Month: September 2019

The Crusaders have again proved themselves the masters of pressure in Super Rugby, emerging 19-3 winners over the Jaguares in the competition’s lowest-scoring final.

Cold, slippery conditions in Christchurch on Saturday turned the decider into a defence-dominated contest, which would always be won by the team who took their opportunities best.

Not surprisingly, that was the Crusaders, whose nous and accuracy steered them to a 10th crown, seven more than any other side.

It was also their third title in a row, matching their achievement of 1998-2000 and further cementing their undisputed status as the competition’s pre-eminent team.

The Jaguares, contesting their first final, shaded most of the game’s possession and territory statistics and created three of the game’s clearest try-scoring chances, all to winger Matias Moroni.

However, none was finished, while Crusaders hooker Codie Taylor bagged the game’s only try, midway through the first half.

The other 14 points came via five from five shots at goal by Richie Mo’unga.

Jaguares five-eighth Joaquin Diaz Bonilla scored their only points with the game’s opening penalty goal.

Slowly strangled out of the contest, a Jaguares team dominated by Pumas internationals could at least reflect on a breakthrough campaign in just their fourth season.

They won 11 of 12 games leading into the final and more than held their own, particularly in the collisions, where ferocious defence knocked the hosts off their stride.

The two teams had scored 148 tries between them before the final but neither found their rhythm, with Taylor’s score against the run of play handing his team a flattering 10-3 halftime lead.

The try capped some fine build-up work by fellow-All Blacks forwards Matt Todd, who ripped the ball clear in a maul, Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock.

The closing minutes of the first half proved pivotal.

Moroni botched a clear try-scoring chance close to the line and his team fell asleep defensively after the hooter, allowing the Crusaders to launch a sweeping attack which resulted in a penalty goal to Mo’unga.

It gave the Crusaders a flattering 10-3 lead and they slowly built on that in a grinding second spell, with three further Mo’unga penalty goals.

The previous lowest-scoring final was the Hurricanes’ 20-3 win four years ago over the Lions.

RESULT

Crusaders 19

Tries: Taylor

Cons: Mo’unga

Pens: Mo’unga  4

Jaguares 3 

Pens:  Diaz Bonilla

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Reds flyhalf Bryce Hegarty says there’ll be no target on Quade Cooper’s back when the mercurial Rebels 10 returns to Queensland for the first time as the enemy.

Cooper returns to Suncorp Stadium on Saturday for the first time as a Rebel after 12 seasons and 118 Super Rugby games with Queensland.

The no. 10 was told by coach Brad Thorn at the start of the 2018 season that he was not required by the Reds and played out a season with premier grade club Souths before signing with the Rebels.

Cooper has taken some thinly-veiled swipes at Thorn on social media since his departure but Hegarty said the players only had respect for Cooper going into the game.

“He’s been a good player for a long time in Australian rugby and he’s got the respect of me and other players that he deserves but I don’t focus too much at all on him or any other player, I focus on my own game and I want to achieve what I want to achieve for the game,” he said.

“I want to play well for this team and as a collective we want to play well and execute the things we want to execute together and bring that humility to Queensland as well and playing for each other, playing for all the boys and hopefully in that Brumbies game on the weekend, hopefully that was evident in how we played.

The Reds’ challenge will be backing up a dominant Aussie derby win against a Rebels side that desperately needs a win.

Melbourne started the year with three straight wins before suffering two losses in Africa in recent weeks while Queensland has tallied its two wins from the past two rounds.

Hegarty said their approach this week was all about ensuring they could back up their round six effort.

“Hopefully, that’s what we’ve spoken about a lot and we want to pride ourselves on being that consistent team that constantly delivers and it starts on the training field,” he said.

“You’re training well, you’re taking that into games, you’re preparing for the games how you want to prepare and then you can execute in the games when it comes to it and in those high pressure moments.

“I think it comes down to playing for one another and knowing your detail, going into games and then building on that momentum and that consistency that we’re starting to get now.

“So, it’s up to us keeping it going.”

The Reds host the Rebels on Saturday March 30 at Suncorp Stadium, kicking off at 6:45pm local, 7:45pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO.

China is becoming a global player in the construction of high-speed networks. Wang Keju reports.

Editor’s note: To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we will publish a series of stories reflecting on changes and developments in fields such as law, education, transportation and the environment. This is the second in the series.

When the last piece of beam was capped on the Badaling Great Wall Railway Station late last month, all the main structures of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway line had been completed.

Linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou in the northern province of Hebei, the upgraded 110-year-old railway will play an important role in the transportation infrastructure for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Set to open to the public by the end of the year, it will feature the world’s first automatically driven, driver-monitored trains, running at a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

The original railway, the first of its kind designed and built solely by Chinese engineers during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), began operations in 1909 after four years of hectic construction work led by Zhan Tianyou, known as the “father of China’s railroad”.

At the time, construction of the railway without the assistance of foreign experts was considered a “mission impossible” because of the complicated geological conditions. Faced with dramatic topography and a shortage of machinery, Zhan and his colleagues employed a technique known as “zigzagging” to negotiate steep gradients.

Against all odds, they completed the railway two years ahead of schedule. From a top speed of just 35 km/h more than 100 years ago, in the near future the line is set to witness trains running at speeds 10 times faster than the old, steam-powered locomotives.

“The line is the starting point of China’s rapidly expanding rail network. The evolution of the railway mirrors the rapid development of the national economy and our progress in modern science and technology,” said Wang Hongyu, the railway’s chief designer.

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Ancient documents from Paingar and Mangra monasteries have been restored at the ancient documents protection center of Tibet in Lhasa.

Since 2010, over 18,000 ancient documents in Tibet have been registered, with 291 ancient books being listed as national rare antique books. More than 3,000 pages of ancient documents from Paingar and Mangra monasteries have been restored.

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Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has backed prop Les Leuluaialii-Makin to fill the shoes of injured Wallabies front-rower Allan Alaalatoa as his side looks to turn its season around against arch rivals the Waratahs.

McKellar confirmed Alaalatoa (wrist) and David Pocock (calf) have been sidelined by injuries, with Makin named for only the second Super Rugby start of his career.

Tom Cusack is named at seven in place of Pocock, whose stop-start season has again been halted by a calf niggle.

Lausii Taliaui returns from injury on the wing, and Irae Simone also returns at centre for Tom Wright – who drops out of the 23.

Jordan Jackson-Hope is on the bench in his first selection of the year and Gunghalin duo Tom Ross and Mack Hansen have both been named on the bench for possible Super Rugby debuts against NSW.

“They’ll be a week or two,” McKellar said of Pocock and Alaalatoa, refusing to speculate further on how long the pair would be sidelined.

“They’re injured, so selecting them is not an option but as we’ve said all year, Les Makin will get an opportunity and Cusack at seven there.

“Poey (Pocock) didn’t play against the Chiefs and we went all right that night, so we’re confident in the guys that will step in.”

 

As a Queenslander, McKellar has an inbuilt hatred of the Waratahs and anything NSW and said his team was “buzzing” ahead of Friday night’s clash.

And he has backed Makin to rise to the occasion despite his inexperience in a starting role.

“One thing is Les will not die of stress, he’s a pretty casual sort of guy and nothing fazes him too much, so I don’t think he’ll be too worried about the Tahs” McKellar said.

“He’s had a really good pre-season, he’s been really well managed by our (strength and conditioning) staff and completed more sessions than he had in the last four or five years and he’s had some good impact off the bench.”

Leuluaialii-Makin conceded two penalties last week as the Rebels ran over the top of the Brumbies to score a three-point win but McKellar has not lost belief in his ability, saying the decisions were “harsh”.

“I thought in review of last week’s game some of those scrum decisions were harsh,” he said.

“The Rebels loosehead had his elbow clearly on the ground and Les was penalised.

“I’ve spoken to the referees about that but Les brings a really strong set piece and he’s a powerful bugger around the field – he’s got a good pick and drive, good carry and he’s a good defender as well.

“It’s his second start for the Brumbies and against the Waratahs at home, it’s a big occasion for him and his family.”

McKellar said Alaalatoa and Pocock’s enforced benching would count as games from which they were “rested” under the Wallabies policy ahead of the World Cup.

“They’re injured and the agreement has always been that if you’re out injured, that counts towards your rest, so we’ll see where we go there,” he said.

Despite the disappointing loss to the Rebels last start, McKellar said his squad was “buzzing” ahead of the Waratahs clash.

“It’s the Tahs at home and an opportunity to get stuck into the New South Welshman, (why) wouldn’t get you excited?

“The boys are ready to go, I’m ready to go too.”

Failure to deal with momentum swings and pressure in the second half against the Rebels proved costly as the Melbourne men fought back to take their second win of the season against the Brumbies.

“That’s pretty much all we reviews out of the Melbourne game,” McKellar said.

“There’s a lot of stats that we’re in the top-two in the competition, so we’re not far off.

“We had a disappointing 40 minutes last week and got done by three points. You’ve got to deal with pressure and momentum swings.

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“We’re doing a lot of things really well, we’ve just got to do them for longer periods.

“If we played the game for 40 minutes, we’d be 3-1 but the game’s 80 minutes and we’ve got to understand that.

“I know it’s a cliche but when the pressure’s against us or the opposition have dominant periods, we’ve got to knuckle down and dig in and defend our line and get possession back and allow us to play the game we want to play.”

The Brumbies take on the Waratahs at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Friday, March 15, kicking off at 7:45pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO.

TEAM

IN: Lachlan McCaffrey, Lausi Taliauli, Irae Simone, Tom Ross, Jordan Jackson-Hope, Mack Hansen

OUT: Allan Alaalatoa, David Pocock, Andy Muirhead, Tom Wright, Wharenui Hawera, Chance Peni

Brumbies to face Waratahs

1. Scott Sio

2. Folau Fainga’a

3. Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin

4. Rory Arnold

5. Sam Carter

6. Rob Valetini

7. Tom Cusack

8. Lachlan Mccaffrey

9. Joe Powell

10. Christian Lealiifano

11. Lausii Taliauli

12. Irae Simone

13. Tevita Kuridrani

14. Henry Speight

15. Tom Banks

Reserves

16. Josh Mann-Rea

17. James Slipper

18. Tom Ross

19. Murray Douglas

20. Pete Samu

21. Ryan Lonergan

22. Jordan Jackson-Hope

23. Mack Hansen

China Post began to issue New Year stamps to mark the year related to each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac in 1980. And many prominent artists have designed zodiac animal stamps, including Zhou Lingzhao, Huang Yongyu and Han Meilin.

The project will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2019 which corresponds to the Year of the Rat. So, China Post recently launched a competition in Beijing, inviting designers from around the world to submit ideas for creativity products which can go with the Year of the Rat stamps which are being designed by Han.

Those interested can visit shengxiaowenchuang.com and upload their works. Finalists will be critiqued by a jury panel consisting of designers, scholars of folk culture, leading figures in international communication and also an online voting by the public.

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Quade Cooper and Souths were knocked out of the Queensland Premier Rugby finals last weekend in a 25-17 loss to Easts but the veteran playmaker was looking at the positives post-match.

Cooper had the chance to go for a penalty well within striking distance but opted instead for a cross-field kick that ultimately fell short.

The flyhalf missed another chance to take the lead late in the piece but hooked the shot and Easts held out.

Cooper was philosophical after the game, about the season and his future in rugby.

The 30-year-old will train with the Brisbane City NRC squad and at this stage it appears the mercurial playmaker will be repeating his 2018 season in 2019, playing club rugby but still contracted with Queensland.

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Cooper said he wasn’t thinking too much about his next step, grateful for the opportunity to mentor some of the next generation at Souths this year.

“That’s not my focus,” he said.

“That’s for my manager to look after that – (it’s for) me to just play what’s in front.

“At the moment, Souths stuff is finished now and I just go to the club with the boys and we’ll see what happens with NRC and everything.”

Another Test jersey appears unlikely and Cooper said he’d never refuse the chance, though Wallabies coaches have said they won’t be picking anyone out of club rugby.

“I think everybody involved in rugby is always keen.,” he said.

“All these boys that were in the sheds out on that field, all them would love to put a Wallaby jumper on and I’m very fortunate to be able to have done that on many occasions.

“So, if I ever got the opportunity to do that again, I’d love that.”

UQ has already qualified for the grand final after beating GPS in their major semi, with GPS and Easts to battle it out for the other spot in the decider.

Reds backrowers Adam Korczyk and Angus Scott-Young featured for Uni, while halfback James Tuttle and front row twins JP and Ruan Smith packed down for the gallopers.

Hooker Andrew Ready crossed for Easts in their win over Cooper and Karmichael Hunt at Souths, while Liam Wright and Michael Gunn started in the loose forwards.

RESULTS

UQ 24 – GPS 21

Easts 25- Souths 17

DEWAR SHIELD

Esei Haangana packed down for Melbourne in a tough semi-final loss to Harlequin, with the latter straight through to the grand final.

Power House’s season was ended at the hands of Moorabbin in the minor semi-final.

RESULTS

Melbourne 6 – Harlequin 20

Moorabbin 17 – Power House 5

JOHN I DENT CUP

Sam Carter’s Royals are through to their third grand final in four years after a thrilling win over Tuggeranong.

There were plenty of Brumbies on the score sheet, with Andy Muirhead crossing for Royals and Jordan Jackson-Hope getting over for the Vikings and young halfback Ryan Lonergan notching a conversion.

Gungahlin toppled Ben Alexander’s Uni-Norths Owls in the minor semi-final, keeping a fairytale run alive.

Alexander crossed for the Owls in the clash but it wasn’t enough to keep their season simmering.

The Eagles will meet Tuggeranong in the preliminary final next weekend.

RESULTS

Gungahlin 27 – Uni-Norths Owls 17

Tuggeranong 20 – Royals 26 

SHUTE SHIELD

A host of Waratahs were back with their clubs on the weekend with the Super Rugby season done and dusted.

Easts’ horde of Super Rugby squad players in Tom Staniforth, Ryan McCauley, Mack Mason, Cody Walker and Alex Newsome wasn’t enough to stop a dominant Norths side that included winger Cam Clark and centre Irae Simone.

Shambeckler Vui packed down for Southern Districts against Gordon in a comfortable victory for the Rebels.

Parramatta fell just short of a miracle comeback against Manly, going down by just one point to the Marlins, whose flyhalf Sam Lane was backing up from a role with the Super Rugby Selection against the Wallabies on Friday night.

Waratahs prop Harry Johnson-Holmes had a short stint for Sydney Uni, yellow-carded after coming off the bench, while teammate Brad Wlikin started at 7 in a big win over Randwick.

RESULTS

Easts 5 – Norths 51

Gordon 33 – Souths 71

Parramatta 30 – Manly 31

Randwick 7 – Sydney Uni 45

Warringah 38 – West Harbour 16

FORTESCUE PREMIER GRADE

Premiership Division 

There were some comfortable results in the Premiership Division of the Perth premier grade as the seaosn nears its pointy end.

RESULTS

Kalamunda 34 – Cottesloe 13

Joondalup 17 – Wests Scarborough 55

Associates 30 – Nedlands 0

Championship Division

George Pisi came off the bench for Southern Lions on a tough afternoon for his side against ARKs.

RESULTS

Coastal Cavaliers 7 – Palmyra 28

Wanneroo 0 – Perth Bayswater 12

Southern Lions 8 – ARKs 69

David Pocock says he is “sad” to see Israel Folau’s rugby career over after the star fullback’s contract was terminated.

Folau’s multi-million dollar contract was terminated a fortnight ago over a controversial social media post. 

Pocock has often been seen as a juxtaposition to Folau in his views, a vocal advocate of a number of issues.

He and wife Emma did not get legally wed until same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia, Pocock uses his social media accounts to raise awareness about issues including climate change.

Despite their seemingly differing outlooks on live, Folau and Pocock have been long-time teammates and the flanker said the process was a difficult one for the sport.

“It’s been a really tough situation for rugby,” he said.

“I think at the end of the day we have got so much more in common than the things that might divide us and as a sport we want to be inclusive.

“We want to create a safe space for people, that when they turn up to play rugby they feel like they can be whoever they are and I’ve always said that sport is at its best when it’s inclusive and when it’s actually challenging society to be more inclusive.

“I think rugby’s done a great job over the years of doing that and it’s been dealt with now by Rugby Australia and it’s really sad to see him go but I really hope we can continue with the great work that has been done in creating that safe space.”

Pocock said there wasn’t any kind of victory to be celebrated.

“I’m sure, like anything, it can always be done better but it’s such a tough situation,” he said.

“It’s a very hard situation to come up with a winner. It’s just sad.

Pocock has always been vocal about his views on issues on social media, advocating for many causes close to his heart.

The 31-year-old was quick to move on from speaking specifically about Folau’s situation to discussing the impact everyone has on the world.

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“I guess it is what it is now, we all need to move on and think about how we can play our part in creating a more kinder society and more inclusive society because we’re facing some much bigger issues and we’re facing some serious issues with climate change, ecological crisis that we’re in and we need people to be coming together and actually taking some meaningful action.

“Hopefully we can do that.

“There’s a lot of great things happening, it just happens that bad news seems to do better than all the good stuff unfortunately.”

The France international failed to make an impact on Barcelona’s opening Champions League match at the Bundesliga runners-up

Antoine Griezmann insisted it will take time for him to gel with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez after Barcelona escaped with a point against Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener.

Barcelona held on for a 0-0 draw away to Bundesliga side Dortmund in Tuesday’s Group F clash after goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved a second-half penalty from Marco Reus.

Star man Messi made his first appearance of the season after recovering from a calf injury – coming on as a second-half substitute – but it was a frustrating night for the Spanish champions, whose side included Suarez and recent arrival Griezmann.

“It’s my second month since I arrived, I have to get used to it and play more with them to understand the movements of Suarez and Leo,” Griezmann told  Movistar+ .

“We have not knocked on the door enough and we must improve and work at it. It is a point but Marc stopped a penalty and made other saves.”

Barca head coach Valverde admitted they had Ter Stegen to thank after he made a string of fine saves – including one to deny Germany colleague Reus in the 57th minute.

“It was a difficult game in a great atmosphere,” Valverde said. “We had to suffer a lot, especially after the break when we lost control and they were very dangerous.

“In the first half we dominated a bit more. We were lacking in the final third. We have to thank Marc-Andre ter Stegen for his outstanding saves.

“We know we have to improve away from home. We tried giving Messi a few minutes and Luis Suarez played from the start.”

Ter Stegen added: “People know what I’m capable of. I just want to concentrate wholly on my work and perform at 100 per cent of my capabilities. Today I think I demonstrated that.”

Dortmund captain Reus acknowledged his frustration at missing such a golden opportunity to defeat the Spanish giants.

He said: “Marc is a world-class keeper. My penalty was not really well-taken. Back to the training ground for that.

“Of course it does not feel good. I failed to convert a penalty and we had several other chances. One goal probably would have been enough for a win. We hardly allowed Barcelona space and showed a strong performance.”

Dortmund defender Mats Hummels said the result felt like a missed opportunity, however, the German insisted there were plenty of positives to take from the performance.

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“In the end we lost two points and failed to be in a better position. Nevertheless, we can be especially proud of the second half,” the 30-year-old said.

The 34-year-old has scored hundreds of times in his glittering career, but he says that one strike stands above the rest

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that his overhead kick for Real Madrid against his current side in April 2018 is his pick for his favourite goal ever. 

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Ronaldo connected with a cross from Dani Carvajal to score an incredible goal in the 2017-18 Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Upon seeing the goal the home faithful in Turin gave Ronaldo a standing ovation, despite the Portugal star scoring for the visiting team. 

That goal would help see Real Madrid past Juventus into the semi-final, where they would defeat Bayern Munich and then Liverpool in the final for their third consecutive Champions League win. 

Speaking to Piers Morgan in an interview on ITV, the 34-year-old has admitted that his goal against Juventus is his favourite that he’s scored in his career.

“I tried to score this goal for many, many years,” Ronaldo said. “I had scored 700-odd goals but I hadn’t done this. I thought, ‘Finally I had scored a bicycle, the beautiful jumping.’

“The way I had done against (Gianluigi) Buffon, against Juventus, in the Champions League. It was a beautiful goal.”

Ronaldo may not have known it at the time, but just months after scoring that goal he would be joining Juventus following a legendary nine-year run at Real Madrid.

The Portugal star has said that the reception he received from Juve fans after scoring that goal helped convince him to join the Serie A club. 

“When the people start to applaud me in the stadium I was like, ‘Wow,'” Ronaldo told DAZN last year. 

“[It] surprised me a lot because this has never happened in my life, so [it] was [an] unbelievable moment.”

Ronaldo scored 21 goals in Serie A in his first season with the club as Juventus won the league for the eighth consecutive season. 

The 34-year-old has scored one time in three league games in 2019-20 ahead of Juve’s return to the Champions League on Wednesday against Atletico Madrid. 

Ronaldo will be looking to help Juventus win their first Champions League crown since 1995-96, after the club fell to Ajax at the quarter-final stage last season.