Six Nations: Wales hit the roof as Scotland want Millennium Stadium uncovered for showdown

SCOTLAND have been accused of running scared as their Six Nations plans were dealt a severe injury blow.

Wales coach Warren Gatland hit the roof after Andy Robinson demanded the dome remain open at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Gatland claims Scotland plan to take advantage of predicted rain and snow to turn the game into a slugfest he fears is contrary to the spirit of entertainment.

But Robinson dismissed his claims amid more pressing concerns over injured second row Nathan Hines who has been ruled out of the Cardiff trip.

The Australian-born lock will be replaced by Edinburgh star Jim Hamilton who swaps an afternoon walking his dog for the chance to bare his teeth against the Welsh scrum.

Robinson told Welsh rugby chiefs he wanted the roof kept open as it's only ever closed when agreement is reached between both teams.

Gatland said: "The weather we're expecting for this weekend is not great and it is supposed to be cold with possible snow.

"But Scotland asked on Tuesday for the roof to be open and it's disappointing.

"I understand we want to play the game under natural conditions and i fit's sunny at this time of year then great.

"But if it is raining I don't understand why you wouldn't want to make use of the roof.

"We all have a responsibility to the game, to the media, to the public and the sponsors. So if we have roof let's close it, have some sanity and see some positive rugby.

"Why play in the rain and bad weather if you don't have to? "Euan Murray is back to make their scrum stronger and I'm sure Scotland will hope it's a day in Cardiff which is p****ng down with rain."

But Robinson claims he would have handed the Welsh a pre-match boost if he had agreed to play with the elements held in check.

He said: "Six Nations rules state that if we want the roof open, it's opened. It's an advantage to Wales to play with the roof closed.

"He says what he needs to say but every other game in the championship is played without a roof.

"Let's get on with it." Scotland jet out to Cardiff today as they seek only their second win on the road in eight years.

They last won on their travels in Italy in 2006 and before then it was against the Welsh in 2002.

The loss of Hines is a blow. He suffered a calf strain and aggravated a previous ankle injury during the 18-9 defeat to France at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Hamilton has just returned to action after a knee injury ruled him out of the first half of the season.

He said: "I was all set to walk my boxer dog Bruce on Saturday as I didn't expect to be part of the group."

Wales V Italy Hospitality

Six Nations Hospitality

English WAGs helped inspire Scotland to 1990 Grand Slam victory over England

I am sure my fellow resident on these pages, Brian Moore - with whom I have more than once enjoyed banter on the airwaves - will welcome a calibrated alternative view of the events of March 17, 1990, when Scotland beat England to win the Grand Slam at Murrayfield.

Glory day: Chris Gray, David Sole and Finlay Calder celebrate during the 13-7 Grand Slam victory over England at Murrayfield Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Brian believes – understandably given the way the sky fell on England that afternoon – that almost supernatural forces propelled Tony Stanger across the line for the Scots' winning try.

In his book, Beware of the Dog, which has rattled a few cages north of the border, Brian states that antipathy towards Margaret Thatcher, loathing of the poll tax and downright xenophobic anti-Englishness were behind Scotland's greatest ever victory on the rugby field.

Well, it is certainly true that the Iron Lady was not held in the highest regard in Scotland but the day she was demonised at a sporting event was when she turned up at Hampden Park for the Celtic v Dundee United Scottish Cup final in 1985.

She was greeted with a mass display of red cards in protest against health service cuts and then had to sit through a barrage of songs and chants of such profanity – including one about her husband, Denis – that they cannot be hinted at here.

By contrast, Murrayfield, with its large numbers of supporters drawn from the Scottish public and private school system, was much more like Thatcher's natural constituency.

As for the poll tax, while substantial numbers protested by refusing to pay in Scotland, there was no civil disorder.

In fact, the worst violence, which left5,000 injured and led to 339 arrests – happened in Trafalgar Square exactly two weeks after David Sole's side won the Grand Slam.

On the other hand, a certain frisson may have been created by the evident assumption on the part of several English players that they had only to turn up to collect the prize – hence their insistence on being photographed underneath the posts with the rugby WAGs an hour before kick-off, an event noted by the home support and players.

And, as my wife and I left Murrayfield that day, we came across a white woollen sweater trampled into the mud.

It bore the red rose crest, around which were the words "England 1990 Grand Slam Winners".

I have always regretted that we didn't take it home and stick it in the wash.

Still – and my dear friend Brian will be the first to say as much – it is never too late to cleanse the doors of perception.

Scotland V England Hospitality

Six Nations Hospitality

Odds stacked against Laird and Ramsay stepping into the Ryder Cup breach

Just in case any reminding is needed, 2010 is a Ryder Cup year and in the run-up to Celtic Manor, Wales, in October, the biennial beanfeast will loom large at every tournament played on the European and PGA tours.

As Scotland’s stock in the professional golfing world has fallen alarmingly in recent years, not one of our tartan troops made it into Nick Faldo’s team that was defeated at Valhalla, Kentucky, in 2008. It was the first time in the modern era that even a single Scot had failed to make the grade and the chances are it will be the same story this time, even though a bright new horizon is beckoning for Scottish fortunes on the men’s tours after a spell in the doldrums.

Both have declared an ambition to make this year’s side. The Arizona-based Laird has even belatedly joined the European Tour as an affiliate member to make himself eligible just in case he bursts into the big time this season, starting this week in the SBS Championship in Hawaii. But both are realistic enough to recognise that their Ryder Cup 2010 debuts may be further in the future.

He also reckons the positive “can-do” attitude of Americans helped him against what he perceives as an all-pervading Scottish negativity that includes, perhaps, columns like this pointing out a couple of weeks ago that while the tee-to-green play of the European Tour Scots is among the best, the putting stats are grim.

Montgomerie has already made it clear that players in his side in all probability will have to be well inside the world’s top 50 to be considered and there are sound reasons for that. These are the players assured of starts in every world and major championship, the tournaments where the pressure is most comparable with the Ryder Cup 2010, where players will earn most points and have the chance to show their resilience.

As the SGU and the Professional Golfers’ Association in Scotland continue to ponder the dearth of top young players making the transition to successful tournament professionals, the answer may indeed lie in establishing a base in a warmer climate and recruiting a wide range of positive-thinking mentors that was the recommendation in the challenging No Limits report by Winning Scotland Foundation almost a year ago.

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Ryder Cup preparations ‘going well’ - council report

PREPARATIONS for this year’s Ryder Cup are progressing well, a report to councillors says.

City centre improvements, which are part of a £3.8 million revamp ahead of the October tournament, are already under way including work on the city’s war memorial and riverside walkways from the Riverfront Theatre to the footbridge.

A report to the council’s cabinet meeting next week says other projects including work to restore the Transporter Bridge, improvements to John Frost Square and work on key motorway routes at Tredegar Park Junction and the Coldra Roundabout are due to start this month.

A planning application for the park and ride at Usk Showground for Ryder Cup 2010 staff is due to be considered by Monmouthshire planning committee this month.

Park and Ride projects are on course to be completed on time with work at the Llanwern steelworks site and Tredegar House planned to start this month for completion in the summer.

Ryder Cup 2010 Wales reported that on-site infrastructure was progressing well with the bridge across the River Usk from Caerleon complete.

A schools education programme is being set up to get children involved in the event including golf themed literacy and maths exercises.

The council is also working to deliver opportunities for children and young people to participate in golf and funding has been allocated to support golf as a priority sport in Newport by the Sports Council for Wales.

All road closures associated with the tournament have been agreed and residents and businesses within the event exclusion zone in Catsash Road, Bulmore Road, Abernant Road, Belmont Hill, Royal Oak Hill have been contacted.

Preparations for the Newport 2010 Festival are also under way and will be unveiled at the launch on January 21.

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DARREN CLARKE SETS RYDER CUP TARGET

Darren Clarke wants nothing more than to get back into the European Ryder Cup team in 2010 but the Northern Irishman knows he must first start winning again.

The 41-year-old is in East London this week for the Africa Open, and, after a forgettable past 12 months, he is hoping for redemption in the new year.

Clarke, one of the heroes of the 2006 Ryder Cup victory at The K Club in Ireland, had only three top-10 finishes in 2009, the best of which came at the KLM Open in Zandvoort, where he tied for fifth.

By his own admission, it was a poor year and he is now keener than ever to make amends, with one eye firmly set on the contest against the United States in nine months' time.

"It was pretty obvious last year and I wanted to come back and get off to a fast start.

"I missed the Ryder Cup2010 the last time. I thought I had a good chance of making it but I missed it and I desperately want to get back on the team again. So that's the idea behind the early start."

Clarke also revealed his eagerness to improve on his form.

Speaking about his other goals, he continued: "Just to get back in the winner's circle again as soon as I can. I want to get back to winning ways again.

"I didn't win last year. I had a pretty poor year so I want to get back in the winner's circle and go from there."

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2010 is Ryder Cup year at Celtic Manor Resort

2010 promises to be an exciting year for golf as The Ryder Cup returns to Europe. The Celtic Manor Resort in the Usk Valley, South Wales plays host to this showpiece event and Four Communications will be working alongside US PR Agency Buffalo Communications in handling the press office in the UK.

Between 1 and 3 October 2010, the golfing elite of Europe and America go head-to-head in the sports premier team event on the purpose built Twenty Ten Course. This is the first course in history built to host The Ryder Cup 2010 and has been tailor made to challenge the best.

The Celtic Manor Resort is set in more than 1,400 acres of panoramic parkland at the gateway to Wales. With two hotels – a 330-room luxury Resort Hotel and the historic 19th century Manor House with 70 rooms – two exceptional spas, two luxury health clubs, a shooting school, fishing facilities, tennis courts, mountain biking, walking trails and five outstanding restaurants, The Celtic Manor Resort provides a complete experience for business, leisure and golf travellers as it gets ready to host The Ryder Cup 2010.

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Monty unfazed by dual role

Colin Montgomerie is confident his decision to feature as a playing captain at the Royal Trophy will not backfire.

The Scot will lead the European team in Thailand as they seek to regain the trophy they surrendered to Asia for the first time 12 months ago with a 10-6 defeat.

Montgomerie will also skipper Europe later in the year when they face America in the Ryder Cup 2010, although he has already insisted there is no chance of him featuring as a player, even if he were to qualify for the team.

But the 46-year-old is looking forward to playing his part this week and has played down claims from Asian counterpart Naomichi 'Joe' Osaki that he could struggle to carry off his dual role.

"When I heard that the games were just one game per day then it is possible (to play) but when you have two matches a day and 36 holes a day it becomes impossible to try and fit in the scheduling," Montgomerie explained ahead of the first day of action at the Amata Spring Country Club on Friday.

"With one match a day it is possible to captain and play in the team and it means I am at very close quarters to watch my team players and see what will happen not just here but of course later in the year."

"It is a very important year for European golf in 2010 culminating in the Ryder Cup 2010 in October," he continued.

"We have a great wealth of talent in Europe, more so than I have ever witnessed in my career.

“The Royal Trophy is a very good preparation for us in many ways to see how our top players are playing early on in the year while it gives me a great opportunity to witness how they are preparing for the Ryder Cup at the end of the year.

"We have seven possibilities here this week to show off their skills and we look forward trying to regain the Royal Trophy against a very strong Asian team."

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Clarke chases glory as Africa Open joins European Tour

Former Ryder Cup 2010 hero Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland heads a strong, East London (South Africa)

Africa Open field when the event joins the European Tour circuit for the first time Thursday.

Dane Thomas Bjorn and Englishman Nick Dougherty are other big names chasing glory in the one-million-euro event at the links-cum-parkland East London Golf Club.

Retief Goosen, twice US Open champion, pipped Clarke for the Africa Open title last year and other South Africans will be trying to prevent a European Tour hat-trick for invaders this season.

The second edition of the Road to Dubai European Tour order of merit won by Englishman Lee Westwood last season began in South Africa a month ago with victories for rising stars Pablo Martin and Richie Ramsay.

Spaniard Martin won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in the eastern Mpumalanga province and Scot Ramsay lifted the South African Open after a play-off against Indian Shiv Kapur at Pearl Valley near Cape Town.

They say golfing greatness is defined by the Majors, but Montgomerie is perhaps the exception to that rule. Despite winning all of The European Tour’s biggest prizes, The Ryder Cup 2010, where he has starred in a record equalling five victories – provides the Scot with his greatness. 

The world number 11 is still hoping to kick off 2010 in the Abu Dhabi Championship starting on January 21.

Argentine Angel Cabrera fired a course-record 62 on the intriguing par-73 layout at the Africa Open last year only to be upstaged by Sterne, who needed one stroke less in the same tournament.

Clarke overcame the death of his wife to play a pivotal role in the 2006 Ryder Cup triumph over the United States at a rain-soaked K Club outside Dublin and craves another crack at the Americans in Wales this October.

"I enjoyed playing in the Africa Open last year when finishing second behind Retief and I'm really looking forward to this tournament," Clarke said after a practice round designed to brush off festive-season cobwebs.



Competitors face raised tees, narrow fairways and minute greens on an outward-nine adventure that drifts through Indian Ocean dunes and can be pleasant when calm and perilous should the wind unleash its fury.

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Fans' chance to see Ryder Cup 2010 stars

GOLF fans in South West Wales are being given the choice of entering the online ballot for Hospitality to Ryder Cup 2010, or taking the alternative option of securing passes for the two Ryder Cup Practice Days Hospitality that precede golf's most prestigious team event.

The Ryder Cup comes to Wales for the first time in September 2010 when the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport hosts the biennial contest.

Hospitality was initially allocated through an online Hospitality ballot. A second ballot was opened with successful applicants being notified in April 2010 — all unsuccessful applicants from the first ballot were automatically entered into the second ballot.

As well as Hospitality for the three main match days, Ryder Cup Europe is also giving fans an early chance to sample the unique Ryder Cup 2010 atmosphere and see some of the world's top players at close quarters by securing Hospitality at a special rate for the three pre- tournament practice days.

Previously allocated within the online ballot, Ryder Cup Practice Days Hospitality, which start from £1,615.00 to £3,730.00, will be available on a first come, first served basis via the Ryder Cup website at www.corporatehospitalitygroup.com/Ryder-Cup-Hospitality

Richard Hills, director of Ryder Cup Europe, said; "Practice days at the Ryder Cup allow the golfers to familiarize themselves with the course and surroundings while the team captains get a last opportunity to see their players in action before deciding on the all-important pairings for the foursome and fourball matches. Demand for match-day Hospitality is always incredibly high but the practice days can give fans a once in a lifetime chance to get close to some of the world's best golfers."

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Odds stacked against Laird and Ramsay stepping into the Ryder Cup breach

Just in case any reminding is needed, 2010 is a Ryder Cup year and in the run-up to Celtic Manor, Wales, in October, the biennial beanfeast will loom large at every tournament played on the European and PGA tours.

But what chance a Scot making it into Colin Montgomerie’s 12-man European side?

As Scotland’s stock in the professional golfing world has fallen alarmingly in recent years, not one of our tartan troops made it into Nick Faldo’s team that was defeated at Valhalla, Kentucky, in 2008. It was the first time in the modern era that even a single Scot had failed to make the grade and the chances are it will be the same story this time, even though a bright new horizon is beckoning for Scottish fortunes on the men’s tours after a spell in the doldrums.

The Saltire is being flown proudly by Martin Laird and Richie Ramsay, two players whose stars are very much on the rise after victories on the PGA Tour and European Tour respectively late last year, and new Scottish standard-bearers are chronically needed to replace Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance and Colin Montgomerie, our top guns over the last three decades.

Can Laird and Ramsay step into the breach? Of course they can, but from their current positions the odds are stacked heavily against them.

Both have declared an ambition to make this year’s side. The Arizona-based Laird has even belatedly joined the European Tour as an affiliate member to make himself eligible just in case he bursts into the big time this season, starting this week in the SBS Championship in Hawaii. But both are realistic enough to recognise that their Ryder Cup 2010 debuts may be further in the future.

Montgomerie has already made it clear that players in his side in all probability will have to be well inside the world’s top 50 to be considered and there are sound reasons for that. These are the players assured of starts in every world and major championship, the tournaments where the pressure is most comparable with the Ryder Cup, where players will earn most points and have the chance to show their resilience.

Others could still join them at St Andrews through other qualifying avenues, but the tartan army at the home of golf in July is unlikely to be anywhere near as strong as the last time the Open was there in 2005 when 10 Scots were in the field. Six played all four rounds, Montgomerie was runner-up, Lloyd Saltman was joint 15th, Scott Drummond and Eric Ramsay joint 23rd, Lyle joint 32nd and Lawrie joint 52nd.

Curiously, the rise of both Laird and Ramsay is connected with American influences. Laird exited Scotland as a youth to attend the University of Colorado and remained in the US, playing his way through the collegiate scene and then on to the PGA Tour via the Nationwide Tour.

Ramsay had much stronger links to home as a product of the Scottish Golf Union before forging a link, as the US amateur champion, with the Golf Club of Georgia without which, he feels, his short game would never have been sharp enough to mount the winner’s podium.

He also reckons the positive “can-do” attitude of Americans helped him against what he perceives as an all-pervading Scottish negativity that includes, perhaps, columns like this pointing out a couple of weeks ago that while the tee-to-green play of the European Tour Scots is among the best, the putting stats are grim.

The Scot is not only captaining the side but also playing. Having tumbled to world No.255, he is hardly there on current form, but you can’t accuse the eight-time Ryder Cup 2010 player, unbeaten in singles in that time, of being short on experience.

As the SGU and the Professional Golfers’ Association in Scotland continue to ponder the dearth of top young players making the transition to successful tournament professionals, the answer may indeed lie in establishing a base in a warmer climate and recruiting a wide range of positive-thinking mentors that was the recommendation in the challenging No Limits report by Winning Scotland Foundation almost a year ago.

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Great golf ahead in 2010

This year promises to be one of the most exciting and challenging years on the links we’ve had in a while.The four majors this year will be contested on four of the most famous and challenging golf courses in the world. The Masters will be played at the usual, beautiful Augusta National in Georgia April 8 through 11. The US Open will be contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., June 17 through 20 and will provide some thrilling shot-making. The British Open will be held at one of the oldest and most revered courses in the golfing kingdom the quirky Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, July 15 through 18.

The Ryder Cup 2010 will be contested at the Ten Twenty Course at Celtic Manor in Wales Oct. 1-3. Fiery little Corey Pavin will captain the U.S. team as they try to beat the Europeans on their own soil for the first time since 1993.

Maybe Corey can instill the same old devil-may-care spirit that captain Paul Azinger instilled in the U.S. team that carried them to victory at Valhalla in 2008.

One of the big mysteries of 2010 is when will Tiger Woods get his personal life straightened out and tee it up again. I have heard a non-malicious rumor from a Florida source that says Elin and Tiger still love each other and want to make their marriage work.

Elin has an attorney, but has not filed for divorce. If Tiger can focus on making his marriage work as well as he does on hitting difficult golf shots then the family will be happy again.

Let’s hope so for the sake of Elin, the children, and all of Tiger’s adoring fans. I would love to see him back in action at the Masters in April.

“I have enjoyed bringing you golf news in 2009 and am looking forward to another great year of golf in Ryder Cup 2010”, Colin Montgomerie

EKU coach Pat Stephens says this will be a rebuilding year for the Colonel golf team. EKU lost seniors Trey Bowling, Jesse Massie, Shaun McConnell and Brandon Berry from last year’s team. Trey Bowling was KGA Player of the Year in 2008 and, in 2007, Phil Hendrickson was player of the year.

One thing both of these teams have going for them is the excellent Colonel Golf and Learning Center. This Center has all the latest technology for complete swing analysis and the range and greens to fine tune that swing.

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Will the Ryder Cup in October be one to remember?

Some say this biennial bonfire of the vanities is over-hyped, but that simply is not possible in a year when Colin Montgomerie could be the captain of Ian Poulter.

For all the Scot's façade of good grace and statesmanship, Montgomerie's leadership will be its own source of fascination at Celtic Manor. Will Poulter, assuming he qualifies, be ordered to go easy on the peacock hairstyle? Will he be allowed any say on the European team's dress code for the final-day singles?

A performer of peerless Ryder Cup pedigree, Montgomerie is little versed in the management of such egos. He remains acutely vulnerable, too, to the raucous banter and cat-calls that have tended to disfigure – or enhance, depending on your point of view – this event. That 'Mrs Doubtfire' soubriquet still stings.

The dynamic with Corey Pavin, the United States captain, has a similar potential to be explosive. While Pavin's official pronouncements have so far been studies in blandness, his apologists tend to forget the fiery, moustachioed renegade he used to be – not least when he revved up the Americans to memorable effect at Kiawah Island in 1991.

No one could fail to romanticise the prospect of 50,000 people galvanising 24 players for three days amid the splendour of rural South Wales. The one imponderable is how sodden and bedraggled those people will be after braving the Usk Valley in October.

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Colin Montgomerie: European Ryder Cup 2010 Captain

Colin Montgomerie, European Ryder Cup 2010 Captain has thrived in many arenas during a glittering career of record breaking individual success. Yet, it is his achievement in a team event which unquestionably best defines the passion and pride of this unique sporting figure.

Representing Europe in eight Ryder Cup matches, he was never beaten in a singles contest, but his influence in a period of unprecedented European success runs much deeper than that.

Montgomerie has been the catalyst, the leader and the closer.  He is the most talked about European golfer of his generation and even though, in The Ryder Cup, he was only ever one individual of a dedicated dozen, he would invariably come to the fore. 

Perhaps this was best illustrated in the 2004 contest at Oakland Hills where the talismanic Scot had been the grateful recipient of a wildcard selection. Captain Bernhard Langer did not dare take on the Americans in their own backyard without him.

Montgomerie started and finished the job.  Partnering Padraig Harrington to a 2 and 1 victory in the opening match against the American ‘dream-team’ of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, he helped set the tone for a stunning three days in Detroit. When he then holed the winning putt on the final green in Sunday’s singles to edge out the doughty David Toms, Montgomerie ensured the trophy would remain in European hands.

Born in Glasgow in June 1963, Colin Stuart Montgomerie OBE grew into a colossus of the European game with 31 Tour victories to his name. All that has ever been missing is a Major title. Twice he has lost play-offs, in the 1994 US Open Championship and in the US PGA Championship the following year. He has been runner up in two more US Opens and in The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2005, the year he claimed his record eighth Harry Vardon Trophy as European Number One.

They say golfing greatness is defined by the Majors, but Montgomerie is perhaps the exception to that rule. Despite winning all of The European Tour’s biggest prizes, The Ryder Cup 2010, where he has starred in a record equalling five victories – provides the Scot with his greatness. 

No-one who was there will ever forget the way he held his nerve at Club de Golf Valderrama in 1997 to secure a half point and the overall victory for Europe in a tense singles decider against Scott Hoch. He also revelled in the responsibility of being sent out first in the singles matches by skipper Sam Torrance at The Belfry in 2002, once again coming up against that man Hoch, but this time trouncing him 5 and 4.   Crucially, he did the same job to similar effect for Ian Woosnam at The K Club in 2006 where once again David Toms was his victim on the final green.

Now it is Montgomerie’s turn to decide the batting order. The European Tour’s Tournament Committee jumped at the chance of appointing him Captain as soon as he made it clear he would be up for the job at The Celtic Manor Resort. He will lead Europe with the passion that has been the hallmark of his Ryder Cup career.

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What can happen in 2010

Ryder cup 2009 didn't lack for excitement or drama, but Ryder Cup years always seem to have that extra dimension. Yes we over obsess on this biennial clash between Europe and the US but the intrigue of the qualification period provides a strong narrative for the season and the match itself never fails to deliver. The October date at Celtic Manor provides concern over autumnal conditions in the Usk Valley but this already feels as though it will be a very special match, especially with Europe so desperate to recapture the trophy. Judging by the 2009 year end rankings we will be watching the best players in the world, Europe and America each have 11 players in the world's top 30. The Ryder cup 2010 captains, Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin are such strong competitors they will be their own sources of interest throughout the year and once again golf will be able to transcend and attract general sports fans as well as die-hard golf enthusiasts. Bring it on

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Casey hopes for better 2010

Paul Casey has revealed he is hungry for more success after shaking off the rib injury which ruined his 2009 season.

The 32-year-old Englishman started last year in red-hot form and won three tournaments - including his first PGA Tour win - but barely played for the rest of the season after picking up a rib injury at July's Open Championship.

Casey is now back to full-fitness and ready to embark on a season which he hopes will culminate with a place in Europe's Ryder Cup 2010 squad.

"It's very easy to look forward because I haven't really been able to play golf since the Open," explained the world number seven.

"I've tried to come back and I haven't been ready and that's been frustrating. Now I feel hungry to play a lot of golf. I've already got the schedule at home and mapped it out.

"2009 could have been such a great year and it was a great year but it was just half a year. If I can just stay fit and healthy, there's no reason why I can't do better things next year as I did in the beginning of 2009.

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No Officiating Changes in Six Nations 2010 rugby

Six Nations 2010 rugby will play out with the standard four officials per game and without replay, after the FIFA Executive Committee opted against introducing any changes to the current officiating system.  The controversy over the match officials stems from the France V Ireland Six Nations Qualifier where Thierry Henry handled the ball while setting up the winning goal.  Ireland's appeals for a replay and then later to be included as a 33rd team were dismissed outright.  

French played their first Five Nations Championship in 1910, four years after their first test match against New Zealand. The French were the whipping boys of the tournament during those early years, losing repeatedly to the home nations sides. The French were banned from the tournament in 1932 when the sport threatened to go professional in France.

The French next participated in the Five Nations in 1947. It took them a further eight years to secure their first Five Nations championship, which they shared with Wales in 1955, before they came of age and won their first outright title in 1959.

In the years since France claimed its first championship title, the French have become a powerful force in the tournament, winning almost half of the Six Nations rugby tournaments played since 1955. The French are also the only team in the tournament’s history to have won back-to-back championships whilst fielding an unchanged team.

2009 was the year of the Irish as they finally won the Grand Slam for the first time in decades to claim the Six Nations rugby triumph. Ireland proved they were the best team on show and they will be looking to build on that success in 2010 by claiming the Championship once again.

France and Ireland once again competition of rugby in Six Nations

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Ireland V Wales in Six Nations 2010 rugby

Ireland are the current Grand Slam title holders, for the first time since 1948, having won the competition in 2009 by beating all other teams, and winning the Triple Crown by beating England, Scotland and Wales.


Wales compete annually in the Six Nations rugby, which they have won 24 times, the last being in 2008. Wales have also qualified for every World Cup that has been held, and achieved their best result in the 1987 tournament, when they finished third. The national team play at the Millennium Stadium, built in 1999 to replace the old National Stadium. Wales play in scarlet jerseys, white shorts and red socks, with the jersey sporting the Prince of Wales's feathers as their official badge. Every four years the British and Irish Lions go on tour with players from Wales as well as England, Ireland and Scotland.


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The magic moments of Ireland's historic Grand Slam 2009 rugby season will be emotionally recalled when the 2010 RBS Six Nations championship unfurls at Croke Park in February and March next.

Little wonder that there is unprecedented interest in Ireland's campaign at Croke Park in 2010 ----- don't miss out!

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Warren Gatland ready to shake up Wales’ selection for Samoa Test

Rugby Correspondent SIMON ROBERTS expects Warren Gatland to gamble again for Wales’ Samoa test

WARREN GATLAND has a reputation for making bold selections as Wales coach.

The New Zealander, who masterminded Wales’ Grand Slam in 2008, is not afraid to take a calculated gamble when it comes to team selection.

But can we expect him to do the same for Wales’ clash with Samoa at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night?

Gatland’s decision to select 13 Ospreys for his first game in charge for the 2008 Six Nations opener against England resulted in Wales’ first victory at Twickenham for 20 years.He was widely criticised for the move but it proved to be a masterstroke and set Wales up for a second Six Nations clean sweep in four years.

Gatland’s gambling instincts were on view again 12 months ago when Wales emerged with a low-key 34-13 victory over Canada in Cardiff.

Ditto last March when Gatland made nine changes for the Six Nations trip to Italy, Wales edging home 20-15 in Rome.

Gatland was widely accused of throwing away the Six Nations title with that selection but the Kiwi has always had his sights on the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

All three selection gambles ended in victory, but does Gatland do the same against Samoa?

Or does he pick the same side which lost to New Zealand en bloc just to get a morale-boosting win?

Gatland is a born winner but, with the World Cup only a couple of years away, he knows he must add to the depth of his current squad.

That is why it is a pretty safe bet that a host of the young guns named in his 28-man squad for the Autumn Test series will get the nod today.

Yet this Samoa side are not to be taken lightly. The perception that they are a side Wales should
be beating at the drop of a hat is arrogance beyond belief.Most of their best players are scattered across the top sides in Europe and should not be underestimated.

They have travelled to Wales with a squad full of northern hemisphere-based players and will include Seilala Mapusua and George Stowers in their line-up, even if a third London Irish star, the powerful wing Sailosi Tagicakibau, will be missing.

In their original 27-man squad there were 10 players from England’s Guinness Premiership, five based in France and Glasgow’s Justin Va’a. The rest play in New Zealand or Samoa.

What they lack in organisation and time to really bring a side together, they make up with sheer passion for the Samoan jersey.

There is the added emotional dimension of this being the first game played by Samoa since the tsunami there at the end of September, which wiped out whole villages and left the death toll at 100 and rising.

Samoans are a proud and emotional people and they won’t be playing against Wales, but for those who lost their lives back home.

Gatland, as a coach, knows how important emotion is at Test level and he will be wary of Samoa’s extra incentive on Friday.

But his primary focus will be on Wales and seeing what he has coming through the system behind his frontline players.

He will also be under no illusions that selecting an inexperienced side against the tough-tackling Samoans could be yet another gamble.

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Scotland's rugby team given a make-over by Andy Robinson

Head coach Robinson – who succeeded Frank Hadden this summer – has selected just five of those who started March's RBS Six Nations Championship defeat to England for his first match in charge against Fiji on Saturday. "The guys that haven't been selected that are on the bench, they've got an impact to make as well. It's about the whole squad and how that works."

Asked if the team represented the Robinson blueprint going forward, he replied: "It's a team to play Fiji and win the game and the key for us is that we understand that rugby is a physical game; you have to win the collisions, you have to establish a go-forward.

"But it's also to be able to have the skill levels to open up the spaces.

"I'd like to think that we've got the balance there in the 22 to be able to deliver that."

The Scarlets and Wales back row forward Dafydd Jones will undergo surgery on Tuesday on the shoulder injury he suffered against New Zealand on Saturday.

Jones, who came on as a second-half replacement for Andy Powell, sprung his A/C joint and will ultimately miss the rest of the four-match series in Cardiff. He is also likely to be out of action until the new year, at the earliest.

The injury means 21 year-old Dragons flanker Dan Lydiate is certain to make his debut against Samoa on Friday with coach Warren Gatland likely to make wholesale changes after the 19-12 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks.

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Jeremy Guscott | Six Nations

Jeremy Guscott Q&A
Former England and Lions star Guscott is a BBC rugby union pundit

The autumn internationals are in full swing, and it's been a depressing start for the northern hemisphere with both England and Wales falling to defeat in their opening matches.With seven defeats from 12 Tests, England boss Martin Johnson and his coaching set-up comes in for particular scrutiny, while Wales' latest near miss is also up for discussion. Other topics include former Australia star Lote Tuqiri's arrival in the Premiership, the absence of Saracens players from the England squad and the perils of signing autographs. If you have a

question for Jerry, you can submit it by using the form in the top right-hand corner of the page. He will answer as many as possible next week.

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