Sports Digest/Cricket: Former Australia captain Steve Waugh believes Ricky Ponting's side will retain the Ashes with a "convincing" victory in the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval next week.
Waugh feels the signs of an Australia recovery were apparent on the final day of the Trent Bridge Test, which England scraped home to win by three wickets.
"Despite being 2-1 down, the Australians may well be more relaxed coming into the final Test because they only have one option and that is to win," Waugh wrote in the Melbourne Herald Sun.
"For what it's worth, I'm backing a convincing Australian victory. The Aussies rediscovered what has made them a great side on the last day of the Trent Bridge Test. The fire within was burning and the stomach for a battle to the death was back."
But the 40-year-old, who retired as skipper in early 2004, urged selectors to make one change for The Oval showdown and choose leg-spinner Stuart MacGill for the decider.
"Australia have to take 20 wickets at The Oval next week and for that simple reason it needs MacGill," he said.
CYCLING: Norwegian Thor Hushovd underlined his credentials for the world road championships by winning stage five of the Tour of Spain yesterday from Alcazar de San Juan to Cuenca.
The Credit Agricole rider outsprinted Spaniard Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero in a lead group of about 40 riders.
The group broke away from the main bunch on the final climb of the day close to Cuenca. After a fast descent into the city, Hushovd, who won the points competition at the Tour de France this year, was the first to the line. Australian Bradley McGee was overall leader for a fourth consecutive day.
"I had to dig really deep, but after finishing second yesterday I was ultra-motivated for the win." Hushovd said. "I had a week's break after the Tour, and now I'm coming back into top form again."
CYCLING: Paul Griffin was best placed of the Irish riders on yesterday's second stage of the Tour of Britain, the Team Ireland rider coming home as part of the main bunch in 36th place, writes Shane Stokes.
The 162km race to Blackpool was won by former double British champion Roger Hammond, who went clear in a long distance breakaway with compatriot Rob Sharman (Recycling.co.uk) and Kevin Van Impe (Chocolade Jacques), the nephew of six-time Tour de France King of the Mountains winner Lucien.
The trio attacked in the first 20 kilometres of racing and, having missed Tuesday's breakaway, were given the necessary leeway to build up a maximum lead of 10 minutes and 40 seconds.
However, collaboration by several teams saw this gap tumble and, with 10km to go, they had just over one minute on the bunch. However, despite Van Impe puncturing with 5km remaining, Hammond and Sharman held off the peloton until the end, sprinting it out between them for the win.
Tuesday's winner Nick Nuyens (QuickStep) was caught behind a crash at the end and lost time. However, as the mishap occurred during the final 3km, race judges awarded all those affected the same time as third-placed rider Mark Cavendish (Great Britain). Nuyens, therefore, carries his yellow jersey into today's mountain stage from Leeds to Sheffield.
Some of the Irish riders in the race were also affected by the spill. "The speed was very high for the last two hours, it was very fast," said Paídi O'Brien of Team Ireland. "It was very dangerous, too. About 10 fellows fell off on the corner with about a kilometre and a half to go. It screwed up our chances, Tommy (Evans) was moving up to help Eugune (Moriarty) and Paul Griffin for the sprint. There was a split and we couldn't close it."
Ciarán Power remains best placed of the Irish overall. He is 31st - two minutes and 21 seconds behind Nuyens.
CYCLING: USA Cycling's chief operating officer Steve Johnson has lashed out at the recent doping allegations made against seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
L'Equipe alleged last week that Armstrong's urine samples contained the banned blood-boosting substance EPO in 1999, the first year he won the world's greatest cycle race.
"This isn't a 'doping positive'," Johnson said from USA Cycling's headquarters in Colorado Springs. "This is just a publication in a French tabloid newspaper. That's our perspective. To me, this is an issue for the French people.
"They seemed very concerned about it and frankly I don't care what they think. And I don't think Lance does either."
RUGBY: The South African Rugby Union (SARU) have laid down the gauntlet to provinces in the latest club versus country row to hit the Republic.
Springbok coach Jake White has called for 10 leading players to be given an eight-week rest ahead of the northern hemisphere tour in November, but faces mounting opposition from provinces who want their internationals to play in the Currie Cup competition.
The national body insists if the provinces do not rest the players they will not be considered for the end of year tour.
The players involved are: John Smit, Percy Montgomery (Natal Sharks), Jean de Villiers, Joe van Niekerk, Schalk Burger (Western Province), Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana (Blue Bulls), CJ van der Linde and Os du Randt (Cheetahs).
