We were tremendous, all night long.”Kingsley’s good at that sort of thing, he’s got the gift of the gab Which is not to criticise Ian in any way. It takes a big man to say: ‘I’m letting the captaincy go because I think I’d be more useful if I concentrated on my own game.’ That was a decision most players would have backed away from making. Just by being there in the pack alongside us, Ian is an inspiration. He was man of the match at Stradey, which says something about his character.”Having looked on with all due admiration as Jones rediscovered his bearings after a mini-crisis of confidence, Vickery is now about to test himself in similar fashion. He started this Lions season injured and out of the England side; what is more, he had to watch Julian White, the aggressive Saracens tight head, make a big pitch for a permanent red rose berth with a solid performance in the summer victory over the Springboks in Bloemfontein.”Julian’s the bloke in possession, and fair play to him.
It’ll be struggle to get back in, but we’re all in it for the competition, aren’t we?”If Vickery can cut the hot stuff against the hard-edged Italians of Roma in Sunday’s Heineken tie – “I love ‘em all: the French, the Irish, the Italians. They always have scrummaging props, real good time boys,” he said – an England recall for next month’s set-to with the world champions of Australia is a distinct possibility, especially as White is struggling with.. yes, you guessed it, a neck condition. Vickery knows it would be useful to get a little retaliation in first, so to speak, especially with the Lions carrot dangling.”The Lions? I daren’t think about it. It’s all very well for the Johnsons and Dallaglios to make a few plans, because they’re more or less certain to go But for the likes of me to start focusing on the Lions.. well, you’re on a lonely old road if you make that mistake. I’d love to be a part of it, but the first priority is getting back in the England side I’m just happy to be playing at all, really. So many people take it for granted; it’s only when you’re sitting there in the stand, watching and hating every minute of it, that you realise what it means to be able to put the boots on and get out there.”.
Tim Henman moved comfortably into the second round of the CA Trophy in Vienna last night with an emphatic 6-3, 6-1 victory over the Swiss Marc Rosset. The sixth-seeded Briton became only the second seed to survive the first hurdle, as the tournament suffered the highest total of seeded players to lose in the first round of any ATP Tour event in 2000. Tim Henman moved comfortably into the second round of the CA Trophy in Vienna last night with an emphatic 6-3, 6-1 victory over the Swiss Marc Rosset. The sixth-seeded Briton became only the second seed to survive the first hurdle, as the tournament suffered the highest total of seeded players to lose in the first round of any ATP Tour event in 2000.
Thomas Enqvist set the ATP record earlier in the day when he became the sixth seeded player to bow out. The Swede retired with a foot injury when the Czech Slava Dosedel was5-3 up in the first set. Other seeded casualties were the No 1, Marat Safin of Russia, the Swede Magnus Norman, Russia’s Olympic champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and the Spaniards Alex Corretja and Juan Carlos Ferrero.Apart from Henman, the eighth-seeded Frenchman, Cedric Pioline, is the only other surviving seed at the event.The 26-year-old British No 1 could boost his chances of sealing one of the eight berths at the lucrative Tennis Masters Cup in Lisbon next month with a victory in Vienna. He is heading for a meeting with his fellow countryman and the defending champion, Greg Rusedski, in the quarter-finals.
