csconstantine.com

Scotland centre Joe Ansbro has agreed a three-year deal with Aviva Premiership club London Irish.

Ansbro, who lines up for Scotland in their opening RBS 6 Nations clash against France on Saturday, will move to Irish from Northampton this summer.

The 25-year-old has so far made 65 appearances for Saints, scoring 18 tries.

Irish head coach Toby Booth said: "Joe is a very talented player with a great future ahead of him.

"He is quick and powerful, and I believe he will fit nicely into our set-up and with the style of rugby we play.

"His versatility on the field makes him a valuable asset to have on board, and further boosts the strength in depth that we already have.

"We are an ambitious club, and continuing to bring in high calibre players, such as Joe, is key to giving us the edge and helping us to achieve our goals."

Ansbro added: "There are some great players who have committed their long-term futures to the club, and that speaks volumes for what is happening there."

Labels: Ansbro, Association, Irish, Press, switch

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has no hesitation in declaring Gary Neville to be the best English right-back of the Premier League era.

Neville announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending a stellar career that has brought him eight Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph, plus 85 England caps.

"Best English right-back in the Premier League? Certainly," Wenger said. "If you look at his record, he has won absolutely everything and with the number of games he has played, he is without a doubt the best."

Although Neville's talent is in danger of being underplayed, Wenger concurs with the widespread view that the Bury-born star achieved the levels he did through sheer force of will and persistence.

"I respect what he has done a lot because he was certainly not one of the most talented players in the league," he said. "But what he has achieved is consistency.

"His record is down to intelligence and motivation - he is an example to players who are maybe less gifted than the Ryan Giggses or the David Beckhams.

"He still made a fantastic career because he is intelligent and highly motivated. He deserves great credit."

Labels: Association, hails, Neville, Press, retiring, Wenger

Arsene Wenger has claimed Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was the subject of a witch hunt.

According to Everton manager David Moyes, the Spain midfielder made unrepeatable comments to match officials as the players went down the tunnel at half-time of their Barclays Premier League clash at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, which should have earned him a red card, but Lee Mason did not include the incident in his report.

Asked if he thought there was a witch hunt against Fabregas, the Arsenal manager replied: "Yes. We are long enough in the job to know that somebody picks on you for a while, and you are in the heat of the moment. But for me what is the most important is the player behaves well."

He added: "When Cesc is on the pitch, he tries to play football - I cannot say everybody who plays against him tries to do that.

"For example, some people reproach him for not exchanging shirts with a player after the game - but I hope he will not exchange shirts with players who try to kick him for 90 minutes and them come to say 'please can I get your shirt'. I think that is a normal and natural reaction.

"Overall this guy is an example on the football pitch and shows you how to play football."

Wenger, however, feels Fabregas has the strength of character to silence the critics.

"People are more demanding, and Cesc has to live with that," the Arsenal manager said. "It is not easy, but he is a very intelligent man and he will learn very quickly to cope with that.

"Cesc is 24 this year, he has played 250 games in the Premier League - at that age, it is absolutely remarkable.

"He has gone through a lot, difficult moments, but has always come out stronger - this guy is a fantastic leader."

Labels: Association, backs, Fabregas, Press, underfire, Wenger

Steven Fletcher has shown a lack of respect for both manager Craig Levein and the country as a whole by snubbing a call-up to the Scotland squad, according to Hamish Husband, the spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army clubs.

The Wolves striker's international career appears to be over - at least while Levein is in charge - after he declined to be involved in next week's Carling Nations Cup opener against Northern Ireland in Dublin.

Levein was set to recall Fletcher after dropping him from the squad for the friendly against Faroe Islands in November and not playing him in October's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Spain, despite the 23-year-old's critical comments about the controversial 4-6-0 formation used in the 1-0 defeat in Prague.

When informed that he was under consideration for selection, the player sent a text message to Frank Reilly, a Scottish Football Association official, stating that he did not want to be selected and that Levein could phone him if he wanted.

Husband said: "It shows a lack of respect for the manager, the fans and especially the country.

"Levein is his own man and he will pick his own players. I would hope Fletcher doesn't play again for the country. He doesn't seem to have the heart.

"To be honest, he is a player most of the fans had forgotten about. So it's disappointing, after Craig Levein had indicated he could be part of a new strike force for Scotland, that he has shown no passion to play for his country.

"He has also shown a lack of ambition because he only seems to be interested in a future where he is fighting relegation with his club instead of looking ahead to European Championships qualifiers."

Labels: Association, Fletcher, Press, Scotland, slammed

Ally McCoist declared himself as excited as he had ever been as he was unveiled as the latest Rangers manager.

Rangers on Tuesday afternoon confirmed McCoist's anticipated succession to the Ibrox hotseat when Walter Smith steps down in the summer. McCoist, the club's record goalscorer, has been viewed as the natural successor to Smith since the early stages of his four-year stint as assistant manager.

"I'm thrilled to bits, it's as exciting a time as I can think of," McCoist said.

"I was lucky enough to play for the club for 15 years but this is an absolute dream and a privilege.

"(Rangers chief executive) Martin Bain and I had a few discussions, and Walter was heavily involved, and once I was offered the job, my automatic reaction was to say yes.

"Rangers have always been my team. I know the club inside out, I know the people, the fans, the players and I know how important this football club is to everyone and hopefully I can bring them success."

But McCoist was keen not to wallow in the moment too long as Rangers look to bounce back from their weekend Old Firm defeat when they play Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League on Thursday.

"It's a little bit of a relief in respect that we can now hopefully put it to bed," he said.

"This is a wonderful moment but I'm sure everyone is aware of the importance of between now and the end of the season. We're still heavily involved in four trophies."

Labels: aposthrilledapos, Association, McCoist, Press, Rangers

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has insisted postponing the Bahrain Grand Prix was the only way forward for fear of potential trouble during the race weekend.

In the wake of the political upheaval in the Gulf kingdom, human rights activists had threatened to target the race to further their cause, but following discussions between the crown prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Ecclestone and the FIA, it was felt to call off the race was the best course of action.

"I'm a little bit disappointed that it has now been postponed, but if you look at the way that part of the world is at the moment, it is the only thing anyone could do," Ecclestone told BBC Sport. "The crown prince and I discussed the whole thing and did what we thought was right for everybody."

He added: "We were happy to go along with more or less what he had in mind. It would have been no good us saying 'No, we're going to be there whether you like it or not'.

"The crown prince thought it was the correct thing to do, and that would be on safety obviously. Can you imagine if everybody had been there and suddenly there had been a little bit of an uprising again? It would have been bad for everyone."

Prince Salman cited his country's need for time to heal as one of the primary reasons behind the decision.

"At the present time the country's entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain," said Prince Salman.

"Although Bernie Ecclestone had graciously made clear a decision on the race was entirely Bahrain's to make and was not yet required, we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of Bahrain's Formula One race to a later date.

"I would like to extend my personal gratitude to Bernie Ecclestone for his support and understanding.

"After the events of the past week, our nation's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together, reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united."

Labels: Association, Bahrain, Chief, choice, Press

Lewis Moody will have until the end of Tuesday to prove he is ready to resume the captaincy and lead England into battle against RBS 6 Nations title rivals France.

The Bath flanker returned to action at the weekend with a 23-minute cameo off the bench against Northampton after five weeks out nursing knee ligament damage. While Mike Tindall captained England in their opening two victories over Wales and Italy, Moody always maintained Saturday's showdown with France was a realistic target.

England manager Martin Johnson plans to finalise his selection on Tuesday and the indications are that Moody will be involved at Twickenham.

But Johnson still has to be convinced his captain is ready to start such a pivotal Test match, where the only two remaining unbeaten sides go head-to-head.

"We are hoping he is going to be in the right place to be able to participate on Saturday," Johnson said. "We will know a little more on Tuesday and name the team for the players."

France coach Marc Lievremont lit the blue touch-paper ahead of 'Le Crunch' with an anti-English outburst in which he branded Johnson's team as the most-hated in the championship.

When Wales coach Warren Gatland launched some verbal grenades at England in the build-up to the opening game of Six Nations, Johnson suggested he was acting like a man under pressure. And England have laughed off Lievremont's jibe, with fly-half Toby Flood revealing the squad interpreted the special attention as a back-handed compliment.

"Maybe he was trying to unsettle us, I don't know. It shows people are taking notice of us and asking questions about how we are playing," Flood said.

Whatever impression other countries have of Johnson's England, Flood insisted they are not arrogant enough to believe they are anywhere near the finished article. This time last year, England opened their campaign with two victories but failed to win another match.

"I don't think we are getting too far ahead of ourselves. We have had a couple of good performances," Flood said. "This is the biggest Test match we have had in a long time. Only one side can leave it with the chance of a Grand Slam."

Labels: Association, Moody, Press, Running, skipper

West Brom head coach Roy Hodgson has warned he does not have any "magic words" to offer the team ahead of Sunday's crucial Black Country derby.

Instead, new boss Hodgson is hoping that "persistent training" will provide the key to success as West Brom look to turn around their form.

Hodgson said: "You live through bad football results, and hopefully you try to put them behind you and you try to analyse why it was a bad result. Then you try to work hard to make certain that you're better prepared next time to get good results."

He added: "I think that the best way to work psychologically with players is to make sure your training sessions challenge them and that you give them plenty to think about.

"That there's a few magic words that someone can come in and say to a team and their problems are dispelled, and all the sadness of recent weeks suddenly disappears, for me is a complete myth."

Hodgson was clear on how he can improve the team.

"Persistent training," he said. "For me, football from Sunday to the next Saturday is rehearsal."

The former Switzerland boss added that the current stage of the season limits opportunities for a quick fix.

He said: "A large factor which we can do nothing about now is the area of recruitment, making certain that you have the right type of players, with the right mental attitude and with the skills.

"There's only a limited amount of training we can do at the moment without running the risk of tiring the players out and leaving a lot of what we want to bring out into the game on Sunday out on the training field."

Labels: Association, Hodgson, Press, relying, words

Birmingham chairman Peter Pannu has warned concerns over attendance levels may lead to a redevelopment of St Andrew's rather than moving to a new stadium.

Initial £20million plans aimed at upgrading the Garrison Lane stand at St Andrew's have been unveiled by the club's parent company, Birmingham International Holdings.

"We haven't categorically ruled out moving stadiums completely but my prime concern is attendances," said Pannu. "Our average attendance does not justify building a stadium of 50,000 to 55,000 at this stage."

City have held talks with Birmingham City Council about the possibility of moving to a new location since Carson Yeung became the club's owner in 2009, but Pannu - Yeung's right-hand man - admits an average attendance of just under 25,00 does not justify moving to a larger complex.

He added: "We have ample support from the local authorities but, with current attendances, it is just not right to do that sort of investment.

"In any case, a lot of our fans want to stay put."

Regarding the plans for the Garrison Lane stand, Pannu said: "There is no timeframe. It could be as soon as two years. It could well be beyond that.

"Of course, if we are in the Premier League, is also one of the considerations.

"This is still at an early stage. This could be self-financed or through naming rights. But it is something exciting."

Labels: Association, Pannu, Press, redevelopment, talks

Steven Fletcher will not play again for Scotland under Craig Levein, Press Association Sport understands.

It emerged on Wednesday morning that the Wolves striker, 23, turned down a place in Levein's squad for next week's Carling Nations Cup clash with Northern Ireland in Dublin.

When informed that he was under consideration for selection, Fletcher sent a text message to Frank Reilly, a Scottish Football Association official, stating that he did not want to be selected and that the national team boss could phone him if he wanted.

Levein was ready to recall Fletcher after dropping him from the squad for the friendly against Faroe Islands in November and not playing him in October's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Spain.

The former Hearts and Dundee United boss had shrugged off critical comments made by Fletcher about the controversial 4-6-0 formation used by Scotland in the 1-0 defeat in Prague. However, it is understood that there is no chance of Levein selecting the player again.

Levein was quoted as saying: "Steven Fletcher was selected, but he has since indicated that he did not wish to be selected for Scotland."

The Scotland boss was reluctant to discuss the situation in detail, preferring to focus on those who were willing and able to make their way to Dublin next week.

He said: "What I have found since taking this job is that I want to work with people who want to play for Scotland. I look at guys like Phil Bardsley, who has changed his nationality to play for Scotland and, after the Spain game, he was the proudest man in the world because his dad was in tears watching his son playing for Scotland.

"Jamie Mackie is another one: his grandfather is over the moon that he's being picked for Scotland and these guys want to run their heart out and do their best for Scotland and they made their families immensely proud.

"What I don't want is anyone in the squad who is not of that mind. For the life of me I just can't understand anyone who doesn't want to be part of what is happening."

Labels: Association, Fletcher, Levein, Press, reveals

Tony McCoy admits he faces a difficult decision whether to stick with Don't Push It as his ride in the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree in April.

The Jonjo O'Neill-trained gelding, owned by JP McManus, ended the champion jockey's long wait when giving him National glory at the 15th attempt in 2010. McCoy points out it is incredibly tough for horses to win the world's greatest steeplechase two years running.

Don't Push It has been burdened with joint-top weight of 11st 10lb - 5lb more than he carried last year - when the weights were announced on Tuesday. If McCoy believes any other of his possible mounts, including Can't Buy Time and Synchronised, look to have a better chance, then he would desert the horse that gave him his most memorable day in racing.

McCoy said: "I don't know at the moment. I will always be indebted to Don't Push It for giving me the greatest day of my racing life. But I'm a statistics person, and no horse has won back-to-back Grand Nationals since Red Rum. It's very hard for a horse to win any Grand National. In recent years I thought Hedgehunter and Comply Or Die were really good Grand National winners who could win again.

"They did come back and run well again but it takes an enormous amount out of a horse. Hopefully he's been saving a bit of himself."

Comply Or Die, the winner in 2008, is one of six possibles from the David Pipe stable, with the Nicholashayne trainer particularly struck on French import Or Noir De Somoza.

Pipe said: "He was a top-class horse in France. We had him for a short spell once before - he ran over two miles behind Master Minded, but he's a stayer. We felt he was definitely a three-mile-plus horse and if he was to take to the race he would be very interesting off 11st 5lb. He hasn't been with us for long and we've got a lot of work to do with him. He will hopefully have one run before Aintree but he might go straight there.

"Comply Or Die has completed three times, won and finished second. He has a nice weight (10st 8lb) this year. He is 12, but there have been plenty of winners between nine and 12 and I was very pleased with his run at Warwick the other day. All the rest will take a chance if they get in. Junior would be a good surprise package, maybe next year if he doesn't get in this year."

Hedgehunter landed the booty for Willie Mullins in 2005 and the County Carlow maestro said: "My son Patrick will be riding Dooneys Gate and 11st 4lb gives him a chance. I'm hoping everything goes right and he can get there. I was happy enough with The Midnight Club's weight (10st 13lb), and hopefully the top one stays in.

"Ballytrim eventually gets in this year and I'm happy enough with his weight. Apt Approach probably won't run, and Quiscover Fontaine was going to go for the Irish National. Arbor Supreme was going really well when he was unseated last year and I'm happy enough with him. So we at least have a few that can run."

Labels: Association, dilemma, faced, McCoy, NATIONAL, Press

Next month's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix could be disrupted by anti-government protests, according to a local human rights group.

The country has become the latest Arab nation to experience substantial public unrest in the wake of events in Tunisia and Egypt. Although protests were initially peaceful, two people have so far been killed, further inflaming an increasingly volatile situation.

With the international spotlight set to focus on the country for the start of the new F1 season on March 13, Nabeel Rajab, the vice president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, feels certain protesters will look to take advantage.

"For sure F1 is not going to be peaceful this time," he told Arabian Business. "There'll be lots of journalists, a lot of people looking and (the government) will react in a stupid manner as they have done, and that will be bloody, but will be more publicised.

"This will not stop, especially now when people have died. I don't think it's going to stop easily."

Labels: Association, Bahrain, Press, Protests, threaten

Warrington were counting the cost of their surprise opening-day defeat by Huddersfield, with two players sent to hospital.

Australian centre Matt King was the biggest casualty of the 28-18 defeat in the opening match of the Magic Weekend in Cardiff after being carried off on a stretcher with suspected knee-ligament damage.

"We'll wait until we get the seriousness of it," said Wolves coach Tony Smith. "Lee Briers is also going to hospital for x-rays on his neck but hopefully it's precautionary."

Warrington also lost Mike Cooper (shoulder), Simon Grix (dead leg) and Chris Bridge (hamstring), leaving Smith with no substitutes in the closing stages.

"We're not in great shape," said Smith.

The Wolves enjoyed the better start and took the lead with a fourth-minute try from debutant Australian winger Joel Monaghan but they paid the price for a series of handling errors and lapses in discipline.

"Our opponents deserved to win," added Smith. "They played a bit better than us. We were far from our best. It was very frustrating. We need to improve and we will. I've got to say there were some courageous boys out there and to fight back at the back end of the game with no subs showed what we're about as a club."

Huddersfield ended Warrington's 2010 season with victory in the play-offs and today's opening victory suggests they will once more be challenging for a trip to Old Trafford but coach Nathan Brown was far from satisfied with their performance.

"I thought we were very scrappy from an attacking point of view but from a defensive point of view for 65 or 70 minutes we were really good," he said.

"To beat Warrington in round one is always pleasing. I thought we were the better team but we're going to need to improve a lot."

Labels: Association, count, defeat, Press, Wolves

Alun-Wyn Jones has revealed how Wales relished being put under a piercing spotlight that accompanied them all the way to Edinburgh for their make-or-break clash against Scotland.

Wales' 24-6 victory - only their fourth at Murrayfield since 1985 - has kept them in the RBS 6 Nations title shake-up. Defeat in the Scottish capital, though, would have seen a trip to Italy on February 26 gripped by a fear of potential wooden spoon status for the losers.

Jones said: "Usually, you are told to avoid pressure and not think about it. There was a bit of a mentality this week, though, of knowing we were under pressure and then embracing it."

He added: "We seem to play better rugby the more under pressure we are, especially later on in games, so we said let's embrace it from the start, and we did.

"Flippin' heck, we play great rugby under pressure - we have done against the likes of South Africa and New Zealand.

"If you look at some of our performances, we have been guilty of not getting into games as early as we should do. We were very conscious we were under pressure, but we embraced that pressure from the off.

"Yes, international rugby is a results-based game, but it was only a matter of time (before Wales won).

"It is nice to see some smiles on faces. It was one of our best defensive performances - we shut them out - and we had that composure under pressure."

Labels: Association, embraced, Jones, Press, pressure, Wales

(UKPA) – 1 hour ago

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has warned France that Jamie Heaslip is champing at the bit to make his comeback in Sunday's RBS 6 Nations clash.

Heaslip, who has recovered from an ankle injury, will be making his first appearance since December. The talented Lions back row slots in at number eight with Leinster colleague Sean O'Brien moving to blindside flanker and Denis Leamy dropping to the bench.

"Jamie's a good player and brings his own skill set. That'll give us variation in the team, Jamie trained fully on Monday and Tuesday, so there was no need not to select him. He's looking forward to it," said Kidney.

Kidney was reluctant to make any other changes, even though Ireland were almost the victims of one of the championship's great upsets last Saturday before scraping home 13-11 against Italy.

"I wasn't satisfied with the way we played against Italy. We can play a lot better," he said.

"But the players performed in such a way that meant they deserved another go. Sometimes you need to back your players and after the way they went about their business, that's what I'm doing.

"There were times last week when we off-loaded to people who weren't in better positions than the ball carrier. The co-ordination between combinations takes time to bed in and that's why we've gone with the same team."

France warmed up for Sunday's showdown in Dublin with a dashing 34-21 victory over Scotland, a performance that saw their post-autumn obituaries being hastily re-written. Ireland believe their best chance of upsetting the Grand Slam champions rests with attempting to beat them at their own game.

"With the way the laws of the game are now, if you stand off France and try to do damage limitation, you'll be opened up," said Kidney.

"So we need to have the courage to go out and play. We'll continue to do that. These fellas are hugely self-critical and sometimes they just need to relax, trust themselves and go out and play. That's what I'm hoping they'll do on Sunday."

Labels: Association, Heaslip, Kidney, Press, ready

Andy Murray conceded he may have returned to competitive action too soon after suffering a comprehensive first-round defeat at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam on Wednesday night.

In his first match since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final 10 days ago, Murray started well against Marcos Baghdatis before slumping to a 6-4 6-1 defeat. The Scot led 4-2 in the first set but then lost 10 of 11 games as the Cypriot cruised through.

"I have to think about what it was. You have to get the balance right, making sure you come to the tournament mentally feeling you are ready to win it and maybe I didn't feel like that," Murray told BBC Scotland.

"I struggled to adapt, it was very fast out there and Marcos was hitting the ball well, very flat, and I didn't really adjust to the conditions so maybe it's something I need to think about...how to prepare better or if it was too soon."

The world number five felt his serve, which let him down against Djokovic in Melbourne, was again a weakness.

"I got off to a very good start and then started making mistakes I wasn't timing the ball well after that and didn't serve great. That's the reason it went the way it did," Murray added.

Murray is hoping playing doubles with brother Jamie in Rotterdam will help sharpen his reflexes.

The Scottish pair meet French duo Julien Benneteau and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga later on Thursday.

"I didn't feel particularly sharp on the court and that's something the doubles should help with, short sharp points," he added.

"The courts are very quick here and the first step is very important and that wasn't very good against Baghdatis. I was hitting the ball quite late."

Labels: Association, Murray, Press, quick, return

The potential within the Scotland squad encouraged Andy Robinson to extend his contract as head coach beyond the 2015 Rugby World Cup and now he has called on his players to beat Wales in the RBS 6 Nations on Saturday.

Robinson on Wednesday demonstrated his commitment to Scotland by replacing his previous contract, which ran until after the 2012 Six Nations, with a new deal until December 31, 2015. And the competitor in him immediately looked towards victory at Murrayfield this weekend.

Robinson said: "It's about us getting results and the focus doesn't change from that."

Robinson's men suffered a 34-21 loss to France last Saturday, but have won five of their last seven Tests and he named an unchanged side on Wednesday.

"We need to respond from last week, be able to play at the same level of intensity, but to be better organised in our defensive capabilities," he added.

"The players that have been selected have got another opportunity to perform, for some of them to back up their performances of the week before - Joe Ansbro being one of those players, Richie Gray as well.

"For the guys that were disappointed in their performances, this is the opportunity they get to put that right. I'm confident the players will do that. What's important is consistency and being able to look at the side and move forward."

Moving forward is certainly what Scotland have done since Robinson was appointed head coach in June 2009.

Results including wins over Australia, Ireland, Argentina (twice), and South Africa led to speculation he might return to Bath after this autumn's World Cup in New Zealand. But the former Bath, England and Edinburgh head coach believes his Scotland squad have a bright future.

Robinson added: "That's one of the key elements to me, the potential within the squad and at whatever age."

Labels: Association, excited, potential, Press, Robinson

Vitantonio Liuzzi has sidestepped questions about the possibility of replacing Robert Kubica at Lotus Renault this season, insisting the stricken Pole's recovery is the priority.

Kubica's motorsport career remains in the balance despite encouraging progress in his recovery from serious injuries sustained on Sunday, when his right hand was partially severed in an accident on the Ronde di Andora Rally.

The 26-year-old could face a year out of Formula One and, while Liuzzi has been mentioned as a potential replacement, he told 422race.com: "Personally, at the moment I think Robert's health is the first thing. Then, it's obvious that when Renault are sure that Robert won't be able to step in the car, this chance might be open and I hope to be chosen instead of somebody else. But, again, at the moment Robert's health is the priority."

Kubica has been brought out of a coma induced after the operation and his condition has been described as "much better" by his team.

He was able to move his fingers on his damaged hand and communicate with members of his family, before being placed under medication in order to sleep.

Doctors warned, however, that it would be a further six days before it is known whether the operation to reconstruct his hand has been a success.

Liuzzi, who visited the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure where Kubica is recovering, added: "I didn't see him personally. But I spoke to the doctors, his manager and Dr Ceccarelli (Lotus Renault GP's doctor): the people who are closest to him and who saw him. It seems that everything is going the right way and he is recovering right.

"For sure the first 4-5 days will be the most critical ones, but at the moment everything seems to go well."

Kubica faces the prospect of further major surgery in the coming days, with doctors evaluating how best to treat fractures to the elbow and shoulder of his right arm. He also suffered fractures to his right leg - injuries which in themselves could take three to four months to heal.

Sunday's crash saw Kubica's Super 2000 Skoda Fabia collide with a crash barrier on the outside of a fast right-hand turn on the first special stage of the rally.

Labels: Association, focusing, Kubica, Liuzzi, Press, Recovery

Steven Gerrard will play no part in England's friendly with Denmark on Wednesday due to a groin problem.

The midfielder would have been favourite to captain the side in the absence of Rio Ferdinand but, despite playing the full 90 minutes of Sunday's 1-0 win over Chelsea, he will not feature.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish confirmed Gerrard would report for assessment with the England doctors but that he would not be available for duty.

"He has a groin problem," said Dalglish.

"He has to go so they (England) can have a look at him but we've spoken to England and he'll not be playing."

Gerrard was caught up in a club-versus-country row last time he played for England after sustaining a hamstring injury in the friendly against France.

Gerrard played 85 minutes of the match despite Fabio Capello initially agreeing with the Reds to keep their skipper on for just an hour.

His subsequent injury, which kept him on the sidelines as former boss Roy Hodgson endured a turbulent time at Anfield, saw the club receive an insurance payment from the Football Association to cover his wages while absent.

Labels: Association, England, friendly, Gerrard, Press

Captain Alastair Kellock lamented Scotland's costly losses of possession in the RBS 6 Nations opener against France - and head coach Andy Robinson warned Wales are as capable as Les Bleus of exploiting such lapses.

For the 11th time in 12 Six Nations tournaments Scotland suffered defeat on the opening weekend as defending Grand Slam champions France earned a 34-21 victory at the Stade de France. Kellock scored his maiden Scotland try, but it was ultimately in vain as he suffered a first Test defeat as captain.

Kellock said: "I was very pleased with the way we'd started. We'd gone out with the intention of attacking, straight from the kick-off we did reasonably well and then we were turned over out wide. It was probably the story of the game; when they did turn us over they were incredibly clinical. It's disappointing, but something we've got to deal with."

Scotland, whose solitary win on the tournament's opening weekend came in 2006 against France, must address it quickly as on Saturday Wales visit Murrayfield intent on ending an eight-match winless streak.

Robinson knows Wales, like France, have runners capable of capitalising on loose play.

The head coach said: "The Welsh are very good off counter attack and they score a lot of tries off counter attack, so if we give them that amount of ball, we'll be put under pressure.

"I think it's going to be a cracking game."

Labels: Association, KELLOCK, POSSESSION, Press, seeks