Try & Try Again

The Six Nations final day try fest was the exhilarating highlight of the past two months. The staggered kick-offs & points difference favoured the running game as the title contenders tried to rack up the score. Will we see a repeat In November ? The fear factor may induce a return to the attritional style of power rugby.

In the Davis Cup two stand-out gruelling 5 setters stood out, and to describe them as marathons seems inadequate. James Ward’s gritty five hour comeback win over Isner was incredibly surpassed by Mayer v Souza. The 6 hr 43 match was the longest in Davis Cup history, beating Wilander-McEnroe. Although a great spectacle for the fans, such long matches are perhaps too tough for the players. Neither Mayer nor Souza have played since their epic rubber.

Nadal lost a match on clay-to Fognini in the Rio semis. Last year he recovered to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires at Roland Garros. I wonder if one of the young guns like Coric could thwart a 10th title this time.

The Premier league may have the richest TV rights deal in Europe, but not the playing quality to match. No English teams reached the Quarter-Finals of European competition for the first time in 22 years. Arsenal blew a great chance v Monaco & Chelsea couldn’t make an extra man count against PSG.

Two ex-Soviet  boxers  excelled. Golovkin has the reputation as the most fearsome puncher in the world, and Martin Murray was the latest knockout victim of the Kazak. Kovalev followed up beating Hopkins with a dominant stoppage of Jean Pascal.

Red Alert

A double bill for Jan & Feb.

Stan Wawrinka always had the talent. The Aussie Open showed he now has developed the nerve / belief to pull out the wins in a major against the two top-ranked players in the world.

Britain hadn’t beaten USA in the Davis Cup since 1935, & now play Italy in the QFs. James Ward, like Dan Evans, again proved he can deliver on the big occasions for his county, defeating much higher-ranked opposition.

It was the battle of the meanest defence in the NFL v the highest scoring offence in the Superbowl. The Seahawks crushed favourites Denver 43-8 for their first title. Peyton Manning is a future hall of famer, & had set TD & yardage records in the regular season, but his post-season record is a blemish on his illustrious career.It’s not news to say that Man. United are having a disastrous season by their lofty standards. Losing to Sunderland in the semi of the League Cup was the previous low point, but a new nadir was the abject performance in the UCL r16 first leg v Olympiakos. They still have an outside chance to progress with the return leg at Old Trafford.

The rapid decline of the champions is something of a mystery. On current form they may emulate Blackburn who were 7th in ‘95-96 season, the most recent occasion that the defending champions finished so low in the league.  

United have mostly the same team as last season that won title at a canter, though their rivals underperformed. The summer transfers have strengthened others (City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs), but the Reds have stagnated.

As the bad results have piled up, the fear factor has gone and opponents scent blood. There are weak links in defence & the midfield is a pale shadow of the glory days of Keane, Beckham, Scholes & Giggs.

 

Performance of the Month

 

Seahawks.