The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Townend looking for Min to repeat Ryanair Chase win of last year
Paul Townend has sided with last year’s winner Min over Allaho in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham – for which there have been 14 declarations.
Allaho, who will be ridden on Thursday by Rachael Blackmore – fresh from her historic victory at Cheltenham yesterday – has been ante-post favourite since winning a Grade Two at Thurles last time out – but Townend will partner his triedand-trusted Willie Mullins-trained stablemate.
Mullins also runs Melon, who has finished in second spot at the Festival four years in succession.
He will be ridden by Bryan Cooper, with Danny Mullins on a fourth Closutton contender, Tornado Flyer.
Saint Calvados was only a neck behind Min 12 months ago, and is back once more for Harry Whittington and Gavin Sheehan.
Kim Bailey’s Imperial Aura won at the meeting last season and started off his season in great style, winning at Carlisle and Ascot, but he has been absent since an early departure at Kempton.
Dashel Drasher was a popular winner of the Ascot Chase for Jeremy Scott and Matt Griffiths, and will aim to add another Grade One to his tally.
Samcro, a dual Festival winner, needs to bounce back to his best for Denise Foster, while Chris’s Dream represents Henry de Bromhead.
Fakir D’oudairies (Joseph O’Brien), Fanion D’Estruval (Venetia Williams), Kalashnikov (Amy Murphy), Mister Fisher (Nicky Henderson) and Real Steel (Paul Nicholls) have all been declared too.
Changes to the Scotland rugby team for Italy were already inevitable before the injury and performance fallout from Sunday’s loss to Ireland, says assistant coach Mike Blair.
The first of two six-day turnarounds for the final two Guinness Six Nations Championship matches made it likely they would rotate personnel for Saturday’s home meeting with winless Italy.
They will miss lock Scott Cummings, ending his run of playing in every game since summer 2019.
Finn Russell is unlikely to have time to complete concussion protocols after his head knock.
Jonny Gray, who came off with a shoulder injury, is “progressing” and will be a late decision.
“The reality of two sixday turnarounds is there will be changes,” said the former captain. “Some will be enforced to keep players fresh but there could be a multitude of reasons.
“It would be very unlikely we’d go with the same team three games on the trot.”
Blair said there had been a ‘‘blunt review’’ of the Irish game.
“You should have seen the guys after the game (on Sunday),” said the former captain. “We’ve built up an expectation of the level of game we want to play, and we didn’t reach that.
“We talked in the last Six Nations about becoming a team that was hard to beat. But we’ve moved on from that. You can see that by winning at Twickenham, and two close games at home, now that’s not enough.
“We’ve moved up a level and it’s not enough to say we’re close and in the game. That was Scotland teams before. This is a talented group of players and we know if we can play to the best of our ability we can beat England away and Wales or Ireland at home.
“There was a fairly blunt review meeting. We have to pick our chins up and move on. We can’t stay thinking about that when we have a test in a few days’ time.”
“I think frustration is the best word to describe it,” he continued. “It’s certainly not aggressive or angry because we are all going for the same goal.
‘‘But you could see the frustration across the whole group, but with a sixday turnaround you’ve got to put that to bed.
“We are fortunate in that we have built good relationships up with the players so we feel that they are able to speak their minds.
“The last couple of days these conversations have been happening and then Gregor led on the meeting today as a result of conversations he has had with the players and coaches. It is something we have got better at.
‘‘Previously some would be concerned about what the other player or your mate would say behind their backs, but there is a lot of honesty and understanding in this group.
“As long as you get your point across in a respectful way, that the points are being made for improvement in team performance. It is something we have seen more of in the last couple of campaigns and it is something that will improve us as a team.”
Scotland certainly can’t afford the lineout and turnover count against them on Sunday.
They lost six on their own throw and were turned over multiple times.
And they also got off to a slow start that gave the Irish an 8-0 lead.
“Ireland are a team who hold onto the ball a lot,’’ said Blair. ‘‘They had that first possession and put us under a bit of stress on the left edge. They got the penalty first and then the try after that.
“It is a game of momentum. If you get it, like we did against Wales, you jump on that and you punish teams. That start wasn’t good, 8-0 wasn’t good.
“Italy have had a tough championship. They’re better than their results have shown.
“Teams have had golden patches against them and been able to pressurise them over 10 to 15-minute periods. They seem to struggle to come back from those.
“That means the start of the game and the pressure we’re able to put on them is really important.”