immediately by putting pressure on Pliskovas serve early in the second set with sharp returns but failed to convert two break points. They continued with the same strategy on Strycovas serve, b

Australian star Kurtley Beale revealed a sense of relief after returning from injury and making a try-scoring Wasps debut in the European Champions Cup.Beale, who was also yellow-carded, struck after just seven minutes as Wasps beat Pool Two rivals Connacht 32-17 at the Ricoh Arena.It was his first game since suffering a serious knee injury playing for Sydney-based Super Rugby franchise the Waratahs in May.It has been a long time coming, said Beale, who is thought to be the Aviva Premierships highest-paid player.It was a very special moment to get out there playing for my new club and contributing the way I did. I had a little bit of a taste of everything, really!I have been very lucky. Wasps have been fantastic supporting me through the tough times. They have made my welcome here very settling.I have been able to concentrate on my rugby and try to get back to the form I was in before the injury.There have been some really dark days. I am just relieved that I have come out today and did my job for the team.Of course there are doubts, and nerves kicking in. It was important that I didnt get carried away with the whole occasion. Overall, it is exciting to be back and doing what I love.Beale was harshly sin-binned for a high tackle, and Wasps rugby director Dai Young added: I think there would be a big fine around the corner if I really said what I really thought.There were obstacles in the game, and the referees interpretation was one we had to battle with. We certainly seemed to fall on the wrong side of some decisions. Some of them were head-scratchers, to be honest.I said to Kurtley before the game to go out and enjoy himself.To go to the other side of the world to play rugby is difficult enough, but to arrive somewhere injured and having to work for six months (to recover) is really tough. Its testament to his strength of character that he has come through that.Wasps kept their collective composure as number eight Nathan Hughes, skipper Joe Launchbury and wing Josh Bassett followed Beales try-scoring example, while fly-half Jimmy Gopperth kicked two penalties and three conversions to underpin victory ahead of next weeks return fixture in Galway.Wasps claimed a try-scoring bonus and moved three points clear of Connacht and four above Toulouse, although they were given a stern test by their opponents for large parts of an entertaining contest.Scrum-half Kieran Marmion and substitute Rory Parata scored tries for the visitors, with fly-half Jack Carty converting both Connacht touchdowns and kicking a penalty, and despite the defeat, last seasons Guinness PRO12 champions remain firmly in the quarter-final mix.Young said: Connacht played some great stuff and put us under lots of pressure. It was nothing we didnt expect.We knew they would really test our defence and that they wouldnt kick too much, and I thought we stood up to the challenge really strongly.When we had our opportunities, I thought we were pretty clinical. With 60 minutes gone, it was still nip and tuck, but in fairness to the boys they found another gear in the last 20.Connacht head coach Pat Lam, meanwhile, said: The main feeling we have is that we are pretty deflated because it was a missed opportunity. We really thought we had a good chance to upset them here.There were enough opportunities for us there to win the game, but we didnt make the most of them. We will just have to dust ourselves off.The boys know there are things we are going to get better at, and we need to get better at.New England Patriots Store . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. New England Patriots Gear . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Patriots Jerseys China . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters.STRASBOURG, France -- Czech Republic cemented its status of best team in the world by retaining its Fed Cup title on Sunday after Barbora Strycova and Karolina Pliskova won the decisive doubles match in the final against France. The pair beat Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 7-5 to secure a 3-2 win for the Czechs on the indoor hard court at Rhenus Sport Arena.The Czechs won a fifth title in six years, their 10th overall, and became the first team to win three consecutive Fed Cups since Spain from 1993-95.Our secret? Just fighting on every point, fighting until the end, said Strycova, who had already clinched the decisive rubber with Pliskova in last years final against Russia.Strycova was the decisive player on Sunday. Before her impressive display in the doubles, she replaced the injured Petra Kvitova at the last minute to defeat Alize Cornet 6-2, 7-6 (4) and keep the defending champions alive in the final.Caroline Garcia had earlier given France a 2-1 lead with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Pliskova.After overpowering Cornet with her mix of deep groundstrokes, slices and rushes to the net, Strycova inspired the Czechs to victory in the doubles with her aggressive tennis.The first set saw both teams perform well, with excellent net play from the Czechs, who made a decisive break in the 11th game after Mladenovic double-faulted tto hand Pliskova and Strycova two break points.ddddddddddddThe Czechs needed only one as Pliskova fired a return on the baseline that Mladenovic could not handle.The French reacted immediately by putting pressure on Pliskovas serve early in the second set with sharp returns but failed to convert two break points. They continued with the same strategy on Strycovas serve, but again wasted two break points.The Czechs were more clinical and made the most of Mladenovics energy dip. They broke in the next game for a 3-2 lead after Strycova hit a difficult backhand overhead winner. Mladenovic and Garcia did not give up and managed to break Strycovas serve to level at 4-4 after Garcia hit a stunning forehand down the line.But the change of momentum didnt last long. Mladenovic dropped her serve after Pliskova kneeled at the net to perfectly handle a passing shot and produce a stunning drop volley on break point. The French duo saved a match point but could not prevent Pliskova from sealing the match on the next one.Kvitova could not play today, we did not have many options, but Strycova played really well, said Czech Republic captain Petr Pala. ``The girls never give up, like the French, but there is only one winner. ' ' '