Established 1961 25 Sports Thursday, March 21, 2019 kick off 2020 Six Nations at home to Italy

Japan’s Sunwolves set for Super Rugby axe

PARIS: champions Wales will kick off the Round 5 defence of their Six Nations title next year at home Mar 14: Wales v Scotland (1415), Italy v England against Italy on February 1, organisers announced yes- (1645), France v (2000). terday. The Welsh, who will by then be coached by Wayne Pivac as steps down after this 2021 Six Nations fixtures (all times GMT) year’s , then travel to Ireland a week Round 1 later before hosting France on February 22, taking on Feb 6: Italy v France (1415), England v Scotland England at Twickenham on March 7 and rounding off (1645); Feb 7: Wales v Ireland (1500) their campaign against Scotland at ’s Principality Round 2 Stadium. Feb 13: England v Italy (1415), Scotland v Wales France wrap up the 2020 Six Nations when they (1645); Feb 14: Ireland v France (1500) host Ireland in the final fixture on March 14, in the sole Round 3 evening kick-off (2000 GMT) of the tournament, which Feb 27: Italy v Ireland (1415), Wales v England also does not feature any games on Fridays. (1645); Feb 28: France v Scotland (1500) “The 2019 Championship gave us a stunning finale Round 4 with three teams competing for the title on the final Mar 13: Italy v Wales (1415), England v France weekend, a brilliant Grand Slam winner, and a unique (1645); Mar 14: Scotland v Ireland (1500) Calcutta Cup match to finish the Championship off,” Six Round 5 Nations CEO Ben Morel said in reference to Wales Mar 20: Scotland v Italy (1415), Ireland v England beating Ireland for the clean sweep and Scotland bat- (1645), France v Wales (2000). tling back to claim a thrilling 38-all draw with England. Meanwhile, Japan’s ground-breaking Sunwolves “We look forward to developing the Championship team are set to be axed from Super Rugby, a report in partnership with our Unions, sponsors and most said yesterday, as the governing body prepared to importantly of all our fans over the coming years, and to make an announcement about the competition’s future. the next two years of the Guinness Six Nations Sydney’s Daily Telegraph said the Sunwolves would Championship generating even more excitement than be sacrificed as the 15-team, globe-crossing tourna- CARDIFF: File photo shows Wales’ centre Jonathan Davies and Wales’ full-back Liam Williams celebrate after the 2019 edition.” ment reverts to 14 sides and a round-robin format, winning the Six Nations international match between Wales and Ireland at the Principality Stadium 2020 Six Nations fixtures (all times GMT) ditching its unpopular conference system. in Cardiff, south Wales, on March 16, 2019. — AFP Round 1 The unsourced report came as governing body Feb 1: Wales v Italy (1415), Ireland v Scotland (1645); SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Feb 2: France v England (1500) Argentina Rugby) said it would make a statement on Much of the opposition to Asia’s first Super Rugby tainable, but that has not materialised.” While the Round 2 the “future of Super Rugby” on Friday. The Telegraph outfit came from South Africa, the Telegraph said, Sunwolves’ record on the pitch is poor, they have gradu- Feb 8: Ireland v Wales (1415), Scotland v England said Sunwolves officials and players were told about adding that its teams were opposed to travelling to ally improved and enjoyed their first away win when they (1645); Feb 9: France v Italy (1500) the decision on Tuesday, leaving them “devastated”. Tokyo and Singapore for the Sunwolves’ home games. shocked the Waikato Chiefs 30-15 earlier this month. Round 3 A spokeswoman for the Tokyo-based team told AFP: “All of the participating nations in Super Rugby have Super Rugby shrank from 18 teams to 15 in 2018, Feb 22: Italy v Scotland (1415), Wales v France “We are still waiting for Friday’s official announcement been financially propping up the Sunwolves in the hopes dropping two teams from South Africa and one from (1645); Feb 23: England v Ireland (1500) and at this stage have no comment to make.” The of luring more revenue from the untapped Asian market,” Australia in an attempt to streamline. But it retained the Round 4 Sunwolves’ introduction in 2016 was part of attempts to the report said. “It had been hoped that after two or country-based conference system which has been criti- Mar 7: Ireland v Italy (1415), England v Wales (1645); expand the game in Asia, which will host its first Rugby three seasons, cashed up Japanese companies would cised for its complexity and for giving an easier ride to Mar 8: Scotland v France (1500) World Cup in Japan later this year. back the Sunwolves and make them independently sus- teams from weaker regions. — AFP

Kuwait Club Handball Welsh rugby chiefs team to meet India’s rule out merger for T-Sport Club regions in 2019/20 By Abdellatif Sharaa LONDON: The four existing Welsh regions will continue to KUWAIT: Kuwait Club Handball team will meet India’s T- play separately for the 2019/20 season after the Professional Sport Club in its second match of the third group in the 21st Rugby Board (PRB) ruled out a merger that threatened to Asian Clubs Handball tournament being hosted by Kuwait. plunge the sport into turmoil. Kuwait’s second team Kazima will meet UAE’s Shariqa team The and ultimately opposed the unpopular from the fourth group of the tournament. plan as part of the controversial ‘Project Reset’, which aimed to These two matches will be proceeded by three matches: change the face of rugby union in Wales. Lebanon’s Sadaqa team with Saudi Arabia’s Mudhar, Qatar’s Under that blueprint a combined Scarlets and Ospreys Wakra with Oman’s Muscat and Bahrain’s Barbar with Iraq’s region in the west of the country, along with , the Karkh. and a side in would have made up the four Meanwhile, the opening day matches saw Iraq’s Karkh professional teams. It was set to be Welsh rugby’s biggest defeat India’s T-Sport by the score of 50-17, while Lebanon’s domestic shake-up since the inception of regional sides 16 Sadaqa defeated China’s Dragon with the score of 28-21. years ago but it faced immediate hostility. Technical Director of the Asian Handball Federation Jassim The PRB, made up of representatives of the four regions and Al-Theyab congratulated Kuwait’s leadership and people for the , said in a statement on Wednesday that the return of sports to international events. He said “we con- it was “united in its pursuit of what is best” without outlining gratulate ourselves for holding the Asian championship in plans beyond next season. Kuwait. He thanked Kuwait Sports Club board of directors for “The Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets will con- their cooperation with the Asian federation in providing all tinue to represent Welsh professional rugby in domestic and requirements of the tournament. European competition for season 2019/20,” the PRB statement He said the championship provides an opportunity to have read. “Although the PRB has previously supported the principle Kuwaiti fans return because they give special flavor for match- for a proposed merger of two teams, it has since been noted es and urges players to give it all that this merger has been deemed ‘off the table’ by both inter- ested parties. “This means that budgets have subsequently been approved and player contracting can be concluded, with an emphasis on Sport looking to ban securing Welsh talent. “It is hoped that the emotion generated by the exploration of merger options can now be translated into corticosteroids in support for the professional Welsh teams, helping create a sus- tainable future for the game in Wales. “ Project Reset was launched to deal with the problems Welsh 2020: UCI boss domestic rugby has had competing with wealthy clubs in England and France. — AFP PARIS: After becoming the first drug used to treat a wide range of sport to ban Tramadol, cycling is medical conditions, including asthma. looking to use the same “health rea- Some, like nasal sprays, are allowed sons” justification to prohibit the use in competition while others - pills, of corticosteroids by 2020, intra-muscular injections-are banned International Cycling Union (UCI) in competition and require a Tokyo unveils ‘cherry president David Lappartient told Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Reuters. “We are working on this. We blossom’ Olympic torch The UCI banned Tramadol, an named a group of experts to show it opiate painkiller, at the beginning of is dangerous for your health,” said TOKYO: Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics yesterday unveiled this month, conducting 43 tests on Lappartient. “We are hopeful to be a cherry-blossom shaped torch for the Games as the city prepares for David Lappartient the Paris-Nice stage race that ended ready to ban it for the beginning of the famed flower season to begin in coming days. The top part of the last Sunday. In 2017, 68 percent of 2020. The idea is to not have corti- torch is shaped in the traditional emblem of the sakura, or cherry blos- urine samples across 35 Olympic costeroids in our sport in 2020. microscope after Austrian cyclist Ineos taking over from Team Sky in som using the same cutting-edge technology as in production of sports containing Tramadol were “It is not easy though, because Georg Preidler admitted to cheating May and oil and gas company Total Japan’s bullet trains, the organisers said. from cyclists. with Tramadol, a test is either posi- amid an investigation into blood rumoured to take over French outfit The shiny rose-gold torch, which is 71 centimetres (28 inches) long While being monitored by the tive or negative. With corticos- doping that brought down five skiers Direct Energie next season. and weighs 1.2 kilograms (2 pounds 10 ounces), uses aluminium con- World Anti-Doping Agency teroids, there are thresholds. We are at the Nordic skiing world champi- “I am pleased that Ineos is taking struction waste from temporary housing built for victims of the 2011 (WADA), Tramadol is not on the list also calling for WADA to ban it.” onships. over the team because it is important quake and tsunami. “Cherry blossoms drawn by kids in the disaster-hit of banned substances and having it Several cycling teams, gathered in “He has been provisionally that teams find investors. It is healthy area (in Fukushima)... inspired me,” designer Tokujin Yoshioka, whose outlawed could have raised legal the Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme banned,” said Lappartient. “We are that the best team in the world finds works are known internationally, told reporters. challenges. However, Lappartient Credible (Movement for credible in contact with the national Anti- a buyer,” said Lappartient. The Fukushima was chosen as the starting point for the Olympic torch insisted that the exclusion was to cycling, MPCC), follow stricter anti- Doping Agencies and the public Frenchman was wary though of one relay. The passing of the flame is scheduled to start on March 26, 2020, protect riders’ health and safety doping rules. authorities, who have not said any- outfit having too much advantage as and the torch will head south to the sub-tropical island of Okinawa- rather than any performance Under those rules, a rider is thing yet.” Asked if the biological Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe is the starting point for the 1964 Tokyo Games relay-before returning enhancing benefits. imposed an eight-day rest after tak- passport, a record of a riders’ dop- expected to increase the team’s north and arriving in the Japanese capital on July 10. “So we banned it on health ing corticosteroids. “Intra-articular ing test results, could be bypassed budget. The designer added the torch is designed to ensure the flame will grounds,” said Lappartient, adding corticosteroid injections have to be by cheats as several former profes- “I understand there can be con- not go out even during the typhoon season. The March 2011 tsunami, that the Paris-Nice test results were validated by the team doctor, who sionals implied, Lappartient said: “I cerns that the team with the biggest triggered by a massive undersea quake, killed around 18,000 people not known yet. “If you need will prescribe eight days off-race,” don’t know, I don’t have all the ele- budget can have all the best riders and swamped the Fukushima nuclear plant, sending its reactors into Tramadol, OK, but when you take the rules say. ments on this investigation.” and it affects the uncertainty of meltdown and leading to the world’s worst nuclear disaster since this medicine you cannot drive so Seven of the 18 World Tour (elite) sport,” he explained. “The more Chernobyl. More than 50,000 people have not returned to their home you do not race your bike.” teams have adhered to the MPCC. SPONSORS FAITHFUL uncertainty we have in our sport, the towns. Japan has dubbed the 2020 Games the “Reconstruction The UCI now wishes to take the Cycling, a sport long rocked by dop- Sponsors, however, remain faithful better for the interest of cycling. It Olympics” and wants to showcase recovery in regions devastated by same approach on corticosteroids, a ing scandals, is again under the to the sport, with chemical giant boosts its attractiveness.” —Reuters the disaster. — AFP