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THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 SPORTS D-Day looms for England squad hopefuls LONDON: A handful of players vying for the last Lancaster holds in very high esteem. Until this England’s dire display in Paris last week but an Despite showing plenty of invention off the available slots in England’s rugby World Cup squad month it was assumed that Luther Burrell, Joseph’s impressive performance off the bench by Nick bench in Paris it would appear there is no room at will have their last chance to state their case in a regular partner in the Six Nations, was another cer- Easter may have been enough to earn the 37-old- the inn for the reformed bad boy of English rugby, full-scale practice match yesterday before Stuart tainty but it seems he might be still in the TBC old a berth. Ben Morgan made his first appearance with George Ford and Owen Farrell filling two fly- Lancaster unveils the 31-man group today. department after a late run by Henry Slade and Sam in eight months against France at Twickenham fol- half spots and Mike Browne and Alex Goode proba- The most intriguing dilemma is in midfield, Burgess, both of whom made impressive test lowing a broken leg and though he was a key part bly in as specialist fullbacks. something of a weak area for England for years, debuts in the home warm-up win over France earli- of the set-up last year, his lack of match fitness There is a tight call in the second row between where Lancaster has to find the right blend of pow- er this month. Slade, who also covers the flyhalf might open the door for Easter to back up Billy the more athletic George Kruis and oak-hewn Dave er and panache, experience and potential. position, is a classy performer with an eye for a gap Vunipola. Attwood while Jamie George looks set to claim the Certain of his place in the squad and the starting and is reportedly pencilled in for a slot, whereas Easter’s case is helped by the fact he can play at third hooker berth ahead of Luke Cowan-Dickie. team is Jonathan Joseph, whose electric perform- rugby league convert Burgess is still grasping the blindside flanker and even lock. Versatility is not Lancaster is due to announce his squad at 12.45 ances over the last year have softened the blow of rudiments of the game but brings with him huge always the advantage it seems, however, as GMT today and he is likely to play his first-choice losing the banned Manu Tuilagi. physicality and proven big-match temperament. flyhalf/fulback Danny Cipriani seems likely to dis- team in the final warm-up match against Ireland on Also in is Brad Barritt, the defensive enforcer who That was something sorely missing for much of cover. Sept. 5. — Reuters FINA clears Sun over ‘altercation’ SINGAPORE: Swimming’s world governing body ple, you never know.” have imposed a longer suspension but opted for has cleared Chinese Olympic champion Sun Sun became the first Chinese man to win an a lenient punishment because Sun had been Yang of any wrongdoing following complaints Olympic swimming gold medal when he took given medication, which had only just been over his behavior at this month’s world champi- the 400 metres and 1,500 metres freestyle dou- added to the banned list, to treat a heart issue. onships in Russia. ble in London, but has courted controversy sev- Marculescu, in Singapore for the world junior FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu eral times since. championships, also said no action would be told Reuters the altercation that led to a com- plaint against Sun was the result of overconges- tion in the warmup pool in Kazan and did not warrant further action. “There was a misunder- standing in the pool,” Marculescu said. “In Kazan, we have over 1,000 swimmers, so the prepara- tion pool became very crowded.” The Brazilian Aquatic Sports Federation said it made a formal complaint to FINA about Sun fol- lowing a confrontation with a Brazilian female competitor during a warm-up session on the last day of the championships. A Brazilian coach said SPAIN: Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan (right) celebrates ahead of German cyclist John Sun had tried to kick and elbow Larissa Oliveira Degenkolb (center) and Slovenian cyclist Peter Sagan, winning the fifth stage of the 2015 after they collided with each other in the Vuelta Espana cycling tour. — AP warmup pool. Sun later withdrew from the final of the 1500 metres freestyle, an event he won at the previ- Ewan clinches ous world championships and at the London Olympics - and in which he holds the world record - citing a heart problem. Sun apologised Vuelta stage win for pulling out of the race but neither he nor the Chinese Swimming Federation commented on SPAIN: Caleb Ewan celebrated the biggest include the Milan-SanRemo and Paris- the warmup pool incident. He was later named win of his career yesterday, the 21-year-old Roubaix - and Slovakia’s Peter Sagan - a four as the best male swimmer in Kazan after win- Australian claiming the fifth stage of Spain’s time winner of the Tour de France points clas- ning the 400 metres and 800 metres. Vuelta with Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin the sification - in his wake. new overall leader. Ewan was set up for his breakthrough suc- NOTHING SPECIAL Ewan, tackling his debut Vuelta, prevailed cess in perfect style by other members of his “This is not, for me, anything special,” in a dash for the line after a 167.5 kilometre team in the final 50 metres. “This is by far the Marculescu said. “(In the future) we need two Sun Yang in action in this file photo. ride from Rota to Alcala de Guadaira. best day of my career,” he smiled. preparation pools because one is not enough.” His teammate, Johan Esteban Chaves, “To beat some of the top sprinters in the Sun’s shock withdrawal from the 1500 metres HOT WATER taken against Mexico for entering the wrong started the day in possession of the leader’s world, especially riders like Degenkolb or caught most people by surprise, including FINA In 2013 he found himself in hot water with times for some of their swimmers in Kazan. red jersey but by the end of the stage he’d Sagan, on a climbing finish like that, that officials, who spoke to Sun before the race was Chinese swimming officials for missing training Marculescu said there were no rules to punish been relegated to second in the general clas- means a lot to me.” Ewan, for whom this is a sification, albeit by only one second to Team first shot at one of the Grand Tours, added: due to start. sessions and was suspended from engaging in countries who falsified entry times and he did Giant-Alpecin’s Dumoulin. “It’s an honour to compete against riders like “We discussed it with the (Chinese) delega- any commercial activities, which had flooded in not consider the matter serious because none of Dumoulin came in 15th with Chaves in that.” Sagan was well placed in second but he tion and the federation and finally with him following his Olympic success. the nation’s swimmers made it past the heats.“No 20th in the stage. In third, 16sec back, was was put in his place by the promising Aussie and he said it was some health problem,” He then fell foul of the law and spent a week entry time or entry time, it’s not a big issue,” he Team Sky’s Irish rider Nicolas Roche. Ewan’s who came round the German to take the Marculescu said. “His coach was also debating in jail for crashing a car that he had driven with- said. “There’s no rules to tell I have to punish him. win was made all the sweeter as he crossed honors. Today’s sixth stage is a 200.3km ride with him, a little bit stronger, to make him out a licence. In 2014, it emerged that Sun had He swims but he (doesn’t) qualify (for finals). “He’s the line with specialist sprinters John from Cordoba and Sieera de Cazorla with a swim but he said he can’t. “He’s a great star, secretly served a three-month ban after testing welcome to swim at the championships. It’s not Degenkolb of Germany - whose big race wins finish on a third category summit. —AFP he’s a great swimmer. But with the young peo- positive for a banned stimulant. China could so strict as the Olympics.” — Reuters Brilliant Bonhomme wins Ascot stop with third victory of the season ASCOT: Britain’s Paul Bonhomme was crowned the winner teamwork. I’m only the pilot. I just point the plane in the of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship stop at the right direction.” It was the second time the Red Bull Air Race famous Ascot Racecourse, flying brilliantly under pressure in was staged in Ascot, just west of London, that has quickly the world’s fastest motorsport series. The victory was become one of the most attractive air race locations in the Bonhomme’s third this season and second straight win at world and a favourite of the pilots, who relish taking off and Ascot to the delight of more than 40,000 spectators. landing on the grassy strip in front of the big crowd. Bonhomme’s final run was flawless and he stopped the Austria’s Hannes Arch, who struggled in the training ses- clock in 1.06.416 seconds.