Portugal arrive with Nani in doubt for warm-up

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Portugal winger Nani is doubtful for their friendly against Mozambique due to a shoulder injury picked up in training in Lisbon, he said as the squad flew in to South Africa for the World Cup on Sunday.

The winger missed the squad’s final home training session in Portugal on Saturday after falling while attempting an acrobatic shot and causing a traumatism in his shoulder.

He is due to be re-examined before the warm-up match against Mozambique on Tuesday.

“I feel better already,” Nani told reporters during the flight from Lisbon to Johannesburg.

On playing in the friendly, he said: “I really don’t know, now we have to see. When we get there we’ll have to check again.”

The other main injury concern in the Portuguese squad is Pepe, who has been recovering from a knee injury he sustained in December.

He has not played since but was last week cleared by doctors from the national side and his club Real Madrid to travel to the finals.

The Brazil-born defender signalled he could already be an option for coach Carlos Queiroz against Mozambique.

“I’m in the group. I’m here to help and now the matter is in the coach’s hands,” Pepe said as he boarded the plane.

Portugal play their first tournament match on June 15 against the Ivory Coast in Group G, which also includes Brazil and North Korea.

(Editing by Jon Bramley; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Relieved Ghana coach reports no further casualties

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A relieved Milovan Rajevac reported a clean bill of health for his Ghana World Cup squad after concluding preparations in Britain at the weekend.

Ghana beat Latvia 1-0 in Milton Keynes on Saturday in the last of their pre-tournament warm-up games.

“For us the most important thing was that no player got injured,” the coach said. “So after (the) match, everything is OK,” he told the Ghana Football Association website.

The Africans suffered a major setback last week with the withdrawal through injury of Michael Essien who had failed to recover from a knee injury.

Another key midfielder, Sulley Muntari missed the match against Latvia because of a thigh strain but is expected to play in the opening Group D match against Serbia next week.

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Mikel, Robben are new injury curse victims

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The curse of the pre-World Cup injury struck again on Saturday when Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel was ruled out of the finals with a severely bruised ankle and Dutch winger Arjen Robben hurt his hamstring.

Mikel joined a casualty list which includes Chelsea team mates Michael Essien of Ghana, out with a knee injury, and Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba who is a major doubt for the finals in South Africa which start on Friday due to a fractured elbow.

The trio of injuries mean the first finals to be held in Africa could be missing three of the continent’s best-known players.

Mikel, 23, was hurt on his first day back in full training following a knee problem.

“He had been complaining about a niggle in the ankle when we first arrived in South Africa but after training yesterday it really flared up,” said Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) spokesman Idah Peterside.

“He is not sure how it happened. It wasn’t a tackle with another player or anything like that.”

Elsewhere, former Chelsea winger Robben’s World Cup hopes will depend on the outcome of a scan after he was injured during Netherlands’s 6-1 friendly thrashing of Hungary.

Robben, who hobbled off two minutes from time, has not travelled to South Africa with the rest of the Dutch squad.

“My first thought was this can’t be true, the end of the final warm-up match, everyone is fit and then this,” said coach Bert van Marwijk.

“We now have to wait. I can replace Robben until 24 hours before our opening match but as long as there is hope he recovers in time he will stay in the squad.”

The Dutch open their campaign on June 14 against Denmark.

Japan go into the tournament on the back of a four-match losing streak and their problems deepened when defender Yasuyuki Konno was ruled out of the opening game against Cameroon on June 14 because of an injury to his right knee.

“He’s probably looking at two weeks (out). He is walking normally now but it’s best not to risk him for the first game,” said coach Takeshi Okada.

RESERVE INCLUDED

Last-minute preparations did not go to plan for holders Italy who, after losing 2-1 to Mexico on Thursday, could only manage a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, or Australia, beaten 3-1 by the U.S.

A mainly second-string Italian side included Andrea Cossu for the first half even though the midfielder is not in the official World Cup squad. Andrea Pirlo and Mauro Camoranesi could pull out through injury though.

Udinese midfielder Gokhan Inler scored for Switzerland in the 10th minute but Italy hit back five minutes later when striker Fabio Quagliarella looped in a header off the far post.

“It was an encouraging performance, we are getting better,” said Italy coach Marcello Lippi. “In South Africa we will continue our programme to try to recapture our shine and speed.”

Angelo Palombo went off clutching his knee and is due to have checks while fellow midfielder Claudio Marchisio has a minor calf problem.

Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami was substituted with a suspected groin problem.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek was concerned his team gave the ball away too much during their defeat.

“The organisation was not good, the first goal was a present … I think we need to keep the ball better as a team,” said Verbeek.

Striker Edson Buddle opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a well-placed drive.

Tim Cahill levelled for Australia on 19 minutes against the run of play but Buddle headed his second just after the half-hour and substitute Herculez Gomez sealed victory in time added on.

The U.S. play England in their World Cup opener on June 12 and Australia play Germany a day later.

FIFA organisers have also chosen Uzbekistan’s Ravshan Irmatov to referee the opening World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg on Friday.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Italy reserve Cossu starts in Swiss draw

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Switzerland and Italy warmed up for the World Cup with a run-of-the-mill 1-1 friendly draw on Saturday when the holders played Andrea Cossu from the start despite the midfielder not being in their official squad.

The hosts were roared on by a noisy Geneva crowd and took the lead in the 10th minute when Udinese midfielder Gokhan Inler fired the ball in at the near post from 20 metres with goalkeeper Federico Marchetti exposed.

Italy hit back five minutes later as striker Fabio Quagliarella, who surprised pundits by being named in the World Cup squad, looped in a header off the far post.

Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami, substituted with a suspected groin problem, had arguably the best chance to win the game when his shot was deflected over while Giampaolo Pazzini almost scrambled Italy ahead in the second period.

“Behrami was playing very direct and looked threatening. I hope it’s not serious. We go to South Africa well-prepared,” Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld told a news conference.

Italy’s Marcello Lippi, whose strongest side lost 2-1 to Mexico on Thursday, played mostly a second string team and included Cossu for the first half given Andrea Pirlo and Mauro Camoranesi could be forced to miss the tournament through injury.

SHAKY DEFENCE

Cossu is set to fly with the squad to South Africa as a 24th man and can be drafted into the squad before June 13 if either of the World Cup-winning pair withdraw.

Pirlo will definitely miss Italy’s Group F opener against Paraguay in Cape Town on June 14 and and could struggle to make any group games but Camoranesi’s knee injury is improving.

Hitzfeld, whose team open their Group H campaign against Spain on June 16, started a strong side and they were a threat down the flanks with Italy’s shaky defence forced into some last-gasp tackles.

Cossu played wide right in a 4-2-3-1 formation but was overshadowed by midfielder Riccardo Montolivo, who showed some neat touches as he pushes to be Pirlo’s replacement.

“It was an encouraging performance, we are getting better,” Lippi said.

“In South Africa we will continue our programme to try to recapture our shine and speed. You will see, on the 14th we will be ready.”

The Azzurri still looked nothing like world champions in their final warm-up but their customary slow starter tag will console them somewhat, even if injuries are threatening to ruin their preparations.

Angelo Palombo went off clutching his knee and will undergo checks while fellow midfielder Claudio Marchisio also has a minor calf problem. However, first choice centre back Giorgio Chiellini played the full game after recovering from a niggle.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Hosts South Africa drop striker McCarthy

June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – South Africa’s all-time leading scorer Benni McCarthy was one of five players cut from the World Cup hosts’ squad on Tuesday as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira settled on his 23 players for the June 11-July tournament.

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The decision to ditch McCarthy was a major surprise but follows criticism concerning the forward’s fitness. Parreira also dropped defender Bryce Moon and goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez in two other surprise cuts.

Parreira sympathized with the players cut from the squad and thanked them for their commitment.

“My heart bleeds for them,” he told a news conference in Johannesburg.

“Put your heads up. Life goes on. We are only allowed to take 23 but thank you very much for your efforts, your attitude and commitment. A team is when somebody shares the same vision, whether you are playing or on the bench.”

McCarthy’s omission effectively brings down the curtain on a turbulent international career in which he won 79 caps and netted a record 31 goals.

McCarthy played at the 1998 and 2002 World Cup finals but had a stormy relationship with the national side, twice retiring from international football when it conflicted with his club career in Europe, making him a deeply divisive figure in South Africa.

A recent knee injury saw McCarthy play little for English club side West Ham this year and he was criticized when he joined up with the preliminary World Cup squad for being overweight and out of condition.

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Jankovic saves match point to send Serena packing

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic saved a match point before pulling off a thrilling 4-6 6-3 7-6 win over world number one Serena Williams to reach the final of the Italian Open on Friday.

Williams, playing her first tournament since winning January’s Australian Open after a knee injury, squandered a match point while leading 5-4.

The American also blew a mini-break advantage in the third-set tiebreaker.

The victory handed twice champion Jankovic her second win over a Williams sister in as many days after she dropped just one game against fourth seeded Venus on Thursday.

In the final she could face improving compatriot Ana Ivanovic, a fellow former world number one, or unseeded Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

“I fought very hard,” Jankovic told a news conference. “I just tried to stay out there as much as I could.

“Beating two Williams sisters in two days is amazing. I’m really proud of myself.”

The match got off to a scrappy start, with the players trading breaks twice amid a raft of double faults and unforced errors.

When things settled down, Williams unleashed three cracking winners to put Jankovic under pressure on serve in the eighth game.

The seventh seed held out on that occasion but Williams grabbed the break she needed in the last game of the set after her opponent mis-hit a shot in the decisive point.

The Serb came back strongly, giving the American no peace on her serve and breaking twice to claim the second set.

Jankovic played catch-up throughout the final set but she refused to lie down.

She broke twice to stay in the match before winning five consecutive points to come back from 5-2 down in the tiebreak and stay on course for her third Italian Open title.

“I wasn’t playing the points right,” Williams said. “I feel I could have won. I should have won. I was making errors on the key points.

“I feel I might show up tomorrow and play. I don’t feel I lost. I don’t think it’s set in.”

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Waite might be over for Jarrad

May 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Carlton coach Brett Ratten has foreshadowed a recall for tall utility Jarrad Waite ahead of the Blues’ Monday night clash with St Kilda.

Waite, defender Bret Thornton and midfielder Mitch Robinson all starred in the Blues reserves last weekend.

Waite was dropped three weeks ago as he struggled for touch after missing much of last year with a serious knee injury.

But he gathered 22 possessions in little more than a half of football for Carlton’s VFL affiliate Northern Bullants last weekend.

Ratten admitted Waite, who can play as a key defender or forward, was on the verge of a return to senior football.

“We’ve seen the evidence in training drills he wasn’t quite getting his hands on the ball, running under it, just out of position a bit,” Ratten said of Waite.

“But we’ve seen that correct itself at training. He’s worked extremely hard the last couple of weeks.

“Waite would be really close, Thornton would be really close, and there’d be a couple of others around the edges.”

Carlton are considering personnel changes after a 53-point defeat by Collingwood in their last hit-out.

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Masten grounded for six rounds

May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

West Coast midfielder Chris Masten will miss up to six weeks with a knee injury.

He sustained the injury during Sunday’s Western Derby loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.

Scans have revealed Masten damaged his right lateral ligament.

Masten told the club’s website he is pleased that he will not have to go under the knife.

“My knee is swollen and aching a bit at the moment,” he said.

“It’s in a brace, but the docs reckon I could be running in 3-4 weeks and be ready to play again in 5-6 weeks, so it could have been worse.

“I won’t enjoy being laid up, I’m not a great patient, but I will be doing everything I can to get back as quickly as possible.”

He said as soon as he sustained the injury, he knew he would be out for awhile.

“As soon as my leg was caught under Adam McPhee in the derby I knew something was wrong,” he said.

“It felt very similar to the posterior cruciate ligament injury I suffered late last season so I knew it was going to mean a spell on the sidelines.

“When I hobbled off the ground to the bench I was shattered, but I didn’t want to show the boys how I was feeling. I had to stay positive and encourage them because they were a man down with more than a half to play.

“The worst thing was that I was playing my best game of the season and wanted so badly to be able to keep going and play my part in winning our first derby for a while. Unfortunately that wasn’t to be.”

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Stunned Jennings winging it for City

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Stunned Penrith star Michael Jennings is still trying to work out how he went from a favourite to replace Israel Folau as Test centre to City Origin winger.

The attacking genius has fallen behind Manly’s Jamie Lyon, who was named in the Kangaroos side for Friday’s Test against New Zealand, as well as the Wests Tigers’ Chris Lawrence and South Sydney’s Beau Champion in being named out of position for City.

The 22-year-old had been touted, with Lyon and North Queensland’s Willie Tonga, as a likely replacement for Folau, who was overlooked after failing to commit to the NRL from 2011.

Jennings, who played one Test for Australia on last year’s Four Nations tour, looked genuinely at a loss about the selection on Monday.

“I was shocked,” he told reporters.

“I haven’t played on the wing since I was 19.

“It’s something different, it’s not the preferred position but I’m just grateful to get the opportunity to play for City.”

Jennings has been carrying a knee injury and delayed surgery in the hope of making the Test side.

“I was disappointed but I wasn’t thinking too much ahead of myself,” he said.

“I didn’t think I would get the call-up so I wasn’t too fussed but I’ve just got to work harder and hopefully I can get an opportunity later on.”

He said he was yet to be told how he had slipped so far down the pecking order of centres, but had not thought about how it would affect his NSW chances after playing two State of Origin games last year.

“I guess I haven’t been doing my job in playing in the centres,” he said.

“Chrissy Lawrence and Beau Champion are playing really good so they get that opportunity and I’ve got to do my job this weekend and I’m not really worried about Origin at the moment.

“My form’s not at the best I would want it to be, it’s been up and down, but I have to step it up a bit.”

Jennings is now likely to miss the Panthers’ next two matches, against Cronulla and Canterbury, to undergo a minor procedure to repair the torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, but he was adamant the injury had not affected his form.

“It doesn’t really faze me, I just go into each week the same as usual as I do without the knee injury so it’s not affecting it at all,” he said.

City coach John Cartwright said the side had been picked on form.

“Lawrence and Beau Champion have been in great form for their club sides, Michael’s too good not to be in the side,” Cartwright said.

“He’s an outside back, he can play on the wing so we’re fortunate to have the three of them on the field.”

One man glad Jennings will not be his opposite number in Port Macquarie on Friday is Country centre Timana Tahu.

“For the Country team it’s a good thing that he’s on the wing because he’s not going to be as dangerous as what he would be if he was in the centres,” Tahu said.

Meanwhile, City captain Robbie Farah was playing down his second match-up in three weeks against fellow Origin hopeful Michael Ennis.

“I’ll just prepare like I have been,” Farah said.

“I’m not really too concerned about who I’m up against.”

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Player of the Year Rooney allays World Cup fears

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 26 (ANI): Allaying fears over his fitness for the World Cup, ace striker Wayne Rooney Cup has declared that he will return for Manchester United’s potentially decisive final Premier League game of the season against Stoke City on May 9.

After picking the PFA Player of the Year Award, Rooney said: “I’m fine. I’ll be all right for the World Cup. In fact, I’ll be ready for the Stoke game.”

United feared Rooney, suffering from groin and ankle problems, would miss the title run-in.

Rooney paid tribute to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as he picked up his trophy, with the Young Player of the Year award going to James Milner.

“Sir Alex is a great manager who has really brought me on as a player since I joined United. His hunger passes through to the players. It’s great to see he’s pushing 70 and hasn’t changed a bit. I’m sure he’ll be here for a long time yet,” he said.

Rooney has undergone a gruelling 55-game season and his old knee injury has also flared up again, The Sun reports.

United No.2 Mike Phelan admitted that the latest injury setbacks have been brought on through sheer exhaustion for Rooney.

“He has a groin problem and that is possibly due to fatigue. He’s had a fantastic season and these things creep up on you now and again. Wayne has just suffered in the past two to three weeks,” Phelan said. (ANI)

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U.S. bid to end Russian tennis drought without Williams factor

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The absence of the Williams sisters, two of the world’s top players, has left the U.S. team facing a daunting task to beat Russia for the first time in over 10 years in this weekend’s Fed Cup semi-final.

That means 18-year-old Melanie Oudin, ranked number 31 in the world, will be the top singles player on an American squad that has not beaten Russia since 1999.

The Americans had left a spot vacant for either of the Williams sisters, hoping one of them would be healthy enough to compete in Birmingham, Alabama.

But Venus, the world number four, said a knee injury would keep her out of the semi-final along with her top-ranked sister.

The U.S. team also includes Bethanie Mattek-Sands and the world’s top ranked doubles player Liezel Huber with official lineups for the weekend to be announced at the official draw ceremony on Thursday.

The Russians, winners of four Fed Cup titles between 2004 and 2008, lost world number three Dinara Safina, fifth-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova and 14th-ranked Maria Sharapova to various injuries this year.

World number six Elena Dementieva will lead a Russian team that also includes world number 30 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 62nd-ranked Ekaterina Makarova and Alla Kudryavtseva (77).

The Americans hold a 4-3 edge of Russia in Fed Cup history but Russia has won the last three meetings.

Fed Cup holders Italy play the Czech Republic in the other semi-final in Rome.

(Writing by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by x; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Rogers’ injury paves way for Toopi

April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gold Coast Titans centre Mat Rogers will be sidelined for up to three months with a knee injury.

Scans have confirmed Rogers tore the medial ligament in his left knee in Friday night’s match against the Dragons.

Former New Zealand Test centre Clinton Toopi will make his Titans’ debut on Monday night.

Toopi, who played 129 games for the Warriors, has not been sighted in the NRL since heading overseas to play for Leeds at the end of 2006.

Knee and shoulder injuries forced him back home early and he was playing rugby union for the Bay of Plenty before scoring a one-year deal with the Titans during the pre-season.

“It means so much – there’s been a lot of doubt over my time since last year and since I got here it’s been a tough road with injury after injury but I’m over that hump and now I’m lining up against Manly,” said the 29 year-old Kiwi.

Titans coach John Cartwright said while the news was disappointing for Rogers it was always a nice feeling to deliver good news to a player who had worked so hard.

“To see all the hard work he’s put in and so much time since his last NRL game, he’ll go out there and give his best and that’s all you can ask for,” said Cartwright, who also named speedster Jordan Atkins in his squad to play Manly.

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Dockers wary of struggling Tigers

April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Fremantle midfielder David Mundy is adamant the Dockers will not take struggling Richmond lightly in Sunday’s twilight AFL fixture at Subiaco Oval.

The Tigers are without a win after four rounds and sit last on the table with a miserable percentage of 50.8.

In contrast, the Dockers are flying high in fifth spot on the ladder despite their tight loss to St Kilda on Sunday.

Mundy said his team would continue playing the “Fremantle brand” of football and Richmond would be given the same respect as the Saints were afforded.

“I don’t think much will change,” Mundy said. “We have our key focus areas that we try and do well in games.

“They will stay the same and it’s about getting a consistent message to our players to play the way we want to play and it doesn’t matter who we play.

“They’ve had a big turnover (in their list), a bit like us from last year and the year before.

“They’ll be young and a desperate side and I’m sure they’ll want to get a win under their belt. It’s up to us … to not let them get a win.”

The Tigers are set to welcome back Ben Cousins, Dean Polo and Luke McGuane from club-imposed suspensions but skipper Chris Newman is still in some doubt after missing last week’s loss to Melbourne with a hamstring complaint.

Mundy said the Dockers were satisfied with their feats over the past four rounds, when they defeated Adelaide, Essendon and Geelong before losing to the Saints.

“We came out of a pretty tough start to the year up so hopefully we can keep that momentum up,” he said.

“It was definitely a focus to get a good start to the season. To get three wins out of those four games was encouraging.”

Midfielder Rhys Palmer will come under strong consideration for selection almost a year after suffering a serious knee injury that required a full reconstruction.

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Simpson, MacDougall join rep retirees

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Newcastle’s Steve Simpson and Adam MacDougall are the latest NRL veterans to officially pull the plug on their representative careers.

Simpson and MacDougall have had their requests to the Australian Rugby League for exemptions from rep footy approved, joining St George Illawarra captain Ben Hornby.

But a showdown is looming with Gold Coast prop Luke Bailey, who has declared himself unavailable for representative sides this year.

Bailey has not provided the necessary documentation to the ARL and chief executive Geoff Carr said he was therefore in the frame for the Country and NSW State of Origin sides.

“We’ve had no communication in writing from Luke Bailey,” Carr said on Friday.

“Because Luke hasn’t applied, he doesn’t comply (with the ARL rules).”

Simpson’s rep career was unofficially ended when he was ruled out of the Country side last year because he is unable to train for a full week with a chronic knee injury.

The 30-year-old played seven Tests for Australia and 13 Origins for the Blues.

“I need a bit more time to recover these days and with the rep footy you’ve got to get on the park pretty much every day and get out to training,” he said.

“It’s something I’ve pulled the pin on just to try and look after my body and play as many games for the Knights as I can.”

MacDougall, who is currently on the sidelines with a thumb injury, played 11 Tests and 11 Origins but last played rep footy for Country in 2006.

Simpson will line up at lock in Saturday night’s clash with North Queensland at EnergyAustralia Stadium, a must-win game for the Knights who have lost four straight since their season-opening victory over Canterbury.

They will not get a better chance to knock off the Cowboys, who lost Test half-back Johnathan Thurston (shoulder), crafty hooker Aaron Payne (ankle) and NSW forward Luke O’Donnell (suspension) out of last week’s loss to the Wests Tigers.

The Knights welcome back captain Kurt Gidley for his first NRL game of 2010, named at full-back but a possibility of moving to the halves if half-back Scott Dureau (hip) is ruled out after again missing training on Friday.

“He’s a quality player, Kurt, so I think he’ll hit the ground running actually, he’s been looking fairly good at training,” Simpson said.

Willie Mason will make his first appearance in Newcastle since rejecting the club for the Cowboys and Simpson expects the visitors to take the Knights on in the forwards.

“You get back to basic principles of winning a game and what you’ve got to do first and foremost is go forward so I’m sure they’ll be concentrating on that,” he said.

“The side they’ve picked, I expect them to try and come through our middle … which suits us fine.”

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Injuries force Brumbies backline changes

April 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Matt Giteau will be shifted back to fly half after an injury-stricken Brumbies were forced to reshuffle their backline for this Friday’s Super 14 clash with the Hurricanes.

The Wallabies playmaker is looking forward to a return to his favoured position after a poor start to the season saw him shifted to inside centre.

Giteau conceded his form early this season was below par, and that he has had a greater impact since moving to number 12.

But he is also adamant he is on an upward trajectory and is keen for a return closer to the ruck.

“I had a little bit more room (playing at inside centre), so I was able to attack a bit more,” he said.

“But I’ve had a bit more time now.

“I didn’t get a real lot of preseason, I’m not trying to make excuses, but I felt at the start of the year it took me a while to get into it.”

Giteau will be joined in a reshaped midfield by Wallabies full-back Adam Ashley-Cooper, who will play at outside centre.

The sixth-placed Brumbies have had a horror run with injuries this season and now face a finals tightrope walk without some of their top-line players.

It had been hoped Stirling Mortlock would make a return in Canberra this Friday but the veteran Wallabies outside centre will remain sidelined with a back injury, while half-back Josh Valentine is in doubt with a hamstring strain.

Matt Toomua, who has filled in at number 10 since Christian Lealiifano was ruled out for the season several weeks ago with a knee injury, is the latest casualty and is expected to be out for up to a month.

Winger Francis Fainifo is also out with a broken leg.

The Brumbies are also feeling the pain in the forwards with a corked hip ruling lock Mitch Chapman out of clash with the Hurricanes, while it is unclear as to whether flanker George Smith has played his last Super rugby match as he continues to battle a shoulder injury.

The changes to the backline will see Tyrone Smith play off Giteau’s shoulder at inside centre, while Alfie Mafi will start on the wing following Ashley-Cooper’s move to number 13.

Julian Huxley will again start at full-back in his second run-on appearance since recovering from a brain tumour.

Giteau said the long injury list would test the side’s depth, but was confident they could match it with the ninth placed Hurricanes who boast a number of All Blacks.

The Brumbies are coming off a 61-15 win over the Cheetahs which saw them notch up their first four-try bonus point last week.

However, he is also mindful that a loss this week could end the side’s chances of being around at the business end of the season.

“This week’s a huge test for us to keep that momentum going but also just to stay in the hunt,” Giteau said.

“There’s a big logjam at the top of the table and a win this week, especially with the injuries we’ve got, would be a huge boost for the side.”

Brumbies: Julian Huxley, Pat McCabe, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tyrone Smith, Matt Giteau, Josh Valentine/Patrick Phibbs, Stephen Hoiles (c), Michael Hooper, Rocky Elsom, Mark Chisholm, Ben Hand, Salesi Ma’afu, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander. Reserves: Huia Edmonds, Guy Shepherdson, Justin Harrison, Colby Faingaa, Patrick Phibbs/James Stannard, Brackin Kaurauria-Henry, Andrew Smith/Ed Stubbs.

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Palu’s season in doubt

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Wycliff Palu’s Super rugby season may be over after the Wallabies back rower sustained a serious knee injury during the New South Wales Waratahs’ loss to the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch.

Palu, who had only just re-signed with the Australian Rugby Union and the Waratahs through until 2012, was assisted off the field in obvious pain after falling awkwardly in a tackle in the second half of the 20-13 loss to the Crusaders.

Scans were likely to confirm an initial diagnosis by the Waratahs’ team doctor that the 27-year-old had torn an anterior cruciate ligament and possibly a medial ligament, Waratahs coach Chris Hickey said.

“If the diagnosis is accurate then he will probably have to go straight in for a knee recon,” Hickey said.

“That’s five or six months’ rehab… so that will finish his season. It is a big loss for us.”

If confirmed, the injury would also count as a major blow for Australia coach Robbie Deans’ Tri-Nations preparations ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand next year.

Palu’s rehabilitation would almost certainly put paid to his entire Wallabies season and leave the bullocking back rower facing an uphill battle to prove his fitness for New Zealand.

The Waratahs, whose loss to Canterbury left them third on the table after starting the round on top, also face injury concerns to hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau and prop Benn Robinson.

Polota-Nau was replaced late in the game with a suspected dislocated shoulder, while Robinson sustained an arm injury that left him without feeling in his hand.

Both will have scans upon returning to Sydney.

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Ottens out with knee injury

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Knee soreness will deny Geelong another key player in round three, as ruckman Brad Ottens will miss Sunday’s clash against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.

The Cats, already without their bookends Cameron Mooney and Matthew Scarlett through suspension, ruled Ottens out on Friday because of swelling in his right knee.

“He just had a sore knee from last week’s game,” Geelong football operations manager Neil Balme said.

“We thought he’d be OK, but he hasn’t come up, and we think he’ll just miss the one.”

Ottens was an influential figure in last Monday’s comeback win over Hawthorn, as he starred in the ruck in the second half and took a couple of decisive marks in attack, which turned the game the Cats’ way.

His sore knee is the same one that troubled him last year and kept him out of most of the home-and-away season, although he recovered in time to play in the win over St Kilda in the grand final.

Ottens’ absence means Geelong will play their fourth debutant of the season in Dawson Simpson, who will come up against Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands, one of the best rucks in the competition.

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Brumbies re-sign talented playmakers

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Brumbies have re-signed rising stars Matt Toomua and Christian Lealiifano on two-year deals in a boost to the Canberra-based Super 14 franchise.

Wallabies tourist Toomua, 20, and Lealiifano, 22, have proven themselves to be among the best young inside backs in Australia and were targeted by Super 15 expansion team Melbourne Rebels.

Toomua will start at five-eighth, inside Matt Giteau, in Saturday night’s round-nine clash with the Cheetahs, his 18th Super 14 appearance since making his debut in 2008.

Lealiifano started the season at inside centre but a knee injury has ruled him out of the rest of the 2010 competition.

“It’s a great result to have two of the country’s leading young talent returning to the side for the next two years,” Brumbies coach Andy Friend said on Friday.

“There’s no question they’ve both benefited from playing and training alongside someone like Matt Giteau, and in time Christian and Matt will form a very dangerous 10/12 combination for the Brumbies.”

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Molecule that keeps skeletal stem cells ‘young’ could treat osteoporosis, fracture

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): Scientists have found how to control a key molecular player to keep stem cells in a sort of extended infancy, which could pave the way for new methods to fight maladies ranging from arthritis and osteoporosis to broken bones.

For a long time, researchers wanted to control and delay development of the cells, known as mesenchymal (pronounced meh-ZINK-a-mill) stem cells.

It’s a necessary step for doctors who would like to expand the number of true skeletal stem cells available for a procedure before the cells start becoming specific types of cells that may – or may not – be needed in a patient with, say, weak bones from osteoporosis, or an old knee injury.

“A big problem has been that these stem cells like to differentiate rapidly – oftentimes too rapidly to make them very useful. It’s been very hard to get a useful number of stem cells that can still become any one of several types of tissue a patient might need. Having a large population of true skeletal stem cells available is a key consideration for new therapies, and that’s been a real roadblock thus far,” said Dr. Matthew J. Hilton, the leader of the team at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The researchers discussed how it was able to increase the number and delay the development of stem cells that create bones, cartilage, muscle and fat.

They showed in mice that a molecule called Notch, which is well known for the influence it wields on stem cells that form the blood and the nervous system, is a key factor in the development of mesenchymal stem cells, which make up a tiny fraction of the cells in the bone marrow and other tissues.

The team showed that Notch prevents stem cells from maturing.

When scientists activated the Notch pathway, the stem cells didn’t progress as usual, but they remained indefinitely in an immature state and did not go on to become bone cells, cartilage cells, or cells for connective tissue.

The team also settled a long-standing question, fingering the molecule RBPJ-kappa as the molecule through which Notch works in mesenchymal stem cells.

The knowledge could make scientists understand precisely how Notch works in bone and cartilage development.

Earlier it was shown that Notch is a critical regulator of the development of bone and cartilage.

The latest study extends those observations, providing important details that suggest appropriate activation and manipulation of the Notch pathway may provide doctors with a tool to maintain and expand mesenchymal stem cells for use in treating disease.

“This research helps set the foundation for ultimately trying new therapies in patients. For instance, let’s say a patient has a fracture that simply won’t heal. The patient comes in and has a sample of bone marrow drawn. Their skeletal stem cells are isolated and expanded in the laboratory via controlled Notch activation, then put back into the patient to create new bone in numbers great enough to heal the fracture. That’s the hope,” said Hilton.

The study has been published online in the journal Development. (ANI)

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Fabregas likely to miss Champions League quarterfinal against Barca

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 31(ANI): Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas is likely to miss tonight’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Barcelona, as manager Arsene Wenger would avoid gambling on his fitness.

Fabregas had sustained a knee injury during Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Birmingham.

Wenger insists that unless the 22-year-old is fully fit, he would not take any risks.

“We will give ourselves 24 hours more and we will assess the situation, but if the match were today, Cesc would not be able to play. Sometimes you do not want to take a gamble because 24 hours more can help,” The Daily Express quoted Wenger, as saying.

“If he is full capacity tomorrow, we will play him. I would say 60 per cent against, 40 per cent for him playing. However, if he is not capable to play, I would not even put him on the bench. We have 19 players in the squad, that means I have considered the possibility of ruling him out completely,” he added.

Wenger however revealed that Fabregas does not want to miss out such a big game.

“Cesc is desperate to play in every single game and who wouldn’t want to play in a game like tomorrow? He always wants to play every day and I believe it is the mark of a great player that they want to do that and are happy when they do,” Wenger said.

“He wanted to run off the injury on Saturday. I will know tomorrow whether I made a mistake or not in keeping him on the pitch,” he added.

Fabregas is Arsenal’s leading scorer this season with 18 goals in 35 games. (ANI)

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