sport magazine 310
DESCRIPTION
In this week's Sport: Lions captain Sam Warburton speaks exclusively about leading his side in Australia and why he believes they can emerge victorious | Judy Murray and Martin Weston from the LTA on the state of British tennis | Laura Robson interview | Our preview of Wimbledon's big hitters | Tommy Bowe's Lions tour diaryTRANSCRIPT
Issue 310 | June 21 2013
W e
C a n
B e
H e r o e s
L i o n s C a p t a i n s a m W a r B u r t o n i s r e a d y t o m a k e H i s t o r y
THE LIONS VS
THE WALLABIES. IT’S bEEN 12 YEARS SINCE THEY LAST MET.
PRESENTED bY
The fi rst Test of the Tour is almost
here, so check out how things have
changed since the last time The Lions
took on The Wallabies in 2001.
It looks like the tables may
have turned in our favour.
We’re very proud to be a sponsor of
The British & Irish Lions on their Tour
to Australia in 2013. That’s why we’re
using Offi ce 365 to bring you the best
stats and facts from all the games.
Find and share more fi eld facts and
rugby stats from The Lions Tour at
microsoft.co.uk/graphingthegame
#LionsOffi ce365
5
0
10
25
30
35
Gameswon
20
15
Averagepoints per
game Largestwin margin
1st Test
2nd Test
3rd Test
Lions
Australia
HOW THEY MEASURE UP.SEE THE SCORE bEFORE THE FIRST TEST.
PRESENTED bY
THE TOP SCORERS.
KNOW THE PLAYERS WITH THE POINTS.
ON FINE FORM.
CHECK OUT HOW THEY’VE bEEN PERFORMING.
50
0
100
150
200
250
300
LeighHalfpenny
JonathanSexton
BrianO'Driscoll
JamesO’Connor
BerrickBarnes
AdamAshley-Cooper
Lions Australia
Tomorrow The Lions go head to head with The Wallabies for the fi rst time in 12 years, but how do the two teams stack up?
Our boys are defi nitely on top in terms of tackles and points, and they’ve performed well on The Tour so far. Good luck, because this is still going to be one tough Test.
#LionsOffi ce365
The Lions’ last 10 games (to 17.6.13)
THE TOUGHEST TACKLERS.
MEET THE FIERCEST FORWARDS ON THE FIELD.
2
0
4
6
8
10
12
GeoffParling
TobyFaletau
SeanO’Brien
MichaelHooper
SitalekiTimani
WycliffPalu
Lions Australia
Average tackles per game since January 2012
International Test points (to 14.6.13)
20
-10
0
10
30
40
50
60
70
vs Com
bined
QLD
-NSW
(2013
)
vs NSW
Wara
tahs
(2013
)
vs QLD
Reds
(2013
)
vs West
ern F
orce
(2013
)
vs Barb
arians
(2013
)
vs South
Afr
ica
(2009)
vs South
Afr
ica
(2009)
vs Em
ergin
g
Springboks (
2009)
vs South
Afr
ica
(2009)
vs So
uthern
Kin
gs
(2009)
ON THE BALL.
TRACKING THE LIONS SUCCESS.
2013 Tour (to 17.6.13)
75%
70%
65%
60%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
vs Barbarians vs WesternForce
vs QLD Reds vs Waratahsvs CombinedNSW-QLD Country
Scrum success % Lineout success % Tackle success %
Win
/ lo
ss m
arg
in
05
Issue 310, June 21 2013
Radar
05 Christ Air: max Pro-skateboarder Danny Way
performs that particular move, and
many others, in a new documentary
06 Flashback: June 1963 Author and sports historian Norman
Giller remembers the night when Our
‘Enry floored the then Cassius Clay
08 Vugar Huseynzade The man who turned Football
Manager into a career, and not just
a magnificently frustrating hobby
o this coming weekFeatures
16 Sam Warburton The Lions captain on his rapid rise,
leading his side in Australia and
why he believes they can emerge
victorious from the Test series
31 The state of British tennis We ask Judy Murray, among others,
why Henry VIII’s favourite pastime
struggles to produce more UK talent
35 Wimbledon preview Our profile of the top five-ranked
players in the men’s and women’s
game, and their chances in SW19
39 Laura Robson Looking ahead to her home Slam,
the British number one says there
is still room for improvement
Extra Time
50 Gadgets The new MacBook Air. Slightly more
expensive than the new Nike Airs
52 Kit Tennis rackets that will give you a
backhand like Federer. Possibly
54 Grooming Shower gels to keep you fresh this
summer (until you get on the Tube)
60 Entertainment World War Z pits Brad against some
distinctly unhandsome flesh-eaters
16
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Contents
35
60
39
| June 21 2013 | 03
| June 21 2013 | 05
Radarp06 – Flashback: the most famous punch in British sporting history
p08 – Vugar Huseynzade: turning Football Manager into a full-time job
B
Parachute problems
p06 – MotoGP13: get your adrenaline fix without risking life and limb
rave though it was of pro skater Danny
Way to try to emulate Felix Baumgartner’s
leap from space, he should really have got
it all signed off first. You are not, of course, actually
watching what would surely be a disastrous world
record attempt. This is Way performing what’s known
as a ‘Christ Air’ in San Diego, and it’s just one of
several outlandish stunts he’s performed during an
illustrious career that’s seen him jump out of a
helicopter on his board and ollie over the Great Wall
of China. Brand new documentary Waiting for
Lightning charts the highs and lows of the on-board
life of one of the world's best boarders.
At selected screens from today. Find out
more at waitingforlightningthemovie.comMik
e B
ab
lac
Radar
06 | June 21 2013 |
Da
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Fifty years ago this week, Henry Cooper
landed the most famous punch in British
boxing history, sending Muhammad Ali to the
canvas. Sportswriter Norman Giller, ringside
at Wembley that night, tells us the true tale.
“The fight stopped the country at the time,
because Henry was much loved and everyone
thought Ali – Cassius Clay, as he was – was
just a braggart. Henry was actually on top in
the third round, but that was when he got the
cut eye. In the fourth, he was desperate: he
backed Clay on to the ropes and Henry’s left
hook came over in an arc to his jaw... and it was
as if Clay had been shot. He fell. Everybody in
Wembley was up on their feet. It was chaos.
As he got up, we thought Henry would finish
it, but the bell had gone to end the round.
“Clay staggered back to his corner as if he
was drunk. He sat down then suddenly jumped
up from his stool. We thought it was because
his senses were still all over the place, but as
[trainer] Angelo Dundee admitted years later,
he’d stuck smelling salts – which were illegal
– under his nose, and that’s how Ali reacted.
“Also, Angelo dug his finger into a rip in
Ali’s glove and made it worse, then called the
referee Tommy Little over and said: ‘Look, we
can’t fight with this glove.’ [The plan was to
create a delay]. Tommy was dithering, but he
decided to let the fight continue. He did call
for another glove, but it didn’t get there until
after the fifth round had started.
“By then, Clay had his senses back, and
he just went for the eye in the fifth round.
A tattoo of left jabs landed and it started
spurting blood like an oil gusher – a terrible
thing to see. The referee had no option but
to stop it right away.
“The length of the delay gets exaggerated,
though. I used to work in television; I got into
their archive once, and was able to watch it in
real time. The interval was 66 seconds. So he
gained an extra six seconds with the glove.
Some people since have said it was an extra
minute or more, but no way was it.
“The two became really big pals later on.
I have to be careful about how I used this
word, but they really did love each other.
Ali was a wonderful man, as was Henry.”
June 18 1963
Cooper crushes Clay
Henry Cooper: A Hero for All Time by Norman
Giller is out now, £20 (Biteback Publishing)
<<FLASHBACK <<
AdrenAline rushhere are few sports more thrilling or, indeed, dangerous
to the limbs of their participants than MotoGP – especially
not since Dodgeaxe was outlawed. Still, MotoGP13 gives
you the chance to experience that rush from the safety of your
own home, and with little danger of dismemberment (unless you’re
really bad at it). The officially licensed game even has a career mode
that lets you step inside the leathers of your favourite riders.
MotoGP13 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
T
Radar
Vugar Huseynzadefootball manager addict turned football manager (sort of)
is mouthful of a name might not be
memorable, but you’ll probably recall
Vugar Huseynzade’s story. He made
headlines last year, as the man who fulfilled
all our dreams and supposedly turned his
Football Manager prowess into a full-time
job as manager of Azerbaijani Premier
League club Baku FC. When we spoke to the
22-year-old, however, we were surprised to
meet a sharp-suited articulate young man –
and not the unshaven Dorito-dusted mess
that we usually associate with Football
Manager addiction (ourselves included).
You are widely reported as being ‘manager’,
but what exactly is your role at Baku FC?
“It’s something between sporting director
and manager – everything but head coach.”
How has your gaming experience helped?
“I didn’t get the job because of the game, but
it helped me with knowing the basics. Imagine
if you start a restaurant business and you’d
never had anything to do with it before –
of course it’d be easier if you downloaded
Restaurant Tycoon and try it on that first.”
Did you have trouble getting players onside?
“I had some struggles with them at the
beginning because of my age, but with time
they learn to respect you when you show
your personality.”
HDo you still use the game now to help you?
“The scouting system has helped me,
because I can approximately know how
good a player is. We signed one guy who
I found on Football Manager, from
Romania. He was a good transfer – he
scored five goals in his first six games.”
And your proudest in-game achievement?
“Well, when you’ve played since 2002...
everything that’s possible. I even won the
Champions League with Tamworth. They’d
have named a stadium after me in reality.”
Tamworth seems an odd choice?
“I was at home one day watching Eurosport,
and I saw them playing against Leeds in a
cup game. They had nice shirts – that’s
how kids get interested in things, you
know – and they played okay against Leeds,
which is a big team if you compare it with
Tamworth. So I started playing with them.”
Who are your managerial idols?
[Instantly] “Jose Mourinho.”
That explains the suit. Why Mourinho?
“He is a strong and attractive personality.
You don’t tire of looking at him, you know?”
Frankly, we’re sick of him already.
“I don’t understand you then!”
Ion
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od
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08 | June 21 2013 |
dense and lovely brick of a book that the All England Club would probably
love to make required reading, the third edition of the the official history of
Wimbledon takes the story of the famous tournament up to 2012 with photos,
documents from the archives, and memorable moments from SW19’s grass courts.
In short, it’s a lovingly produced record of almost a century of British failure.
Wimbledon: The Official History, by John Barrett, £30 from visionsp.co.uk
A
Lawn knower
| 09
10 | June 21 2013 |
Radar Editor’s letter
Editor-in-chief
Simon Caney
@simoncaney
Sport magazinePart of UTV Media plc
18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ
Telephone: 020 7959 7800
Fax: 020 7959 7942
Email: [email protected]
EditorialEditor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951)
Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954)
Art editor: John Mahood (7860)
Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431)
Senior writers:
Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915)
Staff writers:
Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914)
Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961)
Designer: Matthew Samson (7861)
Digital designer: Chris Firth (7952)
Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963)
Contributors: David Lawrenson
Commercial Head of Sales: Iain Duffy (7991)
Advertising Managers:
Steve Hare (7930), Aaron Pinto del Rio (7918)
Sales Executive: Joe Grant (7904)
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Managing Director: Calum Macaulay
Office Manager: Deborah Dilworth (7826)
Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd
Printed by: Wyndeham Group Ltd
© UTV Media plc 2012
UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content
of advertisements placed in Sport magazine
£1 where sold
Hearty thanks to: Simon Lush, Norman Giller,
Suzanne Sangster, Maria Nicolaides,
Danielle Spriggs, John Collard, Abbie Muntz
at fauxpink.com
Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.
LAUNCH OFTHE YEAR
2008
Total Average Distribution:
302,466 Jul-Dec 2012
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Justin Rose always was a terrific golfer. He had a
handicap of plus-one aged 14, won countless
amateur events and made the Walker Cup team
as a 17-year-old. The path ahead seemed clear.
But golf’s history is littered by prodigies who never
fulfilled their talent. We’re not talking Sergio Garcia and his
inability to win a Major, we’re talking Gordon Sherry
(remember him) and his inability to get the ball in the hole
at any price. Or Sam Randolph. Or Lee James. Or Steve
Scott. All of them, at one stage, were predicted for
greatness. None of them managed it. And after Rose
turned pro in 1998 (after finishing fourth in the Open
Championship), it seemed he was destined to go down
the same route.
In his first 21 tournaments as a professional, he missed
21 cuts. Lesser men (not necessarily lesser golfers) would
have been broken. At the age of just 18, Rose was wilting
in the public spotlight. It almost didn’t help that his Open
exploits still made him box office, so tournament invitations
kept coming. And his form made for car-crash viewing:
everyone wanted to see if he could make a cut – and, if he
couldn’t, how badly would he play?
Rose, though, kept believing in himself. Eventually, he
did make a cut; then another. Then he started getting
competitive. And in 2002 he won his first event: the
Dunhill Championship in South Africa.
It has taken a further 11 years for him to land the Major
championship that so many predicted would come his way
when he was a mere child. But that is typical of Rose. He’s
improved every year and he works incredibly hard at his
game, despite his enormous natural ability. He’s one of the
good guys in sport, and his success has been well-earned.
Personally, I can’t wait for the real stuff to start on the
Lions tour. I know the squad, by its nature, needs plenty
of practice games, but it has felt like a very drawn-out
phoney war so far. One suspects the fireworks this
weekend will be worth it, though...
And in the same week, we have Wimbledon starting.
Ah, the British sporting summer really can be wonderful.
Quite honestly, the fact that the first football fixtures of
the season were announced this week depressed me
somewhat. The days start getting shorter tomorrow, folks.
Bloomin’ greatBeneath Justin Rose’s mild-mannered facade lurks a steely self-belief that netted a US Open
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Reader comments of the week
@Sportmaguk absolutely
love a good read of Sport
Magazine on the train every
Friday!
@AmandaFoxPR
Brilliant article in today’s
@Sportmaguk on Andy
Murray. Well written by
@sarahsportmag and great
insight. Read it if you haven’t
@Mel_Baroni
@Sportmaguk Always
entertaining to read
about how rubbish the
Aussies are at sport...
(hope that doesn’t come
back to haunt me though)
@IanMcDougall1
@TommyBowe14
@Sportmaguk great read.
Great to hear your recovery
going great .
@Forde14
@billborrows Now that’s a
funny article. Put a smile on
my Friday morning
@Sportmaguk
@seblalys
Free iPad app available on iPad, Kindle and Android devices
Happy Days
@Sportmaguk now
available on iPhone (as
well as iPad) would highly
recommend to sports
fans #itsfree
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Get in touch @sportmaguk [email protected]
Looking up: Rose said
his US Open win was “a lot of
boyhood dreams paying off”
CONTAINS MODERATE VIOLENCE AND DRUG REFERENCES12A
★★★★
12 | June 21 2013 |
Radar Opinion
And so, in the same week that Andy Murray donated his £73,000 prize money
from Queen’s to the Royal Marsden hospital
– where his close friend Ross Hutchins is
undergoing chemotherapy – and an emotional
Justin Rose dedicated his US Open win to his
late father, it was announced Gareth Bale
had successfully registered his trade mark
with the Intellectual Property Office.
Wow! That was my first response. How can
you trademark falling over without any other
human contact whatsoever? Heart attack
victims, clumsy pedestrians, toddlers and
pensioners – the legal system will grind to a
halt within days. But then I discovered that,
at this stage, it is just his heart-shaped hand
thing that he invented after seeing it used by
influential opinion-formers such as Taylor
Swift, Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber.
Oh, and he has also trademarked the
number 11. Who knew you could trademark
numbers? Perhaps it counts only if both are
used in conjunction.
Da
vid
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Bale stretches meaning of intellectual property
It’s like this…Bill Borrows
the trunks would have been of the suitcase
rather than the swimwear variety.
But the standout item has to be the
officially endorsed Gareth Bale walking stick
– what could be more appropriate? An aid for
staying upright for those who often find
themselves on the floor for no apparent
reason. He should be commended for
this, surely.
And much else besides, for several good
things have come from Mr Bale’s decision to
successfully apply for a trade mark. In the
first place, we now know what it is supposed
to be; many football fans have previously
assumed that it was a ham-fisted attempt to
indicate the amount of medals he has won or
ever will win as a Tottenham player. Secondly,
manufacturers of goods bearing this trade
mark can now provide the general public with
an important visual aid as to the particular
mindset of anybody over the age of seven
wearing said ‘branded items’.
And finally, in an entirely unintentional
display of Olympic-level irony, he has now
guaranteed that if you once used to think of
the ‘heart’ thing when you heard the name
Gareth Bale (I’m guessing Spurs fans, young
girls and women of a certain age), the rest
of us now automatically think of another –
wildly more popular – hand gesture. Try and
trademark that, Gareth.
@billborrows
David Flatman is away sulking after cycling
982 miles in nine days and losing only 0.6kg.
He will be back next Friday, we hope
Plank of the WeekMike Ashley, Newcastle United
“I know what we need,” billionaire retail entrepreneur Mike Ashley
must have said to himself after Newcastle secured their place
in the Premier League for another year. “I need to bring in
Joe Kinnear as director of football. Let’s face it, the dual
management team of Dennis Wise/Kevin Keegan of 2008-09 was
an outstanding success.” What could possibly go wrong?
I haven’t really got the time or space to
go through trade mark UK00002657917
(www.ipo.gov.uk/tmcase/Results/1/
UK00002657917) in great detail, but the
accompanying diagram looks like it might
have been drawn by an out-of-work Scooby
Doo fan on an acid trip.
However, it does talk about the use of the
trademark in relation to “precious metals
and their alloys and goods in precious metals
or coated therewith, not included in other
classes; jewellery, precious stones;
horological and chronometric instruments,
parts and fittings for the aforesaid goods.”
Stick with it… “Leather and imitations of
leather, and goods made of these materials
and not included in other classes; animal
skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags;
umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks;
whips, harness and saddlery”, and
concluding with “clothing, footwear and
headgear”. So, that’s imitation leather
trunks, whips, harness and [that’s enough of
that, Ed]. I was actually going to explain that
The standout item has to be the officially endorsed Gareth Bale walking stick – what could be more appropriate?
14 | June 21 2013 |
Frozen in time
| 15
Not coolA forearm in the neck, a faceful of ice and all
6ft 9ins of Zdeno Chara mounting you like a randy
bear: the ongoing Stanley Cup games have not
been kind to the Chicago Blackhawks’ Bryan
Bickell. Boston Bruins bully Chara is the tallest
player in NHL history, learned his trade in Iron
Curtain-era Czechoslovakia and is so scary that
his own helmet appears to be making a break
for it. Bickell is probably still lying there now, too
terrified to see if Chara has got up, frantically
licking the ice as he was no doubt instructed to. Ja
red
Wic
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18 | June 7 2013 |
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Sam Warburton
| June 21 2013 | 17
C A P T A I N
M A T E R I A LF R o M R E d C A R d C A T A s T R o P h E T o L I o N s L E A d E R s h I P , I T ’ s b E E N A h E L L o F A j o u R N E y F o R s A M W A R b u R T o N P o R T R A I T b y j o N E N o C h
Sam Warburton
18 | June 21 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Da
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Two years, 17 days, 20 hours,
35 minutes. When the British and Irish
Lions take to the field to face Australia
in the first Test tomorrow morning,
that’s exactly how long will have
passed since Sam Warburton first
captained his country.
“It’s mad, isn’t it?” the man tasked with
leading the Lions laughs when we remind him
how short a time it’s taken him to earn the
ultimate honour. “But I’ve been through quite
a lot in two years, through injuries, changes
in form, media appearances and all that –
so I’m much much more relaxed now than I
was in 2011. As time goes on… hang on, it’s
only two years, and I’m talking like I’m 60!
As you get a bit more experience, though,
you do appreciate things a bit more, really.
And that’s the way I feel about this tour.
I’m here to enjoy it.”
We’re sitting with Warburton on the eve
of the Lions departure. Swathes of shiny new
Lions kit and his smart new Thomas Pink suit
aside, there’s something very different about
the Cardiff Blues man: an extra confidence,
a marked maturity, and a sureness of step
that belie his 24 years.
It might be only two years since he was first
given the Welsh captaincy, and four since his
international debut, but his career has
already encompassed one World Cup, two
Six Nations victories, a seven-match winless
streak, World Cup ranking ignominy and a
bucketload of injuries. There is a definite
sense that the journey has made the man.
“I’ve definitely changed,” Warburton
agrees. “I was recognised by one person in
town the night I made my first Millennium
Stadium start back in 2009, and I remember
looking at my fiancée and being like: ‘This is
crazy.’ Then suddenly there’s the captaincy,
the World Cup, the red card, the Grand Slam,
the second Six Nations title and the captain’s
announcement for the Lions. If you’d taken
me from then to now at the click of a finger,
I guess I wouldn’t have been able to deal
with it. But things have just escalated.
“The World Cup was the biggest shock for
me, and the hardest, because the captaincy
was such a big deal – and I got thrown into
the public eye with everything that happened
around that red card [in the World Cup semi
final]. I think I definitely learned from that
experience, because it was a tough one. >
T a k e m e f r o m m y w a l e s d e b u T T o n o w a T T h e c l i c k o f a f i n g e r , a n d i w o u l d n ’ T b e a b l e T o d e a l w i T h i T . T h i n g s h a v e j u s T e s c a l a T e d
Sam Warburton
20 | June 21 2013 |
That’s what has made me so relaxed now,
because I’ve been through those experiences
– not many people have been through that
much in their whole career. It’s good and bad.
But I guess it’s all prepared me for this.”
‘This’ being the Lions captaincy, of course,
and Warburton is happy to admit he’s loving
his new role. “It just feels right, and I guess
because I’ve always wanted it to happen,
being in this situation hasn’t surprised me,”
he reflects. “I don’t mean that to sound
arrogant, but I’ve always wanted it from a
very young age, so I’ve always wondered what
it’d be like. And, now I have it, I’m loving it.”
L E A D E R O F T H E P A C KHaving missed the first games with injury,
and watched from the side as his team lost
to the Brumbies on Tuesday, it’s not all been
plain sailing for the Lions skipper. The first
real test starts tomorrow, though, with...
well, the first Test. And it’s a match that will
see Warburton and his fellow Welshmen
Pa
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Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
dominate the make-up of the side. It’s one
accusation that has been levelled at this
squad a number of times: a Welsh bias that
runs through from top to bottom, with three
coaches from the Wales squad and no fewer
than 15 Welsh players making up the original
37-man selection (even if injury subsequently
ruled Gethin Jenkins out). What does the
captain make of that?
“Everybody who complained probably
isn’t Welsh, because everybody wants to see
more of their countrymen picked, obviously,”
Warburton readily admits. “Warren [Gatland]
always says he likes to pick according to
players’ form when they’re in the most
pressurised situation, and you probably
couldn’t have had a more pressurised
situation than that Six Nations showdown
between us and England. You get those rare
players who can switch it on when the
pressure’s on, and that’s what the coaches
are looking for. That was the closest
environment you could create to a Lions tour
– having to perform under that pressure –
so I guess some 50/50 decisions went in
the Welsh favour after that. It makes the
transition easier for me as well, of course,
because I’m very familiar with a lot of the
players and lean on a lot of them.”
So, Wales won the Six Nations and
the Wales coach was in charge of the
subsequent Lions tour. Surely Warburton
knew he was going to get the captaincy?
“No, I had no indication whatsoever,
which is what made the whole thing more
surprising,” he insists. “I would have put my
mortgage on Brian O’Driscoll, and that’s
what I was telling people prior to the
announcement. Four days before I found out,
the bookies closed betting on myself – and
that’s when I realised I had a bit of a chance.”
And after he found out? “I lied to a heck of
a lot of people,” Warburton laughs. “The day it
was announced, I must have had about 100
texts from people saying: ‘You told me you
didn’t have it.’ But what else could I do?
I don’t think it would have made a good first
impression if I’d have told people and it >
y O u C O u L D n ’ T H A v E H A D A m O R E P R E s s u R i s E D s i T u A T i O n T H A n T H A T s i x n A T i O n s s H O w D O w n . T H A T w A s T H E C L O s E s T E n v i R O n m E n T y O u C O u L D g E T T O A L i O n s T O u R
Up, and under pressure:
Warburton outjumps
England’s Geoff Parling
in March’s Six Nations
decider in Cardiff
Sam Warburton
22 | June 21 2013 |
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leaked out. I told my fiancée straight away,
then my mum and dad and my brother and
sister. After that, I kept my cards very close
to my chest. Deny, deny, deny.”
Once the announcement was made, the
naysayers emerged. How can a man who
hasn’t been on a Lions tour lead the team?
It should have been [insert your own
preference here]. Warburton just shrugs:
“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I
don’t agree. At the end of the day, you’re
going to a place to play rugby where you’re
going to have a ton of support. When you
come together and bring four regions
together for Wales, you have to gel. And it’s
the same thing but on a bigger scale. I’ve got
a very laidback approach to everything, so
it won’t stress me out, but I don’t think you
have to have past experience. Besides, there
are other senior players in the group who
can help in certain aspects anyway. I’m not
taking absolutely everything on myself.
There is a leadership group there to spread
the workload.”
E y E s o n t h E A u s s i E sClearly, Warburton is a man who’s sure of
himself – and he’s happy to share his
considerable responsibilities. The buck,
though, will stop with the man wearing the
number seven shirt if the Lions come up
short tomorrow. Or, even worse, come up
short throughout the series.
“We know we have the makings to beat
Australia,” Warburton reassures us.
“We came so close last time around with
Wales [in December, losing 12-14], but we
just came up short because of a few minor
lapses in concentration. We came close
enough to know we can win. And, hopefully,
adding the players from other nations will tip
the scales in our favour.”
There’s that Welsh bias again. It’s hard to
get away from, as Warburton readily admits:
“We’ve tweaked a lot of stuff, but obviously
there are going to be some similarities to
the way we play with Wales. There is some
responsibility on us Welsh boys to help coach
the others and to lead the way, but then we
have the differences that make us the team
we are. Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell,
Manu Tuilagi, Stuart Hogg – these players
add something different, and then there’s
Andy Farrell coaching us the English
defensive style, or Graham Rowntree leading
the forwards in his way. It’s good, because
it keeps everyone on their toes and keeps
us learning.”
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
But what of the opposition? Crippled by
injuries – and a few problems of the players’
own making – the Aussies are lacking the X
factor of old, and are being written off by all
and sundry. But Warburton, as you’d expect,
doesn’t see it that way.
“Both teams are in the same situation in a
way, with players missing injured,” he says.
“We’re coming off the back of a long season,
so I think it’s a level playing field and there
are no complaints. The worst thing that could
happen is to win a nailbiting Test series and
then for somebody to say afterwards that
if [David] Pocock was playing, that would
have made a difference. I don’t think those
excuses will be there, though. The Super XV
players have been performing brilliantly, and
a few lesser-known names are putting their
hands up for selection. It’s certainly not a
coincidence, and I guess it shows how much
it means to Australia.”
It clearly means a lot to Warburton as
well, and leading out the Lions in Brisbane
tomorrow will mark another huge step on his
incredible journey. The ultimate step, in fact.
It’s something we put to the man with four
nations’ hopes in his hand – having reached
the peak of his game, what comes next?
“Four years ago, I was on the development
tour with Wales to the US and Canada during
the Lions tour, so that does seem pretty
weird when I think about it,” he agrees. “I do
appreciate it is the top of British rugby, but
I’m definitely not planning to stop just yet.
There are always more targets to reach for.
So what would motivate me is to do it again
and again on consecutive tours, because I’m
not sure how many times it’s been done.
I just want to keep going.”
After the impact he’s made in the past two
years, it’s hard to see anything stopping Sam
Warburton. Not even Australia.
Mark Coughlan @coffers83
Sam Warburton is an ambassador for Thomas
Pink, official outfitters to the British and Irish
Lions. The Lions Collection is now available to buy
at www.thomaspink.com
Leading the charge:
Warburton carries the
ball during the Lions’
47-17 defeat of the New
South Wales Waratahs
in Sydney last weekend
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Paul O’Connell
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British & Irish Lions
Ahead of the first British &
Irish Lions Test against
Australia, we take a look at
the challenge in store for
Warren Gatland’s men
The honeymoon – if that’s what we’re calling it
– is well and truly over now, and all eyes turn
to Brisbane for the first Test tomorrow.
Defeat to the Brumbies on Tuesday will have
hurt this squad, make no mistake, but the kick
up the rear that it provided could be exactly
what they needed after a relatively easy – dare we
say dull – tour to date. History tells you that the first
Test is all-important (the winner of the first Test has
won four of the past five series), and with both sides
coming in relatively undercooked – the Lions because
of a lack of quality opposition, the Aussies because of
Robbie Deans’ decision to withdraw his Test players
from the frontline – defeat is not an option.
Australia
Having discussed the undercooked Wallabies who
have been sat in camp for weeks on end, there is no
denying that the Super XV form of the Aussies has
been outstanding. The loss of David Pocock and Scott
Higginbotham will be huge, but the back-up players
have been on form and will cause problems. Up front,
the Aussie scrum issues that have haunted them for
so long have definitely been tweaked, and Stephen
Moore leads the front row well. It’s behind the pack
where the questions really come, however, with
James O’Connor leading a safe, defensive backline
that lacks the X factor of years gone by. Expect a lot
of kicking and big carries, and expect the Aussies to
play their rugby in the Lions half. Digby Ioane’s return
to fitness is a huge boost, while Israel Folau is a
dangerous player, but Deans has played it pretty
safe. He’s clearly trying to suppress the Lions more
than unleash the Wallabies.
Lions
For the Lions, meanwhile, injuries have caused their
own issues. The power of the second row means
they will cause problems at the scrum, and getting
good ball on the front foot will be important to give
Mike Phillips and Jonny Sexton the space to create
chances. The pack boast ball carriers everywhere,
with Sam Warburton the perfect foil thanks to his
ability to spoil and turn ball over. The real question
marks for the Lions hang over their lineout, which
needs to click in a way it hasn’t so far on Aussie soil,
and the lack of game time the centres have had
together in recent weeks. If the centre pairing click,
the Lions could unlock the Australia defence. Get in
behind them, win the penalties and the metronomic
boot of Leigh Halfpenny (above) could win this game.
T h i s i s
A T e s T
Keys To success Three elemenTs The lions hAve To geT righT Tomorrow
seT-piece supremAcyThe scrum will be a key area
the Lions can target, but
they need to sort the lineout
as well. The lack of clean
ball midweek ultimately cost
them – they really need
to get good ball to their
world-class halfback
pairing.
sTop will geniAJames O’Connor lacks
experience at 10, but the man
inside him is the leader of this
team and can unlock a
defence with a turn of
pace, a flick of a wrist
or his accurate kicking.
If Warburton is
targeting O’Connor,
the rest of the back row
need to watch Genia (right)
closely and give him no space.
geT The wingers inTo The gAmeTommy Bowe and George North (below) have
proved what damage wingers can do on the hard
ground, and it’s thanks to their ball-hunting style.
The creativity of the
Lions centres will
develop gaps, so the
men tasked with the
wing jobs need to run
off the shoulder. Do
that, and they can get
behind the first-up
defence.
24 | June 21 2013 |
AustrAliA v British & irish lions | suncorp stAdium, BrisBAne | sky sports 1 11.05Am
26 | June 21 2013 |
British & Irish Lions
It’s been a really frustrating time for me, not being able to
take part in training. I got my boots on earlier this week
for my first run-out, though, and it was great to get out
and moving again. My hand’s starting to feel a lot better –
and resemble a normal hand again, which is nice – but I’m not
putting any targets on it at the moment. Jamie Heaslip and a
few of the boys have started to call me ‘Food Bill’ because all
I’m doing is eating at the minute. So it’ll be nice to put that
nickname to bed, if nothing else!
For the rest of the boys, training has really stepped up.
It’s been crazy with all the injuries, but we were on a real
high after last week’s win over the Waratahs. It was always
going to be a really tough match, and they really took it to
us at the breakdown, but I thought we weathered the storm
really well. To come away with 40-odd points was an amazing
result. The disappointment of the loss against the Brumbies
has been felt across the entire squad, and has reminded us
of the challenge that awaits us on Saturday. The intensity
has really stepped up this week ahead of the first Test.
My old Ospreys teammate Shane Williams coming down
was a real shock for all the media, but he’s a class player and
there have been so many injuries in the backline – so it was
great to have him down. We now have seven wingers and six
centres on tour, so it’ll be really competitive when we’re all fit
and raring to go. I thought Simon Zebo was tremendous last
week; he showed just how professional players can arrive
and step straight up to the challenge.
More on the social side, things have improved since we got
to Sydney – we’re not travelling so much and training was
cut back a bit last week because of our injuries, so we’ve had
a bit more downtime to get out and enjoy the area. A few
guys went to the rugby league last week as well, and our
social committee is still coming up with little things like that.
Having said that, the restaurant I talked about last week
didn’t go down too well with the boys. It was meant to be a
top-class steakhouse, but Crofty came back to inform me it
was a steak and a pint for 10 dollars, so I don’t think the
quality was too good. I think I have a fine coming...
The music side of things has changed a bit on the bus, too.
We have Alex Corbisiero with us now, who’s a great rapper,
so himself and Simon Zebo had a rap-off the other day.
Alex came out winner, but him and Zeebs clearly have some
talent. It’s certainly different – Matt Stevens and Jamie
Roberts are probably a little bit disappointed, but the singing
has taken a back seat to rapping and beatboxing.
@TommyBowe14
‘The intensity has gone up’Ahead of the first Test, the winger writes from inside an ever-growing Lions camp
©IN
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‘My hand is starting to
resemble a normal hand
again, which is nice’
The State of British Tennis
| June 21 2013 | 31
“Our new vision for British
tennis is ‘Winning’,” declared
the Lawn Tennis Association
in October 2006. It took some time for
Britain’s players to start sharing that
vision, but the past two seasons have seen
British players win the Junior Davis Cup,
junior Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and
the US and French Opens, Olympic gold and
silver medals and the crowning glory: Andy
Murray’s Grand Slam success in New York.
And yet, at last month’s French Open,
there was not one British player left in the
senior singles tournament when the second
round began. Murray’s niggly back muscles
were partly to blame for that, but the reality
is that he remains a one-man band when it
comes to playing in the latter stages of the
sport’s biggest events.
It’s a reality that the governing body of
British tennis and their outgoing chief
executive Roger Draper have spent well-
documented piles of money on trying to
alter since making their bold statement.
The company line has always been ‘it will
take time’. But when participation figures
were found to have fallen by 25 per cent
last April, it looked as though the only
movement made by British tennis had
been in the wrong direction.
A year on, and the latest figures from
Sport England show a slight rise in the
numbers of people playing tennis. But it’s
still not enough, say those who devote their
every waking hour to the game. “Compare
us to France,” says Judy Murray, the
captain of Britain’s Fed Cup team, a tennis
coach for more than 30 years and bearer of
Britain’s only Grand Slam singles champion
since 1936. “We have a similar population,
but they have a real culture of tennis.
So they have 10 times as many players,
10 times as many clubs and probably 20
times as many competitions – and they are
an incredibly strong tennis nation.
“For us, tennis is very much a numbers
game. We have to work hard at creating
more places for people to play in order to
attract new people into the game, and that
means taking tennis into areas where
perhaps it hasn’t been as accessible before.
There’s a big job to be done there. Over the
past 20 years or so, we’ve lost a lot of park
courts and school courts because they
haven’t been used enough. The interest
wasn’t there. Now we need to find a way
to get them back, so that there are places
for people to play that are both accessible
and affordable.”
A wider net More players is also the cry coming from
Martin Weston, men’s tennis manager at
the LTA. His focus is on player development
from the age of 12 upwards, and he’s in no
doubt as to what would make his job easier.
“More players,” he says. “If you can create
the critical mass, then you start to get into
the luxurious part of a sport where you can
have what I grandiosely refer to as ‘organic
development’. We spend a lot of time trying
to create players through good coaching,
good talent identification, good strength
and conditioning. But if you can get lots of
people competing with each other, then a
certain amount of that takes place naturally.”
How to create that critical mass is the
real head-scratcher, though. Facilities are
key, says Murray – but not in isolation. “We
need to make sure there’s also a workforce
on the ground that can create activity at
those facilities,” she explains. “Because the
facilities on their own won’t get the job done
– you need organisers. People who organise
fun nights or come-and-try sessions, or
even just open equipment boxes in public
courts so people who don’t have their own
rackets or balls can borrow them.”
When it comes to getting more rackets
into more hands, however, Weston believes
Britain’s needs go deeper than simply
handing them out to people whose interest
in the game has already been piqued.
“Tennis isn’t particularly accessible in
Serbia, but they still knock out players,” he
says. “I wouldn’t indulge myself with any
excuse – it’s partly about getting the British
public to fall in love with tennis, and that is a
big challenge. It’s a challenge for every sport.
The British public, it seems, are in love with
football. We want them to fall in love with
tennis. Because, if they saw what I saw in
the game, then they would flood to the parks
where they can play, and more people would
go for the initiatives we’re putting together
to make the game more accessible.”
Sun, sea and lots of ballsIt’s also about doing the right things with
the players who do come through the door.
Andy Murray spent two years training at
a tennis academy in Barcelona during his
formative years – and his chief supporter,
Judy, remains pragmatic about the
advantages of leaving Britain’s unsporting
climate behind. >
Opportunity knocks
With Roger Draper stepping down from his post as the head of British tennis in September, Sport looks at how the sport is faring – and what needs to happen next
| June 21 2013 | 33
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“The weather is a challenge for us in
terms of setting up a big performance
academy,” she explains. “We have to invest
a lot in indoor facilities that are expensive.
The bulk of the tour is outdoors and on
different surfaces, anyway. We’re one of the
few countries that still has grass courts, but
we don’t have a lot of clay. We’re better off
sending our players to a warmer country on
the continent, and allowing them to do their
clay training over there.”
It’s not only the higher temperatures that
can benefit British players, though, as Murray
makes clear. “These successful overseas
academies work on numbers. We need more
and better players in our country to create
more competitive training environments.
We currently don’t have nearly enough.
And when kids get to world-class level, it
becomes even more obvious that there are
so few. We should be aiming to get to a stage
where we have a number of top-quality
performance centres in our country, so that
we can bring our best players together.”
The numbers gameWeston believes there are five elements that
are essential to turning juniors with potential
into successful seniors. “Facilities, excellent
sparring, phenomenal strength and
conditioning, a good tournament schedule
and a really good coach,” he says. “There are
some players who have been able to find
those ingredients in this country, and we
strive very hard – through our international
high-performance centre network and our
base programme at the National Training
Centre – to provide them. That said, if those
ingredients can’t be found, then I’ve got no
problem working with overseas academies
that are able to provide them.
“But you can’t take it for granted that
those five things will collide with a talent.
People have thought they could buy a golden
By players, for players
W I M B L E D O N
“Matches swing very quickly”1 8 + G A M B L E A W A R E . C O . U K
ticket – that if it worked for Heather [Watson,
who trained at the Bollettieri Academy in
Florida] and Andy, then it will work for us.
But that’s not the case. There are as many
examples of bad practice as there are good.
So we make sure the players are in the best
possible programme, wherever that might be.”
If ‘more numbers’ is the phrase that both
Murray and Weston return to most, ‘good
coaching’ comes a close second. It’s an area
Murray is a particular expert in.
“If we had more good coaches, we’d have
more good players,” she says. “It’s that
simple. In terms of getting to the top of the
game, investment in the coaching workforce
is absolutely crucial.”
It’s one area to which the incoming head
of British tennis should pay close attention.
Indeed, Draper’s impending exit after more
than seven years at the helm seems like
a golden opportunity to renew efforts all
round. With Murray at the peak of his
powers, and Watson and Laura Robson
showing signs of being able to compete
at the highest level, Murray sees “a huge
opportunity to grow the game”.
She is at pains to stress, however, that
Draper’s replacement needs to be someone
with the right intentions in order to
capitalise on that opportunity.
“It’s one thing having great role models to
get people interested in playing,” she says.
“But if you don’t have enough places to play
or people to teach the game, then you’re not
going to capitalise on what the role models
bring. I hope whoever comes in will address
the participation side, because you’re only
ever as strong as your grassroots.”
Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag
Judy Murray and Martin Weston will
lead GB’s under-18 teams at the
Aegon International. To book tickets,
visit www.aegoninternational.co.uk/
tickets or call 0844 581 3015
The State of British Tennis
The future’s bright
(clockwise from top left):
Kyle Edmund holds junior
doubles titles at both the
US and French Open, and
was part of the squad
that lifted the Junior Davis
Cup – with Evan Hoyt
and Luke Bambridge
(both also pictured) –
in 2011; 2009 US Open
juniors champion
Heather Watson; 2008
Junior Wimbledon winner
and British number one
Laura Robson
Paul O’Connell
| June 21 2013 | 35
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Wimbledon 2013 The Boys
By players, for players
W I M B L E D O N
Money back if Murray wins
1 8 + T & C ’ S A P P L Y . M A X R E F U N D £ 2 5 . G A M B L E A W A R E . C O . U K
All change?Last year’s Wimbledon titles went the way of the two most trophy-laden players in the game. Sport asks if anyone else stands a chance of getting their hands on the prizes this year
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Ranking 1
Wimbledon best
Winner: 2011
2012 result
Lost in semi finals
How’s your form?
The Serbian will arrive at
Wimbledon with the bitter
taste of his semi-final defeat
to Rafael Nadal at the French
Open still lingering. But the
world number one had been on
a four-match winning streak
against top-four opposition
until that loss and, with a 33-5
record so far this season, he
remains the favourite to add
to his tally of six Grand Slam
titles (he’s won five of the
past 10) at Wimbledon this
summer.
Andy Murray (GB)
Ranking 2
Wimbledon best
Final: 2012
2012 result
Lost in the final, and subsequently
wept in front of the world
How’s your form?
Lifting the ridiculously large
Queen’s trophy last weekend
proved Murray has recovered
from the back injury that kept
him out of the French Open.
It also means the British
number one has reached
the final of the past three
tournaments he’s played on
grass, winning two of them.
The return of Nadal (who has
won all three of their meetings
at SW19) could prove one of
the biggest obstacles to the
Scot bringing a glorious end
to that Fred Perry stat.
Roger Federer (SUI)
Ranking 3
Wimbledon best
Winner: 2003-07, 2009, 2012
2012 result
Won his seventh Wimbledon
title, and 17th Grand Slam
How’s your form?
Last year’s champion won his
warm-up event in Germany to
end a 10-month title drought
and stir echoes of a decade
ago, when his first Wimbledon
championship came a few
weeks after a win on the same
German courts. Hasn’t played
much this year in a bid to
preserve himself for the big
events, but Federer hasn’t
reached a slam final since
winning here last year. With
points to defend in SW19, the
next fortnight is crucial if he is
to remain in the top three.
David Ferrer (ESP)
Ranking 4
Wimbledon best
Quarter finals: 2012
2012 result
Reached the quarter finals,
where he lost to Murray
How’s your form?
Didn’t drop a set en route to
his first Grand Slam final in
Paris, but was outplayed by
Nadal once he got there.
The 31-year-old is one of the
most consistent players on
the Tour, but is yet to reach
the last four at Wimbledon.
This year should see him enjoy
a slightly easier draw than
normal thanks to his top-four
ranking, giving the Spaniard a
great opportunity to add at
least a Wimbledon semi final
to his CV.
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Ranking 5
Wimbledon best
Winner: 2008, 2010
2012 result
Lost to world number 100 Lukas
Rosol in the second round
How’s your form?
Pretty damn good, as it goes.
Nadal’s four-hour, 37-minute
epic against Djokovic in the
French Open semi finals was
rock-hard evidence that the
Spaniard’s assault on the
Grand Slams is far from over.
Winning a record eighth title
on his favourite surface might
not have eased all the doubts
remaining over his fragile
knees. But it proved that, when
the prize is in front of him, the
Spaniard will do whatever it
takes to get his hands on it
(and teeth into it). >
36 | June 21 2013 |
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Wimbledon 2013 The Girls
F O L L O W
G O R A N I V A N I S E V I C
U N I B E T . C O . U K / S P O R T 2 By players, for players
1 8 + G A M B L E A W A R E . C O . U K
Serena Williams (USA)
Ranking 1
Wimbledon best
Winner: 2002-03, 2009-10, 2012
2012 result
Defeated Agnieszka Radwanska
in the final to win her fifth
Wimbledon title
How’s your form?
Probably the most in-form
player in the world right
now. Williams won her 16th
Grand Slam singles title in
Paris earlier this month, to
complete a stunning 12-month
turnaround since her shock
first-round defeat at the
French Open last year.
Last year saw Williams win
Wimbledon, Olympic gold, the
US Open and the season-
ending WTA Championships –
a run that sends her into this
year’s Wimbledon with a
record of 74-3. Do not bet
against this woman.
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Ranking 2
Wimbledon best
Semi final: 2011, 2012
2012 result
Beaten in the semis by Serena
Williams – her sixth straight defeat
against the mighty American
How’s your form?
Started the season well,
winning her second Grand
Slam title in Australia and
following that with a 16th WTA
Tour title in Qatar (recording
her first win over Serena
Williams since 2009 in the
final). An ankle injury then
disrupted her season until the
clay-court swing, where she
reached her first French Open
semi final before losing to
Maria Sharapova. Considered
one of the few women capable
of beating Williams, but
questions over her mental
strength remain.
Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Ranking 3
Wimbledon best
Winner: 2004
2012 result
Knocked out in fourth round by
15th seed, Sabine Lisicki
How’s your form?
The Russian has reached five
finals so far this year, and lost
three of them to you-know-
who, including the recent
French Open final. In fact,
Sharapova’s record against
Williams is dire – she’s won
twice in their 16 meetings, and
both of those came back in
2004. Her Wimbledon record
has been inconsistent, too
– she’s reached the final only
once since lifting the trophy
there as a 17-year-old.
Another final is within her
powers, but even if she does
make it, there are no prizes
for guessing what will
probably happen next.
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
Ranking 4
Wimbledon best
Final: 2012
2012 result
Took Williams to three sets in
the final, but lost
How’s your form?
Reached the quarter finals of
both the Australian Open and
French Open, the latter
despite starting her clay-
court season with early-round
defeats (one of those coming
to Britain’s Laura Robson in
Madrid). Claims her favourite
surface is grass, though, and
that last year’s final – her first
in a Grand Slam event – has
given her the experience she
needs to take her career to
the next level and win one.
With losing records against
the three women ranked
above her, however, it would
come as a surprise if it
happened just yet.
Sara Errani (ITA)
Ranking 5
Wimbledon best
Third round: 2010, 2012
2012 result
Lost in the third round. In one set of
her defeat to Yaroslava Shvedova,
she failed to win a single point
How’s your form?
Last season was Errani’s first
one finishing in the top 10, and
saw her reach her first Grand
Slam final, at Roland Garros.
This season so far has not
quite matched up to that,
with the Italian exiting the
Australian Open in the first
round and falling in the semi
finals in Paris, where Serena
Williams swatted her aside in
just 46 minutes. Ouch.
Wimbledon has thus far been
her weakest Slam. But, seeded
higher than she’s ever been in
SW19 going into this year’s
tournament, Errani has a
chance to put that right.
| 37
Advertising Feature
The Lions have really impressed me
in their warm-up games. They look
competitive and there seems to an
excellent team spirit. But it’s about to
become a whole lot more difficult!
Warren Gatland has a squad of
experience and exuberance, while
captain Sam Warburton wanted to
stay unbeaten throughout the tour –
something Unibet originally priced up
at 15/2. That can’t happen now, of
course, but I liked the ambition.
It’s vitally important the Lions win
the first Test. Unibet make the tourists
3/5 to win at the Suncorp Stadium
tomorrow, with Australia at 29/20 and
the draw at 20/1. But I reckon they
are well-equipped to take this first
Test and then kick on – they could
easily win the series 3-0 (11/5), but I’d
be happy with a 2-1 win (9/5). It’s no
surprise that Unibet have the Lions as
short-priced favourites to win the
series at 4/7 (Australia 17/11).
I expect all three Tests to be close,
but I see the Lions having it up front
and in the kicking departments – two
crucial areas. I can see tries, too – you
can bet there are more than 5.5 Lions
tries in the three-Test series, and with
Alex Cuthbert (15/4 to score most
Lions Test tries) and George North both
looking sharp, I expect that to happen.
Gavin Hastings is a Unibet armchair
expert – read his views on the Lions
tour of Australia at www.unibet.co.uk
Andy Murray looked fit and well at
Queen’s, and I expect him to go
mighty close to becoming the first
Briton since 1936 to win the men’s
singles title at Wimbledon.
Unibet offer the biggest price on
Murray lifting the trophy at 15/4. They
are also offering money back on losing
bets should he win the tournament.
That seems more than fair!
No player can be at their best for
every game, but Murray can win
Wimbledon. He has the game and, since
last year, the experience of winning a
Grand Slam event and also Olympic
gold on grass. But Novak Djokovic
(17/10), Rafael Nadal (13/4) and
Roger Federer (6/1) can all win it too.
My heart says Murray, but my head
tells me Djokovic, while in the women’s
draw the only person who can beat
Serena Williams is Serena Williams.
If she is in the right frame of mind, she
is unbeatable on grass – and Unibet
are right in making her a short-priced
favourite (2/5) to lift the women’s title.
Those looking for an outsider to
follow during Wimbledon could do
worse than follow my fellow Croat
Marin Cilic. He made the final at
Queen’s, and could be worth
following in the early rounds.
I’m really looking forward to the
next two weeks, and not just the
tennis... I just love those strawberries!
Goran Ivanisevic is a Unibet armchair
expert – read his views on Wimbledon
at www.unibet.co.uk
ArmchAir experts
GAvin hAstinGsThe Lions are looking good for 2-1
GorAn ivAnisevicHeart says Murray, head says Djokovic
Bet on who will win the series, and Unibet will return any losing bets (T&Cs apply) if the Lions win 3-0.
Open a new Unibet account now and get a 100% deposit bonus (up to £50). Visit www.unibet.co.uk/sport for more details
Unibet are offering money back on Wimbledon outright bets if Andy Murray wins.
For details (and T&Cs) on Unibet’s 100% deposit bonus (up to £50), visit www.unibet.co.uk/sport2
Looking for some good value on the Lions tour of Australia or at this year’s Wimbledon? Allow Unibet’s armchair experts, Gavin Hastings and Goran Ivanisevic, to help you find it
C
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Laura Robson
| June 21 2013 | 39
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“I’m at the
stage where
I want to be
beating
everyone”
After securing the British number one spot, Laura
Robson tells Sport she has her sights set on making a mark at her home Slam >
Laura Robson
40 | June 21 2013 |
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Congratulations on making the British
number one spot. What does it mean to you?
“Um, I don’t want to say ‘nothing’, but at the
same time it hasn’t really changed anything
for me. I’m just focusing on the same things
that I did when I was number two.”
It must have boosted your confidence going
into Wimbledon. though. How much do you
look forward to playing there each year?
“Yeah, it’s my favourite tournament of the
year. I live down the road, and I get to stay at
home – so that’s nice. Especially because my
mum’s been away for two months, so it will
be nice to have some of her home-cooked
food again.”
How much does that home support help?
“Loads. The more support you have, the
better. I’m very lucky to have a home Slam,
and it’s great to have so many people rock
up to watch. I think all my matches last year
were pretty full, which was cool, and we
had the same kind of support during the
Olympics. Hopefully, some people who hadn’t
seen much tennis before the Olympics will
come down and support.”
And maybe rename Murray Mound… er…
Robson Rise?
“When I played in the juniors, people were
calling it ‘Robson Ridge’. But, then again, it’s
not really a ridge. I’ll let someone else come
up with a better name than me. I’m not
imaginative enough.”
Greater support obviously adds pressure.
Are you comfortable handling that?
“Yeah, I just get on with it, do my own thing,
and take it match by match, really. I think with
my game style – playing aggressively – you
always have to be pretty confident and go for
your shots, or else it just doesn’t work.”
You’re a power player, but some people
say your mobility around the court could
be better. Is that something you’re
conscious you need to improve?
“Yeah. Well, you always have to work on
fitness and movement around the court, so
I’ve been doing a lot of that this year – and
it’s something I worked on in the off-season
too. It can always get better, though, so I’m
trying to work on it as much as I can.”
You’ve beaten some top players this year,
but also gone out in the first round of some
tournaments to much lower-ranked players.
Can you put a finger on why?
“There’s just less to lose when you play
against big players, so you can just go out
there and do your best. Even if you lose, it’s
like: ‘But she was number four in the world.’
Having said that, I’m at the level now where I
want to be beating everyone – if I don’t go into
a match expecting to win, there’s no point.”
You’re 19. Is it annoying when people give
you stick for losing when you’re so young?
“I tend not to pay much attention to it. All I try
to do is play my best when I’m on the court,
and sometimes that doesn’t happen. I think
that’s pretty normal; you just have to learn
as much as you can from every match and
take it into the next tournament.”
You’ve started working with Miles Maclagan,
who is Andy Murray’s former coach, on a
temporary basis. What are the key things
you’ve been focusing on with him?
“It’s always good to work on everything, and
you can always improve on your strengths
– but definitely on your weaknesses as well.
I was definitely focusing on consistency and
shot selection. But, yeah – just general
things, really.”
Mark Coughlan @coffers83
Laura Robson was introducing the new
Steam 99S spin racket as part of Wilson’s
grassroots programme
“I’m very lucky to have a home Slam. And it’s great to have so many people rock up to watch”
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7 DaysJUN 21-JUN 27
HIGHLIGHTS
» Rowing: Samsung World Cup II » p46
» Boxing: Paul Malignaggi v Adrien Broner » p46
» Rugby League: Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors » p48
» Football: U20 World Cup – England v Iraq » p49
» Cricket: ICC Champions Trophy Final » p49OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
SATURDAY > ATHLETICS | EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS | GATESHEAD INTERNATIONAL STADIUM | BBC ONE 2PM
Gold medal-winning Olympians Greg Rutherford
and Mo Farah are donning their GB kit once again
this weekend, for the first major athletics meet to
take place on UK soil since the London 2012 Olympics.
The European Team Championships pits a GB and
Northern Ireland team against squads from 11 other
European nations across 20 different events,
with athletes scoring 12 points for a first-place finish,
11 points for second, and so on. At the end of the
event, teams will be given a ranking, with the top
team crowned European team champions and
the bottom three teams relegated from the
Super League to the First League.
Along with Rutherford (pictured) and Farah (who
will go in the 5,000m), the GB and Northern Ireland
team will include Olympic 400m silver-medallist
Christine Ohuruogu, Olympic 800m finalist Andrew
Osagie, world 400m champ Dai Greene and double
European indoor champion Perri Shakes-Drayton,
who has been named as GB team captain.
The GB squad finished fourth overall last time out
– in 2011 – with Russia taking top honours, Germany
second and Ukraine pipping Britain to the podium
by just two points. But it's a Frenchman who could
prove to be the star of the show, with Christophe
Lemaitre looking to repeat his sprint double of two
years ago. The 22-year-old claimed the unpopular
scalp of Justin Gatlin over 100m in Rabat earlier this
month, where he ran 9.98s. He is capable of going
even quicker – his PB currently stands at 9.92s.
44 | June 21 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Playing for points
PP Mobile ad 232x300.indd 1 11/06/2013 16:38:44
7 Days
Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
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Sunday Rowing | SamSung woRld Cup ii | Eton doRnEy | BBC two 11.30am
46 | June 21 2013 |
Back to the scene
Saturday Boxing | paul malignaggi v adRiEn BRonER | BaRClayS CEntER, nEw yoRk | Boxnation 2am
Big mouths
strike again
Ahead of their clash this weekend, US welterweights
Adrien Broner and Paul Malignaggi have doled out
trash talk so tasteless it would make Mike Tyson
blush. Broner bragged about his insider knowledge
of one of his rival's ex-girlfriends (and things went
downhill from there), while Malignaggi's pre-fight
threats have included: “Don't let me drop you
because I will lift up my skirt and p**s on you.”
Fortunately for Broner, there seems little chance
of that fate befalling him this weekend. Malignaggi
(pictured) is on a five-fight winning streak since his
2010 loss to Amir Khan, but the Brooklyn slickster
is a notoriously light puncher and, at 32, is a little
past his best.
The much-hyped Broner – 23 years old and
unbeaten in 26 fights – is leaping up two weight
divisions, but he was an enormous lightweight
and could well still be the stronger man in the ring.
He doesn’t quite have the savvy defence of his idol
Floyd Mayweather, but Broner has fast hands
and gets terrific torque on his punches. Even if
Malignaggi can land on Broner early and cause
him problems with his movement, Broner will likely
catch up with him and finish this before the end.
Less than a year has passed since British rowing
enjoyed the greatest week in its history, but many
of those who starred at London 2012 are set for a
return to the waters of Eton Dorney this weekend.
The second World Rowing Cup meet of the
year offers a chance for some of Team GB's new
combinations to build on the successes gained at
the first regatta of the season, in Sydney in March.
That included an impressive victory for Olympic
champion Helen Glover and her new partner Polly
Swann (pictured) in the women's pair, not to
mention a start-to-finish win for the men's eight –
a boat featuring three of the men (Andrew
Triggs-Hodge, Peter Reed and Alex Gregory)
who steered the men's four to gold last summer.
Both crews will expect to double up on Sunday,
when the three-day event comes to a close,
although the 27-year-old Glover has admitted to
feeling the pressure. "To go back after winning
Olympic gold, you put yourself in a position where
you can only keep winning," she said in the build-up
to this weekend. "In terms of motivation, it comes
partly from the expectation on me."
Great expectations, then, but in recent years that
has rarely been a problem for our nation's rowers.
Another gold rush looks likely this weekend.
Call today for a quote 01706 714 865or email [email protected]
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with us, we’ll deliver it to you within 6 weeks. If we don’t,
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So isn’t it time your team had a high-quality, great-value kit,
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Offer applies only to playing kit; not training/warm up or pitchside wear and only applies if our terms of business are abided by, and order remains unchanged after it is signed off. Applies to all orders received, quoting this advert before 1st September 2013.
ANY TEAM KIT AD_AW_242x310 v2.indd 1 14/06/2013 14:11
7 Days
48 | June 21 2013 |
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Cardinals flying high
In a rematch of the 2011 World Series, the St Louis
Cardinals host the Texas Rangers for a three-game
interleague series that begins today (Friday).
The Cardinals were victorious in 2011 and currently
boast the best record in the Major Leagues,
capitalising on the superb form of starting pitchers
Adam Wainwright and Shelby Miller (pictured).
Wainwright has clocked up 10 wins, walking
just nine batters in 103 innings, while rookie
flamethrower Miller's 97mph fastball has been
blowing batters away all season. The Cardinals’
offense hasn't been a problem either, with catcher
Yadier Molina and second baseman Matt
Carpenter hitting for average and Carlos
Beltrán adding power with 16 home runs.
The Rangers are slumping, swept by the
Toronto Blue Jays last weekend and losing six
games on the trot before halting the skid against
divisional rivals the Oakland Athletics. They
desperately need to rediscover some of their
early-season form, which saw them dominate
the AL West throughout May.
Monday maulingOne of the biggest Super League clashes of the season sees
leaders Wigan take on third-placed Warrington at the Halliwell
Jones Stadium on Monday evening.
The Warriors look imperious at the moment, having opened
up a five-point gap at the top of the table. They have been
grinding out the wins even when down on first-choice personnel,
their 33-32 victory over Widnes in their previous fixture being a
prime example. Wigan have won their past 13 matches, in fact
– and with Sam Tomkins and Josh Charnley (pictured) in their
ranks, they always feel they can rattle up the points.
This is, then, a must-win game for the Wolves if they have any
chance of overhauling the Warriors. By their lofty standards,
Warrington have been somewhat inconsistent in the first half of
the season – but they’ve put together three good wins recently,
including an 82-10 thumping of the London Broncos in their
previous outing.
Veteran prop Adrian Morley, together with Garreth Carvell,
Chris Hill and Ben Westwood, will be looking to test the
Warriors up front, where injuries have forced them to field some
of their young forwards. Versatile back Stefan Ratchford has
really begun to fulfil his potential this season and, along with
England scrum-half Richie Myler, will have to take every chance
that comes his way if his side are to overcome Wigan.
When these two teams met in February, they could not
be separated, the game at the DW Stadium ending 17-17.
Expect another close contest, with home advantage perhaps
favouring the Wolves.
MONday Rugby League | supeR League: waRRington woLves v wigan waRRioRs
HaLLiweLL Jones staDiuM | sky spoRts 1 7.45.pM
SUNday basebaLL | st Louis CaRDinaLs v teXas RangeRs | busCH staDiuM, st Louis | espn aMeRiCa 1aM
| 49
You'd be hard pressed
to find two teams
going into the U20
World Cup in Turkey
with more of a gulf
in optimism. England's failure at the Under-21 European
Championships has thrown the youth set-up in this country
into sharp relief – not only are the media knives sharpened,
but they're also covered in Stuart Pearce's figurative blood.
England's under-20s, led by Peter Taylor, open with this game
against Iraq on Sunday, with Chile and Egypt completing
Group E. Iraq will likely include several of the names that
narrowly missed out on taking the Asian U19 title last year,
losing the final on penalties to South Korea. England's squad
includes Liverpool's Jon Flanagan and Southampton's James
Ward-Prowse among the most experienced names, while
Tottenham fans will keep an eye on Harry Kane (pictured).
Golden generation?
Final throw
Cricket is a curious beast.
The 50-over World Cup is a
tedious, cumbersome animal
that – in its last incarnation –
started on February 19 and
finished in (no joke) April. In
contrast, the ICC Champions
Trophy has been a short, sharp,
eight-team tournament wherein
every match has seemed to have
something riding on it.
And yet this is the competition
that will apparently be axed. It's
understandable, given the ICC's
commitment to encouraging
cricket among the non-Test-
playing countries, not to mention
the long-planned introduction of
a Test championship. However, it
seems a shame to lose such a
highly competitive tournament
that has thrived at times, despite
the best efforts of the typical
British ‘summer’.
The final takes place this
Sunday and, without knowing
who's in the final (let's assume
India and probably – lord knows
– Canada?), we can tell you that
Peter Cockroft and his weather-
analysing buddies have
predicted a 50 per cent chance
of precipitation in Birmingham.
Let's just hope that the rain
holds off and this enjoyable
competition gets a worthy finale.
There are stirrings in women's golf. Could it be that someone
is going to win the Grand Slam of five (yes, five) Majors in a
single season?
Inbee Park of South Korea is the best player in the world by
some margin, and has already bagged the first two Majors of the
year – the Kraft Nabisco and LPGA Championships. She will head
to the US Women's Open at Sebonack Golf Club in New York as
a hot favourite to make it three from three. While (as ever in golf)
there are no certainties, it is hard to see her not being involved in
the final-day shakedown.
Park won the US Women's Open in 2008, but it was last year
that she really made her mark on tour – leading the money list
after two victories and 10 further top-10s. This season she has
three wins already, two of which are those two Major titles.
Sebonack will be a tough test. A links-style course, it has vast
fairway bunkers and undulating greens. Hitting the ball close will
be key, otherwise there will be three-putts aplenty – but Park's
short game is the best on tour. Is she about to make history?
A stroll for Park?
THURSDAY > GOLF | US WOMEN’S OPEN | SEBONACK GOLF CLUB, NEW YORK | SKY SPORTS 3 RED BUTTON 8PM
SUNDAY FOOTBALL | U20 WORLD CUP : ENGLAND v IRAq | AKDENIz UNIvERSITY STADIUM, ANTALYA
BRITISH EUROSPORT 7PM
SUNDAY CRICKET | ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY: FINAL | EDGBASTON | SKY SPORTS 1 10.30AM
50 | June 21 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Fairphone
Coltan is an elusive mineral used
to make smartphone batteries.
Some 80 per cent of it is found
in DR Congo – and, sadly, the
workers who extract it aren’t
always treated the way they
should be. Fairphone, the world’s
first ethical smartphone, looks
to change that by using only
responsibly sourced minerals
and components. Terrific.
£277 | fairphone.com
Bowers & Wilkins 805
Maserati Edition
“I wish my speaker system
looked more like an Italian
sportscar,” said no one, ever.
Still, the Maserati edition of
Bowers & Wilkins’ well-regarded
800 Series Diamond speaker
range comes in polished maple
and black leather, and would be
a lovely addition to any living
room (or garage).
Autumn | bowers-wilkins.co.uk
MacBook Air
Coming soon to a Starbucks near you,
the revamped MacBook Air keeps the
same slender form, but now boasts
beefed-up innards including quicker
flash storage and new Intel processors.
The headline feature on both the 11-inch
and 13-inch models is improved battery
life – up to nine and 12 hours respectively.
So you can nurse that skinny hazelnut
decaf latte all day, if you’re so inclined.
From £849 | apple.com/uk
Pentax K-50
SLR cameras tend to be dull in
appearance, usually coming in
a range of colours ranging from
black to dark black. However, the
weather-resistant Pentax K-50
is different. It is available in 120
different colour combinations
with Pentax’s colour-to-order
service. We’ve opted for a
thrilling mixture of deep, serious
black, and elegant, classy black.
From £529 | pentax.co.uk
Coffee shop computing
ExtrA tiMEMaking the most of your time and money
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Space is at a premium in ever
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the Orbitsound M10 LX is
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perfect sound from television
or phone throughout our hovel
without tearing the cardboard.
£249 | currys.co.uk
Sat June 1 Lions v Barbarians (Hong Kong, 12:30am)
Wed June 5 Western Force v Lions (Perth, 11:00am)
Sat June 8 Queensland Reds v Lions (Brisbane, 10:30am)
Wed June 12 Combined NSW & Queensland Country v Lions (Newcastle, 10:30am)
Sat June 15 NSW Waratahs v Lions (Sydney, 10:30am)
Tue June 18 ACT Brumbies v Lions (Canberra, 10:30am)
Sat June 22 1st Test: Australia v Lions (Brisbane, 11:00am)
Tue June 25 Melbourne Rebels v Lions (Melbourne, 10:30am)
Sat June 29 2nd Test: Australia v Lions (Melbourne, 11:00am)
Sat July 6 3rd Test: Australia v Lions (Sydney, 11:00am)
1089 / 1053 AM, on digital radio and online at www.talksport.co.uk
@talksportfacebook.com/talksport
The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2013
Live and exclusive national radio commentary of every
match only on
#livelions
52 | June 21 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
SERVICE WITH A SMILE ET Kit Wimbledon begins this weekend, so we asked Paul Hooper at Pro-Direct Tennis to talk us through the best rackets on the market – all available at www.prodirecttennis.com
Head YouTek IG Radical MP£135.99
British hopes at SW19 rest firmly on
the shoulders of Andy Murray
(again) – and his Head. His Head
YouTek IG Radical MP racket, to
be precise. This model is ideal for
creative players who enjoy varying
their shot selections.
Head YouTek Graphene Speed MP 16/19£147.99
Novak Djokovic’s weapon of choice, the Head
YouTek Graphene Speed is designed for players
who hit the ball hard and love to generate spin.
YouTek technology infuses d3o smart material
(which locks together on racket impact ) into
the shaft for a softer touch and feel.
Wilson Pro Staff Six One 100 BLX£139.99
Used by arguably the greatest player of all time,
Roger Federer's Wilson Pro Staff Six One delivers
maximum control for players who demand
precision. The racket is engineered with AmpliFeel
technology for a better feel through the grip.
Babolat AeroPro Drive GT£151.99
Known for helping generate power and
topspin, the Babolat AeroPro helped Rafael
Nadal win his eighth French Open a couple of
weeks ago. Its Cortex Dampening System
gives players a more accurate feel for the ball
via a new handle construction.
Prince EXO3 Tour
£134.99
Designed with a large hitting zone,
the Prince EX03 Tour gives players
of all standards an opportunity to hit
better shots more often. Spaniard
David Ferrer used it to reach his first
Grand Slam final at Roland Garros
earlier this month.
Which Aussie skipper got fit for the Ashes by shovelling coAl on the voyAge to englAnd?
Which englAnd plAyer dressed up As A WomAn in the AdelAide red light district?
And Which Aussie opener prActised nAked in front of the mirror on the first morning of the Ashes?
order from
OUT NOW!
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ET Grooming
54 | June 21 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Dove Men+Care
Fresh Awake
Named after the
two things we rarely
ever are first thing
in the morning,
Dove’s new shower
gel features
Micromoisture
technology that is
clinically proven to
fight skin dryness
more effectively
than regular men’s
body wash. Dove
even spell it out
in capitals, so you
know it’s good –
as is its ultra-light
formula, which
rinses off easily.
£2.80 for 250ml |
boots.com
Acqua di Parma
Blu Mediterraneo
Acqua di Parma’s
Blu Mediterraneo
“transports you to
the crystal clear
water and scented
surroundings of the
Italian Med”, they
say. Great, then, if
you can’t afford a
holiday this summer.
We’ve chosen the
shower gel based
on the Mirto di
Panarea fragrance,
which also contains
vitamin E to help
prevent signs of
ageing as well as
moisturising skin.
£26 for 200ml |
selfridges.com
Nivea Men
Power Refresh
One to awaken the
senses “for men
who want extra
freshness”, say
Nivea. And, let’s
face it, we could
all do with more
of that. Especially
when it comes
packed full of
menthol, watermint
and Hydra IQ, which
helps support the
skin’s own natural
moisturisation. Time
to give yourself
a power shower
in every possible
sense of the word.
£3.50 for 250ml |
nivea.co.uk
Fish SportFish
Hair, Face, Body
The grooming
equivalent of the
onesie, except
you will look and
feel anything but
a douche when
you’ve stepped
out from under the
shower. Developed
by the Fish salon
in Soho, it includes
wheat proteins for
glossy hair and
conditioned skin,
and comes lightly
fragranced with
coconut and vanilla.
Not a bad prefix
for a Fish, either.
£3.99 for 250ml |
boots.com
Radox Men
Mint+Tea Tree
Sport’s renowned
for taking our time
in the bathroom,
but even we can’t
match Radox’s 100
years of experience
blending natural
herbs and minerals.
They’ve put that
time and effort into
an invigorating mix
of mint and tea tree
here, and they’ve
also crammed it into
their Orange+Tea
Tree, Lemon+Tea
Tree, Watermint+Sea
Minerals and Lime+
Ginger flavours.
£2.05 for 250ml |
boots.com
I Coloniali
Regenerating
Is there an iPhone
app that delivers
content so rich
and thoroughly
cleansing as this?
We’ve had a go
(download it free
from the app store
now, if you like), but
I Coloniali’s effort
– with calmskin
phytoagent and
white willow bark
extract to soften
and soothe – is still
the only i-something
we’ll be taking into
the bathroom.
£12 for 200ml |
marksandspencer.
com/beauty
FRESH AS A DAISyWait. No one has used that term for 50 years – and even then, it
was only little girls with blonde ringlets. Man up with one of these
ONLY THE BEST
GET BETTER WITH AGE
WORLD’S
MEN’S SKIN CARE BRAND*
NO1*Source: Euromonitor International Limited; Nivea by global brand name in the category Men’s Skin Care; in retail value terms 2012.
NEW
Shop online at boots.com
Available at larger Boots stores. Subject to availability.
Only available at Boots
003218_Active_Age_232x300_SPORT.indd 1 09/05/2013 11:57
Advertising Feature
56 | June 21 2013 |
Sport is no bionic man. But we
do have the tools to make
us feel like we’re worth
$6m: and they’re all part
of our grooming regime.
Those tools are the very ones we use in
the everyday tasks that we rarely think
twice about when we’re making ourselves
presentable. Because there is a lot of
science and a wealth of sophistication
behind the simplicity that powers some of
Britain’s best-loved grooming products.
In fact, we can count on a major global
research and development centre devoted
to honing the technology and precision
engineering that make our grooming
regimes a simple pleasure.
This centre is part of the strongest
innovation and expansion plan in the
history of P&G – the driving force behind
the grooming fixtures featured on these
very pages. And now they are lifting the lid
on the stats, facts and science behind
your style. Take the Gillette Fusion
ProGlide, for example. It was tested
by more than 30,000 men before it
was launched. And that is exactly
where we begin...
we have the technolog
1,000
Dry beard hair can be as strong as copper
wire, and is 1,000 times stiffer than skin.
Here is where science meets logic, then, with
Gillette’s largest and most advanced Lubrastrip
– part of the Fusion ProGlide SilverTouch –
ensuring effortless razor glide. In fact, we
consider the razor to be our bionic arm. It delivers
an exceptionally close shave with less irritation,
even on the most sensitive areas of the face –
including the neck and jawline.
Gillette Fusion ProGlide SilverTouch Power |
RRP* £14
5 Billion
That’s how many calculation steps the foils of
the Braun Series 3 and Series 7 shavers took to
design, and all so that pressure distribution across
the surface is optimised in order to capture more
hairs, while still being gentle on your face. It’s the
perfect product for men who don’t shave over
the weekend and find the Monday-morning stubble
a particular challenge. Only thing is, it almost
certainly works harder than you: within 18 months,
it will have sliced through more than six million hairs.
It will not, however, cost you six million dollars.
Braun Series 3-380 shaver | RRP* £139.99
Thinner Than a
Surgeon’S Scalpel
The Gillette Fusion ProGlide
Touch’s blades are that thin –
that means they help reduce
pull on facial hair, a leading
source of skin discomfort
6 Million hairS
A Braun shaver will, on
average, cut a total of
6 million hairs over a period
of just 18 months
60 per cenT
More than 60 per cent of men
say they have sensitive skin
300cM2
That’s the area men
cover per shave.
Over 60 years, that’s
the equivalent to
the surface of two
tennis courts
Men’S beard hair
growS faSTer
than women’s underarm
or leg hair
64MM per MonTh
That’s the rate at which a
man’s beard grows
20,000shaves a year are
observed by P&G at
their research and
innovation facilities
| 57
ve the technology
7 years
Designed after seven years of research, the
TriZone has been developed to feel like a manual
toothbrush but with the cleaning power of an
electric one. Much like infrared vision or a zoom
eye lens, the innovative technology behind the
brush lies in the head – the brush head, to be
precise. Currently, Oral B tells us, 75 per cent of
people in the UK brush incorrectly. This electric
toothbrush negates this, removing up to 100
per cent more plaque compared to a manual
toothbrush, no matter how it is deployed.
Oral B TriZone 5000 toothbrush | rrP* £199.99
50 Per cenTThinning hair affects 50 per cent of people and,
not surprisingly, causes stress. Relax yourself
and your bionic brain, then, because Nioxin’s
Scalp Revitaliser is a lightweight conditioner
that increases hair resilience and controls
moisture balance. It also strengthens against
damage and breakage. Guaranteed to leave you
with fuller, thicker-looking hair that will have
you puffing out your super-strength chest
with bionic pride.
nioxin scalp revitaliser | 300ml
rrP* £19.99
1 in 2 menThat’s how many of us suffer from an itchy scalp
caused by dandruff at some point in our lifetimes.
But, because head&shoulders have been around a
lot longer than most of us (they started making
serious inroads into scalp and hair science in 1950,
since you ask), they have the knowledge to offer
a solution: their Itchy Scalp 2in1 edition is rich in
zinc pyrithione as part of its HydraZinc formula,
making it a potent weapon in tackling the cause
of dandruff and helping prevent itchy, flaky scalp.
head&shoulders itchy scalp 2in1 shampoo |
rrP* £2.79 for 225ml/£4.99 for 450ml
Your humble grooming regime is at the forefront of scientific innovation. Fact is, you’re probably the closest you will ever be to becoming a bionic man
40+
Gum problems are the
number one reason
for tooth loss in people
over the age of 40
in the UK
UP TO 100
PER CENT
That’s how much more
plaque an electric
toothbrush will remove
when compared with
a manual one
1969
Oral B became the
first toothbrush to
travel to the moon
when a number were
used by Apollo XI
astronauts
*RR
P a
nd
pri
cin
g a
t th
e s
ole
dis
cre
tio
n o
f th
e r
eta
ile
r
OPTIMISE
Nioxin cleanses, optimises
and treats your hair,
making it look and feel
thicker so you can make
the most of what you have
78 PER CENT
An abundance of zinc pyrithione in
head&shoulders makes it 78 per cent
more effective at eliminating dandruff
compared with regular conditioner
PROTEIN
Our bodies need protein for growth and
repair. So does our hair. Many factors
affect the health of our hair: a poor diet and
the environment are just two of them.
A healthy, balanced diet is essential
for healthy-looking hair
SCALP
IRRITATION
caused by dandruff
has a direct impact
on hair quality:
scratching can
damage the
hair surface
No
, w
e a
re n
ot
talk
ing
ab
ou
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tho
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po
p-r
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on
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sco
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his
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:
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Sco
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.
58 | June 21 2013 |
Extra time Bonnie-Jill Laflin
Sco
uti
ng
for g
irls
Apix Syndication/Mario Barberio
| 59
60 | June 21 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Sistronix Deap Vally
Californian duo Deap Vally take
the White Stripes route of fuzzy
guitar riffs, generous hooks
and snarled, urgent vocals.
This debut album is packed with
short, sharp examples; the retro
throb of Lies being foremost.
The two girls may have met in a
crochet class (really), but there’s
nothing at all flowery about this
stripped-back, dirty blues-rock.
Out next Monday
Before Midnight
The third in Richard Linklater’s
cult film series, Before Midnight –
like its predecessor – catches up
with the tricky, ongoing romance
between Jesse (Ethan Hawke)
and his French flame Celine
(Julie Delphy) after a nine-year
gap. It may just be two people
walking and talking, but this is a
series brimful of wit, charm and
intelligence. More in 2022, please.
Out today
World War ZIt’s high times for zombies right now.
They have branched out from horror and
into comedy, drama and now this: a big-
budget action-thriller starring alongside
Brad Pitt. World War Z gets off to a
running start, with the zombie pandemic
hitting in the first five minutes, but the
film ups the tension by keeping the
undead off-screen early on while panic
sets in. When they do show up, they
are less the shuffling creeps of yore and
more the super-charged sprinters of
28 Days Later. Pitt plays a former UN
worker who grudgingly leaves his family
in order to trace the outbreak’s source.
This takes him from the US to South
Korea, Israel and even Wales via some
spectacular set-pieces – including the
so-called ‘zekes’ storming Jerusalem like
giant, angry ants, and a stunning plane
sequence that makes you realise there
are worse things even than flying Ryanair.
It all adds up to a tasty, super-scale
addition to the zombie canon.
Out today
The Quarry Iain Banks
The author’s death earlier this
month at age 59 casts a shadow
over the release of this, his final
novel. It’s a bitter irony that
Banks was unaware that he had
terminal cancer when he began
writing this story of Guy: a man
dying of cancer, as seen through
the eyes of his precocious teen
son. While the subject matter is
bleak, intrigues arise when Guy’s
friends arrive and buried secrets
are dug up. One of Banks’ gifts is
that he was a master storyteller
who could wow critics as well as
enthral readers. We should just
be grateful that he’s left us with
one last, darkly delicious treat.
Out now
Foxy Brown
‘A chick with drive, who don’t
take no jive’ is the sell on this 1974
blaxploitation classic. The plot is a
hoary (forgive the pun) old tale of
sexy Pam Grier going undercover
as a hooker in order to gun down
crooks. It’s knowing, campy fun,
but the underlying message that
pimps were nefarious heels rather
than cool antiheroes represented a
new turn for the genre. Right on!
Out Monday
The Many Faces of David
Bowie Opera Gallery
If you can’t face the V&A queues
but haven’t yet had your fill of
Bowie in 2013, this new exhibition
at London’s Opera Gallery offers
an eclectic range of portraits
created by modern artists. Works
on show include Bowie’s mush
crafted from over 9,000 painted
test tubes and a monochrome
take on Ziggy Stardust (above).
Opens today
Film
MusicFilmBlu-ray Exhibition
NighT oF ThE liviNg ZED
ET Entertainment Brad Pitt tackles hyperactive zombies in World War Z, while
Iain Banks leaves us with a much-anticipated parting gift
Th
e L
on
do
n P
oli
ce
, All
ha
il S
ir D
av
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ow
ie
Book
SOMETHING WITTY AND CLEVER.WRITE YOUR OWN HEADLINE TO WIN A JERSEY SIGNED bY WILL GREENWOOD.
PRESENTED bY
Microsoft Ambassador, Former British & Irish Lion and RWC Winner, Will Greenwood has signed fi ve Lions shirts for our competition, and one of them could be all yours.
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Beforecompetition
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Microsoft Ambassador, Former
British & Irish Lion and RWC Winner,
Will Greenwood has signed five Lions
shirts for our competition, and one
of them could be all yours.
All you have to do is pick your
favourite graph from our advertising
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For full details on how to enter,
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WIN A JERSEY SIGNED BY WILL GREENWOOD.
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