SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2016 SPORTS

Series win could convince English kids to play rugby

MELBOURNE: ’s first series eight games under Jones, England be Anthony Watson, Owen Farrell or dangerous backs for much of the sec- won man-of-the-match in his 50th test. win over the Wallabies on Australian have now leapfrogged Australia to sec- George Ford. “That’s the sort of thing ond half before Owen Farrell scored the “I always thought he was a good play- soil might sway the nation’s children to ond in the world rankings. “The fantas- that rugby does. The power of a strong winning try with five minutes left. At er,” said Jones. “He’s a really good solid take up the sport rather than dream of tic thing about tonight is to win a national team is that it encourages kids the heart of the tourists’ lion-hearted test six ... He does all the unseen stuff a career in soccer, coach Eddie Jones series like this, it’s a win for English rug- to play rugby and we want these guys defence was former skipper and flanker in the game, makes the good tackles, said. by in total,” Australian Jones told to be heroes for English rugby. “(Then) Chris Robshaw, who was criticised for keeps driving forward, clean-outs. England, who were heartbroken reporters. kids want to play rugby and then play his team’s failure at the World Cup and “That’s what he’s done, game after eight months ago after being tipped “It’s a win for the fans, it’s a win for for England and the whole game gets subsequently lost the captaincy. game, eight games in a row since he out of their home World Cup by the RFU (... we’re healthier.” Setting the tone at ’s lost the captaincy. “It was difficult Australia, sealed the three-match series all in this together. “Young kids are England won the match in Rectangular Stadium with a big hit ear- when he lost the captaincy, it’s not a 2-0 in Melbourne yesterday with a 23-7 going to be sitting at home and Melbourne by “rope-a-dope”, said ly on Wallabies scrumhalf Nick Phipps, pleasant experience but he’s bounced win secured by brilliant defence. instead of being (soccer players) Dele Jones, having soaked up a period of the 30-year-old blindside flanker was back really well and we’re all delighted Extending their winning streak to Alli or Harry Kane they might want to sustained pressure from Australia’s outstanding at the breakdown and for him tonight.” —Reuters

Roles reversed as Cavaliers face Warriors for crown OAKLAND: Versatile Cleveland playmaker seven. We’re going to need some emotion, LeBron James and Golden State 3-point some grit and toughness,” Curry said. “We’re sharpshooter Stephen Curry, today’s more mentally tough than letting two biggest NBA stars, have a date with destiny games not go our way put any doubt in our in today’s decisive seventh game of the heads.” Cleveland overpowered Golden 70th NBA Finals. State from the start in game six, seizing a Back-to-back 41-point games by “King” 31-9 edge in the lowest-scoring quarter all James sparked victories that pulled the season for the NBA’s top-scoring team. Cavaliers from a 3-1 hole to level the best- “Come Sunday, we’ve got to blitz them. of-seven series and set up a tension- We can’t be on our heels and them be the packed, winner-take-all spectacle that will aggressor,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson leave one of the game’s greatest heroes said. “I’ve got faith in this team. It’s not time gutted. to hang our heads. “You’ve got to love that kind of environ- “We’ve just got to make them uncom- ment and that battle,” Curry said. “Haven’t fortable. Respect them, but never fear enjoyed it much the last two games, but them. When we play our best with great there are 48 minutes left.” Teams have effort we’re dang near impossible to beat.” swapped storylines. Defending champion But with passion has come problems for Golden State, using tough defense and the Warriors. A frustrated Curry was ejected team depth, was on the brink of repeat after fouling out in game six for tossing his titles while James and the Cavaliers mouthpiece and hitting a front-row specta- showed grit and refused to quit. tor. And too many playoff flagrant fouls Now the Cavaliers are on the verge of cost Draymond Green a one-game ban. completing the greatest comeback in NBA “Play angry, but don’t play with so much Finals history, becoming the first team to emotion it takes you out of your focus. But win the crown after trailing 3-1, and stress- 100 percent play angry,” Thompson said. ing teamwork. We’re going to play angry because we “I give a lot of credit to my teammates,” know if we play with that emotion and James said. “Without the ball moving, with- channel it the right way, we’re a really good out the screens being set, without the team.” coaching staff putting out the game plans for us offensively, what I’ve been able to do, DISRUPTING LEBRON KEY it doesn’t happen. So those guys definitely Job one for the Warriors will be contain- get the credit.” ing James, whose magical game-six effort The Cavaliers are trying to win their first included scoring 18 Cavaliers points in a title since the club was formed in 1970 and row to stiffle a late Warriors’ rally. bring Cleveland its first major sports cham- “We’ve got to come out with an edge pion since the 1964 NFL Browns. and impose our will from the beginning,” MELBOURNE: Chris Robshaw, center, of the England Roses is tackled by James Slipper of the Australia Wallabies during the Second Test at AAMI “It’s on everybody’s shoulders. We want Green said. “If you let guys get in a rhythm Park in Melbourne, yesterday. — AP to win it for the city of Cleveland,” Cavs like that, it’s tough to stop them.” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Just walking Not since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 had a around the city, the love and appreciation player broken 40 points in consecutive England master Wallabies to we get, we want to give the city of finals games. Cleveland a championship.” Golden State, “Tip your hat to him and come out meanwhile, could suffer the worst choke in Sunday with aggression to hopefully clog NBA history, squandering the trophy after some driving lanes early, not let him get a win first series in Australia three chances to win it. The Warriors are rhythm, try to make him as uncomfortable only the third team to be taken to a sev- as you can,” Curry said. “Force him into as MELBOURNE: England won their first-ever The Wallabies scored four tries in last week’s The try spurred the Wallabies and they fin- enth game after being up 3-1, the first in many tough shots as you can.” series in Australia with a defiant 23-7 victory defeat in , but could only muster one ished the opening half pounding the English try- half a century. James stressed defense as well. “For us over the Wallabies in the second Test in this time through skipper Stephen Moore. line and only stout defence held them at bay And that’s after a campaign in which to be ultimately successful, we have to Melbourne yesterday. The series will finish with a dead-rubber third until the Wallabies lost the ball metres out and they had the best regular-season record in defend,” James said. “Our antennas have to The Six Nations champions, who conquered game in next Saturday. Feelings boiled England had a reprieve. NBA history at 73-9 and Curry set a season be up on every possession. The last two the second-ranked Wallabies 39-28 in the open- over with a melee in the 12th minute after refer- England began the second half strongly record for 3-pointers with 402, led the NBA games, our antennas have been razor ing Test in Brisbane, defended magnificently in ee Craig Joubert had awarded a penalty to the again dominating field position and the in scoring and was a unanimous selection sharp.” And a razor’s edge is about all sepa- the second half and then sealed the win through Wallabies but reversed it after penalising Wallabies were finding it difficult to get out of for his second consecutive NBA Most rating a hard-won title from bitter disap- a late Owen Farrell try. Australia for foul play from the incident. their half. Foley was penalised after a linesman Valuable Player award. pointment come Sunday. Farrell, who was shifted to inside-centre for England’s powerful pack struck first blood intervention and Farrell kicked England six “I know game seven will be the hardest the second game, contributed 18 points with his midway through the half when skipper Dylan points clear. ‘WE HAVE TO SHOW SOME FIRE’ thing ever,” Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving said. try, two conversions and three penalty goals. Hartley scored off a rolling maul close to the The Wallabies pressed the England but The Warriors now talk of bringing the “This is the all-time high, both teams have a By winning England retained the Cook Cup Wallabies’ line for a 7-0 lead. numerous handling errors cost them the chance passion, anger and emotion that at the chance to win championships. I’m excited and hoisted Eddie Jones’s side to second in the The English supporters willed their team on to hit the front in the dogfight with England. start of the week was the Cavaliers’ hot top- to just get to Sunday and see what it’s real- World Rugby rankings, some 259 days after flop- singing ‘Sweet Chariot’ as the Wallabies made The home side was camped inside the ic. “We have to show some fire for game ly like.” — AFP ping out of their own World Cup in the pool handling errors and struggled for field position. England half but resolute defence and handling stages. England led by 10-7 at half-time, but had The English scrum showed their dominance errors prevented the Wallabies from scoring the to defend for long periods in the second half as by wheeling the Wallabies to get a psychological crucial try as the clock ticked down. Johnson, Landry set pace the Wallabies probed for the breakthrough try. penalty to take play back into home territory. England clinched the game and the series But it never came, due to a combination of Farrell kicked England further ahead with a when Farrell toed ahead a loose ball and won the Wallabies’ poor handling and England’s 31st minute penalty. the chase to dive on the ball. in US Open second round unyielding defence protecting their try-line. It But the Wallabies struck back with the He converted to put England out of reach by was yet another tactical masterpiece by Australian pack pushing over for a try for skipper 13 points. Farrell kicked another penalty on the OAKMONT: Dustin Johnson held the US only half the field started the second round England’s Australian coach Jones, who again Moore with landing the conver- siren to ice the victory to huge cheers from the Open clubhouse lead yesterday as surprise on Friday, with the rest teeing off on out-marshalled his counterpart . sion from wide out five minutes before half-time. travelling English supporters. — AFP first-round leader Andrew Landry set off Saturday morning. Landry, ranked 624th in with some half the field in the second the world, opened the second round with round of the weather-hit championship at back-to-back pars to keep pace with Oakmont. Johnson. World number six Johnson had a two- He and others were facing a marathon Kerber follows other stars to the exit round total of four-under par 136 after day at Oakmont, where warm, sunny playing both his first and second rounds on weather was already firming up the treach- BIRMINGHAM: Angelique Kerber, who set her one of four well-known names to fail to make CoCo Vandeweghe, the American who ousted Friday. His nearest rivals in the clubhouse erous greens. Defending champion Jordan heart on defending the first grass court title of the last eight. Radwanska in the first round, and Barbora were Spain’s Sergio Garcia and American Spieth had some ground to make up after her career at the Aegon Classic, came agonising- The others were Petra Kvitova, the two times Strycova, the Czech who is a former finalist here. Scott Piercy who both carded second- posting a two-over first round. ly close to reaching the semi-finals before losing Wimbledon champion, or Belinda Bencic, the 19- At her best Keys looks the new favourite but round 70s on the formidable Pennsylvania World number three Rory McIlroy was in Friday to one of the tournament’s many surpris- year-old who is the youngest in the world’s top this has been the most unpredictable of tourna- course to stand at two-under for the tour- even tighter straits, battling to make the es, Carla Suarez Navarro. ten, who were among six seeds who failed to ments, and the hard-hitting Vandeweghe clearly nament. American Jim Furyk wrapped up a cut after a seven-over first round. World The world number 15 from Spain was reach the quarter-finals amidst disruptively rain- fancies her chances too. two-under 68 for 139, joining England’s number one Jason Day and Phil Mickelson, brought up on clay courts, but coped resiliently storms. Navarro now plays the only remaining So many big names going out early amidst Andy Sullivan and American Daniel meanwhile were playing a waiting game. and skillfully with extra pace and low bounce of seed, Madison Keys, the top 20 American who many violent rainstorms is a calamity for a tour- Summerhays in the clubhouse on one- Day looked safe for the halfway cut after the lush grass, in a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory in the recovered from a wayward start to overcome nament which is trying to make itself one of the under. Two-time Masters champion Bubba a second-round 69 put him at five-over. But best match of a rain-stricken tournament so far. Jelena Ostapenko, Kvitova’s conqueror, 6-7 (1/7), best ten in the world and has acquired its best Watson, New Zealand’s Danny Lee and Mickelson, a six-time runner-up in the US Three times Kerber came within two points of 6-4, 6-2. The other semi-final will be between entry in its 35-year history. — AFP American Kevin Streelman were also at Open-the only major to elude him-complet- victory in a long tenth game of the final set, but one-under as they headed into the second ed his second-round 73 yesterday morning could force the issue no further against an oppo- round. After weather delays on Thursday, for a seven-over total of 147. — AFP nent who appeared to have just a little bit extra physically. This was certainly one of the crucial qualities on a day in which both players had to complete unfinished overnight matches, both of which went to three sets. That made it an even tougher setback for Kerber, whose successes since her title sensation in Australia at the start of the year have been disappointingly few. “I may not have defended my title here, but I played well, and I will go to Wimbledon (starting in ten days’ time) with confidence,” Kerber claimed, nevertheless looking upset. She established a fine flat-hitting rhythm in the middle part of the match, and tenaciously turned many a difficult situation into winning ones. But she paid a price for making a slower start than Navarro, and played a poor penulti- mate game, dropping serve to love, giving the Spaniard her chance to close it out. Even then Kerber diligently engineered three break back points, also pressurising Navarro into a double fault on the first match point before the Spaniard constructed yet another of many brilliantly varied rallies to finish it off. “I had to fight to play my best tennis to beat OAKMONT: Dustin Johnson hits from the fairway on the third hole during the rain the best player,” Navarro said, though the seed- delayed second round of the US Open golf championship at Oakmont Country Club ings gave that accolade Agnieszka Radwanska, on Friday, in Oakmont, Pa. — AP Angelique Kerber