All Blacks beat Lions to take one-nil series lead
They now have a one-nil lead in the three-Test series.The first half at Eden Park was a tight affair, but the British and Irish Lions were not able to capitalise on their opportunities in the second period.The All Blacks survived an early scare after a Jonathan Davies line-break and a good run by Conor Murray, but Israel Dagg was able to hold Elliot Daly off the line with a superb tackleFirst blood went to the All Blacks when the Lions were pinged at the ruck. Beauden Barrett kicked the penalty to put the first points on the board.A few minutes later Aaron Smith made the most of a quick tap, then Dagg sent a pinpoint pass out to Codie Taylor, who scored the first try of the game.Barrett’s conversion gave the All Blacks a 10-0 lead.Full-back Ben Smith had to leave the field with a suspected concussion, which meant Barrett shifted back, and Aaron Cruden came on at first-five.In the 30th minute the Lions got on the board, courtesy of an Owen Farrell penalty.All Black Ryan Crotty had to limp off with a hamstring injury and was replaced with Anton Lienert-Brown.Barrett landed another penalty to give the All Blacks a 13-3 lead.The Lions then executed a glorious try, which started with a Liam Williams break and was finished off by Sean O’Brien.The All Blacks had a 13-8 lead at half-time.Just after the break, the Lions went on the counter-attack after Williams made another impressive break and the Lions created a couple of opportunities early, but failed to finish them off.In the 54th minute, rookie Rieko Ioane scored the All Blacks’ second try, which was set up by a superb scrum and the All Blacks extended their lead to 20-8.Minutes later Barrett kicked another penalty and the Lions started to struggle, holding off a relentless All Blacks attack.Ioane put his blistering speed to full use when he scored his second try off a turnover, and with Barrett’s conversion the All Blacks went up 30-8.In the last minute of the game, Rhys Webb scored a consolation try for the Lions.After not having played in almost two months, captain Kieran Read made an outstanding return.Hansen told reporters the performance was proof the All Blacks could find multiple ways to win – from razzle-dazzle to tactical nous and front-row muscle.They’d also neutralised the Lions’ much-vaunted line speed by playing astutely off halfback Aaron Smith, which tired their opponents.The Lions made 165 tackles to the All Blacks’ 97.”I always find it amusing when everyone tells us they’re going to beat us up in the tight five, because we’re not just a team that can play flashy rugby. We can play down-and-dirty rugby too if we have to,” Hansen said.”Since Adam was a cowboy, if your tight five do a job, everyone else can play – tonight’s Test was always going to be won in the tight five and I think we won that battle, but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll win it next week.”While the Lions failed to seize on their 20 minutes of ascendancy, the All Blacks ruthlessly took their opportunities.Codie Taylor emulated incumbent No.2 Dane Coles by collecting a pass off his bootlaces to score the side’s first five-pointer in the 18th minute, before freshly introduced props Wyatt Crockett and Charlie Faumuina helped create Ioane’s first by monstering their counterparts at an attacking second-half scrum.Ioane, in his first Test start, then capitalised on a Liam Williams dropped ball to streak away and place the match beyond the Lions’ reach.They’ll need to find a second attacking gear – and quickly – to turn the three- Test series around next week in Wellington.Hansen expected that to be the case.”So many times in sport, the winning team gets knocked over the next week. So, this team has always worked on the mantra that we want to be better, and we don’t always achieve that but that’s what we strive to do,” Hansen said.”The team executed the plan very, very well. It wasn’t perfect but it is only our second Test for the year, so we’ll build from that.”However vice captain Ben Smith and centre Crotty are injury concerns for the rest of the series.Fullback Smith failed a head injury assessment during the first half, while Crotty limped off later in the spell with a hamstring injury and will definitely miss next week’s test in Wellington, coach Steve Hansen said.”Ben Smith failed a concussion test and he will go through the protocols,” Hansen told reporters. “Ryan Crotty has pulled his hammy, so we already had Jack Goodhue in as a replacement to help him out with his ribs.”Jack will be staying with us, and we will try to get Ryan ready maybe for the last test if we’re lucky.”Hansen said earlier on Saturday that hooker Dane Coles had been ruled out of the series due to fitness issues after he had been unable to train since March with knee and calf injuries and then concussion symptoms.The Lions play the Wellington Hurricanes on Tuesday before the second test next Saturday in New Zealand’s capital.The series concludes on July 8 with the third test in Auckland.
Cleary had missed the past seven matches with a knee issue but set up a first- half try and broke three tackles in a strong performance against his dad’s Tigers side.He has now won both contests against father Ivan but, more importantly, took a step towards a possible NSW debut two weeks before teams are selected for the State of Origin opener.The halfback combined well with veteran James Maloney in a dominant first half at Penrith Stadium, where the hosts enjoyed triple the amount of plays inside the opposition 20-metre zone.While Penrith were unable to convert their dominance into points, they were largely untroubled in defence as the Tigers were held tryless for the first time in a year.The win, in front of a crowd of 15,081, lifts the Panthers to 16 points but below top-placed St George Illawarra on points differential.The Tigers – early-season surprise packets – have lost four of their last give games and are in danger of slipping out of the top eight for the first time in 2018.Both teams traded early penalties but when Panthers forward Trent Merrin was marched for repeated team infringements in the 22nd minute his exit only sparked Penrith into an attacking frenzy.Cleary set up Tyrone Peachey with a well-timed grubber not long after, before Maloney followed it up with a two-man cutout for an acrobatic finish by Tyrone Phillips and a two-try lead at halftime.The Panthers had numerous opportunities to extend their advantage in a controlled second half, which included Tigers forward Alex Twal being sin-binned for repeated team penalties.Viliame Kikau, Christian Crichton and Phillips all appeared set to score but were denied by a valiant Tigers defence on each occasion, before the Panthers held on for their sixth win in eight matches.Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said it was a solid effort from Cleary.”Obviously it’s hard coming back after you’ve been out for eight weeks,” he said.”I thought he did a great job. His kicking game was good and he made a few half- breaks. He was incisive with the ball and he was trying in defence.”Tigers coach Ivan Cleary bemoaned a poor kicking game from his playmakers, as well as an 11-11 penalty count that denied his team the chance to gain any traction in attack.”The rush of penalties didn’t allow us to find rhythm and after that, their line speed did the same thing. We got to halftime and we just hadn’t really found any rhythm,” he said.”They just got a sense that they could smell the game from there. We just spent the whole second half in our end.”
Domestic football at all levels in China has been postponed in order to help control the spread of the virus – a SARS-like condition – which has reportedly claimed more than 130 lives.The CSL was scheduled to get underway on February 22, with Guangzhou Evergrande looking to defend their title.”The Chinese Football Association will continue to maintain close communication with national authorities, determine the timing of each season’s events in combination with the actual development of the epidemic situation and make reasonable adjustments to the system, schedule, and scale of some events when necessary,” a statement read on Thursday.”Relevant information will be released in time through the official channels of the CFA.”On behalf of the majority of football workers across the country, the Chinese Football Association pays deep tribute to all medical workers and staff who are currently struggling in the frontline of epidemic prevention and control!”It comes after the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing were also postponed until next year because of fears surrounding the spread of the coronavirus.There have already been casualties in China as the virus spreads across the globe, and the World Health Organisation called for global action to combat the deadly outbreak on Wednesday.Fabio Cannavaro’s Guangzhou Evergrande dethroned Shanghai SIPG in 2019, finishing just two points ahead of Beijing Guoan. Photo Getty Images Caption: CSL champions Guangzhou Evergrande
Adex WERA, 2) Justim OLAM, 3) Noel ZEMING (Co-Captain), 4) Thompson Teteh, 5) William AQUILA, 6) Watson BOAS, 7) Atte Bina, 8) Henry WAN, 9) Warren GLARE, 10) Esau SIUNE, 11) Ishmael BALKAWA, 12) Adam KORAVE, 13) Brandy PETER, 14) Ase BOAS, 15) Timothy LOMAI, 16) Benjamin HETRA, 17) Edward GOMA, 18) Tuvi LEPAN, 19) Wartovo Puara, 20) Bland ABAVU.The Devils will arrive mid-day on Saturday. Kick off for the game is at 6:30pm. This is one of four changes that Hunters coach, Michael Marum has made to his side that was announced on Tuesday after training.Wera replaces the injured Stargroth Amean who is out with a rib injury. Thompson Teteh moves to the centres.Henry Wan makes his return to prop while Adam Korave moves back to second rower in place of Tuvi Lepan who suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s one point win over the Townsville Blackhawks.Atte Bina will start at half back partnering Watson Boas while brother Ase Boas and Timothy Lomai will start from the bench.Marum explained that Wartovo Puara is under an injury cloud and so has been named as 19th man.The team (with two to be omitted):
More than hundred Grade 7 students from nine primary schools participated in the one day event taking part in a variety of fun-filled activities including a special visit from the Port Moresby-based Digicel Cup players as well as reps from the SP PNG Hunters.The students learnt the basics of Rugby League and the first aid approaches to injuries on field of play including a game of touch rugby before certified by Digicel PNG with certificate of participation.This event will mark the start of this school program in its inaugural year at developing the health and wellbeing of children, moreover, encourage fitness.
Nevertheless, There will not be many tickets that will go on sale for non-members since the capacity does not exceed 4,000 seats, the number of members is more than 2,500 and it could increase these days With new releases.Unionists has recalled in its Twitter account that the partners that spread the photos of your tickets in social networks “try to cover the QR code of it to prevent counterfeiting. “ The ticket offices have registered this Monday long lines to sell tickets to members from the Salamanca team of Unionists, which on Wednesday disputes the round of 32 the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid, some entries for which they must pay between 20 and 30 euros To see the encounter.For its part, and as the Salamanca club has assured on a note of press, those with a sympathizer card must pay 40 euros, while tickets for non-members will cost 30 euros for those under 18 and 60 euros for the general public.
The embassy of U.S hosted an act to encourage women’s football in Spain. From the hand of the agency AGM and the foundation Inspiringirls The issue of women’s football in North America was discussed and girls were encouraged to fight for their dreams.Deyna Castellanos, Atlético’s new player, led the talk. She has already lived the experience of going to the United States to develop her football career while continuing her studies. “With ten years I was already crazy, I dreamed of going to the United States and becoming a footballer”. And he achieve it.“Thanks to my brother I started playing. In Venezuela he is very masculine, but They saw me kicking a ball while I waited for my brother and a coach noticed me. Playing in Florida is one of the best experiences of my life. Playing and studying at the same time was a privilege. I grew a lot soccer. It was four years, I won the national tournament, it was magnificent. “ “There is a lot of work, a lot of discipline, really wanting to be the best. It’s great to be an inspiration. Let them see that football is not just for men. The hardest thing has been to be in a sport that is not supported by anyone. But women are going to conquer the world. Remove stereotypes, “said the Venezuelan.Sofia Echevarría, player of Madrid CFF, is about to undertake the American soil. He talked about how hard the road is. “It has always been my dream to go to the US now it has arrived. The road has been hard, I have cried many times, I did not have time to study, for all. But everything comes. I encourage you all to leave, “he admitted.To end, Alba Mellado told his experience in this world. “I started playing with children. Then the Madrid CFF created a team of girls competing against boys. At first they said ‘well, today we play the girls. They ended up saying care’. I only give you advice, there is no luck, you have to look for her. “
“I am in favor,” he said this Sunday during the Doppelpass sports gathering on the German chain Sport1. Kind meditates installing a fund between all the clubs to prevent situations like the one that is hitting football right now. “You could accumulate enough capital over the years if we entered a sum x from television revenue. It would be carried out proportionally for each club, thus reducing the benefits of each one so that part of that money is wisely invested, “he explained. Of course, the priority is to finish the season as necessary to guarantee the remaining television income, crucial for the survival of most clubs. “Possible insolvencies would be horrifying”he stressed.The salary limit is not the only proposal of the boss of Hannover in this regard. He has been fighting the 50 + 1 law for some time, which regulates the power of investors in the Bundesliga. Given the circumstances, the regulations seem more debatable than ever. “I choose to have it collapsed. Clubs are companies. Things are clear”, nuanced. As for Hannover, Kind was also emphatic: “It is a question of the economy in general. How can we guarantee liquidity in the coming months? At the moment, it only gives us to be able to finish the season. Should it not be played later, we would have to subject our budgets to major changes. No club will be able to rescue its financial system, “he concluded. The coronavirus is shaking the ciminetos of the soccer world. The temporary suspension of matches causes a lack of income for football clubs and many already fear the worst. If the break in the leagues lengthens more than expected, there will be few teams that seriously endanger their existence. They and numerous employees, who, from one day to the next, would be left without a job. A series of footballers have already taken the first step and decided to donate part of their income to aid those most in need at the moment. But that will not suffice. More drastic measures will be needed to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. One of them is proposed by Martin Kind, CEO of Hannover 96; his idea is to impose a salary limit on players in the Bundesliga and create a solidarity fund.
-You signed for Madrid in the summer of 1989. When Lorenzo Sanz became President you already knew him by having been with Ramón Mendoza. How was that-As he was always very close with everyone and having been vice president for several years, we practically did not notice the change. Of course, in management we saw something that caught our attention. Despite Madrid experiencing severe economic difficulties despite the greatness of the club, Lorenzo had in his head to return Madrid to the highest in Europe. And boy did he get it.-It was a difficult time after the four leagues of Cruyff’s Dream Team and the drought in Europe.-True. In fact, in terms of money, Milan, Inter or the great English teams were unattainable for us. But Lorenzo had the audacity to believe in a winning project and bet on it. The madridistas will have to thank him eternally because he changed our history.-What was your secret?-Well, having the ingenuity to bring Roberto Carlos from Inter, Suker from Sevilla, Panucci from Milan and Seedorf from Ajax for a price that in today’s market would be classified as plum. Only Mijatovic, having to pay the clause to Valencia, was expensive in quotes. Then he also brought Karembeu through which half Europe stuck. And he signed Zé Roberto who was a great team player and Illgner who was the goalkeeper of the Germany team. I remember that Roberto Carlos was with Inter in a previous Bernabéu Trophy and we saw that it was going to be a machine. When Lorenzo signed him for only 600 million pesetas of the time we hallucinated. He seemed like an impossible player in our situation. Without going crazy, Lorenzo built a champion team.-What was the secret of that triumphant Madrid after several bad years, except for the league won with Valdano?-At the arrival of Capello. In Milan he had triumphed and his model gave the team a very competitive air. Capello laid the foundation for what came a year later with Heynckes. The secret is that we had a group that was a perfect mix of veterans, star signings from outside and youth squads. The best locker room I’ve ever been in. We were much more than a soccer team. We would meet to eat all the staff every two or three weeks. To make pineapple, to talk about our problems, our concerns. Everyone together. We were a family that played soccer.-Why was it so important to win the Seventh?-It was vital because Madrid returned to gain the respect of all Europe. Our past was unmatched, but there were already many years of waiting. In Madrid the requirement is maximum and you live up to date, it is not worth looking back. It wasn’t just the Seventh. Six months later the Intercontinental was conquered with the famous Goal of the Aguanís from Raúl. It had been almost forty years since we had won it. We believed in ourselves a lot and we were capable of everything. We reigned in Europe, in the world … Without the chemistry in the locker room and the good relationship with the club it would have been impossible.-He gives Lorenzo Sanz a lot of value for that achievement.-Of course, time puts everyone in their place even if they had to go through this terrible misfortune so that the youngest know what they did. He put Madrid back in the world dimension it had lost. Those three titles were achieved in the times when Milan, Bayern, United or Barça seemed to be ahead. With these three conquests, FIFA had no choice but to give us the title of Best Club of the 20th Century. That push was final. -The funny thing is that two years after the Seventh the team base was changed and they were able to win it again.– Yes, there was Lorenzo’s cunning with the signings. In summer Suker, Mijatovic and Panucci left, Seedorf in the winter market, Karembeu did not count anymore … And even so he made an almost new team since only Roberto Carlos, Redondo, Raúl, Morientes and I followed from the base. A very good national base came with Helguera, Iván Campo, Karanka, Míchel Salgado. And he brought Savio and Anelka. Another project won despite the economic difficulties we had. It seems like a miracle, but he made it happen.-And you almost missed the final in Paris.– It is that two and a half months before I broke the ligament of a knee in a League match against Betis. I talked to the doctors and they told me that if we made it through to the quarterfinals and the semifinals, I could go to the end. I prepared myself only for that purpose. My teammates knew how to respect my dream, because they eliminated none other than United and Bayern Munich. Vicente (by Del Bosque) He handled the squad’s resources very well and put out two heats in an impressive way. The Old Trafford game is still on my mind. I remember that five days before the final in Paris we played at the Bernabéu against Valladolid, in the last league game, and Vicente took twenty minutes to prove me. I did not feel well. I was honest and on the eve of the final I told him that he was not there to start.-But in the end he played …-Yes. We made a tremendous game against that Valencia that was scary. With Raúl’s 3-0 I was already sentenced the final and Vicente took the last minutes from me. Me and Manolo Sanchís. It was a detail that shows how the coach is also as a person. We were highly valued by the players.-Let’s go back to Lorenzo Sanz. How was the deal with you?-It was one of ours. One more. Always loving … and always demanding. For me he was a second father. Very human, he attended you in everything every time he saw us in training at the Sports City. He cared about everything. He was one of the group but be careful, if he got angry the walls could shake. But from inside doors. That he always respected. He was not facing the gallery. I define him as a great Real Madrid player and so he must be reminded.-Let’s talk about you. He won three Champions in the field and almost won the fourth as Zidane’s assistant.-Yes, I always say jokingly if I meet Morata that he avoided him. On the return leg of the semifinal with Juventus, at the break of the Bernabéu game we won 1-0 and we were in the final in Berlin against Barça. But Morata caught a ball in the second half and left us wanting …-Since we have named Zidane, how do you see him in this second stage?-Better than what is said. It looks perfect. What happens is that the end of his first stage was difficult to do a restructuring or a change when you come from winning three Champions in a row. It’s easy to say but tell me how you do it. But what he accomplished on the bench is unrepeatable. As a Real Madrid player, I consider that with Zidane Madrid are in good hands.
Later, Januzaj revealed to the realistic followers some curiosities of the current staff of the Real and his stay in San Sebastián. He spoke of Imanol Alguacil, acknowledging the clashes he has come to have with his coach, but also his great work. “I think Imanol is the best coach I have ever had, but sometimes he is also tough and we get angry”, He says; “Although it is normal,” he adds, smiling. Then he talks about his classmates. “Igor is very good but in training he gives a lot of shit when he tackles,” he jokes about Zubeldia. He considers that “Barrenetxea and Oyarzabal are the players who have the most future at Real”. And it is clear who would take a decisive penalty. “If there is a penalty in the 90th minute, Mikel (Oyarzabal” would always throw it. “It is not the only thing that the Belgian is clear about his teammates. Just as naturally he talks about his most partying teammates. “He would go with Remi (Alex Remiro), Moyaka (Miguel Ángel Moyá) and Nacho (Monreal), although I think his wife would not be happy”, he says with a mischievous smile. And Robin Le Normand, the central newcomer to the first team also had his faltering ration. “It is very good, but when we train and he is there, I don’t put my foot in because I would be in pain for two or three weeks. “And I also talk about physical work at home because of forced confinement. But, of course, he did it with his peculiar sense of humor. “I have damage to my ass from cycling so much and I’m tired of sleeping so much.” Of course, Januzaj has no reason to complain, he is sincere admitting that he is privileged: “I would not change anything in my life, I am very happy with what I have.” And to finish he makes a promise addressed to the followers of the Real. “As many of you are asking me for t-shirts, I am going to buy 50 and I am going to give them to the Real to raffle them. Do you think it is a good idea?” It will be necessary to pay attention to the social networks of the Royal Society and Januzaj himself. Notice to boaters. Adnan Januzaj is a ‘gamer’ on the field … and also outside. The Belgian player dominates the language of social networks and likes to use it to interact with followers of the Royal Society, something that is appreciated in these complicated days of home confinement because of the coronavirus health alert, also because in his talks in his Instragram account he leaves more than a juicy headline that he does not usually give in his press conferences of Zubieta or Anoeta. “The final of the Copa del Rey is going to be played for sure and we are going to win it,” says Januzaj. The first direct arrow to the heart. Without contemplation. Without mincing words. It started strong. It is only the beginning.Because later Adnan Januzaj argued his strong statement. “I love playing the derby against Bilbao, because there is a lot of pressure and I like that. I think we are superior to them, although in the final we will have to have a good day, And that doesn’t always come out, “he says, very sure of himself. And then he adds. “I would never go to Bilbao because it would make my teammates sad”, judgment. Although logically not only did he throw darts at Real’s historic rival, he also had time to talk about his soccer tastes. “For me the best player is Cristiano Ronaldo, but my favorite is Pogba, because I grew up playing with him.” And he also had good words for his former team. “Manchester United is my second team after Real.”