Thursday 14 March 2013

Six Nations 2013: England recall Youngs, Farrell, Croft & Marler

Owen FarrellLeicester scrum-half Youngs, 23, is in for Danny Care while fly-half Farrell, who missed the win over Italy  with a thigh injury, replaces Toby Flood.


Flanker Croft, who has made only six appearances since returning from a broken neck, replaces James Haskell.

Harlequins' loose-head prop Joe Marler reclaims his place from Mako Vunipola.

Meanwhile, second row Joe Launchbury retains his place in the starting line-up after shaking off an elbow injury

NANI wants to star for Manchester United and bag a new contract.

The Portugal winger’s current deal runs out at the end of next season and he has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford.
But the 26-year-old is hoping to show Alex Ferguson he deserves an extension as United chase a Premier League and FA Cup double.
He said: “I want to show the manager that he can trust me and he can believe in me in every match.
“I want to show him my contribution can help win games.
“So I’ll keep working hard to make sure I’m ready to respond every time I get a chance.”
Nani has been in and out of the United side this season and was absent for two months after suffering a hamstring injury against Braga in November.
But he has started three of United’s last four matches is eager to keep his spot in the first XI.
He added: “Now my confidence is high and I think the best is still to come from me.
“This is my time and I think I can be important for the team in these big games.
“Because I was injured for two months, I’m fresh now when some other players are starting to get tired.
“I feel I’m in good form and I’ve nearly arrived at my peak. I think over the next few games I can surprise a few people.”

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Notts County FC grow grass with seized cannabis lamps


Heat lampsHeat lamps confiscated in raids on cannabis farms in Nottinghamshire are being used to help the grass grow at a football league club.

Notts County FC is using equipment seized by police to make lighting rigs for use on the Meadow Lane pitch.
University students are also involved in a project to design and build the rigs, with wheels for them being donated by a local golf club.
Supt Mark Holland said it was a "win, win" situation for all involved.
Greener grass
  Mr Smith said the lighting rigs would help the grass grow during the winter
"This property would normally be crushed, so it is important it gets reused and a lot of people are getting the benefit from it," he said.
Stadium manager Greg Smith said it was "a massive saving for the club".
He said: "Normally to buy one rig you are looking at between £10,000 and £15,000.
"We have both sports at the club, football and rugby, and we've got a main stand that doesn't allow the light in during the winter.
"So, we can have them from the start of October through to the end of February, hopefully growing grass for us."
The grow lights will be used to heat up the soil and replicate warmer conditions.
The club has made a donation to a local charity supported by Nottinghamshire Police as a thank you for the lamps.

Barcelona v AC Milan: The secrets behind Barca's historic win


BarcelonaThree defeats and three poor performances, against AC Milan and Real Madrid (twice), in the space of 11 days had resulted in speculation that Barcelona were in demise and that Pep Guardiola's departure last summer had signalled "the end of an era".

Jeremy Guscott's Six Nations Q&A

Wales open-side Sam Warburton
- Who will win the Wales v England title decider
- Why England are struggling to score tries
- Interim coach Rob Howley's impact on Wales
- How many Scots will make the Lions Tour
- David Pocock's season-ending injury
Jerry answers questions posted on the website at the start of every week - entries are now closed for this Q&A. This week's answers appear below.
Hi Jerry, quite simply, England or Wales? Azaer
Hi Azaer, straight to the point as always. Quite simply, I believe Wales will win the match and England will win the title, ie Wales will not secure the likely  that would see them overhaul England at the top of the table.
Hi Jeremy, who was the best coach you ever played under and what would he be doing this week in the build-up to the game against Wales to make sure that the Italy performance wasn't repeated by England? Buccaneer
Hi Buccaneer, I can't single out one coach, but Brian Ashton and Ian McGeechan were two of the best coaches I ever had the pleasure to talk with about how the game can be played. I'm really not sure what Geech and Brian would do leading up to a Grand Slam game though, because it's hard to get inside the minds of others.
I had the good fortune to play in four Grand Slam games. The first, against Scotland in 1990, was strange because I didn't know what to expect as I hadn't been in that situation before. All I knew was that I wanted to win another game, but Scotland played better and deserved their 13-7 win, which also gave them the Grand Slam.

London 2012: Revisiting BBC Sport's most-viewed videos


Andy Murray wins goldWe are revisiting our 50 most-watched videos from the London 2012 Olympics.
All the great moments are in the countdown, from Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah winning golds in a 45-minute spell on Super Saturday, to Chad le Clos's father Bert paying an emotional tribute to his "beautiful boy" who won gold in the pool, and Sir Chris Hoy claiming an historic sixth Olympic crown.

Here's the full countdown