MORSi ROAStS IRAN - Kuwait Times

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
PARIS: Toulouse backs coach Jean-
Baptiste Elissalde says he is not too worried
by his side’s tepid start to the Top
14 season ahead of the top-of-the-table
clash with much-improved Biarritz
tomorrow.
The two sides both won their opening
two games, but reigning champions
Toulouse failed to impress, with a onepoint
win over Castres on the opening
day followed by a 37-22 victory over
bottom side Mont-de-Marsan last weekend.
Biarritz defeated Mont-de-Marsan
and won away at Agen to go top, level
on nine points with Toulouse, and one
point ahead of the only other undefeated
side, Toulon.
Former international scrum-half
Elissalde said that it was still too early in
the season to draw firm conclusions
about who would be the top teams.
“After just two games, you simply do
not know enough,” he said. “After four
games you start to get a better idea and
after 10, then you have a really good
idea of how things are panning out. So
we will wait until then.”
Still, Elissalde knows that the talentpacked
Toulouse side will have to step
up their game a notch if they want to
keep their unbeaten record and go solo
at the top of the league. “We are looking
to improve week by week,” he said.
“Against Mont-de-Marsan we made
a lot of technical mistakes-too many
mistakes. The new rules have something
to do with it and if we lose so
many balls at Biarritz, we are in for a
tough time of it.”
There was good news for Toulouse
with the return to training of star utility
back Maxime Medard, who needed a
knee operation in February after tearing
cruciate ligaments in the Six Nations
game against Scotland.
Biarritz backs coach Jack Isaac was in
complete agreement with Elissalde that
it was too early to say who would be
the top teams this season or whether
his side could continue to bounce back
from last season’s struggles.
“Of course it would be stupid to say
that I am unhappy with our results so
far, but quite honestly we are only two
games into the season and now we face
up to Toulouse and that will be a real
test for us against a team who have the
potential to again win the championship.
We must not get carried away,”
the Australian said.
The Basque side have been hit with
the news that international scrum-half
Dimitri Yachvili will be out for two to
three months with a slipped disc in his
back.Toulon coach Bernard Laporte has
Sports
Toulouse set for early showdown
Offence is the best
N Z defence, says
captain Taylor
MUMBAI: Attacking the Indian spinners is the best possible way to survive
against them, according to New Zealand captain Ross Taylor.
The visitors lost by an innings and 115 runs in the first test in Hyderabad
with the Indian spin duo of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner
Pragyan Ojha sharing 18 of the 20 wickets.
New Zealand were bundled out for 159 and 164 in their first and second
innings respectively and need
to tackle the spinners better if
they are to avoid a whitewash
in the two-test series. “It’s never
easy when you lose a test by
over an innings,” Taylor told
reporters on the eve of the
final test in Bangalore. “We
need to forget about it as
quickly as possible, talk
amongst the group and find
ways of playing Ashwin and
Ojha.
“We have to be brave and
courageous and attack them
and hopefully put pressure
back on them. “And when we
attack them, there hopefully
won’t be many men around
the bat.”
Ashwin picked up 12 wickets
while Ojha bagged six as
the match finished within four
days in Hyderabad. But Taylor
ruled out making any hasty
changes for the second test.
BANGALORE: New Zealand cricket team
captain Ross Taylor (rear) yawns as he
watches teammate Martin Guptill bat in
the nets during a training session. —AP
“We gave them faith in the
first game and we’re going to
give them a go in the next
game as well,” Taylor said. “We
didn’t play as well as we would
have liked, but this is another
opportunity to show how good we are as a team.” Taylor’s counterpart
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will just try to stick to the tried and tested formula that
worked perfectly for them in Hyderabad. “We don’t need to be overconfident...
and whatever we did right in the first test, we have to repeat everything and try
to stick to the basics and keep things simple,” Dhoni said.
This is the first test series for India post the retirements of batting stalwarts
Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and the hosts chose Cheteshwar Pujara and
Suresh Raina to fill the vacant spots in the batting order. While Pujara scored his
maiden test hundred, Raina, who averages under 29 in the 16 tests he has
played so far, could score only three. Dhoni threw his weight behind left-handed
batsman, who is an integral part of India’s one-day side. “He has played just
one game after Laxman has retired, so we have to give a fair amount of time to
every individual who becomes the part of the side,” Dhoni said. —Reuters
NEW YORK: Kim Clijsters’ illustrious singles career drew to
an emotional close on Wednesday when the former world
number one was knocked out of the second round of the
US Open by Britain’s Laura Robson.
Robson’s compatriot Andy Murray later made light work
of Croatia’s Ivan Dodig to reach the third round but it was
the 7-6 7-6 defeat of Belgian Clijsters that grabbed the
attention as the first significant upset of the tournament.
Murray’s 6-2 6-1 6-3 second round victory completed the
third consecutive night of uncompetitive matches on the
showcase Arthur Ashe Stadium. The big names have won
six matches in prime time for the loss of only 24 games.
Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic earlier survived a major scare
against Guillaume Rufin to be one of nine men to recover
from two-set deficits in the opening round.Clijsters, threetimes
a US Open champion, remains in the doubles and
mixed doubles but the loss to Robson was her final singles
match before she quits the tour to concentrate on family
life. She saved two match points in the 12th game of the
second set with a searing forehand volley and a huge first
serve. The tiebreak was tense as Clijsters fought to extend
her career but Robson, the world number 89 playing with
fearless aggression and pinpoint accuracy, converted her
third match point and it was all over for the 29 year old. “I
have played some of my best tennis here and some of my
best matches,” Clijsters said. “It is a place that has inspired
me. This feels like the perfect place to retire - but I just wish
already intimated that he will hand a
call-up for the first time to the former
golden boy of French rugby Frederic
Michalek for a place on the bench for
the trip to Mont-de-Marsan.
The half-back returned to play in
France in the close season after a stint
with Super 15 outfit Coastal Sharks in
South Africa, but was not included in
the squad for the opening two games.
Michalak is currently Toulon’s understudy
at fly-half to England star Jonny
Wilkinson, but is expected to get a
place in the starting line-up soon.
“The number 10 shirt is a difficult
one to manage-very strategic,” former
France coach Laporte said. “Fred has
been with us for just three weeks and
we do not want to ask too much of him
too early. He has signed up with us for
three years so we will give him the time
to properly adapt.” — AFP
NEW YORK: Andy Murray, of Britain, tracks the ball on a shot by Ivan Dodig, of Croatia, in the second
round of play at the US Open tennis tournament. — AP
Clijsters knocked
out of US Open
it wasn’t today. “I fought and gave it my all but just wasn’t
good enough in the end.”It’s been a great adventure. It’s all
been worth it but I’m looking forward to the next part of my
life.” Robson paid tribute to Clijsters in an on-court interview.
“I was just trying to play as well as I could because if I
didn’t, I knew Kim would completely dominate,” Robson
said. “I want to say thanks to Kim for being such a great role
model for so many years. I have grown up watching you
play and it has been an honour to finally play against you.”
Other matches on Wednesday went mostly to script, the
only mild surprises involving lower seeds. World number
one Victoria Azarenka overpowered Belgian qualifier Kirsten
Flipkens 6-2 6-2 in 65 minutes in a blustery Arthur Ashe
Stadium before defending champion Sam Stosur recorded
a routine 6-3 6-0 win over Edina Gallovits-Hall. Stosur met
Redfoo of the music group LMFAO before he watched her
match and his presence at courtside inspired a victory
dance by the Australian.
“I figured, well, there’s only going to be maybe one
chance you can do that at the U.S. Open with him there,”
Stosur said. “I’m sure I looked like a goose.” Russia’s third
seed Maria Sharapova trounced Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-
0 6-1 in the first of two night matches. Murray was equally
untroubled in his win over Dodig and thousand of spectators
walked out before the match was completed. Scratchy
in his opening round match against Alex Bogomolov, the
Scot had all guns blazing against Dodig. —Reuters