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Preview Day Six: New heights and first trophy up for grabs
Join the action from 10.00am local time as Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen face off in the first women’s singles semi-final encounter. A repeat of the 2015 final – on that occasion the “Queen of Hearts” came out on top in a full distance affair but who will take the plaudits this time around?
Then at 11.00am Chen Meng and Wang Manyu will fight it out in a match that will produce a first time finalist. Across their nine previous meetings it is Chen who holds the stronger record with six wins to her name, but don’t be surprised if Wang causes a few issues for the second seed.
Another all-China affair awaits us at 12.00pm as defending champion Ma Long attempts to hold off third seed Lin Gaoyuan in the last eight of the men’s singles draw. The second quarter-final is scheduled for 1.00pm with Liang Jingkun, who knocked out top seed Fan Zhendong in the previous round, looking to get the better of Japan’s Koki Niwa in their first head-to-head encounter on the international stage.
Keep your eyes glued to the screen at 2.00pm as the first gold medal match of the 2019 World Championships will be contested as the mixed doubles tournament draws to a close. Champions in 2017 can Japan’s Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa successfully defend the title or will the trophy end up in the hands of China’s Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen?
Following a break in play we have the two remaining quarter-final fixtures in the men’s singles race: two of the surprise athletes in Budapest, France’s Simon Gauzy and Sweden’s Mattias Falck will do battle at 6.00pm aiming to become the first European to reach the last four since Timo Boll’s semi-final finish in 2011 while a player from Korea Republic will celebrate success at 7.00pm but will it be no.10 seed Jang Woojin or qualifier An Jaehyun?
Ma Long and Wang Chuqin will pair up in the first semi-final of the men’s doubles event as they meet fellow compatriots Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan in an exciting tie at 8.00pm. History will be made in the day’s concluding match as Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia and Joao Monteiro prepare to face Spain’s Alvaro Robles and Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu at 9.00pm – will it be Portugal or Spain that reaches a final for the first time?
Be sure to watch the action unfold live with itTV and follow the live blog throughout the course of the day for all the latest from Budapest.
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Incredible upsets and records rewritten. Day 5 at the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships defied the odds again and again and again.
FAN ZHENDONG LEADS LINE OF SHOCK EXITS
The elimination of world no. 1 FAN Zhendong (CHN) at the hands of no. 9 and compatriot LIANG Jingkun in six sensational games (11-5, 4-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11) sent shockwaves around the world of sport, with many expecting the 2017 finalist to stage the most serious threat of all to MA Long’s Men’s Singles title.
An elimination in the round of 16 seemed inconceivable, especially when FAN started strong to claim the first game, only to lose the next three as LIANG powered his way back into the contest and eventually booked a quarter-final place against Koki NIWA (JPN).
CHANCES TAKEN AND CHANCES SQUANDERED
The exit of world no. 2 XU Xin on the previous day left world no. 4 Tomokazu HARIMOTO (JPN) as the highest ranked player left on his side of the draw. Presented with a golden opportunity – in the eyes of many – to reach the final of the event in Budapest, he too came undone in his match against AN Jaehyun (KOR) positioned 157th.
Once more, the 19-year-old defied his ranking and sealed his seventh win of the week since emerging from the qualification rounds. Against HARIMOTO, he won 4-2 (11-7, 3-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9), a result which left his 15-year-old opponent tearful at the end, perhaps realising the opportunity missed to go much further in the competition.
On the other side of the draw, Chinese duo LIN Gaoyuan (world no. 3) and MA Long (no. 11) romped to 4-0 and 4-1 victories over JEOUNG Youngsik (KOR) and Hugo CALDERANO (BRA) respectively, taking their chances to secure spots in the final eight.
A EUROPEAN IN THE SEMI-FINAL, BUT NOT TIMO BOLL
Sad news broke in the morning that 38-year-old table tennis legend Timo BOLL (GER) was forced to withdraw from the Men’s Singles competition (and later too the Men’s Doubles) due to a fever, thus leaving JANG Woojin (KOR) a clear path to the quarter-final.
Despite that, Day 5 was largely a positive day for European players. World no. 6 LEE Sangsu (KOR) succumbed to the mighty Mattias FALCK (SWE), the no. 16 continuing his stunning run of form on the international stage. A semi-finalist at the ITTF World Tour Qatar Open and runner-up at the ITTF Challenge Plus Oman Open, both played last month, FALCK is now in the quarter-final of the world’s biggest event of the year, where he will face Simon GAUZY (FRA).
The hero of Day 4, by virtue of his epic victory over XU Xin, GAUZY defeated WANG Yang (SVK) in straight games. Now the Frenchman will battle it out with FALCK in a bid to become the first European player to reach the semi-finals of a World Championships since Timo BOLL in 2011.
HISTORY TOO FOR SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
Two new countries will be added to the list of World Championships medal winners with Spain and Portugal guaranteeing their place on the Men’s Doubles podium.
Alvaro ROBLES (ESP) and Ovidiu IONESCU (ROU) ran out 4-0 winners in their encounter against Mattias FALCK and Kristian Karlsson (SWE) (11-5, 11-7, 13-11, 11-9), while Tiago Apolonia and Joao Monteiro (POR) progressed by default following the withdrawal of Timo BOLL and Patrick FRANZISKA (GER).
The fact that the aforementioned European winners will face one another in the next round means that another record will be written, as one of Spain or Portugal will reach a final for the very first time!
CHINA’S FINEST INTO WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL FOUR
World no. 1 DING Ning, no. 3 CHEN Meng, no. 4 WANG Manyu and no. 5 LIU Shiwen: China’s four highest ranked participants at this year’s World Championships booked their places in Friday morning’s semi-finals.
DING continued her title defence with victory over no. 9 Miu HIRANO (JPN) in five games (11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-9), CHEN accounted for DOO Hoi Kem (HKG) 4-2, WANG defeated compatriot SUN Yingsha by the same scoreline, while LIU saw off Miyu KATO (JPN) 4-1.
Following yesterday’s exits of Mima ITO and Kasumi ISHIKAWA (JPN), today’s results complete a disappointing couple of days for the Japanese camp, who had hoped to challenge China’s best female players for major medals, but now the latter nation is guaranteed to lockout the podium in the Women’s Singles competition once more.
JAPAN VS CHINA IN MIXED & WOMEN’S DOUBLES FINALS
If China reigns supreme in the Women’s Singles, Japan do remain in the hunt for top prizes in the Mixed and Women’s Doubles finals.
Kasumi ISHIKAWA and Maharu YOSHIMURA (JPN) will take on XU Xin and LIU Shiwen (CHN) in Friday’s Mixed Doubles final (14.00 GMT+2) having defeated Petrissa SOLJA and Patrick FRANZISKA (GER) 4-1. XU and LIU saw off the threat of fellow Chinese pair, FAN Zhendong and DING Ning, who ended their debut Mixed Doubles campaign with Bronze.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Doubles, there is also the guarantee of a Japan vs China final: Saturday’s semi-finals will see Japan’s Hina HAYATA and Mima ITO take on compatriots Honoka HASHIMOTO and Hitomi SATO, while CHEN Meng and ZHU Yuling face SUN Yingsha and WANG Manyu in a bid to challenge for Gold.
THE SCENT OF SILVERWARE!
If Day 5 will live long in the memory, more incredible matches are in store for Day 6, as players start to target the major prizes on offer this weekend in Budapest.
Tune in to itTV to make sure you don’t miss any of the action!
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Impressive in Budapest, learning from European experiences
It was a third appearance for the 27 year old in the tournament, having competed in Rotterdam in 2011 and two years later in Paris; one of his aims, in addition to reaching the main draw of major tournaments, being to raise the profile of table tennis in Latin America.
“I think with what Hugo Calderano has done, this has given a lot of us in Latin America hope that we can be among the best in the world. Who could have imagined that a Latin American player will be among the top 10 ranked players; it has happened and this for me is what is driving us in that region of the world. We must believe in ourselves and not to give up even when we are set up against some of the best players in the world.” Jorge Campos
Over the years Cuba has excelled in the world of athletics and boxing, medals abundant.
“In Cuba, the most popular sports are baseball and boxing, when I was young I wanted to play baseball because it is the national sport in Cuba. However, when I tried table tennis, I fell in love with the sport and I was given the opportunity to sharpen my skills in Sweden for three years through the support of an ITTF Scholarship. For three years I was in Köping in Sweden honing my skills. I believe going to Sweden was a big step in my career as it opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities in the sport,” Jorge Campos
Currently Jorge Campos is the number two national player in Cuba behind Andy Pereira and plies his trade in the fifth division of the German Bundesliga with TTC Kist.
“After returning from Sweden, I spent some years in Cuba before moving to Germany where I had played for three seasons. There is no doubt this has again given me the chance to meet several players with various styles. It is always good to test against other players to be able to assess yourself and continue to work hard on your weaknesses.” Jorge Campos
Eyes on ending the year in top 100, Jorge Campos is also looking forward to this year’s Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in which he is targeting to win a medal for Cuba.
“I am looking forward to the Pan-Am Games in Peru as this will give me the chance to prove what I can do.” Jorge Campos
Notably, Jorge Campos hopes to enroll in a college this September to pursue his education alongside playing table tennis.
“Table tennis has given me a lot of opportunities in life especially it has taken me to various countries and I have experienced different cultures. I have also made friends through the sport and this for me has been the icing on the cake.” Jorge Campos
In October 2018, Ross Wilson claimed the men’s class 8 World title in Celje, Slovenia beating double Paralympic champion Zhao Shuai from China in the final, six months after winning the men’s class 6-10 Commonwealth title on Australia’s Gold Coast.
In his short but illustrious career, he has also won Paralympic team bronze medals in both London and Rio and taken European medals in 2011, 2015 and 2017 despite a series of injuries that kept him out of competition for two years following London 2012.
“It is brilliant. I walk through these halls every day so to be on the wall with so many fantastic athletes is something I’ll be proud of forever. We work so hard and for so many hours and I couldn’t do it without all of the support of people at the EISS, the support staff, coaches and everyone involved. Seeing my photo on the wall with all of the champions at the EIS is going to motivate me even more and hopefully I can add a few more major titles.” Ross Wilson
British Para Table Tennis Performance Director, Gorazd Vecko, has watched Wilson grow from talented teenager to World champion.
“Ross totally deserves this honour. We knew the talent was there for a long time and that he would get to where he is now to be the World champion and to have the chance to take a singles medal in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. When we set up the new programme in 2009 I was very happy that Ross was finally diagnosed in 2010 and he could start to play Para table tennis for Great Britain. In London 2012 he lost in the semi-finals of the singles 3-2 to Zhao, who was the best player of the time. This is the closest he has come so far in the singles at a Paralympics but we know he has a huge talent and he was a very important part of winning bronze medals in the team event in London and Rio.
I am very happy for Ross. He is a really hard working athlete and has put aside his personal life to dedicate himself to the sport. He is a great athlete and a great role model for Para table tennis and I really admire him and what he has done in his career. This is not the finish for Ross, there will be a lot more major titles in the future for him.” Gorazd Vecko
Paul Hudson, head of sport and leisure at Sheffield International Venues, which operates the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, was equally pleased.
“We’re delighted that Ross has received deserved recognition for his career achievements to date. At 23, he’s achieved so much but still has so much more to offer, and I’m excited to see where his career will take him next.”
Ma Long beats Lin Gaoyuan 11-8, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
Focused, Ma Long was quick to seize the advantage; the opening game secured with a degree of authority. Success in the opening game for Ma Long, it was the same in the second, the points brief, serve, receive and first attack the crucial elements.
In the third game Ma Long established an 8-7 lead. He called “Time Out”; the benefit of hindsight underlined a wise move but one wondered if necessary. He won the next point, eventually won the game.
Stopping the Ma Long juggernaut, Lin Gaoyuan made errors as he tried to seize the opportunity. Trailing 2-5 in the fourth game, he elected for “Time Out”. Ma Long was now in total command, he won the next five points. At his third attempt, he secured victory.
Chen Meng beats Wang Manyu 11-5, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8
The more powerful player, Chen Meng secured the opening game. In the second, focusing her attacking play on many occasions towards the forehand of Wang Manyu, Chen Meng doubled her advantage.
Unusually when receiving service and playing a forehand top spin, Wang Manyu stand in a very square position, her feet parallel to the table.
Chen Meng secured the third game 11-5 after it had been parity at 4-all; in the fifth game she went ahead 5-4, Wang Manyu called “Time Out”. It was to prove to no avail; at 10-7 Chen Meng held three match points, she converted at the second attempt.
Thus Chen Meng underlined her liking for playing Wang Manyu in Budapest; earlier this year in January she beat Wang Manyu at the semi-final stage of the women’s singles event at the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open.
Response from Ding Ning
Ding Ning reflects on her defeat
“I think today Liu Shiwen did not enter into the match rhythm very quickly. Actually in the second game, I was behind but I dealt with some crucial points to take game two.
From Game three, Liu Shiwen made a lot high quality shots when both attacking and defending. Her speed was also super fast, which gave me a lot of pressure. I could not find solutions to counter her speed. I tried to accelerate but she came back with faster. She became more and more relaxed when the match entered into her rhythm.” Ding Ning
Liu Shiwen reflects
Success for Liu Shiwen, she gave her thoughts
“When I was 0-2 down, especially when I led in the second game but Ding Ning managed to come back, I felt I have no other way. I just focus point by point. First, there is a specific rule stating that we cannot play 11-0. Second, Ding Ning is a very strong player. I do not dare to relax even a little bit. Third, this is also a way to respect the opponent.” Ding Ning
Reign ends: Liu Shiwen beats Ding Ning 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-0, 11-2
Ding Ning made the better start; in the opening game she went ahead 5-1; it was a lead she never relinquished. She secured the game 11-6. In the second she trailed 6-9, before the determination shone through, five points in a row gave her a two games to nil lead. Stung Liu Shiwen established an early lead in the third game; this time the advantage was not relinquished; deficit down to one game.
Fast close to the table play; if they had turned the table the other way around and played across the arena there would have been enough space!
Positioning herself very much at the centre of the table to cover any angle Ding Ning may achieve wide to the forehand, Liu Shiwen captured the fourth game; parity.
A rhythm established, not an error in sight, Liu Shiwen created a sight never been seen before; in the fifth game Ding Ning did not win a single point! The momentum was with Liu Shiwen, her consistency remarkable.
In the sixth game Liu Shiwen made the better start, she went ahead 4-2, Ding Ning called “Time Out”. The break worked in favour of Liu Shiwen, she did not lose another point.
Unusually, Ding Ning rarely used her favoured tomahawk serving technique.
The reign of Ding Ning was over; a new name is set to be added to the name of the women’s singles title holders.
Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen start the day
Former Russian international and at the time the Netherlands’ coach, Elena Timina remarked “every girl who lays table tennis should watch the recording of that match”. It was the women’s singles final at the Qoros 2015 World Championships in Suzhou when at the start of the vital seventh game, Ding Ning twisted her ankle, took a 1o minute injury break and then showed two facets that made her the champion.
Virtually playing on one foot, she displayed immense character and vastly important, she adapted.
However, also do not forget in three consecutive ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, starting in 2011, Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen met in the women’s singles gold medal contest. On each occasion Liu Shiwen won
Action underway
Here we go, it’s time for Day Six to get underway – for detailed information take a look at the fixture schedule below:
Preview Day Six
See what’s coming up on Day Six with our quick preview article:
Preview Day Six: New heights and first trophy up for grabs
Bernadette Szocs x TATA Trickshot
Watch Bernadette Szocs take on the TATA Trickshot three doors challenge:
Farag fightback foils Momen in epic El Gouna battle
Ali Farag and Tarek Momen locked in another magnificent battle at the marina
World champion edges home on fifth match ball
By MATT COLES
World champion Ali Farag completed a stunning comeback from two games down to beat Tarek Momen in the semi-finals of the El Gouna Open.
It was a thrilling battle as Farag fought back to win the third and fourth games. He held match ball at 10-6 in the fifth but then it was Momen’s turn to show his spirit as he pulled back to 10-10. But this time there was no stopping Farag as he duly completed the job on his fifth match ball.
His victory in the final match of the evening means that both the men’s and women’s finals of the El Gouna International, PSA World Tour Platinum tournament will be all-Egyptian clashes, as Farag, Karim Abdel Gawad, Nouran Gohar and Raneem El Welily all tasted victory on the glass court at Abu Tig Marina.
World No.1 Farag is into the final for the second year in a row after a sensational scrap against World No.3 Momen in a repeat of March’s PSA World Championship final, winning 9-11, 2-11, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10 in 84 minutes.
Farag, 27, lost out to compatriot Marwan ElShorbagy in the final 12 months ago, and will have the chance to go a step further after denying Momen a place in a fourth successive PSA Tour final.
Farag revealed: “I couldn’t be more proud of today. I didn’t start the game badly, but by the end of the first, and then the entirety of the second game, he was standing in front of me.
“He did so for the whole game really, and I couldn’t get the ball back in the deep corners. I have to say thanks to Karim [Darwish] and Nour [El Tayeb] in my corner.
“You know, some days, some people make the difference. Today, looking at my brother who I haven’t seen for a while, he gave me the energy which made all the difference and I am really happy to be through.
“Tarek played really well when he was down. He was attacking really well and he played both points so well. At 10-10, I told myself that it was not lost, and that we were still all even. All credit to Tarek, he never makes it easy but I am over the moon with the win and to be in another final here in El Gouna.”
Karim Abdel Gawad ends the run of wild card Fares Dessouky
Farag will aim to avenge his defeat to former World No.1 Gawad in the final of December’s Black Ball Open, with Gawad beating wildcard Fares Dessouky 5-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-1 to reach a second El Gouna International final.
Gawad fell to a one-game deficit and looked on the ropes as Dessouky looked to follow up a quarter-final scalp of World No.2 ElShorbagy. But he found his range towards the back end of the second and stayed out in front to earn his spot in the title decider.
Gawad said: “I didn’t play my best squash today. I feel that in the first game I was picking up the ball for him! So from the second on, I tried and forget about it and push as much as I could, and to stay as strong as I could mentally.
“It was a bit scrappy at times, but this is the outdoor conditions, squash is also an outdoor sport, and we are used to it. I also need to salute Fares, he is just back from an ACL injury, and the way he came back shows how strong and how professional he is.”
Nouran Gohar drives the ball against Camille Serme
Meanwhile, Gohar advanced to her first Platinum final since August 2016 after beating France’s Camille Serme in four games at Abu Tig Marina. The Egyptian last reached a final of a Platinum event at the Hong Kong Open and will have the chance to add a second Platinum title to her trophy haul after an 11-1, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4 triumph.
“I am feeling very happy right now, I cannot express what I feel at the moment. It’s my first final since 2016, but more importantly, I’m playing well again,” Gohar said.
“My game plan was to put as much pressure on her I could, but making sure I was as accurate as possible. Camille is physically so strong, I cannot reach the ball when she plays her short game, so I had to make sure I was as tight and precise as I could today.”
Her final opponent will be defending champion Raneem El Welily after she eased to a straight games victory over US No.1 Amanda Sobhy. She had won 10 of their 11 previous meetings against the American, with Sobhy’s only victory coming at the 2016 Tournament of Champions.
It was the American that started the stronger, as she controlled the first game. However, Welily saved two game balls as she won four straight points to turn the game around from 10-8 down to win it 12-10. The second and third games were much more comfortable for the World No.1.
Raneem El Welily weathers the storm against Amanda Sobhy
She secured her spot in the final for a second successive year, while she also made it to the final of the women’s PSA World Championships when they were held in El Gouna in 2017. The win also sees Welily move to 12 matches unbeaten, the longest run of her career.
“We are both shot makers so it was always going to be the one who moves to the front first. It was not easy, there was a lot of work involved,” El Welily explained.
“Obviously, winning 3-0 in 27 minutes is a great advantage as I will be fresh for tomorrow’s final. I’m very happy to play against Nouran, she played fantastic squash this week, she is a terrific player, we had a lot of great matches this season, and no doubt tomorrow will be another great battle.”
The action comes to a conclusion tomorrow as the finals take place at Abu Tig Marina. Play will start at 19:30 local time (GMT+2).
The finals will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent only).
El Gouna International Open 2019 (PSA men’s and women’s $176k tournaments), Abu Tig Marina, El Gouna, Egypt.
Men’s Semi-Finals:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [3] Tarek Momen (EGY) 9-11, 2-11, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10 (84m)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [WC] Fares Dessouky (EGY) 5-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-1 (68m)
Final:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Women’s Semi-Finals:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [13] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 (27m)
[8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [4] Camille Serme (FRA) 11-1, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4 (46m)
Final:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [8] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Pictures courtesy of
Jack Singleton: Saracens re-sign Worcester hooker on three-year deal
Worcester Warriors hooker Jack Singleton will rejoin Saracens this summer on a three-year deal.
He is to return to Allianz Park where he played for the Saracens academy before leaving in 2014.
"It's a homecoming for me," said 22-year-old Singleton. "It's the club I supported from a young age and used to watch regularly."
His departure follows the announcement that Worcester have signed hooker Matt Moulds from New Zealand side Blues.
Singleton will replace Christopher Tolofua in the Sarries squad, with the France international set to leave for Toulon.
He made his Premiership debut for Worcester in 2016, having impressed for the club in the A League and earned a call-up for England Under-20s.
He has also toured Argentina and South Africa with the senior England side and played in an uncapped match against the Barbarians but is yet to win a full cap.
"I'd like to thank Worcester for an incredible five years. They gave me the chance to progress as a player and have helped me develop immensely in that period. I'm extremely grateful to them," he said.
Saracens director of Rugby Mark McCall added: "We're pleased to have signed a player of Jack's quality; someone who knows the club well, having been in our academy.
"He has significantly progressed his rugby with Worcester and we are excited to see what more is to come."
'Why not?' - Gatland could coach England next, says Wales star Biggar
Fly-half Dan Biggar would not begrudge Wales head coach Warren Gatland taking the England job after he leaves his current post - but he expects the New Zealander to be in huge demand.
Gatland's 12-year Wales reign will end after the World Cup this autumn.
He has been linked with England and is also in the frame for a third stint as British and Irish Lions head coach.
"I am sure he won't be short of offers and be able to pick and choose what he wants to do," said Biggar.
"It depends how much England are going to pay him beforehand I think!"
Asked if he could imagine Gatland switching from Wales to their oldest rivals, Biggar added: "Why not?
"At the end of the day Gats is from New Zealand so in my opinion it's like if I went to coach in Australia for 10 years and then New Zealand came and offered me a job.
"My personal opinion is that it is not like I would be betraying Australia to go to New Zealand because I am not from there.
"Gats has been with Wales for so long and produced so much success that I am he sure he has a big affiliation to Wales.
"I suppose he is now unemployed after the World Cup and looking for a job. He is going to have the top clubs and teams after him because of what he has achieved.
"I am sure whatever he does he will be successful in the next chapter."
'Wales can't go under the radar'
The Northampton fly-half has won all of his 70 Wales caps under the New Zealander.
Biggar was used mainly as a replacement this season during the 14-match winning sequence, with only three starts, and provided match-winning contributions from the bench against Australia, France and England.
"Warren has been a big influence on my career," said Biggar.
"It is not as if I have been his go-to man throughout my entire career and it has taken me years.
"You have to earn Warren's trust. When he trusts you and you are a go-to guy, you know you are in a good place.
"It takes a fair bit to convince him and he knows what players' strengths are and he is a good man manager.
"He never gave some huge praise and he knows he wants to keep me hungry."
Six Nations success means Wales are currently ranked second in the world behind the All Blacks ahead of the World Cup in Japan.
"It would be very difficult to say we are going to try and go under the radar now - we are Grand Slam champions," said Biggar.
"There is so much time between now and then but we are going there, like every other team in that competition, to try and be the best team in that tournament."
Dan Biggar was talking on BBC Radio Northampton's The Saints Show to Graham McKechnie and Lennie Newman.
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Michael Self enters Friday’s ARCA Menards Series General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway on a hot streak.
After being involved in a crash duringthe opening laps of the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February, Self has rebounded with consecutive victories at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway and Indiana’s Salem Speedway.
The General Tire 200 at the 2.66-mile track provides Self with an opportunity to do a number of things. First, it provides him with an opportunity to move into the series point lead. He trails leader Travis Braden by five points.
Secondly, should Self perform well enough to earn a visit to victory lane at the superspeedway, he would become the first driver since Austin Theriault in 2017 to earn three consecutive ARCA victories.
Self admits that earning his third straight ARCA triumph will be difficult, especially when that opportunity comes at a track like Talladega.
“It’s so hard at Talladega to know. There is just so much that is out of your hands as a driver,” said Self, who has an ARCA superspeedway victory on his resume at Daytona in 2018. “It’s unrealistic to go in saying we’ve got a great a shot at a win this weekend. I mean, do we have a good shot? Sure, because we have great equipment, but it’s Talladega.
“We had a great car at Daytona and we ran 31st because I got wrecked on lap three. The same thing could just as easily happen this weekend.”
In addition to Self’s shot at three straight victories, his Venturini Motorsports squad enters the weekend with an opportunity to continue its dominant start to the year. In addition to Self’s victories at Five Flags and Salem, the Venturini operation won the opener at Daytona with Harrison Burton.
Self will be joined at Talladega by his full-time Venturini teammate Christian Eckes, who is returning to action after an illness sidelined him at Salem, as well as part-time competitor Brandon Lynn.
Can the trio continue Venturini’s winning ways? Self says it’s hard to say, but they’ll give it their best shot.
“They definitely have the resources to do it. All the parts are in place,” Self said. “I think that the three drivers that are going to be there, myself, Christian and Brandon, I think any one of us has the ability to do it, the skills and the knowledge to do it. It’s just going to be the circumstances and who we surround ourselves with on that day and what kind of place we can put ourselves in.”
If Self isn’t able to put his Sinclair-backed No. 25 Toyota in victory lane, he said he’ll be happy to simply escape Talladega unscathed. In some ways, that would be like a victory.
“I think this is one where I’m more like I just want to get past and not have a horrible day,” Self noted. “Salvage a good day if we can’t salvage a great day and get past this one and just move forward. Just avoid the carnage and try and hold where we’re at in the point standings at least. Not lose ground, maybe gain a little more if we can and move onto Nashville next weekend.”
INDIANAPOLIS – Before placing a commemorative bronze brick into Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed Yard of Bricks start/finish line on a rainy Thursday morning, legendary A.J. Foyt recalled what it was like back in the day to race on that surface.
The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner’s name and the four years he won The Greatest Spectacle in Racing – in 1961, ’64, ’67 and ’77 – are carved on the specially produced brick.
“All I can say is I won it with the whole straightaway of bricks,” said Foyt, 84, referring to his first win 58 years ago. “I won it with the Yard of Bricks. It was a lot better when they took the bricks up (and paved the front straight with asphalt) because it was rough. It would take the fillings out of your teeth when you’d run across them.”
Two more bricks, honoring fellow four-time Indy 500 winners Al Unser and Rick Mears, will be added at a later date.
“I’m glad to be the first one,” said Foyt, appropriate since he was the first four-time winner. “You always want to be first. That means a lot to me. I never was happy when I ran second or third. That was my whole life. I didn’t want to settle for second or third. I had to a lot, but I wasn’t happy about it.”
Hulman & Co. President and CEO Mark Miles, IMS President Doug Boles and brick creator Bud Tucker of IMS were on hand to unveil the brick.
Tucker used silicone bronze to create the 18-pound brick in the welding shop on IMS grounds. Foyt was also given an identical brick mounted in granite to take back home to Texas.
“I’m glad to have been a part of it,” said Tucker, who has worked at IMS as a welder and fabricator for 15 years. “His legacy will go on. As an artist, that’s what I wanted to make sure of.”
Boles explained how this new tradition was a twist from 1909, when Indiana Gov. Thomas Marshall helped IMS founding partner Carl Fisher place a commemorative brick at the start/finish line when the original 3.2 million paving bricks were installed.
In 1961, that tradition continued when IMS owner Tony Hulman placed a gold brick at the start/finish line, joined by Ray Harroun, winner 50 years earlier of the first Indy 500, and Louis Schwitzer, the first winner of a 5-mile, two-lap race at the track in 1909.
Boles reminded this is the second time Foyt has placed a brick among the 573 remaining on the track. He joined IMS chairman Mari Hulman George to do the honors in 2011 in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
“The driver bricks are going to be in the fourth row, four rows from the center,” Boles said. “We’re playing off the fours.
“There’s one spot left, and we’re hoping maybe Helio Castroneves can join that group,” Boles said. “We’re trying to give him extra incentive this year to really go after his fourth win, so we can celebrate another four-time winner.”
Tucker confided that when he created the first brick, he thought he had made a mistake because of all the nicks in the creation.
“Then I got the original brick out and saw that it picked up every detail in the original,” Tucker said.
That made sense to Foyt, who said of those old bricks, “They had a lot of marks in them.”
Foyt, a native of Houston, was in town for Wednesday’s NTT IndyCar Series Open Test to see how his two-car team looked in preparation for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26.
He recalled how he arrived at the track as a rookie in 1958 and never imagined he would still be coming back 61 years later.
“It’s nice to be honored here, but who thought I’d still be living and talking to you today,” Foyt said. “I damn sure didn’t think I’d be here, but I’m here.”
Then he repeated a familiar testimony of what Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 mean to him.
“A lot of drivers who won this race felt they built Indianapolis,” Foyt said. “Indianapolis is what made A.J. Foyt what he is today. I won a lot of great races all over the United States, but the one race that’s always important to me was right here, and it still is.”
Not known for being overly sentimental, Foyt likes the idea of knowing his name will be remembered literally in the track long after he’s gone.
“It’s a great honor to be back here this many times,” Foyt said. “I’d like to be here another 50 or 60 years. I know that’s not going to happen. At least I’ll have a brick that people can look at.”
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