A round-up of today's sports news in brief

Squad’s strength concerns Henry

RUGBY:A lack of depth in the All Blacks squad was a concern, coach Graham Henry said after his side were beaten by the invitational Barbarians in the final match of their European tour.Henry rested almost all of his first-choice players for the game in the hope of giving several fringe players their chance to impress, but Saturday's 25-18 loss at Twickenham only served to expose the lack of depth in the squad.

“I’ve got concerns about that,” Henry said. “The trouble is you can’t play them as much as you’d like to because you leave yourself vulnerable. So we’ve tried to mix and match as much as we can and we’ve got to continue to do that to develop the depth.”

The All Blacks won 10 of their 14 Tests in 2009 despite regularly changing the starting side and Henry said he had no choice but to persist with the policy next year.

Silverstone agrees 17-year F1 deal

FORMULA ONE:Silverstone's owners secured the future of the British Formula One Grand Prix yesterday after agreeing a 17-year deal with the sports commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Damon Hill, the 1996 champion and president of the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) that owns the circuit, told a news conference that the deal – which includes a 10-year break clause – was good for fans and business alike.

He said failure might have caused lasting damage to the sport in a country that is home to a majority of the 13 Formula One teams and provided the last two champions in Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

“Everyone was very well aware that the British Grand Prix is not simply a sporting event but also the dynamo in the whole motorsports industry in this country,” said Hill.

No financial details were given but it was reported that the deal was worth €343 million over the 17 years.

Henin looking to enjoy return to women’s tour

TENNIS:Justine Henin has played down her chances of emulating Kim Clijsters's spectacular return to grand slam tennis. The seven-time major champion is making her return to the WTA Tour next month after surprisingly retiring while world number one in May last year.

Henin is following her Belgian countrywoman Clijsters, who sensationally won the US Open in September in only her third tournament back after more than two years away from the tour.

Henin will play her first competitive tournament at the Brisbane International next month but she showed she is already in good shape with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over world number 12 Flavia Pennetta in an exhibition in Charleroi on Sunday. The 27-year-old, though, insisted she has no expectations for Melbourne saying: “My game is still a work in progress. Perhaps Australia will also be premature. I don’t want anything from Australia in terms of results. I want to enjoy it.”

Australia coach steps down

SWIMMING:Swimming Australia has confirmed national coach Alan Thompson has temporarily stepped down from his post after an anonymous source accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

The allegation is unsubstantiated and is not believed to be criminal in nature.

After the claim was brought to SA’s attention, its board and Thompson both agreed that he take personal leave while the matter is looked into by the organisation.

Since being appointed in January 2005, Thompson has overseen a successful period in Australian swimming.

The national team claimed six gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and collected a combined total of 22 golds at the 2005 and 2007 Fina World Championships.

It also snared 19 at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

However, it could only manage three at the most recent Fina World Championships in Rome earlier this year.

Wasps escape punishment

RUGBY:Wasps have escaped punishment for the refusal to play their English Premiership clash with Sale at Edgeley Park.

The London club refused to play the match on November 27th because of surface water down one channel of the pitch.

They were charged with a breach of regulations but a Premier Rugby hearing last night dismissed the charges after deciding they had not been proved.

Wasps potentially faced a range of sanctions, including a points deduction and fine, for their refusal to play the game.

They deemed the surface to be dangerous and the match was officially postponed almost 15 minutes after the scheduled 7.45pm kick-off. Referee David Rose was happy for the game to go ahead and spectators had taken their seats when the decision was announced, angering Sale and their fans.