The old tease coached one of the greatest of all Wallaby sides to an exhilarating World Cup triumph in 1991 but

The old tease coached one of the greatest of all Wallaby sides to an exhilarating World Cup triumph in 1991, but also guided streetwise Leicester and Bristol sides who would never have conceded quick possession in a month of Sundays. “I think the Lions were flustered on Tuesday,” he said, knowingly.”When the things they thought would happen didn’t, they got fancy. And when the fancy stuff failed, a few reputations were dented.”Dwyer intends to dent a few more in front of 35,000 Sydneysiders tomorrow.. The wind-trap known as Eastbourne is as good a place as any to blow away cobwebs, and Lindsay Davenport blew away a number at the Britannic Asset Management International Championships yesterday. The wind-trap known as Eastbourne is as good a place as any to blow away cobwebs, and Lindsay Davenport blew away a number at the Britannic Asset Management International Championships yesterday.
On a day when the on-shore breeze was relatively subdued, Davenport spluttered through her quarter-final against Silvia Farina-Elia 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, but probably did better than if she had come through in straight sets, given that she is desperately short of match practice after 12 weeks off the tour with a knee injury.”I didn’t expect to come here and be 100 per cent,” she said, “I knew I would struggle, that I would lose some sets. I don’t think I’m exactly match tough.” That much was apparent throughout.

One moment she would be striking the ball sweetly, the next she was making more use of the frame than the strings, and the error which gave the 29-year-old Italian set point after 28 minutes was worthy of a public parks hacker. She hit a trademark forehand down the line, which Farina reached at full stretch on the volley but lobbed up for an easy put-away, only for Davenport to net the simplest of backhands.Little by little the world No 3 found more rhythm. The rustiness was always with her, but gradually she overcame it, and broke twice in the second and third sets to guarantee her at least one more much-needed match before Wimbledon. If anything, the best tennis came on the two match points Farina saved, but Davenport finished with a classic serve and volley.Despite wearing a small brace to hold her right knee-cap in place, Davenport says her injury is completely healed and she now needs to improve her match toughness.

“When I’ve played a lot of matches I tend to know where my opponents are going to go,” she said, “but at the moment I don’t have any rhythm and I’m slow reacting to balls.”Today Davenport faces her fellow-American Chanda Rubin for a place in the final, while the other semi-final pits Spain’s Magui Serna against Elena Likhovtseva of Russia.Likhovtseva brought Nathalie Tauziat’s conqueror Tamarine Tanasugarn, of Thailand, down to earth with a 6-3, 6-1 win. Serna, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon last year, looked particularly impressive in beating the seventh seed Meghann Shaughnessy 6-0, 7-6, and looks a threat on grass.* At Roehampton, Karen Cross produced a solid display to beat the higher-ranked Russian Alina Jidkova yesterday and claim a place in the women’s main draw at Wimbledon, where she will meet the Dutch world No 100, Yvette Basting. Cross, 27, who has returned to the game after retiring last year, won 7-5, 6-3.. Greg Rusedski eased into the semi-finals of the Samsung Open here yesterday by beating his compatriot, Martin Lee, in straight sets, and then said that similar swift dismissals will be the key to his hopes at Wimbledon. Greg Rusedski eased into the semi-finals of the Samsung Open here yesterday by beating his compatriot, Martin Lee, in straight sets, and then said that similar swift dismissals will be the key to his hopes at Wimbledon.
“My first couple of matches this week, against [the No 1 seed] Jan-Michael Gambill and Rainer Schuettler, were a little more difficult, so it was nice to have a bit more of a relaxed match,” the British No 2 said after progressing 6-2, 6-3 in 62 minutes.On the need to dispose of relatively minor opponents quickly, he added: “I have to finish them off. You can’t be playing back-to-back five-setters [at Wimbledon].

You can get away with the odd four-setter here and there but you can’t play five-setter after five-setter and still be there in the second week.”Before moving on to London Rusedski has unfinished business here. He will face Thomas Johansson, of Sweden, who beat the Australian Wayne Arthurs, 7-6, 7-6, in the last four today.Yesterday’s battle of Britain was not without its pluses for Lee, the British No 3, who is ranked No 147 in the world. The gulf between Rusedski and him ­ and thus between Britain’s top two and the rest ­ remains in place, but steady progress is being made.”Martin’s been hindered by injury, but his next step is the top 100 and if he plays well he can get there,” Rusedski said “Then he can look to the top 50 and up. He played well today, especially in the first few games.”Lee, who allowed five break points to go unconverted during his opponent’s first three service games, said he had been pleased with his start, but that the occasion had ultimately got the better of him.”The way I started in the first six games was the way I wanted to go on,” he said.