Wales Whips Wallabies!

SPORTING DISPATCH

1. Rugby

This will be the cry throughout the Principality as "The British and Irish Lions" as they are awkwardly called, put it the hated Ockers, but in reality it was the Welsh what did it, with perhaps just a little assistance from their friends from beyond the Marches. How do Wales do it? It's a bit like Uruguay, which has a population little bigger than Wales, but which has managed to produce a football team consistently ranked in the World's top five  over the last fifty years.

2. Cycling.

After biding his time like the true professional he is, yesterday Chris Froome mounted his charge and surged into the Maillot Jaune in Le Tour de France. Laying down his challenge to the other major contenders, he left them eating his dust as he forged through the mountains in the ancient Cathar region of southern France. And I have a strong feeling Froome will relinquish of his lead only at the expense of his life.

My wife and I love watching the Tour. We record while Wimbledon is on, then watch it in the evening, skipping the frequent and endlessly repetitive commercial breaks which are so annoying when watching the coverage live.. The only trick is to avoid hearing news of the result before settling down to watch. We are both agreed that one of the most pleasurable aspects of the coverage is the fantastic views of the French countryside from the air provided by the helicopter that shadows every inch of the 3000 mile journey the riders, surely the real iron men of sport, negotiate on their way to the finishing line in Paris.

3. Tennis

Can he do it? Yes he can! This afternoon we shall get out of the sun for a few hours to see if Andy can do what no Brit has done for 77 years. He starts as underdog, which is perhaps to his advantage, but in order to achieve the goal we all aspire for him he must play the best game of his life, for his opposition will be in no mood to give it away, however much we may want it.

We have already witnessed extraordinary scenes at Wimbledon this year: the demise of the seeds has been almost unprecedented, and the surviving players have put on a superb show, culminating in the two semi-finals on Friday, both of which were among the best matches seen on the Centre Court for many years. Both players had to dig deep to come through after five draining sets, so at least they will be equally tired. The final on paper looks like one of the most appetising for years, and quite frankly anyone not glued to their sets this afternoon must have something wrong with them. Send our boy your best vibes, witches and warlocks incant your most powerful spells- he needs them!

Postscript: John Inverdale (pronounced wanker)

I made my feelings plain regarding this overpaid tosser during the London Olympics. I found him to be a poor journalist and a poorer interviewer who should be found some sort of redundancy package and let go. Well they haven't got rid of him (or Sue Barker, who is only a slight improvement), and we can still find his  presence everywhere; on Radio 5 Live, on the TV highlights show and probably elsewhere too. Now he has incurred the wrath of the Twittersphere by pronouncing Marion Bartoli "not much of a looker". Like you're Johnny Depp! Truth be told, La Bartoli is no Isobel Adjani or Emanuelle Beart, but she doesn't have to be. She's a beautiful tennis player, and that's what counts. He could have described Virginia Wade as having a face like an elderly racehorse, or Ann Jones as being about as attractive as a car crash, but he's not that stupid. He's still bloody stupid though, which is why he should be fired.

On Eurosport's tennis coverage they have a slot called "Game, Set and Mats", a brief rundown on the day's play provided by multi- Grand Slam winner Mats Willander and the exceedingly foxy Annabel Croft (although she also got in trouble last week when she described Serena's arse as being too big- she was later forced to recant and say her bum was gorgeous and should be aspired to by all female players, though not Annabel, please- her superstructure is already perfect as it is).  With style and grace they add intelligent analysis, information and insight, every time, right on the money. The BBC should hire them and get rid of Inverdale and Barker.