Scarlets offer Rich pickings
EDINBURGH v SCARLETS
EDINBURGH boss Richard Cockerill wants to see Scarlets counterpart Glenn Delaney eat his words at Murrayfield this lunchtime.
It’s a huge match for both teams in the battle for the third Champions Cup qualifying spot in Conference B of the Pro14.
And Cockerill said: “I read with amusement Delaney was saying we are a set-piece and kick-chase team.
“When I looked at the stats, they’ve kicked the ball 27 times on average per game, second highest in the competition.
“We’ve kicked the ball 22 times per game – we’re the lowest – so he can do one!”
Scarlets are in the driving seat, 11 points ahead of their hosts. But Edinburgh have two games in hand and if they win this game it’ll represent a 10-point swing in their favour.
Cockerill added: “Scarlets, Connacht and Cardiff are in our conference and every time we beat a team who is above us it’s almost like double points.”
The Gunners have four Scotland stars available after tomorrow’s Six Nations clash in Paris was called off.
Cockerill added: “It’s good to have Grant Gilchrist back, second-row is a position we’re light on. And Darcy Graham is a world-class winger who needs a bit of game-time.”
JOHN HIGGINS reckons he’s playing better than ever after storming into tonight’s semi-final of the Players Championship.
The Wishaw Wizard whitewashed triple world champion Mark Selby 6-0 and limited him to just SEVEN points in the match in Milton Keynes.
Higgins, who hasn’t dropped a frame this week, is just two wins away from ending a three-year ranking title drought.
He said: “It was as close to perfect as I could play. It’s a real feather in my cap to do that against Mark.
“I’m hitting the ball better in the past two or three months than I have ever done.
“I hope there’s a title around the corner!
“All I can do is keep putting myself in these positions and hopefully the door will open for me..”
Higgins now faces 2020 World Championship finalist Kyren Wilson.
He said: “I’ve got another tough game. Kyren’s the next Mark Selby, that’s the way I see him.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan booked his place in the final, recovering from 3-0 down to beat Barry Hawkins 6-4.
He said: “It was a struggle at the start. I just kept thinking something was going to go wrong. I felt tight at the end.” CRICKET England coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root are mulling over a formal complaint to the ICC over the third Test pitch in Ahmedabad.
Root’s side were thrashed inside two days but when the skipper’s part-time spin bowling was a huge threat, it speaks volumes about the surface.
Silverwood said: “Joe got 5-8. It probably pushed us to the extremes of what most of our players, if any, have experienced.” BASKETBALL Glasgow Rocks came up short on their long trip to Devon last night, losing 63-60 to Plymouth Raiders.
The Scots remain bottom of the BBL table.