Monday 31 December 2018

Index 2018

INDEX

FOOTBALL
Season 2017/18
30.04 Slick Man City net century of goals
28.05 For the record
World Cup 2018
13.06 Preview: Putin's showpiece
30.06 Kane sets up Colombia clash
08.07 Southgate returns England to top table
12.07 England come home
16.07 Après le deluge, the victory
Season 2018/19
14.08 Preview: Man City seek rare retention
04.12 Something for (almost) everyone

OTHER SPORT
Winter Olympics
08.02 Korea opportunities
25.02 Yarnold shines brightest in record British haul
Snooker World Championships
10.05 Family man Williams turns back the clock
England cricket team
10.01 England suffer another stomach-turning defeat Down Under
11.09 Fairytale at the Oval for retiring Cook
Ryder Cup
27.09 Wildcard Tiger leads Americans on Ryder Cup prowl
30.09 Vincerò! Vincerò! Europe easily win the Ryder Cup
F1 2018 season
29.10 Fiesta time for five-star Hamilton
Rugby Union
25.11 Home Nations exhibit their World Cup credentials

HISTORY & POLITICS
History
27.01 One day in Auschwitz-Birkenau
Home affairs
04.05 Labour left limited as Tories hold ground
14.12 Merry Christmas, Mrs May
Foreign affairs
07.11 US Midterms produce a mixed picture

MISCELLANEOUS
12.05 Clucking-mad Israel win marred by SuRie stage invader
31.12 Index 2018

Friday 14 December 2018

Merry Christmas, Mrs May

(Q)Do you have confidence in Theresa May 
as the leader of the Conservative party?
YES200 (63.1%)
NO117 (36.9%)

THERESA MAY survived her latest tumultuous week as Prime Minister after winning a confidence vote which had been brought against her by a group of rebel Conservative MPs.

Mrs May prevailed by 200 votes to 117 for an unconvincing majority of 83.

But, following a week in which the Tory divisions over Brexit were brutally exposed, the PM returned to the negotiating table in Brussels in an unequivocally weaker position.

For a start, Mrs May effectively only seems to have remained in her job because of a promise to her MPs that she will step down from the role ahead of any General Election.

Even on this, though, she has rapidly been forced to make a significant concession this week having originally said she would only not contest a vote as far off as 2022.

That left many Conservatives fearing that Mrs May would still be in place to lead the party if an earlier campaign came around.

After all, her reputation among many Tories has never recovered since she called a "snap" election in 2017, and the party unexpectedly lost its majority in the House of Commons.

Ever since then indeed, she appears to have been on borrowed time, relying on a confidence-and-supply arrangement with nine Democratic Unionists to pass legislation.

Now, though, the unresolved issue of what to do with the Irish border means Arlene Foster's hardline unionists are no longer a reliable source of support.

Instead, on some of the most important votes, the DUP MPs have allied themselves with a core of Eurosceptic Conservative backbenchers led by cartoonish relic Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Already, the influence of this alliance in Westminster proceedings has been quite momentous.

On a chastening night last week, the group voted with other opposition parties to create history as Mrs May's Government became the first administration in history to be found in Contempt of Parliament.

The problem there was that the Government had only provided an outline of the legal basis for its Brexit deal whereas Parliament had previously voted to be given the full advice.

Subsequently, the full advice was published ahead of an expectation this week that a so-called "meaningful vote" would be held on whether to approve Mrs May's deal.

All through last weekend, the PM and her ministers were adamant that the vote in the Commons would go ahead - but, as time wore on, it became ever more obvious that the Government was going to be defeated again, and perhaps heavily defeated.

Consequently, on the eve of the division, Mrs May called the whole thing off and admitted outright to the Commons that she knew she had no chance of getting a majority as it stood.

For many in the Conservative party, it was one show of weakness too many from the Prime Minister and a backbench-led confidence vote became as inevitable an event as Mrs May's failure in the Commons would have been.

The short-term difference was that the Prime Minister knew she could win a confidence vote - and she did, something which in itself has the important effect of providing her with immunity from another such challenge for a full 12 months.

At the same time, though, European leaders appear unwilling to budge from the deal on the table - and so, the situation has now reached a seemingly insoluble stalemate.

In a bizarre way, though, this can help to predict where this goes from here.

Mrs May's deal appears dead in the water while the Irish and/or the EU will not negotiate any further over the backstop so the number of possible outcomes has been automatically limited.

It would seem then either Britain will fall out of the EU on 29 March next year without any sort of deal, or the political gridlock will be acknowledged and a final decision will be thrown back to an exasperated public who mostly just want this all to be over.

Feasibly, of course, both could happen - and, surely, surely, there must be some way out of this mess.

Then again, the Joker once famously remarked exactly that to the Thief - and neither of them ended any further forward. 

⭐BREXIT: A TIMELINE

24 January 2013 Report
Then-Prime Minister David Cameron promised that, if the Conservatives won a majority at the 2015 General Election, the Government would hold a referendum on whether the UK should remain in or leave the European Union (EU) following a series of renegotiations.

30 March 2015
A General Election was called following the dissolution of the Parliament under the provisions of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011.

7 May 2015 Report
The General Election was held. David Cameron defied expectations of a Hung Parliament and led the Conservatives to their first outright majority since 1997.

19 February 2016
David Cameron announced the outcome of the renegotiations. The renegotiated terms were in addition to existing opt-outs in the EU as well as the UK rebate - but critics argued there would be no fundamental change to the EU-UK relationship.

20-21 February 2016 Report
David Cameron effectively fired the starting pistol on an in-out referendum by announcing it would be held on 23 June 2016. On the following morning, his long-time rival - the then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson - confirmed he would be backing the Vote Leave campaign

23-24 June 2016
Britain voted 52-48 in favour of leaving the European Union (Brexit). David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister on the following morning, triggering a Conservative leadership election.

30 June 2016
Then-Justice Secretary Michael Gove confirmed his bid to become party leader, prompting Boris Johnson, the bookmakers' favourite, to announce he would not enter the leadership contest.

13 July 2016 Report
Theresa May formally became Prime Minister having beaten Andrea Leadsom and Michael Gove in the Conservative leadership contest. On the same day, George Osborne was sacked as Chancellor of Exchequer in a reshuffle, and replaced by Philip Hammond.

3 November 2016
The Supreme Court ruled in the favour of Gina Miller who had campaigned for Brexit to be approved through Parliament.

17 January 2017
Theresa May announced that Brexit would be subject to a "meaningful vote" in both Houses of Parliament.

29 March 2017
Article 50 was formally invoked, starting a two-year countdown until Britain severs ties with the EU.

18 April 2017
Theresa May - comfortably ahead in the polls - called a "snap" General Election.

8 June 2017 Report
The General Election was held. The result showed the Conservatives remained the largest party but that they had lost their majority due to a Labour resurgence under Jeremy Corbyn.

9 June 2017
Theresa May vowed to continue as PM and struck a confidence-and-supply deal with the Democratic Unionist Party.

13 July 2017
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, introduced a bill in the House of Commons which ensured Britain's withdrawal from the EU would be subject to a "meaningful vote".

July 2017-November 2017
Negotiation phase 1: A series of talks in Brussels (17-20 July, 28-31 August, 7 September, 25 September, 9-12 October, 9-10 November) over Britain's withdrawal from the EU were held.

4 December 2017
A draft agreement was expected to be finalised at a meeting between EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Theresa May. However, the meeting was abandoned after the DUP objected to arrangements for the Irish border

December 2017-March 2018
Negotiation phase 2: transitional arrangements included an Irish backstop which was agreed in principle by Theresa May and EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier. The backstop potentially tied Northern Ireland to EU trade laws beyond Brexit.

26 June 2018
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament called the European Union (Withdrawal) Act.

6 July 2018
Theresa May summoned her Cabinet to Chequers to shore up support for her Brexit agreement.

8-9 July 2018
Brexit Secretary David Davis tendered his resignation, stating the deal - as it stood - was too soft. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also stepped down as he considered the deal had the potential to turn Britain "into a European colony". Dominic Raab was appointed as Brexit Secretary in a reshuffle.

July-November 2018
Negotiation phase 3: Britain negotiated trade relations with EU after Brexit.

15 November 2018
Dominic Raab resigned as Brexit Secretary, saying he “cannot in good conscience” support the deal agreed by the cabinet. He was joined by a spate of others including Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey.

16 November 2018
Stephen Barclay became the third Brexit Secretary of the year.

4 December 2018
The Government lost three votes in the Commons and was found in contempt of Parliament. Consequently, the Government was forced to publish its full legal advice on Brexit.

10 December 2018
Theresa May was forced to call off the "meaningful vote" in Parliament, admitting that she knew she had no chance of getting a majority for her deal in the Commons.

12 December 2018 Report
At least 48 Tory MPs' letters were sent into Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers. A vote of no confidence was called in Theresa May which she won with a majority of 83 (200-117).

Tuesday 4 December 2018

Something for (almost) everyone


CALENDAR

21 March 2019 to 19 November 2019- Euro 2020 qualifiers (20 teams to qualify)
5-9 June 2019- Nations League finals
1 December 2019- Euro 2020 finals draw
21-31 March 2020- Euro 2020 playoffs (4 teams to qualify)
12 June 2020 to 12 July 2020- Euro 2020 finals

ENGLAND will face the Netherlands next summer in the inaugural Nations League finals in Portugal.

Gareth Southgate's side will contest their second semi final inside 12 months following a dramatic late win against their World Cup conquerors Croatia in November at Wembley.

The Three Lions trailed the Croatians with just 12 minutes left after Andrej Kramaric's shot had taken a wicked deflection past Jordan Pickford.

And the idiosyncrasies of the Nations League meant that England were faced with relegation from the elite tier even if they managed to get back on terms before the full time whistle.

Thankfully then, England scored twice. First, a long Joe Gomez throw was flicked on to Jesse Lingard who converted from barely a yard out.

Then, captain Harry Kane completed the comeback by sliding in Ben Chilwell's low free kick, again from close range.

In fairness, it was no more than England deserved after a display of attacking verve and indeed a collective composure which belied the pressure under which this refreshingly youthful team were operating.

Earlier, the Three Lions had set up the chance to qualify with an eerie 0-0 draw in a match staged behind closed doors in Croatia and a memorable 3-2 victory over Spain in Seville.

The latter result against the Spanish was probably England's finest performance under Southgate to date - even when taking into account the World Cup adventure last year.

A brace from Raheem Sterling and another from Marcus Rashford in the first half an hour left the Three Lions with enough room for error as the Spain, under new boss Luis Enrique, inevitably launched a comeback after the interval.

Meanwhile, England's Dutch opponents had a no less a dramatic journey to the finals having been placed in a group with the last two world champions, Germany and France.

It appeared as if the Oranje had done the hard work by beating the French in Rotterdam but - although surprisingly already relegated - old rivals Germany were still playing for pride and not about to go easy in the last game

Indeed, Joachim Löw's men looked to be in full control at 2-0 up in Gelsenkirchen - but, in keeping with the recent travails of the Nationalmannschaft, the Dutch produced an unlikely comeback to secure the point they needed.

Hosts Portugal were actually the only one of the remaining Nations League quartet who had ensured their place in the finals ahead of their final group game as they easily saw off the challenge of Italy and Poland.

But their opponents Switzerland stunned Belgium who once again flattered to deceive despite taking an early two-goal lead in Lucerne through a Thorgan Hazard brace.

That left the Swiss needing four - but Haris Seferović scored a scarcely believable hat-trick as they instead made certain by turning the tie completely around to win 5-2.

Overall then, the Nations League would seem to have produced enough moments of magic already to justify its place on the international football calendar, especially as it has come in lieu of friendlies.

The mini-groups usually mean there is something to play for heading into the last game - and, furthermore, this competition has opened up possibilities for teams lower down the European pecking order.

Certainly, one of the beneficiaries of the new format has been Scotland and, in particular, James Forrest.

Celtic winger Forrest scored five goals in four days as the Scots beat Albania 4-0 and then hung on for a momentous 3-2 win over Israel at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

The result meant Scotland are promoted from the depths of the third tier to the second level for the next edition of the Nations League.

Rather more crucially, after years in the wilderness, it gives a fallback option of the playoffs to Alex McLeish's men if, as third seeds, they fail to make it through their standard Euro 2020 qualifying group ahead of the likes of Belgium and Russia.

Wales have no such luxury having missed out on promotion to the top flight of the Nations League - and a Euro 2020 playoff - after a painful 2-1 home defeat to Denmark.

Nevertheless, the Welsh will fancy their chances of a top two placing as the second seeds in a group also featuring Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan.

Basically, UEFA has designed its competitions in such a way that there is something for just about everyone.

Not quite, though. On either side of the Irish border, the Nations League did not exactly go to plan - and, worse than that, it actually went pretty disastrously for the two countries who were both relegated to the third tier. 

Northern Ireland under Michael O'Neill went down without as much as a single point while the Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane era in Ireland came to a joyless and winless conclusion.

Former boss Mick McCarthy - who led the Irish to the 2002 World Cup where he clashed with Keane - has taken the reins temporarily again ahead of the appointment of Stephen Kenny in 2020.

McCarthy then will be tasked with plotting a path past Switzerland, Denmark, Georgia, and Gibraltar to the finals, though there is some extra motivation for his beleaguered team.

Regardless of whether they qualify or not, Ireland are one of the 12 hosts of Euro 2020 listed below - but it would, naturally, be so much better if the city of Dublin had a home team at the championships to support.

The same motivation applies for England and Scotland, of course - and Wembley has the additional privilege of providing hosting duties for the Euro 2020 Final itself and the semis.

Sadly, Northern Ireland appear unlikely to make it to the finals at all. Having been relegated in the Nations League, the Northern Irish needed a kind draw in their Euro 2020 qualifying group.

Instead, the Belfast boys drew out two European heavyweights in the Netherlands and Germany who will quickly reacquaint themselves after the Nations League and will fully expect to take the two qualifying spots.

Similarly, England will expect to ease their way past the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Euro debutants Kosovo.

But, even if the Three Lions suffer a shocking failure, they - like the Scottish - have a second chance in the playoffs, if need be.

So, England's next fixtures are against the Czechs at home and Montenegro away at the end of March.

It would only be natural, though, if Southgate and the others are already looking ahead to the tie with the Netherlands on 6 June in Guimarães

Once again, success feels so close that England can almost taste it. Almost. 

EURO 2020 QUALIFIERS
Top two teams from each group qualify directly for the Euro 2020 finals
GROUP AGROUP BGROUP CGROUP D
ENGLANDPORTUGALNETHERLANDSSWITZERLAND
CZECH REPUKRAINEGERMANYDENMARK
BULGARIASERBIANORTHERN IRELANDIRELAND
MONTENEGROLITHUANIAESTONIAGEORGIA
KOSOVOLUXEMBOURGBELARUSGIBRALTAR
GROUP EGROUP FGROUP GGROUP H
CROATIASPAINPOLANDFRANCE
WALESSWEDENAUSTRIAICELAND
SLOVAKIANORWAYISRAELTURKEY
HUNGARYROMANIASLOVENIAALBANIA
AZERBAIJANFAROE ISLANDSFYR MACEDONIAMOLDOVA

MALTALATVIAANDORRA

GROUP IGROUP J

BELGIUMITALY

RUSSIABOSNIA-HERZ

SCOTLANDFINLAND

CYPRUSGREECE

KAZAKHSTANARMENIA

SAN MARINOLIECHTENSTEIN

SEEDING POTS Based upon the overall rankings from the 2018 UEFA Nations League
(*Nations League finalists are guaranteed a five-team qualifying group)
Pot 1 Switzerland*, Portugal*, Netherlands*, England*, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Poland
Pot 2 Germany, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Austria, Wales, Czech Republic
Pot 3 Slovakia, Turkey, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Finland, Bulgaria, Israel
Pot 4 Hungary, Romania, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Georgia
Pot 5 Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus, Luxembourg, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Gibraltar, Faroe Islands
Pot 6 Latvia, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Malta, San Marino

EURO 2020 VENUES
Euro 2020 will be hosted in 12 venues across the continent of Europe



CapacityPackage
DenmarkCopenhagenParken Stadium38,065- Group stage and a R16 match
HungaryBudapestFerenc Puskás Stadium68,000*- Group stage and a R16 match
IrelandDublinAviva Stadium51,700- Group stage and a R16 match
NetherlandsAmsterdamJohan Cruyff Arena54,990- Group stage and a R16 match
RomaniaBucharestArena Națională55,600- Group stage and a R16 match
ScotlandGlasgowHampden Park52,063- Group stage and a R16 match
SpainBilbaoSan Mamés53,332- Group stage and a R16 match
AzerbaijanBakuOlympic Stadium68,700- Group stage and a QF match
GermanyMunichAllianz Arena75,000- Group stage and a QF match
ItalyRomeStadio Olimpico72,698- Group stage and a QF match
RussiaSaint PetersburgKrestovsky Stadium68,134- Group stage and a QF match
EnglandLondonWembley Stadium90,000- Group stage and a R16 match
- Both semi finals and the FINAL
*proposed capacity


UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE FINALS
PortuglSF1Switzerl'd HollandSF2England Loser SF13/4Loser SF2Winner SF1FWinner SF2
SF1 5 June (7.45pm, Porto) SF2 6 June (7.45pm, Guimarães) 
3/4 9 June (2pm, Guimarães) F 9 June (7.45pm, Porto)

LEAGUE A

A1


A2


A3


A4

Germany0-0France
Switzerl'd6-0Iceland
Italy1-1Poland
England1-2Spain
France2-1Holland
Iceland0-3Belgium
Portugal1-0Italy
Spain6-0Croatia
Holland3-0Germany
Belgium2-1Switzerl'd
Poland2-3Portugal
Croatia0-0England
France2-1Germany
Iceland1-2Switzerl'd
Poland0-1Italy
Spain2-3England
Holland2-0France
Belgium2-0Iceland
Italy0-0Portugal
Croatia3-2Spain
Germany2-2Holland
Switzerl'd5-2Belgium
Portugal1-1Poland
England2-1Croatia

(Q) Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, England
(R) Germany, Iceland, Poland, Croatia
Top scorer (5 goals) Haris Seferović (SUI)

LEAGUE B

B1


B2


B3


B4

Czech R1-2Ukraine
Turkey1-2Russia
N Ireland1-2Bosnia-H
Wales4-1Ireland
Ukraine1-0Slovakia
Sweden2-3Turkey
Bosnia-H1-0Austria
Denmark2-0Wales
Slovakia1-2Czech R
Russia0-0Sweden
Austria1-0N Ireland
Ireland0-0Denmark
Ukraine1-0Czech R
Russia2-0Turkey
Bosnia-H2-0N Ireland
Ireland0-1Wales
Slovakia4-1Ukraine
Turkey0-1Sweden
  Austria0-0Bosnia-H
Wales1-2Denmark
Czech R1-0Slovakia
Sweden2-0Russia
N Ireland1-2Austria
Denmark0-0Ireland

(P) Ukraine, Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Denmark
(R) Slovakia, Turkey, Northern Ireland, Ireland
Top scorers (3 goals) Edin Džeko (BIH), Patrik Schick (CZE)

LEAGUE C

C1


C2


C3


C4

Albania1-0Israel
Finland1-0Hungary
Slovenia1-2Bulgaria
Lithunia0-1Serbia
Scotland2-0Albania
Estonia0-1Greece
Norway2-0Cyprus
Romania0-0Montenegro
Israel2-1Scotland
Hungary2-1Greece
Bulgaria1-0Norway
Serbia2-2Romania
Israel2-0Albania
Finland1-0Estonia
Cyprus2-1Slovenia
Montenegro2-0Lithuania
Albania0-4Scotland
Greece1-0Hungary
Norway1-0Slovenia
Lithuania1-2Romania
Scotland3-2Israel
Estonia0-1Finland
Bulgaria2-1Cyprus
Montenegro0-2Serbia




Estonia3-3Hungary
Norway1-0Bulgaria
Romania0-0Serbia




Finland2-0Greece
Slovenia1-1Cyprus
Lithuania1-4Montenegro




Hungary2-0Estonia
Cyprus1-1Bulgaria
Serbia2-1Montenegro




Greece1-0Finland
Slovenia1-1Norway
Romania3-0Lithuania




Hungary2-0Finland
Bulgaria1-1Slovenia
Serbia4-1Lithuania




Greece0-1Estonia
Cyprus0-2Norway
Montenegro0-1Romania

(P) Scotland, Finland, Norway, Serbia
(R) Estonia, Cyprus, Slovenia, Lithuania
Top scorer (6 goals) Aleksandar Mitrović (SRB)

LEAGUE D

D1


D2


D3


D4

Kazak'n0-2Georgia
Belarus5-0S Marino
Azerbaijn0-0Kosovo
Armenia2-1Liechtns'n
Latvia0-0Andorra
Luxemb'g4-0Moldova
Faroe Is3-1Malta
Gibraltar0-2Macedonia
Georgia1-0Latvia
S Marino0-3Luxemb'g
Kosovo2-0Faroe Is
Macedonia2-0Armenia
Andorra1-1Kazak'n
Moldova0-0Belarus
Malta1-1Azerbaijn
Liechtns'n2-0Gibraltar
Georgia3-0Andorra
Belarus1-0Luxemb'g
Faroe Is0-3Azerbaijn
Armenia0-1Gibraltar
Latvia1-1Kazak'n
Moldova2-0S Marino
Kosovo3-1Malta
Macedonia4-1Liechtns'n
Kazak'n4-0Andorra
Belarus0-0Moldova
Azerbaijn1-1Malta
Armenia4-0Macedonia
Latvia0-3Georgia
Luxemb'g3-0S Marino
Faroe Is1-1Kosovo
Gibraltar2-1Liechtns'n
Kazak'n1-1Latvia
S Marino0-1Moldova
Azerbaijn2-0Faroe Is
Gibraltar2-6Armenia
Andorra1-1Georgia
Luxemb'g0-2Belarus
Malta0-5Kosovo
Liechtns'n0-2Macedonia
Andorra0-0Latvia
Moldova1-1Luxemb'g
Kosovo4-0Azerbaijn
Macedonia4-0Gibraltar
Georgia2-1Kazak'n
S Marino0-2Belarus
Malta1-1Faroe Is
Liechtns'n2-2Armenia

(P) Georgia, Belarus, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia
Top scorers (5 goals) Yura Movsisyan (ARM), Stanislaw Drahun (BLR)

Sunday 25 November 2018

Home Nations exhibit their World Cup credentials


EACH of the four Home Nations signed off their Autumn Internationals campaign with a victory at the weekend as they laid down a marker ahead of the World Cup in Japan next year.

Wales beat South Africa 20-11 for their ninth win in a row as they completed a first ever November clean sweep following earlier wins over Scotland, Australia, and Tonga.

The Welsh led 14-3 at half-time following tries in the opening quarter of an hour for prop Tomas Francis and full-back Liam Williams.

And, although South Africa responded with a second half try from centre Jessie Kriel, replacement Dan Biggar kicked two late penalties to seal a fourth successive win for Warren Gatland's men over the Springboks.

Wales thus consolidated third position in the IRB World Rankings behind defending world champions Zealand and long-time Northern Hemisphere standard bearers Ireland.

The Irish - even by their own recent high standards - have had a phenomenal year with a Grand Slam in the Six Nations in the spring and a 2-1 away series win over Australia in the summer.

Gladly, the Autumn Internationals also went to plan for Joe Schmidt's men as they enjoyed comfortable wins over Italy and Argentina ahead of a seminal clash against the All Blacks.

Ireland had never beaten New Zealand at home having only won against them for the first time ever in 2016 on neutral territory in Chicago.

But, just 10 months before the next World Cup starts, Ireland now have another win in the bank over the All Blacks.

Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale scored the only try and, more impressively still, the Irish prevented Steve Hansen's men from crossing their own line in an incredibly intense contest at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

It all means that success at a World Cup is pretty much the only thing to have eluded Ireland under Schmidt.

But, having demonstrated their strength in depth by breezing past the United States with what was a much-changed XV, surely the Irish will at least reach the semi finals for the first time next year.

England, by contrast, remain a work in progress under Eddie Jones.

For sure, three wins out of four makes for pretty decent reading overall - but, in both of the wins against South Africa and Australia, talisman Owen Farrell was extremely fortunate not to face sanction for two injudicious shoulder tackles.

Certainly, the missed foul play against the Springboks proved to be more critical moment overall as England prevailed by a single point.

But, to be fair, under pressure Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has a right to be aggrieved by the non-award of a penalty try which would have put his team into a lead at the break.

Instead, England made the most of their fortune as Elliot Daly, Joe Cokanasiga, and Farrell scored second half tries for an ultimately comfortable 37-18 victory.

Another reverse for the Aussies, meanwhile, piles massive pressure on their coach Cheika with him having overseen their worst ever year in history in terms of Test defeats.

Indeed, in successive years now, Australia have been handsomely beaten at Twickenham by an aggregate of 43 points.

And, regardless of complaints about the officials' decisions in London, Australian rugby union appears to be in desperate shape right now.

Not too long ago, Scotland were also thoroughly in the doldrums.

Of course, the Scots' defeats to Wales and South Africa this month have clearly showed that there is still much work to be done by coach Gregor Townsend.

However, the eight-try 54-17 triumph over Pacific islanders Fiji was every bit as convincing as it sounds - and, against Argentina on Saturday, Towsend's men produced the only moment of real quality in the match when Sean Maitland went over in the corner.

Elsewhere, this autumn:
  • Italy achieved the bare minimum expected from their four matches, scoring four tries in a 28-17 win over Georgia, the team often touted to replace them in the Six Nations. In their other matches the  Azzurri were kept to single figures by Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. 
  • By contrast, World Cup hosts Japan demonstrated far more competitiveness this autumn despite three defeats which suggest they somewhat run out of steam. Nevertheless, the Cherry Blossoms held a 15-10 half time lead over England at Twickenham before a comeback after interval by the hosts - and, overall, the Japanese scored a very creditable 15 tries in their four matches.
  • France suffered a major embarrassment in front of their own fans at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis as they went down to a 21-14 defeat against the attack-minded Fiji. Another earlier narrow home defeat against South Africa means Les Bleus won only one of their three fixtures this autumn.
  • That French win came against Argentina who also lost to Ireland and Scotland, making it one win in nine matches for Los Pumas in the Northern Hemisphere since 2016.

Certainly then, it feels as if the extraordinary Southern Hemisphere feat of having had all four World Cup semi finalists in 2015 will not be repeated next year.

Undoubtedly, New Zealand remain the team to beat - but Ireland, and South Africa earlier this year, have proved it can be done.

Wales' winning streak means they are no longer under the radar, while England and Scotland can also take some confidence from their respective campaigns.

The contenders appear ready then - and, just as well, for there are now only 299 days until the action in Japan kicks off.

AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS
WEEK-BY-WEEK RESULTS

27 October
(T2)JAPAN28-31WORLD XV(-)Hanazono Stadium, Osaka
(T1)NEW ZEALAND37-20AUSTRALIA(T1)Nissan Stadium, Yokohama

3 November
(T2)JAPAN31-69NEW ZEALAND(T1)Ajinomoto Stadium, Chōfu
(T1)WALES21-10SCOTLAND(T1)Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
(T1)ENGLAND12-11SOUTH AFRICA(T1)Twickenham, London
(T1)IRELAND54-7ITALY(T1)Soldier Field, Chicago

10 November

(T1)ITALY28-17GEORGIA(T2)Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
(T1)SCOTLAND54-17FIJI(T2)Murrayfield, Edinburgh
(T1)ENGLAND15-16NEW ZEALAND(T1)Twickenham, London
(T1)WALES9-6AUSTRALIA(T1)Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
(T1)IRELAND28-17ARGENTINA(T1)Aviva Stadium, Dublin
(T1)FRANCE26-29SOUTH AFRICA(T1)Stade de France, Saint-Denis

17 November
(T1)ITALY7-26AUSTRALIA(T1)Stadio Euganeo, Padua
(T1)WALES74-24TONGA(T2)Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
(T1)ENGLAND35-15JAPAN(T2)Twickenham, London
(T1)SCOTLAND20-26SOUTH AFRICA(T1)Murrayfield, Edinburgh
(T1)IRELAND16-9NEW ZEALAND(T1)Aviva Stadium, Dublin
(T1)FRANCE28-13ARGENTINA(T1)Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq

24 November
(T1)ITALY3-66NEW ZEALAND(T1)Stadio Olimpico, Rome
(T2)JAPAN32-27RUSSIA(T2)Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
(T1)SCOTLAND14-9ARGENTINA(T1)Murrayfield, Edinburgh
(T1)ENGLAND37-18AUSTRALIA(T1)Twickenham, London
(T1)WALES20-11SOUTH AFRICA(T1)Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
(T1)IRELAND57-14UNITED STATES(T2)Aviva Stadium, Dublin
(T1)FRANCE14-21FIJI(T2)Stade de France, Saint-Denis

AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS
SERIES SUMMARY

PWLFATRBPPts
NEW ZEALAND5411978526420
IRELAND4401554720218
WALES4401245114117
ENGLAND431996010315
SCOTLAND422987312210
SOUTH AFRICA4227778619
JAPAN4131061621548
FRANCE3126863726
AUSTRALIA4137090826
ITALY41345163615
ARGENTINA3033970211
Note
TR = Tries scored
BP = Bonus points awarded for four tries in a game and/or a defeat by less than eight points
Tier 1 nations and RWC19 hosts Japan featured only

Wednesday 7 November 2018

US Midterms produce a mixed picture

US MIDTERM ELECTIONS
DEMOCRATS(+39)234
HOUSE201(-39)REPUBLICANS

(-2)47SENATE53(+2)

(+7)23GOVERNOR27(-6)

DEMOCRATS put a dent in the power of President Donald Trump in the Midterm elections after flipping the House of Representatives and gaining several Governors seats.

But, on a mixed night overall, Republicans easily retained control on the Senate - and in fact made gains in Florida, Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota to strengthen their grip on the upper chamber.

The result fell largely within the expectations of most of the pundits and followed the decision by President Trump to pursue an unusually high profile campaign.

Voter turnout was well up on the miserable 36.4% recorded in the last Midterms in 2014 under Barack Obama as Trump supporters and detractors alike delivered their verdict on his first two years in the White House.

Indeed, Americans remain bitterly divided along partisan lines after another brutal election period which featured a sex abuse scandal, several mail bombs, concerns over a migrant caravan, and a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The sex abuse scandal related to Brett Kavanaugh, who was Mr Trump's nomination for the vacant Supreme Court position.

Prior to this nomination, Palo Alto University Professor of Psychology Christine Blasey Ford contacted a Washington Post tip line with allegations that Mr Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the 1980s while the two of them were in high school.

Meanwhile, two other women also accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.

Mr Kavanaugh categorically denied all the allegations - and, on 27 September, he and Ms Ford testified to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

The hearing caused a stir but ultimately mattered little. On 6 October, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Mr Kavanaugh's nomination by a 50-48 margin, and he was sworn in later that day.

Bizarrely, the whole affair appeared to boost support for Mr Trump's Grand Old Party as what became characterised by the President as a witch hunt further energised the Republican base.

But, while events surrounding Mr Kavanaugh somehow seemed to work in Mr Trump's favour, the New Yorker adopted a decidedly unpresidential approach to dealing with the fallout from a series of mail bombs delivered to prominent Democrats and other liberals.

In all, 15 pipe bombs were mailed to the likes of former President Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton between 22 and 29 October.

Other people who were sent packages included California congresswoman Maxine Waters, Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, former Attorney General Eric Holder, two former intelligence chiefs, billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer, and actor Robert De Niro.

Meanwhile, a 15th package, addressed to CNN's world headquarters, was found at an Atlanta post office.

Suspect Cesar Sayoc Jr was arrested in Florida on 26 October. He faces five federal charges and he has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Naturally, Mr Trump condemned the attacks in an official statement.

Incredibly, though, he later complained the mail bombs had robbed the Republicans of some crucial momentum in the run-up to polling day.

Sadly, it was also not the last of the violence before the election. On 27 October, a gunman opened fire at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing at least 11 people.

The suspected perpertrator - Robert Gregory Bowers - was reported to have been heavily involved in "extermist friendly" websites such as Gab and had promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories online through social media.

Bowers's Gab profile featured a cover picture was a photo with the number 1488, used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists to evoke David Lane's Fourteen Words and the Nazi slogan Heil Hitler.

Moreover, Bowers had also published posts supporting the white genocide theory.

Now, of course, Bowers has not acted in a complete vacuum - and it would not be too great a stretch to consider that he had been embolded by a hostile environment created, in part, by some of the language used by Mr Trump throughout his presidency.

Unsurprisingly, that was no different during the election build up as he ordered more than 5,000 troops to guard the southern border from what he described as "an invasion" of migrants.

Instead, though, it was healthcare - and not immigration - which was reported to be the voters' most important issue in the exit polls following Mr Trump's vow "to repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.

Naturally, there was plenty of desire among Republicans to repeal Obamacare - but its replacement has been subject to much consternation in Congress, and it has therefore not been forthcoming.

Having now lost their majority in the House of Representatives, matters are going to be even more difficult for Mr Trump and the Grand Old Party in the second half of his four-year term.

But it seems highly unlikely that the loss of the House will have any effect on Mr Trump's modus operandi.

Already, in the wake of the election, he has fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and warned the Democrats that he would adopt a "warlike posture" if they investigated him.
 
Mr Trump had previously pilloried Mr Sessions for his involvement in the Russia inquiry which is investigating potential collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Moscow.

Nevertheless, the President extended an olive branch to Democrats, proposing both parties work together on joint legislative priorities such as infrastructure, trade and health.

It will not be easy - but it is not clear exactly how much it matters to Mr Trump in any case for the reality is that the President is permanently in campaign mode.

Even on the date of his inauguration - 20 January 2017 - he was looking ahead to picking his next fight by launching his re-election bid straightaway.

Basically then, we can simply expect more of the same from Mr Trump for the next two years - and that is plenty of rhetoric and hot air, but little in the way of action.

STATE-BY-STATE RESULTS
State

HOUSE
DEMOCRATS

HOUSE
REPUBLICANS


SENATEGOVENOR
🔴 ALABAMA(AL)
🔵1 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴
6 (-)
🔵🔴🔴
🔴 ALASKA(AK)

0 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 ARIZONA(AZ)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵5 (+1)🔴🔴🔴🔴4 (-1)
🔵🔴🔴
🔴 ARKANSAS(AR)

0 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴4 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔵 CALIFORNIA(CA)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
45 (+6)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴
8 (-6)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 COLORADO(CO)
🔵🔵🔵🔵4 (+1)🔴🔴🔴3 (-1)
🔵🔴🔵
🔵 CONNECTICUT (CT)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵5 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 DELAWARE(DE)
🔵1 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 FLORIDA(FL)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵
13 (+2)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴🔴
14 (-2)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 GEORGIA(GA)
🔵🔵🔵🔵4 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴🔴
9 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔵 HAWAII(HI)
🔵🔵2 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 IDAHO(ID)

0 (-)🔴🔴2 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔵 ILLINOIS(IL)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵
13 (+2)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴5 (-2)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 INDIANA (IN)
🔵🔵2 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴
7 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 IOWA(IA)
🔵🔵🔵3 (+2)🔴1 (-2)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 KANSAS (KS)
🔵1 (+1)🔴🔴🔴3 (-1)
🔴🔴🔵
🔴 KENTUCKY(KY)
🔵1 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴5 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 LOUISIANA(LA)
🔵1 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴5 (-)
🔴🔴🔵
🔵🔴 MAINE (ME)
🔵🔵2(+1)
0 (-1)
🔵🔴🔵
🔵 MARYLAND(MD)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵
7 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔵🔵🔴
🔵 MASSACHUSETTS(MA)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵
9 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔴
🔴 MICHIGAN (MI)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵
🔵
7 (+2)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴
7 (-2)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 MINNESOTA(MN)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵5 (-)🔴🔴🔴3 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 MISSISSIPPI(MS)
🔵1 (-)🔴🔴🔴3 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 MISSOURI(MO)
🔵🔵2 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 
🔴
6 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 MONTANA(MT)

0 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔵🔴🔵
🔴 NEBRASKA(NE)

0 (-)🔴🔴🔴3 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔵 NEVADA(NV)
🔵🔵🔵3 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 NEW HAMPSHIRE (NH)
🔵🔵2 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔴
🔵 NEW JERSEY(NJ)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵
🔵
11 (+4)🔴1 (-4)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 NEW MEXICO (NM)
🔵🔵2 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 NEW YORK(NY)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵 
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵
🔵
22 (+4)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴


5 (-4)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 NORTH CAROLINA(NC)
🔵🔵🔵3 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
10 (-)
🔴🔴🔵
🔴 NORTH DAKOTA(ND)

0 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 OHIO(OH)
🔵🔵🔵🔵4 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴
12 (-)
🔵🔴🔴
🔴 OKLAHOMA(OK)
🔵1 (+1)🔴🔴🔴🔴4 (-1)
🔴🔴🔴
🔵 OREGON(OR)
🔵🔵🔵🔵4 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 PENNSYLVANIA(PA)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵
9 (+3)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴🔴
9 (-3)
🔵🔴🔵
🔵 RHODE ISLAND(RI)
🔵🔵2 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 SOUTH CAROLINA(SC)
🔵🔵2 (+1)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 5 (-1)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 SOUTH DAKOTA(SD)

0 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 TENNESSEE(TN)
🔵🔵2 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 
🔴🔴
7 (-)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 TEXAS(TX)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵
13 (+2)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 
🔴🔴🔴
23 (-2)
🔴🔴🔴
🔴 UTAH(UT)
🔵1 (+1)🔴🔴🔴3 (-1)
🔴🔴🔴
🔵 VERMONT(VT)
🔵1 (-)
0 (-)
🔵🔵🔴
🔵 VIRGINIA(VA)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵
🔵
7 (+3)🔴🔴🔴🔴4 (-3)
🔵🔵🔵
🔵 WASHINGTON(WA)
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵🔵
7 (+1)🔴🔴🔴3 (-1)
🔵🔵🔵
🔴 WEST VIRGINIA(WV)

0 (-)🔴🔴🔴3 (-)
🔵🔴🔴
🔴 WISCONSIN(WI)
🔵🔵🔵3 (-)🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴5 (-)
🔵🔴🔵
🔴 WYOMING(WY)

0 (-)🔴1 (-)
🔴🔴🔴