Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014 ring six changes against Scotland

LONDON: Wales coach named six their first starts of the Championship. impressing off the bench and it’s good to have Luke changes yesterday in his side to play Scotland tomorrow as returns from injury to partner Alun in the sec- (Charteris) back from injury in the second-row. the champions look to finish the Six Nations with a flourish. ond row with the rest of the pack unchanged. Turning to Wales’ opponents, Gatland said: “Scotland Wales’ 29-18 loss to England at Twickenham on Sunday front row forwards and Adam will come looking to play some rugby and had a morale ended their hopes of becoming the first side to win an Jones drop to the bench as does Priestland. Defeats this boosting win against Italy and were unlucky to lose against unprecedented third successive Six Nations title. season by Ireland and England, both vying for the title France in recent weeks. Gatland responded by making changes across the tomorrow, have led to accusations Wales are becoming “We will be looking for a more accurate execution this team, although several are injury-enforced. Three come in too predictable a a side when faced with major opposition. week to finish with a win at home in .” Saturday’s the backs with Liam Williams replacing match will be former Wales coach Scott Johnson’s last in following the star full-back’s season-ending shoulder injury Accurate execution charge of Scotland, with the Australian handing over to at Twickenham, while Mike Phillips comes in for scrum-half Nevertheless they will still be favourites to beat a New Zealander Vern Cotter at the end of the season to con- , who also suffered a knock against England. Scotland team seeking a first win in Cardiff since 2002 and centrate solely on his role as director of rugby at the But at fly-half makes his first start of the whose lone success this tournament was a last-gasp win Scottish . Wales team to play Scotland in a Six championship following ’s lacklustre display over Italy, although they were unluckly to lose 19-17 to Nations international at Cardiff’s on against England, with again left kicking his France at Murrayfield last weekend. Saturday (1445GMT kick-off): heels on the bench. “Saturday is an opportunity for us to put in a perform- Up front, prop will become Wales’ most- ance we know we can and finish the Six Nations on a high,” Wales (15-1) capped player when he makes his 105th appearance, one said Gatland. “We’ve made a number of changes and Liam Williams; , Jonathan Davies, Jamie more than former fly-half Stephen Jones, although the vet- freshened things up with a just a six day turnaround Roberts, ; Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Taulupe eran forward will hope to avoid a third successive yellow between matches,” the New Zealander added. Faletau, (capt), ; Alun Wyn card after being sin-binned at Twickenham for failing to “Liam (Williams) and Mike (Phillips) come in with Leigh Jones, Luke Charteris; , , Gethin scrummage straight. (Halfpenny) and Rhys (Webb) ruled out and Dan Biggar Jenkins Replacements: Richard Hibbard, , Adam Jenkins is a member of a changed front row where gets his opportunity at fly-half. “In the front-row Ken Jones, , , Rhodri Williams, Rhys duo Rhodri Jones and hooker Ken Owens make Owens and Rhodri Jones get their chance to start after Priestland, James Hook. — AFP

Federer advances as Wawrinka, Murray fall at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS: Roger Federer cruised because against him, he obviously wins a Fernando Verdasco while Latvia’s Ernests into the quarter-finals of the PNB Paribas lot of free points with his serve. So over Gulbis defeated Roberto Bautista of Spain Open at Indian Wells on Wednesday after the course of the set, if you give up 7-6(0) 4-6 6-2. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and enough unforced errors on basic shots, A third Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez, was Australian Open winner Stanislas then with the amount of free points he sent packing by Frenchman Julien Wawrinka both fell in the fourth round. gets on his serve, that’s going to add up to Benneteau, losing 6-3 7-6(4). In a tournament full of surprises, a negative result.” In the only match completed in the Federer struck a blow for the old world women’s draw, Romania’s Simona Halep order with a 6-4 6-4 win over German Giant killer cruised into the semi-finals with a 6-2 6-2 PRETORIA: South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius Tommy Haas. Raonic’s next opponent in the quarter- victory over Australian qualifier Casey leaves after a hearing of his murder trial at the North The only player left in the men’s draw finals will be Ukrainian giant killer Dellacqua. Gauteng High Court in Pretoria yesterday.— AFP with a higher ranking than world number Alexandr Dolgopolov who followed up his Halep only needed an hour to wrap up eight Federer is Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, upset victory over Rafa Nadal on Monday a lopsided victory and will now play either Police back in dock who was due to play Marin Cilic in with a comprehensive 6-2 6-4 drubbing of second seed Agnieszka Radwanska or Wednesday’s feature night match. Italy’s Fabio Fognini. Jelena Jankovic on Friday. “I had no pres- at Pistorius trial Wawrinka and Murray joined the big- “I think the most important thing is sure,” said Halep, who is poised to break name casualties when they both crashed obviously my serve and the beauty of that into the world’s top five rankings for the PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius’s defence lawyer grilled a police foren- to lower-ranked opponents on another is nobody can affect me,” Raonic said. first time. “I was more relaxed than yester- sics expert for a second day yesterday, questioning his qualifications day of upsets in the Californian desert. John Isner kept American hopes alive day. I said that if I’m in the quarter-finals I in a bid to discredit key evidence from the night the Paralympian Wawrinka suffered his first loss this with a 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3 win over Spain’s have to enjoy it.” — Reuters shot dead his girlfriend. Barry Roux resumed a searing cross-exami- year when his 13-match winning streak nation of Colonel Gerhard Vermeulen, hoping to rubbish his testi- came to a shuddering halt as he was beat- mony that could indicate the double-amputee sprinter lied about en 7-6(1) 4-6 6-1 by South African Kevin how events unfolded on February 14, 2013. Anderson. Pistorius, 27, stands accused of intentionally killing Reeva “It wasn’t really on my mind that he Steenkamp, 29, by shooting at her through a locked toilet door, had won Australia,” said Anderson, whose though he says he mistook her for an intruder. next opponent is Federer. “It feels great to Pistorius’s defence claims the athlete, after realising his mistake, beat somebody who obviously has just tried to break open the door with a cricket bat, while the prosecu- won a .” tion is positioning to argue that the couple were fighting and Murray was blown away by Canada’s Pistorius fired the gun after failing to beat down the door. Milos Raonic, one of the biggest servers in Vermeulen on Wednesday testified that Pistorius was likely on men’s tennis. Despite winning the first set, his stumps when he bashed on the door with the cricket bat, con- the Scotsman was unable to contain the tradicting the accused’s account that he was wearing his prostheses raw power of Raonic, who triumphed 4-6 at the time. The four bullet holes and cricket bat marks on the bath- 7-5 6-3 in a little over two hours. room door offer valuable ballistic and forensic evidence about the Raonic blasted 15 aces past his bewil- sequence of events in the case. dered opponent, who is one of the best returners in the game, and won a stagger- Mishandled ing 83 per cent of points when he landed Roux yesterday attempted to show it was significant that his first serve. Vermeulen did not have any formal qualifications to examine tool Murray did break Raonic’s serve in the marks and did not conduct a microscopic examination of the door. opening set and again in the deciding Vermeulen earlier admitted police may have mishandled the evi- third to lead 2-1 but lost the next four dence, with footprints matching police boots appearing on the games in a row against the 6ft 5in (1.96 door in evidence photos, that were later rubbed off. metre) tall Canadian. “To get broken two Roux claimed they could have been from Pistorius’s prostheses, consecutive times in that situation isn’t proving he had them on at the time the door was broken down. good enough. I played poor tennis at that He also said the door was removed from the crime scene and stage. I didn’t make enough balls and I propped up against a cabinet and that shards of the door, which missed some really easy shots,” Murray CALIFORNIA: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a return against Croatia’s Marin Cilic could have shone light on what happened the night of the killing, told reporters. during the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at Indian Wells Tennis Garden were missing.—AFP “It’s tough to win matches like that, on Wednesday in Indian Wells, California. — AFP