Cavendish becomes World Champion

Cav crosses the line as the 2011 World Champion.

Mark Cavendish capped a phenomenal year by becoming the first British man for 46 years to win the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Not since Tom Simpson in 1965 has a Brit stood on the top step of the world road race podium, but once he got in front, he ably held off Austrailian HTC teammate Matt Goss, and former teammate Andre Greipel from Germany.

Since the course was announced the British team had targeted the win, with Cav’ as the man to deliver. An extraordinary amount of pressure to put on a man who whilst undoubtedly the fastest finisher in the world, was without the usual HTC Highroad team lead-out train that had served him so well in his career so far.

Throughout the season Cavendish’s British teammates were out collecting the required amount of points in order to send the strongest team possible. Despite the early breakaway, Team GB dominated, dictated and delivered the Manx Missile to the finish and once in position, there was little doubt what the outcome would be.

The Green Jersey winner from the Tour de France

Despite the fact that in the cycling world, on the continent especially, Cavendish is a superstar, the Jonny Wilkinson or David Beckham of cycling, he was quick as always to praise his team. Bradley Wiggins in particular, fresh from his third in the Vuelta a Espana and a sensational silver in the individual time trial earlier in the week, was a man possessed in bringing the breakaway back to the main peloton, before ceding to his now fresher teammates, Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas in particular to set up the rider from the Isle of Man.

Still only 26 years old the world really is at his feet now. His twenty stage wins at the Tour de France place him sixth on the all time list, just behind seven time winner Lance Armstrong. Yet to confirm which team he will race for, after the failure of HTC to find a sponsor left him free to join a new outfit, Team Sky have looked the favourites to sign the current Green Sprint Jersey holder from this years tour, and one of the few to be able to offer him the salary he deserves.

The Rainbow Jersey belongs to a Brit for the first time in 46 years.

Barring an England rugby World Cup win, Cav surely is a nailed on cert for Sports Personality of the Year, and a never a more deserving candidate indeed. He will now be able to wear the much coveted 'Rainbow Jersey' worn with distinction by Thor Hushovd this year.

The one remaining target now is the London Olympic gold medal. After his huge disappointment of 2008 where he was the only track cyclist to return without a medal after he and Wiggins could only finish ninth few would bet against another medal adorning the walls of the Cavendish household.

Off and Stumbling

The All Blacks signal their intent with the trademark 'Haka'

The Rugby World Cup kicked off with all the style, razzmatazz and passion that you can expect from the rugby obsessed nation of New Zealand. The All Blacks took on Tonga in the opening match, expecting to win and win well. That they did, but not before they exchanged the stunning spectacle that is the Haka. The debate as to whether or not this has a place in elite sport should have been put to bed long before now, as it is a remarkable spectacle and sets the tone for what is after all, a war of attrition, a physical conflict between the countries best.

The hosts 41-10 victory came from a first half in which their tactical superiority and skill set, won over the Tongans heart and desire. A 29-3 half time score, led to New Zealand taking the foot off the pedal in the second half having secured the try bonus point. The All Blacks have never lost a pool match in the history of the finals, and France aside they should add to this record. Whether or not the favourites can lose the tag of ‘chokers’ we will find out soon enough.

Simon Danielle spares Scottish blushes.

The northern hemisphere sides France, Scotland and England all started with wins. All bar the latter with a try bonus point, but it was far from easy. Scotland were indebted to two late tries from Simon Danielle to squeeze past rugby minnows Romania 34-24. Romania who led 24-21 with twelve minutes remaining showed that no match in this pool will be easy. Scotland will have to raise their game considerably to qualify for the quarter finals.



Julian Pierre opens France's account.



France took on Japan, who have only ever won one match at the finals, back in 1987, looked as though they would have no trouble dispatching the side who have been hit with ‘cricket scores’ in the past. 20-3 up and in complete control France were pegged back to 25-21. With Japan in the ascendency and looking hungry for more, it appeared that the enigmatic French were on the verge of one if not the greatest World Cup upset. Dramatic it was, but romantic it was not, as the French found another gear to score three tries in the last ten minutes to take the win.

Ben Youngs provided the inspiration for a below par England

England took a huge step to the quarter finals after an attritional win over a solid rumbustious Argentinean side. Played under the roof of the Otago stadium, the only fully enclosed arena in world rugby, the ‘perfect conditions’ were made a mockery of by the fact that between them, eleven penalty kicks were missed! The fact that many of these were from distance, such was the tightness of this match, we should not overlook the fact that against a more clinical side, a lack of discipline at the breakdown will be punished more severely. As it was England were down and out, 9-3 behind lacking in ideas with just over ten minutes to go before sub Ben Youngs changed the match with a trademark dash to score under the posts.

Argentina finished third in 2007, and whilst they have lost key players, they are still a force, winning ‘ugly’ after all is still winning. Having spent just over four minutes in the opposition ‘22’ compared to Argentina who almost doubled that shows just how tight the match was. Finishing top of the group should mean that a quarter final against the French and not the host nation beckons. But on this performance England will need to raise their game, curb the penalties and increase the energy from what was a largely flat performance. Scotland, Georgia and Romania will not lie down and Martin Johnson needs to find a way to utilise his speedsters when it matters.

Never leave home without your Jonny...

With the Rugby World Cup just a matter of days away, one player, who was seemingly on the outside of the England team, now looks set to take centre stage once again.

Wilkinson is so much more to England than kicking alone

Despite all his injuries, loss of form and the fact that his is now the wrong side of thirty, England’s Jonny Wilkinson now looks set to usurp his old protégé, Toby Flood, the pretender to the throne that is England’s number ten. Whatever route Martin Johnson takes on Saturday, Wilkinson will be forever mentioned in the same sporting breath as Sir Geoff Hurst. Hurst famous for his World Cup winning hat-trick in football, synonymous with drama, even able to inspire the theme tune of a popular sporting quiz (with the commentary of Kenneth Wolstenholme). Wilkinson, despite a couple of wobbles during the 2003 tournament, held his nerve to slot not only his penalties, but the winning drop goal (remarkably with his weaker foot!) in their epic extra time final win against the hosts Australia.

The trademark Wilkinson stance.

Wilkinson at the absolute pinnacle of his sport, despite his age, (then only in his early twenties) paid the price for his tough tackling, all or nothing style. He missed the next thirty of England’s test matches before the World Cup of 2007, where he returned (after yet another injury) to steer a battered England, (having been thrashed in their first game without Wilkinson), to the final against South Africa. But for a bit of luck England could have gone on to win that tournament, but the fact that they made the final at all was almost astonishing and owed a lot to the experience and game play of their talisman.

Toby Flood can consider himself unfortunate. He did no wrong in the Six Nations, at least until the final match in Dublin. If this game was a one off for Flood, then his form has since plummeted and the Wales matches have forced manager Johnson into a rethink. Recalling Wilkinson for the final pre-finals match against the Irish, proved that the three time finalist Wilkinson still has what it takes to compete at the very highest level.

Wilkinson should extend his incredible record at the finals. Picked in 1999 he was dropped for the Quarter final defeat against the Springboks, but was first choice ever since (if fit). Not only will this be Wilkinson’s fourth World Cup, only eleven other players share this record, but he is the highest points scorer in the history of the tournament, has kicked the most penalties, and also has the highest amount of drop goals to his name.

With injury behind him can Jonny inspire England once again

Team mate and speedster Chris Ashton has waxed lyrical about his teammate this week. Wilkinson despite being surrounded by younger quicker teammates has been topping the shuttle run charts, proving that whilst he has the temperament and talent, he still has the athleticism to run the England side. The fact that he was the all time leading scorer in test history earlier this year, (before Dan Carter retook this title), having lost at least four years of his career, is also astonishing.

Pivotal in 2003, Johnson and Wilkinson have equally important roles in 2011

England have a tough task in New Zealand. If they are to win the group, they will need to start off with a convincing performance. Group B contains the aggressive Argentineans, the Scots, a banana skin in Georgia and also Romania. Sterner tests await. Winning the group should give them a quarter final against the French, the in-form Aussies in the semi should they overcome that, before the final. With ‘our Jonny’ playing and playing well, then anything is possible.

The Fall and Rise of Bradley Wiggins

The finger of Sky's Chris Froome points to the new race favourite.

A little under two months have passed since Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky’s hopes of general classification glory in the Tour de France were ended, after an innocuous accident resulting in a broken collarbone and subsequent retirement from the race. Team director Dave Brailsford had stated that Wiggins was in fantastic form, his ‘numbers’ were superb and was coming off the back of an amazing win in the Criterium Dauphine de Libere, pushing Cadel Evans into second place. (Evans was to be the eventual winner of the 2011 Tour de France).

Many riders who fall by the wayside will always say ‘what if this’ and ‘what if that’ but there was a general feeling that Wiggins could at least challenge for a podium spot, if not for an actual win in cycling’s premier road race.

Sky regrouped after this low point, and managed another stage win through Edvald Boassen Hagen but the time lost whilst waiting for Wiggins after the crash meant that any hopes of a decent G.C. placing for the rest of the team were gone.

Sky decided subsequent to this that Wiggins’ form could not be left to waste, and entered him into the Vuelta a Espana, the Spanish version of the Tour, and the third great stage race of the season, (the Giro de Italia is raced first).

A shocking start to the Vuelta in the team time trial set back all of the teams hopes. In a stage where Sky were expected to do well, if not win, then at least put some serious time into their chief rivals who are more specialised mountain climbers. (Mountain specialists are seen to do better at the Vuelta than the Giro and the Tour). An untimely crash in stage one left Wiggins with a time deficit on most if not all of the riders expected to challenge. Wiggins and his team rode on and whilst languishing off the pace did look strong.

Coming into stage ten’s individual time trial, Wiggins was expected to reduce his deficit, (of around one minute) and put time into his rivals to pull on the race leaders Red Jersey. He did not factor in the time trial of his life by team mate Christopher Froome, who whilst only finishing in second place on the stage (to Wiggins’ third) he became one of only a handful of British riders to lead this illustrious race.

The next big mountain stage saw Froome sacrifice himself for team leader Wiggins who took over as leader (by seven seconds to Froome) showing how much faith the team leadership and its riders have in their main man.

The odds of this scene being repeated in Madrid have tumbled.

So to Saturday’s stage, Wiggins was expected to suffer. With 2010 winner Vincenzo Nibali having reduced the gap to just four seconds, (with time bonuses for the stage winner) the race lead was expected to change again. This was not the case as both Froome and Wiggins took the race by the scruff of the neck and on the one year anniversary of the death of one of Sky’s soigneurs (Txema Gonzalez) ripped the race apart to distance themselves from virtually all of the contenders.

The race is far from over, Wiggins is only one accident, one bad day from falling off his perch, and with some of the mountains having a ridiculous gradient of over 20% including the finish of Sundays stage 15 it is all still possible. But even if he is to lose some time, Wiggins now has to be considered one of, if not the favourite to complete his transformation from Olympic gold medal track cyclist, to elite road racing champion.