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Sport Magazine - Issue 238
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Issue 238 | December 16 2011
Novak Djokovic
NEW MAN IN CHARGE
Sport’s Athletesof the Year 2011
MaRk cavENDiSH
aNDREW STRaUSS
HaYLEY TURNER
RoRY MciLRoY
LioNEL MESSi
SEbaSTiaN vETTEL
GRaHaM HENRY
+
BOSS BOTTLED. NIGHT. THE NEW FRAGRANCE FOR MEN
FEATURING RYAN REYNOLDS
BOSS. BOTTLED. FRAGRANCE FOR MEN
FEATURING RYAN REYNOLDS
Fast but not fast enough
Sam Hurrell 34.31 km/h
Charlie Marriott 32.49 km/h
Lee Dennison 31.39 km/h
Lee Grimwood 30.94 km/h
Craig Walker 30.94 km/h
Welcome to the team Christopher Gomes. You’re one of the fastest
players in the country this week with 34.99 km/h. Think you’re as fast
as Christopher? Prove it with the new adiZero f50 powered by miCoach
at adidas.com/football.
the hunt for fast
The fastest boot just got a brain.
issue 238, december 16 2011
radar
08 Villains of the year The morons, the mercenaries, the downright rotters
10 Chasing Sachin One man’s quest to finally bowl at the great Tendulkar
12 The Cobra speaks Carl Froch on preparing for the biggest fight of his life
14 Editor’s letter It’s time – finally – for football referees to get a little help to do this coming weekFeatures
22 Novak Djokovic It’s been a great year for sport, but one man has been way ahead of everyone else in the world...
24 Mark Cavendish ... and if you’re looking for the top Brit? Well, here he is...
27 Andrew Strauss ... though if it’s leaders you’re after, we’d suggest this man...
36 Sebastian Vettel ... in any other year, this chap’s dominance would be unrivalled 40 Pictures of the year Some of our favourite sporting images from 2011
extra Time
56 Sophie Horn The golfer-turned-Santa wishing you season’s greetings
58 Gadgets Your last-minute present ideas sorted (well, sort of)
60 Grooming Our favourite new products of the year – all in one bathroom!
62 Entertainment The Killing II and Joy Division: merry Christmas, everybody...
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Sport will be back on the streets on Friday
January 13 - but we will be available on the iPad through the whole christmas break.
| December 16 2011 | 07
4. villains
of the year
0 8 | December 16 2011 | Sport
p12 – Up close with The CobraRadar p10 – How not to track down Sachin Tendulkar
p10 – Alien vs. Designer
They’re not the messiahs...
1. Sepp BlatterManoeuvred his way to unopposed FIFA
re-election, told racially abused players
they should settle things with a handshake,
and suggested that gay fans at the Qatar
World Cup should “refrain from sexual
activities”. And that’s just this year!
Dishonourable mentionsSteve Williams Tiger’s ex-caddie managed to
make his former boss look like the good guy.
France 2 camera crew Specifically, the
drivers of the car that ran two Tour de
France riders off the road. Top work, fellas.
3. Fernando TorresFive goals in 35 games doth not a £50m
striker make. It feels a tad harsh to kick a
man when he’s down, but Torres’ occasional
flashes of form are nowhere near enough to
save a reputation that’s sinking fast.
Dishonourable mentionsUsain Bolt A false-start disqualification at the
World Athletics Championships is inexcusable
for a man of his calibre.
India’s touring Test team Didn’t put up much of
a fight during their visit to these shores – left
without winning (or drawing) a single Test.
4. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif They betrayed their country, their sport and
their fans when they took part in spot-fixing
during a Test against England – and in 2011
they faced their judgement in court.
Dishonourable mentionsSteve Mullings The Jamaican was banned
for life after his second failed drugs test.
Isaac Luke New Zealand hooker tried to break
his cousin Rangi Chase’s leg during the Four
Nations. Christmas Day might be a bit
awkward this year.
2. Carlos Tevez Currently collecting £140,000 a week for
doing nothing. Linked with a loan move to
Milan, although it’s hard to see why he’d give
up such a dream job. Good riddance.
Dishonourable mentionsAsamoah Gyan Sold Sunderland down the
river, but can rest safe in the knowledge
that he’s fulfilling his potential at the ninth
best club in the UAE.
Nick Easter After losing a Rugby World Cup
quarter final to France, Easter allegedly
(that is, alleged by him) bemoaned England’s
lost financial opportunities. Priorities,
Nicholas, priorities.
5. Alain RollandThis one will be debated until the cows come
home (whatever that means), but Rolland’s
harsh red card for Sam Warburton ended
Wales’ Rugby World Cup hopes. That it was
to the letter of the law is one thing, but two
words spring to mind: ‘sense’ and ‘common’.
Dishonourable mentionsRFU We can’t even pin this on one name
because no one quite knows who’s in charge
here. Shambolic.
Stuart Attwell The ref’s name is preceded by
the words ‘poor decision from...’ too often.
...they're very naughty boys. To balance out our
sporting heroes of 2011, Radar picks a not-so-
magnificent seven from the past 12 months
1. Moron
of the year
2. Mercenary
of the year
3. flop of
the year
5. Worst
official of
the year
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10 | December 16 2011 |
Monkey business
aul Smith has worked with everyone
from Apple to Manchester United,
Mick Jagger to David Bowie, so it
was only a matter of time before he ran out
of earthly collaborators exciting enough for
him and started working with... aliens!
That’s to say, the British design guru has
teamed up with too-cool-for-this-planet
skateboarding company Alien Workshop to
create this deck, which had the Sport design
team panting like hungry hounds in front of
a sirloin. “Can we get one sent in?” came the
cry. “No,” came the reply. Because this fine
board – crafted from seven veneers of hard
rock maple – is limited to a total of just 200.
In response, team design pulled a gesture
similar to the one that the cheeky primate is
performing on the base of this deck. Never
mind; with their hefty, above-writer wages,
we’re sure they’ll be able to spring for one –
as will you, if you’re quick about it.
P
Paul Smith Alien Workshop Skateboard,
£89 via paulsmith.co.uk
From Jedi mind tricks to chicken suits, amateur cricketer Adam Carroll-Smith tells us about a summer trying to bowl a ball to his cricket hero
Why Sachin Tendulkar?
“He made his Test debut at 16 and was touted
in the way Joe Cole was: barely out of nappies
and hailed as the saviour of the sport – and
he’s never let anyone down. He’s always been
amazing as he is now. He’s had 20-odd years
at the top and there have never been any
properly lean periods or any off-field
controversies. Plus he’s a proper, old-school
superstar – he’s got that mystique.”
The hard sell“The way I tried to sell it was this: the make-up
of England’s team is Paul Collingwood is out,
so Jonathan Trott might be doing a bit of
bowling. Now, he’s rubbish at bowling, and I’m
rubbish as well, so it will be good for Sachin
to face someone who’s obviously not a
bowler. He’s in the nets facing Zaheer Khan
every day – has anyone made sure that he’s
okay against dibbly-dobbly rubbish? But I did
make it clear to the Indian Cricket Board that
I’m not mad and I did know my cricket.”
Oddest situation?
“There were bloody loads. At The Oval, I had
to get into the pavilion to speak to someone
who I was told was one of Sachin’s advisers.
Problem was, I was there with a stag do, so I
had a rubber chicken head and chicken feet
on. I also tried to do a pitch invasion at Hove;
I ended up sleeping in my car in Greenwich
and I met a mad Italian spiritualist who tried
to make me do some ‘cosmic ordering’ with
him – naked. Things just kept going tits up.”
Using the force
“I tried to get into the Indian dressing room
using the ‘these are not the droids you’re
looking for’ blag from Star Wars. I thought:
‘I’ve worked as a journalist and blagged my
way into all sorts of places. This is cricket;
it’s genteel – if I say things with enough
purpose, I’ll get in.’ But the man there wasn’t
having any of it. At least I didn’t try the old,
Darth Vader-style Force-choking. That would
have got me some press coverage – using an
archaic form of space murder.”
Chasing Sachin, one man’s account of his attempts
to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar, is out now, £9.99
Tendulkar hunt
Nuts to you
Radar
12 | December 16 2011 |
n the same way Alan Brazil could spot space in a crowded penalty
area, the former striker and talkSPORT legend has spied a gap in
the snack market – and he’s decided to squeeze his nuts in there.
Brazil’s Nuts are a new range of salted or dry roasted peanuts unleashed in
bars, pubs and clubs from this week. The great news is that part of Alan’s
plan is to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation for the early
detection and treatment of cancer – and who could say nuts to that?
alanbrazilsport.com
I
What’s the hardest part of training
for a world title fight?
“Sparring, because it’s almost like
a fight. You wake up the next day and your
arms are hurting, your back is aching, your
neck is sore. All your muscles are fatigued, so
it is hard, but I actually quite enjoy training.”
Your opponent Andre Ward got cut in training.
Have you changed strategy to target that?
“No, I’m going to be trying to punch him in the
face – and if I hit him in the eye, so be it. I’m
going to look to hit him in the head; that’s
either eye, the nose, the mouth – I can’t say I’ll
be aiming for his right eyebrow. It’ll be hard
enough just to hit him, the way he moves.”
You’ve dismissed his KO power. Is that mind
games to get him to go toe to toe with you?
“Well, that would be giving the game away,
wouldn’t it? But if you look at the statistics,
they don’t lie. He’s only got a 50 per cent
knockout ratio. That just means, if I have to,
I can come forward and take a couple of risks,
because I don’t think he can knock me out.”
How important is pre-fight psychology?
“At this level, it’s hard to get inside a top
fighter’s head. I mean, I’ve been in Ward’s head
in that he will know that any second of any
round, if I catch him sweet, I’m going to
seriously hurt him. But I’m thinking about him
as well – just not when my head hits the pillow.”
Do you change as a person on fight week?
“Of course you change, you’re a little more
steely and I pick and choose who I speak to –
but I don’t become a monster. I’m still quite an
easygoing, laid-back person. I’ve probably just
got a bit of a shorter fuse in fight week.”
What are you like in the dressing room on
fight night?
“Very relaxed – I’m not really worried or tense.
I know some people headbutt lockers or start
screaming and shouting, but I’m not like that.
Eye of the Cobra We ask Carl Froch how a world
champion prepares for the biggest fight of his life
I’m calm and confident. The hard work is
already done before you get in the ring.”
What about when you’re actually in the ring
– do you try to get a read on your opponent?
“You have a look at them, but it doesn’t mean
fuck all to be honest. If your opponent looks
nervous, you might think: ‘Oh he’s nervous –
good.’ But those nerves might mean he’s going
to be sharper, faster... and hit harder.”
Can it work the other way?
“Yeah, I’ve been in the ring with people who
look like they really mean business – then the
bell goes and they’re running, holding and don’t
want to be in there. It was a front. But at this
top level, we’re all psychologically switched on.
We’re all elite, confident fighters who can
punch hard. It’s just some punch harder than
others – like I punch harder than Andre Ward.”
Carl Froch v Andre Ward is live on Sky Sports HD1
from midnight on Saturday – our preview on p52
Eye of the Cobra
20
We ask Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch how a world champion prepares for the biggest fight of his life...
Knockouts for Carl Froch in 29 pro fights
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Reader comments of the week
14 | December 16 2011 |
Radar Editor’s letter
Editor-in-chief
Simon Caney
@simoncaney
Sport magazinePart of UTV Media plc
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EDITORIALEditor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951)
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Hearty thanks this week to:Nicola Arzani, Alison Hackney, Grant
Rowley, Gem Oakes and Cat Pia for
the doughnuts...
Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.
LAUNCH OFTHE YEAR
2008
Total Average Net Distribution: 306,217 Jan-Jun 2011
www.sport-magazine.co.uk
@sportmaguk
facebook.com/sportmaguk
I n the past, I’ve argued against the introduction of technology to football. I had always thought it
unnecessary and somehow soulless
– one of life’s great perverse
pleasures is complaining/arguing about
dodgy decisions with a group of mates.
But the time has come for me to
change my mind. More than ever before,
football is being ruined by a litany of bad
decisions from match officials.
I don’t think the referees and linesmen
have suddenly got worse, and I certainly
don’t think any of them have an allegiance
to a particular club. I just think the game
in the past five years has changed
dramatically – more so than in the
previous 100 – and it’s no longer possible
to officiate as it’s always been done.
Players are now more athletic than
they’ve ever been. That means they’re not
just faster, but stronger too. Skill levels
probably haven’t changed, but is it
possible to imagine Glenn Hoddle or Matt
Le Tissier thriving in the modern Premier
League? Not only that, more players are
now setting out to deliberately deceive
the officials.
The game is played at a blur now
and, despite referees’ fitness levels
improving, they simply can’t keep up –
let alone make split-second decisions.
Almost every game this season seems to
have had a turning point based on a bad
call by the officials.
Whether technology is the answer,
or simply more recourse to a fourth man
in the stand, I’m not sure. It would make
the game more stop-start, which is
hardly ideal. But when a ref such as Chris
Foy – who I had always thought to be
pretty good – has a day like he did at the
Britannia last Sunday, it’s clear that our
officials need some assistance.
A quick word on the retirement from
international rugby of Jonny Wilkinson.
Few players in any sport genuinely
deserve the adjective ‘great’, but
Wilkinson certainly does. He will forever
be remembered for that drop goal in
2003, but such was his drive to improve
that he seemed unfulfilled after that.
Maybe attaining such an incredibly high
standard at such a young age was his
undoing. He simply couldn’t get much
better, but it’s to his eternal credit
that he never stopped trying.
A reminder that Sport won’t be around on the streets for a few weeks, what with Christmas getting in the way. The next mag will be available on Friday January 13 – but don’t despair, at least not if you own an iPad. We’ll continue to publish a digital version of the mag every Friday. Download it for free right now, before you forget...
Give refs a chanceAs more games are changed by bad decisions, it’s time to lend a helping hand to officials
Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk
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‘Adebayor was this far offside. Definitely...’
Socrates was one of my
favourite ever footballers.
He was actually
underrated in that team.
Wonderful footballer.
Roger, via email
@simoncaney totally agree
with you about Tiger. People
are getting carried away.
He’s not ‘back’ and will never
be the same player he was
@Spookyfish
You’re completely wrong
about Tiger – he may still
have some work to do but
nobody in the modern
game knows how to win
like he does. Guaranteed
to win a major in 2012.
Alan, via email
The article by
@davidflatman is in
today’s @Sportmaguk.
I went to school with
@davidflatman. Avoided
him during rugby lessons!
#sensible.
@Sportandlaw
@simoncaney All female
list in the BBC Young
Sports Personality of the
Year category. It’s a
disgrace!
@MTFisher78
16 | December 16 2011 |
In what looks like the tightest finish ever seen
in a women’s 10,000m, that woman at the far
end seems to have shaded this one on the line.
Incredible scenes. Truly, what are the chances
of seeing a finish like th... oh... hang about...
this image of Melbourne’s 2011 Zatopek
Classic looks like it might have been captioned
all wrong. This looks more like the start than
the end. Ah yes – we’ve just checked, and it is,
and they’ve only just begun! Even so, our
money’s still on that woman at the far end.Sc
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The ‘B’ of ‘Bang!’
Radar Frozen in time
| 17
A D
aim
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Bra
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Look where we’re going.The Concept A-CLASS.Visit conceptaclass.co.uk
View all our awards at samsung.com/uk/galaxys2
Screen images simulated. ©2011 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Magically FastDual Core Processor
Glitteringly Bright
Joyously Slim
This year’s stocking filler.Galaxy S II, Phone of the Year.
And now the end is near, and so we face the final curtain. But before it finally falls on another year, allow us to celebrate the men and – get this, Auntie – woman who have made their mark most memorably on their sporting profession of choice in 2011. So here we go, in no particular order...
SPORT’S 2011 ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
| December 16 2011 | 21
He hardly came from nowhere, but Novak Djokovic’s almost complete dominance of tennis in 2011 took everybody by surprise – except, perhaps, the man himself
SEASONED TO PERFECTION
22 | December 16 2011 |
Novak, congratulations on
an unbelievable year. How
did it all fall into place?
“I think it was simply that
after the US Open in 2010,
I started to believe more
that I could win big matches
against the top guys –
so I had all the necessary
confidence in order to
approach the 2011 season
in the right frame of mind. The Davis Cup
win for Serbia last December was another
tremendous experience that gave me a lot of
positive energy and left me very eager to get
back to the tournaments after that, even
though the off-season was very short.”
So it comes down to confidence?
“In the end, tennis is a very mental sport.
Having played at the top level for the past
few years, I was aware of the importance
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Novak Djokovic
of having a very strong mental approach.
Obviously you need to have a very high level
of confidence and you need to believe that
you can win matches when you’re playing
against the top guys – especially when
you’re playing the Grand Slams. That’s
something that changed in my life, my game
and in my head in the past 12 months.”
Is there a real difference in how you feel
going on court now compared with before?
“It was after last year’s US Open that I
started to believe I could win the big
matches – like against Roger Federer in the
semi finals, when I didn’t give up and saved
a couple of matchpoints. I also played a
really good final against Rafa [Nadal]. I won
my first slam in 2008 and had a great first
six months that year, but then I had a lot of
ups and downs – I struggled, especially
mentally. I was always coming to the later
stages of a slam, like the semi finals, but I
DJOKOVIC’S YEARThere were signs last season that the 2008 Australian Open champion was ready to add to the one lonely Grand Slam trophy in his cabinet. At the 2010 US Open, for example, where Djokovic scored his first slam victory over Federer since 2008; and in the Davis Cup final, where his performances led Serbia to their first ever crown in the competition. But still no one could have predicted the run the Serbian would go on in 2011 – one that would bring him three Grand Slams, five Masters Series 1000 titles and take him to world number one. His defeat to Federer at the 2010 ATP Finals in London would be his last until the French Open, where he would lose to the Swiss again, in the semi finals. By then, though, Djokovic had racked up 43 matches unbeaten, including a ridiculous four wins in a row in finals against Nadal – two of those on the Spaniard’s strongest clay surface. His first Wimbledon and US Open titles followed - the latter requiring him to beat Nadal in the final, having come back from two sets and two matchpoints down against Federer in the semis. Djokovic finally hung up his racket for 2011 with a 70-6 record, injury and fatigue getting the better of him for the last few events of the season. In an era dominated by two of the greatest players the game has ever known, Djokovic this year burst through what many considered to be an impenetrable ceiling, ensuring his name can and will not be ignored when the tennis history books are written. G
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| 23
wasn’t making that extra step because I didn’t
have that positive mindset on the court when
I played the big guys. Now that’s changed.”
Many have called your season the finest in
tennis history. Are you comfortable with that?
Was there any temptation to end it after the
US Open, when you were suffering with injury?
“My season, even if I didn’t play anything after
the US Open, would still be incredible. That it
has been compared to some of the other
great tennis seasons in history is something
I am very proud of. Maybe it was the wrong
decision to play the Davis Cup semi final in
Belgrade after the US Open, because after
that I was not fresh on the court... not feeling
well and also partly injured. But it would have
been impossible to stop because there were
still important tournaments in Asia and in
Europe, and the ATP Finals in London. Obviously
I wanted to get ready for those, recover and
play my best tennis – but I wasn’t able to.”
Until this year, Nadal and Federer were the
dominant forces in men’s tennis – were
there occasions when you wondered if your
time would ever come?
“Nadal and Federer have been the two most
dominant players in the world over the past
few years – they’ve won most of the majors.
So sometimes it did feel a bit frustrating when
you got to the latter stages of a Grand Slam
and you have to meet them. They always come
up with their best tennis when it matters
most. But it was a process of learning and
developing as a player and as a person. I had
to find the way to mentally overcome the
pressures and expectations, because I always
believed I had the quality to beat those guys
and to win slams – that was the only way that
could take me to the position I am in now. Of
course I have full respect for Roger and Rafa,
and what they have done. Anytime I play them,
it’s a great match. But the mental approach
has to be positive. There’s no other way.”
SPRINT KING
Cavendish’s YearImagine a striker who scores (almost) every time he ventures into the box. Mark Cavendish has, in a nutshell, been cycling’s equivalent in 2011. Whether riding for his pro team (the now defunct HTC-Highroad) in the Tour de France or for his country in the World Championships, he’s been the man relied upon to get over the finish line first. He won five stages of this year’s Tour, taking his career tally to 20 and becoming the first person ever to win the prestigious final stage on the Champs-Elysées three years in a row. But it was the Green Jersey – the prize traditionally won by the Tour’s best sprinter – that Cavendish desired above all. Finally, this year, it was his. Two months later the Road World Championships in Copenhagen came down to a sprint finish, with the smart money on one man. Needless to say, Cavendish finished with aplomb – and even went on to pick up an MBE in November.
24 | December 16 2011 |
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Sport’s Athletes of the Year Mark Cavendish
“Has what I’ve achieved in 2011 sunk in?
A little bit, but not completely. I took a short
break when we finished the season and went
on holiday so I had time to reflect a bit, but
as soon as you get back it’s time to start
preparing for next year already. And I don’t
really like to reflect on what I have done too
much, because if you start looking back then
you get complacent about what you’ve got to
achieve next time.
“But it wasn’t just about me. It was a
special effort by a group of eight guys that
helped us win the World Championships in
Copenhagen. It’s not often that you put a plan
together and it’s 100 per cent executed how
you said it would be, and that one was – we
took control and rode on the front for 260km.
When you say three years before that you’re
going to do something and you then stick by
it – well, that’s a pretty rare thing.
“We had to win the worlds to qualify a
maximum of five positions in the Olympic
road race next year, so the plan was that
2012 would always be coming off the back of
a successful World Champs – and obviously
that part went to plan. Like the course in
Copenhagen, London was never going to be
too hilly, so it was obvious that if we could
provide a team to win the worlds then the
Olympics would be a knock-on of that. We’ve
got a strong team for next year, and I think
we can be the favourites going into it.
“In terms of my pro team, I think I’ll slot in
well at Team Sky, where my contract starts
in January. We’ve already had our first team
meeting, which I was pretty nervous about,
but it was okay; after an hour or so I was
comfortable. It really is a great group of
guys, and I’m excited about next year. I don’t
know why I was nervous to start with –
I suppose everyone is in new environments.
But you know, if that feeling don’t last long
then it’s a good thing.
“Obviously it’s a great honour to be named
one of Sport’s Athletes of the Year, and it
caps a brilliant 12 months for me. I really
enjoyed the recent cover shoot, and
for me to be up there with some of
the other names mentioned in the
magazine is very flattering, so
thanks very much.”
Mark Cavendish is represented
by Wasserman Media Group.
Follow him @MarkCavendish
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England’s all-conquering Test captain Andrew Strauss on winning, drinking and the best year of his career
THE CAPTAIN’S LOG
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Sport | December 16 2011 | 27
When the Ashes series in Australia
started just over a year ago, could you
have envisaged that you’d go on to achieve
so much in 2011?
“We were all a bit surprised by how quickly
we reached number one in the world, that’s
for sure. We set off for Australia very
hopeful and expecting to do reasonably
well out there, but the fact that we won
so comfortably gave us a huge amount of
confidence heading into last summer – and
we saw that in our performances against
India. It’s been a great run for us and there’s
a lot of pride in what we’ve achieved.”
What’s your own personal highlight of the
past 12 months?
“Well, where do you start? I suppose for
me it was lifting the Ashes in Sydney. Just
because winning a series in Australia had
become kind of a Holy Grail for English
cricket. So not just to win it, but to win three
games by an innings, to do it in that fashion
and to have so many fantastic performances
by members of the side – it was very special.”
What’s the real key strength of this
England team?
“If I had to say one thing, it would be how
much we all play for each other. It’s the sort
of phrase that sounds a bit wishy-washy,
but it’s crucial. If you want to win games
consistently, everyone has to buy into the
team idea. There’s a strong feeling of
togetherness, we’ve got some good
characters in the side and we’re really gelled
together. You still need individuals to go out
there and perform, but it makes it easier
when they’re performing for a reason rather
than just for their own personal glory.”
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Andrew Strauss
You’ve spoken about how you toast individual
successes with a beer at the close of play.
Surely you just spent most of 2011 drunk in
a dressing room...
[Laughs] “Yes, as soon as we brought that
in, the level of our performances seemed
to go up by about five or 10 per cent! But
things like that are important; if someone
gets a hundred or a five-fer, that’s going
to be one of the highlights of their career.
So for people just to tap them on the back
and walk off with a ‘well done mate’, I don’t
think you’re quite appreciating enough
what that guy has achieved for the team.
I think it’s worked really well for us
to sit down together for half
an hour afterwards, have
a drink and for someone
to give a bit of a speech.
Long may it continue.” >
ENGLAND TEST CRICKET TEAM
On Christmas Eve 2010, as England captain Andrew Strauss sat on Santa’s (metaphorical) knee, he shut his eyes tight and wished for several things. Firstly, to retain the Ashes in Australia (then poised at 1-1), plus series wins against Sri Lanka and India in the summer and – if he’d been a really good boy – maybe even knocking India off their summit and getting England top of the Test cricket rankings.
England didn’t just achieve those lofty aims; they surpassed all expectations. Australia were bested on their own soil in an Ashes series for the first time since 1986-87, as England pushed on to claim a 3-1 victory; Sri Lanka were beaten 1-0 in a rain-affected series, before a glorious summer finale: a 4-0 whitewash of India and the position of number-one Test team in the world firmly secured.
You can forget Father Christmas as well. The truth is that all this was achieved without the help of a tubby, bearded extrovert with a fondness for booze and pies. The days of the England team pinning their hopes on a messiah figure in the form of a spectacular individual talent – be that Beefy Botham or Freddie Flintoff – seem firmly in the past. This success was based not on one or two outstanding players, but on meticulous preparation and contributions from every single man in the side.
It says something about the success of the England team that, in 2011, James Anderson ended an Ashes series in Australia with 24 wickets, Alastair Cook scored 927 runs in just 11 innings and Stuart Broad had the series of his life against India, yet no individual has been pushed forward as the hero. Rather, under the watchful eyes of coach Andy Flower and skipper Andrew Strauss, individuals have taken responsibility for their performances, resulting in collective success. The England Test side are a well-organised unit, a team in the truest sense – and right now, there’s no one better in the world at what they do.
TEAM OF THE YEAR 2011
“wE’vE gOT TO bE dEspERATE TO sTAY On TOp”
If there was one moment of cricket that
summed up the past year, what would it be?
“The session that was most pleasing to
me was at Trent Bridge. India were on top
in the game, about 50-odd runs ahead of us
in the first innings with just four wickets
down. Then Stuart Broad came on, got a
hat-trick and we bowled them out very
cheaply. We went on to win from there. It
just demonstrated our belief that we were
still in the game, and that we all thought we
could still turn it around.”
Now that you’ve achieved the goal of being
the world’s number-one Test team, how
will you ensure standards remain high?
“We’ve got a very strong competition for
places in the squad, so that’s obviously one
good motivation to keep playing well. Also,
I think we all understand that getting to
number one in the world is great, but the
only way we got there was by concentrating
on every series, wanting to improve, keeping
our standards high, keeping our work ethic
and our ethos. We don’t have to do anything
all that different to remain there.”
Does being number one paint a big old
target on your back?
“Yes, the challenge is that now – because
we’re number one, everyone wants to beat
us even more than
they did before.
We’ve got to be
desperate to stay
on top, but I believe
we’ve got that in the
camp. We’ve also
got a lot of guys at
the peak of their
careers at the
moment. Our
expectations of ourselves individually has
risen too, and that’s a good starting point
for further success.”
Your overriding ambition is to make this
the greatest England Test team of all time
– how close are you to doing that?
“We’ll know a lot more in 12 months’ time.
We’ve got two series in the subcontinent and
we’re playing against South Africa at home
– if we come through those challenges
unscathed then we’re getting close, but
that’s a big ‘if’. There’s a lot of very tough
cricket ahead of us.”
Overall, though, has 2011 been the greatest
year of your career?
“Without a doubt. We’ve done so many things
that if you’d told me were going to happen
three or four years ago, I wouldn’t have
believed you. Also, it’s one thing getting to
the top, but it’s another thing getting to
share that with some great mates as well.
So it’s fantastic – but hopefully there’s still
more to come.”
Andrew Strauss was speaking on
behalf of WSM Communications, who
manage Brit Insurance’s sponsorship
of the England cricket teams.
See wsmcommunications.com
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Andrew Strauss
England’s 2011
Test record in full
Australia v England
Jan 3-7, Sydney,
England win (innings
and 83 runs)
(Win series 3-1)
England v Sri Lanka
May 26-30, Cardiff,
England win (innings
and 14 runs)
England v Sri Lanka
June 3-7, Lord’s, Draw
England v Sri Lanka
June 16-20,
Southampton, Draw
(Win series 1-0)
England v India
July 21-25, Lord’s,
England win (196 runs)
England v India
July 29-Aug 1, Trent
Bridge, England win
(319 runs)
England v India
Aug 10-13, Edgbaston,
England win (innings
and 242 runs)
England v India
Aug 21-25, The Oval,
England win (innings
and 8 runs)
(Win series 4-0)
28 | December 16 2011 |
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Racing ahead
Turner’s yearHayley Turner’s own website refers to her as “the UK’s number one female jockey”. She is indeed that, but she is also one of the UK’s finest jockeys full stop. Few jockeys win even a single Group 1 event, let alone two in swift succession, as Turner did this summer before breaking her ankle in a fall at the end of August. Having made headlines in 2008 by becoming the first female jockey in Britain to ride 100 winners in a calendar year, Turner’s big wins on Dream Ahead – a horse she found out she was riding only two days before the race – and Margot Did have ensured hers is a name held in high esteem... both by owners in search of a jockey and the rest of us in search of a decent bet.
30 | December 16 2011 |
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Sport’s Athletes of the Year Hayley Turner
On becoming the first woman to ride the
outright winner of a Group 1 event
(the highest level of British flat racing)
on Dream Ahead in the July Cup...
“When I got the call from my agent asking me
to ride Dream Ahead, I was out shopping and
I shouted down the phone: ‘That’s brilliant!’
Everyone wants to ride in and win Group 1
races, but with racing it’s not something you
can ever plan. It’s about getting on the right
horses. There was massive hype after I won,
which I wasn’t expecting. It was a bit like
after I had 100 winners in 2008. Back then I
thought I’d get ‘Star Performance’ in the
Racing Post or something simple, but they
really jumped on it – and this was the same.”
On winning her second Group 1 race
in six weeks, on Margot Did in the
Nunthorpe Stakes...
“Confidence definitely transfers to the horse
and can play a big part in racing, but I think
this was just Margot Did’s day. Everything
just fell right for her. She was 20/1 for the
race and I really believed she had it in her to
win, but there were a couple of contributing
factors in it too; I had figured out how to get
the best out of her [Turner had ridden the
horse in all 12 of Margot Did’s previous
races] and also the drop back in trip – I think
six furlongs has always stretched her a bit.
The win was amazing because it was for
Michael Bell, who’s been a big supporter and
helped me to get to where I am now. It also
showed that the first one was no fluke.”
On this season’s end and next season’s
beginning...
“It was frustrating to end with an injury
because I was having such a fantastic year
– I felt like I had more to give. The horse was
misbehaving, ran backwards and fell over,
landing on my leg. I didn’t immediately realise
it was broken though, because the doctor
had a poke around and said it was fine.
Mentally, it has probably done me good to get
out of racing for a few months; it has made me
even hungrier for next year. My main aim for
2012 is to stay healthy and see what happens.
A ride in the Derby? If I come across a Derby
horse, that’s great. Hopefully I will.”
On being named one of Sport’s Athletes
of the Year...
“It’s amazing, really. But I feel I’ve so much
more still to achieve. I wouldn’t put myself in
the category of the others named here at all,
but I’m working on it.”
Hayley Turner is an ambassador for Racing UK TV.
Join Racing UK today on Sky, cable and online. Go to
racinguk.com/join or call 0844 855 2977
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EXTRAVAGANZA
RORY THE STORY
record PLAYerAnyone in any doubt about the majesty of McIlroy’s US Open victory needs to just look at the records he set that week. He recorded the lowest 72-hole total (268) in the tournament’s history (he also set records for lowest 36-hole and 54-hole marks); his -16 score was the lowest winning score (no player in history had ever even reached -13, and at one stage McIlroy even reached -17); he was the fastest to ever get to -10 (a staggering 26 holes); and he hit more greens in regulation than anyone ever has at a US Open, with 62 out of 72. He was eight clear of the luckless Jason Day, whose -8 total itself has only been bettered once in history. It was a performance that took the breath away, and the terrifying thing about it was he made it look so easy...
| December 16 2011 | 33
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Rory McIlroy hit the highs and lows in 2011,
as he demonstrated that few golfers on
the planet have his talent or capacity to
self-destruct.
The great players always have a sense
of theatre, both in victory and defeat. Think
Jack, winning the Masters at 46. Think Tom,
coming so close at Turnberry in 2009. Think
Tiger at the Millennium Open. Think Seve –
just think Seve – doing anything.
And now, think Rory.
The young Northern Irishman takes his
place in this issue thanks to an incredible
US Open victory in June, but that tells just
part of the tale of Rory McIlroy in 2011. For
in winning the second major of the year, he
was able to exorcise the ghosts of the first.
At the Masters in April, he had one hand on
the trophy and was already being sized up
for a Green Jacket (small). That was when
we saw – not for the first time – that as
brilliant as McIlroy is, he is also fallible: he
began the final day four shots clear and,
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Rory McIlroy
although that lead had been whittled to one
with nine holes to play, there was nothing
to indicate what was coming. A horrendous
snap-hook off the 10th tee, though, put Rory
in someone’s front garden – and millions
watched as the 21-year-old crumbled live on
television. As he went triple-bogey, bogey,
double-bogey, with tears in his glazed eyes,
all chances of winning evaporated – and yet
it was unmissable viewing. Golf fans the
world over recognised in Rory something of
themselves; as beautifully as he had played
for the first three days, his game just fell
to pieces in the heat of battle.
The obvious claim was that he somehow
lacked the temperament to handle the big
occasion. Some even questioned whether
he would win a major at all.
It didn’t take long for him to answer his
critics: he arrived smiling at Congressional
Country Club for the US Open, and soon
it was clear why. His game was in better
shape than ever, and he knew it.
He routed the field to such devastating
effect that this time the back nine on Sunday
was an anticlimax. Never before has a
US Open course, always set up to provide
the toughest major in the calendar, been
made to look so toothless. Rory strolled to
victory almost unopposed.
But then, as he had already demonstrated,
Rory has flaws. At the Open Championship,
where he was a warm favourite, he
struggled in both the intense media spotlight
and the appalling weather, and stormed away
showing a first sign of petulance. As Darren
Clarke lifted the Claret Jug, Rory was still
making headlines as he declared: “I’m looking
forward to getting back to America...”
And, as the year came to a close, Rory
once again gave golf a shot in the arm. Only
by winning the Hong Kong Open could he
arrive at the European Tour’s final event of
the season in Dubai with a chance of winning
the money list from Luke Donald. And, sure
enough, he did just that – in typical theatrical
fashion, sinking a bunker shot at the final hole.
At some stage in 2012, he will almost
certainly become world number one – to
match the tennis ranking of new girlfriend
Caroline Wozniacki. The world is his –
or rather, theirs.
Close to greatness
34 | December 16 2011 |
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Lionel MessiD
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“I am a big fan of
Lionel Messi – a big
fan. Am I allowed to
say he is the best
player in the world,
given he is Argentinian
and I am Brazilian?
Of course I am, just as
I could say Maradona
was a great player
before him. That is fine, because we are
brothers. Brothers can sometimes have
problems getting along, but we are still
brothers – and we don’t lose sight of that.
“Clearly Messi is excellent and perhaps
the best player in the world at this moment
in time, particularly with the year he has
had. What I like most about him is that he is
a very technical player, very skilful, and he
always seems comfortable on the ball.
Nothing he does is ever rushed. I think this
is more remarkable because of the players
he has around him – the players marking
him – yet he still finds space. But just as
importantly, he always plays with a smile and
sets a good example to everyone watching,
which is more important than ever.
“If I am being critical of him, I’d have to say
he is obviously not the best in the air, but
that is no secret, because of his size. He is
also only one-footed for the majority of the
time. He’s very good with that left foot, but
still only one foot and not what you would
call a complete player.
“Too many players are labelled ‘great’
these days, and very few of them actually
are. I think the last truly great and complete
player we saw was Zinedine Zidane, because
he played at the highest level for 10 years or
more and could do everything. Messi is not
at that level – not yet – but he is the best
player in the world today, and the closest the
modern game has to greatness.
“I guess the question is whether Messi can
get better – next year and beyond. Personally,
I’m not sure he can – not at this stage of his
career. The thing about Messi is that he’s had
11 years at his club and he has prepared
himself for that time. I think he has reached
the maximum of his potential, but he is at an
extraordinary level and he just needs to stay
there. If he can do that, if he can maintain his
form, he will be a great player.”
Pele spoke to Sport at the launch of Pele
Sports, his new sportswear and lifestyle
clothing brand. Go to pele-sports.com
LIONEL MESSI By Pele
MESSI’S YEARIn the calendar year, from January 8 to December 14, Lionel Messi has scored 55 times in 62 games for club and country, including red-hot streaks of 13 in eight at the start of 2011 and 12 in his last 11 games. He’s scored six hat-tricks and nabbed nine two-goal hauls. But more than the extraordinary quantity is the quality and significance of his strikes – Messi scores crucial goals that are also, often, monumental. His Champions League final strike was key, so too his opener against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the semi final first leg of the competition. His second in the same game showcased his God-given gifts – a breathtaking solo run at full pelt past five defenders that evoked memories of Maradona in his prime. And there can be no higher accolade than that.
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
Christian Horner, Red Bull team manager, on Vettel“He has a large amount of natural talent – he’s intelligent, he has the ability to adapt. And he is very astute. He’s very focused, very dedicated and he applies himself tremendously well. He’s always hungry to improve, to develop, and he’s a real pleasure to work with. He pushes the team hard, he pushes himself hard. Even if he’s won a race he’s always self-analytical of his performance and the team’s performance to learn what we could have done better, and that’s remarkably impressive for somebody so young. It’s always difficult to make comparisons across generations. I can only really compare what he’s doing against some great champions in the likes of Alonso, Hamilton, Button and
Schumacher. He is the stand-out driver and he has propelled himself into that elite group of drivers who have achieved phenomenal things in F1. He’s achieved a double World Championship, he’s won almost a quarter of the races he’s entered, and he’s achieved the most pole positions of any Grand Prix season in the history of the sport. He’s been faultless in the way that he’s gone about his campaign, and the way that he’s driven this year has been hugely impressive.”
36 | December 16 2011 |
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Sebastian VettelM
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In 19 races this season, Sebastian Vettel secured 15 pole positions, 17 podium finishes and 11 wins, helping him secure the title with four races to spare. Sport did what most of his rivals failed to do in 2011 and caught up with Formula 1’s back-to-back world champion...
So, what was the highlight of the year for
you? Does any one moment stand out?
“It’s difficult to name only one race or one
event. I think we had a fantastic season; it
will still take some time to understand how
fantastic it was. It has been phenomenal. I
think it will be a season that we will look back
on and be very proud of. These kind of seasons
don’t come around every year. I’m sure when
we look back we’ll have one or two highlights
– races like Monaco or Monza were very
special for us... the championship decider in
Japan and the emotions afterwards. These
kind of things you will never really forget.”
Was there a simple secret to your success?
“I think first off you have to mention that this
year was pretty smooth, and nearly faultless;
we had no issues with reliability, except in
Brazil – where we still managed to finish the
race in second place. Other than that, nothing
went wrong from a car point of view – the
retirements we had were Mark [Webber]’s
crash in Monza and the puncture I suffered
in Abu Dhabi. But car-wise, engine-wise,
everything was better than expected.
Everything is built on the limit – you push in
every area, and sometimes, here and there,
things break. But this year everything was
working fine, and the target is to keep that up.
Hopefully [next season] it will be reliable from
the start, but the most important thing is to
make it fast. It’s easier to make a fast car
reliable than a reliable car fast.”
Would it be better for the sport if next
season is more competitive? Can yours and
Red Bull’s own dominance continue?
“I think it’s been extremely competitive –
much closer than the scoreboard indicated
– throughout the season. Sometimes this year
we had the first four cars in five seconds.
If you look exactly 10 years back, there was
probably a gap of 40 seconds between first
and second. Those days are over, and gaps in
qualifying have been very small most of the
time. Next year the others will be pushing
hard, and we need to push [again]. Otherwise,
with the speed of development in F1, you very
quickly go backwards. Adrian [Newey] and
the guys are pushing very hard to get the
car ready for next year. The last couple of
years have been very successful, but in F1 we
tend to look forward – so we look forward to
the future, and forward to the next year.”
VETTEL’S YEARVettel started the year as defending world champion in one of the strongest fields the sport has ever seen. He had to wait until the last race of 2010 to clinch that title, but it was an entirely different affair this time around, as he wrapped things up with four races to spare by finishing third at Japan’s Suzuka circuit. On top of his record of 17 podiums, 15 poles and 11 wins, Vettel also produced three fastest laps. Smooth, controlled and devastatingly quick, he immediately got to grips with the new tyres and rule changes to dominate the grid all year, leading for 739 of the season’s 1,133 laps and racking up an unmatchable 392 World Championship points.
| 37
HOORAY HENRY
HENRY’S YEARThe team he coached to glory this autumn may have been the best in the world, but the All Blacks have proved before that form means nothing when a World Cup comes around. With the number of incidents going on – Dan Carter’s injury, Richie McCaw’s niggles, Cory Jane and Israel Dagg’s drinking issues – Henry had a balancing act just to keep this team going. And, if nothing else, his brave decision to withdraw fans’ favourite Piri Weepu in the final deserves credit for ultimately leading to the Kiwis’ victory. Henry retires from All Blacks duty with a record of 88 wins in 103 Tests, but what will forever matter more is the fact that he brought the Webb Ellis Cup back to New Zealand after 24 years of hurt.
38 | December 16 2011 |
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Having coached New Zealand to World Cup
victory earlier this year – their first since
the inaugural tournament in 1987 – coach
Graham Henry is something of a hero in his
homeland. He sat down with Sport to talk
us through his blueprint for success...
STICK TO THE GAMEPLAN
“We played basically the same gameplan for
each match, but you make minor tweaks
depending on who you’re playing. We had to
look at the strengths of our opponents and
change our defence around a bit – but
basically the gameplan remained the same.
“In the pool stages, we changed a lot
of things from what we were doing in the
Tri Nations in terms of our attack; then
we went back to our Tri Nations setup –
a tighter gameplan – in the knockouts.
“The difference between 2007 and 2011
is that we were aware of not peaking too
early this time around.”
ExPERIENCE IS KEY
“This side was better than the 2007 side
because, as a unit, it’s more experienced.
Richie McCaw has captained the team
60-odd times now, whereas in 2007 he
had only been captain for a short amount
of time. That experience makes an awful
lot of difference, and it’s not a coincidence
that he was a key player in us winning
this championship.
“If you look at World Cup captains from
the past – Martin Johnson, John Smit,
Francois Pienaar, John Eales – they’ve all
had a huge amount of respect. Every
team that’s won the tournament has had
a captain who’s a remarkable person as
well as a player – someone who’s led from
the front. Richie was that man.”
PEAK AT THE RIGHT TIME
“I was worried because we’d had too much
rugby. Our guys came off a Super XV season,
Sport’s Athletes of the Year Graham Henry
then played 12 Tests in 14 weeks, so I
thought they were at a disadvantage
compared to the northern-hemisphere sides.
“As a result, we had to rest key players
at certain times. In 2007, we peaked too
early because our pool was too easy and we
went all out. This time, we had a decent
game against Tonga, Canada and Japan
were both competitive, and then we had
France. We ended up peaking in the semi
finals, against Australia.
“We had to be careful before the final,
because the players were buggered. If we’d
trained like normal, they’d have fallen
over. So we had to decrease the amount
of physical work. The psychological balance
going into the game wasn’t quite right
because we had beaten the French by 20
or so points and then come off that massive
game against Australia. So I was proud
of the players for digging deep and
fronting up.”
LET THE PLAYERS POLICE THEMSELvES
“We’ve got a leadership group of seven
people, and anyone who slipped up had to
front up to those seven and explain what
the situation was. Then they had to
apologise to the team. The best way of
dealing with incidents is to let the players
deal with it themselves. After the drinking
incident [less than 72 hours before New
Zealand’s quarter final against Argentina],
Israel Dagg and Cory Jane apologised to
everyone, then they were the best players
on the field in the next game. They knew
they had to prove themselves to their mates
and they didn’t want to let their mates down
– and that’s bloody important.”
Graham Henry joins the likes of Richie McCaw,
Dan Carter and Shane Williams at The Rugby Site,
a new website offering coaching videos from
some of the world’s most celebrated names in
rugby. See therugbysite.com
K E L L B R O O K
P R O F E S S I O N A L B O X E R
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S C O T T S M E N S W E A R . C O M
BLOOD ON THE TRACKSThe award for the bravest and bloodiest
athlete this year goes to Dutch Rabo rider
Laurens ten Dam, who finished the 14th
stage of this year’s Tour de France despite
falling from his bike and snapping his nose
clean off. There is no award, we should add
– but if there was, he’d definitely get it.
DARKNESS AND LIGHT Somewhere in this shot of Wales playing England at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in August, there’s bound to be at least one B-list celebrity who didn’t pay for their ticket. Just for fun, with absolutely no prizes up for grabs, why not see if you can spot him? Or her. Or them.
If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, the following six shots must be worth at least 600,000 of them. For these are our six favourite sporting images of 2011. Of course, if that image-to-word ratio really is the case, we should probably stop chuntering on and let the pictures do the talking... PS. For many more exceptional images, see the Sport app (it’s free!) on December 30 for our mammoth 2011 Sports Photo Special.
THE BIGGER PICTURES
40 | December 16 2011 |
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| 41
FALLING DOWNSeconds after this shot was taken, Storm Warren’s shot dropped through the hoop and into the open mouth of Festus Ezeli, the young man lying on the floor labouring under the misaprehension he’s a Harlem Globetrotter. He isn’t, and that ball hasn’t been seen since.
RAGING BULLYeah, it’s Tiger Woods and a giant pretend bull. What of it?
ROUND THE HOUSESHaving tonked his tee shot at Augusta’s 10th into someone’s bushes, Rory McIlroy watches his second shot trundle between the trees and back towards the fairway. Sadly, the game was up when his approach to the green ended up in a neighbour’s dustbin.
ON THIN ICEThe longer you stare at this shot of five speedskaters racing in last March’s 1,000m heat in the ISU World Short Track Championships in Sheffield, the more you’ll start to feel like your eyes are about to implode. So, despite its aesthetic appeal, it’s probably best you look away now.
42 | December 16 2011 |
Sport’s Images of the Year
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Focus 2012 224 Days to go
44 | December 16 2011 |
THE VENUEOh, it’s just a little-known north London arena
by the name of Wembley. With Disney on Ice a
regular visitor to Wembley Stadium’s smaller
sibling, the classical elegance of the world’s
best twirlers and ball-tossers (yes, it’s a skill)
should fit in well.
THE EVENT Unlike artistic gymnastics, in which athletes
are required to perform on various forms of
apparatus, rhythmic gymnasts display their
talents only on the floor. They perform four
short routines set to music, using one of the
following pieces of equipment: a ball, rope,
hoop, ribbon or clubs – or no equipment at all.
Their aim is to keep the apparatus in constant
motion throughout the routine and to use it
in a wide variety of ways. So the ball can be
bounced, tossed (there you go) or rolled, for
example, and the ribbon can be used to create
a multitude of different shapes.
A panel of three judges combine to score
a mark out of 20 for difficulty, execution and
artistic quality. Penalties can also be incurred
either by stepping outside of the 13m x 13m
area or for going over the time limit, which is
one minute 30 seconds for individuals and
two minutes 30 seconds for groups.
There will be two gold medals up for grabs,
with prizes for the best all-around individual
and best team performances. In the latter,
teams of up to six competitors run through two
routines – one with team members using an
identical piece of apparatus, and the other
using a combination of two different pieces.
The ball and ribbon would combine well, we
imagine. A bit like the rock and paper in
rock, paper, scissors.
TEAM GB’S PROGRESSAccording to Tim Jones, British Gymnastics
Olympic performance director: “The BOA
gave us the green light to implement a policy
to nominate a gymnast for inclusion in
Team GB for the individual event, and a clear
performance standard that must be achieved
before we consider nominating a group.
This will not only ensure our performances
in the London Olympics are credible, but also
provide rhythmic gymnastics with a suitable
legacy for the future.”
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS AT LONDON 2012
DATES August 9-12
SEATING 6,000
HOW TO GET THERE National Rail, London
Underground, London Overground
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Rhythmic gymnastics
Francesca Jones
KEY EVENTS BEFORE
LONDON 2012
London 2012
Test Event
January 16-18 2012,
North Greenwich
Arena, London
GB hopeful
AGE IN 2012 21
MEDAL RECORD
Commonwealth Games
silver 2010 (hoop)
The 21-year-old five-time
all-around British champion
achieved the highest placing
of any Briton at September’s
Rhythmic Gymnastics
World Championships in
Montpellier...
One of seven members of the GB rhythmic
gymnastics team based at the University of
Bath, Jones brings valuable experience, having
represented Wales at two Commonwealth
Games. The squad is looking to be the first
rhythmic group to represent Britain at the
Olympics, but they face an uphill struggle with
little funding behind them. The BOA have
awarded them an individual host-nation place
(taken by Jones), but for the group to qualify
they must first prove they can compete with
the best. January’s Olympic test event at the
North Greenwich Arena has been identified as
the place to do that, with the BOA demanding
they achieve a preset benchmark score before
guaranteeing their spot at London 2012.
An event that’s just for the ladies, this is gymnastics with added ribbons, music and, er, rhythm...
Comment
46 | December 16 2011 |
between the posts
Picking my greatest sporting moments of 2011 is a tough task. It is made
even tougher because I know that,
above all else, the public just wants
to hear about my winning try against
Montpellier in the Heineken Cup a few weeks
ago. However, through a combination of
unimaginable humility and exhaustion at
having been talking about it ever since, I’ve
decided to leave it out. Forgive me – I’ll
chapter it in the memoirs instead: Flat Out
In Neutral – My Life in the Middle Lane…
robin red bestActually – and I promise this has nothing to
do with me being a semi-casual Arsenal fan
– one of the most beautiful moments
happened just days ago, as the Gooners took
on Everton. It was the 125th anniversary of
a hugely significant English sporting
institution, and present were legions of
legends past. The list of names was
staggering; never have the players in this
team been looked upon by such an expert
group of luminaries. The pressure must
have been immense but, just as it looked like
the home side would do everything but
score, Robin van Persie bulleted home a
volley of such power and such exquisite
technique that even the likes of Thierry
Henry and Patrick Vieira were left open-
mouthed. The ability to produce one’s very
best when the spotlight shines brightest is
a rare talent reserved for top athletes. Ad
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bath and england
prop david Flatman’s
not-so-inside take
on the year in sport
“who knows what wales would have achieved had warburton not been banished in the semis?”
the fighterAnother came just last weekend, as relative
underdog Lamont Peterson defeated our
own Amir Khan. Now I love Khan every bit as
much as the next pay-per-viewer, but it was
the life that had led Peterson to this point
that made it so special. Homeless and
sleeping rough with his brother at the age
of 10, he was taken in and given a bed by a
local gym owner. He would train, eat, sleep
and be grateful of shelter. Now, after what
must rank as one of sport’s great personal
turnarounds, he is champion of the world.
Certainly, there were some iffy refereeing
decisions in this fight, but history will not
remember that. Anyone who watched will
agree; Peterson is one hell of a bloke.
football from another worldWe’ve also seen some wonderful team
performances this year, not least the
Barcelona side that won the Champions
League. I remember watching them, hearing
my phone ring and not even looking to see
who it was. There was no time; the risk of
missing something otherworldly was too
great to risk any deviation of attention.
The sheer acceleration of Lionel Messi, the
frankly weird ability of both Xavi and Andres
Iniesta not to give the ball away, and the
brutish yet refined aggression of Carles
Puyol at the back. All in one team. It was
actually unfair at times; they were too good.
Every time they were televised it felt like a
fireman sam: only
warburton was igniting
it against france in the
world cup semis
| 47
Sponsored by
Rugby is a sport that demands character.
It had been 24 long years since New Zealand
had won their only Rugby World Cup. Going into
the 2011 final, the hosts had to overcome an
unfancied French team who had been less than
spectacular in the tournament, making the back
pages for all the wrong reasons. Les Bleus,
though, were desperate to prove their doubters
wrong – and, having broken All Black hearts
twice before at World Cups, this was never
going to be a walk in Eden Park for the Kiwis.
With star fly half Dan Carter ruled out of the
tournament with a groin strain, and understudy
Colin Slade also on the injury list, it was up to
rookie Aaron Cruden to wear the famed
number 10 jersey. As he was stretchered off
after 34 minutes, the game was balanced on a
knife-edge. The Frenchmen smelled blood.
Step forward the most unlikely of heroes.
Stephen Donald was a fine club player but had
struggled to establish himself in the national
side, with many questioning his ability to
handle the pressure at this level of the game.
Excluded from coach Graham Henry’s initial
squad, Donald had received his last-minute
call-up while fishing for whitebait. Now he
stood with his country’s destiny in his hands
– or, rather, at his feet. Donald slotted what
proved to be the decisive penalty as the All
Blacks went on to win by a solitary point.
Donald may not have broken scoring
records, but his three points might just be
the most important in All Black history.
Time for full ConTaCT
Scrum down for another ruck-and-roll rampage as
talkSPORT’s Mike Bovill is joined by some of the
biggest characters in the game to tackle rugby’s
hardest-hitting issues and discuss the latest news
from across the sport. The year is coming to an end,
but the action never stops.
full Contact with Mike Bovill, this Sunday from 8pm
to 10pm, on talkSPORT 1089/1053AM. In association
with the new Peugeot 308. Show some character.
a momenT of CharaCTer wiTh The new peugeoT 308
never settle.
The new peugeot 308.
Show some character.
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privilege to watch them. And you knew –
you just knew – that you were watching
something truly special.
killer waleSDespite not having won the thing, I thought
Wales were the team that went closest to
perfection at this year’s Rugby World Cup.
That quarter-final victory against Ireland
was poetic in its ruthlessness. Against all
the odds, the Irish had played unbelievably
well and beaten title contenders Australia
on the way to that clash. But they were
totally outclassed by a group of men who
knew exactly – to the millimetre – what
needed to be done, and delivered. They were
magnificent, and who knows what they
might have achieved had Sam Warburton
(left) not been banished in the semis?
puTTing The world To The SwordLuke Donald has rightly been the golfer in
the headlines this week. His achievements
are borne out of godly talent and remarkable
consistency, which is invariably the result of
a thunderous work ethic. But the one single
performance of the year I enjoyed the most
was Rory McIlroy’s demolition of the field en
route to victory in the US Open. To hammer
golf’s illuminati like that was so incredible
I found myself giggling as I watched. It was
better than breathtaking; it was the greatest
day of someone’s life played out before
our eyes. I felt lucky to be there (my lounge).
greene daySThe World Athletics Championships in
Daegu produced my biggest disappointment
of the year, as Usain Bolt false-started
his way out of the 100m. For me, there is
no more watchable athlete on the planet.
But it’s not the pre-race histrionics that
suck me in; it’s the sight of him in full flight.
This is the human body in excelsis, every bit
as wondrous as a cheetah at full pelt.
But Daegu was also the venue for what,
unexpectedly, was my favourite sporting
moment of 2011. In truth, I wouldn’t usually
tune in specifically to watch the 400m
hurdles. I had to do it once at my school’s
sports day, and it took me almost a quarter
of an hour, climbing over each hurdle like a
fence in the absence of the propulsion
needed for an actual jump. Anyway, it’s
invariably some lanky American wearing
a less-than aerodynamic gold chain and
wraparound glasses from The Terminator
that wins it, right? Well this year they were
all beaten by Dai Greene as he shocked all
but himself by taking gold. Looking back,
he was never going to lose; with
the strength of character that
shone out through his eyes on
that final straight in South
Korea, how could he?
That last 50 metres
was what sport is
all about.
@davidflatman
day of his life: only, in
rory’s case, we were
all there to witness it
gone in 48 seconds: greene is
just a blur as he races to
flatman’s favourite sporting
moment of the year
7 DaysDEC 16–22 HIGHLIGHTS
» Football: QPR v Manchester United » p50
» Boxing: Carl Froch v Andre Ward » p52
» Champions League: Last 16 draw » p52
» Snowboarding: LG FIS World Cup » p53
» Best of the Rest » p53OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
Revenge missionSunday RUGBy UNION | HEINEKEN CUP: TOULOUSE v HARLEQUINS | STADE ERNEST WALLON | SKy SPORTS 1 3PM
48 | December 16 2011 |
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So the winning run is finally over, then.
What went wrong against Toulouse?
“We never really got ourselves going. It’s
disappointing, but the physicality they
brought was effective, and they took their
chances on the day. Their discipline was
good, too, so we didn’t really get a chance.”
Do you think you can beat them in France?
“It’s definitely going to be tough. The aim
in the Heineken Cup is normally to win your
home games, but we know we have to win
there to get out of our group. Hopefully we
can come up with a few ideas to exploit them,
and at least do ourselves a bit more justice.”
Why have Quins started the season so well?
“We weren’t missing as many key players as
some teams, so we knew we had to start
well, and we’ve just kept going because
we’ve set ourselves high standards. We’re
also playing with more control and cutting
out the silly passes, so we’re happy to go
through the phases and break teams down.”
How key is Nick Evans to the team?
“He’s pretty special. He’s definitely the best
fly half in the Premiership, and to have
that kind of player in your team really
inspires the younger lads. He’s
instrumental to our success.”
After Harlequins’ unbeaten run finally came to
an end last week, captain Chris Robshaw tells us
how his side are looking for some French revenge
And then it’s Saracens in the Big Game 4
after Christmas. Looking forward to it?
“yeah, it’s always a special occasion. As
a player, you don’t get many chances to
play in front of 80,000 fans, so you have to
make the most of it. Of course, having the
X Factor contestants perform and all that
stuff adds something for the fans, plus
it’s a London derby. And it’s first versus
second – so it should be a special day out.”
The Big Game 4 is at Twickenham
on December 27. For info, visit
thebiggame.co.uk. To buy tickets,
go to ticketmaster.co.uk
7 Days
Saturday Boxing | Carl FroCh v andre Ward | atlantiC City | Sky SportS 1 midnight
Friday FootBall | ChampionS league knoCkout draW | nyon, SWitzerland Sky SportS neWS 10.30am
Cobra timeIt’s a
knockout!
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52 | December 16 2011 |
For once, the group stages of the Champions League threw up some surprises, so it’s a somewhat
unfamiliar line-up heading into the last 16. Group winners can only meet second-placed sides,
and they cannot play teams from their own group or country at this stage. Arsenal and (eventually)
Chelsea topped their respective groups, so we take a look at the teams they could come up against...
Napoli admirably navigated the Group of Death, losing just once, to Bayern Munich. Edinson Cavani (four goals) and Marek Hamsik’s attacking flair make Napoli a very un-Italian proposition going forward, and neither English club would relish a trip to Naples.
CSKA Moscow beat Inter at the San Siro in the last game to scrape qualification with just eight points. They rely heavily on Seydou Doumbia, who scored five of their nine group goals. A lengthy away journey, but this is probably the dream draw for AVB and Arsene Wenger.
Basel proved they are a trickier proposition than many make out with their win over Manchester United last week – the ageing frontline of Alexander Frei (five goals in five games) and Marco Streller are capable of causing problems, although their 10 goals conceded is more than anyone left in the competition.
Lyon had scored only two goals in the group before their bizarre 7-1 destruction of Dinamo Zagreb. Two 0-0 draws with Ajax and an aggregate defeat of 6-0 to Real Madrid indicate that this Lyon are not as strong as the side of old.
Zenit St Petersburg collected seven points at home and conceded just one goal, so the away leg could be tricky. They will have just emerged from the depths of their winter break when the ties are played, so could lack match sharpness, but they’ve kept three consecutive clean sheets in Europe.
AC Milan are surely the horror scenario for Arsenal and Chelsea, despite collecting only nine points in their group. They were magnificent in both Barcelona games and were unlucky to collect just a point, and two late goals conceded in the meaningless final fixture against Plzen served to lower their total.
Marseille failed to score against both Arsenal and Olympiakos at home, and are struggling domestically (eighth in Ligue 1) too. Still, the fast and powerful Loic Remy and Andre Ayew could threaten Chelsea’s defence, which has been far from solid this term.
Bayer Leverkusen won all their home games but only collected one point away – and that was at Genk. They did beat Chelsea, though, and the physicality of Swiss forward Eren Derdiyok could cause Arsenal problems.
The Europa League draw follows the Champions League draw. Groups are yet to be decided as we
go to press, but Manchester’s giants can look forward to the likes of Legia Warsaw and Hannover 96
Hard handshakes, hard stares and dismissive references
to his rival’s “feather-duster
punches” – Carl Froch has gone
out of his way to get under
andre Ward’s skin. there’s
a reason for the ken dodd
comparison: unbeaten
super-middleweight and
olympic gold-medallist Ward is
arguably the finest boxer ‘the
Cobra’ has ever faced, and
luring him into a brawl is to
the nottingham-born tough
guy’s advantage.
that said, Froch has a height
and reach advantage and may
look to work off the long,
snaking jab that was so effective
for him against arthur abraham
in 2010. unfortunately, Ward is
nowhere near as static a target
as abraham. the sharp, stylish
american has an array of skills,
including a strong in-fighting
game (where he isn’t averse to
sticking his head in and playing
rough). Froch’s strengths lie in
his superb condition, granite
chin and an unbreakable will to
win. Whether he can bring that
to bear against a gifted opponent
seven years his junior is the
tantalising question that makes
this unification showdown an
unmissable contest.
Cobra time
Warsteiner International KG
Phone +49 (2902) 88-8888
www.warsteiner.com
A WORLD CLASS PILSENER
■ No. 1 Imported Premium Pilsener
among the German private breweries
■ Enjoyed in more than 60 countries
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You are passionateabout something. So are we!
BEST OF THE REST
Saturday
CRICKET
South Africa v Sri Lanka:
First Test Day 3
Centurion, Sky Sports 4 8.30am
FOOTBALL SPL: Aberdeen v Hibernian
Pittodrie, ESPN 12pm
HORSE RACING The Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle
Ascot, Channel 4 3.35pm
RUGBY UNION Heineken Cup: Leinster v Bath
Aviva Stadium, Sky Sports 1 6pm
BOXING Welterweight: Kell Brook v Luis Galazar
Atlantic City, Sky Sports 1 12am
WINTER SPORTS Luge World Cup: Men’s Run 2
Calgary, British Eurosport 12am
NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Dallas Cowboys
Raymond James Stadium, Sky Sports 3 1am
Sunday CRICKET Bangladesh v Pakistan: Second Test
Day 2, Dhaka, Sky Sports 4 3.30am
GOLF Thailand Golf Championship Day 4
Chonburi, Sky Sports 3, 6.30am
RUGBY UNION Heineken Cup: Munster v Scarlets
Thomond Park, Sky Sports 2 1pm
DARTS World Darts Championship Day 4
Alexandra Palace, Sky Sports 1 7pm
FOOTBALL Serie A: Napoli v AS Roma
ESPN 7.45pm
Monday CRICKET South Africa v Sri Lanka: First Test
Day 5, Centurion, Sky Sports 2 8.30am
FOOTBALL Championship:
Crystal Palace v Birmingham,
Selhurst Park, Sky Sports 1 7.45pm
EQUESTRIAN Olympia Horse Show, Olympia
Grand Prix, London, British Eurosport 9pm
NFL San Francisco v Pittsburgh
Candlestick Park, ESPN 1.30am
tueSday
DARTS World Darts Championship Day 6
Alexandra Palace, Sky Sports 2 7pm
FOOTBALL Serie A: Cagliari v AC Milan
Stadio Sant’Elia, ESPN 7.45pm
CRICKET Bangladesh v Pakistan: Second Test
Day 4, Mirpur, Sky Sports 4 3.30am
WedneSday
FOOTBALL Serie A: Inter Milan v Lecce
San Siro, ESPN 7.45pm
Je
an
-Pie
rre
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tot/
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| 53
Saturday > SNOWBOARD WORLD CUP | DECEMBER 17, RUKA, FINLAND | BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 11PM; DECEMBER 22, TELLURIDE, USA | BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 3.30PM
Chairman of the board
next summer, england’s football team will have to travel something
like 5,000 miles as they attempt to negotiate the group stages of the
European Championships. Spare a thought, then, for competitors
taking part in the LG FIS Snowboard World Cup, which is held in a total
of15 different countries and is yet to visit the US, Finland, Italy and
Switzerland, where it comes to a close in January.
Britain’s Jamie Nicholls (above) will be in action in the halfpipe –
which resumes in Ruka, Finland – having just missed out on a medal in
front of his home crowd after coming fourth in the 53-man field at
London’s Battersea Power Station in October. The 18-year-old’s
turn was the best ever big air performance by a British rider.
Elsewhere in the field, look out for Australian Nathan Johnstone,
the defending men’s halfpipe champion, who currently sits eighth on
the leaderboard; and China’s Xuetong Cai – in third – who holds the
ladies’ title. Failing that, sit back and enjoy a few backside buttslides.
Oh, and if it’s snowing come the weekend, do not try this at home.
Extra time Kit
54 | December 16 2011 |
Making the most of your time and money
P58
Strings attached, oh yeah!
It’s the Gibson Firebird X,
and it’s revolutionary...
Boardman women’scycle helmet£60 | halfords.com
Pedal gear. Solid.
Imagine how awesome the BMX Bandits
would have looked if they’d had this stuff
MFX Elite Series padded shorts£18 | sportsdirect.com
Louis Garneau Revo XR3 road shoe£90 | evanscycles.com
Team Sky 2011 short-sleeve jersey£43 | evanscycles.com
Louis Garneau Sotchi gloves£40 | evanscycles.com
Dare2b Verticity cycle jacket£40 | halfords.com
56 | December 16 2011 |
Christmas Horn
| 57
Ro
ry G
ull
an
Sophie Horn is something of a favourite at Sport magazine. She’s perhaps the busiest girl in golf
this year, what with her constant magazine and
TV work, not to mention a Twitter presence
that many would class as a full-time job in itself.
The four-handicapper, who grew up at a golf club
owned by her parents, is a regular fixture on celebrity
and charity circuits, and is now branching into golf
fashion with her own brand of belts (the Horn belt)
made by Druh Belts.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Sophie has also
produced a 2012 calendar that will see many a forlorn,
lonely, single golfer through the whole of the next
year. And if anyone questions her golfing credentials,
this is the girl who was county under-21 champion at
the age of 15 and eventually county champion three
years in succession. She can play, the Horn.
Get the Horn belt at dbbelts.com. Calendars from
glamourgirlcalendars.com/sophiehorn
Extra time Sophie Horn
Gibson Firebird XCould this be the most technologically advanced
guitar ever made? Quite possibly, for this limited-
edition instrument has a wide range of
revolutionary features. It lets you select
and control effects from the body of
the guitar, it can tune itself with
inbuilt robo-tuners, and you can
instantly post your riffs to Facebook,
Twitter or YouTube. Okay, we might
have made that last one up.
£3,299 | gibson.com
Beats Studio by Dr Dre headphonesWhen he’s not busy writing prescriptions,
performing complicated surgery or forging
medical qualifications, Dr Dre designs quality
headphones. And these are no exception. They
have advanced noise-cancellation technology
and, equally exciting, a mute button.
£187 | pixmania.co.uk
T-Mobile VivacityStill stubbornly refusing to relinquish your Nokia
3310? It’s time to let go of the monochrome
screen, leave behind your Snake II high score
and move into the world of smartphones. This
affordable option runs Android Gingerbread 2.3,
a horrifying robot-bakery operating system.
£99 PAYG | tmobile.co.uk/shop
Watch2PayAre you in so much of a rush that you don’t
even have time to pull a card out of your
pocket, let alone type in your PIN? Then this
watch with contactless payment tech might be
for you. A total gimmick? You bet. But buying
lunch from Pret never looked so cool.
£99 | watch2pay.co.uk
This week, a guitar that tunes
itself, some medically approved
headphones... and, yes, David
Hasselhoff’s in-car hands-free kit
Extra time Gadgets
58 | December 16 2011 |
Future music
Parrot MiniKit+Offering true hands-free synchronisation with
smartphones, this device lets you make and
receive calls, and can even read out texts.
So get a friend to text you and persuade other
people your car is KITT from Knight Rider.
£70 | halfords.com
DeoDorantRalph Lauren The Big Pony CollectionWhile the rest of the world
went crazy with new
deodorants promising 48, 72
and even 96-hour ‘freshness’,
Ralph Lauren took the
old-fashioned route of
releasing a range that looked
sensational and smelled
great. Simple but effective,
and our favourite launch of
the entire year.
July | £15 each | selfridges.com
FragranceMarc Jacobs Splash Curacao 300mlSummer seems a long time
ago now, but no fragrance
captured its mood better than
this soft, watery scent from
Marc Jacobs. A staggeringly
refreshing blend opens with
an enduring note of orange,
with violet, pear and apricot
leading into a base of white
moss and musk. Top of the
fragrance shop for 2011.
April | £48 | houseoffraser.co.uk
Haircarelabel.m Honey & Oat ShampooThe manuka honey in this
new release from label.m not
only smells great, but also
helps repair cell damage,
transforming dry and
dehydrated hair into a soft
and lustrous thatch. Throw
in the stylish packaging, and
this shampoo is comfortably
our pick of 2011.
July | £11.50 | labelm.co.uk
SHavingGillette Fusion ProGlide Power RazorGillette kicked off 2011 in
style with the launch of their
excellent new Fusion ProGlide
razor. The manual version was
fine, but the real star of the
show was the ProGlide Power
– which came with a special
microcomb to help guide hair
to the five super-fine blades.
Very much the Rolls Royce of
modern shavers.
January | £12.99 | boots.com
teetHOral B Pro Expert ToothpasteSomething of a leftfield
category, but the ladies
always look at a man’s teeth
– and this new superpaste,
the first to combine
stannous fluoride with the
Polyphosphtae System (no,
us neither) stands head,
shoulders and gnashers
above every other paste on
the market. A July miracle.
July | £3.49 | boots.com
inDulgenceSisleyum for Men Anti-age Global RevitalizerA first foray into the men’s
market for Parisian luxury
cosmetics brand Sisley back in
March, and one we very much
approved of. This anti-ageing
moisturiser may be more than
10 times the price of L’Oreal’s
impressive Vita Lift 5 (next
up), but if you have the cash to
burn you won’t find a better
formula on the market.
March | £150 |
houseoffraser.co.uk
SkincareL’Oreal Men Expert Vita Lift 5 Complete Anti-ageing Daily MoisturiserAnd not just for recruiting
Hugh Laurie as the face of the
ad campaign, although we did
like that. L’Oreal’s latest new
moisturising formula,
enriched with Pro Retinol and
ginseng, is both easy to apply
and effective – two things
that men across the nation
will always appreciate.
October | £12.99 |
Available nationwide
60 | December 16 2011 |
Best in show
For our last issue of the year, we name
our favourite male grooming launches of
2011 – starting with the best of the lot
rangeBaylis & Harding Fairtrade CollectionSome good new ranges have
launched this year, including
the excellent NGT by Nougat
London for Men, but this
fairtrade bath and bodycare
set from Baylis & Harding gets
the vote for its philanthropical
edge. Each purchase benefits
farmers’ co-operatives in
Pakistan and Nicaragua, not
to mention your skin.
June | £3 each |
baylisandharding.com
sport’S proDuct
oF tHe year
Extra time Grooming
Fu
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top
Ph
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Subject to availability. Selected UK stores. Delivery charges may apply online. Clubcard Points: Minimum spend to qualify for Clubcard points is £1. See in store or www.tesco.com/clubcard for full details and terms.
Better than
Half Price
3-340 Male Shaver
Online no: 207-8369
• Advanced 3-stage cutting system
• SensoFoil captures hairs growing in different directions
• Shaves long hairs and stubble progressively closer
• For use in and out of shower
eeee
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OOOOOOOOnn ll ii nn ee nn oo :: 22 00 77 -- 88 33 66 99
£106.97
£49.97
£42.47
Ice Bear Kieran Mulvaney
If the Frozen Planet series piqued
your interest in the world’s largest
land predators, Ice Bear is for you.
This fascinating book by the leader
of three Arctic expeditions covers
all aspects of the polar bear: its
life, past and uncertain future. The
text gels perfectly with some amazing pictures of
the cuddly beasts – and it’s out in paperback on
January 5 (or in hardback now, if you can’t wait).
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of ShadowsGuy Ritchie’s reinvention of the great fictional sleuth was a global
smash, but this wasn’t Sherlock Holmes of your dad’s generation.
Rather, Richie created a sort of steampunk Iron Man, with Robert
Downey Jr’s Holmes using his inventions and razor-sharp mind to
assault bad guys more often than solve mysteries. The director
delivers more of the same in A Game of Shadows, pitting Holmes
against criminal mastermind Moriarty, but relying more on humour
and quickfire action than a brain-teasing plot. Thankfully, Downey Jr
and Jude Law have a natural chemistry together, while the most
eagerly awaited addition to the cast is Stephen Fry as the
intellectual Mycroft Holmes (who refers to his little brother as
“Shirley”). Hardly subtle, but this looks like another damn fun ride.
The Killing II
Tenacious crime-solver and walking
knitwear catalogue Sarah Lund
returned to the BBC of late for a
10-part second series. The run-time
is crucial as, superb as the original
was, a 20-hour duration really did
stretch the concept. The Killing II
covers similar themes to series one – a gruesome
murder with a political edge – but is taut and better
paced. Beneath the murky surface, there’s also
plenty here about cultural unease in modern-day
Denmark, but you don’t have to give a hoot about that
to relish this twisting thriller. Out on DVD on Monday.
+- Joy Divison
Next week sees a CD
release for this boxset
containing remastered
versions of all 10
Joy Division singles.
Ultimate first-dance
wedding song Love Will
Tear Us Apart may be
the band’s iconic track,
but Atmosphere and
Transmission still retain
their haunting brilliance
30 years on – and the
B-sides are a rare treat.
Grand Theft Auto 3 iOS, Android
The greatest Grand
Theft Auto game of all
screeches on to tablets
and smartphones this
week, 10 years after its
original release. Epic in
scope and revolutionary
as an open-world game,
it’s truly blowing our
minds that it now costs
just £2.99 to have the
chance to steal virtual
police cars and run
down pedestrians. This
truly is progress, folks.
The Dreamer/The Believer Common
It’s hard to marry the idea of Common – the socially
conscious rapper – telling us he wants his woman
“butt naked in the kitchen flipping pancakes”, but this
new album finds the Chicago native in playful form.
Stand-out track is Sweet, which
features a bouncing No ID beat.
Far from the most profound
Common production, but the
glee in his voice transmits
straight to your tapping toes.
62 | December 16 2011 |
MUSIC
Detective works
Sherlock Holmes, Sarah Lund and
tracking down the majestic polar bear
FILM
DVD
BOOK MUSIC GAME
Ch
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Ga
lla
y/G
ett
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ma
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Die
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Extra time Entertainment
EAU DE LACOSTE L .12 .12T H E L A C O S T E P O L O S H I R T I N A F R A G R A N C E C O L L E C T I O N