Category Archives: Sport

MCG comes alive on Anzac Day as Collingwood edge Essendon

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  • Collingwood 15.3 (93) beat Essendon 12.10 (82)
  • Jack Ginnivan wins Anzac Day medal in front of 84,205 fans

Teenage sensation Jack Ginnivan has slotted a career-best five goals to help lift Collingwood to an 11-point win over Essendon in an enthralling Anzac Day encounter. In front of 84,205 fans at the MCG – the largest crowd since the 2019 grand final because of the global pandemic – small forward Ginnivan starred in his side’s 15.3 (93) to 12.10 (82) victory.

The 19-year-old had just 12 disposals but was awarded the Anzac Day medal as best afield for his match-winning haul in the traditional blockbuster. The result squared the Magpies’ season record at 3-3 and left Essendon reeling at 1-5, with their finals hopes just about shot.

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Dragons hold on to stun Roosters in NRL Anzac Day upset

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  • St George Illawara win 14-12 at SCG
  • Ben Hunt wins Ashton Collier Spirit of Anzac medal

A battered and bruised St George Illawarra pulled off an Anzac Day boilover, with a courageous Ben Hunt helping them stun the Sydney Roosters 14-12.

On a brutal afternoon at the SCG, the Dragons lost Jack Bird to suspected broken arm and Jaydn Su’A due to a leg injury after the second-rower had been among their best.

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Brumbies break through for win as Waratahs and Reds crushed by Kiwis

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  • Brumbies 28 beat Highlanders 17 to claim first Kiwi scalp of Super Round
  • Waratahs 27 Chiefs 51; Reds 17 Hurricanes 30; Rebels 17 Crusaders 41

The Brumbies restored some pride in Australian rugby by claiming the first Kiwi scalp of Super Round with a hard-fought 28-17 victory over the Highlanders, after NSW and Queensland both fell short in the opening two days of action at AAMI Park.

The Canberra-based Brumbies had only lost once through the 2022 domestic component of the competition while the Highlanders had only banked one win but the men from Dunedin still proved difficult to shake on Sunday afternoon.

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Beautiful chaos reigns as A-League basket cases deliver box office show

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On paper it was eighth plays ninth, both teams flawed and prone to imploding. But the Mariners and Jets’ rivalry is exactly what the ALM needs

To ape Bill Hader’s famous Saturday Night Live character Stefon, the A-League Men’s hottest rivalry is the F3 Derby. Located on a sodden field in Newcastle, the latest edition of this regional rivalry had everything. Twists and turns, emotions bubbling over, VAR disallowing goals, dramatic comebacksand Matt Simon almost coming to blows with a red-carded Daniel Penha.

After serving as the unexpected highlight of ALM’s opening round of the 2021-22 season, overshadowing the greater ballyhooed Sydney Derby, punters were incredulous they were forced to wait 153 days for Saturday evening’s rematch between the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets, a fixture ready to resume its place amongst the pantheon of box office ALM fixtures.

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US Capitol evacuated as baseball parachute display seen as ‘probable threat’

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  • Army parachutists landed at home of Washington Nationals
  • Congressional staffers as police alert of possible threat

The US Capitol was briefly evacuated on Wednesday evening after police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” to the heart of American government.

The plane turned out to be members of the US Army Golden Knights, who parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame display. The stadium, home of the Washington Nationals baseball team, is a little more than a mile away from the Capitol.

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Perth Glory CEO admits Daniel Sturridge move has failed

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  • ‘We had high hopes… It hasn’t worked,’ says Tony Pignata
  • Striker unlikely to be offered new contract at end of season

Perth Glory’s gamble on Daniel Sturridge has been labelled a failure by chief executive Tony Pignata, who admits it is unlikely the English striker will be offered a new deal with the A-League Men club.

Sturridge, a former Liverpool forward with 26 England caps, was the highest-profile signing heading into the 2021-22 ALM season but has featured for just 93 minutes across five substitute appearances – failing to find the net.

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Boston Marathon turns into sprint on 50th anniversary of first women’s race

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  • Peres Jepchirchir wins thrilling women’s race
  • Kenya’s Evans Chebet takes men’s title with ease
  • Race returns to Patriots’ Day spot after Covid disruption

Peres Jepchirchir celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Boston Marathon women’s division by winning a see-saw sprint down Boylston Street on Monday as the race returned to its traditional Patriots’ Day spot in the schedule for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Running shoulder to shoulder for most of the course, the reigning Olympic champion and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh traded places eight times in the final mile, with Jepchirchir pulling ahead for good in the final 385 yards. The Kenyan finished in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 1 second, four seconds ahead of her rival.

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Female fighters to make boxing history at Madison Square Garden

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Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano face off in April at legendary New York venue where Ali fought Frazier

At the end of April, boxing history will be made. For the first time, two female fighters, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, will face off at New York’s legendary venue Madison Square Garden, in a fight that is predicted to supercharge the sport’s rapid rise in popularity.

For two women to go 10 rounds at the same venue where Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier – twice – and Rocky Marciano knocked out an ageing Joe Louis shows the remarkable, rapid progress that has taken place in the past two decades.

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Harry and Meghan to speak at opening of Invictus Games

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex will address spectators in The Hague accompanied by Netflix film crew

The Duke of Sussex took part in a driving challenge as the Invictus Games got under way on Saturday. Ahead of the opening ceremony, he and the Duchess of Sussex joined a junior driving contest where they were driven round a circuit of miniature Land Rovers.

The couple are expected to speak on stage at the Invictus Games opening ceremony on Saturday night.

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Cleary deals set Panthers up for long-term success

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With five-year contract extensions to keep them at Penrith until 2027, Nathan and Ivan Cleary can build the dynasty their club has always craved

Penrith’s ultimate successes have, historically, been fleeting. Not this time. The signing of star halfback Nathan Cleary and coach Ivan Cleary to long-term deals has set the Panthers up for sustainable security at the top of the premiership ladder. This may not be Melbourne Storm longevity but it is hard to see Penrith missing out on the top four anytime in the 2020s now the Clearys have locked themselves in as centrepieces.

Amid a great deal of controversy in 2019, Nathan Cleary was reunited with his father Ivan, who left the Wests Tigers in acrimonious circumstances to return to Penrith for his second stint as head coach. It led to Phil Gould’s departure as Penrith’s executive general manager and left a great deal of angst among the Wests Tigers faithful that the driver of the bus had ditched the joint. It did net a remarkable third premiership for the Panthers last year though, the golden generation realising their potential.

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Former Colombia great Freddy Rincón dies, aged 55, following car crash

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  • Rincón had been driving car that collided with bus in Cali
  • Colombian Football Federation mourns ‘great loss’ for sport

Former Colombia captain Freddy Rincón has died aged 55 after sustaining severe head injuries in a car crash.

Rincón was hurt after the vehicle he was driving collided with a bus on Monday in Cali, Colombia.

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Andrew McDonald set to be named Australia’s cricket head coach

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  • Cricket Australia lock in Langer’s permanent replacement
  • McDonald expected to take charge of all three formats

Andrew McDonald will be named as Australia’s men’s cricket coach after impressing as an interim boss during the tour of Pakistan.

The former Test allrounder has only strengthened his bonds with a playing group that was desperate for change. McDonald, 40, could be confirmed as Australia’s full-time coach as soon as Wednesday.

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Black Ferns report favouritism, body-shaming and cultural insensitivity in scathing review

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Review involved interviews with 50 current and former players, managers and coaches of New Zealand women’s rugby team

New Zealand’s governing rugby body has failed to properly support women’s high performance rugby, with some players reporting favouritism, ghosting, body-shaming and culturally insensitive comments, a scathing review of one of the world’s top women’s rugby teams has found.

The more than 30-page review, which came with 26 recommendations, was instigated after a senior Black Ferns player – Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate – posted on social media that she had suffered a mental health breakdown following the Black Ferns’ 2021 end-of-year tour to England and France.

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Former Colombia player Freddy Rincón in critical condition after car crash

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  • Rincón was driving car that collided with bus in Cali
  • Hospital treating 55-year-old for ‘traumatic brain injury’

Freddy Rincón, the former Colombia captain, is in a critical condition with severe head injuries after being involved in a car crash in the city of Cali.

Four other people who were in the vehicle that Rincon was driving were also injured following the collision with a bus at around 4.30am. The bus driver was also hurt, according to local authorities who are reviewing CCTV footage of the accident.

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Eya Guezguez, Tunisian Olympic sailor, dies aged 17 in training accident

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  • Guezguez and her sister Sarra competed at Tokyo Games
  • Sarra survives accident where dinghy reportedly capsized

The Tunisian Olympic sailor Eya Guezguez has died in a training accident at the age of 17, the International Olympic Committee has announced.

Guezguez, who represented Tunisia at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, was sailing with her twin sister, Sarra, when their boat capsized in strong winds. Eya died in the accident while Sarra, who competed alongside her in Tokyo in the 49er FX category, survived.

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Family sues LA Angels after stray baseball fractured boy’s skull

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Bryson Galaz was six years old when ball hit his head, causing brain damage, during warmup at Angel Stadium in Anaheim

The family of a boy who suffered a fractured skull and brain damage after being hit with a baseball during the warmup for a Los Angeles Angels game has sued the Angels, claiming negligence on the team’s part.

In 2019, Bryson Galaz, who was then six years old, was walking with his father in the first row of Angel Stadium, where players were mingling with fans more than an hour and half prior to the game, the lawsuit said. Bryson was struck on the side of his head when Keynan Middleton, an Angels pitcher who was warming up on the field, threw a ball at a teammate who missed the catch.

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Manchester City under pressure over Kremlin-backed sponsor

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Premier League champions’ global partner Marathonbet is one of around 20 firms cleared to operate in Russia

Manchester City football club faces scrutiny over its official global betting partner Marathonbet, which is approved by the Kremlin for its gambling operations in Russia.

Marathonbet, which was established in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 1997, is one of around 20 firms approved in Russia for betting, according to Kremlin federal tax office documents seen by the Observer.

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Sam Kerr caps stunning injury-time turnaround as Matildas leave it late to beat New Zealand

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  • Australia strike on 94 and 96 minutes to win 2-1 in Townsville
  • Anna Green wonder strike puts visitors ahead in first half

Emily van Egmond and Sam Kerr struck in added time to lift the Matildas to a 2-1 friendly win over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in Townsville.

The Matildas were heading for their first loss to the Football Ferns since 1994 on Friday night, trailing 1-0 at the end of the regulation 90 minutes despite dominating the contest.

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Maradona’s shirt from ‘hand of God’ England match expected to sell for £4m

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Former England midfielder Steve Hodge has owned Maradona’s no 10 shirt since the 1986 match

Diego Maradona’s infamous “hand of God” goal made footballing history and cemented the legendary status of the Argentinian superstar. Now the shirt he wore when he scored that goal at the 1986 World Cup is estimated to sell for at least £4m.

Maradona’s no 10 shirt has been owned for the past 35 years by the former England midfielder Steve Hodge. The two players swapped shirts at the end of the quarter-final between Argentina and England.

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Hosting two Rugby World Cups is an opportunity Australia cannot afford to fumble | Bret Harris

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Tournaments on home soil in 2027 and 2029 present a once-in-a-generation chance to revive the men’s game and grow the women’s

Australian rugby has been given a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalise the game in this country with the prospect of hosting back-to-back men’s and women’s World Cups only two years apart. In a tremendous fillip for the game, Australia was on Monday named the preferred candidate to host the women’s World Cup in 2029, along with the men’s tournament in 2027.

The dual World Cups have put Australia in a superb position to capitalise on the enormous global popularity of rugby, with the potential to deliver a much-needed financial boost. But it is an opportunity Australian rugby cannot afford to fumble as poor performances in the home tournaments would be disastrous for the game.

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