France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has kept faith with the same squad which came from behind to draw with Ireland for Sunday’s clash against England.

France’s Grand Slam hopes were ended by the 17-17 in Paris but their title dream is still alive and Saint-Andre has stuck with the same 23-man party for this weekend’s match at the Stade de France.

Saint-Andre said: “It was only a draw but it was our best performance since the start of the Six Nations. Statistics showed that we dominated but did not win.”

It could have been much worse for France after a below-par first-half performance. Tommy Bowe scored two tries during an inspired opening period and Ireland went into the break 17-6 ahead. Those looking at the France Six Nations betting will have been shocked.

Les Bleus hit back after half-time and got back on levels terms before the hour mark thanks to a Wesley Fofana try and two Morgan Parra penalties. Despite having ample time, France couldn’t force a winning score.

The World Cup finalists sit second in the Six Nations table, a point behind Wales with two games remaining. A win for Wales against Italy in Cardiff this weekend coupled with a French victory over England would set up a title decider on the final weekend of the championship.

Saint-Andre was keen not to lose focus and is only concentrating on the game against England.

“We can still win the tournament. And we will prepare for a big match against England,” added Saint-Andre.

The former winger resisted the temptation of recalling scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili, who has just returned from a back problem picked up in early February. Julien Dupoy remains the understudy to goal-kicker Parra. Fans of Betfair online need to remember this.

A defeat against Stuart Lancaster’s England is not an option for Saint-Andre and team.

Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland has been backed to recapture his magic touch after an off day against England at Twickenham last weekend.

Skills coach Neil Jenkins is confident the number ten, who has played an integral role in Wales’ recent rise up the IRB world rankings, will bounce back from a disappointment display. Those looking at the Six Nations Championship betting will know he is an important part of the French side.

“It hasn’t gone his way on the day but we have all been there. We have all had games where things don’t go to plan but the pleasing thing I think from Rhys’ point of view was that he kept going,” said Jenkins.

Priestland compounded an error-strewn display when he was sent to the sin-bin early in the second half. The young back saw his kick charged down by Mouritz Botha and was then penalised for being offside on the following play.

Wales coach Warren Gatland admitted he considered sparing Priestland but felt it would benefit the 25-year-old’s game in the long run if he faced his problems head on.

Jenkins was pleased with Priestland’s attitude late in the game against England.

“I thought in the last quarter of an hour he was excellent, he kept us going forward and I think that was decisive in us winning the game towards the end,” added Jenkins.

Wales moved above England to fifth place in the latest world rankings after their 19-12 victory at Twickenham and Priestland has been at the heart of all things good over the last 12 months. Even people looking for Betfair Heineken Cup betting Tips will know this.

He moved from full-back to fly-half before the Rugby World Cup 2011 and played a key role in Wales’ run to the semi-

Wales will be seeking a similar impact as they bid for a third Grand Slam in eight years.

Champion Jockey Paul Hanagan has been named as the number one jockey to Hamdan Al Maktoum following the retirement of Richard Hills after the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

The man from Yorkshire has been Champion Jockey for the last two seasons, in which he finished with a total number of 177 winners last campaign, 10 clear of Silvestre De Sousa in second place, who himself landed one of the sports’ most lucrative jobs this week by signing up to ride for the Godolphin operation for the upcoming season. Fans of betting need to remember this.

Hanagan was quick to pay tribute to his former boss Richard Fahey who his leaves to take up his new position.

“I wouldn’t be in this position but for Richard Fahey and it was quite emotional when I went to his home last night to break the news about the job,” he told the Racing Post. “But I must stress I will still be riding for Richard when available.”

The Champion Jockey and last season’s runner-up will both now be moving from down to Newmarket ahead of the Start of the British flat season which officially gets under on March 31 with the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster. People looking at betting tips should remember this.

De Sousa is currently in Dubai where he is already riding for Godolphin during the Dubai World Cup Carnival which concludes with the World Cup at the end of the month. So You Think is the ante-post favourite for Aidan O’Brien in what will be his first run of 2012. It was a long campaign for the former Australian superstar in 2011 with runs in England, Ireland, France and America.

The defending US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel is preparing to return to the scene of his historic triumph and is already talking about defending his title.

The South African star sealed a place in the tournament’s folklore last year when he birdied the closing four holes to win the prestigious Green Jacket by two strokes.

It was a life-changing moment for the popular Tour star and he speaks about the “very proud feeling” he has whenever he puts on his Green Jacket on and recalls his Augusta triumph. Fans of Betfair.com should remember this.

Schwartzel has to don the famous garment at tournaments and functions across the globe to represent the US Masters as champion, and it was obviously a lucky item as he only missed one cut in 2011 following the win.

He is weeks away from returning to the US Masters and will be looking to be the first man to retain the title since Tiger Woods in 2002, with Schwartzel admitting he is prepared for people to be examining whether he can “live up to the challenge” of defending champion. Anyone looking at the US Masters 2012 betting needs to bear this in mind.

“Winning the Masters was a life-changing experience,” said Schwartzel. “Getting my first Major Championship in the way I did it, it’s something that I’m very, very proud of.

“I’ve had a fantastic year being the Masters Champion. Everywhere you go you get treated so well. It’s just been an awesome year so far. I’m really looking forward to coming back and trying to defend my title.”

Schwartzel is set to compete in the Florida swing of the Honda Classic, WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at and the Shell Houston Open as he prepares for returning to the US Masters to defend his title in April.

Scotland’s Rory Lamont will have put a grimace on the faces of thousands of rugby fans, at the weekend, after an unpleasant encounter with French back-rower, Louis Picamoles, left the full-back with a suspected broken leg.

Lamont, 29, picked up the injury while battling for a restart with Picamoles at the half-hour mark. He landed awkwardly, twisting his lower leg under the weight of his body. The Glasgow Warrior was given oxygen on the field, before being removed.

The development will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of Scotland coach, Andy Robinson, who is currently in charge of a notoriously unsuccessful team. The navy blue outfit have lost five Test matches in a row. Those looking at the Six Nations Betting Odds should remember this.

Scotland’s recent defeat to France took their winless streak in the Six Nations to three games, and left Robinson perplexed: “I am frustrated because the guys played really well but haven’t won the game”.

Robinson said that Lamont’s accident took the wind out of Scotland’s sails, allowing Morgan Parra to tie the match at 10-10 just before the half-time break. Maxime Medard and Lionel Beauxis helped France to victory in the second half. Fans of the Rugby betting odds need to bear this in mind.

Making matters worse for Robinson was the fact that Lamont was just one of three Scottish players to fall to injury. Greig Laidlaw, a linchpin for Scotland early in the game, was lost to a head injury, while Mike Blair picked up a dead leg.

Lamont will no doubt be upset with his bad luck; the Warrior has struggled with injuries due to what he describes as an “abrasive style of play”. The Perth-born player has recently overcome an ankle problem that required eight operations to correct.

It is currently unknown how long Lamont will be absent from the rugby field. However, Physioroom.com indicates that a broken leg can take up to 12 weeks (three months) to heal fully.

Ernie Els is a three-time golf Major winner and one of the most recognisable faces in the game, but despite the 42-year-old has to qualify for the US Masters this time around, he is using that as motivation for success.

Every year since the South African made his debut at Augusta in 1994 he has been given automatic qualification, however a poor run of recent form means ‘The Big Easy’ is outside the world’s top 50 and needs to qualify for the 2012 running. Anyone following the golf betting tips will know this.

Els has won the US Open twice and the British Open once, but has never quite managed to pass the finishing post at the US Masters, with two second placed finishes – in 2000 and 2004 – the best to show.

The veteran admits he has got “some work” to do to get into the US Masters but he will keep fighting in tournaments around the globe in the coming weeks as he looks to book his place. The US Masters Betting Odds suggest he is something of an outsider though.

He reckons his form is looking good and giving him a “good chance of getting in” as Els is confident he can rediscover past glories and compete for the Major titles once again, with the US Masters a real motivation for him.

“I think I’m close to getting back to that and playing the way I can play and I think if I do that the rest will take care of itself,” said Els.

“I’m still a professional golfer and I still want to win golf tournaments this year and in the future.”

The 2012 US Masters is scheduled for April 4th-8th at Augusta National Golf Club and the defending champion this time around will be Els compatriot in the shape of South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel.

Lee Westwood has made a solid start to his 2012 season so confidence could be high that he finally break’s his Major duck at the US Masters in April.

The Englishman sits third in the world golf rankings behind countryman Luke Donald and the US Open champion Rory McIlroy, two likely Ryder Cup colleagues who will be out to pip Westwood to that green jacket.

Westwood has struggled when it comes to the four Majors and throughout his long and distinguished career and two second-place finishes, at the US Masters in and The Open in 2010, are the best he has to show. Those looking at the US Masters betting will be wondering if he can push on.

The 38-year-old has started this year in a solid but uninspiring fashion, finishing 17th at the Abu Dhabi Championship and tied for 12th at the Qatar Masters, so he is looking to really spark into life in the coming weeks.

Westwood seems content with his driving, admitting he is hitting the ball “a lot better” than at this point in the season in previous years, and is looking to improve his short game to put him in best condition for April’s US Masters. http://betting.betfair.com/golf/

“My putts are quite nice, I’m starting to roll a few longer ones in, but it’s just been early-season sloppiness really, making too many bogeys and not making a birdie when I should,” he said.

“My wedge shots also haven’t been quite as sharp as they ought to have been.”

The 2012 US Masters is scheduled for April 4th-8th at Augusta National Golf Club and Westwood will be among a group of leading Europeans looking to cross the Atlantic and beat the Americans in their own back yard.

Nobody could argue that Italy are playing magnificent, stylish, or stunning rugby at the moment, and nobody could argue that they possess players capable of rivalling those belonging to the likes of Wales or the French, but their performance against France at the weekend was far from an embarrassment, and a display that, far from leaving pundits mocking them, left neutrals wondering which team will eventually pick up the dreaded wooden spoon this year.

Italy know that if they want to avoid this dreaded fate, they’ll need to start putting together a run of victories, while proving that they have absolutely nothing to fear against some of the toughest teams in the world, starting with their next opponents, England. Those looking at the Betfair Betting on Six Nations need to bear this in mind.

OK, so England aren’t the England team of old, capable of destroying teams with the power of the forwards and the accurate kicking of legend Jonny Wilkinson, but this England team has hope in its favour, and is beginning to build up its levels of self-belief despite playing in traditionally hostile environments such as Murrayfield. Ultimately, though, Italy need to remember that they’re taking on a team with a manager at the helm who has practically no experience at the top level of the game and is certainly not immune to making mistakes. Fans of the Betfair rugby betting website should remember this.

If Italy do manage to pull off the unthinkable, England could well be left struggling in the latter stages of the tournament while Italy hand themselves the best chance possible of staying firmly in the mix to finish fourth or fifth in the final standings, rather than securing their status as the usual whipping boys of the sport.

Yarmouth staged an impressive evening of racing as the track hosted the second round of the Betdaq Premier League – which saw Imperial Rock Its take the lead in the campaign as it heads to Doncaster. The Mark Wallis-trained Benkaat Blue continued the momentum he had built up during the first round and now looks it great shape to go on and win the event.

It was Dixies Air, who went into the opening leg playing the joker for Imperial Rock Its, started the evening off well for Wallis, coming home to claim the Puppies win in a comprehensive 27.79 seconds.

The Sprinter’s leg was next up and it was the untouchable Lenson Mac who produced a stunning 16.61-second victory for trainer Tony Collett, pipping Crown Striker at the end to bring home the win. Those following the Greyhound betting will have been very impressed.

The third leg saw the runners line up over 462 meters and it was Liz McNair’s King Jaffa who picked up his second victory at Yarmouth in two weeks, coming in for the win in a time of 27.81 seconds. Anyone looking at the betting odds will be keeping an eye on him.

The Stayers leg was stopped on safety grounds just before the sixth bend. With Matt Dartnall’s Ballymac Pet leading, Miss Magpie sustained an injury and began running back towards the pack, putting the other runners in danger of a collision. All runners received the 3.5 points for their Premier League campaign, with double for the joker.

The second Standard race closed the evening’s activities – the Dunham Devils notching up their third victory of the night after Kelly Findlay’s Local Dee Jay claimed the joker to close the gap between themselves and the top of the Premier League table.

After describing himself as an ‘elite’ quarterback in August, New York Giants’ playmaker Eli Manning has repeatedly proved himself to be one of the NFL’s best.
The 31-year-old is currently experiencing the best season of his eight year career and has led his side to their second Super Bowl appearance under his command.

His performances have also helped the 2008 Super Bowl MVP earn the respect of his peers most notably Patriots playmaker Tom Brady who has described him as a ‘great’ quarterback. People following the Super Bowl 2012 betting will be wondering who can make the biggest impact in the showpiece.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Brady said. “He does everything you’re looking for as a quarterback. I’ve seen it first-hand, what he can do in the fourth quarter of these games.

He’s done a great job of bringing his team back. “He’s a great leader. You always hear that coming out of New York; the guys really have a lot of respect for him, and so do I” he added.

His performances have not gone unnoticed by other members of the Patriots’ squad especially their defence. Defensive tackle, Vince Wilfork was on the field when Manning helped the Giants’ defeat the Pats in the 2008 Super Bowl and like Brady, was full of praise for the Giants’ star. Those looking at the Betfair NFL betting should remember this.

“I think Eli is probably playing some of the best football of any quarterback in the game,” Wilfork said.

“He can always be compared to some of the greats in the game now because of his production,” he added. “He took that team over.”

Manning finished the season with 4,933 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as the New York side scraped into the play-offs. However he has excelled in the post-season, throwing 923 yards and eight touchdowns.