Twickers and Dubai - big bangs reverberate around globe
Two big bangs echoed around the sports world last weekend and the fallout was positively radioactive. The first was a mighty explosion at Twickenham in London which sent shockwaves all the way to Australia and New Zealand. The second was a dramatic implosion in the deserts of Dubai which sent a message of hope to golfers worldwide.
Jason Robinson was the explosive device which ignited at Twickenham during the England-Scotland Calcutta Cup match. Not content to inflict serious damage on Scotland's pride through the ingenuity of Mike Catt and the devil-may-care darts of Iain Balshaw, England introduced 'secret weapon' Robinson as a second-half replacement.
His introduction had the same numbing effect as when Teddy Sheringham or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer come off the bench for Manchester United. It was easy to imagine the already battered Scotland backs saying to themselves: 'Jings, we dinnae need this.'
Robinson, of course, is hardly a secret having starred for years in the British rugby league team. Like fellow exiles from league Alan Tait and Scott Gibbs, he has the upper body strength so necessary in the 13-a-side game and raw running power.
Just as a collective intake of breath greets the appearance of Jonah Lomu in the New Zealand backline, the Twickenham crowd 'ohed' and 'ahed' Robinson's every touch and every forward lunge. He flattened guys twice his size with frightening ease and broke forward with menace in every stride. It was a cameo appearance that quickly took on epic proportions.
During his illustrious spell with rugby league, Robinson was one of the few players in the British side who could hold his own against the domineering Australians. That makes him special. Add him to a team that includes talent in Catt, Balshaw, Will Greenwood and Jonny Wilkinson in the backs and Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio up front and England may be ready to rid themselves of the 'underachievers' tag.
Australia and South Africa were put to the the sword without the services of Robinson and Italy and Scotland have felt the full force of new England with the league star in their ranks. Just maybe, the northern hemisphere has found a team that can battle the Wallabies and the All Blacks in the next World Cup.
Now, to that implosion in the desert. Followers of sport have become used to reading about Tiger Woods winning tournaments by the length of a fairway, so it came as a huge shock when the 'chosen one' bombed on the final hole of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Level with Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, Woods visited the undergrowth, rough and water on his way to a double-bogey seven and defeat. While the reports of Woods' demise are premature, as are beat up stories about him losing his nerve, it must be heartening for 'The Rest' to know that he is human after all.
With three out of four Majors to his credit last year, along with titles in America, Asia and Europe, many top players were hanging on to Tiger's tail.
He has taken a seven before - the 1999 Johnnie Walker Classic in Taiwan comes to mind - but it was something new to see him come apart at the last hole with the title in his grasp.
One school of thought has it that all Woods cares about at the moment is winning the Masters at the start of next month to become the first golfer to hold all four Majors at the one time. Another notion is that commercial considerations are eating up too much of his time and fallibility is creeping into his game.
Or could it be, simply, that the grand old game of golf has had enough bullying from the world number one and decided the time was right for him to be humbled, like the rest of us, by the practice of hitting a little white ball into a small hole?
