20 METROSPORT Friday, October 30, 2009 D Withdrawn: Williams rugby magners league Wales pull stars from Cardiff side for Leinster Wales boss Warren Gatland has pulled star forwards Martyn Williams and Gethin Jenkins out of the Cardiff Blues squad to face leinster tomorrow night in order to protect them ahead of next weeks international clash with New Zealand. The British and Irish lions duo were scheduled to line out for the Blues at the RDs but Gatland has decided not to take any risks before the clash with the all Blacks in Cardiff. Blues forwards coach Justin Burnell said: We would have liked them to be involved but we have worked closely with the Wales management and its been decided the best course of action is for them to sit it out. Openside flanker Williams and prop Jenkins have only recovered from shoulder surgery after the lions tour to south africa. and earlier this week, Williams, 34, said: I personally think I need to play. as hard as we train here with Wales, you cannot replicate the intensity of a match. The all Blacks isnt going to be the easiest game in the world so I need that intensity before that game. But Gatland performed his U-turn following flanker Jonathan Thomass two-week ban for punching to add to a shortage of front-rowers which includes the injured lions prop adam Jones. Meanwhile, leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes says his side are not placing any more importance on tomorrows clash despite it being their last game before the international break. The european champions are coming off a tough defeat at Ulster, and Gibbes said: I think the pressure or urgency comes from the fact we didnt deliver [against Ulster] and we had been doing it up until then. Were playing a pretty physical Cardiff team. They have got a really physical presence with or without the ball and if we dont front up with our collisions its going to be a pretty tough day at the office. so those are sort of the factors that really have driven that focus and urgency this week. leinster head coach Michael Cheika will name his side today. gaa DUBlINs breakthrough hurling campaign has been overlooked by the GPa with not a single player making their Opel Team of the Year. alan McCrabbe picked up a rare Vodafone allstar award for Dublin at midfield. But the GPa team is picked by county players, who instead went for Tipperarys shane McGrath (pictured) beside Kilkennys Michael Rice. In all, there are four differences between the GPa team and the allstars selection which was made by the media. Michael Brick Walsh, Noel McGrath and Joe Canning were also replaced, by JJ Delaney, seamus Callanan and eddie Brennan. Opel GPA Hurling Team of the Year: 1 PJ Ryan (Kilkenny), 2 Ollie Canning (Galway), 3 JJ Delaney (Kilkenny), 4 Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny), 5 Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny), 6 Conor OMahony (Tipperary), 7 Padraic Maher (Tipperary), 8 Shane McGrath (Tipperary), 9 Michael Rice (Kilkenny), 10 Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny), 11 Seamus Callanan (Tipperary), 12 Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny), 13 John Mullane (Waterford), 14 Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny), 15 Lar Corbett (Tipperary) Senior inter-county hurlers who refuse to wear safety helmets will no longer be allowed to play the game. That is the stark warning from top GAA officials who have refused to entertain talk of an amnesty on mandatory helmet use from January 1. Following on from the decision to make helmets mandatory, firstly, at minor and then Under-21 levels protective headgear will have to be worn by seniors next year. The move will come as a shock to the likes of Cork duo Sen g hAilpn and Donal g Cusack (pictured), who do not wear helmets while Waterfords Ken McGrath will find it a big change too. GAA director general Paraic Duffy backed the new rule and insisted there is no turning back on this. over the last eight years, 310 hurlers made insurance claims against serious eye injuries sustained in the game, 52 needed hospital treatment and six were permanently blinded. McCrabbe omitted as final pairing dominate GPA team Hurlers told: No helmet, no play from January 1 golf McIlroy: Facing a battle to progress McIlroy suffers bad start rory Mcilroy suffered a heavy defeat on the opening day of the Volvo World Match Play Championships in Spain. on a day where all the contenders for the race to Dubai lost, Mcilroy was soundly beaten by five holes by Masters champion Angel Cabrera at Finca Cortesin. Mcilroy knew facing the Argentinian was a tough task on his debut in the event, even though he was the sixth seed and the Argentinian the 11th and so it proved. Cabrera came from one down after six, making birdies on the last three holes and coming home in a five under 30. i made it tough for myself, but he just played too well, said the 20- year-old Mcilroy, but i am still in it. im not packing my bags and heading home. The irishman faces Henrik Stenson and Simon Dyson and will need to beat both to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals of the round-robin event. other favourites to suffer included the returning Paul Casey, who was eliminated after defeats by Scott Strange and Anthony Kim, who also beat retief Goosen to all but guarantee his semi-final spot. Also sent home after a pair of defeats were Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, but lee Westwood is still in a with a shout despite being crushed by six holes in his sole encounter of the day with indias Jeev Milkha Singh. IaN POUlTeR took a one-shot lead at the end of the first day of a rain- interrupted singapore Open. after a six-week lay-off, the englishman quickly found his form with a five-under-par 66. He tops the leaderboard ahead of ernie els and qualifier Chan Yih-shin of Chinese Taipei, although half of the field did not complete their first rounds after a thunderstorm forced a three-hour delay. Poulter, 33, said: Its nice to take some time off in the latter part of the year, do some good work and come out with some good intentions. Irish pair Peter lawrie and Graeme McDowell shot level-par 71s, while Padraig Harrington and Gary Murphy were also level after ten and six holes respectively. S: Underage success is solution to Dubs woesBY PAul keAneKerry ace Tomas S has urged Dublin to go back to basics and con- centrate on their underage teams if they want to make real progress. Player of the year nominee S- won his fifth All-ireland medal in September thanks in part to a quarter- final hammering of Dublin. it was yet another Croke Park col- lapse by Dublin at a crucial time, with S admitting the Dubs seem to just crumble on the big stage. The Kingdom defender recalled how Kerry were given the freedom of Croke Park that day and we were al- lowed to do what we wanted. Dublin manager Pat Gilroy is plan- ning to put a new-look side together in 2010 without many of the teams familiar faces in an attempt to move things forward. But S claims Dublins players are as good as whats in the country and maintained what they really need to focus on is winning more at minor and Under-21 level. Dublins last underage win of note was the U-21 All-ireland in 2003. Dublin seem to have very good footballers, as good as whats in the country, said S. i just think the minors and U-21s need to step up. if you look at any of the teams winning All-irelands at the moment their minors and U-21s are doing very well. Thats not the case with Dublin. look at Cork, theyve won five Munster championships at U-21 level and that talent is all coming through. S did sympathise with Dublin over the massive weight of expecta- tion that is generated by their huge following. every single time they open a Championship with a good perform- ance everybody has them down as world beaters, he added. Theres no easy answer to it. i wouldnt tell anyone how to do it or organise it. Theyre not far off, they just seem to crumble. Back to the drawing board: Dublin manager Pat Gilroy Picture: Sportsfile index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html