■ ARGENTINA
Eusebio Guinazu called up
Argentina have called hooker Eusebio Guinazu into their World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Mario Ledesma, team sources said on Monday. Ledesma suffered a leg injury in the 37-13 semi-final defeat by South Africa on Sunday and will be replaced in the team by Alberto Vernet Basualdo for the third-place playoff against France on Friday. Guinazu, who plays for French club Agen and was part of Argentina's pre-tournament squad of 41 before missing the cut for the World Cup, is likely to be on the bench when coach Marcelo Loffreda names his side today.
■ NEW ZEALAND
Kiwis support Henry
Most New Zealanders say All Blacks coach Graham Henry should be retained despite the team's worst ever rugby World Cup performance, according to a survey released yesterday. New Zealand were beaten by France in the quarter-finals this month, leaving Henry in a tenuous position as the New Zealand Rugby Union reviews the failed campaign. While history shows failed World Cup coaches are not retained, the poll by UMR Research found 61 percent of New Zealanders thought Henry deserved to be reappointed. If he is given the axe, the poll found a majority of people were unsure who should replace him, with Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans seen as the best of the pack. As for the 18-20 loss to France, nearly two thirds of respondents put that down to one bad game by an otherwise champion team, the All Blacks having gone into the World Cup as the overwhelming favorites. That compared to 27 percent who said the result was down to a deep-seated weakness in the team.
■ FRANCE
Laporte changes nine
Coach Bernard Laporte yesterday made nine changes to his starting line-up for what will be last match in charge against Argentina in the World Cup third place play-off at the Parc des Prince in Paris on Friday. Laporte will stand down after eight years and 98 games at the helm hoping to bow out on a positive note one week after their 14-9 semi-final defeat to England last Saturday. Four of the changes come in the pack with the return of Jean-Baptiste Poux at loose-head prop, Lionel Nallet at lock and Yannick Nyanga and Imanol Harinordoquy in the back row. Among the backs, Frederic Michalak takes over at flyhalf with David Skrela at center, Christophe Dominici and Aurelien Rougerie on the wings and Clement Poitrenaud at fullback. Damien Traille, who played fullback against England returns to his more customary center position. It will be the second meeting between the two teams at this World Cup, Argentina having won the tournament opener 17-12 on Sept. 7. The Pumas lost 37-13 to South Africa on Sunday.
■ FRANCE
Sebastien Chabal cleared
France forward Sebastien Chabal was cleared on Monday night of a dangerous tackle charge by the Rugby World Cup disciplinary commission. Chabal had been cited for an alleged dangerous tackle on England second-row Simon Shaw during France's 14-9 semi-final loss on Saturday. He can now play in France's match for third place against Argentina on Friday. Judicial officer Professor Lorne Crerar determined that the actions of Chabal in the tackle on Shaw in the second minute of the second half "could not of themselves be construed to be an act of foul play," a RWC statement said.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later