Ones to watch

Tony Smith

The Washiington Wolves coach is being credited for an amazing turnaround at his rugby league outfit. When he was hired five months ago the club were bottom of the Super League and fighting for their lives. Today they travel to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final, where they will meet Huddersfield as they bid for their first piece of silverware since 1991.


Sébastien Loeb

The Frenchman is trailing BP-Ford Abu Dhabi's Mikko Hirvonen in the WRC Drivers' Championship after the Finn completed a hat trick of successive rally victories in his home race earlier this month. The two will face off on the Kingscliff dirt in Australia next weekend, and with two races left after this the title could go to the wire.

Michael Clarke

The Australian vice-captain stands in for regular skipper Ricky Ponting, who is on a 10-day break back home, for this week's two Twenty20 matches and the first ODI?of the seven-match series against England.


Omega European Masters

As the first European event to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the European Masters in Crans Montana will make history when it gets under way on Thursday. Thirty Asian players will compete, including India's Jeev Milkha Singh and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, and with Crans-sur-Sierre buried deep in the heart of the Swiss Alps, it should make for picturesque viewing.


Victor Matfield

Australia face South Africa today in the Tri-Nations, and if they have any hope at all of beating their rivals they will need to stop the man recognised as the sport's most valuable forward.

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