Sports

AMMAN — The Get Into Rugby Youth Development Programme, established globally to promote the five core values of the game and encourage fans of the sport to enjoy it, kicked off on Wednesday at 14 Schools in Jordan.

HRH Prince Mired, president of the Jordan Rugby Committee (JRC), highlighted the significance of introducing rugby in schools, saying at a press conference held at Lycee Francais Amman: “We are really proud of this initiative and we are excited to see as many as 14 schools in the Kingdom accepted this programme with full force. Our target is to involve other schools whether public or private.”

“We were somehow pessimistic that schools would not accept the idea at the beginning but after seeing the positive reception from schools especially having 14 schools and 44 physical education teachers committed to delivering the Get Into Rugby Programme for 2014/2015 we became really optimistic and now we will increase our efforts and hope more schools join in the near future,” the prince said.

“We thank HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee [JOC], for his support and all those dedicated fans of this sport which we believe has a great future and unmatched excitement. This is a major milestone in the development of rugby in Jordan which we are proud of, as it will allow for the Jordanian youth to join the global community of this unique sport with its strong values and great educational benefits,” he added.

The programme which comes with full sets of training materials and resources will be conducted through three comprehensive phases.

“We have the Try Phase which introduces children to the values [integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline]and principles of the game. The training sessions of this phase are no-contact exercise and taught in the PE classes for all students,” JRC’s David Martinon told The Jordan Times.

“While the Play Phase will provide the opportunity to experience the game in a safe and fun environment through a rugby seven’s school leagues and events after an initial training period. The training sessions from this phase start to be contact exercise [touch Rugby] and are taught during extra curriculum,” he added. 

Meanwhile the Stay Phase keeps athletes involved for years to come.

The programme is targeting 1,000 young players for the 2014/15 season in Jordan and the Kingdom is one of the 150 countries being involved as part of the International Rugby Board strategy as rugby rejoins the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.

The JRC with the support of the JOC and the Asian Rugby Football Union will be providing schools with specific trainings and rugby playing kits. 

Qais Haddad, a physical education teacher at the Ahliyyah School for Girls told The Jordan Times that this is a great initiative.

“We are really proud to be part of this programme and as our school pays great attention and effort in developing the sporting scene we are sure that this programme will give excitement and benefits to students,” he said.

AMMAN — Jordan's national football team will work hard to go beyond its achievements in the last two iterations of the Asian Cup, the new head coach, Raymond Wilkins, said Wednesday. 

"In the Asian Cup, we have reached the quarter-finals in the last two occasions and we have to go [further]," Wilkins said at a press conference after signing his contract. 

"I feel extremely comfortable in the job that I am about to do. I will get to know the players… and I tend to do that very quickly,” the coach said. 

He told reporters that he was extremely "flattered and honoured" to be asked to coach the Nashama (the brave ones) for the coming Asian Cup.

"I think where we come from in England we have a winning mentality... I want to succeed; I don't want to lose, so we will work extremely hard to make that happen." 

HRH Prince Ali, president of the Jordan Football Association (JFA), said in a statement that the decision to appoint the English coach was taken following a thorough selection process and consultations with football experts and friends.

"We have found that Wilkins' international expertise is in line with our requirements and ambitions. This is going to be a unique opportunity for us to learn from someone who has contributed to the success of a number of elite English football clubs," the prince said in the statement.

At a JFA meeting held on the same day, Prince Ali said the new coach will work closely with local football clubs and other stakeholders to improve the national team, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The JFA's executive commission expressed its full support for the coaching team and said it will give the coach ample time to lead the team to major achievements.

Wilkins said he perfectly understands that the attitude of the players and the way players work will be totally different from what he has been used to. 

"But I'm having no problem with that at all," he said, adding that the coaching staff that joined the players in Uzbekistan and China will remain with him.

The Jordanian coaching staff includes Ahmad Abdel Kader, Anzour Hina and Walid Mikhael, in addition to Brazilian fitness coach Manuel. 

Jordan will play Japan, Iraq and Palestine in Group D during the upcoming Asian Football Confederation’s 2015 Asian Cup in Australia. 

Wilkins won 84 caps for England during his playing days, which spanned more than two decades, according to Reuters. He played as a midfielder for a handful of different teams, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.

He began coaching in 1994 and worked as an assistant with several teams, including Fulham, Chelsea, Watford and Millwall.

He returned to Fulham as an assistant coach in 2013 before leaving the post earlier this year, according to Reuters.

AMMAN — The Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) has joined the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and One World Futbol Project (OWFP) to collaboratively launch Ultra-durable Balls Donation project in Ulaanbaatar, according to a statement from AFDP.

A total of 5,200 Chevrolet branded balls were delivered on Monday to MFF and organisations working with grassroots and youth football in Mongolia. The ultra-durable One World Futbol never needs a pump and never deflates — even when punctured multiple times — making it ideal for play in all types of terrain and harsh environments. 

“AFDP is delighted to be continuing its support to football in Mongolia together with our partners through the One World Futbol initiative but also through backing the Magic Ball grass-roots championship for schoolchildren and the distribution of UEFA-donated balls. We hope to be able to take our support to all of Asia and help push the process of football development forward,” AFDP Chairman HRH Prince Ali was quoted in the statement as saying. 

AFC President Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa expressed his pride at AFC’s involvement with the initiative stating that the programme has far reaching effects in giving youths, even those in remote, underprivileged areas, a chance to play football and enjoy the game. According to Sheikh Salman, One World Futbol Project has done a remarkable job in helping develop the game in Asia by offering such a unique product, and AFC’s member associations including Mongolia are benefiting
greatly from it.

MFF President Ganbold Buyannemekh shared that MFF is proud to know that they are one of the earliest Asian countries to receive the balls under the MoU between
AFC-AFDP and One World Futbol Project. These balls will be distributed to selected rural schools, NGOs and organisations which are working closely with community football and grass-roots football development in numerous parts of Mongolia. The balls will be distributed to these organisations based on the size and the need of the programme.

One World Futbol Project hopes that these joint efforts across Asia and with the relevant football bodies will bring the healing power of play to youth worldwide by making, selling and distributing the One World Futbol, a nearly indestructible ball and is designed to survive the harshest environments. 

Collaborating with sponsors, organisations and individuals, One World Futbol Project delivers balls to disadvantaged communities where play and sports are used to foster social change.

In May 2012, Chevrolet became the founding sponsor of One World Futbol Project, pledging to donate and support the distribution of at least 1.5 million Chevrolet-branded One World Futbols worldwide over three years. The balls will be used in programmes that provide education, teach essential life skills and encourage conflict resolution to youth living in disadvantaged areas.

To date, the One World Futbol has reached more than 165 countries through One World Futbol Project’s growing global network of organisations, bringing the healing power of play to an estimated 21 million youth worldwide, according to the statement.

AMMAN  — Jordan’s women’s football teams has a tough task when they play Japan on Thursday in their second match at the 17th Asian Games football competition which got under way in Incheon, South Korea, this week.

Jordan came from 2-0 down to tie Taiwan in their first Group B match. They will play China in their third match on
September 22.

Jordan is the only Arab team among 11 competing teams. Group A includes South Korea, Thailand, India and the Maldives. Group C includes North Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The top two from each group and the top two third-placed team will advance to the quarters.

Jordan had moved to the Asian Cup finals for the first time after a three-game winning streak in Group A qualifiers — beating Uzbekistan 4-0, Lebanon 5-0 and Kuwait 21-0.

The senior women’s team is hoping to bounce back after an early elimination from the 2014 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup where Jordan lost to world champs Japan 7-0, and 3-1 to Australia and Vietnam in Group A. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team qualified to the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

The Kingdom was the only Arab team to have ever qualified to the premier women’s football competition in the AFC region, and was one of eight qualifying teams playing in two groups. 

This year, Jordan regained the West Asian Football Championship title with an unbeaten streak. With Iran, Lebanon as well as two-time champs and holders UAE missing the event, Jordan beat Bahrain 5-0, Qatar 7-0 and Palestine 10-0. Jordan, now 52nd in FIFA rankings and the 12th ranked Asian team and the best Arab team on the list, had won the West Asian title twice in 2005 an 2007 but lost the title in 2010 and 2012 to the UAE.

Meanwhile, the men’s Olympic football team will play the UAE in their first Group G match on Thursday before facing India on September 22. The UAE beat India 5-0 in the opening match. 

Jordan’s squad, which is also set to play in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers on March 2015, has struggled to regroup with national team as well as club agendas hampering coach Jamal Abu Abed’s plans. 

Before departure, they played three local matches losing to Wihdat 2-0, tying Jazira 1-1 and beating Shabab Urdun 2-1. In friendlies they beat Uzbekistan 2-1, held Iran 2-2 and 1-1, held Kuwait 1-1 twice and had a goalless draw with Qatar. They finished second at the Palestine International Championship and earlier this year the team hosted the England C squad in a historic match, losing 1-0. 

The 17th Asian Games opens on September 19 and concludes on October 4. Jordan will compete in 12 sports: football, basketball, taekwondo, karate, boxing, triathlon, cycling, judo, wrestling, squash, wushu, and weightlifting.

OREBRO, Sweden — Marcus Ericsson has had a tough debut season in Formula One, with his Caterham team struggling on and off the track, but Sweden’s first Grand Prix driver in 23 years believes he has a future in the sport.

The 24-year-old certainly has plenty of home fans hoping that will be the case.

He was left in no doubt about that as he stopped off in the town of Orebro, where a statue commemorates the late local hero Ronnie Peterson, for an F1 demonstration through closed streets before heading to Singapore for this weekend’s night race.

Peterson, the hugely popular “SuperSwede” who died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza in 1978, won 10 races and twice finished runner-up in the championship.

The last Swedish F1 racer before Ericsson was Stefan Johansson, who made 12 podium appearances without winning between 1983 and 1991.

Orebro is the beating heart of motorsport in Sweden and Ericsson, who comes from the town of Kumla, some 20km down the road, knows he is following some big names.

“We’ve had so many great drivers from this area — Ronnie Petersson, Stig Blomqvist in rallying and many more in touring cars and different classes,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“It’s been 23 years since the last Swede in Formula One, so for me to be the next F1 driver at all these races around the world has been amazing,” added the driver who started out karting locally as a nine-year-old.

“There’s been so many Swedish fans at the tracks, it’s been a great year so far in that respect.”

In other respects, less so for a driver whose sponsors played an important role in his landing the race seat.

Cash needed 

Caterham, who have yet to score a point in four-and-a-half years of trying, were in need of cash from their drivers even before the season started and that only increased when Malaysian aviation entrepreneur Tony Fernandes sold the team in July.

Ericsson’s Japanese teammate Kamui Kobayashi was dropped for the Belgian Grand Prix and faces an uncertain future at a team that has also shed staff under a new management determined to cut costs.

The aftershocks continued with Dutch principal Christijan Albers, appointed only in July, resigning after the Italian Grand Prix eight days ago.

Ericsson said he had no idea who would partner him in Singapore, and that he paid little attention to the turbulence around the team.

“To be honest, when you’re in the car and preparing for race weekends you’re so focused on that you don’t really think about it,” he said.

“It’s not been something that has influenced me but obviously now we have the new owners that have come in and they’ve been pushing really hard to continue developing the car, so that’s been very positive. I think we’re in a good trend.”

The highlight of Ericsson’s season was 11th place in Monaco, equalling the team’s best ever result, but there have been plenty of tough weekends too.

“The debut season in F1 is obviously very tough but it’s been OK,” he said. “The aim for me is to stay in Formula One for many years and that’s what we’re working at doing at the moment.”

The Swede smiled as he prepared to go out and meet sponsors and fans, joking that one day he too could have a permanent monument in Orebro.

“If you come back in 15 years, you’ll see my statue there!” he said.

LONDON/ MADRID — The good news for Schalke 04’s defenders as they prepare to face Chelsea in their opening Champions League Group G match on Wednesday is that striker Diego Costa is nursing a slight hamstring injury.

The bad news is that even without being fully fit he has scored seven goals in his opening four matches for his new club since his £32.0 million ($52.03 million) transfer from Atletico Madrid.

Schalke will have plenty to fear if, as expected, he plays against them at Stamford Bridge.

Those goals, which included a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 4-2 win over previously unbeaten Swansea City on Saturday, have helped preserve Chelsea’s perfect start to the season, in contrast to winless Schalke’s start in the Bundesliga.

Chelsea are top of the Premier League with a maximum 12 points while Schalke are languishing near the foot of the German table with one point from their first three matches.

They know what to expect from Chelsea, too, after losing to them 3-0 both home and away in last season’s Champions League group stage, and on current early season form Chelsea look capable of beating them again by at least that margin.

After another impressive performance on Saturday, Costa, the first player since 1992 to score in his first four Premier League games, said despite his great start he had not yet settled down to life in London, but was settling in well at the club.

“I have not yet been out in London, but I am trying to get to know it and bit by bit adapt to London,” the Brazil-born naturalised Spain international said.

“To have an old teammate [Filipe Luis] here is very important. Ramires, Willian, Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Cesar Azpilicueta have all helped me a lot. I am very happy.”

Fabregas, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona in the summer, has also made an excellent start at Stamford Bridge, with assists in every game he has played so far. 

Schalke crisis 

While Chelsea are on the crest of a wave, Schalke, who finished third in the Budesliga last season, are in a crisis.

The royal blues were crushed 4-1 by Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday and are two off the bottom with just one point and a goal difference of minus four. That point came from a 1-1 draw with champions Bayern Munich.

Schalke, who also lost 2-1 to third-tier Dynamo Dresden in the opening round of the German Cup a month ago, sought more consistency this season after last season’s rollercoaster ride.

But coach Jens Keller has yet to get the most out of a talented squad, with Kevin-Prince Boateng sluggish in midfield and attacking midfielder Julian Draxler and Dutch international striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar playing below par.

Keller’s cause has not been helped by a thigh injury to defender Felipe Santana, while other injured squad players are also out and restricting his options.

Lack of on-field chemistry 

One of the most disappointing aspects of Barcelona’s failure to win major silverware last season was the lack of on-field chemistry between Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Four-time World Player of the Year Messi and Brazil forward Neymar had injury troubles during 2013/14 but when they were fit, Barca fans, expecting the emergence of a lethal partnership scoring entertaining goals at will, were largely disappointed.

On the evidence of Saturday’s 2-0 La Liga win at home to Athletic Bilbao, however, this season may be a different story.

Neymar came off the bench for the final half hour at the Nou Camp and netted a clinical double from a pair of superb Messi assists to preserve Barca’s perfect start to the season with three wins in three matches and no goals conceded.

New coach Luis Enrique will be expecting more of the same when Barca host Cypriot side APOEL in their Champions League Group F opener on Wednesday.

A former Barca and Spain midfielder who had stints in charge at clubs including AS Roma and Celta Vigo, Luis Enrique took over from Gerardo Martino with a brief to improve on last term’s elimination in the quarter-finals by Atletico Madrid.

Barca spent heavily in the transfer window, bringing in Uruguay forward Luis Suarez, who is banned until the end of October, Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic and France centre back Jeremy Mathieu.

After a positive start, when the defensive weakness that wrecked last season appeared to have been ironed out, hopes are high the club can challenge for silverware again.

“Each year our goal is to get to the [Champions League] final and going out to Atletico last season was a shame,” forward Pedro told a news conference on Monday.

“We have a lot of desire and excitement about winning this title,” added the Spain international.

“The coach has told us to pressure very high up the pitch, steal the ball and keep it ourselves.

“We have done that very well and barely conceded any chances, but there is still room for improvement.” 

Daunting task

APOEL, competing in the group stage for the third time, reached the quarter-finals on their last Champions League appearance in 2011/12.

They have never played Barca and face a daunting task at the Nou Camp, where the Catalan giants have lost only one of their last 27 home games in Europe’s elite club competition.

“Barca are a team who are building up their armoury again but they have also managed to maintain their base,” APOEL’s Spanish-Belgian goalkeeper Urko Pardo said in an interview published on Barca’s website on Monday.

Ajax Amsterdam host Paris St. Germain in the other Group F game.

AMMAN — Jordan Motorsport, the sporting authority for all motorsport events in the Kingdom, is adopting new and comprehensive strategies to develop auto sports, its CEO, Othman Naseef, said Monday.

“We look at Jordan Motorsport as a national initiative that needs the efforts of everyone to succeed. Drivers, officials, local companies, media and fans are all involved in the development of this exciting sport,” Naseef said at a media briefing.

“We have been working for almost eight months trying to develop all aspects of this sport based on the vision and directions of HRH Prince Feisal, chairman of Jordan Motorsport, and we have already made extra improvements,” he added.

Naseef addressed the decreasing number of local rally drivers, attributing it to the high cost of this sport.

“We are currently working on a strategy that allows drivers to cut the cost of buying an expensive rally car by working with auto agents in the Kingdom and creating a new class with the approval of FIA; this way we involve carmakers and allow drivers to participate with less cost,” he said.

The strategy will also involve female participation, according to Naseef, who added that Jordan Motorsport will also work to make kart racing more affordable and challenging to young people. 

“Last week, we witnessed the conclusion of the karting championship and we are happy to announce that Hesham Najjar who won first place will represent Jordan in the World Championship, which will take place in Valencia and this is an achievement,” he said.

Speed tests and drifting, which were introduced officially this year, are also covered in the strategy, with speed tests to be held at the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan racetrack and drifting at SOFEX racetrack.

The qualifying round of drifting will be held on September 26 and winners will take part in the Redbull Car Park Drift Challenge to be held on October 3.

Meanwhile, for rallying Jordan Motorsport is looking into suggestions to return to tarmac.

“We received several requests to move the rallies from gravel to tarmac, and… we are seriously looking into it, as we believe it might attract more drivers, especially from Lebanon,” Naseef noted. 

“In other words we are listening to our drivers and we believe that there is a big future for this sport in the Kingdom.”

AMMAN — For the third consecutive year, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) has received scholarships from the Football Association (FA) for Asian coaches to participate in the FA International Coaching Course in St. George’s Park, England, as part of the FA’s international bursary scheme, according to a statement from AFDP.

The coaches nominated for the course by AFDP this year are Anjana Turambekar, a coach in the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Grassroots programme, and Le Dinh Chung, head of Technical Department at Football for All in Vietnam. The two selected coaches will have access to high-level practical and theoretical training at the home of English football for two weeks ending on September 28, including sessions on principles of play, attitudes and ethics, long-term player development and player psychology and motivation.

“The Football Association’s international bursary scheme has enabled us to further empower aspiring coaches from Bhutan, Jordan, Philippines and now India and Vietnam which will undoubtedly contribute to the development of football in Asia as a whole. We highly value the support of the Football Association not only for the wealth of knowledge and expertise provided by this prestigious programme but also for welcoming our coaches with such hospitality and generosity,” AFDP Chairman HRH Prince Ali was quoted in the statement as saying.

“I feel humbled to be the AFDP-nominated AIFF candidate and I take distinct pride that I will be able to be a coaching ambassador for AIFF during this course,” Turambekar said in the statement.

Chung, who has previously played in top level teams in Vietnam for over 10 years, was quoted in the statement as saying: “I am very proud to be selected as a bursary student at the FA course, my ambition is to contribute back for the development of both football and society in Vietnam.”

MANCHESTER, England — Real Madrid ended a 12-year wait for La Decima — a 10th European Cup — by winning the Champions League last season.

Now the Spanish club has a new target: Achieving what no team has managed in 25 years — retaining the trophy.

The Champions League returns this week, with Madrid’s all-star line-up seemingly the team to beat again this season ahead of its first match at home against FC Basel on Tuesday in Group B.

No team has successfully defended Europe’s most prestigious club title since AC Milan in 1990, before the competition underwent a facelift and turned into the financial beast that is the Champions League.

As in recent years, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea will be among the favourites to challenge for the title.

Here are some things to know about the start of the 2014-15 Champions League:

Spanish supremacy

With four strong teams involved, Spain is aiming to continue its run of outperforming the other major European leagues in the Champions League.

Spain put two teams into last year’s final, when Madrid beat crosstown rival Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time, and has had two sides in the semifinals for the past four seasons. Barcelona won the title in 2011.

Like Madrid, Atletico begin their campaign on Tuesday at Olympiakos in Group A. On Wednesday, Barcelona play APOEL in Group F and Athletic Bilbao host Shakhtar Donetsk in Group H. 

Counting on costa 

If the start of the Premier League season is anything to go by, Chelsea will be England’s most competitive side in the Champions League.

Especially if Diego Costa keeps up his stunning form.

The Spain international’s seven goals in four games have guided Chelsea to four straight wins and first place in the Premier League.

Chelsea have been given the most benign-looking group of England’s four representatives, too, placed with Schalke, Sporting Lisbon and NK Maribor. Chelsea start at home against Schalke on Wednesday in Group G.

Manchester City advanced from their group last season for the first time, losing in the last 16 to Barcelona. The English champions, who travel to Bayern on Wednesday in
Group E, will be expected to progress further this season.

On Tuesday, Arsenal is away to Borussia Dortmund in Group D
and Liverpool’s first match in the Champions League in five years is at home against newcomer Ludogorets in Group B
— the same group as Real Madrid. There is no Manchester United in the competition for the first time since the
1995-96 season.

Juve’s real test 

New Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri may have started winning over his doubters with two wins out of two in Serie A, but the real test will come in the Champions League.

Under Antonio Conte, Juventus won a third straight Italian league title last season but exited Europe’s elite club competition at the group stage.

At AC Milan, Allegri won just 11 of his 34 Champions League matches in charge, drawing another 13, and never went past the quarter-finals.

Juventus, which host Malmo in Group A on Tuesday, started their domestic campaign with a 1-0 win at Chievo Verona and a 2-0 victory at home to Udinese on Saturday. 

Fond memories 

France’s two Champions League teams — Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco — have experienced strikers facing their former clubs in the first round of fixtures.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored so many wonderful goals for PSG and Sweden over the past two years, he may well have lost count. PSG play Ajax in Group F
on Wednesday and the Dutch hosts will be hoping Ibrahimovic isn’t in the mood for another goal on the same ground where he scored one of his best ever.

Ten years ago, when playing for Ajax, Ibrahimovic scored a mesmerising solo effort against NAC Breda — dribbling past several players before caressing the ball home.

Ibrahimovic has scored five goals in four games this season but PSG have looked very patchy and is overly dependent on their captain.

After losing their two biggest stars in the transfer window — Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez — Monaco have struggled and is languishing in 18th place in the French league.

The 33-year-old Dimitar Berbatov has been left as Monaco’s main striker and will be up against his former team Bayer Leverkusen, where he made his name in European football.

First-timers

There are two newcomers in this season’s Champions League, Ludogorets from Bulgaria and Malmo from Sweden.

Ludogorets advanced from the play-offs in memorable fashion when a defender — Cosmin Moti — saved two penalties in a shoot-out win over Steaua Bucharest after the team’s goalkeeper was sent off late in extra time.

Ludogorets play Liverpool at Anfield in Group B on Tuesday.

Malmo reached the European Cup final in 1979 when they lost to Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. They also played in the 1990-91 European Cup and is Sweden’s first group-stage representative in 14 years.

Malmo travel to Juventus in Group A on Tuesday.

COFFS HARBOUR, Australia — World champion Sebastien Ogier of France won Rally Australia on Sunday by 6.8 seconds over teammate Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland, continuing their season-long duel atop the World Rally Championship standings and clinching the manufacturers’ championship for Volkswagen with three of 13 series races remaining. Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia won 11 of the 20 stages over three days in Australia. After more than 313 kilometres of competition, Ogier finished the closing Wedding Bells II Power Stage with Latvala hot on his tracks, the Finnish driver having picked up more than three seconds with two stage wins on Sunday afternoon. Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway, lead driver of the second Volkswagen team, finished third, 1 minute, 18 seconds behind Ogier. Citroen driver Kris Meeke of Northern Ireland was fourth, 1:44 behind Ogier. “It was amazing to head the one-two-three for the team,” Ogier said. “We are here first for Volkswagen, and I am so happy for the team. It is a great step toward my championship as well.” The drivers’ title is still up for grabs, beginning with the next race, the Rally de France-Alsace beginning October 3 in Strasbourg. That will be followed by rallies in Spain in late October and in Wales in mid-November to complete the season.