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Ex semi-pro rugby player Price clinches darts world championship

Gerwyn Price /Getty

Welshman Gerwyn Price has won darts’ world championship, beating Scotland’s Gary Anderson 7-3 in the final to earn his biggest career victory since swapping a career in semi-professional rugby for the ever-more lucrative pub game.

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Price, 35, earned a lucky break to take the first set after Anderson had missed three darts and he proceeded to out-class the more experienced Scot to take a 6-2 lead in the showpiece at an empty Alexandra Palace, which was missing the usual hum of boisterous supporters due to coronavirus restrictions.

But Price lost his composure in the ninth set, squandering 11 match darts before eventually clinching the championship in the 10th with a double five after Anderson had also been wasteful and passed up three chances to win the set.

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      Brian Moore talks to RugbyPass:

      Price, who had grown increasingly frustrated with each clinching dart he had wasted, bowed his head in a release of emotion when he finally sealed victory, pocketing 500,000 pounds ($A887,000) in prize money in doing so.

      “I’ve never ever felt pressure like that in my life,” said Price, who becomes world No.1.

      Anderson, a two-time winner is now also a three-time runner-up.

      Price played rugby in the Welsh Premier League until quitting in 2014 to fully focus on darts after earning his place on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) as a qualifier.

      The two players had a frosty relationship in the past, with Anderson accusing Price of deliberately slow play after losing the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts to him and declining to shake his hand.

      But there was no ill-feeling on this occasion and Anderson admitted he had been well beaten.

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      “I just could not get the darts, my doubles were atrocious and that’s what happens when you do that, you get thumped,” he said.

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      J
      JW 2 hours ago
      Mick Cleary: 'These blokes have done the jersey proud, with their buy-in and with their relish.'

      Jesus PR that’s another great conclusion. I can definitely see it as blocker to bringing through new talent in time for the WC. NZ underwent a lot of change in 2018 following the Lions tour, in part thanks to key injuries. Despite the revenue spending Aaron Cruden (getting frail even at his young age then) and Lima Sopoaga (along with Julien Savea), 2 of the 3 1st5s in the Lions squad, both left before the 2019 WC for example. But when we apply your logic, their delayed departure prevented Richie Mounga and Damien McKenzie (the 15 who got injured and threw a spanner in the works) from brought through in what would possible now be considered the preferred WC preparation. Ditto on the win with a scramble of constant change their all the way through to their WC 3rd/4th playoff.


      Theres certainly cause to account for certain circumstances eventuating being influenced by a Lions tour. But as both nations here select from domestic players only, theres also cause to put similar emphasis on the contracting model in general, as sometimes you can hold on too long. Ireland has a similar model, talking to another irishman here he suggests it has lead to selecting based on contracts, money being spent on a player centrally contracted. So I would not so much worry about fatigue (in part because some incomplete analysis I had done on all.rugby shows the Irish contingent have low minutes this year) but continuing to select underperforming and aging players. When in a pure context of building for a WC, one would normally want to move on an develop the future.

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