D Tuesday, November 10, 2009 METROSPORT 21 WALES flanker Dafydd Jones will miss the remaining autumn Tests after suffering a serious shoulder injury. The 30-year-old Scarlets back-row (pictured) underwent surgery yesterday and could be sidelined for up to three months. Jones was injured after going on as a second-half substitute for Andy Powell in Wales 19-12 defeat against New Zealand. Despite Wales having three more Tests this month Millennium Stadium appointments with Samoa, Argentina and Australia boss Warren Gatland will not summon a replacement for Jones into the squad. He follows his Scarlets colleague, wing Mark Jones, out of the November series. Wales physio Mark Davies said: The severity of the injury has led to Dafydd undergoing a repair. The prospects for recovery are good, and we would anticipate him returning early in the new year. Dan Carters disciplinary hearing has been postponed until today, at the request of the management of the new Zealand tour party. the all Blacks fly-half was cited for a dangerous tackle on Wales scrum-half Martin roberts during his teams 19-12 victory at the Millennium stadium on saturday. Carter was due to appear before Judge Jeff Blackett, the International rugby Board-appointed judicial officer for the match, at a hearing in London yesterday. the 27-year-old, who is expected to sit out saturdays game with Italy anyway, escaped censure from referee Craig Joubert at the time but Wales head coach Warren Gatland and assistant shaun edwards both believe his tackle warranted a yellow card. If Blackett decides Carter deserves a suspension it could threaten his participation against england a week on saturday. ALEx GrovE will make his Scotland debut and Chris Cusiter will captain the side for the first time in Saturdays match against Fiji. Worcester centre Grove, 21, will partner Graeme Morrision in midfield, while Cusiter has won his battle with joint skipper Mike Blair for the scrum-half berth. Tighthead prop Moray Low, 24, will make his full debut but record points scorer Chris Paterson is on the bench. Grove in for Scots Wales flanker Jones suffers shoulder woe Kiwis granted delay over Carter citing GOLF: Lee Westwood has risen to his highest world ranking in eight years, making him Europes top-rated golfer. An eighth- place finish in the WGC- HSBC Champions event in Shanghai on Sunday moved Westwood to fourth in the rankings, above fellow Englishman Paul Casey whose rib injury forced his retirement on the final day. Rory McIlroys second- place finish in China saw him climb to 17th in the rankings, but he still trails sixth-placed Padraig Harrington as leading Irishman. FORMULA ONE: Sebastien Buemi will remain with Toro Rosso next year. The 21-year-old Swiss driver has been given another chance to prove his potential after scoring eight points to finish 16th in the championship in his debut season. Team-mate Jaime Alguersuari is also expected to stay with Toro Rosso but a team spokesman was unable to confirm the Spaniards position. We have re- signed Buemi for next season but we have not yet signed Jaime, he told the BBC. BOxInG: new world heavyweight champion David Haye shrugged off comparisons with Muhammad Ali after beating giant Russian nikolai Valuev in Germany on Saturday. It was only Hayes third heavyweight contest and he won plaudits for his eye- catching style and charm outside the ring. I read the Ali comparisons and felt a bit uncomfortable, Haye said. Ali was the greatest, so I cant come close to even being mentioned in the same way as Ali. Even if I knocked out both the Klitschkos in one night and cleaned up the rest of the division, I still couldnt be mentioned in the same breath. ATHLETICS: World and Olympic 100 and 200metres champion Usain Bolt and 5,000 and 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele have both been shortlisted for the male Athlete of the Year award. The pair are joined by American sprinter Tyson Gay, Australian pole vaulter Steve Hooker and Norwegian javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen. The winner will be announced during the World Athletics Gala in Monaco on November 22. SPORTDigest No comparison: Haye game for a laugh Ireland trio Eoin Reddan, Donncha OCallaghan and Jerry Flannery strike a pose to launch the Guinness International Series ahead of the opening Test against Australia at Croke Park this Sunday. Ireland also face Fiji and world champions South Africa this month Picture:INPHO GAA Crisis talks in limerickBY PAUL KEANE LIMerICk chairman Liam Lenihan will hold crisis talks with the coun- tys hurlers this week to avoid an all- out players strike. Former skipper Damien reale and James ryan have quit the panel in protest at boss Justin McCarthys axing of a dozen colleagues. Lenihan insisted yesterday the Limerick board are 100 per cent be- hind McCarthy. But while this appears to spell strike action from the players, Leni- han is moving quickly to avoid a fur- ther flare-up. He said he will meet with individu- al players in the coming days in an effort to break the impasse. Crucially, he will be telling them McCarthy is going nowhere. at the October County Board meeting, when we discussed the de- feat to tipperary, I said that Justin had a two-year term and there was no one against it and thats still the same, said Lenihan. Limerick officials claim the axed players can play their way back into the team by attending trials, begin- ning this Friday. the door is still open to all players, said Lenihan. When all the trials are finished, they will sit down and look at everybody before finalising their panel. Meanwhile, under pressure Clare boss Mike Mcnamara will deliver a potentially stinging end-of-season report tonight. Mcnamara has so far refused to comment on the vote of no confidence passed by all but one of his 2009 panel last sunday week. no motions have been tabled about his future ahead of tonights board meeting in ennis though he may re- spond to players before quitting. Board backing: McCarthy retains support in Limerick McDonnell hits back at Spillane FORMER Armagh boss Peter McDonnell claims nothing is sacred when it comes to pundit Pat Spillanes controversial comments. Spillane claimed over the weekend that Gaelic football is now a bastardised game of basketball. The Kerry legend blamed Ulster teams for introducing the ugly short hand- passing style of play and named Armagh as a prime culprit. Last years Ulster final replay between Armagh and Fermanagh had 89 kicks in the whole match, claimed Spillane. Armagh played 75 minutes of football and kicked the ball only 39 times. McDonnell, who managed Armagh to that Ulster title, responded yesterday by saying: People will look to see who won the Ulster title in 2008 and see it was Armagh. Full stop. Its with a degree of sadness that a role model from my childhood has turned out to be such a critical observer of youngsters that are playing football. ruGby index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html