But the situation is more fragile than I would like.”According to the great man Dallaglio, who looked as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog yesterday following surgery on a broken thumb, Wasps are well placed to build a new audience for themselves, despite the proximity of Reading-based London Irish. “This is a rugby community with a long tradition in the game,” the celebrated back-rower said. “We wouldn’t have taken the decision to move here had it not been in the best interests of the club – and I include supporters’ interests in that.”It will be good, then, to play on a pitch designed for grown-ups, rather than under-eights? Dallaglio grimaced. “Actually, Loftus Road was not the smallest pitch in the Premiership That, believe it or not, is Leicester’s. But there was no in-goal area to speak of, which was a pain, and with the crowd so close to the touchlines, the wings were forever cutting inside rather than taking the outside The facilities here at Adams Park are fantastic. Not that I want other sides to enjoy playing here, any more than they did at Loftus Road.

I hope they hate the place.”Northampton, who open their Premiership bid at Sale on Friday night, have included the Spanish wing Oriol Ripol and the former Wales lock Steve Williams in their starting line-up. Mark Connors, their new recruit from Australia, is in contention for a seat on the bench.. The agonies that have plagued Mark Philippoussis continued at the United States Open here yesterday when the 25-year-old Australian retired in the fourth set of his first-round match against the Dutchman Sjeng Schalken after jarring his troublesome left knee. As the ball sailed over Philippoussis’s head, he took his full weight on his knee as he landed. Although he carried on after treatment, the pain became too much and he gave up at 3-5. The problems with his knee started at Wimbledon in 1999, when he had to default against Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals. Philippoussis was last night taken to hospital to undergo an MRI scan of the soft tissue in the knee.

Seven men have already retired at this year’s tournament on the concrete courts of New York.Marat Safin, the second seed, survived a four and a half hour test of stamina against Nicolas Kiefer of Germany. At one stage both players were treated for cramp, and wheelchairs were on stand-by. Kiefer, the more badly afflicted, saved three match points before Safin prevailed, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. Carlos Moya, the Spanish former world No 1 who won in Cincinnati two weeks ago, advanced to the second round, defeating Adrian Voinea, of Romania, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.Venus Williams opened the defence of her title with a display as smart as her red, white and blue outfit, swatting Mirjana Lucic, of Croatia, 6-0, 6-0 Lucic won only 29 points and committed 30 unforced errors. Martina Hingis, the ninth seed, playing her first match in a Grand Slam event since undergoing foot surgery in May, defeated Marissa Irvin, of the United States, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.A moving opening ceremony on Monday night to mark the first anniversary of 11 September was summarised by a message written by a relative of one of the World Trade Center victims on the “Heroes’ Flag” rescued from Ground Zero It read: “These colours don’t run”. As the flag flew over Arthur Ashe Stadium, Corina Morariu, an American player in remission from leukaemia, typified the spirit of defiance. The 23-year-old from Detroit stepped on court to face Serena Williams, the Wimbledon champion and world No 1, and gave a heart-warming display before losing, 6-2, 6-3.Andre Agassi then made his entrance and gained a symmetrical 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 first-round win against Robby Ginepri, a 19-year-old American compatriot “You work hard to make a scoreline look easy,” Agassi said.