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Sports
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020
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EDINBURGH (AFP) - Passion is guar-
anteed when Scotland play Eng-
land but it may take more than raw
emotion to secure a win in the lat-
est edition of rugby union’s oldest
international match.
In the build-up to today’s ixture
at Murrayield, the latest chapter
in a 149-year-old rivalry, Scotland
centre Sam Johnson declared “no
one likes England”, a sentiment
the Queensland-born player would
have been familiar with growing up
in Australia.
Meanwhile, England lanker
Lewis Ludlam, who had never been
to Scotland before, said: “It’s going
to be a war.”
Both sides need to bounce back
after losing their opening Six Na-
tions encounters last weekend.
As happened in their World Cup
inal loss to South Africa, England
were denied the early try that has
been a hallmark of many of their
recent wins, notably the impressive
semi-inal victory over New Zea-
land, by France in Paris.
The French did rather more
than that, surging into a 170 lead
and although England fought back
through two Jonny May tries, Les
Bleus deservedly won 2417.
England have lost five of
their last seven Six Nations away
games and coach Eddie Jones
has responded by making five
changes to his starting side,
notably dropping experienced
scrum-half Ben Youngs and giv-
ing a first Championship start to
Willi Heinz, the surprise pick of
his World Cup squad.
In the forwards, Jones has
also recalled Ludlam, Mako Vuni-
pola and George Kruis in place of
Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler and
Charlie Ewels but has kept faith
with converted lanker Tom Curry
at number eight.
Jonathan Joseph, an early re-
placement for Manu Tuilagi in Paris,
starts at centre.
“Consistency is a challenge for
every team,” Jones said. “We had a
good lesson last week. Sometimes
these things need to be learned.”
New Zealand-born Heinz, who
missed the World Cup inal with a
hamstring injury after only making
his Test debut months earlier, inds
himself, at 33, preferred to Youngs,
England’s most-capped scrum-half.
“You want to start well but
equally so do the opposition,” Hei-
nz said. “It’s about riding through
that and inding ways to get the
momentum back.”
Jones, perhaps influenced by
new forwards coach Matt Proud-
foot, who was with South Africa
at the World Cup, has also opted
to choose six forwards and just
two backs as replacements, just
as the Springboks did to great
effect with their “bomb squad”
bench in Japan.
Scotland were their own worst
enemies yet again in a 1912 loss
to Ireland in Dublin. New captain
Stuart Hogg encapsulated their
performance when he inexplica-
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND (AFP)
- South Africa’s World Cup hero
Makazole Mapimpi scored a double
as the Coastal Sharks outclassed
Otago Highlanders 4220 in Dune-
din yesterday.
The Sharks posted five tries
to three, with winger Mapimpi -
who became the first Springbok
to score a try in a Rugby World
Cup final during last year’s tri-
umph in Japan - crossing twice
just before half-time to give his
team the advantage.
Fullback Aphelele Fassi then
scored a brace of his own shortly
before the full-time siren to snu¥
out a Highlanders’ ightback.
The result gives the Sharks two
wins from two after a 2315 victory
over Northern Bulls last week.
“The boys played for each other.
The work rate and the defence were
great,” captain Lukhanyo Am said.
“The Highlanders managed
to put us under pressure but we
bounced back.”
Highlanders skipperRobThomp-
son said a home side featuring six
debutants made too many errors at
crucial moments.
“Unfortunately we let them o¥
too much,” he said. “But we’re a
young team and we have a few
boys debuting. Unfortunately we
couldn’t get it done for them but
we’ll be better for it.”
The Highlanders had a bye last
week and looked rusty in their
irst outing of the season, gift-
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Can-
ada’s Nick Taylor launched his
round with an eagle and capped
it with two birdies to seize the
irst-round lead in the Pebble
Beach Pro-Am yesterday with an
eight-under par 63.
Taylor, chasing his second US
PGA Tour title, didn’t put a foot
wrong on the par-71 Shore Course
at Monterey Peninsula, one of
three in use over the irst three
rounds along with the par-72 Peb-
ble Beach Golf Links and par-72
Spyglass Hill.
“I drove it really nice today,” Tay-
lor said. “Obviously, playing 10 it’s a
gettable par-ive to start the day.
“So hit two great shots there
(to) about four feet, I made eagle,
so it was a nice start.
“And then I think I almost
hit every fairway today, so I re-
ally had good numbers coming
into a lot of greens, had chanc-
es, made some nice putts in
the middle of my round to kind
of keep it going and inished
two great shots, a ive-iron and
three-iron on the last two holes
to set up two birdies there.
“So tee to green was great and
made some putts.”
Americans Patrick Cantlay and
Chase Sei¥ert shared second on
six-under.
Cantlay had nine birdies at
Spyglass Hill and was more than
satisied despite three bogeys.
“I drove the ball well. I had
a lot of short irons coming into
the greens,” he said. “I played
the par-5s good on the front and
then made that bogey there on
14 and got a little mud. But all in
all, played really well, made some
putts, and I’m really happy with
the start.”
Sei¥ert had an eagle and four
birdies in a bogey-free e¥ort at
Pebble Beach, where the tourna-
ment concludes tomorrow.
A group of eight players on
ive-under included Charley Ho¥-
man, who holed out from the fair-
way for an eagle at the fourth hole
at Spyglass Hill.
Five-time major winner Phil
Mickelson opened his title de-
fense with a four-under 68 at Spy-
glass Hill.
Mickelson surged into conten-
tion with three birdies to end his
round, although after failing to
birdie any of the par-ives he de-
parted with regrets.
Scotland, England in search of Calcutta Cup revival
bly dropped the ball with a try at
his mercy.
Finn Russell, the inspiration for
Scotland’s 2513 win over England
at Murrayield in 2018 and their
stunning recovery from 310 down
in a 3838 draw at Twickenham last
year, remains in the cold.
The ly-half was left out of the
Ireland match following a late-night
drinking session. Adam Hastings,
the son of Scotland great Gavin,
continues at stand-o¥.
Coach Gregor Townsend, who
will “re-assess” Russell’s position
after this weekend, has made just
one change, with Magnus Brad-
bury, fit following a thigh strain,
starting at number eight. “We
were proud of parts of our perfor-
mance in Dublin at a very difficult
venue,” said Townsend, a former
Scotland playmaker.
“The challenge for the squad is
to replicate that level and take our
chances when they come, in order
to win tight games.”
England rugby team huddle during the Six Nations rugby union international match between France and England
at the Stade de France stadium, in Saint Denis. PHOTO: AP
Sharks tear into hapless Highlanders
ing the Sharks early attacking op-
portunities with knock-ons and
poor lineouts.
The match appeared to be set-
tling into a tightly contested arm
wrestle before the Sharks sparked
to life, snatching three converted
tries in seven minutes to take a 273
lead at the break.
The irst came when lanker
James Venter outpaced the High-
landers defence in a race for the
line, before Mapimpi twice found
himself on the end of passing
moves that left the Highlanders’
tacklers lailing.
The Highlanders were much im-
proved after the break and scored
three tries but Fassi’s late double
ended any prospect of a comeback.
Sharks’ Makazole Mapimpi runs in a try during the Super Rugby match
against New Zealand’s Highlanders. PHOTO: AFP
Taylor grabs Pebble
Beach Pro-Am lead