sed squad.The historic victory put rugby back on the mainstream

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas coach David Beaty is about as Texan as it gets, from his subtle drawl to his childhood days in Wylie, a decade spent coaching high schools and assistant stints at Rice and Texas A&M.Yet unlike his players from the Lone Star State, Beaty insists theres nothing special about facing the Longhorns.When youre playing those schools that maybe they went to camp at or maybe got recruited or didnt get recruited by, there is probably some emotion. Plus the affiliation with that state, Beaty said, but from my standpoint, its never really been like that. Im just a fan of football, period.Still, Beaty does have a unique understanding of the pressure for those involved with the Longhorns -- the pressure that has pushed their own coach, Charlie Strong, firmly onto the hot seat.Texas (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) can become bowl-eligible by beating the Jayhawks (1-9, 0-7) on Saturday, but even that might not be enough to save Strongs job. The decision is expected to be made after the season.To his credit, Strong has remained diplomatic about his future.Theres no excuses. The losses are mounting, he said, and there are games that we should win, and we had our opportunities there and we didnt win them. But we still have a football team still competing and still playing hard, and thats what you like to see happen.It has been a season of near-misses for both teams.Last week was no exception.The Jayhawks led Iowa State deep into the third quarter before falling, 31-24. Texas spent the entire fourth quarter chasing the go-ahead touchdown in a 24-20 loss to West Virginia .That leaves both teams even more desperate heading into Saturday. Here are some things to watch:BOWLS MATTERThe Longhorns are accustomed to playing in big games, but even a less-heralded bowl game would be a positive step for a program that went 5-7 and missed out on the postseason last year.I watched a few of them. I was just really too, kind of upset to even watch a lot of them, Texas safety P.J. Locke said of the bowl season. I just watched a few of them, maybe the national championship and maybe a few others, and that was it, though.NARROW DEFEATSThe loss to West Virginia was hardly the only close call for the Longhorns, who lost by a touchdown to California, six points to Oklahoma and a field goal to Kansas State. If those games go the other direction, perhaps Strongs job security looks a little different.Its definitely frustrating, Texas wide receiver Collin Johnson said, and at the same time its encouraging because we know we can compete with anybody. Weve just got to just pull it together. Were so close, and weve just got to keep working and building off of what weve been doing.AILING JAYHAWKSBeaty said linebacker Marcquis Roberts will not return this season because of a shoulder injury and defensive end Anthony Olobia is out with a season-ending Achilles injury. Both seniors would have been playing their final game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.AS FOR KINNERKansas running back Keaun Kinner was also hurt against Iowa State, taking a wicked shot that left him with a bruised rib. But the Jayhawks are hopeful he will be able to play.He looked good in practice, Beaty said, so I feel good about him. I think hes going to be OK. We really need him to be OK. He ran really well the other night.SENIOR DAYKinner should be among the seniors playing their final home game, along with safety Fish Smithson, offensive lineman DAndre Banks and others. Many were recruited to Kansas by Charlie Weis, went through interim Clint Bowen and wrapped up their careers with their third head coach.The big thing for these guys, and weve been talking about it from the beginning, is the foundation that were laying here, Beaty said, regardless whether we were a bowl team or a team that was still doing foundational work. Understanding that each individual day was going to be basically a step in the right direction for the future of our program.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.Sione Takitaki Youth Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Sione Takitaki Browns Jersey . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. http://www.footballbrownsnflprostore.com/Youth-Greedy-Williams-Elite-Jersey/ . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Baker Mayfield Browns Jersey . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Bernie Kosar Browns Jersey . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead.Italys success against South Africa was, of course, one of the most important wins in its rugby history. The Springboks are ranked fourth in the world and had never been beaten by their hosts before.But victory in Florence was also a triumph for all Italians, during a difficult time for the country.Lets start with the first, essential, news -- the team won the rugby game. It may sound na?ve but it is key. In the recent past, Italy have beaten both France and Ireland for the first time, and went close in other big games too.They almost beat Australia in Florence in 2012, losing by just three points. Italy have twice finished within a converted try of England -- in a freezing Rome in 2010 and then at Twickenham three years later -- and lost 20-6 to New Zealand in front of a record crowd at San Siro.So, they got close. They almost did it, yet they were beaten. Close, but no cigar.On Saturday in Florence they got a huge win and that will make a heck of a difference. A terrific performance was built on their play at the breakdown -- Italy were close to perfect at rucks -- on a top-class defence and on their ability to keep the scoreboard moving when they had the chance.They won the game by dominating the fundamentals of the game. How many times could you say that? Never. Even during those celebrated wins against France and Ireland they were not as competent in the basics.Defensive consultant Brendan Venters influence has been displayed in the blitz-oriented defensive approach adopted on Saturday. It was that system that exposed the essence of Simone Favaro in his entire beauty, and made the difference. But mainly Italy won on aggression and intensity.I have never seen an Italian rugby side playing with such a hunger. I have watched the game again and again and it is impossible to ignore the way that every single aspect of the game, from personal battles to more broader line movements, has been turned into a physical battle by Conor OShea and his staff.Against a Springboks side that in their previous outings showed a total lack of its once devastating tactical kicking game, winning every clash was crucial. And thats where Italy won the game.To ensure possession -- not always necessarily of a high quality -- OShea gave solutions to Italys recent lineout problems with variations. And those variations in jump, throw and time did the job.Then there was the coldness of the Italian kickers. Carlo Canna with those huge try conversions and Edoardo Padovani with that halfway-line penalty that kept the Springboks in reach. Again, Italy got the fundamentals absolutely right.A few words should also be said on Sergio Parisses new role.dddddddddddd. Every media outlet highlighted the huge performance by the Italy captain but he was not centerstage as he used to be. And that was another key factor in the overall production of his teammates. He played a solid game, he was inspirational as he always is for the team, yet he played like an international No. 8.Parisse did not overcook plays, he wasnt asked to do extra work as he was made to in the past and from the stands the feeling was that he didnt feel obliged to take responsibility in every aspect of the game. OShea made his contribution a crucial part of a team performance. It happened, with less evidence, in that second win over France but for the first time Italy fans saw a sort of Stade Francais-version of Sergio Parisse.And is not a coincidence that we could admire the rise of Padovani, Canna and Giorgio Bronzini, just to name a few, and the return of Tommaso Benvenuti to his highest standards. That is another interesting aspect of the OShea era -- selection policy was finally at its best.We all know that it wasnt by far the best South Africa side ever to run onto a rugby pitch but that was the best XV Coetzee could pick from his tour squad. Italy were given a chance to make history and they took it, capitalising on that one and only opportunity.Details? Not at all. It was the sign of a different mentality. A huge rise in confidence that OSheas system has brought into a revitalised squad.The historic victory put rugby back on the mainstream media radar, reigniting a flame across the country that seemed to be slowly dying. The Azzurri were back on the national newspapers front page and got a lot of attention from national TV. The entire country celebrated this victory.Now Italy have an immediate maturity test. They must perform against Tonga and record a comfortable win.On Saturday in Padua, the Azzurri will not win with the same recipe the they used to beat the Springboks, though. Patience and composure will be vital. Only methodically absorbing the Islanders aggression at the breakdown and winning from that a probable high number of penalties will guarantee the win. They may well end up doing what top tier rugby nations usually do against Italy: stretch the score in the final quarter of the game.It wont be easy for a team that in the past has never shown the ability to control a rugby match. But after that historical result in Florence there is a chance for Italian fans to celebrate their best ever autumn international campaign. ' ' '