I make that two Jenson

I wonder how Lewis Hamilton is feeling right now. The drastic changes to the F1 structure certainly don't seem to favor him. Operating budgets slashed by 90%, structural and aerodynamic overhauls and kinetic energy generating braking systems. Phew, what a list - and that is just a starter for 1o.

Lewis suffered a gear box failure during qualifying which saw him finding his feet staring up the starting grid with no one in his (now much cheaper) rear view mirrors. Amazingly, he finished third through a series of crashes ahead of him and a 25 second penalty levied upon Jarno trulli when he overtook during the safety car.

I therefore make that 2 winners in today’s sun basked GP. Firstly, Jenson Button. The under achieving playboy of the race circuits was almost without a drive not so long ago, but I would say that his self denounced pay cut (to a meager £7m....) has 'paid' off.

I estimate a shrewd Jenson had an idea that prudence would come to fruition and his faith in Ross Brawn (and more recently Richard Branson) certainly has. Jenson's reputation of a party boy isn't far from the truth, but most people won't know that he funds literally most of his staff through his own pay check. Something that Mr Hamilton, and most of the other F1 drivers, certainly won't have to do.

I mentioned 2 winners. The second, in my eyes, is the punter. F1 racing has long been overdue a shake up that actually does something. Over the past few years, a number of measures have been tried - but most would argue these have failed. It seems taking away financial advantages is doing the trick…

Today saw one of the most event filled GPs in a long time. Long may it continue.

What a weekend. What comes next?

A wise man once said the immortal lines "When you win, you win. When you lose, you think about it." This will be epitomised by several of the 6 nations teams in their post match rationalisation. England somehow obtained a second place in the tournament rankings. Wales blew their chance of a title at home, and Ireland coped with the pressure to land their first grand slam for 61 years. One Irish man in particular will certainly be trying not to think of what could have been, for Paddy Wallace almost was at the centre of Irish heartache when, after on being on the pitch for minutes, gave away a kickable penalty. Stephen Jones, normally so metronomic in his kicking duties, appeared to rush and subsequently missed the chance to break the Gaelic hearts.

So where next? Not only has the 6 nations finished on a knife edge, the premier league is hotting up. Manchester United appear to have swapped form with a reinvigorated Liverpool side who brushed Martin O'Neill’s Aston Villa aside with the guise of a magnificent team. Rafa Benitez has signed a £4m a year contract, and rumours suggest that Gerrard is on the cusp of a £140k p/week deal to commit his future to the Anfield establishment.

Looking forward, things will only get better. The climax of the premier league, a sun basked Royal Ascot and the 2 sporting events of the summer. The Ashes, and the Lions tour. Several players have stood up and been counted over the past few weeks, so my team now stands as the following:

1. Euan Murray
2. Matthew Rees
3. John Hayes
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Alan Wyn Jones
6. Tom Croft
7. Martin Williams
8. David Wallace
9. Mike Blair
10. Stephen Jones
11. Shane Williams
12. Riki Flutey
13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
14. Rob Kearney
15. Delon Armitage

The passion is back

What a relief it is to finally enjoy the subsequent media coverage of an England game. I honestly am struggling to remind myself of a similar reaction (and performance) from the public and media as this. Even Martin is smiling.

England opened up at 100 miles an hour, and completely wrong footed the lacklustre French side by running in 4 first half tries. It was, in equal measure, cataclysmic French rugby vs robust confidence from the English. How invigorating is it to see the likes of Ugo Monye skinning his man on the outside, and the devilish running of both Flutey and (in particular) Delon Armitgae terrorising a quaking defensive line.

Up front, fortunes favoured the brave. Johnson sticks with Borthwick. Borthwick fronts up. Pack play well. A simple equation of faith + confidence = excitement.

Although we mustn't get ahead of ourselves, I do hope this is a sign of things to come.

A further visionary predictor is that of the French revolution. Monday morning sees James Haskell rethinking his move to Stade Francais in an unprecedented reversal. Francis Baron, RFU chief executive, sent a comprehensive letter to all the elite squad outlining the potential repercussions of a cross channel move. Coupled with the outstanding performance from young Tom Croft on Saturday, Mr Haskell has to decide on whether the money is worth it.

This could well put a spanner in the works of further French money moves, including perhaps the speculation around a certain Mr Wilkinson who linked with a move to Toulon. Or is he.

Watch this space.

Everyone deserves a second chance, as long as they are honest

In October 2003, Dwain Chambers was tested positive for the steroid THG. The impact was huge. Like a mistaken marriage, his accomplishments were annulled from 2002 onwards. This not only affected his personal achievements (including a European record), but all team medals. Dwain was banned for 2 years. Quite right too.

Cheating is a difficult barrier for fans to get over. Dwain damaged a much wider circle than simply himself. The sport, his family, his friends. They were all impacted by the vicious circle in which he found himself.

I could spend a while on here lambasting the man and indeed documenting his subsequent pursuits - remarkably even including the polar opposite game of rugby league. But I won't. Indeed my opinion of Chambers, 30, has come full circle to date to one now of admiration.

I need to be clear in my definition of admiration however. It’s not the drug taking I admire, far from it. It’s the courage that he has shown in adversity. To you or I, peer group negativity may last for a day, or even a week, after a harsh word or two. But Chambers has been vilified in the media, blocked from world wide events, booed at every event he has attended, and had his revenue streams cut. But the man from north London has kept his mind focussed and stormed to a deserved European title in Turin yesterday.

The list could go on. But I won't. He will surely divide opinion, but you can't fail but be impressed by his perseverance. Apparently his times should translate to sub 9.90 for the 100m – that is a feat which will be impossible to ignore.

Cricket...but not as we know it

I must say I'm not to sure how best to write this. Waking to a news bulletin on Tuesday morning with Dominic Cork providing a chilling eye witness account of the Sri Lanka cricket terror attacks begs the question; "What next?" In amongst the grave statistics of wounded and dead, is a huge wave of uncertainty. Western culture in these very ‘un-westernernised’ countries often provides a degree of complacency over the occurring situations. For example, we generally will not spare a thought for player safety in India over the UK as professional sport is ‘safe’ – isn’t it?

Sports stars in this country are often seen gallivanting in the media here but, if anything, the ruthless attacks on Tuesday should remind us that the lifestyle of these 'stars' isn't replicated wherever they go.

If Sri Lanka is one example, an equally dangerous territory was Zimbabwe where the entire England cricket team pulled out from the tour.

So what implications does this have for the IPL? Grave implications I feel. The IPL is built by creating a culture of superstardom and luxury in India. Notoriously a haven for the rich; the IPL is creating instant millionaires through the aforementioned 'western influence.' But rather like a business that expands rapidly, unforeseen circumstances can alter and change the planned progression. Sometimes even bringing it too its knees.

I hope this doesn't happen, I really do. But the efficacy of these massive initiatives in largely unknown and high profile countries makes subsequent safety an unknown entity.

Martin's wrath

It takes a bold manager to publicly criticise his team. Or is it a man feeling the pressure? England are on a dangerous precipice, and Martin Johnson will not want to arrive at the edge anytime soon. His emotions particualy apparent at the binning of Danny Care in yesterdays Irish challenge.

And the statistics speak for themselves. 2 men in the sin bin yesterday, 8 points conceded. Delon Armitage's dogged effort to get himself over the line did mask yet another day of indiscipline for England. Although special mention must go to the Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll. He shows just what England are missing. A heart beat. ‘BOD’ dropped a goal, scored a try and put his body well and truly on the line. Speculation prior to the 6 nations as to whether he would be selected, have been well and truly rebuffed.

Where next? Well Wales and Ireland in their own backyards was always a challenging environment, and at least the white rose has had some passion behind it in these encounters. But in order for Johnno, and the rugby watching public, to be relatively pleased with this spring campaign, England must take hold over the French and Scottish at fortress HQ. There is a 2 week break now between the French test, and I predict changes. Martin does not suffer fools, and as such will be making his point clearly to the players. Maybe in the shape of a change of personnel?

On the plus side, Wales won't be repeating their Grand Slam!