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Osaka suffers shock loss to world number 78 in Fed Cup tie

Published in Tennis
Friday, 07 February 2020 07:25

Naomi Osaka suffered a shock 6-0 6-3 loss to Sara Sorribes Tormo as Spain took a 2-0 lead in their Fed Cup qualifier against Japan.

Ex-world number one Osaka lost her opening 10 points on serve as Sorribes Tormo dominated in the opening set of the match at La Manga Club in Murcia.

The Japanese player led 2-0 in the second set, but Sorribes Tormo, ranked 78th in the world, fought back.

Carla Suarez Navarro beat Misaki Doi 6-3 6-4 to put the hosts in control.

The winners of the best-of-five tie will be one of 12 nations in April's new-look Fed Cup Finals.

"We knew Sara could make it very uncomfortable for Naomi and she stuck to the gameplan perfectly," said Spain captain Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Great Britain are also trying to book their place in the Fed Cup Finals and they play away in Slovakia this weekend.

Great Britain trail Slovakia 1-0 in their Fed Cup qualifier after Heather Watson was beaten in straight sets by Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Watson lost 6-2 6-3 to the world number 199 on clay at the AXA Arena in Bratislava.

The 27-year-old Briton, ranked 74, paid the price for only converting one of nine break points and 43 unforced errors.

Harriet Dart faces Viktoria Kuzmova in the second singles rubber on Friday.

The reverse singles and doubles rubber will be played on Saturday in the best-of-five tie.

The winner of the tie will join 11 other nations at the new Fed Cup Finals in Budapest from 14-19 April.

Watson lost the opening two games of the match, missing four break points in Schmiedlova's opening service game.

She fought back to 2-2 and was then 30-0 up on her serve but the Slovakian won the next four points at the start of a run of six consecutive games.

Watson steadied herself in the second set but was always trailing and was broken again in the final game, a forehand volley wide when faced with an open court all too typical of her performance.

Britain are without world number 14 Johanna Konta, who has opted to sit out the Fed Cup this year to protect her body, and Katie Boulter.

GB, who returned to the World Group for the first time since 1996 by beating Kazakhstan in a play-off last April, are among eight seeded nations in the qualifiers.

How does the new Fed Cup format work?

The eight winners of this week's qualifying ties will join 2019 finalists Australia and France, hosts Hungary and the Czech Republic in the new 12-team Fed Cup Finals, which will be played on clay in Budapest.

There is an $18m (£14.2m) prize fund and of that, $12m (£9.5m) will go to the players, and the other $6m (£4.75m) to their national associations.

The Laszlo Papp Budapest Sports Arena will host the finals until 2022 and there will be four groups of three teams, with the winners of each group progressing to the semi-finals.

Under the previous format, the champions needed to negotiate three home or away ties. Now they play no more than one.

Player of the Month: January 2020

Published in Table Tennis
Thursday, 06 February 2020 23:34
Chen Meng

Crowned ITTF World Tour Grand Finals champion for a third consecutive year just one month earlier, World no.1 Chen Meng carried her excellent form into the 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open and didn’t disappoint. Edging out Korean defender Suh Hyowon at the start of the women’s singles contest, Chen added victories over fellow compatriots Qian Tianyi, Wang Yidi and Zhu Yuling to the list. A crushing show of strength against Ding Ning in the final guided Chen to her 14th singles title on the ITTF World Tour.

Dimitrije Levajac

Winning three of his four encounters at the 2020 ITTF World Team Qualification Tournament, Dimitrije Levajac was one of the standout players in Gondomar. Without a single ITTF World Tour or ITTF Challenge Series win to his name in 2019, Levajac recorded victories over Stefan Fegerl, Lam Siu Hang and Wong Chun Ting to send Serbia to Tokyo 2020!

Dimitrij Ovtcharov

Cheered on by an adoring home crowd in Magdeburg, Dimitrij Ovtcharov produced one of his best performances in recent times with his semi-final finish at the 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open. Opening his account with a convincing win over Lim Jonghoon, Dima then showed nerves of steel to beat Chuang Chih-Yuan before claiming a shock comeback victory over in-form 2019 champion Fan Zhendong!

Ding Ning

Negotiating two potential banana skin encounters against Gu Yuting and Hina Hayata without dropping a game, Olympic champion Ding Ning went on to see off major challenges in the form of Mima Ito and Wang Manyu 4-1 and 4-2 respectively to reach the women’s singles final in Magdeburg. A bright start to the Olympic year, the Rio 2016 gold medallist will be hoping to enjoy more success in the coming months in her bid to once again make the cut for China’s Tokyo 2020 squad.

Dora Madarasz

Guiding her native Hungary to a top eight finish in Gondomar, Dora Madarasz played a key role in her country’s successful outings against Croatia and Portugal. Recovering from a game down to beat Mateja Jeger in Hungary’s 3-0 in the round of 32 win, Madarasz then backed it up with a brace against the host nation’s Fu Yu and Luo Xue, displaying some of her best table tennis to date.

Jakub Dyjas

For Poland’s Jakub Dyjas it was his performance against Nigeria in particular that caught the eye, summoning his inner-warrior to beat African champion Quadri Aruna and Segun Toriola as Poland battled its way to victory. Dyjas was also the only player from his team to claim a win against Hong Kong China, beating Lam Siu Hang. That’s not all: Dyjas’ January got even better the next week in Magdeburg, when he accompanied Belgian Cedric Nuytinck to the men’s doubles semi-finals after eliminating Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska in the previous round.

Xu Xin

Delighting fans at the GETEC Arena with his blistering pace and out of this world winners, Xu Xin put on a fantastic show for the local spectators at the German Open. Surviving a stern test against An Jaehyun in round one, pen hold specialist Xu proved too strong for Mizuki Oikawa, Zhao Zihao and Lin Gaoyuan to reach the men’s singles final. Xu concluded his campaign with a powerful 4-0 win over Ma Long to claim the title, returning to the very summit of the men’s world rankings list as a result.

Yuan Jia Nan

A shining light for Team France, Yuan Jia Nan prevailed over many a high calibre opponent at the World Team Qualification Tournament including Russia’s Yana Noskova, Portugal’s Shao Jieni and Korea Republic’s Choi Hyojoo. Seeded 18th, France went on to finish an impressive ninth in the women’s team event.

Pavel Sirucek

Showing great courage and leadership in Czech Republic’s fine run in Gondomar, resulting in a ninth position finish, Pavel Sirucek contributed two wins in his country’s 3-2 beating of DPR Korea before delivering a mighty straight games victory over Indian star Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. Against Hong Kong China in the play-off for eighth position Sirucek once again showed his quality, forcing Wong Chun Ting right down to the wire in a thrilling affair.

Cho Seungmin

Korea Republic qualifier Cho Seungmin produced a show-stopping display in Magdeburg, achieving his best performance on the ITTF World Tour since 2018! Toppling Olajide Omotayo, Marcos Freitas and Anders Lind in qualification, 21-year-old Cho followed up with a shock round one elimination of Chinese seventh seed Liang Jingkun! A 4-1 victory over Simon Gauzy took Cho through to the quarter-finals where he was eventually stopped by World champion Ma Long.

Who is your pick for player of the month?

Miguel Rodriguez (left) tangles with Richie Fallows   Picture by HENRY PAYNE (MCO)

Brave Fallows foiled by resurgent Rodriguez
By MATT SCHOCH – Squash Mad Correspondent

Bloomfield Hills, Mich. – Three former champions moved on to the quarterfinals of the The Motor City Open presented by Sturbridge Capital on Thursday. But not the defending champion.

Third-seed Mohamed Abouelghar was upset by Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi 9-11, 13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7 score at the Birmingham Athletic Club. The Egyptian was one of three seeded players to go down in Round Two play.

Al Tamimi, who missed five months of action last season after compartment syndrome surgery in both his legs, said taking down World #9 Abouelghar was one of the biggest wins of his career.

“I have massive, massive respect for this guy,” Al Tamimi said. “He’s one of the nicest guys on tour and most skillful, so I always like to play those people. It’s always fair and he’s one of my favorite players on tour.”

Al Tamimi, who came into the tournament ranked #39, said he’s been training in Greenwich, Connecticut with coach Rodney Martin to get back in form and prepare for a Detroit run.

Al Tamimi came from behind in each of the three games he won – including taking six of the final seven points in the second game – and dropped to his knees after sealing the win.

“I think the hard work paid off,” Al Tamimi said. “And I kept pushing and pushing until the fifth.”

Upsets were also pulled off by Benjamin Aubert of France, who downed sixth-seeded Zahed Salem of Egypt, and Mohamed ElSherbini of Egypt, who took down fifth-seeded Gregoire Marche of France.

The event’s two other former champs – second-seeded Marwan ElShorbagy of Egypt and fourth-seeded Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia – advanced. Top seed Diego Elias of Peru, a finalist last year, was taken to the limit by Nathan Lake.

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Elias alternating games with the Englishman, who won the E.M. Noll Classic in Philadelphia on Sunday. Elias lost to Abouelghar in last year’s MCO finals and has competed in metro Detroit a handful of times.

“I’ve done well most of the time,” Elias said. “The people here are great, and I’m really happy to be here again. There are some good players in the tournament, so I have to stay at my best to try to win.”

El Shorbagy, the 2018 MCO winner, downed England’s 6ft 1in tall George Parker in four tense games to close the night.

“The first match of the tournament is always one of the toughest,” ElShorbagy said. “George is a great player, it wasn’t really easy playing him. He’s a big guy and you have to find a way to move around.”

Rodriguez, the 2015 champion, also had a big opponent in England’s 6-foot-2 Richie Fallows. He won the final three games after dropping the first. It’s the Colombian’s first event of the year after missing time with tendonitis in the knee.

“This is a test for me,” Rodriguez said. “I’m glad I was able to play without pain. It was a great performance, and I’m very happy to be back on tour.”

It was a battle of great showmen. Fallows hit one shot between his legs, delighting the crowd, while Rodriguez jumped over a ball on another point.

Mexico’s Cesar Salazar needed five games to take out France’s Sebastien Bonmalais. The dramatic, 72-minute match ended with Salazar winning the fifth game 12-10. Bonmalais threw his racquet then gave his conqueror a hug.

Hong Kong’s Leo Au, seeded seventh, topped India’s Vikram Malhotra in three.

Quarter-final play begins at 6pm Friday with Elias meeting Salazar, and Aubert tackling Al Tamimi in the early matches, with Rodriguez facing ElSherbini and Au meeting ElShorbagy later.

PSA Men’s $76,000 Motor City Open 2020 presented by Sturbridge Capital, Birmingham Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, USA.

Second Round:
[1] Diego Elias (PER) bt [9/16] Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6
[8] Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 12-10
Benjamin Aubert (FRA) bt [6] Zahed Salem (EGY) 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4
[9/16] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) bt [3] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 9-11, 13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7
[4] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt [9/16] Richie Fallows (ENG) 10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8
[9/16] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) bt [5] Gregoire Marche (FRA) 11-4, 11-8, 11-7
[7] Leo Au (HKG) bt [9/16] Vikram Malhotra (IND) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9
[2] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bt [9/16] George Parker (ENG) 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-5 

Quarter-Finals:
[1] Diego Elias (PER) v [8] Cesar Salazar (MEX)
[9/16] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) v Benjamin Aubert (FRA)
[4] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v [9/16] Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY)
[2] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) v [7] Leo Au (HKG)

MCO SCHEDULE
Quarter-Finals: Friday, 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Semi-Finals: Saturday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Finals: Sunday 5:30 p.m. 

Pictures courtesy of HENRY PAYNE (Motor City Open)

Posted on February 7, 2020

Macau Open is off as Asian squash is hit by coronavirus

Published in Squash
Friday, 07 February 2020 01:25

Eain Yow and Leo Au in action

‘Players are having their temperature taken – over 37 degrees and you are sent home’
By ALAN THATCHER and ALEX WAN

The outbreak of coronavirus in China has led to the postponement of the Macau Open and the Hong Kong Perrier Challenge. Sports events across Asia have been affected but the Asian Team Championships, scheduled for Kuala Lumpur from March 25-29, is still on the calendar. 

In Singapore, many clubs are taking the temperature of players as they enter the premises and refusing admission if it is above 37 degrees.

With the number of infected individuals expanding slowly across the planet, the PSA issued the following statement concerning the forthcoming events in Macau and Hong Kong:

“After careful consideration and extensive discussions with tournament organisers, the Professional Squash Association (PSA) can confirm that the Macau Open – a PSA World Tour Bronze event originally scheduled to take place at Tap Seac Square between March 18-22 – has been postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

“The PSA and tournament organisers are currently in discussion to find a suitable date for the event and a further announcement will be made in due course.

“The Perrier Squash Challenge Cup, PSA Challenger Tour event – scheduled to take place in March in Hong Kong – has also been postponed until later this year.”

Alex Wan, Squash Mad’s Asian Bureau Editor based in Singapore, has felt the effects both at work and in local squash clubs.

He wrote: “The coronavirus is affecting my squash! All of my Chinese staff are on leave of absence. Those who went back for Chinese New Year have been told to stay at home for 14 days upon their return. So the workload has been crazy for the rest of us.

“As far as clubs go, there is no official ban in place. However, in many sports clubs, your temperature is taken and if you are above 37 degrees, you are not allowed into the premises.

“I’m not sure about China itself, but I can imagine most top athletes will not be showing up for training.

“I sent Hong Kong international Leo Au a text to see what was happening back home, and asking if training was still on. He replied saying that ‘Training is still on as usual, but players can choose to stay home.’

“As for my personal take, the key message I think is the timing of Chinese New Year. As of today, there are 30,000 China nationals yet to return home from Chinese New Year holidays. They will ALL be put under quarantine or Leave of Absence (home quarantine) for 14 days.

“Singapore has also banned all inbound China travellers – regardless of nationality. There are approximately 250,000 travellers from mainland China to Singapore each month.”

Yesterday, a third case of coronavirus in the UK was confirmed on an individual who had returned home recently from Singapore.

Squash Mad correspondent Kng Zheng Guan, writing in The New Straits Times, filed the following report.

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is affecting the scheduling of Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour tournaments with two events put on hold.

The tournaments are the Perrier Challenge in Hong Kong on March 4-8 and the Macau Open on March 18-22.

The governing body have informed the players and the various national squash associations on the postponements of both events.

Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) director Mejar (Rtd) S. Maniam said: “I believe both the Hong Kong and Macau events will be postponed due to the outbreak.”.

“When I spoke to Hong Kong Squash, I was under the impression that the staff are now operating from home and have been taking full precautionary measures.

“As for Macau, I believe it is not just the Macau Open, but all international sporting events will also be called off for the time being.”

The Perrier Challenge, a PSA Challenger 10 event, is an ideal platform for up-and-coming players to gain ranking points.

The Macau Open, a PSA World Tour Bronze event, is one of the major events in Asia.

Malaysia’s men’s national No 1 Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen, along with Low Wee Wern, Rachel Arnold and Aifa Azman, have been registered for the Macau event.

Meanwhile, Maniam affirmed that the Asian Team Championships, scheduled in Bukit Jalil on March 25-29, will proceed as planned.

“We’ve already received the entries. I’m not speculating too much, but as of now, we’ll still be carrying on with the Asian Team event,” Maniam added.

There are eight confirmed coronavirus cases in Malaysia as of yesterday, while Hong Kong and Macau have 14 and seven cases respectively. 

NOTE: If any readers have been affected by the coronavirus, please comment below.

Posted on February 7, 2020

James Willstrop in action against Daryl Selby

‘Joel’s physically strong but I’m the opposite – I’ve  got to rely on my racket’
By DONNA HELMER – Squash Mad Correspondent

England’s James Willstrop is savouring the chance to defend his crown when the AJ Bell British National Championships return to Nottingham next week from 13-16th February.

The former world No.1, who will be appearing in his 22nd consecutive Nationals, will have to overcome some of the best in the business including hot favourite Joel Makin, the World No.11 who he’ i seeded to meet in the final.

Welshman Makin beat the World No.18 from Yorkshire 3-1 in New York last month at the Tournament of Champions which has provided Willstrop with plenty more motivation to retain his national crown.

“Defeats are good because you always examine yourself more closely,” said Willstrop, who, after claiming the title in 2007 and 2008, suffered a decade of hurt, losing six finals to Nick Matthew, before finally clinching his third title last year.

“When you have that doubt, you’re always motivated to right the wrong as they’re upsetting, annoying and distressing. With a win, everything’s in your favour, write-ups and so on, it’s all good.

“I don’t know how things are going to pan out of course but Joel’s very physically strong, those are his strongest qualities, whereas mine are possibly the opposite – I have to use my racket.

“I’m never going to beat him on a club court because he’d run me into the ground, but on a glass court I’ve got possibilities, no question. The form he’s in, he’s got to be the man we’re going to have to get past.”

Englishmen Adrian Waller (World No.20), Declan James (21) and Daryl Selby (25) will provide stern competition for Willstrop and the 25-year-old Makin.

Not to mention teen sensation Sam Todd and the up-and-coming George Parker and Patrick Rooney, who are showing the game to be in rude health.

Joel Makin in action at Canary Wharf last year.    Picture by ARTYOM LISS

“I’ve not got that much to lose now and these guys are going to beat me at some point,” said Willstrop, who hails from the same Pontefract club in Yorkshire as Todd.

“I want to encourage them but I’m trying as hard as I can to stick with them.”

With experience and age has come a new-found appreciation for the sport Willstrop adores. He added: “A love of the game has taken over and it’s a really good position to be in when you’re of an age where you appreciate it.

“At 25, you’re thinking about winning, ranking, breaking records, whatever. You get overrun by that stuff.

“I feel OK and that’s all I can go on. I know I’ve got to train a bit differently. I can’t train like a maniac any more, as I did in my early 20s.”

One potential carrot to keep him playing at the highest level until he’s nearly 40, however, is the prospect of a home 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“I haven’t really been thinking about it but a year ago I was thinking I’d like to get to the 2021 World Team Championships in New Zealand,” said the 2018 Games gold medallist.

“There has to be another tournament after the World Teams. It’s doubtful whether I’d be good enough in 2022 but I wouldn’t rule it out.”

First round action starts on Thursday February 13 at the University of Nottingham Sports Centre and Nottingham Squash Rackets Club.

Tickets start from as little as £10 and can be purchased at isquashstore.com. Save £5 when booking online.

Pictures by STEVE CUBBINS and ARTYOM LISS  

Posted on February 7, 2020

Alan Lawson finishing off an epic move in 1975. Scott Hastings doing the same in 1986. Duncan Hodge diving for glory in 2000. Huw Jones and Sam Johnson busting through for storied scores in 2018 and 2019.

It's no coincidence that so many of the most unforgettable tries that Scotland have scored in international rugby have come against England, but one sits above all others in the pantheon. On the eve of the Calcutta Cup and 30 years on from the 1990 Grand Slam, this is the story of the most famous Scottish try of them that brought, arguably, the greatest Scottish victory of them all - a 13-7 win at Murrayfield.

Taken from an updated edition of my book The Grudge, it's the tale of a remarkable day when a seemingly invincible England team walked out into an atmosphere the like of which they had never experienced before and were undone by a momentous performance and a Tony Stanger try that will live forever in the memory...

Scotland coach Jim Telfer: It was Bannockburn and Culloden rolled into one. The press hyped it up. You had Margaret Thatcher and the poll tax thrown in. There was no escaping it. Was it different to a normal Calcutta Cup? Oh, aye.

England captain Will Carling: If you'd told me a week before that I'd have Margaret Thatcher, the poll tax, Butcher Cumberland and Bannockburn thrown at me, I'd have told you that you were on drugs. Butcher Cumberland? I'm not sure I'd even heard of him. They said I was Thatcher's captain. The Scottish media stuck that label on me and everybody bought it. People just assumed things about me that were wrong. Most of my team-mates didn't really know what was going on in my head so I don't know how the Scots thought they did. Thatcher's blue-eyed boy. Bloody stupid.

England hooker Brian Moore: If you're faced with the barrage of abuse we got, what are you going to do? You're going to bridle, aren't you? That sort of atmosphere wasn't in Ireland or France and it wasn't even in Wales - and it was hardly pleasant down there. Because of all the things going on at the time in Scotland, the atmosphere was nasty. It was nasty and hard. Fair play, if I was a Scot in that climate I'd have been the same. Hatred is not the wrong word. Not on that day. It wouldn't have gone into physical violence, but it was total enmity.

England flanker Peter Winterbottom: There was a harshness about it that was new. It was a bit of a gauntlet. It bothered some, but not me. I was thinking, 'OK, that's fine, we'll soak this up and use it against you'.

England lock Wade Dooley: I was a bit like Winters. Soak up the abuse and let it inspire you. Look, it was bad, but I'd been through some hairy situations in the [police] force by then, so something like this wasn't going to bother me. A while before, while I was off duty, some ****** pulled a gun on me. A house was being burgled and I disturbed them, they jumped in a car and couldn't get it started and I was trying to open the door. The guy reached under his seat and pulled a shooter out and pushed it up against the window. I thought, 'OK, I'll back off now'. So when they told me to **** off back to England, I didn't bat an eyelid. I just said, 'We'll see how smart you are later on'.

Scotland winger Iwan Tukalo: It was my 11th time playing at Murrayfield and the noise was never like this before. Or after.

England centre Jeremy Guscott: I'd never played a Test match in Edinburgh before. I'd heard everybody saying what a wonderful place it was, but I didn't see that. As an Englishman you weren't welcome there. As far as I was concerned I was just a young guy playing the game I loved. But in Scotland I figured out that the Calcutta Cup was more than rugby. I didn't mind banter. I enjoyed it. But hate and jealousy, they're evils really.

'I tried to pick it up and dropped the thing'

England coach Geoff Cooke: We should have been in control of the game by half-time, instead of being 9-4 behind. But I was confident the points would come. Scotland had got lucky, that was my view. And they couldn't get lucky the whole game.

Scotland full-back Gavin Hastings: I kicked off the second half, gave it too much welly and the ball went out on the full. First time I'd done it since my debut four years earlier.

Cooke: So we had a scrum back on the halfway line and I'm rubbing my hands. Excellent. We've rehearsed this a hundred times. It goes right, Hodgy [full-back Simon Hodgkinson] comes up from full-back and kicks it down in the corner and we're back on the Scottish line.

Scotland hooker Kenny Milne: It was their put-in, but we got a wee movement in the scrum, about six inches. And six inches in a scrum is a lot.

England number eight Mike Teague: The ball came through the scrum at a hundred miles an hour. I tried to pick it up and dropped the thing.

England captain Will Carling: Iron Mike. The hardest rugby player around.

Cooke: Why Mike Teague went to pick it up, I don't know.

England flanker Mick Skinner: You could ask Teaguey, but I bet he wouldn't know himself.

Teague: I knew what I was doing. I didn't hear them complaining when I picked it up at the back of the scrum and made the surge for our try. I didn't hear them giving out when I tried it again a few minutes later and ran about a mile and a half downfield. I did it because it had worked the two times I'd tried it before.

'This will sound strange, but I don't really remember it'

Scotland flanker John Jeffrey: It was our scrum now. What happened with Teaguey made me all the more conscious that I had to get the pick-up spot-on. We called a set move: Fiji. We'd tried it in the first half and it went wrong.

Scotland scrum-half Gary Armstrong: That was my fault. Gavin gave me a **********.

Jeffrey: We needed fast ball and we got it. I was up and away, drew in the wing-forward, and gave it to Gary.

Armstrong: The first time we did it, I gave the pass to Gav too early. I wasn't making that mistake again. I held it and held it, waited for Rob Andrew and Mike Teague to get to me and then let it go.

Hastings: I was looking for a gap to run into, but there wasn't one. Rory Underwood was coming across to me. I'd no choice. I had to kick it. Just kick it infield a bit and hope that someone was around to chase it.

Jeffrey: The ball was in the air. It was Stanger versus [Rory] Underwood. Our fastest guy against their fastest guy.

Scotland winger Stanger: I was just glad to be there. The week before I was playing for Hawick against Stewart's Melville and Alex Brewster fell on me and my collarbone shot out. Until the Wednesday that week, it didn't look as if I was going to be able to play. The sorest movement was when I put my hands above my head. Creamy [Jim Telfer] put me through a tackling and rucking session with the forwards and it was unbelievably hard. I survived, but I was thinking, 'Am I being stupid here? Will I let everybody down? I reckoned I'd be fine as long as I didn't have to lift my arms directly above my head. And what were the chances of that?

Skinner: I'm running behind the two boys, knowing that the bounce is crucial. It bounces straight or a bit to the left, then Stanger scores. It bounces a bit to the right and Underwood saves us. The Jocks got the right bounce.

Stanger: This will sound strange, but I don't really remember it. I look at the video now and it's like somebody else scored that try. I can't quite believe that it's me. I don't remember seeing the ball in the air in front of me. I think instinct had taken over. Like driving a car. You go from A to C and sometimes you can't remember going through B, but you did. Chasing the kick, reaching up for the ball, I did it automatically, without even thinking. It was only later that I thought about my collarbone - and then suddenly I was in pain again.

'Tony didn't touch it down'

Teague: A bloke comes into my bar in Gloucester and says, 'You're Mike Teague, you ****** up at that scrum in Murrayfield'. This was in 2008!

Jeffrey: I'm not sure Tony got the ball down, you know.

Teague: What?

Telfer: I maintain it wasn't a try. He didn't touch it down.

Teague: Now you tell me.

Telfer: Every time I've seen it I think, 'Look at that, the most famous try in the history of Scottish rugby and he didn't get it down'.

Stanger: It was a definite try.

Telfer: It's always been dubious to me.

Moore: Bishop [referee David Bishop] gave it. End of story.

Head coach Gregor Townsend has given a guarded response to questions about Finn Russell's possible inclusion in Scotland's Six Nations campaign.

The fly-half was dropped for the defeat by Ireland because of a breach of team protocol and is not in the squad for Saturday's home match against England.

"I spoke to him on Sunday night to let him know we wouldn't be making changes to our squad," said Townsend.

Asked if the conversation was positive, he replied: "It was a conversation."

Townsend added: "Obviously it was telling somebody they weren't going to be in the squad this week and we'll look at things next week.

"I'll reassess things after we get through this weekend."

The head coach would not be drawn on what the 27-year old had to do to regain his place in the Scotland set-up.

"I'd rather not discuss that here," he said. "We've got a big game at the weekend and I want to be talking about the 23 that will be involved in that game."

But when asked if the playmaker could yet be involved in this year's Six Nations he said: "Yeah, of course, just as there's a chance Sam Skinner, Matt Fagerson, guys that have been injured are back available to us in the next couple of weeks."

Townsend described the match against England as his team's "most important fixture" each year.

He said: "It's a very important fixture for both teams on the back of a defeat.

"We play for a trophy, it's the oldest game in the history of Test rugby and we know what it means to our supporters if we win this game.

"We know England are a very physical team, their game is based on a few things but the number one is winning gain line in attack and defence.

"We know we have to be even more physical than we were last week to win.

"We have one game under our belt and we have one change to the side so we have had a lot of learning there that we want to put into another performance this weekend."

England flanker Sam Underhill says he was "naive" to the emotion and intensity of the Calcutta Cup on his first trip to Murrayfield two years ago, but has vowed to embrace the occasion this time around.

The 23-year-old earned his sixth cap in England's 2018 defeat by Scotland.

Now a regular in Eddie Jones' team, Underhill knows what to expect in Edinburgh on Saturday.

"It was probably my first insight into the emotion of the occasion," he said.

"Getting booed off the bus and seeing the reaction of the Scottish players when they won, and seeing the crowd and how much it meant to everyone.

"It's definitely something to acknowledge and it's definitely there, you can't really ignore it, especially when it's as loud as Murrayfield is."

England were defeated by a resurgent French side in Paris last weekend in their first game since losing to South Africa in the World Cup final November.

Scotland are bidding to keep the Calcutta Cup for a third year running, after coming back from 31-0 down to draw 38-38 at Twickenham last year.

Underhill missed the entirety of the 2019 Six Nations after undergoing ankle surgery, but after his 2018 experience he knows the hostility of Murrayfield must be "embraced" by England on Sunday.

"You want to be in that position and you want to be under the most pressure you can be, because that means you are playing at the level you can play," he added.

'We have got to support Tom Curry at eight'

Underhill impressed alongside Tom Curry in the back row at the World Cup, but the Sale flanker did not shine as he moved to number eight - replacing the injured Billy Vunipola - for the game in Paris.

Curry retains the number eight shirt for the Scotland clash, while Lewis Ludlam replaces Courtney Lawes at blind-side flanker.

And Underhill says that Curry has "worked tirelessly" at the change of position.

"Me and the other back row have got to support him in that role as much as possible," he explained.

"It's been impressive how well he has taken to it considering it's a big shift. He hasn't been daunted by it in the slightest. I hope it's something he has success in because he's a great guy to play with on the pitch. There's no better way to learn than by doing it at this level."

Saracens' Champions Cup quarter-final place is in doubt because prop Titi Lamositele may have been ineligible when he played in January's Champions Cup win against Racing 92.

The defending champions are subject to a misconduct complaint after tournament organisers were informed by the club that United States international Lamositele's work permit expired the day before the match.

Saracens beat Racing 92 to reach the quarter-finals less than 24 hours after being relegated from the Premiership.

An independent disciplinary committee will hold a hearing at 18:00 GMT on Friday.

French club Grenoble were deducted four points for fielding an ineligible player against London Welsh in the 2012-13 Challenge Cup.

Grenoble had won the fixture 20-9 but London Welsh were awarded a 28-0 victory after the hosts played Lotu Taukeiaho, who was not registered as a tournament squad member.

Though Saracens' infraction is different to Grenoble's, a similar change in result would move Sarries out of the eighth quarter-final qualification spot, making way for Glasgow Warriors to reach the knockout stages.

A European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) statement said that Lamositele may have been ineligible when he came on as a replacement in the 60th minute "due to an inadvertent administrative error on behalf of the club".

The 24-year-old was eligible when Saracens' matchday squad was announced, but his work permit had expired before the game on 19 January.

Three-time European champions Sarries had been relegated from the Premiership the day before the match following persistent salary cap breaches.

As things stand, Saracens will play their Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster in Ireland on 4 April.

Saracens' victory also denied French side Racing 92 a home quarter-final and the club said they were "astonished at not being contacted after being involved in a new breach by Saracens".

"This new possible violation is likely to markedly disrupt the positions from the 2020 Champions Cup qualification stages," read a statement from Racing 92, who travel to Clermont for their quarter-final after finishing as the fifth-best group winner.

"Racing 92 regrets not having been informed of this violation sooner and will take steps so that their rights and the competition's fair play are respected."

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