SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 , 2017 SPORTS Realist Jenkins targets Wales win in Rome ROME: Looking back with nostalgia at capital six months earlier. ferent.” Now under the helm of Irishman despite the threat of heavy rain, few the first time in the tournament, target- past Six Nations romps over Italy would But Jenkins, working as Wales’ skills O’Shea, Italy are playing with renewed rugby aficionados will really expect ing a maximum haul ahead of next be a mistake, Wales legend Neil Jenkins coach, said Italy’s win over South Africa confidence and conviction as they look another upset in Rome. In the absence week’s England showdown in Cardiff is said on the eve of the sides’ tournament has made rivals sit up and take notice. ahead, long-term, to being competitive of Gatland, currently with the British a big temptation. opener today. Although Wales are expected to coast at the 2019 World Cup. and Irish Lions, coach Rob Howley has But Jenkins, Wales’s highest ever Italy, who scored an historic 20-18 to victory in Rome, Jenkins said they are “They had a fantastic win against appointed Alun Wyn Jones as skipper in points scorer, said that is not the priori- win over South Africa in the November taking nothing for granted. South Africa,” added Jenkins. But if the place of record-setting former skipper ty. “Anything can happen in test rugby. tests, host Warren Gatland’s men know- “It’s going to be tough, very tough,” Azzurri fail to keep their foot on the Sam Warburton, who will start at blind- You’ve got to put your points on the ing that failure to remain competitive Jenkins said yesterday in Rome. “It pedal, as they did on their last two tour- side flanker alongside in-form openside scoreboard and sometimes that’s three, for the entire match will prove costly. always has been. The scores the last two nament meetings with Wales, it will be Justin Tipuric and Gloucester’s Ross six, nine and not seven, 14, 21,” he said. Second-half collapses by Italy saw years have been blown out a bit. We got costly, says Italy captain Sergio Parisse. Moriarty. “But test matches are all about win- Wales romp to a 67-14 win in Cardiff away in the last 20 minutes and scored “I know from experience that if you Scott Williams started two of four ning, it’s as simple as that. If the bonus last year and, although Italy pushed quite a few tries. train hard, you play hard: I’m sure that, games for Wales in the autumn and points come into play at the end .... Gatland’s men hard in a 23-19 World “But those games were tough from physically, we’re ready but we also keeps his place ahead of stalwart centre then it will be a fantastic tournament. “If Cup warm-up defeat in September the word go and we had to earn the know that if we’re going to have any Jamie Roberts, with Ospreys pair Rhys we can get over the line with any sort of 2015, Wales had left Rome with a 61-20 right to play and score the points we chance to win it, it will come down to Webb and Dan Biggar in the half-backs. win tomorrow, we’ll be happy to get victory on their previous visit to the did. Tomorrow’s not going to be any dif- the last 10 minutes,” said Parisse. Yet With bonus points now available for our championship under way.” — AFP New Zealand face Fiji in crunch Sevens q-final SYDNEY: New Zealand will face Fiji in a defeated series leaders South Africa 21-15 crunch quarter-final after going through in their final match of the day having start- the opening day of the World Sevens tour- ed the tournament with an impressive 19- nament unbeaten in sweltering Sydney 12 victory over Kenya. yesterday. England also had a comfortable four-try It will be another quarter-final between 26-0 victory over Japan. The Springboks the two Sevens powerhouses after the had wins over Japan and Kenya before Fijians beat them at the same stage in last being edged by England in their final pool weekend’s tournament in Wellington. match. “We never managed to pick up any New Zealand topped their pool after momentum as the day progressed,” coach wins over Australia, Papua New Guinea and Neil Powell said. Scotland, while Fiji were shocked 28-15 by “Last week we managed to build up Wales in their group to set up the quarter- steam, but today we just could not do the final with the Kiwis. same. “In a way, this was a good thing to Kiwi star Tim Mikkelson said the hot happen, because our character will now be weather in Sydney had been challenging, tested. It will be interesting to see how we with more heat forecast today. shape up tomorrow against America.” “You need to get the ball to beat Fiji and Australia qualified for a quarter-final if we can get the ball from the kick-offs we against Wales after finishing second in Pool can make it a contest and really go forward C with victories over Scotland and Papua on attack,” Mikkelson said. New Guinea. “Recovery is huge, hydration too. A few “You saw what Wales did to Fiji today so boys are cramping up and I hear it’ll be we know they are a quality side,” Australia even hotter tomorrow so we’ll have to be coach Andy Friend said. “We had a good even better.” win against them last week in Wellington In today’s other quarter-finals, Australia but we also know that every game and will play Wales, England take on Argentina tournament is different so they’ll be tough and the United States face South Africa. today. “We haven’t been (in the final eight) England finished top of Pool A with wins in the last two tournaments so it’s great to over Kenya, Japan and South Africa. They be back into that.” — AFP France complete Davis Cup win over Japan SYDNEY: Tim Mikkelson of new Zealand (L) avoids James Stannard of Australia (C) as team mate Iopu Iopu-Aso (R) looks on in their pool C TOKYO: France wrapped up victory in their gles. Japan captain Minoru Ueda doffed his match at the Sydney Sevens World Series tournament in Sydney yesterday. — AFP Davis Cup first-round tie against Japan cap to the victorious French. “You could after Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas feel the strength of the French team,” he Mahut won yesterday’s doubles to give the said. “It’s obvious they have a strong desire visitors an unassailable 3-0 lead. to go all the way and win the Davis Cup. Dazzling Scotland hang The Wimbledon champions swatted Their doubles pair were superb, they never aside Yuichi Sugita and Yasutaka Uchiyama looked like faltering.” 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 after Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon had dominated the opening NEW ZEALAND BEAT INDIA on to upset Ireland 27-22 day’s singles in Tokyo on Friday. In Pune, New Zealand’s Artem Sitak and “We didn’t play our greatest match but Michael Venus beat India’s Leander Paes did what we had to do to win,” Mahut told and Vishnu Vardhan yesterday in the Davis EDINBURGH: Scotland hung on to upset reporters after helping France secure a spot Cup doubles rubber in Pune, with the Ireland 27-22 in a pulsating match at in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. host’s still leading the Asia/Oceania Group I Murrayfield yesterday and secure their first “It’s rare you get easy matches in the tie 2-1. opening day win in the Six Nations for over a Zverev brothers’ defeat David Cup,” he added, struggling to be The 3-1 loss in the match against the vis- decade. diplomatic after second lopsided day of itors denied Paes a chance to set a record Two late penalties from captain Greig leaves Germany trailing tennis. “We had a few complicated of winning the maximum matches in the Laidlaw snatched a victory for the Scots that moments but we managed to deal with tournament as he stands level with Nicloa was founded on a dazzling first-half display BERLIN: Hosts Germany are trailing Belgium Kohlschreiber plays Arthur De Greef. them. We’ve been together for over three Pietrageli of Italy with 42 match victories. which pushed the hosts into a 21-8 lead at the 2-1 in their home Davis Cup World Group After Kohlschreiber lost the first singles weeks so we know each other well and Paes, 43, was playing his 55th doubles break. Fullback Stuart Hogg, the player of last first-round match after brothers Alexander rubber 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(7/2), 7-6(7-5) to have this strength.” match since making his debut in the Davis year’s tournament, scored Scotland’s first two and Mischa Zverev lost their doubles rubber Darcis on Friday, Alexander Zverev levelled Japan have failed to win a single set in Cup in 1990. The Indian pair lost 3-6, 6-3, 7- tries and centre Alex Dunbar dotted down for yesterday. the tie with a straight-sets win over De Greef. three matches in the absence of world 6(6), 6-3 after starting off strongly in the an unconventional third in a set move from a Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De The Germans had started as favourites to number five Kei Nishikori, who opted to sit first set without losing a serve.