Sports
round up archive
Thursday
July 5th 2006
Soccer
The 2006 World Cup Final kicks off this Monday morning
with 1998 World Cup champions France set to take on
Italy. The Italians haven't won the World Cup since
1982 when they beat Germany 3-1. On the way to the
finals the Italians beat Ukraine in a convincing 3-0
win in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals they
played 2006 World Cup hosts Germany. This game went
right down to the wire with Italy eventually winning
2-0 deep in injury time with goals to Fabio Grosso
and Alessandro Del Piero.
France
started the World Cup quite slowly and only started
to perform in their Round of 16 with a strong 3-1
win over Spain. They carried this form into the quarters
where they beat World Champions Brazil 1-0. Portugal,
who had played extremely well to make it to the semis
did not seem to have the answers to combat the big
guns from France, going down 1-0.
Hosts
Germany will be disappointed with their semi-final
exit to the Italians. They will now play Portugal
in the third place play-off game. Sportingbet is also
offering 'In-Running' Betting on live telecast World
Cup Matches.
AFL
This week the Swans will host table topping Adelaide
at the SCG. The Swans have had up and down form at
home recently, losing two before winning last week.
The game last week against the Dockers was quite close
until the Swans skipped away in the final quarter.
The Crows will be a different proposition with their
quick midfield and a steady forward line. The Crows
have only lost two games so far this season and Sydney
will really have to lift their game if they are to
maintain their position in the top 8.
The
match between St Kilda and Collingwood should be a
cracker. The teams are very evenly matched all around
the park. Both teams have a lot to play for and the
Saints maybe more so. They had an encouraging win
last weekend, though their form has been up and down
this season. If the Saints want to be around in September
they will need to start to string some wins together.
NRL
On Friday night the Melbourne Storm will host the
Brisbane Broncos. This will be a top of the table
clash with the Storm four points clear of the Broncos.
Origin discard Billy Slater will have a lot to prove
as he missed the Origin Series through suspension.
If the Storm wins on Friday they will be strong favourites
to take out the minor premiership. There will be a
few stars returning from Origin duty so there may
be a few tired bodies running around and plenty of
space up the middle of the ruck for the quick men
in each team.
On Saturday the Bulldogs will host the Warriors at
Telstra Stadium. The Warriors will only have Steve
Price returning from Origin, while the three key forwards
for the Dogs will also be returning from Origin. The
Warriors have exceeded expectations this year and
are now in a position where they can challenge the
top 8.
Rugby Union
This Saturday night the Tri Nations kicks off with
New Zealand hosting Australia in Christchurch. The
All Blacks have tried many combinations in their first
three Tests this year, finally settling on Mils Muliaina
in the outside centre position. His move allows Kiwi
coach Graham Henry to bring Leon MacDonald into the
starting side at full back. In the forwards Jason
Eaton has got the nod over Ali Williams in the lock
position. For the Wallabies coach John Connolly has
named an unchanged line up to face the Kiwis in the
opener. Mat Rogers has done enough for the Aussie
selectors and gets a starting jersey ahead of Matt
Giteau with Scott Fava and Ben Tune getting a call
up to the bench.
Tennis
The Wimbledon Championships are really hotting up
with the top four Ladies seeds through to the semi-finals.
Kim Clijsters will play Justine Henin-Hardenne while
Amelie Mauresmo will play Maria Sharapova in the other.
In the Men's, Jarkko Nieminen and Rafael Nadal will
complete their quarter-final match as it was rained
out last night.
Thursday
July 13th 2006
AFL
In a replay of the 2005 Grand Final Sydney will travel
to Subiaco Oval to take on West Coast. The form of
both teams has been questionable over the last month
with the Eagles narrowly winning last week whilst
losing the two before that. For the Swans the situation
is much worse. They have lost three of their last
four home games which is disappointing considering
their previous form at home. The Eagles will head
into this game with the edge as they will have the
support of a full home ground. For the Swans they
will need to find the hunger again if they are to
turn around their season.
After
starting the season so well the Magpies have had a
shocking run. They have lost three of their last four
matches by big margins. Their star forwards Chris
Tarrant and Anthony Rocca have struggled to score
goals which has put their top four spot in jeopardy.
The inconsistent Dockers are living up to their tag
with losses to Sydney and Geelong and a win against
Essendon last week. This game can be seen as a crunch
game for both teams with the Pies looking to maintain
their number four position. While for the Dockers
there is the potential for a top eight spot if they
keep winning.
NRL
The Dragons will host the Bulldogs at OKI Jubilee
Stadium on Friday night. The Dragons are sitting in
second position on the ladder with seven wins in a
row. A win this week will hold the Broncos in third.
Dragons coach Nathan Brown is taking the gamble of
playing Mark Gasnier at number six, though he has
hedged the selection by playing Ben Hornby at full-back.
The Dragons will also benefit with the return of Winger
Colin Best and forwards Danny Wicks and Luke Bailey.
For the Dogs they will look to continue their winning
streak aiming for win number three. They will have
a good opportunity this week as Gasnier is a questionable
selection at number six and his inexperience can be
exploited by the Dogs pack.
The 2006 season is all but mathematically over for
the Roosters. The team has come under heavy criticism
in recent weeks, so all they have left to play for
is pride. They will host a Sharks team that is having
a remarkable season. The Sharks are sitting at fifth
on the ladder and apart from a disappointing couple
of weeks are looking good to make the final eight.
The Roosters have the upper hand in recent meetings
at Aussie Stadium, though considering the form of
both teams the Sharks are favourites to win this match.
Tri Nations Rugby Union
The Aussies were shown last week just how much improvement
they need to make a challenge for the World Cup next
year. The Aussie scrum still looks a little tender
and they will have to muscle up this week against
the massive Springbok pack. The Springboks play a
very forward orientated game with a rush up style
defence in the backs that attempts to keep the ball
tight and in the forwards. So for the Aussies to be
competitive they will have to dominate the break down
and get quick ball to their electric backline. The
alternative is another long night at the office.
Thursday
July 20th 2006
AFL
West Coast will travel to the MCG on Saturday night
to take on Collingwood. The Pies season is starting
to look terminal with only one win from their last
five outings and while they have a relatively comfortable
run home they could still easily drop out of the Top
8. West Coast on the other hand have been winning
the close ones as last weeks win over the Swans highlights.
The Eagles have their big guns firing in the midfield
which may prove too much for a Pies team that is struggling
to score goals.
On
Sunday the Dockers will host the Demons at Subiaco
Oval. The Dockers are coming off successive wins,
winning last week against Collingwood and Essendon
the week before. After a shaky start to the season
the Demons are having a great run and are sitting
in third spot with 11 wins. The Dockers will need
to contain the Demons midfield if they are to notch
up another win this week.
NRL
On Friday night the Sharks will play a season defining
game against the Storm. The Sharks who had started
the season so well have been fading in recent weeks
and have lost their last three. The Storm on the other
hand have gone from strength to strength and appear
to have the minor premiership sewn up. Despite their
current form the Sharks actually have history on their
side heading into the match winning their last three
encounters against the Storm with the last two being
played in Melbourne.
On
Saturday the Queensland local derby will be played
between the Cowboys and the Broncos at Dairy Farmers
Stadium. In the first round of the season the Cowboys
snatched the mantle of being Queensland's premier
team. This weekend will be an excellent opportunity
for the Broncos to reclaim it. On and off the field
the Cowboys are facing troubled times and they must
start to win again if they want to be around at finals
time.
Tri-Nations Rugby
The Springboks started their Tri-nations campaign
in the worst possible way losing 49-0 to the Aussies.
This week they will face up to the All Blacks. The
Kiwis have made a number of changes to their starting
line up as part of their rotation policy, though these
changes don't look to have weakened the team. The
South Africans have also made some changes, though
in their case these changes were due to a lack of
form.
Golf
The British Open golf tournament tees off tonight
with Tiger Woods heading into play as the favourite.
The Aussie contingent, who are having a great season,
are lead in the betting by Adam Scott who has firmed
from $41 to $31 while Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby
are also up there in the betting.
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Thursday
27th July 2006
AFL
On Saturday the match of the round will be the top
of the table clash between Adelaide and West Coast.
The Crows are going from strength to strength this
season and a win this weekend will go a long way to
sewing up the minor premiership. After dominating
the competition early on in the season the Eagles
fortunes are looking a little shaky. In their last
two matches they have snuck home against the Swans
and backed up with a loss to Collingwood last week.
The Crows have an impressive record this season. They
have not conceded more than 100 points in a match
and they have also won by an average 65 point margin
in their last eight games.
For
the Swans the business end of the season has arrived.
After two losses to competition heavyweights Adelaide
and West Coast they had a promising win over Richmond
last weekend. They will head into the match against
Port Adelaide knowing that to keep their season alive
they will need to keep winning. Port has a less than
impressive record at their home ground AAMI Stadium
this year and will have to be on top off their game
if they are to keep their season alive - slim as it
may be.
NRL
On Friday night the Knights will travel to Toyota
Park to take on the Sharks. The loser of this match
will most likely drop out of the final eight and the
winner will go some way to cementing their position
for the finals. The Sharks are on a four game losing
streak so will need their home crowd behind them this
weekend. They have a decisive advantage over the Knights
at this field, winning four of the past five encounters.
The Knights have been off the boil for some time and
just scraped home against Souths last round, so this
weekend could be the opportunity the Sharks need to
get back in the winners circle.
The
Dragons season has hit a speed bump. They have lost
their last two matches, one against the Dogs and the
other against the Raiders. They will need to regroup
for their match against the Storm who are the form
team of the competition. The storm head into Sundays
match with an impressive nine game winning streak
and looked like a premiership winning team in their
win over the Sharks last week. The Dragons have the
strike power to beat any team in the competition,
but will need to turn up to play if they are to win
this top of the table clash.
Tri Nations Rugby
This Saturdays Tri Nations clash between the Aussies
and the Kiwis may decide the winner of the Bledisloe
Cup and will also most likely decide the winner of
the Tri Nations. The Wallabies have a very good record
at Suncorp Stadium, winning their last six tests.
Their last win was a 49-0 thrashing of the South Africans.
The All-Blacks also had a good win over the Springboks
last week, though without some Daniel Carter magic
the scores could have been much closer. The Kiwis
will field a full strength team for this clash. The
rotation policy that has been employed by coach Graham
Henry could backfire as the team has had little opportunity
to form important combinations. For the Aussies, monster
prop Rodney Blake will make a return to the team in
an attempt to anchor the scrum that went missing last
time these teams met. In the backs Matt Giteau will
retain his inside centre spot after a man of the match
performance against the Springboks.
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