Sporting week MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
FRIDAY
RUGBY LEAGUE The Sydney Roosters’ sorry season came to a fitting end with utility Setaimata Sa being stood down indefinitely after brawling in a Sydney hotel. Could be a big off-season.
FOOTBALL Australia are up to 14th in the world on FIFA’s newly-released rankings, with the Socceroos inexplicably above Portugal and the Czech Republic. To be taken with a grain of salt.
CRICKET The return of Kiwi quick Shane Bond to the international arena goes up a notch, with Bond taking 3-18 in a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka to help the Black Caps to a 2-0 series win.
TUESDAY
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
TENNIS Aussie teenager Olivia Rogowska falls agonisingly short of one of the biggest ever grand slam upsets, losing 6-7 6-2 6-4 to world number one Dinara Safina in New York.
FOOTBALL Socceroos Lucas Neill and Mark Viduka are both reportedly close to finding new clubs, with Neill tipped to join Atheltico Madrid, and Viduka linked with West Ham.
TENNIS The last Aussie players bow out of the US Open, with Lleyton Hewitt losing to Roger Federer in four tight sets and Anastasia Rodionova going down to Katerina Bondarenko.
THE
MONDAY TENNIS US Open The second week starts 4pm Sky Sports 1 TUESDAY FOOTBALL Rep Ireland V South Africa How are Bafana looking? 7pm Sky Sports 2 WEDNESDAY CRICKET England V Australia The 3rd ODI 2pm Sky Sports 1
SUNDAY
THURSDAY SNOOKER Shanghai Masters Rack ’em up 7.45am British Eurosport
NETBALL New Zealand prevail in the latest chapter of the TransTasman rivalry, shading the Aussies 53-50 – the 12th straight match between the nations decided by less than 10 points.
FRIDAY CRICKET India V New Zealand The triangular ODI series 10am Zee Cinema
I’m here with “ one of the greats of the game... myself
”
Typically self-effacing Dragons star Wendell Sailor, while interviewing Nathan Hindmarsh
SATURDAY FOOTBALL Tottenham V Man Utd Are Spurs the real deal? 5pm ESPN SUNDAY MOTROSPORT Italian F1 Grand Prix Start your engines 12.10pm BBC1
Getty Images
PUB TALK: BRITISH SPORT EXPLAINED British rugby competitions What’s the deal? There’s the Guinness Premiership, contested by English sides. And there’s the Magners League for Welsh, Scottish and Irish teams. Both kicked off on the weekend. There’s also the Heineken Cup, the European comp, with French and Italian sides.
Who are the favourites? In the Premiership, Leicester (captain Geordan Murphy pictured) are the defending champions, and are tipped to go back-toback. Irish clubs Munster and Leinster loom as the teams to beat in the Magners League and in Europe.
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NEWS & SPORT
ON BOX
Tom Sturrock picks his winners and losers
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