6 Nations Preview 2014

The historical trend is that if the Six Nations follows a Lions tour, France will win the tournament. Only losing one match in nineteen following a Lions tour. Kicking off this Saturday this 6 Nations has been described as one of the most open tournaments in recent years. Wales will are on the hunt for a record third successive title, however, Scotland, England, France and Italy will all fancy their chances.

"It is not just the relative merits of the teams’ playing strengths, it is also the way that the fixtures have fallen that gives room for hope and doubt" says Rugby expert Brian Moore in the Telegraph.

This year's competition is likely to be one of the most intriguing for years. Fans will not want to miss any of the matches, the first game see's Wales take on Italy at the Millennium Stadium. Here's our preview of the opening round of games.

Wales vs Italy

The Italians will be looking for a rare victory away from home after finishing fourth in their best ever finish last year. On the face of it, it looks like Wales have the easiest opening game, but Italy will provide a tough test for the champions.

The Welsh squad contains some of the worlds best players and many potential match winners. Wales know from their previous victories that it is important to win the opening game to build momentum, however, Italy opened last years tournament upsetting France and will hope to make this a trend.

The Italians will be hopeful that Wales best players will be suffering post Lion's fatigue. But Wales coach Warren Gatland has stated he doesn't want a repeat of last years slow start:

"We are looking for a good start, we started slowly last year and know we need to be ready from the off," he said.

Sam Warburton will be on the bench and Second row Alun Wyn Jones will lead the side. Wales are the favourites, and they'll show why in this opening fixture.

England vs France

On paper the best game of the opening round. A tough away fixture for England and both teams will dread losing this match.

There have been encouraging signs from the French during the Autumn internationals, hoping to drastically improve on their Wooden Spoon last year.

England can take some comfort from the fact it is better to play this sort of game earlier in the tournament. 

The main battle will be in the middle of the park. As French coach Phillipe Saint-Andre told Planet Rugby, the French will be under pressure heading into this game. As the French only managed a measly two wins in all their 2013 Tests, so they will require a vast improvement in fortunes.

Home advantage may yet decide this one.

Ireland vs Scotland

Scottish coach Scott Johnson will end his tenure as coach shortly and will want to go out with a bang here.

Whereas Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is leading his team into their first-ever Six Nations tournament. Schmidt believes that making Aviva stadium a fortress is vital if they're to provide any competition in this tournament:

"If we could defend the Aviva that would be great. If we manage an away victory against either England or France, as well, then that would put us in the mix for a shot at being in the top two."

Scotland are looking a tough team to beat in recent matches and should provide Ireland with some strong resistance.

What are the Worst Penalties of ALL TIME?

If you're a Sunderland fans you don’t care because you're on the way to the Capital One Cup Final. But any Manchester United fans will be distraught at their limp performance in Wednesday's semi-final. The height of the embarrassment was the frankly awful penalty shoot out, neither sides were covered in glory but

Sunderland managed to be be the slightly less worse team.

If you missed it, it was one of the most inept penalty shoot-outs of all time. Of the ten penalties taken, only three were scored.

This led us to discuss what are the worst penalties we've ever seen, there have been many terrible misses over the years, but what are the top five worst we've ever seen and why? Take a look...

5) Neymar vs Colombia - Confederations Cup

Neymar is one of the worlds best footballers, lighting up La Liga with his astounding skills alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona. During last years Confederations Cup he amazed many doubters with his technique, skill and brilliance. The samba football on show leaves us waiting with baited breath for the World Cup in Brazil this year. You'd think for a player of Neymars talent a penalty kick should be easy, however, even the best players miss and this video highlights the pressure this simple 12 Yard shot can create.

4) Henry & Pires vs Manchester City

The Premier League has had some amazing imports over the years, Henry and Pires were theCcrown Jules of the imperious 'Invincibles' team. This video highlights the problem of trying to be too clever with your penalties. In this case even two footballers this good conspire to make a complete mess of it. In their attempt to trick David James, Pires attempts to lay the ball forward for Henry to slot home...

3) Harry Kewell vs Melbourne Heart

The premier league has seen some fine Australian imports - Mark Viruka, Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell have all excelled in England top division. Kewell did well at both Liverpool and Leeds, where he reached the Champions League Semi's. Kewell's career appeared to be fading fast towards the end of his stay in England, this penalty in an Australian League match is quite frankly embarrassing. The replay angle is priceless!

2) Peter Devine, Whitley Bay vs Lancaster City

A classic from over twenty years ago. It may not be a top league match or a massive clash of the titans. But the 1991 HFS Northern Premier League Division One Cup Final made Peter Devine (in)famous for his spectacularly rubbish penatly.

1) Pilo vs Votuporanguense

Well this is just ridiculous, there are just no words. This one didn't even reach the goal. It doesn't matter what league you're in or who you play for, there is no excuse for a pub player doing this!!!

Bonus: Any Penalty Shoot Out Involving England... (Sorry Becks!)

No England fans needs this explaining to them. The only penalty shoot out we've ever been any good at was that one against Spain in Euro 96.

The Australian Open 2014 Preview

The Australian Open marks the commencement of the new tennis season and sees a return of three of the 1980's biggest tennis icons. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer will have the coaching assistance of Borris Becker, Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg respectively. Not forgetting that current number one Rafeal Nadal could create history by winning the tournament for the second time and becoming the first man to win every Major twice in the modern era.

As has been the case with recent Slams, the Australian Open is likely to bring unparalleled drama, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic battling it out to rewrite the record books. This is before we even bring the likes of Murray and Federer into the equation, who could very well upset the top two. Tensions are likely to run high, with all the top players trying to perform at the peak of their powers.

As another fascinating year of tennis resumes, with unparalleled competition for titles, we have compiled a run down of the form of all the realistic Australian Open prospects:

Rafael Nadal: The Spanish winning machine’s coach and uncle, Tony Nadal, has declared that his nephew’s main target in 2014 is to win the Australian Open. If he did that it would make him only the second player ever in the history of the sport after Rod Laver to win each of the four Majors twice.

Tony Nadal said: “The challenge in 2014 will be to win Australia, because it would achieve something only Rod Laver did, which is twice winning the four (Grand Slams).”

However, it won't be as easy as the world number two and his fiercest rival Novak Djokovic will not give up his title without a enthralling battle.

The plexicushion surface that is used in Australia gives the Serb a definitive advantage as he is a master at the art of outmanoeuvring his opponents and that’s why he has been unbeatable on the blue synthetic courts in the last 3 years.

Novak Djokovic: The Serbian is undoubtedly an exceptional player and he too has a chance to break records, if he wins his fourth consecutive Australian open title that would give him an unprecedented 5th overall – a feet that has never been achieved. If Djokovic succeeds in doing so, he will surpass both Roger Federer and Andre Agassi who have won four titles each at Melbourne Park.

However, if there is one man who can stop Djokovic it's Nadal, who pushed him to the limit two years ago. Djokovic's spectacular run of 24 consecutive match wins at the end of 2013, included two heavy victories over Nadal and will surely give him the psychological edge for Australia.

Andy Murray: Despite making three finals in Australia, Andy Murray will not arrive in Australia as one of the front-runners for the title as the Glaswegian is not ready after undergoing back surgery in the middle of September. Murray returned to the courts in late November and will not be match-ready until the end of February. So, a deep run in Melbourne is highly unlikely and he could make an earlier exit from the tournament than some might expect (possibly the quarters), as he is yet to shrug off the rust of months of inaction from the game.

Roger Federer: The 17 times Grand Slam champ – a man who has been triumphant in Australia on four different occasions in the past will head to Melbourne as a huge underdog. The master who never looked his usual self in 2013 due to an ailing back will be hoping to swing his fortunes around with the help of his new coach Swedish legend Stefan Edberg and what he says a pain free back.

Having sunk in the rankings to No.6 in the World, the seeding system will make a journey to the final even harder for the 32 year old. However, with a bit of luck maybe he could recreate the old magic and bring be victorious once again.

Sport in 2014 - Preview the Year Ahead

There is a lot to look forward to in 2014, from the World Cup, to Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, the Tour de France in Yorkshire, England Tests and Andy Murray returning to Wimbledon. 2014 is set to be a bumper packed year for the sports fan and we can't wait!

Football - The World Cup - Starts June 12th

This is the biggest one in any given year, only the Olympics comes close to the World Cup for the crown of the biggest sporting event in the world. Not to mention that this year it is being held in the spiritual home of football, Brazil.  

The 2014 World Cup is also unique in that it will take place in more cities than any previous tournament, with 12 cities hosting matches. From north to south, there will be games in Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador, Cuiaba, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.

Twelve cities, 12 stadiums and some very distinct and different landscapes in the surrounding areas; the Brazilian World Cup will highlight the beauty and diversity of this very unique country.

Manaus in the northwest is likely where humidity will be highest, and the temperatures there could be around the mid-30s Celsius.

European nations, on the other hand, might prefer Porto Alegre, where the average June temperature is around 19 degrees.

Considering that Brazil is one of the most football mad nations on Earth, it is surprising that this will only be the second time it has hosted the tournament. The atmosphere is set to be electric and could well be one of the best tournament yet, assuming the stadiums are finished on time that is!



Tennis - Wimbledon - June 23rd

After Andy Murray's triumph last year the levels of expectation will be sky high as he attempts to defend his title. Wimbledon will throw up a series of questions, such as - will Murray's competition come back stronger? Can Rodger Federer regain his winning touch? Is there a British woman who can make an impact in this tournament.

Ticket's have already sold out and the famous Wimbledon queueing policy for the remaining batch should be more over-subscribed than usual.

As always for two weeks at the end of June Britain will be tennis mad!

Athletics - Commonwealth Games - July 23rd

After the feel good factor of the 2012 Olympics in London, demand for tickets for the Glasgow Commonwealth game has gone through the roof, with 2.3m requests for 1m tickets. The chance to see Olympic athletics stars like Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford is heavily anticipated by the British public. The Commonwealth games has also drawn public interest across all sports, not just the main attractions like athletics.

The games could also have a political angle linked to Scotland's independence vote and the fact the home nations compete separately in the Commonwealth games could prove poignant. However, Alex Salmond has denied that the games will be about playing politics.

Rugby Union - Six Nations - February 1st

The strongly contested Autumn internationals provided Rugby fans with an idea of how competitive this Six Nations is likely to be. The shocks and great games wet the appetite of fans and with many games already

sold out the atmosphere is set to electric. Reigning champions Wales appear to be slight favourites, but the performances in the Autumn internationals suggest that it is open to almost anyone.

Cycling - Tour de France - July 5th

This year you can experience the worlds most famous bike race without even setting foot in France. The Grand Départ in Yorkshire is a fantastic chance to see all the worlds best cyclists, as the three stages here take in Leeds to Harrogate. Brit Chris Froome is again favourite for the green jersey after his triumphant victory last year.

Cricket - England Tests - June 12th

After England's December Ashes humiliation down under, it will be interesting to see how they react and if they can bounce back straight away. A 90's England team could be expected to continue into a spiral of defeat and self pity, but this team is made of sterner stuff. England need to prove they are among the worlds best in these tests, so Sri Lanka and the fearsome Indian's should provide perfect opportunity to test their mettle.

There are still plenty of tickets available, with only the Oval already sold out. A perfect opportunity to hopefully see a resurgent England.

Golf - The Ryder Cup & The Open - September 23rd / July 17th

One of sports iconic events, the Ryder Cup takes place at Gleneagles from the 23rd September. The sold out event is always gripping and this year should be no different. Europe appear to be slight favourites with the bookies, but the quality of Golfers on show means that anything could happen. 

The event is already sold out, however there are still tickets for the practice days which could be your chance to meet the players, who are often chatty and relaxed before the main event later in the week.

The US team will hope Tiger Woods is in good form if they are to wrestle the trophy from Europe. Woods himself will hope that he is at the peak of his powers, when he competes in The Open at Royal Liverpool, a venue where he hasn't won since 2006.