Henry's shameful cheating reignites TV ref debate

The use of TV replays and goalline referees in football is usually a tiresome debate, dusted off to fill airtime and column inches whenever a contentious incident crops up on the field.

However, Thierry Henry's shameless and unrepented act of blatant cheating at the Stade de France, that denied the Republic of Ireland a deserved place in the World Cup finals, is sure to reignite the argument for usage of replays in football like never before.

Henry has admitted to Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne that he deliberately handled the ball before setting up France's extra-time winner for William Gallas. Ireland's sense of bitter injustice was all the more acute for having dominated the game against the hapless hosts, whose fans jeered their manager and several under-performing players.

Players and managers bewailing the incompetence of referees is never edifying. Officials are fallible and imperfect human beings, just like strikers who miss chances, goalkeepers who let in howlers and managers who make hopeless signings.

Sadly for Swedish referee Martin Hansson (who was otherwise excellent on the night and certainly didn't fall for a dive by Nicolas Anelka earlier in the game to try and win a penalty), he simply missed Henry's handball and so did his assistant. But such a travesty would not have been allowed to occur if officials were given the benefit of a brief TV replay.

Cricket, rugby union, tennis and rugby league now make use of technology to adjudge on debated decisions. Never has there been a more convincing argument to extend its use to football than in Paris on Wednesday night. One only hopes that mingled with Henry's elation and excitement at qualifying for the World Cup finals, there are troubling feelings of guilt and embarrassment.

England v New Zealand preview

New Zealand's rugby team are either very good actors or genuinely believe Jonny Wilkinson can lead an England backlash on Saturday.

The All Blacks fear England could finally come good at Twickenham through Wilkinson after the team's average displays against Australia and Argentina, but there's nothing to suggest that in Martin Johnson's tweaked line-up for Saturday's showdown.

Despite his physicality, centre Ayoola Erinle will hardly strike fear into the visitors. After all, this is a player who failed to force his way into the starting line-ups of Wasps and Leicester before making his move to France.

The other returning names to the starting line-up are Joe Worsley and Simon Shaw, for what seems like his umpteenth recall. On top of that, Ugo Monye is rightly removed of full-back duties after a woeful display against Argentina but amazingly keeps his place in the starting XV on the wing.

England will lose to New Zealand on Saturday, that much seems certain, but they desperately need to put on a show as a team to guarantee the futures of their under-fire backroom staff. Another dire display could sound the end for the likes of John Wells and Brian Smith, and even Martin Johnson.

Do England have any chance of beating New Zealand, and what do you make of their line-up to face the All Blacks? Post your comments below...

Button signs for McLaren

Just a few days ago, Ross Brawn announced he was still 99.9% confident that Jenson Button would stay with the world champions next season.

But in a stunning turnaround, Button has opted to quit Brawn GP and sign on the dotted line with rivals McLaren for an all-British driver line-up with Lewis Hamilton.

There will be those who argue that Button is a money-grabber - McLaren were more than willing to offer him more than double what he was earning at Brawn GP. But this deal is not just about the cash, although that no doubt helped to sway the decision.

According to sources close to Button, he genuinely believes that McLaren, the form car for much of the latter part of the season, will give him the best chance of defending his title.

That might be true in the sense that he will potentially have the quickest car at his disposal, but Button will be in for some big shocks. For one, Hamilton has built the McLaren team around him and is likely to be favoured over Button by everyone, from team boss Martin Whitmarsh down to the dinner ladies at the Woking headquarters.

As a result, McLaren are likely to build a car that suits Hamilton's more aggressive driving style more than the silky smooth approach of Button. And Hamilton is undeniably a quicker driver than the man who replaced him as world champion. So there is the potential for things to go horribly wrong for Button.

Is Button's decision to join McLaren the right move? And can he realistically beat Hamilton to defend his world title? Post your comments below...