Triumph & Despair

Euro 2008 Quals

England 3-0 Russia

I had thought it might be a cagey game, but England played superbly & Russia were totally outclassed.

Quite a few pundits (& some work colleagues) are now saying McClaren should stick now with this winning team, I disagree. We played well, but that's not to say you can't change the team & they could play even better. Rooney can hold the ball up as well as Heskey, though he can't match his aerial prowess. The Roonster is much more of a goal threat though, can drop deep to link the play, & is capable of surging runs as well as being a superb passer. Gareth Barry was a revelation, and could be the answer to the conundrum of whether Lampard & Gerrard play together- he plays instead of Lamps.

France 0-1 Scotland

Scotland had another superb victory over the French. They still have tough games to come v Italy & Ukraine, but they are both at Hampden. I reckon the Scots can get the points required to qualify, especially as teams level on points are separated by their head-to-head record as the primary tie-breaker.

US Open Tennis

Federer duly beat Djokovic, but it was very tight with two tie-break sets. Rog held his nerve better on the big points. Federer has now incredibly won 8 out of the last 10 Slams. Its conceivable he could suffer a barren spell- Sampras went two years before winning his final Slam, the '02 US Open. Surely he can't repeat winning 3 out of 4 Slams again next year ? I would guess that he breaks Pete's record of 14 some time in 2009( he needs two more to draw level).

RWC

England 0 South Africa 36

The world champions were humiliated as the Springboks recorded a crushing shut-out victory. Jason Robinson, after limping out of the game with a torn hamstring, has now probably played his last competitive game, sadly. He had been England's most dangerous attacking threat on the night. South Africa were exceptional with their kicking, time & again finding touch, & pushing England back. England still have a chance to reach the knock-out phase, but on this form will be eliminated. Their decision-making was poor, and they missed chances when near the try-line to disturb the scoreboard. They seemed to have lost the ability to "Think Correctly under Pressure" (T-CUP, as described in Clive Woodward's Winning). It is incredible that the defending champions have suffered such a decline-this was the biggest margin of defeat they have suffered in a RWC tournament.