the franchise, whose owner, Robert Wetenhall, hired Higgi

Phil Edwards looks at Englands first-Test win, Eddie Jones bout with the media, and Australias city of sport, Melbourne... Its so far so good for England in Australia. On Saturday they made history by beating the Wallabies in Brisbane for the first time. Now theyre hoping to give the sporting chroniclers more work by wrapping up their first series win in Australia at the earliest available opportunity. These are heady times for Eddie Jones and his merry men.Saturdays victory was all the more poignant because it came at Brisbanes Suncorp Stadium, formerly known as Lang Park. It was there in 1998 that England suffered their worst day at the office. Fast Eddie has been playing both countries media like a violin. Actually, more like a demented fiddler after three double espressos. Phil Edwards The yet-to-be-knighted Clive Woodward had taken a scratch team to tackle all three of the southern hemispheres super-powers, on what would become known as the Tour from Hell.The first of four Tests, all ending in painful defeats, was in Brisbane. Most of the big names were missing, and a collection of players, some of whom werent even household names in their own households, crashed to a 76-0 defeat.I say most were relative unknowns, but there was a bloke making his first start for England that night you will have heard of; a fella by the name of Jonny Wilkinson. And you know what he managed to achieve five years later! Anyhow, Saturdays win exorcised a few demons. Wilkinson made his first start for England against Australia in Brisbane in 1998 Melbourne, city of sportNow the bandwagon has rolled on to Melbourne. By contrast, this is where England had their best day on the road against Australia, back in 2003. Criticised before the match for being negative and one-dimensional - some things never change - they ran riot and out-scored their hosts by three tries to one to record their first ever victory on Australian soil.If you are a sports fan (and you are or you wouldnt be reading this) then Melbourne has it all. There is the MCG for cricket and Aussie Rules football, the Melbourne Cup for racing types, the AAMI Stadium for both codes of rugby, the Rod Laver Arena for Grand Slam tennis, and the Australian Grand Prix circuit in Albert Park. Highlights of Englands 39-28 win over Australia in the first game of their three-Test series in Brisbane If you like your rowing and canoeing, theres the Yarra River and I dare say that if Tibetan Yak racing is your thing, theres probably an amateur club somewhere in the suburbs to cater for your every need. Its at the aforementioned AAMI stadium, home to the Melbourne Rebels, in which England and Australia will meet in the second Test.Thats the main act of the week of course, but as Im sure you are aware, there is also an on-going sub-plot. Various former Wallabies, one of them actually capped by Eddie Jones, have been chirping away in the local papers, and on the telly. England coach Eddie Jones says his side will come out swinging in their next game against Australia Theyve been helpfully pointing out Englands flaws, transgression and, before the first Test had been played, their general hopelessness. Consequently, Fast Eddie has been playing both countries media like a violin. Actually, more like a demented fiddler after three double espressos.To start with he was apparently outraged by the comments hed read and seen. That was straight after the first Test. Two days later that infectious grin had returned and it was all just good old knock-about banter. We all know hes playing mind-games of the highest quality, but theyre simply too good to resist! Heartbreak and heart failureOne thing the England coach did remind us of is that Australia have never lost the second Test of a three match series. As a punter who paid his way to watch the Lions series with some mates back in 2001, I remember all too well the heartache of the second Test.That was here in Melbourne in the indoor Etihad Stadium. One loose pass from Jonny Wilkinson that night, and Joe Roff pounced to score a game-changing try, followed by another shortly afterwards. Summer tours on Sky How and where to watch the summer Tests on Sky Sports Twelve years later at the same venue, it wasnt so much heart-break, as near heart-failure as the Wallabies edged a desperately tense match by a single point.This time, you feel that England have the upper hand at both the lineout and the scrum. They also seem to have the measure of the Wallabies at the breakdown.Owen Farrell is in the form of his life and never looks like missing from the kicking tee, and Maro Itoje has to refer to a dictionary to find out what losing means because hes forgotten. Owen Farrell picked up 24 points for England as they beat Australia 28-39 in Brisbane Having said all that, the Aussies are still as dangerous out wide as all their snakes and creepy-crawlies combined.And in Isreal Folau they have a player who can turn a match on its head in seconds. They are in must-win territory and about as desperate as men can get. Saturday should be an absolute ripper, as they say in these parts. Also See: England will come out swinging Phipps: England are nastier England treatment demeaning WATCH: Barnes down under Clelin Ferrell Youth Jersey .Morse gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $7 million next season and $8 million in 2016 under the agreement announced Wednesday. Charles Woodson Womens Jersey . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. http://www.footballraidersmall.com/Youth-Hunter-Renfrow-Elite-Jersey/ .That sight softened the blow of what ended up as a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.Knowing their teammate was fine after a scary headfirst fall in the opening minute of the game helped calm the Maple Leafs. Hunter Renfrow Womens Jersey . The Marlies centre set up three goals, including the game-winner, as Toronto cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons in American Hockey League action. Fred Biletnikoff Youth Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Latvia won a four-man World Cup bobsled race Sunday, while the U.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the strategy of the CFLPA, the Oilers hiring of Bob Nicholson, the Alouettes firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman and the U.S. Open. Gary Lawless, TSN Radio - My thumb is down to the ill-fated strategy of the CFLPA and the underwhelming results theyve achieved once again. Disorganized and delusional best describe the players union in this latest CFL labour impasse. Their first offer was inflammatory and unattainable. They followed up with a series of retreats and eventual surrender. The CFLPA has followed the lead of legal counsel Ed Molstad since 1974. Lacking best describes the results. The CFLPA needs to represent its constituency with a spirit of inclusion and a face of diversity. The union must look inward and evolve. Questions must be asked and answered and hard decisions executed. The CFLPA finds itself at the intersection of change and rot. Its time to pick a new route. Steve Simmons, Sun Media - My thumb is up to Edmonton Oilers owner Darryl Katz for going outside the family and hiring Bob Nicholson to oversee everything that is Oiler. This isnt necessarily a hockey move as much as it is a business move but in either area Nicholson is clearly equipped for the challenge. And this is a challenge both in the standings and from what Katz wants from the newly formed business called Oilers Entertainment Group. Sports is no longer about only wins and losses. Its so much about veneer. In Edmonton, there will be a new downtown arena, an area to grow around it, a footprint for the future. When Nicholson took over Hockey Canadaa, it was a small disorganized operation, lacking in business acumen.dddddddddddd He left it as a hockey corporation. The Oilers are fortunate to have him. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated - My thumb is down to the Alouettes for the firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman. Three months after coach Tom Higgins hired Worman, he canned him - before Montreal had played an exhibition game. Higgins was right to act sooner rather than later, unlike 2013 when the era of occupationally-challenged head coach Dan Hawkins lasted five games. But the abrupt dismissal speaks to the dysfunction of the franchise, whose owner, Robert Wetenhall, hired Higgins without involving GM Jim Popp. The Alouettes used to stand for quality on the field and steadfastness off it. If the Worman saga is an indication, soon the only thing the Alouettes will stand for is O Canada. Dave Hodge, TSN - My thumb is up to the U.S. Open golf championship, with emphasis on "open". To win the Masters, you have to be invited. To win the Open, you have to qualify, and everyone is eligible to try, which means anyone from anywhere can win. And that creates interest because "anyone" can be someone like 49-year-old Fran Quinn, who put his name on the leaderboard with a first-round 68. Who is Fran Quinn? He has one year of experience on the PGA Tour. Last year? No, 1992. He played in 18 events that year and he missed the cut 12 times. This year, he has played one event - on the Web.com Tour, golfs development league, if you will. Fran Quinn is still playing at Pinehurst - he followed his 68 with rounds of 74 and 79. He wont win. But he had a chance to win. ' ' '