Month: September 2019

UEFA is investigating the central defender’s comments about his booking, but the Spaniard was not expecting the uproar

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos said he was “very surprised” by the fuss made over his yellow card against Ajax in the Champions League.

Ramos was booked during Madrid’s 2-1 win in the last-16 first leg on Wednesday, leading to a suspension.

The defender appeared to initially admit he deliberately earned the caution so he could serve the ban before the quarter-finals – should Madrid advance – before backtracking, but UEFA has opened an investigation into his comments.

Ramos said he was shocked by the uproar since the game, insisting he was initially talking about the foul – not the yellow card.

“I’m very surprised by all of this,” the Spain defender told Marca.

“I meant to force the foul, a foul that was inevitable; not to force the suspension.”

Making his 600th appearance for the club, Ramos was booked late in the game for a foul on Ajax striker Kasper Dolberg.

The 32-year-old said he knew he would be suspended, but added it was a foul he had to commit.

“I had no choice. It was a very dangerous counter-attack in the 88th minute with the match wide open and the tie as well,” Ramos said.

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“That’s why I said that I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t know that I would be suspended, just as I knew that I had no choice but to make the foul.

“And that’s what I meant when I said that in football you have to make difficult decisions.”

Los Blancos are chasing a record fourth successive Champions League title this season, and are in pole position to advance to the quarter-finals following their win in Amsterdam, following a controversially VAR-disallowed Ajax goal with the game scoreless.

They next face Girona at the Bernabeu in La Liga, having dumped them out of the Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage just last month by a 7-3 aggregate scoreline.

The Slovakian midfielder is leaving the Serie A outfit after close to 12 years of loyal service to take on a new challenge with Dalian Yifang

Marek Hamsik has brought a record-breaking spell at Napoli to a close after completing a switch to Chinese side Dalian Yifang.

Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the attacking midfielder’s move on his official Twitter account.

He said: “The deal with Dalian has been reached. I wish Marek to be happy in China.

“Napoli’s doors will always been open for him.”

Lawyers of the Serie A side had revealed on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached to take Hamsik to China.

Mattia Grassani told Radio Kiss Kiss: “Hamsik is a Dalian player from this evening.”

With a deal now done, the Slovakia international is expected in China on Friday to push through the formalities of signing a contract and joining his new team-mates.

It had appeared at one stage as though the 31-year-old may see a move blocked.

Differences over the fee to be paid for his services led to talks breaking down.

The Italian club went as far as releasing a statement saying: “Napoli has decided to suspend the sale of Marek Hamsik to the Chinese [club Dalian Yifang] because the methods of payment of the amount agreed do not coincide with the agreements previously reached.”

Negotiations were then revived for a player who has long been linked with a move to Asia.

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A compromise has been reached, with it suggested that Dalian will be paying €20 million (£18m/$23m) across two instalments.

An initial payment of €5m will be made immediately, with a further €15m to follow within the next 12 months.

Hamsik will depart Napoli have made a lasting impression on the Serie A side.

He took in 520 appearances for the club, with his haul of 121 goals – including a century of efforts in the Italian top-flight – seeing him pass the legendary Diego Maradona as the club’s all-time leading marksman.

Reece Robinson has become the Waratahs’ golden boot in the last week, but he’ll be happy to hand the keys back to Bernard Foley in South Africa.

Robinson, who kicked regularly at his NRL club Parramatta, was thrust into the spotlight in the team’s trials against the Brumbies and the Highlanders, kicking seven from nine shots at Brookvale Oval.

On Saturday night, neither he nor Foley’s flyhalf replacement Bryce Hegarty were sure who was to take the first kick, setting up a somewhat awkward moment in the opening stages.

“I didn’t even know I was going to goal kick, I was thinking he was, he was thinking I was, then the coach just came along and said, ‘Reece just take the job’,” he said.

“I’ve done a bit of kicking before back in my league days (at the Eels).

“I wasn’t expecting it but I thought since Nard’s (Foley) injured someone had to step up and Gibbo just said I might as well have a crack.”

“I just talk to myself, doing what I’m doing and just concentrate,” he said.

Robinson’s kicking cameo will likely end this week, when the squad heads to South Africa, but he’s not worried.

“Can’t wait for him to come back. He can take the kicking back straightaway,” Robinson laughed.

“I thought at times we played pretty smart, our kicking strategy was pretty smart but I thought the forwards really worked hard for us tonight and brought us the win,” Robinson said.

“You get frustrated at times but you just try and keep yourselves in the game with anything you can do – chip and chase or make a tackle, anything to keep yourself in the game, keep it moving.

“As long as you’re doing your role, helping the team, you’re happy.”

Robinson’s next focus will be on a challenging South African road trip, with the Waratahs facing the Lions and the Sharks over the next two weeks.

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The Waratahs leave for South Africa on Sunday morning.

Izack Rodda and the Reds learnt a few things from their flogging at the hands of the Sunwolves.

Training well doesn’t necessarily equate to playing well, the importance of treating every Super Rugby match as though it’s a final and the need to not dip heads should the match not pan out as planned early.

Rodda’s Reds didn’t tick any of those boxes against the Sunwolves, a point the star lock highlighted when he spoked to media on Wednesday.

“Last week we trained quite well, we thought, but we didn’t bring that to the game – we didn’t show up,” Rodda said.

“While we can train well all week we still have to front up, show up on the day of the game and play footy that we know we are capable of.”Coach Brad Thorn has repeatedly said he can tell in the first 10 minutes whether his side is “on” or not and Rodda felt there was a sense of that on field, too.

“Sometimes you can get that sense early on,” Rodda said.

“When we get some tries put on us early, we tend to dip our heads a little bit.

“But we can come out of that – our captains can step up and we just have to get that chat flowing.

“Someone just has to make a big hit or a big run and get that momentum going again.”

The inconsistency from week to week is alarming but Rodda said that was all part of the learning curve ahead of a back-to-the-wall clash against the Hurricanes.“The young blokes have just got to learn that Super Rugby is a fight,” he said.

“You have to come to every game like it’s a do or die battle – like it’s a final – we need to grow as a team so no matter who we’re playing, where we’re playing or when we’re playing, we can front up and play like it’s do or die.”

Stopping Beauden Barrett and the Canes is far easier said than done but Rodda pointed to line speed as the first step to stunting one of Super Rugby’s most potent attacks.

“It comes down to line speed and physicality,” he said.

“If you have both of them you are rushing up off the line, putting big hits on runners, it puts them on the back foot.

“It doesn’t allow them to play with the front foot ball that they want and doesn’t allow them to get the space and time they want to execute their plays.”

The Reds face the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night, kicking off at 5:35pm AEST, broadcast LIVE on FOX SPORTS.

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The Australian Conference fought back in round 12.

The Force’s win in Argentina was filled with heart.

Add that to the thriller at AAMI Park and you could see signs of life in the rugby being played by three of the four Australian teams in action.

The Brumbies were the victim of some poor refereeing but had the same old problems in attack, offsetting their exceptional defensive work.

Here is how the Power Rankings look heading into round 13.

1. Crusaders

Passed their biggest test yet with flying colours.

The clash with the Hurricanes had the intensity of a Test match. 

Both teams were playing at full tilt but the Crusaders ground the Canes into the turf to eek out their 11th straight win.

Another big test awaits when they meet the Chiefs in Suva tomorrow night.

2. Hurricanes

Thought they were a touch exposed against the Crusaders.

They can win playing pretty rugby but they had to grind it out in Christchurch and the ladder leaders did a better job of that.

Looked a touch nervous and were dropping passes that normally stick.

Their only two losses this year have been to the Chiefs and Crusaders – the two teams they must beat at the end of the year if they are to win the title.

3. Chiefs

Had the bye and not convinced the Canes were bad enough to move down a spot.

4. Lions

Three from three in Australia is no mean feat, no matter how weak the opposition may be.

A lesser side would have folded against a Brumbies team that makes you earn it.

As always, the biggest query remains how they will go against the cream of the New Zealand crop.

We won’t find out until finals football rolls around.

5. Highlanders

That’s now seven wins on the trot for the Highlanders.

For those that haven’t seen their clash with the Bulls, it’s probably best not to bother.

The muddy field looked like something out of the 1980s and there was no shortage of drop ball as a result.

Not even a Waisake Naholo red card could stop the Highlanders, though the one man advantage was quickly eradicated.

Malakai Fekitoa lifted in the final minutes to score a superb match winner.

Can they make it eight straight against the Force?

6. Blues

The Blues keep scaling this ladder, proving just how good the New Zealand Conference really is.

They are beating teams they should be beating but have come unstuck against teams with a touch more class.

Still, they flexed their attacking firepower against the Cheetahs.

7. Sharks

If you want to be a Super Rugby title contender, losing to the Kings isn’t a good way to show your worth.

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A really bad loss, even if the Kings are an improved outfit.

8. Stormers

Had a much needed week off.

9. Jaguares

Tough loss to the Force but probably shows what has been suspected all along – as this column forecasted last week.

They are good enough to beat average to poor sides at home but when teams arrive in Buenos Aires on top of their game, they are very beatable.

Have lost their mojo with ball in hand.

10. Force

The Jaguares may not be a good side but for a team with as little road success as the Force, this was an enormous win.

It puts them on three wins alongside the Brumbies, Reds and Waratahs and they are every chance of playing finals football if they continue to play that brand of rugby in the run home.

11. Reds

Speaking of big wins… Queensland’s bonus point win against the Rebels wasn’t against great opposition but it was the kind of game they have already lost twice this year.

Now have the bye before launching into two crucial – and winnable – matches before the June break – Force (H) and Blues (A).

12. Waratahs

Had the bye and slipped behind the two Australian winners at the weekend.

13. Brumbies

Big slide for the Australian Conference leaders, who are arguably in the worst knick of any side in the country bar the Rebels.

Still haven’t figured out any fluency in attack, which is offsetting their strong defensive work.

14. Kings

Big, big win against the Sharks and it’s extraordinary to see them notch four wins in a season.

Their best win yet.

15. Bulls

Muddy conditions reduced the Highlanders to the kind of rugby the Bulls love to play and they nearly pinched a win as a result.

Yet to put together an inspiring performance this year.

16. Cheetahs

Played some quality rugby against the Blues but the class difference told in the end.

17. Rebels

A really strong second half against the Reds and we know they are capable of some high quality rugby at AAMI Park.

That’s all good and well but they have still won just one game this year.

18. Sunwolves

Had the bye.

The Reds finished their 2017 campaign with a loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin.

What are we talking about after that final round clash?

1. Ultimate scoreboard not easy reading

For all the optimism the Reds brought into 2017, they have finished just half a game better than the same time in 2016. Queensland scored four wins this season, compared to three and a draw last year, despite the big names they lured to the club. It would have been almost impossible to predict the cliff-diving form of some of their more etablished players, but the leeway won’t be anywhere near so lax in 2018.

2. All up to the Brumbies now

It’s official – only the Brumbies can help Australia avoid a trans-Tasman whitewash this Super Rugby season. The Reds’ loss to the Highlanders was Australia’s 2017 losing streak to 24 matches this season, with just the Brumbies vs Chiefs left in the regular season. The Brumbies will have two cracks at breaking the drought, set to host a quarter-final next weekend

3. Hunt injury a Wallaby worry.

The Reds have no more games left but the Wallabies will be sweating on the fitness of Karmichael Hunt as the Bledisloe Cup nears. Hunt exited the Highlanders clash 15 minutes in, with a leg injury, with little clarity on the severity or nature of that ailment. The return of Kurtley Beale might ease the Wallabies coaches’ minds when it comes to a replacement, but Hunt will be hoping its nothing serious after looking to have finally shaken an injury curse.

4. Stiff Reds need more flexibility

There were interesting comments by former All Black and now Sky commentator Andrew Mehrtens during the Reds-Highlanders match. “An entire generation of Australian players has come through more used to structured play,” he said. “They don’t have that innate ability to be reactive or adapt to what’s in front of them.” At their 2011 peak the Reds were among the most adaptable teams in Super Rugby, but Mehrtens wasn’t far off in his analysis on Friday, with the Highlanders getting the better of them in most unstructured positions.

5. Positives come from generation next

The Reds’ big-name recruits were expected to get them over the line in 2017 but it’s been their youngsters who have stepped up in the back end of the year. Caleb Timu was impressive on debut, while Izaia Perese had another exciting game on the wing. Taniela Tupou showed glimpses of the barnstorming form that made him a high school sensation and lock izack Rodda notched a try as well. Hang on to that hope, Reds fans.

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The Waratahs are hoping Sekope Kepu avoids suspension when he faces the SANZAAR judiciary on Sunday night.

Kepu was given an official warning over a no-arms tackle on Jordie Barrett in Friday night’s clash with the Hurricanes, this third indiscretion this season.

The tighthead prop has copped two yellow cards already this year, with the warning now his third, resulting in an automatic referral to the judiciary.

Kepu’s two yellow cards, though, came from repeated infringements not individual foul play, a technicality that might help him out.

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said they would just have to wait and see on Kepu’s fate, with a review committee hearing slated for 7pm AEST on Sunday.

“Obviously been issued that off-field yellow for that late tackle last night and we’ll see how that goes, how that plays out, how that affects us in the Kings match,” he said.

“I’m not too sure the absolute details (of the new judicial process) and two of those yellow cards were team yellow cards in contests.”

Waratahs hooker Tolu Latu said he hadn’t seen the incident at the time but was confident Kepu would be available for their next clash in a fortnight.

“I think he’ll be alright because the two yellow cards before that were for repeating infringements,” he said.

“This is the first time he’s got cited for doing something like this, so I think he’ll be alright with that.”

The Waratahs have a bye this week, but any ban for Kepu would come after that, a shift from recent years where teams could use club rugby games to count towards suspensions.

Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett will also face the judiciary over his red card, after two deliberate knockdown sin binnings in the clash.

Barrett’s 78th-minute knockdown came deep in Waratahs’ attacking territory, with the visitors on the verge of a try that would have narrowed the margin to just three points.

Waratahs scrumhalf Nick Phipps was audibly arguing the point with the referee and Gibson said he was surprised it wasn’t reviewed by the TMO, at the very least.

“All you ask is consistency,” he said.

“It’s always been a contentious one whether that would’ve been worthy of a penalty try,” he said.

“The referee on the field considered that possibility, dismissed that pretty quickly.

“Obviously, you’ve got to go with the on-field decision and the decision was made, the red card was issued and can’t change that.

“All you can ask in these situations is consistency. If a knock down is a yellow card, then issue a yellow card.

The Waratahs aren’t the only Australian team who have been caught up in the knock down conversation – the Reds conceded a costly yellow when winger Eto Nabuli was binned in Argentina, for what seemed a fair tackle.

“I guess somewhere along there, there’s a line and as long as it’s consistent I have no issue,” he said.

The non-Wallabies Waratahs will line up for their Shute Shield clubs next week, before their Super Rugby campaign resumes.

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Behind every great player is a similarly great story but Scott Higginbotham is far from your archetypal great rugby player – he is one of rugby’s most intriguing figures.

Surfing, riding motorbikes and working on old cars are just a handful of his hobbies and he preaches the importance of giving the brain a break from the game.

He owns cafes, sports some unique tattoos and to the outside observer, appears to be the kind of player that leads by example, rather than by his words.

But speak to the man and those close to him and you will find a laser-like focus that knows what he and his team needs and the best way to get there.

The opportunities to live abroad while doing something you know and love has always appealed to the 30-year-old but when he speaks about the Queensland Reds, there is a clear love for the No.8 jersey he pulls on every weekend.

“I came back to Queensland wanting to play for Queensland,” he said.“Being in Japan and signing in Australia again, I was well aware that the opportunity (to play for the Wallabies) might not come

“So I am fine with that – I signed for Queensland and came back to play for Queensland.

“They (the coaches) seem happy with the way I’m going and that’s what matters most to me – doing my best for the club that wants me here.”

Higginbotham’s return to Ballymore was soured when reports emerged he had been charged with assault police and entering a police establishment without a lawful excuse.

But the assault police charge has since been dropped and Higginbotham has come back as the kind of player that the Reds so desperately needed in the four years they played without him.

There is no back rower in Super Rugby – perhaps even world rugby – that is able to use his running game to find space, squeeze through it and create opportunities for others.

His ability to fight through contact and slip offloads out the back of his hand has shades of Sonny Bill Williams about it.That is not said lightly.

Watch the players put in second efforts to run support lines either side of him.

In every game that he plays, there is a sense of inevitability that he will create an opportunity for at least one try.

Higginbotham is a game breaker in the very sense of the phrase and it’s no coincidence that he has scored more tries than any forward in Super Rugby history.

“It’s easy to play reasonably well when you have coaches that trust things in you and they got me here for the game that I play,” he said.

“They want to see that so it’s easy to go out there and play your game when the coaches – that’s what they want to see as well.

“They mould a bit of a game plan to your strengths, which obviously makes it a lot easier.”

His first stint at the Reds were without question, the years which shaped the man that we know him today.But Higginbotham is the type that gets itchy feet.

The type that wants to see the world and experience the sights and sounds that is has to offer.

While his first love is Queensland, he reflects on his years abroad with a smile.

“If you count the five years I played for the Reds initially and also the three years in the academy prior to that, I had been coming in and out of Ballymore since 2005,” he said.

“I left after 2012 and I knew there was more out there.

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“I had always said to my manager that Melbourne would be the only place that I would go to – in terms of it being a city where I would like to live.

“I love Queensland but Melbourne were a new team, I hadn’t played them much so I didn’t have too much angst towards them.

“The opportunity came up and it worked out for the best with the guys that were here at the Reds at the time.”Those guys were Will Genia, Quade Cooper and James Horwill, who Higginbotham had grown up alongside en route to the 2011 Super Rugby title.

“I was constantly just sort of following suit and I wanted the opportunity to grow as a player in terms of leadership and when you’ve had that success at one team, you feel like there is opportunity to have success at another team,” he said.

Those trips abroad are behind him now and there is only one thing on Higginbotham’s mind as the Reds make their run at an Australian Conference title.

He makes it as clear as the night is black – the time for talking is over.

“I think there is definitely foundations but I feel like most teams would tell you that there is foundations there for being a premiership team – I think any team can say that.

“I think as a group you’ve got to focus on the now and not talk about next year being our year or we’ll get them next game.

“It’s got to be right now.

“Whether you’re ready or not or whether everything is clicking, you can’t really let that come into it too much because not everything is going to be clicking at the one time.

“There were definitely times where things didn’t click in 2011 but we got through that.

“I definitely see the foundations of a finals team but you actually have to make it happen – you can’t just keep saying that.”

The Reds host the Force tomorrow night at Suncorp Stadium, kicking off at 7:45pm AEST, broadcast LIVE on FOX SPORTS and on radio at RUGBY.com.au.

The Blues produced goals when they really needed them to win 3-2 in Germany – and with 10 men to boot – but they also showed familiar vulnerabilities

The manner of Manchester City’s late, dramatic and ultimately classy comeback against Schalke will have supporters dreaming of Champions League glory, even if we are several months and several rounds from the final in Madrid.

Questions about City’s character will be put to bed for a while now that they have come up with two late goals to snatch a 3-2 away win, especially given they had 10 men on the pitch when Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling pounced.

Pep Guardiola’s men have been found wanting when things have gone against them in the Premier League this season, but here they clawed their way to victory, and after very understandable gripes about the use of VAR.

It took the video assistant over two minutes to give a handball against Nicolas Otamendi that was neither clear nor obvious. The fact the on-field referee was unable to check the footage himself due to a fault with the pitchside monitor only added to any sense of injustice. 

So will the fact that Otamendi was booked for the handball, and later sent off.

At that stage it looked like a disaster night for City, even if, at 2-1, they would have been favourites to progress anyway, owing to their quality, home advantage and the away goal Sergio Aguero provided in the first half.

Instead they secured a result which will no doubt be used to suggest City can take the next step in European competition; if not win the whole thing, then at least reach the semi-finals.

Sane’s free kick, against his former club, was a moment of true inspiration.

Sterling, so often guilty of missing one-on-ones, sized up Ralf Fahrmann and nervelessly clipped the ball past him, before taking off towards the away end for full-speed celebrations. Just like he did at Bournemouth last season, having scored a goal that turned out to be the spark that lit City’s 100-point season.

Those City fans have been treated to a memorable night, but it would be foolish to forget the factors that contributed to that sense of impending disaster not long before Sane unleashed that rocket.

There is plenty to suggest City have problems in Europe. Guardiola, despite his public protestations, wants to win the Champions League this season, but there are many signs that they are, despite the good of Wednesday night, far from the required level.

Unless that level is lowered due to the problems of traditional giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, City will have to improve a lot if they want to go much further than the quarter-finals.

There were signs in the group stage that City struggled more in European competition than at home, after all. Lyon barely gave them a sniff over two games, with City losing at home and doing well to snatch a draw in France.

And even Hoffenheim gave Guardiola’s men a shock in Germany, before a rousing comeback put City back on track. 

While the nature of the two penalties they conceded at the Veltins Arena has to be taken into account, it is concerning that City still seem to concede too easily in Champions League matches. This game suggests they have not improved on that front since the group stages ended in December.

They also looked pedestrian for much of this game, and it was only Sane’s incredible goal that changed that. Still, that also speaks to the quality City can call upon, especially as the German started on the bench.

And yes, the fact that they came back to win in thrilling fashion, and with 10 men, is of course a positive. And quite possibly a sign that they have not just the quality but the resilience to win this competition, especially at a time when the likes of Madrid, Barca and Bayern are not standing out as obvious winners.

This competition is open and there is no reason that City, with this squad and this manager, should not be in the conversation. 

But there is also cause for caution. They have been troubled by Lyon, Schalke and to a lesser extent Hoffenheim. Even if Europe’s biggest sides aren’t at their best, they will surely pose more of a threat than those teams later in the competition.

Perhaps the focus required of a huge game against the likes of Madrid, Barca or Paris Saint-Germain would spark something extra in City, in the way that they have battled with Liverpool domestically this season.

It is hard to know exactly where this team stands at the moment and only time will tell whether they are destined for glory or failure.

They may have been drowned out by the cheers of City fans, but the alarm bells are still ringing.

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The forward watched his club’s 2-1 win over Sampdoria from the stands but the manager was upset he did not go to the dressing room

Luciano Spalletti was frustrated Mauro Icardi did not celebrate Inter’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday with his team-mates.

Icardi, who was replaced as club captain by Samir Handanovic this week amid speculation surrounding his future, watched from the stands at San Siro due to the knee injury that kept him out of the 1-0 win over Rapid Vienna on Thursday.

Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta confirmed before kick-off the Argentina striker would still be offered a new contract despite the seemingly strained relationship between player and club.

Spalletti’s side struggled in front of goal and needed a winner from Radja Nainggolan after Manolo Gabbiadini cancelled out Danilo D’Ambrosio’s 73rd-minute opener.

While the Inter boss was pleased to see Icardi, who did not travel to Austria with the team, in the stadium, he was disappointed he did not come down to the dressing room afterwards.

“I really appreciated that he was in the stadium and I would’ve appreciated it even more if he had come to the dressing room to celebrate with us afterwards, because it was a very important victory for the team and he is part of this group, so I imagine he was as happy with the win as we were,” said Spalletti.

“We want a return to normality. In a team, in a dressing room you all need to be working in the same direction.

“There are more steps to take, which are for him to come to the dressing room, to enjoy being a part of this very good group, to relish wearing Inter’s glorious shirt.”

Spalletti fell out with club icon Francesco Totti at Roma but stated the situation with Icardi is unprecedented in his career.

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“I really liked the applause from our fans after the equaliser, as they urged us to get right back on track and gave us strength in that difficult moment,” he said.

“It’s just frustrating that we keep getting tied up in all this talk around Inter. I’ve had some situations in my career with a lot of attention, but never like this.

“The victory is a sign of maturity, so we can begin to get past the mountain of things that are constantly spoken about Inter.”