LEW BACKING A BALTIMORE NETTE PROFIT
forward because we’ve had a couple of tall guys who have whacked smaller dudes in the chops. “There is a duty of care. It’s a real challenge for the judiciary.” Saints coach Justin Holbrook has called Walmsley the best front rower in Super League and he looks certain to be named in England’s World Cup squad next month.
He will be a key part of Saints’ bid to beat Castleford and meet either Leeds or Hull in the Grand Final in two weeks’ time.
The Tigers suffered a crushing 48-16 defeat by Hull in their final Super 8s game on Friday but fielded a weakened side. Powell insists it was vital he did that to keep his key men fresh for Thursday’s showdown – and partly because Saints have an extra day to recover.
He said: “An extra day makes a big difference but it is about who turns up on the day who will have a chance of playing at Old Trafford.
“I was able to make sure our players are rested and fresh because I wanted as close as possible to our starting 17 training next week.” Man of Steel contender Luke Gale will be given until Thursday to decide whether he is fit to play following appendix surgery. The other semifinal on Friday sees Hull try to end a Headingley jinx that has stood since coach Lee Radford was a player. The coach said: “We’ve not won at Headingley in 10 years. I played in the last win there so we’re fully aware of the task ahead of us.” NOT SO SMART ALEX: Walmsley is clumsy, not malicious THE Baltimore Ravens will be without tackle Brandon Williams against Jacksonville at Wembley today. But Ravens legend Ray Lewis insists his former side have the defensive capability to stop Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette. The Ravens, who have conceded just 10 points in their opening two victories, have been sensational without the ball – and have done almost everything possible to regain it.
They have amassed 10 turnovers though two games and Lewis (below) said: “It’s the roughest thing I’ve seen and everybody’s mad because they are rough – but I love it. “They’ve got a long way to go to catch our defence from
2000, though. “There’s no real way to compare the two. They are the
2017 Baltimore Ravens, let them be who they are.
“But right now, what they are doing defensively is so good to watch. “When you see all these quarterbacks mad because they aren’t scoring any touchdowns – it’s because they are getting the heck beat out of them. “And that’s what you have to appreciate with this Ravens defence.
“I tip my hat to these guys. For them to get 10 turnovers in the first two weeks, that tells you that it’s bigger than any one individual. I keep arguing with everybody who says we can’t do anything and I just say, ‘Okay, just watch us keep piling up the wins’.”
Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is looking forward to today’s game in London. He said: “I love the city. Every time I come back here, I appreciate it.
“I’m looking forward to coming back after I lose a lot of weight and hit all the pubs and put that weight back on. That’s the truth.”
In the best of today’s other games on the other side of the Atlantic, New England host Houston and Kansas City face San Diego, while two unbeaten teams will go head-to-head when last season’s Super Bowl losers Atlanta travel to face Matthew Stafford’s Detroit. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump caused uproar late on Friday night when he said NFL players who protest during the national anthem should be fired. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick – now a free agent – refused to stand for the pre-game anthem last season as a protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
More players have now adopted the practice, with some kneeling and some sitting.
But at a rally in Alabama Trump said: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out, he’s fired. He’s fired.’You know, some owner is going to do that.”