Eric Cantona sardine speech: the truth revealed

Posted on November 27, 2012 by adminsports

REVEALED: The truth behind Cantona's famous trawler speech (and the mystery of the piece of paper it was written on)

UPDATED:

13:23 GMT, 27 November 2012

Eric Cantona delivered one of the most famous phrases football has ever known when he uttered the immortal and completely baffling words: 'When seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.'

Now, over 17 years from the Frenchman's infamous press conference after an appeal hearing at Croydon Magistrates’ Court following his assault on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons, former Manchester United director Maurice Watkins has revealed the inspiration behind Cantona's choice of phrase.

At the time it seemed like a bizarre off-the-cuff remark before former Manchester United forward ended his brief press conference.

Scroll down to watch the video

Gone fishing: Cantona - with Watkins (left) watching on - walks out of his press conference after reading his famous 'sardine' line following the quashing of his two-week prison sentence

Gone fishing: Cantona – with Watkins (left) watching on – walks out of his press conference after reading his famous 'sardine' line following the quashing of his two-week prison sentence

DM.has('rcpv1991064788001','BCVideo');

Later, it was revealed to be the
Frenchman’s assessment of the media pack following him around on the
hunt for a story. And according to Watkins – who was sat next to Cantona
during the press conference – the Frenchman knew what he was going to
say all along.

Maverick: Cantona took the Premier League by storm

'The
whole case had been so big I felt Eric had to say something,' said
Watkins, at the time a United director and their legal advisor.

'We started to draft a speech on a piece of paper and he asked what the boat was that catches fish. Then he asked what the birds were that fly over the sea.

'Eric went on writing then showed me what he wanted to say.

'Everyone thinks because of the expression on my face that I didn’t know what he was going to say.

But I did and I often wonder what happened to that piece of paper.'

Cantona’s words brought some kind of closure to one of the most infamous chapters in football history.

Sent off for a challenge on Palace defender Richard Shaw in January 1995, Cantona was making his way to the dressing rooms in the corner of Selhurst Park when he heard Simmons shout at him.

Cantona launched himself at the supporter with a kung-fu kick, before following up with a couple of well-aimed punches.

'I was having a cup of tea in the directors’ room before being called to the dressing room because police were contemplating some sort of action,' said Watkins.

'From then it became clear what a significant event it was. Legally, I will probably never have a case like that again.'

Kung-Fu fighting: Cantona attacks Matthew Simmons at Selhurst Park back in 1995

Almost immediately, United banned
Cantona for the remainder of the season – a total of 21 matches – which
the Football Association increased to eight months.

Watkins, and Sir Alex Ferguson, remain of the view that the additional punishment was unfair and borne out of the FA’s need to look as though they were actually doing something.

Yet the loss of Cantona’s liberty was almost worse.

'We made an immediate mistake on the day of the case because we decided to walk to the court with a police escort,' said Watkins.

'It was only 100 yards but there were so many press people about it was very difficult to move. I was nearly knocked down on more than one occasion.

'We thought it was going rather well until the magistrate sentenced Eric to two weeks in prison.

Circus: Cantona dominated the headlines throughout 1995

'We lodged an immediate appeal and bail application but Eric was pretty upset when he was whipped down to the cells.'

There then followed an almost comic three-and-a-half hours during which a bail application to the same bench was turned down, forcing Watkins and his legal team to dash up the road to the nearby crown court to make a further attempt to get Cantona released.

'It was a mad three hours,' said Watkins.

'I did manage to see Eric for a little while but there was not much time to do anything.

'The thing was, whilst you go prepared for anything we were surprised at the sentence because it went against all the established protocols.'

United States Grand Prix 2012: Stats and facts

Posted on November 16, 2012 by adminsports

US Grand Prix: All you need to know about Formula One's inaugural visit to Austin

UPDATED:

13:16 GMT, 16 November 2012

AUSTIN TRACK GUIDE

Click here for your guide to The Circuit of Americas

Formula One will attempt for the 10th time to crack the United States this weekend when it returns to America after a five-year absence.

Riverside, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Phoenix and Indianapolis have all played host at some stage over the past 60 years, but without much success.

Now, a purpose-built 250million facility just outside Austin, Texas, in the Circuit of The Americas, will try to woo a sceptical audience.

Going into the 19th and penultimate race of F1's longest campaign, there is still a title at stake, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel 10 points clear of Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari.

Debut: The Circuit of the Americas will host this weekend's United States Grand Prix

Venue: Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas

Circuit length: 5.516km/3.752miles

Laps: 56

Race distance: 308.896km/191.165miles

Number of corners: 20 (11 left/9 right)

Tyre compounds to be used: hard/medium

Overtaking chance: Into turns 1, 11 and 12

Estimated lap time: 1min 37secs

Full throttle per lap: 60 per cent

Gear changes per lap: 58 (race = 3248)

Centurion: Vettel will compete in his 100th grand prix on Sunday

Phil Duncan F1 blog

Sebastian Vettel will become the
latest driver to join the 'ton-up' club when he competes in his 100th
grand prix this weekend.

In his previous 99 races, Vettel
has been on pole 35 times and taken the chequered flag on 26 occasions,
along with 19 other podium finishes.

Kimi Raikkonen's win for Lotus in
Abu Dhabi was his first since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, although he
took a two-year break from F1 in 2010 and 2011.

It was the first for the team from
the factory in Enstone since the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix when they
were known as Renault.

And it was also the first time the
name Lotus had topped the podium since the 1987 US Grand Prix East in
Detroit when the late Ayrton Senna was at the wheel.

Raikkonen has now had 15
consecutive results in the points. Only Michael Schumacher (24),
Sebastian Vettel (19) and Fernando Alonso (18 & 17) can boast a
longer run.

Schumacher has now failed to score a point in his last five races, the worst run of his entire F1 career.

The only two active F1 drivers to
have won a US GP are Schumacher (5) and Lewis Hamilton (1), who won the
last event on American soil at Indianapolis in 2007.

There have been 27 different
winners of a Formula One Grand Prix in the USA, whilst there have been
nine different winning teams.

The only American driver to have
won an F1 grand prix on home soil was Mario Andretti in 1977. *
Simulations suggest the circuit has more corners over 250kph than Spa
and more below 100kph than Hungary.

A qualifying lap time of around one minute and 37 seconds, and a race lap time of 1min 42secs, are predicted.

Paul Wood, man who lost testicle in Grand Final: EXCLUSIVE

Posted on October 9, 2012 by adminsports

EXCLUSIVE: Toughest man in sport! Wood reflects on what else was lost on Grand Final day

UPDATED:

21:30 GMT, 8 October 2012

From the London Olympics to the Ryder Cup, a golden year for British sport has produced so many emotional moments that grown men have been crying like never before.

Surely no story has brought a tear to the eye quite so quickly as that of Paul Wood, however.

The second half of Saturday’s rugby league Grand Final between Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos had just kicked off when Wood, the Warrington prop, was tackled by Kallum Watkins.

Ouch: Paul Wood (left) underwent surgery on Sunday but by Monday even joked about his injury on Twitter

Ouch: Paul Wood (left) underwent surgery on Sunday but was back at home on Monday and even joked about his injury on Twitter

The Leeds player accidentally brought
his knee up into Wood’s groin, rupturing his right testicle.
Astonishingly, Wood not only got up but played on for more than 20
minutes.

Even then, as he sat on the bench at
Old Trafford, his injured testicle swelling ‘to the size of a tennis
ball’, the strapping 30-year-old forward was prepared to come back on
and help his team.

In an age when some overpaid
footballers roll around on the pitch after the slightest contact and
have been known to return to the touchline moments after being carried
off on a stretcher, Wood’s courage puts them all to shame.

One of several lighthearted tweets he sent after having the testicle removed on Saturday night ended with #takeonefortheteam.

Sitting at home in Wigan on Monday
with his wife Shelley, son George, four, and 18-month-old daughter
Darcey, Wood seemed remarkably unfazed by the drama.

He had to miss the post-match party
back at Warrington’s stadium and Mad Monday, the traditional drinking
session when Super League players let their hair down at the end of the
season, but he is looking forward to seeing his team-mates again on
Thursday.

'I know they'll be taking the
mickey,' said Wood. 'Even when I was in hospital on Saturday night they
were sending me texts saying, “You worked your b***s off tonight!” Lucky
I’ve got a sense of humour.

Balls up: Wood was happy to reflect on his injury with wife Shelley and children Darcey and George

'I've been hit a few times in the groin area and normally you can run it off but this just got worse.

'The physios kept asking me if I wanted to go off but I said, “No I’m fine, I’ll get through it”. I came off after 25 minutes and that’s when it started getting really bad. It swelled up to the size of a tennis ball.

'The doctors knew I’d taken a whack
but I didn’t really tell them. There was 15 minutes of the game left so I
thought there was a chance I might get back on.

'It would have been difficult but
you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do. It’s the Grand Final, the
biggest thing in rugby league, and I wanted us to have a chance of
winning.'

Warrington could not prevent
champions Leeds retaining their title, and when Wood revealed the extent
of his injury to the team doctor at the end, he was rushed to Hope
Hospital in Salford for emergency surgery.

'I thought they might have to take it
out because I was in a lot of pain, mainly in my stomach, not my
testicles,' added Wood who, perhaps appropriately, has 13 warriors
tattooed on his left calf to commemorate the first of his two Challenge
Cup final wins with Warrington in 2010.

'When they had a look inside they
said there was no blood flow to it at all, so it was basically just dead
tissue. It doesn’t affect anything else because you can have one
testicle and be perfectly fine. If it was a case of needing two I would
have been devastated.'

More pain: To make matters worse, Wood was unable to prevent Leeds Rhinos storming to victory

Shelley would like more children and although Paul is not so sure, he intends to wear a protective cup in future just in case.

'I'll definitely be protecting my
other one now,' he said. 'I've never worn a cup before, so it’s just
whether I can find one that’s comfortable to play in.

'I’ve been playing 13 years and not a
pre-season goes by when I don’t have an operation. I had a back op for a
prolapsed disc last year, I’ve had four on my dislocated right
shoulder, hernia op, broken my left leg, done my knee and ankle
ligaments and broke my nose against Hull a few weeks back – but you
don’t expect to lose a testicle.'

Just a few miles away in Wigan
yesterday, Super League’s newly-crowned ‘Man of Steel’ Sam Tomkins was
attending an event organised by Heinz in aid of Joining Jack, a charity
dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Even by rugby league standards, Tomkins admitted Wood had gone above and beyond the call of duty.

'It makes your eyes water just
thinking about it,' said Tomkins. 'That shows how tough rugby league
players are. They play on with some bad injuries but I’m sure there’s
not many more painful than that.'

Sid Watkins hailed by Bernie Ecclestone

Posted on September 15, 2012 by adminsports

Irreplaceable! Ecclestone hails late Watkins for his amazing F1 contribution

UPDATED:

17:38 GMT, 14 September 2012

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has hailed Sid Watkins as 'irreplaceable' following his death on Wednesday.

Watkins, the FIA medical delegate and race doctor for 26 years from 1978 through to 2004 after being appointed by Ecclestone, passed away after a short illness at the age of 84.

Watkins helped pioneer safety in motor sport, with his work saving the lives of a number of drivers following an accident, as well as ensuring many others avoided serious injuries.

Hailed: Sid Watkins (right) has received praise from all quarters

'I am pretty sure he is irreplaceable. You only meet somebody of his calibre once in your lifetime,' said Ecclestone of close friend Watkins.

'What Sid did in the way of safety in Formula One was incredible. He gave his whole life to that cause, to make sure it could be as safe as it possibly could be.

'We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his caring and commitment.'

Speaking to formula1.com on the measures Watkins implemented, Ecclestone added: 'When I invited him to join Formula One as its official doctor part way through the 1978 season, we discussed many aspects of safety and medical issues.

'We agreed we needed a proper hospital at the track in the form of a fully equipped medical centre to stabilise injured drivers with immediate treatment, and a helicopter to transport them subsequently to specialist facilities, and that the helicopter pad had to be as close to that trackside hospital as possible.

Irreplaceable: F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone (right) says the sport will miss Watkins

'Sid carried all of those things through, and many more. After the accidents to Jochen Rindt and then Ronnie Peterson, I suggested he should have a medical intervention car and he should take responsibility for taking drivers into medical care.

'We always talked things through and worked together, and he then took care of all the medical things which I knew nothing about.'

Sir Jackie Stewart has called for a permanent memorial in Watkins' honour 'to recognise his contribution to motor sport, particularly Formula One'.

Katherine Grainger: I"ve had lots of proposals after finally winning gold

Posted on September 9, 2012 by adminsports

Grainger: Mum was worried I'd been left on the shelf, but I've had lots of proposals after finally winning

By
Ian Stafford

PUBLISHED:

23:33 GMT, 8 September 2012

UPDATED:

23:33 GMT, 8 September 2012

At some point on Monday morning Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins will meet up for a ‘quiet coffee’ and a ‘moment of reflection’ before they board Float 14 and enjoy their euphoric parade around the streets of London in a mass post-Olympic and Paralympic celebration.

Although each won her first Olympic gold medal in the women’s double sculls at an emotional and partisan Eton Dorney Lake last month, the emphasis was very much on Grainger — at 36, seven years Watkins’s senior and bidding for an elusive gold after three successive Olympic silver medals.

There was one quiet moment amid the mayhem of immediate victory. ‘After a bout of collective screaming, I lay back in the boat and looked up at Anna,’ recalled Grainger. ‘Anna said, “Is it real Did we do it” And I replied: “Yeah, we did it”.’

Shore leave: Katherine Grainger is looking forward to the parade

After a crazy few weeks since they produced one of the memorable moments of the Games, the pair will share a longer, more measured moment together. Then they will join 700 fellow Olympians and Paralympians to be greeted in the centre of London by a crowd which, it is estimated, will be well over half-a-million strong.

‘Whatever happens in the future Anna and I will always have that bond of winning that gold medal at the London Olympics,’ said Grainger. ‘We’ll reflect tomorrow on how our lives have changed. I got most of the attention but Anna and I are equal partners in winning that Olympic title, and I thank her for helping me finally achieve my goal.’

Grainger’s career had not exactly been disastrous before all this. A six-time world champion to go with her three Olympic silvers, she was dubbed the Sir Steve Redgrave of women’s rowing. But winning gold has made all the difference to her.

‘I’ve never really been recognised before in the street,’ she said. ‘Now I’m stopped everywhere I go. I’ve been eating badly, sleeping badly, barely training at all and I’ve loved it because I’ve been so busy.

Elysium: Grainger and Anna Watkins hail victory at Eton Dorney

Elysium: Grainger and Anna Watkins salute a dominant victory at Eton Dorney

‘I’ve had a good number of marriage proposals from men who have somehow tracked down my email address,’ she added. ‘One sent a photo, too. No, it wasn’t that kind of photo! My Mum’s pleased because I’ve been on the shelf a bit too long and she wants me married off.’

Mrs Grainger may have to wait a little longer because her daughter is not convinced just yet that her rowing career has finished, even if winning gold at 36 would appear to provide the perfect ending.

‘It would be crazy to make a decision right now while still riding on an emotional wave. A part of me says I’ve achieved what I set out to and, let’s face it, I will be 40 by the time of the 2016 Games in Rio.

‘Then again, we’ve just won Olympic gold and broken the world record, so we can’t be too bad. We’re still a relatively new pairing that can improve and I love the training and competition that international rowing has brought to my life. It’s a happy dilemma. Life is good.’

Fourth time lucky: Grainger added Olympic gold to her three silver medals

There will be plenty of silver and bronze medallists on the floats in the parade, but Grainger would not have been one of them.

‘I’d have been out of the country, away from everything,’ she said. ‘Losing would have been totally unbearable for me. I would have been haunted by a huge sense of failure for the rest of my life.’

That feeling would have been fuelled by her bitter Beijing memories. ‘I kept telling myself that nobody had died but it felt like a family bereavement.

‘Of course I understand how good people feel about winning a silver medal. I was very happy in Sydney in 2000. But after Beijing, every request to show the silver medal felt like the twist of a knife.’

Happy and glorious: The duo kicked off Great Britain's gold rush at the Games

By the time London came around, she knew she had to put things right.

‘You see, Anna and I had never been beaten and in the heat we broke the world record,’ said Grainger. ‘We were in the form of our lives. The final was ours to lose. If we’d lost it, then clearly I hadn’t done everything I could. Something would have been wrong. I would have let Anna and the nation down. That’s the way it felt with the coverage all about me going for that gold. Mentally I would never have been able to let it go.’

After victory, the first person to greet Grainger was Redgrave and their heartfelt embrace was fitting.

‘It was special knowing we had Steve in our corner. He would talk to us, sharing his experiences. He was so calming. He was our rock.’

Grainger looks down at her gold medal and concludes: ‘No more sob stories. No more near misses. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.’

London 2012 Olympics: Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins set Olympic record

Posted on July 30, 2012 by adminsports

Grainger and Watkins set Olympic best as Team GB rowers book final spots

UPDATED:

09:56 GMT, 30 July 2012

.olympicStats1038148 background:url(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07_04/bckg308x110.jpg) no-repeat top left; display:block; width:308px; height:110px; padding:0; font-weight:bold
.olympicStats1038148 ul width:98%; padding:2px; list-style:none; position:relative; top:86px; left:6px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
.olympicStats1038148 ul li a padding:0 2px; font-size:11px; color:#0cac0c; text-decoration:none
.olympicStats1038148 a:hover text-decoration:underline
.olympicStats1038148 ul li float:left; list-style-type: none; padding: 0;

LIVE RESULTS |
EVENT SCHEDULE |
MEDALS TABLE

Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins underlined their status as gold medal favourites by setting a new Olympic best time as they qualified for the final of the women's double scull.

The double world champions destroyed the previous mark, set by Germany in Barcelona 20 years ago, by nearly five seconds as they won their heat in six minutes 44.33 seconds.

It was a commanding performance from Grainger and Watkins, who left world bronze medallists New Zealand trailing home in second place around two lengths behind.

At the double: The British duo have set a new Olympic record after an explosive performance

The British double are now unbeaten in 22 consecutive races and their victory will have laid down a marker to their nearest rivals Australia, who pushed them close in the final of last month's Munich World Cup regatta.

Earlier, the Great Britain men's eight also qualified for the final with a victory over Canada and Holland in Monday's repechage.

The new-look Great Britain crew made a fast start and quickly opened a three-quarter-length lead over reigning Olympic champions Canada to take control of the race.

After eight: The British team have booked their place in the final

The Canadians, Holland and Australia all put the pressure on in the final stages and succeeded in closing the gap.

But Britain remained calm, rowing within themselves at 36 strokes per minute to seal the win and a place in Wednesday's final.

The British crew only came together
six weeks ago when stroke man Constantine Louloudis proved he had
recovered from a back injury which kept him out of all three World Cup
regattas.

After a
confidence-boosting performance in the heat, finishing second behind
Germany, Britain will be better again for today's outing having won
without having to hit top gear in a final sprint.

See you in the final: Greg Searle reacts as Team GB progress from the repechage

The British women's quadruple scull squeezed into their Olympic final after battling back from the brink of elimination to finish third in this morning's repechage.

Beth Rodford, Debbie Flood, Frances Houghton and Melanie Wilson were trailing last in the six-boat field around the half-way mark before producing a strong push in the second 1,000 metres.

Britain moved into the qualification places after the New Zealand crew developed a crab – where a rower's oar blade sticks in the water and acts as a brake – and then overtook reigning Olympic champions China to cross the line third, behind Australia and the United States.

London 2012: Grainger and Watkins hope close friendship can help them triumph

Posted on July 26, 2012 by adminsports

First mates! Grainger and Watkins hope close friendship can help them triumph

UPDATED:

21:58 GMT, 25 July 2012

Olympics 2012

Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins
teamed up more than two years ago as rowers in GB's double sculls boat
and have been unbeaten since, winning at the World Championships for
the past two seasons.

They are arguably the rowing team's firmest hope of a gold medal, and among the strongest contenders in any sport for GB.

Theirs would be a first rowing gold
for British women, which they are hoping to claim next Friday. Outside
the boat Watkins, 29, originally from Leek, Staffordshire, is married
while Aberdonian Grainger, 36, is single. But until the Olympics finish
they are the most significant partner in each other's life . . .

Making a splash: Watkins (left) and Grainger relax in Henley

Grainger: I suppose we are a bit like a married couple . . .

Watkins: Yes, one that's been together for 20 years! Actually there are a lot of similarities and at the moment I see more of Katherine than I do of my husband. We are working towards a common goal, we need each other and it's in our interests to look after each other's physical and mental wellbeing.

Grainger: The good thing is we aren't just in this because we need to be but because we want to be. I think you could do this if you weren't close in a personal sense, but I do think it's a stronger partnership because we get on well.

Watkins: Katherine is the first person I turn to if I am having a hard time with something. She knows me the best of anyone in the rowing squad and I know she wants the best for me.

Grainger: The nature of what we do is that there are a lot of ups and downs, with things like injuries, selections or things happening away from the boat. It's nice that I've got the experience which means others will come and see me for a chat, although I don't know if I'm always much help!

Golden girls: Watkins and Grainger

Watkins: When I joined the team Katherine was already the top person, already a world champion and I was in a four for the GB Under 23s while she was preparing for Athens (in 2004). /07/25/article-2178973-0D345A8C000005DC-930_468x327.jpg” width=”468″ height=”327″ alt=”Golden girls: Watkins and Grainger” class=”blkBorder” />

Watkins: We've never got as far as a fallout, have we We've had good days, and bad days when we've said what do we need to fix Is it one of us or both of us And then there's Paul (Thompson, the coach). If there's a problem one corner of the triangle will sort it out.

Grainger: Technically we make a good team because we are a similar height, similar build, we have a similar length of stroke and we have a similar power output – we are both at the top end of the team on the physical side. Once you've got all those things matched up then the boat should go well, but there's an X-factor that makes a boat go really fast.

Watkins: From the start we've had this understanding of the mental side and technical side. I can shout something in the middle of the race that might sound really vague like 'feel the hull' and Katherine will know what I mean, even if nobody else would.

Grainger: We've done two World Championships and six World Cups together and woken up in the same room every time, so we know a bit of what to expect when we wake up on the morning of the Olympic final. Of course there will be massive nerves and adrenaline, but there's something really comforting about knowing the person that you are about to go out and tackle this thing with, you know you aren't facing the world alone. At that point it will feel like the two of us against the world. We won't need to say anything, it will just be a look at each other.

Watkins: It's more of a knowing look, the eye contact. We will both see it in each other's eyes, there won't be the need to discuss how we're feeling.

Leeds 34 Bradford 16: Bulls fight on despite threat of liquidation

Posted on July 21, 2012 by adminsports

Leeds 34 Bradford 16: Bulls fight on despite threat of liquidation

UPDATED:

21:37 GMT, 20 July 2012

How much longer can Bradford cling on
The Bulls gave Leeds a genuine test at Headingley but their future
continues to hang in the balance after the revelation that there has not
yet been a formal offer for the club.

On Thursday, administrator Brendan
Guilfoyle claimed that the ABC Consortium, made up of Bradford
businessmen, had 'made an offer' on condition that the club retained
Super League status. But after meeting Guilfoyle yesterday, the RFL were
forced to admit otherwise.

Tough times: Shaun Ainscough of Bradford with fans after the game

To their credit, Bradford's players put aside off-field concerns as they went in level at 6-6 at half-time.

The Bulls carved open Leeds' rearguard inside the first five minutes. Heath L'Estrange and Luke Gale started a sweeping 60-metre move that saw Elliott Whitehead touch down. Leeds responded when Stevie Ward's broke and Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield and Zak Hardaker combined to work Kallum Watkins clear.

Bradford could have led at the break had Karl Pryce's pass to Jarrod Sammut not been judged forward, and Leeds then lost Brett Delaney with a thumb injury. However, the Rhinos clicked into gear with two tries in three minutes early in the second half.

Watkins claimed his second following more good work from Sinfield and Hardaker before Shaun Lunt's 100th career try took the hosts out of reach.

Watkins was first to react when Hardaker's spiraling kick beat Sammut and Pryce, and he fed Lunt to give Leeds some breathing space before Sinfield was sin-binned for a professional foul.

Hardaker, Danny McGuire and Sinfield added further Leeds tries while Olivier Elima and Pryce replied for Bradford.

United stalwart Maurice Watkins, the man who helped shape the Alex Ferguson era, steps down

Posted on June 29, 2012 by adminsports

United stalwart Watkins, the man who helped shape the Fergie era, steps down

UPDATED:

18:10 GMT, 29 June 2012

Maurice Watkins: End of an era

Maurice Watkins has stepped down from the board of Manchester United.

Watkins' involvement at Old Trafford
spans 28 years and he was influential in the appointment of Sir Alex
Ferguson as manager in 1986.

Chief executive David Gill said: 'Maurice
has been a source of calm, measured advice and someone who always has
the genuine interests of the club at heart.'

Bradford 22 Leeds 37: Maguire ensures magic continues for Rhinos

Posted on May 27, 2012 by adminsports

Bradford 22 Leeds 37: Maguire ensures magic continues for Rhinos

UPDATED:

17:19 GMT, 27 May 2012

Danny McGuire answered his coach's call to kick-start Leeds' title defence with a five-try haul to see off Bradford in the penultimate round of the Magic Weekend.

The 29-year-old half-back, whose prolific try-scoring feats have been a hallmark of Leeds' domination of the last eight years, single-handedly pulled his side back from the brink of another defeat that would have left them stranded outside the top eight.

One-man show: Danny McGuire scores his fourth try

So patchy has been their form this season that coach Brian McDermott this week claimed to be in a state of panic – an understandable feeling ahead of meetings with the top two of Warrington and Wigan.

That meant that defeat here was unthinkable and fortunately for the Rhinos, even at 18-6 down, McGuire was the coolest man inside a red-hot Etihad Stadium, taking his career tally of tries against the Bulls to 20 as well as setting up Carl Ablett for another as Leeds continued their record of winning every Magic fixture they have played in.

McGuire's performance was just the tonic his coach needed, while national boss Steve McNamara will also be sure to have noted it.

Of more concern for him, though, will be the extent of the injury that forced off centre Kallum Watkins midway through the second half.

Rhino on the charge: Ryan Hall leaps out of a tackle

But today belonged to McGuire and his first five-try salvo since he ran in a quintet against Widnes in 2004.

He was certainly needed, with Leeds failing to heed their coach's midweek warnings as Bradford ran three quick tries past them in the first half.

The Bulls had lost Craig Kopczak in the first play of the game and also fallen behind when McGuire took in Kylie Leuluai's third-minute pass, but rallied sufficiently to go ahead thanks to Elliott Whitehead's close-range barge and Ben Jeffries' show and go.

And, when Jamie Peacock failed to grab Luke Gale's wind-assisted kick, ex-Rhino Matt Diskin was on-hand to dot down and put his side in charge, although he did appear to be in an offside position when doing so.

Walking in: McGuire (left) on his way to another try

If the Bulls were lucky to get that try then fortunes were levelled out in the 23rd minute, when McGuire took in a forward-looking ball from Brent Webb before slipping the attentions of Gale to score.

And then, as has so often been the case throughout their almost identical 10-year careers with Leeds, McGuire and Rob Burrow linked up to devastating effect.

Now used as an evasive hooker, Burrow is no longer McGuire's regular half-back foil as he was for so long, but the magic was still there when the former jinked through a gap and sent the latter free for a hat-trick try nine minutes before the break.

Under fire: John Bateman (right) feeds the ball under pressure from Leeds' Kevin Sinfield (left) and Weller Hauraki

Perfect conversion records from Gale and Kevin Sinfield ensured the scores were level at 18-all heading into the break, but that changed in the 47th minute, with McGuire doing the business again.

Sinfield was the creator this time, throwing a dummy on the back of a Richard Moore offload.

As if to show he was human, McGuire was unable to ground the ball at full stretch in the 55th minute, while there was concern when Watkins had to be helped from the field with 20 minutes remaining.

A Mexican wave then started in the crowd, although that was not indicative of the quality of play on show, with Bradford only denied a leveller through Karl Pryce owing to a ball steal earlier in the move.

Rare chance: Bradford's Heath L'Estrange (centre) cuts through a gap

But knowing they needed to pull clear to be safe, Leeds did just that. Sinfield took a high ball and set Ryan Hall free and, in the ensuing plays, McGuire sent Ablett over the line.

Sinfield split the posts with a drop goal and then McGuire took in a Webb pass for his fifth – becoming the first Leeds player to do so since Hall against Castleford three years ago.

There was still time for a try from Elliot Kear, but it was little more than a consolation for Bradford.

Sports Bound Guide

Sports Bound Guide. Fresh Sports News

Tag Archives: watkins

Eric Cantona sardine speech: the truth revealed

United States Grand Prix 2012: Stats and facts

Paul Wood, man who lost testicle in Grand Final: EXCLUSIVE

Sid Watkins hailed by Bernie Ecclestone

Katherine Grainger: I"ve had lots of proposals after finally winning gold

London 2012 Olympics: Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins set Olympic record

London 2012: Grainger and Watkins hope close friendship can help them triumph

Leeds 34 Bradford 16: Bulls fight on despite threat of liquidation

United stalwart Maurice Watkins, the man who helped shape the Alex Ferguson era, steps down

Bradford 22 Leeds 37: Maguire ensures magic continues for Rhinos