The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 31

30 SPORTING LIFE www.smh.com.au MONDAY, AUGUST 2. 1999 foffi wm flto ooDmoDib 7 1 -Sj I r-v 1 avX, "-r -Si CLUB RUGBY 3JW" II III Ml 18 mm 1 instead of ejecting sparks from Eastwood's backline exhaust pipe. It is Randwick's pleasure to host Eastwood at Coogee Oval next Saturday. They will be without Kearns and Whitaker, of course, and second-rower Warwick Waugh as well, the 30-year-old Wallaby who is about to plunge into English professional rugby with Bath. Coach John Maxwell said of the two-metre tall, 123 kg second-rower, a triple representative of NSW, Queensland and the ACT, and holder of eight Test caps: "He had a powerful game for us against Parramatta and really enjoys playing for Randwick.

Hell be a huge loss." John Warr, who coached Gordon to last year's premiership, said: 44 We have five rounds to go, but the next two rounds will sort it out" Gordon play University at Chats-wood on Saturday and then Parramatta (nine points) at University Oval; Eastwood meet fifth-placed Randwick (50) at Coogee and Penrith (31)atTG Millner Field; University play Gordon away and Canberra (39) at Manuka Oval; fourth-placed Southern Districts (50) play Manly (41) at Forshaw Park and Eastern Suburbs (49) at Woollahra Oval; and Randwick meet Eastwood at home and Newcastle at Charlestown. Norths (50) have two away games, against Parramatta and West Harbour, while Easts (49), the seventh and last team with a realistic chance of qualifying for the top-five play-offs, are at Pittwater Park to Warringah before returning to Woollahra for the crucial game against the Southern Rebels. Of Gordon's tilt at University, Wan-said: "Well play expansively against them. We have exceptional pace and penetration in our back three in Mitch Hardy, Matt Dowling and Stirling Mortlock, but their pack is very well-drilled and Ed Carter provides thrust from fullback." Gordon welcomed back Wallaby utility back Stirling Mortlock at the weekend after a five-week absence with a shoulder-joint injury. He failed to convert any of the Highlanders' four tries but drove over three penalty goals to distance Warringah 29-15.

University edged out Easts 13-12; Manly 's sporadic season yielded them a 48-27 win against an even more erratic Canberra; Randwick claimed 10 tries in their 62-19 defeat of Parramatta; Penrith enjoyed their sixth win of the season, a 27-1 3 success over Wests; and Southern Districts winger Alan Sheldon raced in for four tries in the 67-5 trouncing of Newcastle. PHIL WILKINS They were like international gypsies, their caravans drawing up outside Sydney's suburban grounds before hitching a ride on another star to Newlands in Cape Town for Australia's next Tri Nations Test against South Africa, on August 14. Wallaby fullback Matthew Burke placed his gear on the bench at North Sydney Oval, camping between another ex-St Joseph's College graduate, hooker Josh Cullen, and the smart 19-year-old centre from The King's School, Paul Dineen both first-year regulars of the NSW Rugby premiership. Test tight-head Andrew Blades was at Chatswood, hooker Phil Kearns and half Chris Whitaker at Granville, prop Richard Harry, second-rower John Welborn and centre Jason Little at Woollahra Oval, all Wallaby fly-by-nights passing through between Super 12 and international engagements. Next stop, the World Cup.

Eastwood coach John McKee said of Burke's welcome appearance: "It's really important for our young guys to rub shoulders with Matt He is a very good club man, helpful at training, assisting in fine-tuning the backline." Importantly, Burke benefited from the engagement with Northern Suburbs, slanting over seven goals from nine attempts in the fierce southerly, chiming in to the backline for a try and helping the Woodsmen inflict a demoralising 54-7 defeat on last year's grand finalists. It frustrates and simultaneously benefits other clubs to have the distraction of a rival team receiving all the eulogies. Such is the fate this winter of Eastwood. Sydney University (61 points) are still doing a Lord Fury, bowling along in front but after their ragged start when they lost four of their first eight games, Eastwood (55) have moved to second position, one point ahead of Gordon (54). Eastwood's last defeat occurred in mid-June, when they were awarded two penalty tries against University with the Students still scrambling home, 23-22, at TG MMner Field.

Since then, the Woods have won six games and drawn the seventh. Significantly, they have 13 bonus points to University's seven. Their Wallaby powerhouse Daniel Manu nursed an ankle injury and Peter Miller, the premiership's leading try-scorer with 12, accumulated ironbark splinters from the reserves' bench King in check the St Joseph's College defence swarms around The King's School second-rower Will Caldwell on Saturday. Photograph by CRAIG GOLDING they lost strong-running hooker Alex Caredes, who is expected to miss the remainder of the competition with medial ligament damage. Year 11 student Tim Gray replaced Caredes in the reshuffled pack.

At tight-head, Scots' scrummaging cornerstone is 1 15 kg prop Troy Isidro, a three-year veteran of GPS Firsts rugby, while four have returned to the backline from last year's team five-eighth Brock James and centre Benjamin Armstrong and Eastern Suburbs' Jersey Flegg rugby league pair, centre Aaron Whitcher and fullback Luke Milton. In wind-tossed conditions at Gowan Brae, King's ona-try-all and 13-8 defeat of St Joseph's College proved a physical, absorbing encounter, coming at considerable cost for the visitors, goal-kicking five-eighth Mark Foy and tight-head Matthew Jeffrey sustaining ankle injuries in quick succession and winger Matthew Nethery being stretch-ered off with concussion. Despite their injuries, St Joseph's led 8-3 at half-time through Joshua Cliffs try, only for King's Andrew Stokes to slash his way across field, straighten and pierce the forwards' defence. King's are big across the field, tight-head James Holtsbaum leading a vigorous pack in which second-rower Martin Wilson has been prominent Few teams will dominate the front-row of Holtsbaum, hooker Richard Lampe and loose-head Ben Hand. In the backline, inside-centre Dallas Carney is proving an exceptional defender and Kevin Dearlove an enterprising outside-centre.

Led by explosive open-side breakaway Jonathan Bull and half Chris Cottee, Riverview registered their first win with a 29-12 defeat of Newington. Second-rower Adam Byrnes won a mountain of possession in the lineout SCHOOLBOY RUGBY PHIL WILKINS Six winters have elapsed since Scots College, alma mater of Wallaby champions Ken Catchpole and Tim Gavin, were propelled to the GPS premiership in their centenary year on the backs of massive schoolboy props Scott Webster and Michael Choromanski. It was a year of distinction for the college as their GPS First XV representatives numbered six loose-head Webster, tight-head Choromanski, second-rower Tom Bowman, breakaway Reece Bratton, half toug Bursill and five-eighth Iain McAusland. Scots are now back on top of the GPS rugby table, unbeaten with The King's School after two rounds of the competition, having accounted for Shore, 23-17, on Saturday, which followed their 20-7 defeat of Sydney High. Scots had an early setback when and tight-head Arawa Driscoll scrummaged powerfully, but all too often Newington's attacks were nullified by the exceptional tackling of inside-centre Adam Kelly.

In next Saturday's games, Scots play Sydney Grammar at Bellevue Hill; King's travel to Stanmore to play Newington; Sydney High meet St Joseph's at McKay Oval; and River-view play Shore at Riverview. Waverley College opened the Combined Associated Schools premiership with a three-tries-to-nU and 26-3 win over Cranbrook, a win which came only after impressively sustained defence by Cranbrook in which inside-centre Luke Marsden, breakaway Kent Draper and strong-scrummaging loose-head Rob Bartrop were conspicuous. Waverley's captain Tim McGann will miss two games following a rucking mishap which had him leave the field with damage to an eyelid. Knox overcame Barker 22-13, the try of the game being run in by winger Peter Phillips, who eluded the cover defence in a 70-metre dash down the sideline, while Trinity came home strongly with the wind to inflict a 22-13 defeat on St Aloysius' College. In Saturday's second round, Knox play Waverley at Waitara; St Aloysius' are at home to Cranbrook; and Barker meet Trinity at Hornsby.

In third-round Independent Schools Association games, St Pius play Kinross Wollaroi at Oxford Falls, and St Patrick's meet Oakhill at Strathfield, St Patrick's having overwhelmed St Pius 71-14 and Oakhill nipping previously unbeaten Chevalier 23-13. St Patrick's have a 15-year-old fullback from Auckland in Chris Siale who is proving a player of considerable talent, with half Brendan Levy being recognised as a player of outstanding potential cSieSS, Farina aSieacS US star rescues Rangers in title defence opener It's the Real thing for Anelka SCOTLAND coach race SOCCER fft? -J Glasgow: Claudio Reyna scored his first goal for Rangers as the Scottish champions began the defence of their title with a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock. The United States international midfielder struck a superb winner in the 68th minute at Ibrox on Saturday to rescue the Glasgow side, which looked like dropping points after Ally Mitchell had equalised three minutes earlier. Reyna, who cost 1.2 million from German club VfL Wolfsburg last April, took a pass from German international Jorg Albertz to steer a powerful right-foot shot past goalkeeper Colin Meldrum from 16m. Rod Wallace, who scored 27 times last season as Rangers won all three Scottish domestic trophies, had put the champions ahead in the 38th minute when he took a lob from Giovanni van Bronckhorst and beat Meldrum.

Mitchell equalised when he pounced on a mistake by Craig Moore in the 65th minute, to swivel and shoot past Stefan Klos at the same end of the ground he scored two years ago to end Rangers' hopes of winning 10 successive titles. Rangers coach Dick Advocaat was not happy as his team, almost certain of a Champions' League tie with Italian club Parma in 1 1 days, toiled in the 27 heat "Reyna was the only one to play his normal game," he said. "The others were not up to standard. I was not happy with my Both are astute observers of the game, have widespread overseas connections and would command the respect of Australia's European-based players. Krncevic is just behind the pace after being dumped by Carlton at the end of last season.

Before that he was regarded as the wonder coach of Australian soccer, having taken Carlton to the grand final in their first season in the league. Injury and national selection reduced last year's side to a shell and it missed the finals. Like Mitchell and Farina, Krncevic played quality soccer in Europe before returning to Australia. Blanco moved back into contention after his understrengm charges put on a fair show against Manchester United. But losing the Confederations Cup qualifier to New Zealand will haunt him.

Postecoglou might not have the international experience of the others, but successive championships show he knows the local scene. His career at South as a player and coach has been sparkling but insular, and he's regarded as one for the future. Kosmina will get an invite, but the league's greatest goal scorer is considered too outspoken to be a threat It may all come down to presentation on the day if Mitchell discards the tracksuit for a suit the job could be his. AAP Soccer Australia will start interviews for the vacant national coaching position next Saturday, with Dave Mitchell tipped to take charge for the next World Cup campaign. Parramatta Power's Mitchell heads the pack, with Marconi's Frank Farina his main rival Soccer Australia has also invited former Carlton coach Eddie Krncevic, caretaker national coach Raul Blanco, Brisbane's John Kosmina and South Melbourne's back-to-back premiership-winning coach Ang Postecoglou to the formal interviews.

Mitchell and Farina have similar backgrounds both played top-flight soccer as strikers in Europe before returning to the Ericsson Cup in the twilight of their careers. Farina took the Brisbane Strikers to the title in 1997 as a playing coach, while Mitchell steered Sydney United to a grand final last year. Mitchell's men lost to South Melbourne in the grand final but he got them there on a threadbare budget At one stage the club was not expected to complete the season. Mitchell inspires loyalty and took the core of the United team to Power when he left, yet Farina has the edge in presentation and is regarded as being more TV-friendly. IT" Madrid: Real Madrid are expected to sign Arsenal's unsettled French international striker Nicolas Anelka in the next few days for $35.3 million.

"If we can complete the signing of Anelka it would be one of the biggest acquisitions we have made in years," Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz said. Spanish television reported Sanz as saving an agreement had been reached with Arsenal, and Anelka was travelling to Madrid to sign a contract Anelka ignored a demand earlier in the week to return for pre-season training with Arsenal following the collapse of his proposed move to Italian club Lazio because of salary demands. Meanwhile, injured England striker Michael Owen will miss the start of the English Premier League season next weekend. "Michael is training hard and running well, but the season has come too early for him," said his Liverpool manager Gerard Houl-lier, who forecast mid-August as a more likely start date. Owen has not played since early April when he tore a hamstring and damaged a tendon in a League match at Leeds.

The teenager has missed England's past two Euro 2000 championship qualifiers, against Sweden and Bulgaria. Meanwhile, German international wingback Christian Zicge has completed his transfer from AC Milan to Middlesbrough. Ziege, 27, signed a five-year contract with the Premier League club after medical tests. It was manager Bryan Robson's second big signing in two days. He also signed 31 -year-old Liverpool midfielder Paul I nee for $2.5 million on Friday.

Ziege cost a reported $9.8 million. "Ziege is one of the best wingbacks in the world," Robson said. Rrutm Power Ranger Rod Wallace drives the ball ahead of Kilmarnock's Frederic Dindeleux. Photograph by AP signing Joachim Feraz heading the 83rd-minute winner in a 2-1 victory. Celtic, the 1997-98 champions, begin their campaign on Sunday away to Aberdeen.

Reuters defence and we need to sort that out" the first half was followed by three Hearts returned to the form of their strikes in a 1 3-minute, second-half 1 997-98 season, when they came close spell from Thomas Flogel, a Darren to the title and won the Scottish Cup, Dods own goal and Colin Cameron. by winning 4-1 at St Johnstone. Dundee United won their derby Gary McSwegan's right-foot shot in clash with Dundee, new Portuguese Vieri, MtiVilanamaii shine as Real and Enter strut their stuff in an injury-time thriller EUROPE Paris St Germain hit the woodwork three times before overcoming 10-man Troyes 1-0 after captain Frederic Arpinon became the. first player sent off this season, for violent play. In Belgrade, police fired shots in the air to clear rampaging Crvena Zvezda (formerly Red Star) fans off the pitch in Cacak during their team's 211 draw with Borac, also at the weekend.

About 20 people were treated for injuries and three were kept in hospitaL AAP out by Ferron and Morientes pounced. In France, Olympique Lyon, who have spent $41.5 million building a side for the Champions' League, suffered an upset 2-1 home defeat by Montpellier in their season's opener at the weekend. Lyon will now want to field record signing Sonny Anderson, who has recovered from injury, as soon as possible after the unexpected defeat sparked by former France striker Patrice Loko's 25th-minute goaL Substitute Cedric Barbosa added Montpellier's second in the 73rd minute, against the run of play, as Lyon improved after the interval. France winger Tony Vairelles, signed from 1998 champions RC Lens, pulled one back with a volley. "It's always hard to start a season with a defeat, but it's not the end of the world," Vairelles said.

Olympique Marseille topped the opening day standings after a 3-0 home win over Sedan. Bordeaux beat Bastia 3-2. It was two of Real's new faces who combined to help open the scoring in the 21st minute on Saturday. England international Steve McManaman was brought down after a run down the right and Inter goalkeeper Fabrizio Ferron could only parry Bosnian Elvir Bolic's free kick, Raul making no mistake as he followed up. Inter drew level in the 30th minute when Vieri tapped in from in close.

But from the re-start Morientes got onto a through ball from Raul and beat Ferron. Inter should have drawn level again after 36 minutes when Vieri put Roberto Baggio in on goal but he sliced wide. A stream of substitutions spoiled what had promised to be a fascinating second half. Even so, there was real drama in the final minute. Inter substitute Andrea Pirlo jinked into the penalty area and fired a powerful shot past Real keeper Bodo Illgner and seemed to have given Inter a draw.

But in injury time a low shot Real substitute Guti was pushed Milan: An injury-time strike from Fernando Morientes has given Real Madrid a 3-2 win over Inter Milan in a friendly at the San Siro stadium here. Both teams fielded strong sides with several (northern) summer signings. Inter, under new coach Marcello Lippi, featured their world-record signing Christian Vieri in attack, but were without Brazilian Ronaldo, who was resting after the Copa America..