Frank Williams maintains he feels the Colombian will not be released by his American team, Ganassi Racing, and Jordan urges him to keep faith in the young Englishman.”I think Jenson has done enough to stay another year If I was Frank I would keep him. It takes time for young drivers to develop and we’ve seen it with the young drivers we’ve had,” Jordan said.Schumacher, of Ferrari, goes in to Sunday’s French Grand Prix leading the McLaren pair, David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen, by 22 and 24 points respectively, but concedes there is little potential for further improvement to his car. The German said: “Unlike past years, we started this year well and have been able to compete from the start on every circuit. But that means we have less potential to improve and others may develop.”That was encouraging for Hakkinen, champion for the past two years, and in urgent need of a second win this season to bolster his challenge.”I believe we are improving and are getting on top of our reliability problems. I am confident for the second half of the season,” Hakkinen said.* Frank Williams has joined other British teams in attempting to prevent Brands Hatch obtaining planning permission which would enable it to host the British Grand Prix.

Williams, who has joined Arrows and BAR in lodging a protest with the local council, said it was important for the future well-being of British teams and British motor sport as a whole that Silverstone retained the race.. When Wigan’s players heard that tonight’s opponents, Bradford, had just scored a record 96 points, their reaction was surprising “We just laughed,” said their captain, Andy Farrell. Nervous laughter, perhaps, especially after Wigan had struggled to beat London Broncos, but as Farrell pointed out: “We should have beaten Bradford last time and we already knew what they could do if you allow them to get away from you.”

When Wigan’s players heard that tonight’s opponents, Bradford, had just scored a record 96 points, their reaction was surprising “We just laughed,” said their captain, Andy Farrell. Nervous laughter, perhaps, especially after Wigan had struggled to beat London Broncos, but as Farrell pointed out: “We should have beaten Bradford last time and we already knew what they could do if you allow them to get away from you.”
Farrell expects tonight’s Super League fixture at Odsal to be much more like the 12-12 draw between the two sides earlier this month than Sunday’s 96-16 annihilation of hapless Salford “You can’t read much into that sort of result. It shows that they have class all over the field, but we already knew that,” Farrell said.”I even think it could work in our favour. Bradford had an easy game, but we had to play for the full 80 minutes. We might not have played well, but our defence had a good work-out.”Wigan will go top if they do what no other side has achieved for 22 months by beating the Bulls on home turf tonight.

They are likely to be unchanged, while Bradford add Nathan McAvoy and Paul Anderson to the squad that did all the damage against Salford.London Broncos are close to agreeing a two-year deal with the New Zealand full-back and captain Richie Barnett, who has one year of his contract left at Sydney City. “I’ve never had a player more highly recommended to me,” said the Broncos’ chief executive, Tony Rea. “The deal is not complete yet, but it should be within the next few days.”Barnett has been out of action since suffering a serious facial injury in the Test against Australia earlier this year. He was thought to be out of this autumn’s World Cup, but is now regarded as having a chance of leading the Kiwis.Warrington will sense a chance of beating a weakened St Helens tonight. With Ian Sibbit out for the season, they add two other young players, Chris Campbell and Paul Noone, to their squad. With Kevin Iro, Paul Newlove and Tony Stewart all unlikely to play in the centres, Saints will pair Sean Hoppe, fit again after an absence, and Dwayne West.In tonight’s other match, Huddersfield-Sheffield, buoyed by last weekend’s win at Wakefield, travel to Halifax, whose chief executive, Nigel Wood, has drawn up a list of proposals which he believes would produce more unpredictable results. Wood will ask a meeting of clubs next week to consider an upper limit on the salary cap, a draft system under which the bottom clubs would have first choice of a dozen leading players brought in by Super League and positive discrimination for lower clubs on the overseas quota.”It is vital that we promote policies that restore uncertainty of outcome,” said Wood.Five clubs – Bradford, Warrington, Leeds, Halifax and Hull – are to share more than £3m in education grants to set up classrooms for local children at their grounds..

Darren Garforth was enjoying a late breakfast beside one of the most seductive hotel swimming pools in Africa, a can of beer in one huge paw and a fat cigar of considerable quality in the other. Through his one good eye – the other had been shut during a prolonged pugilistic confrontation with his opposite number the previous evening – the venerable Leicester prop was able to take in a panoramic view of greater Johannesburg. “Don’t you worry about me,” he said, grinning from ear to cauliflower ear. “I’m in heaven.”

Darren Garforth was enjoying a late breakfast beside one of the most seductive hotel swimming pools in Africa, a can of beer in one huge paw and a fat cigar of considerable quality in the other. Through his one good eye – the other had been shut during a prolonged pugilistic confrontation with his opposite number the previous evening – the venerable Leicester prop was able to take in a panoramic view of greater Johannesburg. “Don’t you worry about me,” he said, grinning from ear to cauliflower ear.