s. He doesnt hit for power (.342 career slugging percentage) and does

MARCOUSSIS, France -- The Canadian team has to go through host France in order to reach the final of the IRB Womens Rugby World Cup. It wont be easy with a sellout crowd of vocal supporters expected to cheer the French sides every move on Wednesday at Stade Jean Bouin in Paris. Canadian head coach Francois Ratier doesnt expect his players to be intimidated by the surroundings in the semifinal matchup. In fact, he feels it will actually give his squad an advantage. "For me, its a challenge for the French, not for us," he said Tuesday from the Paris suburb of Marcoussis. "Because they play in front of their crowd, in front of 20,000 people, and the pressure is on them, not on us. So for us its clear. We know that were going to play against an entire country but its a source of motivation. "We are not afraid at all." Canada (2-0-1) has looked strong at the 12-team tournament with a 31-5 victory over Spain on Aug. 1 and a 42-7 rout of Samoa on Aug. 5. Canada secured a semifinal berth with a 13-13 tie against England -- the 2010 finalist and a three-time runner-up -- last Saturday. France (3-0), meanwhile, has not conceded a single try so far, outscoring Wales, South Africa and Australia by a combined score of 98-6. Canada and France split a two-game series last fall. France took the opener 27-19 on Nov. 2 while Canada beat the host side 11-6 four days later. The winner of Wednesdays game will face either Ireland or England in Sundays final. "This game is a fantastic opportunity for us to show the world that we belong here in the semifinals of the World Cup and in the finals, and our goal is the play our game and enjoy the experience," Ratier said. Canada is 9-5-1 under Ratier, a former French top division player, who took over the Canadian program in March 2013. He has his side playing disciplined rugby with a team-first mentality. There will be a new champion at this years tournament. The England-Canada draw left four-time defending champions New Zealand out of the semifinal picture. It was the first time the Black Ferns have failed to reach the final four in tournament history. Canadas best result at this event is a fourth-place finish, achieved in 1998, 2002 and 2006. The team was a disappointing sixth in 2010. Magali Harvey of Quebec City has three tries in the tournament and leads the Canadian team with 39 points, behind only Englands Emily Scarratts 43. There will be one change to the Canadian lineup as Brittany Waters of Vancouver will replace Jessica Dovanne of Victoria on the wing. Canadian captain Kelly Russell said her teammates are "gritty, fierce and ready to go." "We believe in what were doing and how were playing," she said. "We want it." Nike Air Vapormax Pas Cher . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. Nike Vapormax Grossiste . Wheeler said Kane was just making a joke that was misunderstood and misinterpreted by "Winnipeg folks" and the media once again. Wheeler repeated that he believes Kane is a player who has the ability to help the Jets get to the next level as they try once again to reach the playoffs in 2014. He made the comments initially in an interview, when asked how the Jets could compete in the Central Division with teams that have made some high-profile off-season signings. http://www.vapormaxpascher.be/air-max-vapormax-off-white-pas-cher.html . -- A deflected pass that landed in DeSean Jacksons hands. Vapormax Pas Cher Chine . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. Vapormax Femme Pas Cher . After Mondays comments by Coach Claude Noel that its work first and skill second, and that more “A” games are needed, the Jets responded with a 47-shot effort. If not for terrific goaltending by Braden Holtby the Jets would have had two points in regulation.The Detroit Tigers traded a high-quality starting pitcher for a mediocre package of players and prospects from the Washington Nationals. Numbers Game looks at the Nationals acquisition of Doug Fister. The Nationals Get: RHP Doug Fister. Fister, 29, has been a highly-effective, if underrated, pitcher for the last three seasons. While his record in that span is merely 35-32, Fister has a 3.30 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Early in his career, Fister wasnt much of a strikeout pitcher, relying on his sinker to generate groundball outs, striking out 5.0 per nine innings over his first two seasons. However, Fister got much better as a strikeout pitcher upon arriving in Detroit, throwing significantly more breaking balls. For example, in his second major league season, with Seattle, Fister threw either a slider or curve on 18.7% of his pitches. Over the last three years, that has increased from 32.6% to 33.6% to 34.6% last season. So, even with lacklustre velocity, including a fastball that averages 88.6 MPH, Fister has seen his strikeout numbers climb. In 70 games with the Tigers, Fister has whiffed 7.2 batters per nine innings, which isnt dominant, but is dramatically better than his first couple of seasons with the Mariners. All told, Fister has a fWAR of 13.3 over the last three seasons, which ranks ninth among starting pitchers in that span. Seriously, ninth! What were indicating here is that, while he may not have the name recognition, Doug Fister is a very good starting pitcher. Fister hasnt faced a lot of National League competition, making five career Inter-League starts, but has a 2.23 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings, an indication (in a very small sample) that the move to the NL shouldnt pose a problem. Fister, who made $4-million in 2013, is arbitration-eligible for the next couple seasons, but is ultimately very affordable for a starting pitcher is of his calibre. Joining a Washington Nationals rotation that already includes Stephenn Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez makes it easy for Fister to come in and perform, without any pressure to be the staff ace.dddddddddddd Theres a whole lot to like about this deal for the Nationals. Its the kind of trade that could put them over the top as contenders next season. The Tigers Get: INF Steve Lombardozzi, LHP Robbie Ray and LHP Ian Krol. Lombardozzi is a 25-year-old utility player who has played at least 20 games at second base, third base and left field in the course of his two-plus major league seasons. He doesnt hit for power (.342 career slugging percentage) and doesnt get on base (.297 career on-base percentage) so, without notable offensive improvement, hes no more than a fill-in at the major league level. Ray, a 22-year-old southpaw, was a 12th-round pick of the Nationals in 2010. Splitting the 2013 season between High-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg, Ray was 11-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, striking out 160 in 142 innings. He could develop into a major league starting pitcher, but hes not there yet and that means there is risk in his projection. Krol, 22, is a lefthanded reliever who pitched 32 games for the Nationals last season, posting a 3.95 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 27 1/3 innings, striking out 22 and walking eight. Those are respectable enough numbers and, given his age, its fair to expect improvement, but lefthanded relievers have a limited impact on the game as a whole. Krols presence should allow Drew Smyly to move into the Tigers rotation, taking Fisters place. Smyly was excellent in relief last season, posting a 2.39 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, with 81 strikeouts in 76 innings. Even if Smyly is a wonderful addition to the Tigers starting rotation, that wont justify the relative pittance that Detroit received in return for Fister. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '