SPORTS DIGEST:RUGBY: Scotland wing Lee Jones has been ruled out of Saturday's wooden spoon decider with Italy with concussion, the Scottish Rugby Union have confirmed.
The 23-year-old Edinburgh back was taken off following a sickening clash of heads with opposite number Andrew Trimble in Scotland’s 32-14 loss to Ireland in Dublin last Saturday, which leaves Andy Robinson’s side still seeking a first win of the Six Nations ahead of their trip to Rome.
Jones, who has four caps, has been ruled out and returned home to Selkirk to recuperate, meaning there will be at least one change to Scotland’s starting XV for Saturday’s match in the Eternal City.
Scotland team doctor James Robson said: “He is doing well. He will have a few days’ rest and recovery and will be assessed later in the week.
“He is ruled out of Saturday’s match against Italy.”
Barnes may meet old adversary
BOXING:Paddy Barnes could be in line for a rematch of his 2008 Olympic semi-final with China's Zou Shimming at the 39th Chemistry Cup in Germany, writes Bernard O'Neill. The tournament gloves today in Halle, and Barnes and Shiming are two of nine boxers entered in the light-flyweight category. The nine-man Irish squad arrived in Halle from their training camp in Hennef, Germany, last Friday ahead of the 20-nation tournament. European champion Joe Ward will be trading leather in a very competitive light-heavyweight division that includes 2009 World champ Egor Mekhonstev of Russia.
London Olympians Michael Conlan and Darren ONeill are with the Irish squad in Halle, but John Joe Nevin, who has also qualified for the 2012 Olympics, is injured. The Irish squad are preparing the final Olympic qualifier in Turkey next month.
Ryan signs new IRFU contract
RUGBY: Munster have fended off interest from Leinster in Donnacha Ryan (28), who has re-signed for his native province on a two-year IRFU international contract until the end of the 2013-14 season, writes Gerry Thornley.
Ryan, an unused sub in Munster’s second Heineken Cup final success in 2008, had started only one match in the competition (along with 16 appearances off the bench) before this season, but started all bar one of their wins in the pool stages this season. “Munster are my club,” he said yesterday, prior to the IRFU announcement. “Things are going well for us. It was great for me to break into the team after the World Cup. There’s a great crop of players coming through. It’s the best club I could be with.”
Del Potro advances, Ferrer goes out
TENNIS:Juan Martin Del Potro survived a shaky second set before moving into the fourth round of the Indian Wells tournament yesterday, while fifth seed Spaniard David Ferrer was ousted. Big-serving Del Potro of Argentina advanced with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Spaniard Fernando Verdasco before Ferrer was upset 6-4, 6-3 by Uzbekistans Denis Istomin. The six-feet six-inch Argentinian will next meet Istomin, who broke an out-of-sorts Ferrer once in the opening set and three times in the second. Earlier yesterday, Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci was gifted a walkover into the fourth round when Russian Nikolay Davydenko withdrew due to illness. In other third-round matches, twice winner and second seed Rafa Nadal was set to face fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers while David Nalbandian of Argentina was scheduled to meet Serb Janko Tipsarevic.
Woods injury not a bad as feared
GOLF: Tiger Woods hopes to return to action next week after being told he has only a mild strain of his Achilles tendon.
The former world number one pulled out of the Cadillac Championship in mid-round on Sunday, raising fears that he might miss next month’s Masters for the first time in his career.
“Got good news from doc tonight,” said Woods on his Twitter account. “Only mild strain of left Achilles. Can resume hitting balls late in week and hopeful for next week.”
Woods has entered the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, intending to make it his final warm-up for the opening major of the year.
Woods played 11 holes in three over par and withdrew after hitting a drive down the long 12th at Doral.
He had changed to softer shoes at the turn, but was visibly limping after he hit his second shot into the lake on the 10th.
Syria expected to be represented
OLYMPICS:Syria will be present at the London Olympics despite ongoing violence in the country, with the International Olympic Committee backing a small group of athletes who could qualify for the Games, the IOC said yesterday.
A year-long uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has already claimed some 8,000 lives in the country as fighting between Syrian forces and rebels increasingly resembles a full-blown civil war.
“We continue dealing with the athletes and we will try to make sure that Syrian athletes will be in London,” said Pere Miro, IOC Director of National Olympic Committees (NOC) relations and Olympic Solidarity.
All of the athletes who can win a spot for the London Games were currently training in Syria and had not left the country, Miro said.
Miro said the new nation of South Sudan was unlikely to be at the Games given it had yet to have a single sports federation recognised and it needed a mimimum of five recognised federations.
