SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2015 SPORTS Lorenzo on Japan pole, de Angelis in hospital JAPAN: San Marino rider Alex de Angelis Lorenzo trails Rossi by 14 points in the was airlifted to hospital after a heavy championship with only four races to go crash during final practice at the this season but looks set to cut that Japanese MotoGP yesterday before a deficit on a track he has shown his fond- dramatic qualifying session saw Jorge ness for by coming out top in all the ses- Lorenzo grab pole from title rival sions this week. Valentino Rossi. The Spaniard used a two-stop strate- The 31-year-old de Angelis was con- gy, after some front end issues on his first scious and breathing before being taken run, to record a best time of 1 min 43.790 to hospital, with his Ioda Racing ART seconds to deny the Italian, who had Team Aprilia later issuing a statement gone top moments before with his best saying the rider had fractured five verte- lap. brae and three ribs. “Alex De Angelis, It was Lorenzo’s fourth pole of the who does not remember because of the year and Yamaha’s first one-two qualify- head injury dynamics of his accident, will ing performance of the season. “I made be transferred to Italy during the next the maximum and it is a good lap time,” week,” the team said after the rider had double MotoGP champion Lorenzo told undergone a CAT scan. reporters. Rossi, bidding for his seventh Ioda added de Angelis had not suf- MotoGP world title, was optimistic he fered any spinal cord injury. The rider could better Lorenzo come race day. crashed midway through FP4 leading to “I was confident for the qualifying. I the session being red-flagged at the did a good strategy (and) I was in the Motegi circuit and was taken by helicop- right place. I am very positive looking ter to the Dokkyo Hospital in Mibu. forward for tomorrow. I can be competi- No television footage of the incident tive with Jorge,” he said. Defending was shown, with de Angelis riding one of champion Marc Marquez was third for the least competitive bikes on the grid Honda in 1:44.216 to round out the front NEWCASTLE: New Zealand’s captain Kieran Read wins the ball in a line out Rugby World Cup Pool C match between New Zealand and Tonga at and having only scored two points this row. St James’ Park. —AP year following a spate of retirements. The The Ducati duo of Andrea Dovizioso incident led to a delay in a breathless and Andrea Iannone finished fourth and qualifying session where Lorenzo edged fifth for Sunday’s race with Marquez’s All Blacks win ahead of busy Yamaha team mate Rossi to take pole Honda team mate Dani Pedrosa com- position by just 0.081 seconds. pleting the second row.—Reuters weekend to decide q-finals LONDON: New Zealand centre Ma’a Nonu For Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, the prospect appearance in the knockout phase of a Rugby scored a late try against Tonga on Friday in his of an extra day’s break is the real prize at stake in World Cup four years before they host the event. 100th test, helping his team to a thumping vic- the physical slog of a Rugby World Cup, even It would be a timely boost for the Brave tory and top spot in Pool C ahead of a hectic more than avoiding the tournament favourites. Blossoms, whose stunning defeat of rugby pow- weekend when the Rugby World Cup quarter- “The greatest reason is to get another day erhouse South Africa has been one of the high- finals will be determined. before we have to play again to be honest. It just lights of this year’s competition so far. The 47-9 win in Newcastle ended any faint allows a little bit more breathing space to be “We’ve got to go out there and play our best hopes the gritty Pacific islanders had of making slightly better prepared and slightly better rugby, play with physical and mental intensity,” it out of their group, although there was never recovered,” he told reporters on Friday. Japan coach Eddie Jones said after victory over any real threat to the holders. “That would be the major reason, because I Samoa. As in previous wins over Namibia and don’t think anyone, based on their performances Australia against Wales at Twickenham on Georgia, the New Zealanders veered at times so far, could underestimate the Argentinian Saturday will decide which team top Pool A and between carelessness and brilliance, especially team, and not just the personnel they’ve got but avoid twice champions South Africa in the last in the first half. the collective they’ve demonstrated on the eight as well as a potential semi-final against the “They put us under a lot of pressure,” captain pitch.” All Blacks. Kieran Read said after the game. “Our work up Pool B looks even more tense, with Scotland “We aren’t having to desperately win the front needs to probably improve. We’ll regroup, having to beat a dangerous Samoa side on game to reach the quarter-finals. But win this TOKYO: Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo steers his Yamaha during a free practice session for the but we’re glad to be where we are.” Saturday to ensure a place against either Wales group and potentially the route through to the MotoGP Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix. —AP The win also guarantees Argentina progress or Australia. quarters, semis and finals is easier than the other to the quarter-finals even before they play “For a lot of us this is going to be the biggest side,” Wales coach Warren Gatland said. Namibia today. In the quarter-finals, New match of our careers,” Scotland number eight For eliminated hosts England, the tortuous Spieth on fire, US stay Zealand will meet either France or Ireland, who David Denton said as the team welcome back fit- build-up to Saturday’s dead rubber against face each other today in a key Pool D encounter. again flyhalf Finn Russell. Uruguay drew to a close as coach Stuart Although both have qualified for the knock- Were Samoa to win, Japan would be well Lancaster was forced to play down a training ahead in Presidents Cup out stages, they will be desperate to prevail and placed to go through if they beat the United ground bust-up between his assistant Mike Catt avoid the mighty All Blacks in eight days’ time. States on Sunday, in what would be their first and flyhalf Danny Cipriani.—Reuters INCHEON: It was a day of great escapes to him out on the course, the left-hander and blown opportunities for the muffed a five-foot putt on 18 that would Internationals on day three of the have sealed a foursomes win with partner Presidents Cup, while Jordan Spieth deliv- JB Holmes over Scott and Marc Leishman. Korda ered a birdie blitz to help keep the United The US pair then became the fourth States a point in front with just today’s sin- straight victims of Louis Oosthuizen and gles matches to come. Branden Grace, who continue to comple- fires to The International team looked set to get ment each other on and off the course. their noses in front at the biennial event for “Whenever someone made a mistake, the front the first time in a decade but squandered the other one was there,” said Oosthuizen. “I several solid leads and split the eight wasn’t sharp this afternoon. I had a few KUALA LUMPUR: American points on offer to end Saturday trailing 9.5 good shots but Branden was unbelievable.” Jessica Korda shrugged off her to 8.5. Australian Scott, in his seventh woeful recent form to fire an They will have their work cut out to get Presidents Cup, endured another woeful impressive six-under-par 65 and the seven points they need from Sunday’s day on the greens, finding precious little take a two-shot lead after a 12 singles to win the Presidents Cup for the encouragement after switching from a humid third round of the high- first time since 1998. No team has ever won cross-handed to a ‘claw’ grip with the con- calibre $2 million LPGA Malaysia the Cup after going into the singles match- ventional putter. yesterday. es trailing. Scott has had to abandon his preferred The 22-year-old daughter of History is not the only obstacle they will broomstick-style putter with a ban on former Australian Open tennis have to overcome world number one ‘anchoring’ coming into effect in January. champion Petr Korda fired a Spieth has finally caught fire. After partner- South Korean Bae Sang-moon, mean- ing Dustin Johnson to a narrow morning while, put on a putting masterclass as he bogey-free round at the Kuala win over Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel, and Hideki Matsuyama halved their four- Lumpur Golf and Country Club to Spieth returned in the afternoon with somes match with Bill Haas and Matt sit two clear of compatriot and Patrick Reed to defeat the same Kuchar before hammering Jimmy Walker world number three Stacy Lewis, International pair in the four-balls, sealing and Chris Kirk 6&5 in the afternoon. who also struck a blemish-free the match 3&2 in near darkness. Bae holed three birdie putts in a row at 65. “I would call it unplayable,” said Spieth, one point from a combined distance of 50 Overnight leader Jang Ha-na who holed eight birdies in the 16 holes feet as the Asian duo went nine under of South Korea was in a tie for the played.