■ ITALY
Troncon to captain team
Scrumhalf Alessandro Troncon will captain Italy on his 101st appearance tomorrow after lock Marco Bortolami was ruled out of their decisive Pool C match against Scotland in St Etienne. In a major blow to the Italians, Bortolami has not recovered from a thigh strain and a neck problem and is replaced by Santiago Dellape for the match which will decide who goes through to the quarter-finals as runners-up behind New Zealand. Coach Pierre Berbizier named his team on Thursday, making wholesale changes from the lineup used to beat Portugal 31-5 on Sept.19.
■ JAPAN
Media laud John Kirwan
Japan's media yesterday called for the country's rugby coach, John Kirwan, to be given the job for life after the team's battling World Cup performances. Japan's "Brave Blossoms" bowed out of the tournament in France with their pride intact after a dramatic 12-12 draw with Canada in their final Pool B game. Under a picture of Koji Taira's stoppage-time try in Bordeaux, the Nikkan Sports daily ran the headline: "Eternal power for Kirwan!" Although trounced 91-3 by Australia and 72-18 by Wales, Kirwan's side were unlucky not to beat Fiji, losing 35-31 to the Pacific islanders in a see-saw battle. The Nikkan Sports was not alone in calling for Kirwan to be granted control through the the 2011 World Cup in his native New Zealand. "Another four years please, Kirwan!" the Sports Nippon demanded.
■ IRELAND
Simon Best in hospital
Ireland World Cup prop Simon Best was still in hospital in Bordeaux yesterday after suffering a mystery loss of feeling down his right side. The 29-year-old was admitted to hospital on Wednesday evening after falling ill while walking around town. An Irish spokesman said: "Simon Best has remained in hospital overnight where he is being closely monitored. He will undergo further tests this morning. There are no clear indications as yet as to the cause of his illness." Best, who plays his club rugby for Belfast Harlequins and Ulster, had been named on the bench in the side to face Argentina on Sunday.
■ NEW ZEALAND
Keith Robinson gets a start
Lock Keith Robinson will get his first World Cup start for the All Blacks in their final Pool C match against Romania tomorrow after recovering from a calf injury that has kept him out for three weeks. The 30-year-old Waikato player will partner former captain Reuben Thorne in the second row for the match in Toulouse, while Chris Jack drops to the bench and Ali Williams is rested. There is an all-new front row comprising of Greg Somerville, hooker Keven Mealamu and the giant Neemia Tialata. Dan Carter remains at flyhalf after a poor goalkicking display in last week's 40-0 win over Scotland, with Andy Ellis at scrumhalf. Fijian-born wingers Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu start with a new center combination of Aaron Mauger and Isaia Toeava inside them, while Nick Evans slots in at fullback.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Kings beat Farjestad BK
Anze Kopitar scored with 46 seconds remaining to give the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 win over Swedish champion Farjestad BK in Salzburg, Austria, on Wednesday in the final of a friendly ice hockey tournament. Kopitar, who had just returned to the ice after a two-minute penalty, scored after a rush through the Swedish defense. It was the last exhibition game for the Kings before opening the North American National Hockey League season with a two-game series against the Anaheim Ducks in London on Saturday and Sunday. Earlier on Wednesday, Red Bull Salzburg defeated Swiss champions HC Davos 5-3 to finish third in the Red Bull Salute tournament.
■ BASKETBALL
Marion wants to leave Suns
Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion, the team's highest-paid player and a four-time All-Star, says he wants to be traded after eight years with the club. Marion said he decided to ask to leave because the team considered trading him over the summer and won't talk about a contract extension. Marion told the Arizona Republic late on Tuesday that he had informed the team of his desires and has struggled with the decision. "I'm tired of hearing my name in trades. I love my fans in Phoenix, but I think it's time for me to move on," Marion said by phone from his Chicago home.
■ BASEBALL
MLB suspends umpire
Umpire Mike Winters was suspended by Major League Baseball for the remainder of the regular season on Wednesday because of his confrontation with San Diego's Milton Bradley last weekend. The Padres claimed Winters baited Bradley, who has a history of losing his temper. Bradley tore a knee ligament when his manager spun him to the ground while trying to keep him from going after the umpire during Sunday's 7-3 loss to Colorado in San Diego. Winters was suspended because the commissioner's office concluded he had used a profanity aimed at Bradley, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the reasoning for the suspension was not announced.
■ TENNIS
Oregon to host Davis Cup
It's official. The US and defending Davis Cup champion Russia will contest this year's final at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The US Tennis Association formally announced on Wednesday the site for the matches from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. It's the first Davis Cup final in the US since the US won the 1992 championship by defeating Switzerland at Fort Worth, Texas. Andy Roddick is expected to join fellow top-10 player James Blake in singles against Russia, with the top-ranked doubles pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan completing the US team.
■ FOOTBALL
Judge cracks down on Vick
A federal judge placed tighter restrictions on onetime gridiron star Michael Vick in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday after he tested positive for marijuana. Because of the result, US District Judge Henry Hudson placed special conditions on Vick's release, including restricting him to his home between 10pm and 6am and ordering him to submit to random drug testing. Vick was placed under pretrial release supervision by US Magistrate Dennis Dohnal in July. His restrictions included refraining from use or unlawful possession of controlled substances.
Taiwanese world No. 1 women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei on Saturday overcame a first-set loss to win her opening match at the Madrid Open. Top seeds Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium, with whom she last month won her fourth Indian Wells women’s doubles title, bounced back from a rocky first set to beat Asia Muhammad of the US and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia 2-6, 6-4, 10-2. Hsieh and Mertens were next to face Heather Watson of the UK and Xu Yifan of China in the round of 16. Thirty-eight-year-old Hsieh last month reclaimed her world No. 1 spot after her Indian
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Armed with three solid men’s singles shuttlers and doubles Olympic champions, Taiwan aim to make their first Thomas Cup semi-final, Chou Tien-chen said Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying yesterday quickly dispatched Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in straight sets, while her male counterpart Chou Tien-chen beat Germany’s Kai Schaefer, as Taiwan’s women’s and men’s teams won their Group B opening rounds of the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu, China. World No. 5 Tai beat Goh 21-19, 22-20 in a speedy 33 minutes, her fourth straight victory over the world No. 24 shuttler since they first faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2018 Malaysia Open, where Tai went on to win the women’s singles title. Malaysia followed up Tai’s opening victory
Chen Yi-tung (陳奕通) secured a historic Olympic berth on Sunday by winning the senior men’s foil event at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Fencing Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates. Chen defeated Samuel Elijah of Singapore 15-4 in the final in Dubai to secure the only wild card in the event, making him the first male Olympian fencer from Taiwan in 36 years and only the sixth Taiwanese fencer to ever qualify for the quadrennial event. The last appearance by a Taiwanese male fencer at the Olympics was in 1988, when Wang San-tsai (王三財) and Cheng Ming-hsiang (鄭明祥) competed in Seoul. The
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with