Guardian Unlimited Sport’s guide to the Tour – an interactive map and bluffer’s guide to the riders, teams and tactics.
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Sent them home tae think again
Clive Woodward’s England left the Southern Hemisphere having lost three tests. Not exactly revenge for the World Cup, but it was great seeing the ABs playing like men possessed for a change, and sets things up nicely for what should be a fascinating Tri-Nations this year.
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50 sporting things you must do before you die
The Observer Sport Monthly’s list of 50 sporting things you must do before you die. I’d love to play the Old Course at St Andrews’, or drive an F1 car, but will probably settle for spending a weekend at home watching sport on TV!
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link to part two
link to part three
Tyler Hamilton – Tour diary of the most pain-immune man in cycling
Tyler Hamilton, the man who rode all but the first two days of last year’s tour with a broken collarbone shares his thoughts. He has to be one of the favorites, if he can stay out of trouble, in the world’s most complex, fascinating and toughest sporting competition.
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England football – the ugly, the ugly and the ugly
Irish journalist Tom Humphries’ write up of Euro 2004. England were boring to watch, but showed fight at times, before going out on penalties. Relying on players like Beckham and Scholes to provide some flair, you know they are going to struggle. Classic foot in mouth stuff from Tony Adams at the end of the piece, too.
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Seve’s last rounds
Seve Ballesteros is one of the sports’s all time greats, but has become a tragic figure to those who remember his genius.
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Tiger Tim fails again
Poor old Tim. As much as I love to see him fail year after year, you have to feel for him, I think there are very few sportsmen or women in the world under as much pressure as he faces during Wimbledon. I’ve got a sneaking admiration as he’s a serve and volley player in the old style, which is entertaining to watch. Pity he has the personality of one of the bats in a game of Pong.
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The (non-hysterical) take on NZ Rugby
Eddie Butler is the UK rugby journalist that shares Stephen Jone’s obsession with NZ rugby – but without the agenda of winding us up. Fair assessment of the new AB coaching trio, and a lament for the lack of foward power in NZ Rugby – yeah, tell us about it!
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Cricket in the wham bam modern era
Tim de Lisle on the Lord’s test. The attacking, aggressive attitude brought to Test matches by Australia (Steve Waugh in particular) has had a trickle down effect, and is changing the way the game is played (by the countries that count). Richie Benaud opines that the best period of cricket he has seen has been in the last year, which I’d go along with, and which begs the question – do we even need one day internationals any more?