Time For Rupert was sent off 100/30 joint-favourite to win the key Gold Cup trial, but after tracking the leaders for much of the way was in trouble after the fifth last and lost his position. Flat to the boards, the Dennis O’Regan-ridden gelding stuck to his guns and stayed on again at the one pace to finish a 14-length fourth to the impressive Midnight Chase, but clearly that form isn’t good enough to have any real chance in the blue riband event in March, a point Webber was the first to acknowledge. Anyone looking at the Grand National betting odds online will know he has a real chance of going well at Aintree though.

The son of Flemensfirth, runner-up to Big Buck’s in the 2010 Ladbrokes World Hurdle, was made favourite for last year’s RSA Chase at the Cheltenham but could only finish fifth to Bostons Angel, and after making a sound enough start this season when second to weird Al at Wetherby in October was very firmly put in his place by Kauto Star and Long Run in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock a few weeks later. His confidence boosting win at Newbury in December gave hope that maybe there was better to come but Webber now sees the horse as lacking gears at the top level and may give the eight-year-old a fascinating entry into the Grand National, a comment that prompted a number of firms to introduce him into the ante-post betting for the Aintree marathon at odds of 33/1.

After a number of ‘false dawns’ earlier on this season it looks almost certain that the Willie Mullins-trained son of Montjeu will at last be put to the test in a race that makes up for in quality what it lacks in quantity. At the five-day declaration stage Hurricane Fly headed a list that also included the Grade 1 winners Unaccompanied, Oscars Well, Voler La Vedette, and Thousands Stars, together with the rank outsider Kalann. Punters looking for a little more excitement might want to look at the best online Cheltenham Gold Cup betting instead.

The race looks sure to give punters a good idea of what shape the horse who broke the unbeaten run of Peddlers Cross is in, having brilliantly landed last season’s Stan James Champion Hurdle before going on to bag another huge prize when following up at Punchestown six weeks later, beating his stable companion and subsequent French Champion Hurdler winner Thousand Stars with plenty to spare. A series of niggling setbacks have forced repeated delays to his return to action, but now Mullins confirms his stable star back in top form although he did suggest that however well he goes at Leopardstown the 13-time winner is more than likely to improve for the outing.

Priced up as the odds-on 4/7 favourite to make a winning return, Hurricane Fly could be given most to do by the two mares Unaccompanied and Voler La Vedette, the former having beaten Thousand Stars in the Grade 1 Istabraq Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown‘s Christmas meeting, while the latter confirmed her wellbeing in completing a seasonal hattrick at the same track 24 hours earlier.

With the Bruins first in goals for and first for goals against, it’s difficult to imagine a side capable of toppling them at the moment. Perhaps, if there were to be a side to grab away the limelight from the bustling Bruins, it would be the Blues in St Louis, an unlikely candidate for stealing the headlines and NHL betting tips, but one deserving of doing just that nevertheless. The Blues are 5-0-1 this calendar year and have that precious commodity running through their ranks that no amount of dollar can buy: confidence and self-belief.

Other movers and shakers in the NHL include the Canucks and the Blackhawks, Chicago making the most of a strong week to prove a point to the likes of Detroit, while there have been significant signs of improvement from the San Jose Sharks.

At the other end of the picture, however, lie the likes of the Flames, who are fresh off the Mike Cammalleri saga and four points off a playoff spot, with top teams keeping them out of contention at the moment.

There is still a whole load of NHL action to come this season, but with the likes of Boston and the Blackhawks starting to prove their class, now is the time for the best of the rest to put forward their case for playoff contention.

Unlike a number of his colleagues, Manning has played in the Super Bowl where he was the MVP as the Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14 and has told them they must leave no stone unturned as they look to once again defeat the Patriots when the two sides meet at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on February 5th. Anyone looking at the Super Bowl 2012 betting will know the size of the task facing them.

The playmaker is known throughout the NFL as someone who likes to let his actions do the talking. This means whenever he does make a speech, everyone takes notice and knows he means everything he says.

“We got an excellent message from Eli,” safety Antrel Rolle said. “It was very well-needed. For players like myself who have been to a Super Bowl, it is still great to hear someone speak with that kind of leadership. And you know, Eli doesn’t say much. When he says it, he means it and you know it is coming from the heart.”

The 31-year-old has become notably more vocal this season and years of being reluctant to speak to the press. At the beginning of the season he was if saw himself as an elite quarterback and immediately said ‘yes’. This has led to his performances coming under even more scrutiny this term but he says it’s not something he regrets. Fans of Betfair NFL action should bear this in mind.

“I thought I gave an honest answer,” he said. “I didn’t regret it at the time or think anything of it. Obviously it has been made into a big deal and I can’t always control that. My job is to play the game, it’s your job to talk and make up stories.”

After spending the year ensuring that his team was defensively as solid as possible, Jim Harbaugh has now been faced with one of the biggest decisions of his career to date, with the manager needing to decide whether to cash in on Alex Smith while the QB still has some value and respect attached to his name before moving for another QB, or else stick with a man who may be on the up at the moment but seems to have reached the zenith of a career that hasn’t exactly set the NFL on fire. Those looking at the Super Bowl Betting odds will know this.

With Smith enjoying a relatively good season, pulling off a number of plays he hadn’t previously looked capable of completing, including that pass to Vernon Davis, the fact remains that when it really counted in the Conference game against the New York Giants last night, the San Fran man simply failed to step up to the plate often enough at crucial moments.

With no Super Bowl on the horizon for them, the 49ers now have the chance to enter a crucial period of reflection, which should allow them to start unpicking the details and reasons for their eventual defeat that can be so difficult to identify in the heat of the moment. Fans of Betfair American Football Odds need to bear this in mind.

The coaching team, with this in mind, will know all too well that they now need to make the very best decisions for the future of a franchise starting slowly but surely to come back into the fold after a number of years in the wilderness. Perhaps the first step in this process, though, revolves around Jim Harbaugh  dumping Smith in order to hand the 49ers a real chance of putting together an offence capable of creating as much terror as their defence does at the moment.

The Australian joins the likes of South Africa’s Perrie Mans, Canada’s Cliff Thorburn and China’s Ding Junhui in becoming only the fourth overseas player to win snooker’s most prestigious invitation event.

From 3-3, the 29-year-old won six of the next seven frames and survived a brief fightback from his opponent to take the trophy and £150,000 top prize, meaning he has now won all seven major finals he has contested – six full ranking events and the Masters. Anyone following the in-play snooker betting online will be impressed by this stat.

His performance led a gracious Murphy, who was attempting to become only the eighth player to win the coveted treble of World Championship, UK Championship and Masters, to suggest Robertson had overtaken four-time world champion John Higgins as snooker’s most complete player.

The Melbourne cue-man said: “When I first came on the scene I was very attacking. I had no clue about tactics and it’s a big thanks to Joe Perry and Mark King who I’ve been practicing with over the years, and it’s led to this moment. I couldn’t have done it without their advice over the years.”

Robertson, who had never previously made it past the quarter-finals of the tournament, added: “I can’t really explain how nice it is for someone like Shaun to say something like that because he is very genuine with everything he says.

“He’s a great champion and obviously he was going for a huge piece of history here tonight, not many players have won all three (the World, UK and Masters), but I’m sure he will win here one day and he gave me one hell of a scare.”

OK, so Manning might be able to recover from his current injury, but let’s just say for a moment that he doesn’t, and the Colts don’t find out the exact status of his game fitness until after the March deadline…what happens then?

If the Colts do the brave thing and drop Manning now, they would be able to think properly about what they want to do with their draft picks, NFL bets and trades at the end of the season, safe in the knowledge that they know they will have a significantly reduced wage bill to worry about.

With the Colts clearly all lined up to be one of the worst teams in the league come the end of the season, precedence and prudence suggests that it is time to start blooding players for next season to find out who needs to go and who needs to stay. That said, the Colts know all too well that their loyal fans and football betting enthusiasts will want to see at least some signs of a fight to round off a season that at the moment can really only be called a disgrace (and that’s being kind!)

If the Colts make this brave decision now, they’ll know that they will have the chance to get ahead of the game, and in the process move forward to avoid a repeat of this year.

He added: “We have made heaps of inroads in the style and way we play (but) I think we need to learn how to cope with pressure better individually so we don’t make as many individual errors.
“If we did that, the style we play we would put teams under pressure. But it’s about results and I think if we got up and got that win today it would have been a real positive World Cup. The draw leaves us a bit flat.”
Kirwan’s contract with Japan has now reached a conclusion and, despite hinting he would like to try and reignite their fortunes, he will bide his time before reaching a decision, which will have to be in the best interests of himself and the Japan rugby team.
“I’m off contract,” he continued. “I’m going to take a few weeks off and look at my options.

“I love international football, it really excites me. I love being at World Cups and I love the international stage.
“But I have to wait to get an offer. I think clubs in Europe, staying in Japan, coming home… they’re all options. It just depends on what’s the right one.
“But it’s been a great and exciting four years with the Japanese team.”

But if South Africa are able to beat Samoa on Friday, the winger may still be left out, with coach Warren Gatland saving him for later in the competition.

The veteran Ospreys star missed Monday’s 81-7 mauling of Namibia due to a thigh strain, but has been pushing for a return.

However, two players who will not be wearing their Wales RWC Shirt for this game are full-back James Hook and flanker Dan Lydiate.

Both have been ruled out of contention for the match, although the Wales medical staff are hoping they can be involved in any potential quarter-final.

Prav Mathema, Wales’ national medical performance manager says he has been impressed with Williams’ progress.

“Shane is recovering well,” he said. “He is back up and running and we are pleased with his progress, but the next 48 hours will be essential in determining whether he may be available to us this weekend.”

Welsh back-row, Lydiate is expected to return to the fold within a fortnight, having picked up an ankle injury in the 17-10 win over Samoa.

Mathema said: “Dan is now back running again after suffering an ankle ligament strain in the Samoa game.

“He has been incredibly diligent with his rehab and his self-management, and as a consequence has given himself every opportunity to be available for selection within the next two weeks.

“He still has a number of stages to complete within his rehabilitation but we are confident that he will continue to make a swift recovery.”

Hook injured his shoulder in the Samoa match, and Mathema says his recovery is progressing at a similar rate to Lydiate.

“James has also been extremely thorough with his rehabilitation and is recovering well from the A/C joint injury to his shoulder,” added Mathema. “We are hoping to integrate him into full training towards the start of next week.”

“Simon Shaw’s not travelling today (Monday), he’s travelling tomorrow (Tuesday).”

“He’s been ill today, a sickness bug. He’s going to follow on tomorrow. It was not wise for him to travel today. So he’ll come tomorrow or if not, the next day.”

Shaw came off the bench in England’s final warm-up match against Ireland, with Johnson’s men coming out on top in a comfortable 20-9 victory. While Shaw is expected to be used mainly from the bench again for much of the tournament, his role can’t be underestimated and the experienced campaigner will be an integral part of Johnson’s squad for the next few weeks. This will undoubtedly be Shaw’s final chance to represent his country at a World Cup and it’ll take more than a stomach upset to rule the veteran out. Those inolved in the Rugby Union Betting will be willing him on.

Shaw is one of a number of England players that will travel to New Zealand with question marks surrounding their fitness. While Shaw is expected to shake off his illness, there are more serious concerns about whether scrum-half Ben Youngs and captain Lewis Moody can make comebacks from their knee injuries. The duo have missed much of England’s summer internationals and their fitness will continue to be monitored when they arrive in New Zealand.