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■RUGBY UNION
Johnson says no to top job
The Wallabies' assistant coach Scott Johnson has withdrawn from the selection process to succeed John Connolly as Australia's next head rugby coach, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said yesterday. Johnson was one of six candidates scheduled to be interviewed yesterday, but confirmed he was withdrawing from the interview process. "It's a personal decision and we respect that," ARU high performance manager Pat Howard said. "The process will continue with the [other] five and a recommendation will be made out of that," Howard said.


■ SOCCER
Inter, Pele aid celebrations
A fit-again Marco Materazzi helped the Inter Milan under-19s beat Sheffield FC 5-2 in a match celebrating the 150th anniversary of the world's first soccer club on Thursday. Sheffield FC, an amateur side playing eight divisions below the English Premier League, were formed in October 1857 and introduced the original 11 rules of soccer. Those faded documents were unveiled for the first time in 40 years by Pele at the club museum hours earlier at Bramall Lane, the oldest stadium still hosting professional matches.


■ BASEBALL
Tampa Bay reinvents itself
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are gone. Trying to reinvent itself, the perennial last-place Major League Baseball team officially shortened its nickname to simply the "Rays" during a celebration that brought a crowd of about 7,000 to a downtown park in St Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday. New team colors and uniforms also were unveiled during a fashion show featuring current players, as well as manager Joe Maddon, senior advisor Don Zimmer and former Tampa Bay stars Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff as models. Navy blue and light blue have replaced green and black as the primary colors.


■ RUGBY UNION
'Boks lift overseas ban
South Africa's rugby bosses on Thursday lifted the ban on overseas-based players not being eligible for national selection. The decision means the likes of World Cup-winning Springboks captain John Smit, lock Victor Matfield, flyhalf Butch James, fullback Percy Montgomery and hooker Gary Botha -- who have all signed up to play for clubs in Europe during the next year -- will still be available to play for the Springboks. There are well over 100 South African born players plying their trade at clubs in England, France, Italy and Ireland.


■ CYCLING
Adidas to pull sponsorship
Adidas will end its sponsorship of T-Mobile because of more doping revelations around the German cycling team. Telekom, the team's main sponsor, also is considering terminating its relationship with the team, which bears the name of its subsidiary. That could lead car company Audi and bike manufacturer Giant to follow suit. "Obviously it's a long story of doping and discussions with Telekom," Jan Runau, Adidas Group spokesman, said on Thursday. "We have told Telekom of our decision and we are in talks to get out of the contract early." Runau said Adidas, whose contract runs through to next year, has been talking to Telekom about the doping problems since last year's scandal-ridden Tour de France. The companies have other intertwining sponsorships, including Bayern Munich and Germany's national team.

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