Gloucester were left facing a scrum-half injury crisis after coming from behind to regain top spot in the English Premiership with a 23-21 win over previous leaders London Irish at Kingsholm on Saturday.
Dave Lewis broke his ankle after the 19-year-old fell awkwardly after a fierce tackle by London Irish No. 8 Chris Hala’Ufia. Lewis had only been on the pitch for three minutes after coming on as a replacement for Scotland international Rory Lawson.
He is now set to undergo surgery with the Cherry and Whites already without Gareth Cooper because of the Wales international’s knee problem.
That means Lawson, unlikely to displace Scotland captain Mike Blair at scrum-half during the upcoming Six Nations, is Gloucester’s only fit No. 9, although Ryan Lamb has proved himself an adequate stand-in when moved from fly-half.
Gloucester fought back from 18-3 down in front of their own fans in what was a morale-boosting win for the southwest side, whose skill and nerve were both called into question following their failure last week to reach the knockout stages of the European Cup.
England international Iain Balshaw’s 50th Premiership try, scored seven minutes from time, sealed a Gloucester fightback built around six Olly Barkley penalties.
London Irish scored tries through wings Adam Thompstone and Topsy Ojo with the remainder of their points coming from the boot of Australian Peter Hewat.
“There has been a lot of stuff thrown around about us in the last month,” Gloucester coach Dean Ryan said. “We could have trotted excuses out, but you cannot hide from pressure.”
“We are not playing our best rugby,” he said. “But we are top of the league — which, in my quiet moments, I find quite amusing!”
“Everyone has been screaming for us to play more, but it is about playing at the right times,” Ryan said.
Irish counterpart Toby Booth said: “We penalized ourselves out of the game. The ball we did have in the second half, we kicked poorly away. We stopped doing the things we had been doing well.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely