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General Sports News

Benitez exit talk intensifies

Author: Rose Young
Date: 25/02/2009

Rafa Benitez's future at Liverpool has been called into question again, with leading online betting exchanges suspending the market on the Spaniard leaving Anfield in the near future.

Rumours have suggested that Benitez could be gone as soon as this weekend, with talks over a new contract having failed to reach a successful conclusion.

However, Benitez played down the rumours ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Real Madrid in Spain.

Meanwhile, League Two side Darlington have gone into administration and been docked ten points as a consequence.

The Quakers will drop out of the play-off places as a result of their actions, but chairman George Houghton says that there were few other options available.

In rugby union, England head coach Martin Johnson has made just one change to the side which lost in Wales for this weekend's Six Nations clash with Ireland.

Leicester Tigers' Toby Flood will start at outside half in place of Andy Goode, who drops to the bench despite showing up well in the last couple of games for England.

France head coach Marc Lievremont has gambled by selecting Benoit Baby at outside half for Friday's Six Nations clash with Wales in Paris.

Centre Baby moves to number ten as a replacement for the injured Lionel Beauxis, with Mathieu Bastareaud handed a debut in midfield alongside Yannick Jauzion.

Sale Sharks have appointed former England captain Jason Robinson as their head coach from the start of next season while Bristol's veteran former England hooker Mark Regan has announced that he will retire from the game at the end of the campaign.

In cricket, England off-spinner Graeme Swann is confident of avoiding the need for surgery on an elbow injury at least until the end of the tour of the West Indies.

The 29-year-old took eight wickets in the drawn third Test in Antigua and is determined to see out the rest of the trip to the Caribbean.

Pakistan captain Younus Khan failed in his quest to beat Brian Lara's world record Test score of 400 as Sri Lanka held on to draw the first Test.

Younus added just seven runs to his overnight score of 306 before he was bowled by Dilharo Fernando for 313.

Tiger Woods is looking forward to returning to action in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona after being out for eight months following reconstructive surgery on his knee.

The 14-time major winner will be taking part in his first tournament since winning the US Open at Torrey Pines last June.

The 33-year-old ended his 2008 campaign after revealing he had played with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture of the tibia below it.

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