Barrett starts as All Blacks ring changes for Fiji Test in US

Barrett starts as All Blacks ring changes for Fiji Test in US

New Zealand on Thursday made 11 changes to the team to face Fiji in San Diego, with Beauden Barrett starting at fullback, a debut for centre Billy Proctor and five uncapped players on the bench. Proctor, who plays for Wellington Hurricanes, lines up with the experienced Anton Lienert-Brown in midfield for the game on Friday night in California. Playmaker Barrett is restored after hugely influential performances coming off the […]

July 18, 2024 7

Sport

Mercedes chasing a hat-trick at hot Hungaroring

Mercedes will be chasing a hat-trick in the heat of the Hungaroring on Sunday as Lewis Hamilton returns to a track where he has won a record eight times and last year secured his most recent pole position. The idea of Mercedes being in a position to win anything, let alone three races in a row, after a 2023 season dominated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen […]

July 18, 2024 7

Sport

Carapaz ticks off Tour win as Evenepoel edges Pogacar, Vingegaard

Ecuador's Richard Carapaz won stage 17 of the Tour de France after the remnants of a breakaway finished ahead of the main pretenders in the High Alps on Wednesday. EF rider Carapaz dropped Simon Yates and soloed the final 10km to win his first ever Tour de France stage after finishing third overall in 2021. The former Giro d'Italia champion, who won the Tokyo Olympics road race, also […]

July 18, 2024 7

Sport

Bok youngsters have everything to gain in Bloemfontein

Given the injuries to key frontline players and the transition to a new attacking game plan, the young Springbok team selected to face Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday has everything to gain and little to lose. It was always likely after a World Cup cycle that some players would start to look to the twilight of their careers and young upstarts would start pushing them for places. That […]

July 18, 2024 5

Sport

McIlroy aims to end decade-long drought as Scheffler eyes first British Open

Rory McIlroy is aiming to bounce back from his heartbreak at the US Open, while world number one Scottie Scheffler looks to round off a stunning season when the British Open begins in Troon on Thursday. The final major of the year gives McIlroy the chance to quickly forget blowing two short putts at Pinehurst last month which cost him the chance to end a decade-long major […]

July 17, 2024 5

Sport

Japan’s Hashimoto aiming to match gymnastics legend Uchimura

Japan's Daiki Hashimoto is the good-natured farm boy from the Tokyo suburbs who is aiming to emulate gymnastics legend and countryman Kohei Uchimura by retaining his all-around Olympic title in Paris. Hashimoto became the youngest men's all-around champion in Olympic history when he took gold aged 19 at the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Games three years ago. He also triumphed in the horizontal bar event. Hashimoto's success represented a […]

July 17, 2024 11

Sport

Paris mayor to take dip in Seine ahead of Olympics

The mayor of the French capital Anne Hidalgo is set to splash into the murky waters of the Seine on Wednesday to demonstrate that the river is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming events at the Paris Olympics later this month. Despite an investment of 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prevent sewage leaks into the waterway, the Seine has been causing suspense in the run-up to […]

July 17, 2024 9

Sport

Duran homer lifts American League to MLB All-Star Game victory

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran belted a two-run home run in the fifth inning to lift the American League to a 5-3 victory over the National League in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game on Tuesday. Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Japanese superstar, had staked the National League to a 3-0 lead with a three-run blast in the top of the third. But the AL scored five unanswered […]

July 17, 2024 9

Sport

Lozano out as Mexico national team coach after quick Copa exit

Jaime Lozano was dropped as manager of Mexico's national football team after rejecting a plan that included a demotion for the upcoming World Cup cycle, the Mexican Football Federation said Tuesday. The federation announced Lozano's departure in a statement, adding, "The Mexican Soccer Federation thanks and recognizes the commitment and dedication of Jaime Lozano. Today his time as Technical Director of the Senior National Team ends." The federation […]

July 17, 2024 8