THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016 SPORTS Rory ready to put best foot forward for Ireland LONDON: New Ireland captain Rory Best said man for Ireland, as were his predessors Brian coach Joe Schmidt who said the hooker was a for the first time but again bowed out at the pivotal flyhalf Jonny Sexton, who Schmidt yesterday he had “big shoes to fill” when he O’Driscoll and Keith Wood. “Every time there is natural choice to take over from O’Connell. “As quarter-final stage following a crushing 43-20 said was fit and had recovered from a head leads the back-to-back Six Nations champions a change you are filling big shoes,” Best told coaches all we did was endorse the feeling defeat by Argentina. As well as O’Connell’s injury suffered while playing for Leinster at the out to start their title defence against Wales in reporters at the Six Nations media launch. “It’s from the playing group,” said the New retirement Schmidt has had to contend with a weekend. Sexton has suffered a succession of Dublin next month. a big challenge. The one thing that certainly Zealander. “He is our most capped interna- host of injuries. Ireland will be without the concussions in his career but Schmidt said his Best, who will win his 90th cap on Feb. 7, Paul did really well was that he didn’t change tional and his experience and performances injured trio of Iain Henderson, Tommy Bowe latest knock was not serious. “As far as Jonny’s takes over the captaincy from Paul O’Connell how he went about things. “You don’t have to have been first rate. Off the pitch he’s a consu- and Peter O’Mahony for the entire tourna- concerned he’s keen to be ready to go in 11 who retired from international rugby after last revinvent things ... I’ll try to lead by example mate professional.” ment, while Mike Ross, Cian Healy and Chris days’ time. All we can do is go on medical year’s World Cup, a disappointing one for while leaning very heavily on senior players.” At the World Cup, the men in green had Henry could return from injury for the final opinion. When they give the all-clear, we trust Ireland. Lock forward O’Connell was a talis- Best was given a ringing endorsement by high hopes of reaching at least the semi-finals three matches. There was better news over them.” — Reuters England boss Jones puts emphasis on hard graft LONDON: Forward power rather than IN-FORM SCOTLAND ‘fancy’ rugby holds the key to England’s Jones, however, was well aware that chances of success in the Six Nations honeymoon could end with his first Championship, according to new head match in charge which sees England coach Eddie Jones. away to Scotland in Edinburgh on Traditionally, England have been February 6 for the latest edition of rugby known for the strength of their forwards union’s oldest Test fixture. and Jones, the first foreigner to coach Scotland came within minutes of the side, wants to restore that reputation beating eventual finalists Australia at the having been appointed after the team’s World Cup before losing in the last eight first-round exit at last year’s World Cup and Jones said: “It’s a Calcutta Cup game. saw former boss Stuart Lancaster sacked. Scotland are the form side of Europe. “The Six Nations is about contest,” said They’re playing at home. We know it will Jones, speaking at the tournament be a tough game up there. launch yesterday. “We’re picking a (matchday) 23 to do “It’s a contest at the set piece and a battle at Murrayfield, in front of 65,000 contest at the breakdown,” the Australian Scottish people who will be going crazy added. “It’s never been a tournament and that’s pressure. We need players with known for it’s continuity, until the last the skills to be able to cope with that.” At day of last year when everyone decided last year’s World Cup in England no to throw the toys out,” he said in a refer- European side made it to the semi-finals, ence to a remarkable final round where with Jones observing: “At the moment 27 tries were scored in three the southern hemisphere teams are matches, with Ireland winning the probably three to five percent better tournament on points difference. Jones than the northern hemisphere team, but insisted: “We have a lot of work to do but that can be turned around in eight with the talent we have I’m confident weeks. “You have to look at where the that we can get the fear factor back of game is going, because if you want to be PITTSBURGH: Conor Sheary #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins is taken down in front of the goal against the New Jersey Devils at Consol Energy having that dominant set piece.” the top team in the world, you don’t Center on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. — AFP The former Australia and Japan coach want to be playing the sort of rugby knows better than anyone that he will be everybody is playing 12 months latter. judged on results, with England having “You want the world to be copying Fleury, Penguins top Devils won the Six Nations just once since their you. We’ve got an idea of where those World Cup-winning year of 2003. gaps are and where we need to go.” “When you first get married, you go Although this will be his first stint as a 2-0 for third straight win on honeymoon, but a honeymoon is not head coach in the Six Nations, Jones has like real life” said Jones. “Anyone who is followed the tournament since his earli- married knows that. Married life is tough. est days as a rugby fan. “As a kid I grew PITTSBURGH: Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots scored four straight goals after falling behind 1-0 in Nashville over Vancouver. Pekka Rinne stopped 28 You have to take, you have to give and up watching the ABC in Australia, which for his fourth shutout of the season and the surg- the opening minute and has won five of six. The shots and Craig Smith had the other goal for the make compromises. You have to work is the equivalent of the BBC, and it was ing Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils Ducks take a three-game winning streak into the Predators, who improved to 3-0 on a four-game out a way to make things happen. the giants of the game playing the 2-0 on Tuesday night for their third straight win. All-Star break. Frederik Andersen finished with 32 Western Conference road swing that concludes “When I stand up in the team room for game,” he said. “I still have memories of Sidney Crosby got his 17th goal of the year for the saves for the Ducks. Jonas Gustavsson started in Wednesday in Calgary. Brandon Sutter scored for the first time, everyone is nodding and (Wales’s) JPR Williams and Phil Bennett, Penguins. The two-time MVP has scored in each of goal for Boston but left after the first period with the Canucks, who played their last game before the saying ‘yes, yes’. Of course they are. But I (Scotland’s) Colin Deans. They were great Pittsburgh’s last seven home games, the longest an undisclosed illness. The Bruins said Gustavsson All-Star break. Vancouver just returned from a 10- know that’s not the real situation. I know players. “It’s a tournament full of tradi- home scoring streak of his career. Phil Kessel added was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for day road trip that resulted in a 3-2-1 record. Ryan we’ll have our differences. tion and emotion. The rivalry between an insurance goal, and the Penguins have won four observation after allowing two goals on 16 shots. Miller made 17 saves in his first home start since “We’ll work it out and find out a way the countries is immense, so to be part of five to draw even with the Devils for eighth place Starter Tuukka Rask took over for Gustavsson at the Dec. 9. in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star start of the second period and stopped 19 of 22 to make the team successful. It’s a nice of it is a great honour and very hum- break. Cory Schneider made 29 saves for the Devils, shots. Zach Trotman and Zdeno Chara scored for SHARKS 6, AVALANCHE 1 honeymoon at the moment.” bling.” — AFP who saw their four-game winning streak snapped. Boston. Joe Thornton had two assists to become the New Jersey went 0 for 4 on the power play, manag- 33rd player to reach 1,300 career points, and San ing just one shot on goal during 8 minutes with the JETS 5, COYOTES 2 Jose extended its point streak to 10 games with a man advantage. Rookie Nikolaj Ehlers had a hat trick and Dustin victory over Colorado. Byfuglien added two goals and an assist to help Thornton assisted on goals by Tomas Hertl and PANTHERS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 1 Winnipeg beat Arizona. Veteran winger Blake Joe Pavelski to reach the milestone and send the Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck scored Wheeler assisted on all of Ehlers’ goals, and Ehlers’ Sharks into the All-Star break on their longest point power-play goals and Florida rolled into the All- first hat trick extended his point streak to four streak since a 10-game run during the 2010-11 sea- Star break on another good note by topping games.