Experimental Springboks tackle Portuguese in historic Test

Experimental Springboks tackle Portuguese in historic Test

The last time world champions South Africa played in Bloemfontein a team showing 14 changes suffered a shock first home loss to Wales two years ago. They returned to the central city this week to prepare for a historic first, one-off Test against second-tier Portugal on Saturday, and once again the starting side has 14 changes. But the chances of history repeating itself and the Springboks falling to […]

July 19, 2024 38

Sport

Canada’s Silverman leads PGA Barracuda Championship

Ben Silverman fired 10 birdies with just one bogey to pile up 19 points and take a two-point lead over Kelly Kraft in the first round of the US PGA Tour Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California on Thursday. Canada's Silverman, seeking a first US PGA Tour title, shook off an opening bogey at the 10th hole of the Tahoe Mountain Club course, where he birdied seven of his […]

July 19, 2024 13

Sport

Australia hockey player amputates part of finger for Olympics

Australian hockey player Matt Dawson has made the ultimate sacrifice to be at the Paris Olympics by having part of his finger amputated in order to play. The 30-year-old, who was a member of the silver medal-winning team three years ago in Tokyo, recently broke the ring finger on his right hand, plunging his bid to compete at a third Olympics into doubt. Doctors advised him to put […]

July 19, 2024 21

Sport

Alaalatoa says crucial Australia keep win streak going against Georgia

Wallabies skipper Allan Alaalatoa stressed on Friday the importance of maintaining momentum under new coach Joe Schmidt, forecasting a physical game against Georgia this weekend. Australia won back-to-back Tests this month against Wales to get the New Zealander's reign off to a flying start. "It's massive, it's something we addressed early in the week," Alaalatoa -- Australia's third captain in as many Tests -- said of keeping the […]

July 19, 2024 9

Sport

England’s Brown takes shock lead in British Open

English journeyman Dan Brown birdied the last hole to card a first-round 65 and lead the Open Championship by one shot from Ireland's Shane Lowry on Thursday. The 29-year-old Brown, a one-time European Tour winner who came through qualifying to earn his place in the year's final major, took advantage of benign late conditions. He sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the last to move top of the […]

July 19, 2024 7

Sport

Mascherano says Argentina racist chants video ‘taken out of context’

Javier Mascherano, the coach of Argentina's Olympic football squad, said Wednesday that a video showing racist chants by national team players after they won the Copa America was "taken out of context". "Argentines, if there's one thing we're not, it's racists, far from that," Mascherano said at Argentina's pre-Olympic training base in northwestern France. The chants were heard during a live video posted on social media by Chelsea […]

July 18, 2024 12

Sport

Zverev plays through the pain to advance in Hamburg

Top seed Alexander Zverev shrugged off a knee issue to ease past Jesper de Jong in straight sets and into the last 16 at his home tournament in Hamburg on Wednesday. The defending champion hurt his left knee in a fall at Wimbledon but advanced 6-2, 6-2 past 114th-ranked Dutchman De Jong to set up a meeting with France's Hugo Gaston in the pre-Olympic clay-court tournament. "I was […]

July 18, 2024 16

Sport

Olympic swim star Titmus warns she is better now than Tokyo

Swim star Ariarne Titmus says she has never prepared as well for a major event and is in better shape now than when she won Olympic 200m and 400m freestyle gold in Tokyo. The Australian heads to Paris on the back of shattering the 200m world record last month and clocking the second quickest 400m of all time, behind only her own world best. It makes her red-hot […]

July 18, 2024 6

Sport

Central Paris locks down for Olympics as athletes arrive

French security forces began locking down large parts of central Paris on Thursday ahead of the hugely complex Olympics opening ceremony next week on the river Seine. The opening parade along six kilometres (four miles) of the river led to the closure of riverside central districts to most vehicles from 5:00 am (0300 GMT) on Thursday. Anyone wanting to enter the highest-security "grey zone" along both banks of […]

July 18, 2024 8