On a weekend where Peter Crouch's better half, Abbey Clancy, told us she would never resort to going under the knife, the England rugby team again decided to produce their very own cutting edge and shock the rugby world for the second week running by beating hosts France to make the Rugby World Cup final. But were we celebrating our own incisive calls or were we not as sharp as we hoped as we look at how our bets fared and what lies ahead this week in the world of betting
Rugby Betting: Here's Jonny!
Surely they couldn't produce another performance like they had done in the World Cup quarter-final against Australia. Surely they couldn't beat France in a second consecutive semi-final? They sure could....England produced another fighting display to knock the hosts out of the tournament courtesy of a late surge that saw Jonny Wilkinson first put England ahead with a penalty after 75 minutes, then stretch the lead with a drop goal after 78 minutes. They now meet South Africa in the final, who beat them 36-0 in the pool stages, and will be out for revenge. If you had backed England to make the final after that humbling, they were available at a mind-numbing 279/1 on Betfair to win the final and 79/1 to make the final. The Springboks were too strong for Argentina and although the 37-13 does not truly reflect the game, the Pumas made too many mistakes to mount a challenge.
Football Betting: Rooney breaks drought
Wayne Rooney finally got back on the scoresheet as England cruised to their third consecutive 3-0 victory before they travel to Russia for a key Euro 2008 qualifier. England were far too strong for Estonia and further goals from Shaun Wright-Phillips and an own goal completed the task in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley. Elsewhere Scotland continued their run of good form by beating Ukraine 3-1, Wales were shocked by Cyprus 3-1 and Republic of Ireland were held to a goalless draw by Germany.
Golf Events: Easy does it
Ernie Els managed to secure £1m in prizemoney with his seventh win in the HSBC World Match Play, as well as finish early enough to get a private jet to Paris to watch his beloved Springboks reach the Rugby World Cup final. Not bad for a day's work. Els saw off Angel Cabrera in the final of the World Match Play by 6&4 as he again strolled to a win on home soil at Wentworth.
