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Sports Briefs

■ Rugby
Maori battle to defeat Fiji
The New Zealand Maori rugby team geared up for next week's match against the British and Irish Lions with a tense 29-27 win over Fiji at National Stadium in Suva, Fiji yesterday. Both teams scored four tries but Fiji's most-capped player, flyhalf Nick Little, drifted a late conversion wide of the posts to prevent his team from earning a deserved draw. The match served as a preparation for both teams for larger encounters -- for Fiji against the All Blacks at Auckland on June 10 and for the Maori against the Lions at Hamilton on June 11. "Fiji played very well and were very combative," said Maori captain Jono Gibbes. "Another week together before we face the Lions will be of real benefit. Our set pieces overall were very stable and we worked off that well. I thought our midfield backs were also very penetrative. In terms of the Lions match this was invaluable. That's going to be a massive step up. I'm sure the Lions will be as passionate as Fiji were today."

■ Olympics
US employs star power
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Larry Brown are among the who's-who list of stars who agreed on Thursday to help choose the US Olympic men's basketball team. USA Basketball, the sport's national governing body, wants to avoid the trouble that came in selecting the 2004 Olympic team, which finished third at the Athens Games. Last week, USA Basketball announced Jerry West, Ernie Grunfeld and a handful of NBA team presidents and general managers would be part of the advisory group. Other former players on the list this week included David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson. Other coaches included Dean Smith, Bob Knight, John Thompson and Chuck Daly. "I'm so grateful that these Olympians, both players and coaches, have chosen to assist, serve and engage in this process," said Phoenix Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo, who last month was appointed managing director of USA Basketball's senior men's program.

■ Soccer
Stuttgart fires Sammer
Stuttgart fired coach Matthias Sammer on Friday, ending its former player's tenure after just one season. Sammer, who as a player led Stuttgart to the Bundesliga championship in 1992, had two years left on contract. "We agreed this morning to go separate ways," Stuttgart president Erwin Staudt said, without naming a replacement. Sammer, a winner at the 1996 European Championship with Germany, replaced Felix Magath, who moved to Bayern Munich in May 2004. Before that, Sammer served four years as coach of Borussia Dortmund. Stuttgart finished the season in fifth place, failing to qualify for the lucrative Champions League.

■ Rugby
Wendell Sailor signed
Australian rugby union test winger Wendell Sailor said in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday, that he has signed a two-year contract to play for New South Wales next season, leaving the Queensland Reds and the state where he has played all of his professional football career. Sailor, who played 17 rugby league State of Origin matches for Queensland before switching codes in late 2001, also formerly played for the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team. Sailor, 30, had been frustrated by a lack of opportunities on the wing for Queensland.

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