“Not really, to be honest, but we know they’re
a quality side. They went on that run being
unbeaten until around December, I think, and
they haven’t lost many since. We know they
have quality throughout their team, so we
can’t afford to worry about any one player
– but we’ll be hoping to impose our game on
them anyway.”
Has management set a target for the season?
“No. As a team, we’re not just driven by results
– we’re driven by our performances, so it’s
about going out there and just playing like we
know we can play. The idea is to do that and
let the results take care of themselves.”
How are you enjoying life at Allianz Park?
“Yeah, we’ve settled in really well. We train on
the new surface all the time now, so we’re
getting used to it, and we’re scoring a few
tries as well – which is always pleasing to
show what we can do in attack. The surface
gives our backs – and the forwards on the
odd occasion – a chance to go out and
express themselves. The atmosphere there
has been amazing as well.”
What are your thoughts on moving this
particular game to Twickenham, then?
“I don’t think it’s a problem, it just makes it
an even bigger crowd and occasion. It’s a
massive game for us as a club, so hopefully
we can get a great crowd down there and
generate a massive atmosphere.”
On a personal note, a lot of positive
headlines have been coming your way. Is it
hard not to get carried away with them?
“Not really. We pride ourselves on humility as
a team, so we’re good at keeping our feet on
the ground. It’s always flattering to get great
reviews, obviously, but any headlines just
show how well the team are playing. The style
of rugby we’re playing really helps my game.”
Your brother Billy is coming to Sarries next
year. Who has the better ball skills?
“I’d say myself, but he’s pretty good to be
fair! It’s exciting for our family to have us
both playing together in the same team.”
Speaking of ball skills, you’re a big
scrummager, but you also love to carry,
have a decent turn of pace and tend to make
big hits. How’s your kicking?
[Laughs] “Yeah, kicking is probably one part
of my game that I’m just not going to be good
at. I’ll leave that one to the half-backs!”
The many pictures on Twitter tell us the
Saracens squad were in Verbier two weeks
ago. How was that?
“Yeah, it was amazing. You spend so much of
your time with the squad that it’s important
to be mates, and we’ve got that here. We’re
creating great memories on and off the pitch,
so it was great to get out to Verbier and relax
ahead of a big few weeks. The coaches are
great at knowing when to push us and when
to let us chill, and that was a perfect example.”
Finally, it’s Lions year. Is it fair to say that
every game takes on an extra level of
pressure with the Lions looming?
“Maybe, but every game has a lot of pressure
on it anyway... and, like I said, our mentality is
all about approaching the next game, so
we’re trying not to look too far ahead. As a
player, you’ve just got to keep your head down
and concentrate. And, if they notice you, that’s
great. You can’t afford to start thinking about
it too much, though, because the games keep
coming thick and fast, and we’ve got another
huge one this weekend to focus on.”
Mark Coughlan @coffers83
Mako Vunipola plays for Saracens, who are
sponsored by Allianz, one of the world’s leading
financial services providers. Visit allianz.co.uk
to find out more
CLERMONT v MONTPELLIERSATURDAY STADE MARCEL-MICHELIN |
SKY SPORTS 1 3.40PM
Clermont are unbeaten at home
since November 2009 (57 matches),
so Montpellier face the quarter final
nobody wanted. With the power
Clermont have up front, expect
them to hammer away at Montpellier
before Morgan Parra unleashes the
brawn of Sitiveni Sivivatu and
Aurelien Rougerie, and the sheer
class of Wesley Fofana. The visitors,
though, have a clever coach in
Fabien Galthié, and can silence the
home fans if they can raise their
game to the level they showed
against Toulon in the pool stages.
SARACENS v ULSTERSATURDAY TWICKENHAM | SKY SPORTS 1 6.30PM
It’s back to the site of last year’s
humbling Heineken Cup final defeat
for Ulster. But this is a different
side – they started the season with
a 13-match unbeaten run and boast
Irish internationals across the
board. The kickers will keep them in
the game, but it’s Iain Henderson’s
ability to steal and secure lineouts
that will be vital. The Londoners,
meanwhile, are flying after victories
over Harlequins and Wasps. You only
have to look at the manner in which
they overcame Racing Metro in
Nantes to see the class oozing out
of this side.
HARLEQUINS v MUNSTERSUNDAY THE STOOP | SKY SPORTS 2 2PM
It’s the young guns of Europe versus
the old masters, yes, but the young
guns have chosen a horrid time to
hit a bad run of form, with three
league defeats on the bounce. The
return of a fully fit Chris Robshaw is
sure to galvanise the side, while
Danny Care was back to his best last
week, and he’s sure to keep Munster
busy. The visitors, meanwhile, were
torn apart by Glasgow (51-24) last
weekend, but will have had both
eyes firmly on this tie. Expect the
forwards to put in the kind of shift
that nearly saw them turn over
Saracens in London.
TOULON v LEICESTER SUNDAY STADE MAYOL | SKY SPORTS 2 4.30PM
The tie of the round? The French
side boast an embarrassment of
stars looking to carry them to
Europe’s top table, and Steffon
Armitage has rarely had a better
platform to remind Lions coaches
of his form. Behind a big pack, it’s
that man Jonny pulling the strings,
while Mathieu Bastareaud will
be out for revenge after he lost
his Six Nations battle with Manu
Tuilagi. The Tiger, though, showed
scintillating form as he and Tom
Croft tore Northampton apart last
week. Against Toulon’s ageing
stars, the duo could be devastating.
HEINEKEN CUP QUARTERS A QUICK GLANCE AT THIS WEEKEND’S FOUR SALIVATING SHOWDOWNS
“KICKING IS PART OF MY GAME I’M JUST NOT GOING TO BE GOOD AT. I’LL LEAVE THAT ONE TO THE HALF-BACKS”
Offer applies to each-way bets placed from 1.30pm 12th Feb 2013. See paddypower.com or shops for full conditions. Competitor place terms correct at time of print.
08000 565 265
36 | April 5 2013 |
Grand National
WINNING COMSATURDAY JOHN SMITH’S GRAND NATIONAL
AINTREE | CHANNEL 4 & RACING UK 4.15PM
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand | 37
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Ruby Walsh is a two-time Grand
National winner, the most
successful jockey in the history of
the Cheltenham Festival and widely
considered one of the all-time greats of
jumps racing. So when trainer Paul Nicholls
asked his number one jockey about the
chances of his only runner in last year’s
National, the veteran Neptune Collonges,
you would have expected him to listen.
“I kept asking Ruby about whether he was
going to ride him in the build-up, and he kept
saying no,” revealed Nicholls in a recent chat
with Sport. “In fact, he kept saying the same
thing: he’s too old, too slow and carrying too
much weight. That pretty much put me off his
chances, but the only thing with Neptune is
that he had been placed in a Gold Cup. He was
class. And, in the end, that was the difference.”
Nicholls looks back on the victory of his
galloping grey (the first to win the National
since 1961) with an excited nostalgia, born
largely from the relief of winning the world’s
most famous race at the 53rd attempt.
The multiple champion trainer isn’t used
to having to wait so long to taste victory,
but this is one he continues to savour –
particularly given the perfection with which
his plan for the race was carried out.
“Neptune was always lazy and bloody
slow,” he smiles. “Here at home, we used to
work him on his own [rather than in pairs, as
is the norm] because he was so slow he’d
get disappointed at not being able to keep up
– so he’d follow the others out the back.
“In his races, though, we always used to
jump him off handy, drive him along early
on and then hope he wouldn’t fade back.
But I thought if we rode him like that in the
National, we were going to be in trouble –
if we jumped him off in front, he’d be nearer
back than front after two fences.
“So my idea was to start him off near the
back. Eventually he’d pass one horse, then
another, and if we were close enough with a
circuit to go, I thought we’d have a chance.
And it worked a treat: we’d talked about
trying to be eighth or ninth over the water
jump, and I think we jumped it ninth. He’d
made up a massive amount of ground on the
first circuit, and I knew he would gallop every
single yard to the line. Daryl had never ridden
Neptune before, but he carried the plan out
to perfection.”
NO SECOND STRINGThe man Nicholls refers to is Daryl Jacob
(left, in yellow), who took the ride aboard
Neptune Collonges after Walsh opted to ride
On His Own for his Irish employer, Willie
Mullins. On a day of contrasting fortunes for
Nicholls’ jockeys, Walsh missed the race
through injury, while Jacob claimed the most
famous victory of his career in the closest
finish ever recorded in the Grand National.
“It was my first season riding properly
for Paul, and I’d had some nice rides at
Cheltenham the previous month, but you
want everything to go right – and Neptune
winning the National was just perfect,”
recalls the 29-year-old Irishman. “He was
very good over the first three or four fences
so I knew that, barring accidents, he’d jump
round okay. Did I know he’d won at the line? >
MBINATION
After years of trying, champion
trainer Paul Nicholls finally landed
the Grand National last season with
Neptune Collonges (above) – but he
might not have to wait so long to bag
winner number two.
Nicholls is set to saddle Join
Together, who looks to have all the
attributes to land the world’s most
famous race – not least an ability to
jump the Aintree fences, which are
still daunting despite having been
softened up in recent years.
Join Together finished a close
second in the Becher Chase over 3m2f
of the Aintree track in November,
when he passed four horses on the
run-in but failed by a neck to overhaul
course specialist Hello Bud. He will
relish a further mile-plus on Saturday,
and don’t worry about his pulled-up
effort in his prep run at Doncaster; he
was nearly brought down early on and
then just schooled round.
Favourite will be On His Own, who
was cantering when coming down at
Becher’s Brook second time round
last year. He is highly likely to be
ridden by Ruby Walsh, who would have
been on him last year but for injury.
Walsh would also have the option of
riding Join Together, but if you think
his decision to swerve the Nicholls
horse is a negative, bear in mind he
also turned down Neptune Collonges
last year...
GRAND NATIONAL: EXPERT VIEW WITH PAUL KEALY OF THE RACING POST
On the eve of this year’s Grand National at Aintree, we speak to
the men behind Neptune Collonges’ dramatic, last-gasp victory
12 months ago – trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Daryl Jacob
Sport prediction GRAND NATIONAL: THE BIG SPORT PREDICTION
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38 | April 5 2013 |
Grand National
CAPPA BLEUFourth last
year, when
stamina doubts led jockey
Paul Moloney to ride him a
touch more patiently than
he might have done. The
way Cappa Bleu stayed on
that day will leave canny
trainer Evan Williams with
no such concerns this time
round; aimed at this race
all season, the 11-year-old
ran superbly at Ascot last
time out, looks to have a
nice weight and should
make the frame once more.
It was just too close to call; I knew I was
eating into Richie McLernon’s lead [on
Sunnyhillboy] all the way up the run-in, but it
was just about whether I was going to get
there in time. We literally crossed the line
bang together, but thankfully Neptune’s big
old nose had just got there first. To be fair
to the horse, he was class.”
Jacob is a more naturally outgoing
character than the dry-witted Walsh, but
Nicholls recognises the importance of having
two such talents among the ranks at his
Somerset yard. “Ruby is Ruby, obviously, but
they are similar in the way they get horses
jumping – quite relaxed and never in a hurry,
which is the biggest thing,” he says. “Being
second jockey here is not an easy job, but
winning the National last year has given Daryl
so much confidence – and if Ruby packed up
tomorrow there is no doubt that Daryl would
move into the number-one spot.”
BACK TOGETHER?Jacob exhibited that newfound confidence
with big-race wins aboard the Nicholls-
trained pair Sanctuaire and Tidal Bay at
Sandown less than a month after his Aintree
success. He is yet to hit the same heights
this season – Nicholls had only one winner at
last month’s Cheltenham Festival, and that
was ridden by his nephew – but the drier
weather saw the pair combine with a good
winner at Haydock last Saturday. With Walsh
set to select On His Own once again, that
augurs well for Jacob’s chances aboard his
employer’s chief hope for this year’s Grand
National: Join Together.
“I was second on him in the Becher Chase
[over the National fences] in December,” he
says. “He jumped great, but got bogged down
in the soft ground. From two out he really got
going, though, and in another stride I think
we’d have won. Hopefully the ground will be
better on Saturday, which will suit him.”
Nicholls has two other runners in the big
race this weekend; both What A Friend and
Harry The Viking are part-owned by Sir Alex
Ferguson, but the riding arrangements for
Jacob leaves us in little doubt as to which of
his trio he prefers: “Join Together is the one
for us. We’ve trained him for the race, and
we think he’s a horse who could run in a few
Nationals in the next three or four years...
and maybe get lucky in one of them. But I
think it took us 53 goes to win the race, so
we ain’t gonna win it twice in a row, are we?”
His jockey isn’t so sure. “Now we have won
it, the pressure is nowhere near as strong,”
says Jacob, whose National victory came on
attempt number five. “Having had so many
runners get beat, the pressure was always
building, building. Now we’ve done it once, it
doesn’t matter if we never do it again. Things
will happen a lot easier for us now.”
Not since 1974 has a trainer or jockey
recorded consecutive victories in the Grand
National, and that was Ginger McCain and
Brian Fletcher with Red Rum – names that
will forever dominate the folklore of this
great race. Should Nicholls and Jacob repeat
last year’s victory with Join Together on
Saturday, however, they would be writing
a whole new chapter for themselves.
Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1
RARE BOBIrish raider whose trainer Dessie Hughes
is in great form, and whose stylish jockey
Bryan Cooper is one of the rising stars of the sport. The
11-year-old was brought down early in the race last year,
but he is a sound jumper who likes Aintree and looked
well suited to a waiting ride when running third in his
prep race at Naas last month. Our idea of the winner.
COLBERT STATIONTed Walsh
(father of
Ruby) is a master at
preparing horses for the
National, and he has two
fancied runners this year.
Seabass was third in 2012
and could run well again for
his daughter Katie, but our
preference is for the
rapidly improving Colbert
Station. The nine-year-old
is the likely mount of AP
McCoy and looks to have
more stamina than his
stablemate.
FORPADY DEPLASTERERAnother Irish
horse, Forpadydeplasterer
is an 11-year-old who was
formerly high class over
shorter distances – but he
has looked better suited to
longer trips these days,
winning over three miles on
heavy ground in November.
A good jumper (he has
never fallen) with very solid
form at Aintree, he looks
overpriced at around 66-1
– the best of the outsiders
in this year’s race.
“WE CROSSED THE LINE TOGETHER, BUT THANKFULLY NEPTUNE’S BIG OLD NOSE HAD GOT THERE FIRST”
40 | April 5 2013 |
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7 DaysAPR 5-APR 11
HIGHLIGHTS
» Football: Premier League Preview » p42
» Cricket: Indian Premier League » p44
» Cycling: Paris-Roubaix » p46
» Basketball: LA Clippers v LA Lakers » p48
» Rugby League: Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves » p48OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
SUNDAY MOTOGP | ROUND 1: GRAND PRIX OF QATAR | LOSAIL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, DOHA | BBC TWO 8PM
The arid Gulf state of Qatar may prove
too hot to host a World Cup, but it's not a
problem for the new MotoGP season, which
races into life in Doha on Sunday night.
Like the World Cup, though, the 2013
MotoGP season is likely to be a mostly
Spanish affair, with last year's champion
Jorge Lorenzo (pictured, above) again
looking nervously over his shoulder at his
elder countryman Dani Pedrosa. The Repsol
Honda rider won six of the last eight races
of last season, closing the gap on Lorenzo,
who had maintained a healthy lead for the
first half of the year.
Pedrosa might have thought he would
have a better chance of winning the title this
year, given former teammate Casey Stoner's
retirement. But Stoner's replacement, Marc
Márquez (another Spaniard), has proved he
is no slouch in pre-season testing.
Two-wheeled titansThe 2012 Moto2 champion has taken to
the senior series like a duck to a more
high-profile body of water. The 20-year-old
ended the first testing session of the season
in Malaysia inside the top three, just behind
Pedrosa. He's admitted to nerves ahead of
his MotoGP debut, and while it's probably a
bit much to expect him to be challenging for
the title, he has the ability to be finishing
near the front in his first year.
Cal Crutchlow, on the other hand, has
taken a few seasons to really feel his way into
MotoGP. The man from Coventry improved
his performances considerably in his
sophomore season with a string of top-10
finishes, including his first MotoGP podiums
in the Czech Republic and Australia. A series
of retirements towards the end of the year
marred his championship, and he ended up
in a disappointing seventh position in the
standings. A revitalised
Crutchlow topped the
final timesheets in the
practice session in Jerez,
though, and he is confident
he can start the season well in Qatar.
There are also two British riders
making their MotoGP debuts:
31-year-old Michael Laverty has made
a big step up from British Superbikes
and will join one of the new Claiming
Rules Teams. The other is 22-year-old
Bradley Smith, who has progressed through
the ranks and replaces Andrea Dovizioso as
Crutchlow's teammate at Monster Yamaha
Tech 3. Dovizioso, for his part, replaces fellow
Italian Valentino Rossi (right) at Ducati. The
legendary racer has moved back to Yamaha,
with whom he enjoyed so much success, and
has looked back to his old best in testing.
42 | April 5 2013 |
7 Days
With the title race sauntering to a less dramatic
conclusion than last season, will the Manchester derby
still deliver the drama promised by the TV men?
Manchester United’s 6-1 battering by their neighbours
at Old Trafford last season was a result Alex Ferguson
labelled “the worst in my history”, and understandably
so – it was United’s worst defeat at home since 1955.
So, despite the fact his side go into Monday’s game with
a king-sized 15-point cushion over City, Ferguson will
want vengeance to go along with three more points.
The defending champions know the trophy is almost
out of reach, leaving manager Roberto Mancini struggling
to keep a lid on his frustration. “We have lost a lot of our
players through injury, many times at crucial moments,”
he said after watching Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure
both make successful returns in last weekend’s 4-0 win
over Newcastle, before letting slip his true feelings about
Samir Nasri. The midfielder pulled out his rarely utilised
A-game against Newcastle, eliciting a measured response
from the Italian: “I’d like to give him a punch. A player like
him should play like this every game.”
All the punches will be coming from the red corner on
Monday though, should United underperform as they did
against Chelsea in their FA Cup defeat. Indeed, Fergie has
already stated: “A positive result will just about seal the
title.” In other words: Do. Not. Mess. Up. Again.
If Everton’s away form matched
their home form (they’ve lost once
at home in the league this season),
Tottenham might have something to
worry about on Sunday. As it is,
David Moyes’ side have drawn the
most away games of any side in the
top six this term (six) and won the
least (four). Spurs’ home form has
been patchy, but they – by which we
mean Gareth Bale – got back into
the groove at Swansea last
weekend. Over to him again, then.
SUNDAY TOTTENHAM v EVERTON
WHITE HART LANE | ESPN 2.05PM
It might surprise their fans, but
QPR’s league position isn’t for want
of trying. QPR have had 42 shots in
their past two games, yet lost both.
We can only conclude that the same
desire needs to be shown at the
other end of the pitch. In Wigan,
QPR face the masters of relegation
avoidance, who have won three of
their last four. They restricted
Norwich to five shots on goal last
weekend, suggesting it could be a
tough day front and back for QPR.
SUNDAY QPR v WIGAN | LOFTUS ROAD
SKY SPORTS 1 4.10PM
The Manchester derby gives United a chance to all but close the book on this season, and get revenge for a day Sir Alex would rather forget
Premier League
MONDAY MANCHESTER UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY | OLD TRAFFORD | SKY SPORTS 1 8PM
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
SATURDAY NORWICH v SWANSEA | CARROW ROAD | 3PM
| 43
Southampton outscored all of their
relegation rivals under Nigel
Adkins. Unfortunately for his new
employers Reading, Saints have
continued that trend under Mauricio
Pochettino. Reading, in contrast,
have the worst defence in the
division. Their new boss has had a
week to prepare his new team for
the visit of his old charges, but even
Adkins’ insider knowledge won’t be
enough if Southampton play the
way they did against Chelsea.
SATURDAY STOKE v ASTON VILLA | BRITANNIA STADIUM | 3PM SATURDAY WEST BROM v ARSENAL | THE HAWTHORNS | 3PM
West Ham were undone by their
own graduates in the December
meeting with Liverpool, as Glen
Johnson, Joe Cole and Jonjo
Shelvey consigned them to a 3-2
defeat. With Andy Carroll ineligible
to play against his parent club,
Carlton Cole could get a chance to
add to his two goals this season.
Liverpool have won four of their last
five and haven’t given up on Europe
yet, while West Ham need a few
more points to secure safety.
SUNDAY LIVERPOOL v WEST HAM | ANFIELD | 1.30PM
Paolo Di Canio’s Sunderland should
have a bit more bite about them
than Martin O’Neill’s. The Northen
Irishman oversaw the Black Cats’ 3-1
home defeat to Chelsea last year –
a result that saw Fernando Torres
end 12 and a half hours of goalless
league action with two of the
blighters, sending Sunderland into
the drop zone. They’re one point
clear of it now, but Di Canio’s task
is a daunting one with a northeast
derby to follow his debut at Chelsea.
SUNDAY CHELSEA v SUNDERLAND | STAMFORD BRIDGE | 3PM
The Canaries continue their painful
crawl towards safety with the visit
of Swansea, who have taken their
foot off the gas since winning the
League Cup. The sides’ last meeting
was a 4-3 win for Norwich, with
Michu netting twice in a losing cause.
Since then, both goals and points
have dried up for Chris Hughton’s
side – they’ve won just one of 11 in
the league, failing to score in seven
of those. How Hughton must wish he
had a goalscorer of Michu’s calibre.
The last four matches between
these teams have ended in draws,
which were, according to the match
reports: insipid, dour, drab and
scrappy (respectively). So we’re not
holding out much hope for a thriller
at the Britannia. Villa slipped back
into the relegation zone with defeat
to Liverpool, but Paul Lambert is
confident his side are playing well
enough to escape the drop. Tony
Pulis’ team have won just once this
year and are sliding down the table.
Now Tottenham have arrested their
slide, it’s Chelsea who are the most
likely targets for Arsenal if they’re
going to get fourth place. The Blues
have at least seven games in a
packed April, and Arsenal can put
themselves ahead on Saturday with
a win at West Brom. Steve Clarke’s
men have little to play for, with
safety assured and European
qualification unlikely, but Chelsea
loanee Romelu Lukaku could do his
parent club a favour with a goal.
P W D L F A Pts
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
Manchester
United are the
only team in the
league not to
have conceded
a penalty this
season0
Man Utd 30 25 2 3 70 31 77
Man City 30 18 8 4 55 26 62
Tottenham 31 17 6 8 53 38 57
Chelsea 30 16 7 7 59 32 55
Arsenal 30 15 8 7 59 33 53
Everton 30 13 12 5 47 35 51
Liverpool 31 13 9 9 59 40 48
West Brom 31 13 5 13 41 41 44
Swansea 31 10 10 11 41 40 40
Fulham 30 10 9 11 43 46 39
West Ham 30 10 6 14 35 44 36
Southampton 31 8 10 13 44 53 34
Stoke City 31 7 13 11 27 36 34
Norwich 31 7 13 11 28 47 34
Newcastle 31 9 6 16 41 56 33
Sunderland 31 7 10 14 33 43 31
Wigan 30 8 6 16 36 56 30
Aston Villa 31 7 9 15 32 58 30
QPR 31 4 11 16 28 51 23
Reading 31 5 8 18 36 61 23
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SATURDAY READING v SOUTHAMPTON
MADJESKI STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 2 12.45PM
Dimitar Berbatov got riled by a
tackle on a teammate during
Fulham’s win against QPR. This
rarely happens. He’s also scored in
four successive league games for the
first time in his career, both of which
suggest the Bulgarian has finally
found a club where he feels settled.
Bad news for Newcastle – they’ve
won one of their last seven against
Fulham. The Magpies have also lost
their last two in the league, leaving
them seven adrift of the magic 40.
SUNDAY NEWCASTLE v FULHAM | ST JAMES’ PARK | 3PM
FRIDAY INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: SUNRISERS HYDERABAD v PUNE WARRIORS INDIA | RAJIV GANDHI INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM, HYDERABAD | ITV4 3PM FULL GAME SCHEDULE ON ITV4 THROUGHOUT APRIL AND MAY
7 Days
44 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
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...hard-luck tales
The Delhi Daredevils are the Jimmy
White of the IPL: chokers who topped
the league stage in 2009 and 2012, but
who serially mess it up in the knockout
phase. They’d be among the favourites
again for 2013, except for two late
blows. Kevin Pietersen (above) is
nursing a knee injury and absent for the
full tournament, while powerful Kiwi
Jesse Ryder recently suffered an horrific
assault that put him into a coma. With
players such as Mahela Jayawardene,
David Warner and Morne Morkel –
top wicket-taker in the 2012 IPL – the
Daredevils do still have classy overseas
talent to call on. But, given their
longstanding history of heartbreaking
defeats and recent record of shock
injuries, the Delhi team are definitely
the sympathetic choice.
...big underdogs
The Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI
Punjab and 2013 newcomers the
Sunrisers Hyderabad make up
the trio of tournament outsiders.
However the Sunrisers’ (a new
replacement for the old Deccan
Chargers) batting line-up includes
skipper Kumar Sangakkara,
six-smoting Aussie Cameron White
and Shikhar Dhawan (above) – the
current darling of India after scoring
the fastest century by any batsman
on Test debut in March. Their
Achilles’ heel is a lack of pace-
bowling support to star Dale Steyn,
who isn’t as devastating a white-ball
bowler as he is with a red cherry.
Still, the Sunrisers should offer
entertainment in their debut
campaign, which starts today.
...home interest
Irish England international Eoin Morgan
has his Kolkata Knight Riders kit, Owais
Shah lords it up as Rajasthan Royalty,
while veteran all-rounder Dimitri
Mascarenhas is a Kings XI Punjab man.
However, with foreign players limited to
just four in each starting XI, it’s tricky to
gauge how much each will play. One
man we hope can force his way into the
Pune Warriors India team, however, is
England Twenty20 star Luke Wright
(above). With the Warriors also
possessing Yuvraj Singh and Marlon
Samuels, they have all-rounders in
abundance. But Wright can be
supremely destructive, as he showed
last year in belting a 44-ball century for
the Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big
Bash. Get Wright on it, Pune: it’s your
duty to your English fans.
…winning above all
If you support Manchester United or
Liverpool yet sport a curiously southern
accent, you’re probably a good
old-fashioned glory-hunter. If that’s your
game, three teams stand out as likely
winners. Mumbai Indians feature a Ricky
Ponting/Sachin Tendulkar dream team,
while defending champions Kolkata
Knight Riders offer the bamboozling
bowling of Sunil Narine. Our pick,
however, is the Chennai Super Kings.
The two-time winners boast an Indian
elephant spine of Suresh Raina, Ravi
Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni
(above), the best skipper in the
competition. Overseas players include
Mike Hussey and potentially match-
winning all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and
Albie Morkel. Once they spark up, the
Super Kings will be difficult to put out.
Find your IPL teamWith the sixth Indian Premier League
getting under way this week, it’s time
to nail your shiny colours to the mast.
Here’s who to support if you love...
...booming batting
Every IPL team has a few clean hitters,
but the Royal Challengers Bangalore
batting stars shine even brighter than
their gold-tinted kits. Captain Virat
Kohli is clinical rather than brutal, but
scores rapidly in limited-overs cricket,
while the versatile AB de Villiers and
heavy-scoring Cheteshwar Pujara
would walk into most teams.
However, the Challengers' big
bazooka is the man with the mightiest
guns in world cricket. Chris Gayle (left)
hit 59 sixes in the 2012 IPL, while the
most anyone else managed was 20. If
the West Indian fires, he can crush
opposition bowlers’ and fans’ noses
with a lusty swing of his bat. Get your
hard hats on, Bangalore supporters.
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SUNDAY CYCLING | PARIS-ROUBAIX | FRANCE | BRITISH EUROSPORT HD 12PM
7 Days
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Be
no
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One of the oldest one-day
cycling races in the world,
Paris-Roubaix is also one of
the most hellish. Known as the
‘Hell of the North’, the race is
famous for its rough terrain,
cobblestones, broken bones and
mud-caked riders crossing the
finish line at the end of the
257.5km route.
“It’s a circus, and I don’t want
to be one of the clowns,” said
Chris Boardman of the race he
refused to ride. But the race
carries a legendary status that
marks it out as one of the most
prestigious of the one-day
spring classics.
Bradley Wiggins has a
long-held ambition to win
Paris-Roubaix, but with his
attempt at the Giro on the
horizon, Team Sky might regard
those treacherous cobbles as
too risky. Mark Cavendish rode
it for the first time in 2011, after
revealing he’d been begging his
then team – HTC Highroad – for
a crack at it for five years. But he
failed to reach the finish line and
last year gave it a miss to be at
home with his newborn daughter.
The Manxman could ride it this
time, though, in support of his
Omega Pharma-QuickStep
teammate Tom Boonen
(pictured), who scored his
fourth Paris-Roubaix victory last
year. Boonen crossed the finish
line one minute 39 seconds
ahead of his nearest rival after
launching a solo attack some
50km before the end.
If he can become the first
rider ever to win it five times,
Boonen will surely cement his
place in history as the current
generation’s king of the cobbles.
Road to hell
On the same weekend an Andy Murray-
less GB team takes on Russia in the Euro/
Africa Zone Group 1 Davis Cup second
round tie in Coventry, world number one
Novak Djokovic (pictured) leads the
Serbian team in their World Group
quarter final against the USA.
The teams have met just once before,
in 2010, when Serbia were 3-2 winners on
an indoor clay court in Belgrade. That
was the start of an historic campaign
that saw Djokovic and his countrymen
win Serbia’s first ever Davis Cup title.
It had an equally big impact on Djokovic
individually, as his two victories in the
Davis Cup final against France set him on
USA play hard ball
FRIDAY ≥ TENNIS | DAVIS CUP QUARTER FINAL: USA v SERBIA | TACO BELL ARENA, BOISE, USA | BRITISH EUROSPORT 8.30PM
a long unbeaten run that lasted until the
semi finals of the French Open in June 2011.
This time, the US and Serbia meet on the
former’s terms, on a hard court in Idaho.
The teams are likely to remain unchanged
from that 2010 meet, with Djokovic joined by
Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic, and Sam
Querrey, John Isner and the Bryan brothers
(Bob and Mike) turning out for the home side.
With Djokovic expected to win his two
singles matches and the Bryans almost
unbeatable in Davis Cup doubles (their
current record stands at 20-3), it’s likely
that Isner (world number 23) and Querry
(20) will both have to beat Troicki (44) if
the States are to progress.
46 | April 5 2013 |
Our bodies were built to run. Not just on
treadmills, but barefoot through the
great outdoors: on mud, sand and rock.
The minimalist running movement aims to
rekindle that connection with our natural
environment through lightweight footwear that brings
you closer to the ground, so you can run in the way
your body was designed to.
Standard running shoes are built with cushioning
at the back, with the heel raised above the forefoot.
This, combined with the flat surfaces found in urban
environments (or treadmills), encourages people to
run with what’s known as a ‘heel-strike impact’ – their
heels hit the ground first, absorbing all of the impact
and weight of the body. Running this way can increase
your chances of injury, because of the impact on joints,
and because the body is not in alignment.
Merrell’s MConnect footwear changes this. With zero
drop between the back and front of the foot, your foot
hits the ground perfectly flat, spreading pressure out
and resulting in a more naturally efficient stride.
EASY DOES ITIf you’re taking your first steps in minimalist footwear,
there are some simple steps you can take to make the
transition easier. First, make sure your posture is right
– your shoulders should be slightly back and relaxed,
with your arms slightly bent. Second, try not to land on
your heel – this might take some adjusting to, but you
will feel the benefits if you have suitable footwear.
The final step involves your own steps – your
cadence. This refers to the number of times your feet
touch the ground in a given amount of time. When
barefoot running, you should aim for around 180
footfalls a minute, which is more than in heel-strike
running. A faster, shorter stride helps prevent
overstriding, and is more efficient because it engages
the body’s natural system of muscles, ligaments and
tendons to propel you forward.
RUN FREEThe MConnect range from Merrell is perfect if you
want to get back to a more natural way of running with
a lighter, minimalist approach. It’s designed specifically
for athletic outdoor pursuit, whether you’re running on
or off road, training or speed hiking. It includes four
collections, designed for different athletic pursuits,
with different levels of ‘drop’ – the difference in height
between heel and toe.
There’s a whole world out there waiting to be
explored. With minimal running and Merrell’s MConnect
range, you can get closer to nature, and start running
the way you were built to.
The Merrell MConnect range is available at John Lewis
| 47
Advertising Feature
FREE YOUR FEET Connect to your world with Merrell’s new MConnect range of lightweight footwear
RUN Lightweight and flexible with a natural
glove-like fit. All Merrell shoes are
designed to get you closer to the ground for
better control, agility and responsiveness when
running on any terrain.
HIKE The next generation of Merrell footwear is
designed to give the ideal balance of agility
and stability, while minimal design contours to
the shape of your foot for the ultimate fit and
comfort when outside.
TRAIN Merrell MConnect footwear features
minimal heel-to-toe drop, helping you
align posture and find your centre of balance,
and encouraging greater stability and sensory
feedback when training for any activity outdoors.
CONNECT TO YOUR WORLD
SUNDAY NBA | LA CLIPPERS v LA LAKERS | STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES | SKY SPORTS 4 8.30PM
7 Days
48 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Ro
na
ld M
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ett
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, Ac
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urr
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As the Miami Heat dominate the NBA Eastern
Conference, captivating fans with their 27-game
winning streak, the LA Lakers look to avoid
becoming one of the biggest flops in the history
of basketball.
With the highest team payroll in the league – more
than $99m, compared with the Heat’s $82m) – the
Lakers and their team of star names began the year
under the weight of great expectations. With seven
games of the season remaining, though, they face
a battle to make the playoffs. Five of the seven
opponents they have left to face are already playoff
contenders, and they still have to play Western
Conference leaders (at the time of writing) San
Antonio Spurs. The good news for the Lakers is that
most of their remaining games are at the Staples
Center, where their performances have improved
through the season – they were 9-6 in March.
But, as the regular season reaches its finale, they
will need more heroic performances from Kobe
Bryant (pictured), whose 19 points against the
Sacramento Kings last week saw him pass Wilt
Chamberlain as the fourth-highest NBA points
scorer of all time. On Sunday they take on local rivals
(and Pacific Division leaders) the LA Clippers for the
fourth time this season. Ominously for the Lakers,
the Clippers have won the previous three.
Lakers in last chance saloon
After their stunning win over the Catalan
Dragons in Perpignan on Easter Monday,
Leeds Rhinos will be full of confidence
going into their game against Warrington
Wolves at Headingley on Sunday.
They showed great character and
commitment to overcome a strong
Dragons outfit, given that they were down
to 12 men for much of the second half
following the dismissal of prop Ryan Bailey.
They are likely to be further depleted for
this fixture, with hard-working second row
Brett Delaney out injured. However,
skipper Kevin Sinfield is an expert at
marshalling his resources and centre Joel
Moon, who joined from Salford this season,
is proving a real threat down the left in
combination with England wing Ryan Hall.
The Wolves have had a mixed start to
their campaign, despite their relatively
comfortable win over the London Broncos
on Monday, and will probably still be
smarting from their surprise 38-22 defeat
at Widnes on Good Friday. Although
influential half-back Lee Briers is still
missing, Stefan Ratchford has been putting
in some eye-catching displays at stand-off
– together with scrum-half Richie Myler,
he is always a threat.
Michael Monaghan remains a key figure
for Warrington at hooker, meanwhile, and
with Chris Hill and Ben Westwood in the
pack they are always going to be
competitive. This might be the game,
then, in which the Wolves finally click and
show their championship credentials.
Wolf pack to roar at last?
SUNDAY RUGBY LEAGUE | SUPER LEAGUE: LEEDS RHINOS v WARRINGTON WOLVES | HEADINGLEY STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 2 6.45PM
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50 | April 5 2013 |
Ultralook
EXTRA TIMEMaking the most of your time and money
Toshiba 9Series UltraHD Televisions
It’s a definite first-world problem, but we find
it quite hard to watch football in standard
definition now. At first it was terrifying –
being able to see every crude gesture from
the crowd, every gaping furrow in Alan
Hansen’s storied brow – but now we’re
used to it. We can only imagine what new
depths of excitement and terror Toshiba’s
new range of UltraHD televisions will bring,
then. The first of their kind to be launched
for consumers, they display in a resolution
up to four times that of full HD, and have 3D
and Cloud TV, too.
Available in 58, 65 and 84-inch models from
summer 2013. Prices TBC | toshiba.co.uk
P60
James Franco
hams it up and
overuses the
word ‘y’all’ in
Spring Breakers
Gadgets
Dyson Hot+Cool
After they released
the Dyson Cool, the
first bladeless fan,
and the Dyson Hot,
the first bladeless
fan heater, this
next product from
Dyson was pretty
inevitable. In a step
the company could
arguably have taken
initially, it combines
heating and cooling
elements with the
unique bladeless
technology. The
result: room-wide
heating or cooling
without the buffeting
effect from regular
fans – and a few
irked early adopters
whose fans only
do one thing.
From £350 |
dyson.co.uk
Canon EOS 100D
A starting point for those looking to dabble
in serious photography, the EOS 100D is
the smallest and lightest DSLR ever made.
Weighing just 407 grams (about the same
as a tin of Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup),
it has simple controls and a built-in guide.
So, like a tin of Heinz’s best, it’s small and
light enough to take with you. A practical
alternative to a full DSLR (and soup).
£570, from late April | canon.co.uk
Withings Smart Body Analyzer
This super-smart set of scales not only
weighs you and tracks your level of body
fat; it also measures heart rate, syncs
wirelessly with an app and measures the
temperature and air quality of the room
in which it’s placed. It’s basically a high-
tech way of knowing when you might
need to leave it a few minutes before
entering the bathroom. £130 | store.apple.com/uk
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
52 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
TIME TO SWING
ET Kit Inevitably, next week’s Masters will make you desperate to get out and play golf. Which is why we’ve done some research and picked out the hottest new kit on the market
Adizero Shoe
The shoe that has been sweeping the
professional tours – or perhaps it just
looks that way because it’s bright yellow.
The lightest golf shoe yet from adidas is,
as you’d expect, exceptionally stylish
and effective.
£130 | taylormadegolf.eu
ECCO Tour Hybrid Shoes
Danish firm ECCO are renowned for the
quality of their shoes, as worn by Graeme
McDowell, and this is their first ‘crossover’
model – a classic leather upper sitting on the
firm’s award-winning Street outsole.
Comfortable, stylish.
£160 | ecco.com/golf
Wilson D100 Irons
A face that is 7 per cent thinner offers even
more ball speed, while a new design has
moved 35 per cent of the clubhead mass to
be distributed to the sole, heel and toe –
meaning if you’re not flushing it out of the
middle, you’re still making a solid contact.
£349 | wilson.com
Nike VR_S Covert Driver
Quite why nobody thought of a
cavity-backed driver before Nike is
anyone’s guess, but here it is: the VR_S
Covert. It looks brilliant but, more
importantly, Nike claims it’s the firm’s
most innovative golf club yet.
£250 | nikegolf.eu
Callaway X-Hot Pro Driver
Callaway promises incredibly fast ball
speeds off the face of this adjustable
driver. Set the face open, square or
closed, with an adjustable centre
of gravity to reduce off-centre hits.
You can’t miss. Honest. >
£279 | callawaygolf.com
Cobra AMP Cell Green Driver
You have to hand it to Cobra – this
limited-edition green driver certainly
stands out. And it performs, too –
packed with a ton of tech, the AMP
is fully adjustable and finding its way
into more and more golf bags.
£319 | cobragolf.com
YO U ’ R E W E L C O M E .
©2013 Callaway Golf Company. Callaway, the Chevron Device, OptiFit, X Hot, Hyperbolic Face and Speed Frame and VFT are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Callaway Golf Company.
YOU’RE ABOUT
TO GET A WHOLE
LOT LONGER.
Introducing the XHot Family from Callaway. The new standard in distance from every club in the bag and from every lie on the course. See how at callawaygolf.com/xhot
B R I N G . I T. O N .
T H E N E W S TA N DA R D I N D I S TA N C E .
54 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 Putter
The latest addition to the Scotty
Cameron line, the GoLo 5 features
weighting technology for more balance
and stability at impact, but comes with
a slightly smaller head.
£278 | titleist.co.uk
Mizuno MP-S Ball
Mizuno’s foray into the world of golf balls
has delivered what you’d expect – something
of the very highest quality. They have been
on sale in Japan for some years, but this is
the first time they’ve been available here.
They will almost certainly be a massive hit.
£50/dozen | golf.mizunoeurope.com
Bridgestone e-Series Balls
Three balls in this series – the e5, e6 and e7
– mean Bridgestone can effectively custom-
fit you with the right ball. They’ve done it
with 200,000 golfers worldwide, and claim
to be able to give you an extra 10 yards.
£26/dozen | bridgestonegolf.com
Motocaddy M1 Pro Trolley
This is Motocaddy’s most compact trolley
yet, weighing just 10.5kg. It features a USB
charging port, nine speed settings and the
benefits of an adjustable handle height.
It can travel on its own up to 45 metres, too
– just mind out for those water hazards.
From £399.99 | motocaddy.com
TaylorMade R1 Driver
There are 168 different permutations
with this driver, more than any previous
TaylorMade club. Among those are 12
loft settings and seven face-angle
positions – traditionally, amateur
players think they need less loft,
when the truth is they don’t. A market-
leading club for a reason.
From £349 | taylormadegolf.com
Titleist Pro V1X Ball
The ProV1 revolutionised the
professional tours, and its latest version
continues to enjoy enormous success.
The Pro V1X, as used by Luke Donald,
among others, offers greater distance
and less spin off the driver face.
£51/dozen | titleist.co.uk
Odyssey Versa Putter
Quite simply, a blade putter that brings
its own alignment aid purely in the way
it’s designed. The contrast on the
putter head means you will line up
better, put a more consistent contact
on the ball and hole more putts.
£119 | odysseygolf.com
Ping G25 Driver
This is the driver in the bag of big-hitting
Bubba Watson, defending champion at
Augusta National next week. As with its
market rivals, it’s adjustable so you can fit
it perfectly to your swing... now you just
need a swing that works.
£299 | ping.com
Oakley Fade Polo
Emulate that man Watson again by
wearing this new Oakley polo on day one
of this year’s Masters on Thursday. Its
sublimated stripes give ‘big rippers like
Bubba a look that sets them apart from
the crowd’, apparently.
£45 | uk.oakley.com
Extra Time Kit
ONE DEGREE OFF IS ONE DEGREE OUT.
THE NEW VERSABY ODYSSEYVISIONARY HIGH CONTRAST ALIGNMENT
THE VERSA #1
IMPROVE YOUR ALIGNMENT AND LOWER YOUR SCORES.
©2013 Callaway Golf Company. Odyssey, the Swirl Device, #1
Putter in Golf and Versa are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Callaway Golf Company. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners. odysseygolf.com
ODYSSEYGOLF.COM/VERSA
56 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
The collection
Acqua di Parma
A tall, dark and handsome range that uses “the purest and most precious ingredients” is designed to complement AdP’s cult Colonia Essenza eau de cologne (£53 for 50ml) and leave notes of this elegant citrus, woody fragrance with
patchouli, soft white moss and warm amber on the skin. The deodorant (£27 for 150ml),shampoo and shower gel (£27 for 200ml) and face emulsion (£40 for 75ml) are luxurious, rich and potent enough to take out all 101 dalmatians. johnlewis.com
Gucci Guilty Black Pour HommeGuilty Black lovers are, Gucci tell us, “fearless in their passion, brazen, shameless, unpredictable… they go where they sense danger”. This is, then, exactly the sort of thing you’d expect Emperor Palpatine to slap on first thing in the morning while he’s gearing up to provoke a galactic war. Top notes of bracing green coriander and invigorating lavender give way to middle motifs of orange flower with neroli – a sweet, honeyed plant oil produced from orange tree blossom. Patchouli blended with a lavishly textured cedarwood make up the base notes of a scent “in which dynamism spells seduction”. Actually, Uncle Gucci, it still spells dynamism. But it is alluring enough to have anyone turn to the dark side. Let the neroli flow through you. Gooood. £46 for 50ml | boots.com
SOMETHING SOMETHING DARK SIDE
ET Gucci’s new fragrance, Nivea’s deodorant and Acqua di Parma’s range
will leave your bathroom cabinet something something complete
The eau de toilette
Grooming
Nivea For Men Invisible
If the emperor used deodorant
(and, let’s face it, he should –
ruling a soon-to-be-overthrown
empire is a stressful business),
he’d be delighted with Nivea
For Men’s Invisible for Black and
White range. The 150ml spray
(£2.03), 40ml stick (£2.50) and
50ml roll-on (£2.10) protect
against irritating white marks and
yellow stains caused by deodorant
use. It o�ers antiperspirant
protection and is alcohol-free,
meaning Palpatine needn’t worry
about ruining his black robes or
the crisp white shirt he wears on
date night. boots.com
The deodorant
SEE THE DIFFERENCE PROTEIN CAN MAKE
Now available
See how Maximuscle can also help you
get fi tter, leaner and stronger.
If you think protein is just for professionals, think again.
Right now our three average guys David, Oli and James
are using a variety of Maximuscle products to help
them achieve their own individual goals in just 12 weeks.
Watch all their progress live online as they undertake
The Protein Project.
To pick up your own 12 week challenge and see how
Maximuscle and exercise can help you achieve your body and
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58 | April 5 2013 |
Extra time Kelly Brook
Lig
ht
the fuse
Ex-pa
rtne
rs, S
port
was
onc
e w
arne
d,
are
like
lit fi
rew
orks
: yo
u s
ho
uld
never
go
back t
o t
hem
. It
’s t
he late
st
in w
hat
we s
usp
ect
is a
len
gth
y h
isto
ry
of
ad
vic
e t
hat
Dan
ny C
ipri
an
i h
as t
ota
lly
ign
ore
d, b
ut
wh
en
it
co
mes t
o g
ett
ing
back t
og
eth
er
wit
h h
is e
x-g
irlf
rien
d K
elly
Bro
ok, w
e c
an
’t r
eally b
lam
e S
ale
’s r
ug
by
sh
ow
po
ny. A
fter
all, if
yo
u’r
e g
oin
g t
o g
et
yo
urs
elf
bu
rned
, it
may a
s w
ell b
e b
y t
he
sp
ecta
cu
lar
fire
cra
cker
pic
ture
d h
ere
.
Kelly Brook/Lipstick Syndication
| 59
60 | April 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Levels of Life Julian BarnesBritish Booker Prize winner
Barnes’ latest book covers such
diverse topics as ballooning,
photography, love and – most
potently – grief. Written in three
parts, it begins as a history,
moves into fiction, then ends in
a memoir concerning the death
of the author’s wife, which took
place in 2008. An impassioned,
raw insight into a survivor’s grief.
Out now
Shaking the Habitual
The KnifeThis Swedish electropop duo’s
first album in seven years is 98
minutes long and features songs
from 37 seconds in length to
over 19 minutes. Thankfully, they
have the invention to back up
their extravagance, Shaking the
Habitual living up to its title as a
pulsating profusion of o�-kilter
rhythms. Weird and wonderful.
Out Monday
Spring BreakersWhen team handsome’s James Franco is the ugliest
of your five lead actors, it’s safe to say you’ve picked
an aesthetically pleasing cast. However, there’s
a lot more to Kids writer Harmony Korine’s new
comedy-drama than meets the eyeful. It begins with
four bored college girls, short of cash to fulfil their
desire to escape to the hedonistic indulgence of
spring break. Rather than taking on extra shifts at
the local fast-food joint, they just decide to rob it at
gunpoint instead. “Pretend like it’s a video game,”
one enthuses. However, their crime doesn’t just take
them to Florida – it puts them in the path of dopey
drug dealer ‘Alien’
(real name: Allan)
and pulls them
into a seedy world,
where at least two
of our heroines
feel right at home.
A garish, flashy,
provocative film
that knowingly
and brazenly exploits the boozy flesh-flashing of its
subject matter, but has the brains to match its beauty.
Out today
The Hobbit:
An Unexpected
Journey
Whether you
thought the
first part of
The Hobbit was a
frolicsome treat with imaginative
action set-pieces and Martin
Freeman terrific in the lead role,
or a sprawling, overlong mess
featuring a harrowing excess
of Sylvester McCoy (and, really,
both views are correct), Peter
Jackson’s fantasy will look
sensational on Blu-ray. The New
Zealand landscape is as astutely
utilised as it was in creating The
Lord of the Rings trilogy, even
if – curiously – the CGI seems
slightly more glaring this time
around than it did in a series of
films made more than a decade
ago. Extras include 10 video blogs
from the film’s hirsute director.
Out Monday
All Things to All Men
A cut above recent British crime
flicks, this London-based heist
film boasts the talent of Gabriel
Byrne, Rufus Sewell and Toby
Stephens (above) as a crime
kingpin, bent copper and expert
thief respectively. A £50m bank
raid is the centre of their plans,
but the double-crosses escalate
to triple-crosses and beyond in
this slick, stylish-looking thriller.
Out today
Schindler’s List
Steven Spielberg has a gift for
evoking emotion, but rarely has
he put it to such masterful use
than in this powerful Holocaust
epic. He’s aided by Liam Neeson:
charismatic but convincing as
Oskar Schindler, an imperfect
man moved to save thousands of
lives. Out on Blu-ray for the first
time, extras including testimonies
from real-life Holocaust survivors.
Out Monday
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BEAUTY AND THE GEEKS
ET Entertainment Bank robberies, neon bikinis and hobbits make up this
week’s releases. Unfortunately, not all in the same film
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