Tri Nations Serve Up Feast Of Rugby!

IMG Media Archive's September Newsletter

TRI NATIONS SERVE UP FEAST OF RUGBY!

Rugby Union: The 2008 Tri Nations Series has reached its climax, with world rugby giants Australia and New Zealand going down to the wire in the annual contest to be crowned the number one team in the Southern Hemisphere.

With eight games down and one to go, the battle to win the Tri Nations rests on the shoulders of the Wallabies and the All Blacks after it became impossible for World Champions South Africa to win the tournament following a 27-15 defeat to Australia in Durban. However, this didn’t stop the Springboks from thumping Australia 53-8 in their last game of the series in Johannesburg. Winger Jongi Nokwe scored four tries, a record for a Tri Nations game, and it was also to prove the last match for Percy Montgomery who announced his retirement from international rugby following the win. The veteran full-back is the most capped South African player in history with 102 appearances, and was a key member of the team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

The deciding game between Australia and New Zealand takes place on Saturday 13th September in Brisbane. With Australia trailing their rivals by one point, they go into the game needing nothing less than a win to finish top of the table. However the All Blacks will want to end the Aussies dream and claim their fourth Tri Nations title in as many years.

Footage from the Tri Nations is now available at www.imgmediaarchive.com/sanzar

Golf: The PGA Championship

Padraig Harrington added to his growing collection of major titles with a stunning win at The PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in August. In doing so, Harrington became the first European to win the title since 1930 and, after his recent triumph at The Open Championship, only the fourth golfer and the first European in history to win the final two majors in the same year. The Irishman was pushed all the way by Spaniard Sergio Garcia and American Ben Curtis, but managed to hold his nerve to secure victory by a two shot margin.

Lying three shots off the lead going into the final round, The Open Champion steadily worked his way through the field to join Garcia and Curtis in a three way fight for the prestigious Wanamaker Trophy. But as Harrington piled on the pressure with his pinpoint accuracy and unflappable style, his rivals began to crack. A 10 foot par putt on the notoriously difficult 18th sealed a final round 66 to match his third round score and confirm Harrington’s status amongst the modern day golfing elite. This was made all the more remarkable given that adverse weather conditions meant the Dubliner had to play 28 holes on the final day.

For footage of this extraordinary event, please visit www.pgaarchive.com

Tennis: ATP Masters Series

Victories at Toronto and Wimbledon, along with Roger Federer’s early round defeats in the Cincinnati and Toronto Masters means that Rafael Nadal is the new world number one.

Nadal could have taken the top spot earlier had he won the Cincinnati event, but the man from Majorca lost in the semi-finals to Novak Djokovic. However, this performance still gave him enough points to ensure a change at the top, and for Nadal that had been a long time coming. At the time of the change, Federer had held the top position for a record 237 consecutive weeks and Nadal had been number two for 160 consecutive weeks.

The Cincinnati Masters was eventually won in searing heat by Andy Murray who defeated Djokovic in a straight sets final. This was Murray’s first ATP Masters Series title win and meant that he moved to a career high of 6 in the ATP rankings.

For footage of all nine ATP Masters events and the Tennis Masters Cup, please visit www.imgmediaarchive.com/atp

FAST FACT

The first tie in the history of The Ryder Cup was in 1969 when the US and Great Britain both scored 16 points.

For Ryder Cup footage please visit www.pgaarchive.com

DID YOU KNOW

The Challenge Cup was manufactured in 1896 by Fattorini’s of Bradford at a cost of just £60. The first winners of this cup were Batley who beat St Helens 10-3 in the final.

The RFL Archive contains Challenge Cup footage and can be accessed at www.imgmediaarchive.com/rfl

UPCOMING EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER

03	Cricket	5th Natwest ODI, ENG v RSA, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. WAL
04 – 07	Golf	PGAET Omega European Masters. SUI
04	Surfing	ASP Rip Curl Girl's Festival. ESP
05	Athletics	AF Golden League, Memorial Van Damme Meeting. BEL
07 – 13	Surfing	ASP Boost Mobile Pro by Hurley, California. USA
11 – 14	Golf	PGAET Mercedes Benz Championship. GER
12 – 13	Rodeo	Pro Bull Riders BFTS, Grand Rapids. USA
12 – 14	Motorsport	Le Mans Series, Silverstone. ENG
13	Speedway	FIM Grand Prix, Bydgoszcz. POL
14	Horseracing	Qatar Prix Vermeille, Longchamp Racecourse. FRA
19 – 21	Golf	37th Ryder Cup, Valhalla GC. USA
20	Mixed Martial Arts	Pro Elite Cage Rage Championships 28. ENG
25 – 28	Golf	PGAET The Quinn Direct British Masters, The Belfry. ENG
27	Speedway	FIM Grand Prix, Lonigo. ITA
29	Tennis	WTA AIG Tennis Championships. JPN
29	Surfing	ASP Billabong Pro, Mundaka. ESP