SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 , 2017 SPORTS Scotland are a team for all terrain, says coach

PARIS: Scotland may be getting a repu- excites and throws the ball around with “I’d like to think we’ve got an all- coming into the fold is pretty impres- through much of it, so they’re a very tation for being an expansive running confidence and expectation. court game and can play in any condi- sive. I think they were a little bit reck- dangerous team.” outfit but assistant coach Jason Yet O’Halloran, a former All Black tions.” There are high hopes that less with their offloading last year but I As for the spectacle, O’Halloran is O’Halloran believes they can still mix it international, believes they proved last Sunday’s Six Nations clash at the Stade assume he’s tightened up on that and confident both teams will put on a in the mud. week they can still toil when necessary. de France will be a high-octane and they’re much more accurate in that show, aided by South African referee In days gone by, Scotland were “I like to think we can play in both con- enthralling affair, with two teams department. Jaco Peyper. “I heard the forecast (for known for their dour kicking-based ditions. The way we muscled up, up backing themselves to beat each oth- “I thought their performance against Sunday) is very good so we’re looking brand of rugby that could prove effec- front against Ireland last week, suggests er on merit. the All Blacks in the autumn was out- forward to it. “Both teams showed some tive on cold, wet and windy nights at we could play quite alright in these But O’Halloran says France will not standing and they were very unfortu- good attacking intent last week so I’m Murrayfield in November. type of conditions where it’s wet and be quite as cavalier as they were last nate not to win that game-Beauden expecting an open game with a lot of They had toppled in 2009 slippery. It puts a premium on ball secu- year, when they went to Murrayfield Barrett goes 95 metres off an intercept advantage played by the referee-he and South Africa a year later in such rity and making those hard yards and lost 29-18, during coach Guy and I think that was a massive turning likes to play that way, so I’m expecting conditions. But the Scotland of New around the fringe and being really Noves’s first Six Nations in charge. point (France lost 24-19). long passages of play and opportuni- Zealander Vern Cotter is one that physical in defence,” said O’Halloran. “What he (Noves) has done since “I think they dominated that game ties for both teams.” — AFP

RUGBY No room for sentiment as Six Nations takes shape

CARDIFF: Italy coach Conor O’Shea has Australian, had already done his bit for insisted there will be no question of divid- Anglo-Welsh relations before insisting, ed loyalties when the Azzurri face his native against Wales’s wishes, the Principality Ireland in the second round of the Six Stadium’s retractable roof remain open. Nations Championship yesterday. “They’re a cunning lot the Welsh aren’t Italy and Ireland will both be coming off they?,” said Jones, whose England side are defeats in whereas the second match looking to extend their national record features two sides who enjoyed first-round winning-streak to 16 Tests. wins. Wales, fresh from a 33-7 victory away “They’ve got goats, they’ve got daf- to Italy in Rome face Grand Slam champi- fodils,” added Jones, fired as Australia coach ons England, who launched their title following a 2005 defeat in . defence with an unconvincing 19-16 home Wales forwards coach Robin McBryde victory over France, in Cardiff. summed up the game’s enduring impor- Today will see Scotland aim to back up tance by saying: “It is that English-Welsh their 27-22 win over Ireland by ending their rivalry, and wanting to get the better of 18-year wait for a Championship victory your neighbour.” against France in Paris. “Ireland is where my England centre Jonathan Joseph, who family is, where my home is and where I scored a key try in his side’s win in Cardiff spend my holidays,” said O’Shea. “But right two years ago, said of the Principality now my only priority is rugby with Italy.” Stadium: “I like the atmosphere, it spurs me Ireland’s preparations suffered a setback on and gets me going and I think that it when captain Rory Best went down with a does that to a lot of the other boys too.” stomach bug on Friday, the hooker con- Scotland stunned Ireland with three fined to the team hotel. “Hopefully he is tries inside the first half-hour at Murrayfield going to be better with some extra hours before the Irish edged ahead. However, two of sleep,” said Ireland assistant coach Simon late penalties from Scotland captain Greig Easterby. Italy captain Sergio Parisse Laidlaw sealed victory. warned his side to beware of an Ireland “We understand how we can win games that will “want to go out and do some dam- from being behind,” said scrum-half age”. Meanwhile Wales were sweating on Laidlaw. France centre Remi Lamerat the fitness of wing George North (leg) and added: “Scotland play an attractive game fly-half Dan Biggar (ribs), with Alex that is also effective given that they beat : Bolt All Stars celebrate after winning the Nitro Athletics meet in Melbourne yesterday. — AFP Cuthbert and Sam Davies on standby. Ireland.” Last week at Twickenham saw France again go close against a major side ATHLETICS ‘CUNNING’ WELSH only to lose narrowly, just as they did in Friday saw BBC Wales axe a promotional November defeats by Australia (25-23) and film where several Wales fans were appar- world champions New Zealand (24-19). ently unable to answer the question: “Only a victory can unlock the next “What’s good about England?” improvement,” said France coach Guy Bolt fires ‘All Stars’ England coach Eddie Jones, an Noves. —AFP to Nitro Series win

MELBOURNE: fired his team of inter- of mile eliminations, mixed distance medleys will be a big test for the Series’ ambitions. national ‘All Stars’ to victory in the inaugural and 300m relays, there was inevitably confusion “In my lifetime, I’ve not seen anyone grab the Nitro Athletics Series in Melbourne yesterday, at times among some athletes and fans. sporting landscape, probably not since capping the glitzy event with a dominant win in Bolt, who is contracted to bring his ‘All-Stars’ Muhammad Ali,” said British distance running the 4x100m relay to pip hosts Australia in the to Australia for the next two years, said he hoped great Coe. final standings. to make the event international and attract over- “The big challenge is to make sure that when Running the second leg of the relay, the seas investors. we don’t have Usain out there, that the world eight-times Olympic gold medal-winner took But with his retirement after the world cham- recognises that the sport is full of extraordinary the baton from fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa pionships in , his absence from the track talent.” —Reuters Powell before Jeneba Tarmoh and Natasha Morrison powered to the finish in front of a sell- out crowd at Lakeside Stadium. GOLF Having run in only the relays in the opening two instalments of the three-night series, Bolt ROME: Ireland’s CJ Stander, right, chased by Italy’s Angelo Esposito scores a try dur- also took his first individual run of the year, burn- ing a Six Nations international match between Italy and Ireland at the ing away from a modest field for an easy win in Willett regains Rome Olympic stadium, yesterday.— AP the 150m sprint ahead of New Zealander Joseph Millar. The ‘All-Stars’ finished the team-based meeting with 3,040 points, edging Australia by lead at Maybank Spieth holds clubhouse lead 77 points, with Bolt playing a key role as both his team’s linchpin and the event’s ‘chief entertain- at weather-hit Pebble Beach ment officer’. KUALA LUMPUR: Reigning US Masters South Korea’s K.T.Kim. But the final score was less important than champion Danny Willett took a three-shot Indian star Anirban Lahiri, the 2015 Asian CALIFORNIA: Jordan Spieth delivered a round, which was suspended on Thursday the crowds and television figures for an event putting masterclass on the way to setting because of heavy rain, was finally complet- advantage after three rounds of the Maybank Tour number one, missed several putts in his that promised to “revolutionise” athletics by bor- Championship Malaysia, scoring a five-under round of 69 to end the third round in a share the clubhouse lead in the weather-hit ed mid-morning on Friday. rowing heavily from the formula of sport and Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Friday However, fog then delayed the sched- 67 to finish the day ahead of American David of ninth position. — AP entertainment that has underpinned Twenty20 Lipsky. The top-ranked player at the tourna- before second-round play was suspended uled start of round two before later forcing cricket’s considerable success. due to thick fog on the Monterey Peninsula play to be suspended for the day at 4:21 ment was 16-under par after 54 holes, a score “It was brilliant, it was exciting. Tonight came that could have been bettered had he not in California. The world number six fired a pm PST (2121 GMT). down to the last event and I think everyone in seven-under-par 65 at Spyglass Hill, one of The second round is scheduled to agonizingly missed out on an eagle in the the world really enjoyed this,” final hole. three venues being used for this week’s resume at 7:30 am yesterday, with sunny Bolt, who was paid a seven-figure sum to run in PGA Tour event, to post a 10-under total of weather forecast for the rest of the week- But the 29-year-old Englishman seems to Melbourne and was given a stake in the Series, be thriving despite unpredictable weather 133 before play was halted with only 33 end. Spieth was among 81 players who had told reporters on the track. players back in the clubhouse. to return to the course on Friday to com- conditions at the Saujana Golf & Country Derek Fathauer was also at 10 under but plete round one, and he parred his last two Club in Kuala Lumpur, opening with three IMPROVEMENTS rounds of 67 or better for just the third time had one hole to play at Pebble Beach while holes at Monterey Peninsula Country Club “I knew that this is what track and field need- Australian world number one Jason Day for a 68 to sit one stroke off the lead. He in his career. ed. “I’m just happy the event came together the “It was an up and down. I’d have taken 67 was at nine-under with six holes remaining then headed out to Spyglass Hill where he way that it did. at Spyglass Hill. “I have been striking it well,” moved to the top of the leaderboard by at the start of the day, it spreads to the top We know we have improvements to do ... five and top six guys a bit more and further Spieth told reporters after ending his round shooting a sparkling 65 that included a We’re going to keep trying to improve it along at the par-four ninth with his eighth birdie 12-foot birdie putt at the par-four second away,” said Willett, who birdied the last two the way.” With a sprinkling of big international holes. “I’m not sure what will win it to be hon- of the day. “I’ve been trying to do a lot of and a 25-footer at the par-four fourth. names and a number of athletes well off peak fit- work with the putter and we’ve got some “Conditions were all so totally different ... est, depends on if we pitch up and it’s flat ness, the entertainment outweighed the quality calm. I think there’s a few guys that can go pure greens out here at Spy. maybe because we got so much rain dur- of the sport but the parochial crowd warmly “I started to roll some putts in, starting ing the round yesterday,” double major low if it’s windy like this. One or two under embraced the team rivalries and the novel pro- par is a good knock out there so I think it all on our third hole of the day, number 12. So champion Spieth said of the switch from gram of events. I got into a nice rhythm, the hole started to Monterey Peninsula Country Club to depends on the weather tomorrow.” IAAF president Sebastian Coe, battling to lift The world number 15 has yet to win since look big towards the end and I’m very glad Spyglass Hill. “So much could happen the sport’s profile outside of the Olympics and to finish with a nice three.” with three courses. The first two rounds, he triumphed at the Masters in April 2016, repair its reputation after a series of major dop- and has only managed three top-10 finishes Organisers were trying to get the tour- it’s been easy. Tomorrow might feel a little ing and corruption scandals in recent years, was nament back on track after the opening different.” —Reuters since. Lipsky, searching for a first title since impressed. “I thought it was a terrific start,” said 2014, put on a sturdy showing to card a 68 Coe, who attended the latter two nights of the and move within sight of Willett heading into Series. “It’s an obvious thing to say but unless we the last day of the $3 million tournament co- innovate we are going to become less and less sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European relevant and we can’t afford to do that.” Tour. “Just keep doing what I’m doing. I’m The three nights of the Series drew over playing pretty well and giving myself oppor- 23,000 spectators, nearly double the total atten- tunities,” said Lipsky. “My last birdie before 18 dance for the entire program of athletics events was on 10 so I’m happy to have made that. across Australia last year. It was not without its Danny and I are friends and it’ll be neat out teething problems. there competing.” Organisers were red-faced during Thursday’s Frenchman Alexander Levy is also a con- second instalment when the meeting referee tender in third place, thanks to a clean score- botched the score in the final relay and awarded card that included five birdies for 67. the night to Australia rather than the ‘All-Stars’, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, who put on a leaving an incredulous Bolt crying foul. sizzling show with 11 birdies on Friday, lost The error was corrected, putting the ‘All-Stars’ ground after only managing a 73 to sit five rightly on top, but not before the live broadcast shots away from the leader. He is tied fourth KUALA LUMPUR: Danny Willet of England was finished and much of the crowd had filed tee off on the 18th hole during the day 3 of CALIFORNIA: Jordan Spieth follows his drive from the 11th tee of the Spyglass Hill with a host of golfers that includes Gregory out of the stadium. Maybank Championship golf tournament Golf Course during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf Havret, Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat and With ‘power play’ events awarding double in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. —AP tournament Friday, in Pebble Beach, Calif.—AP points to winners and an unorthodox program