The Province from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 11

TOO ThePnninee Sunday. Februarys, 1991 WS35 Tit? France outlasts Ireland in Five Nations thriller if" News Services 'I I i -7 si" it-'' structive play there was a lot of excitement. France won by two goals and three penalty goals to three penalties and a try. Fly-half Didier Cam-berabero contributed 13 points with his kicking. Left wing Patrice Lagisquet played a key role early in the second half when he stopped what looked like a certain Irish try by wing Simon Geoghegan and then ran to score himself.

Meanwhile, Scotland, beaten by France two weeks ago, crushed Wales in Edinburgh. Outplayed up front in Paris, the Scots' work on their scrummage and line-out paid off as they provided a rock-solid platform for Craig Chalmers and Gary Armstrong to work their magic at DUBLIN France survived a searching examination of its character to beat Ireland 21-13 in a gripping match yesterday to take the lead after round two of the Five Nations rugby championship. France, which beat Scotland in its first match, is heading for a possible Grand Slam decider with England in March. The French next face Wales, who lost 32-12 to Scotland yesterday and have conceded 58 points in two games. Typical Irish passion carried them to a four-point lead at the interval but the French ability to conjure winners from the least likely situations swung the match.

The lead changed hands five times and if there was little con 1 i 11 A 4 fee I 4 News Services Laurent Cabannes and his French mates made the most of their possession yesterday in Five Nations action in Dublin. Ireland led four times, but France's running game finally prevailed 21-13. Rtutar photo 3 SOCCER NOTEBOOK 1 1 6 1 ii' fc Giles rinks edges Armstrong mm WHILE WORLD CHIEFS ponder widening the goal posts to improve scoring, England's national team manager Graham Taylor believes the game will improve by restricting the role of the man who stands between them. He sees the modern goalkeeper as a meandering, time-wasting nuisance who should be forced by the rules to stay where he belongs in goal. Taylor, who took over from Bobby Robson as England's manager after last summer's World Cup, hates to see a goalkeeper racing across the field like an extra defender and wandering up to the halfway line to take free kicks.

In fact, he would make it an offence. The 1990 World Cup produced a record-low scoring rate, prompting FIFA, soccer's world governing body, to consider increasing the size of the goal. Taylor believes the goal is not the major problem. It's the goalkeeper. "The goalkeeper is one of the biggest problems for slowing up the game, for making it boring," he said in a BBC interview.

Taylor said he would like to see the six-yard goal area pushed out to 12 yards and the goalkeeper told he can't go outside it. CHELSEA SNAPPED ARSENAL'S 23-gatnc unbeaten streak with a 2-1 victory yesterday that Imiscncd the Gunners' grip atop the English League First Division standings. Graham Stuart and Kerry Dixon scored late goals to disarm Arsenal and end the string which included 15 wins and eight ties. The result boosted the title hopes of second-place Liverpool, which is a point behind and now holds two games in hand. Crystal Palace, in third place, won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest to move within three-points of Arsenal.

Andy Gray put across the ball six minutes from time and Eric Young headed it home from a goalmouth scramble, MONTREAL'S Grant Necdham and Tom Kouzmanls of Toronto each scored twice to power the Canadian under-23 team to a 5-1 exhibition victory Friday over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Professional League, The win concluded the Canadian team's two-week training camp in Florida. The Strikers beat Canada 2-1 last Saturday. Paolo CeccarcIH, a goalkeeper with the CSL North York Rockets, lost his shutout bid with five minutes left in regulation. "The players' hard work during the past two weeks paid dividends on the field and that showed in this match," remarked Canadian coach Tony Wallers. the event, edging Al Sutherland of Abbotsford 8-7 last night.

Armstrong will meet White Rock's Doug Kfeger who counted three three-enders in dumping Barry Moore of Victoria 11-6. One rink from the event and two from will join Giles in the provincial event against four interior rinks next weekend in Trail, Meanwhile, In the Interior playdowns at Kamloops. Gerry Kent of Cranbrook and Barry McPhce of Kaml(X)ps won berths Friday for the B.C. championship. Kent defeated Barry Smith of Kelowna 5-4 in an extra end to win the event and become the Interior's No.

3 seed and McPhce edged Eric Wiltzen of Kamlwps 5-4 in the event. No. 1 seed Rick Folk of Kelowna and Rob Kuroyama of Kamloops won the earlier berths. Staff ReporterNews Services Brent Giles and his Vancouver Club rink are off to the B.C. Labatt's Tankard curling championship but they had to do it the old-fashioned way.

Giles, Ron Thompson, Ken McArdle and Ed Fowler had to count one on the final end to edge Jim Armstrong of the Valley Club in Cloverdale 9-8 yesterday afternoon in the A-event final at the Pacific Coast Curling Asssociation play-djjwns in Esquimalt. After five ends it apXiared Giles and Co. were in a cakewnlk. They counted a four-ender on the fifth end to take a 7-2 lead. But Armstrong, who is backed by Giles' former mates Greg Monk-ftian, Al Roomer and Brad Giles, made a raise double takeout to count three on the sixth and a hit and roll to steal two on the seventh end and the game was even.

The rinks exchanged singles on the eighth and ninth ends, setting the stage for a fine Giles final stone. The 1982 provincial champion drew to the button, against an Armstrong rock buried in the four-foot ring, for the win. "It (Armstrong's comeback) shows it's never over til it's over," said Giles, who now has been on eight PCCA rinks to reach the provincials. Thompson, who skipped the 1988 provincial winning rink, joined Giles last year while McArdle and Fowler are new this year and Giles admitted the combination has "worked out pretty good." Armstrong, who has represented the province on five occasions, rebounded to reach today's final of.