■ RUGBY UNION
Bok coach announcement
The new Springbok coach will be selected on Jan. 9, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Monday. A meeting of the council of provincial union presidents -- which has 19 voting members -- will make the choice after receiving recommendations from a nine-man appointment committee. The four shortlisted candidates to succeed Jake White, who steered the Springboks to victory in the World Cup earlier this year, were to be interviewed on Monday and yesterday, a SARU statement said. The contenders are Springbok backline coach Allister Coetzee, SA under-21 coach Peter de Villiers, Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer and 1995 World Cup-winning Springbok wing Chester Williams.
■ Soccer
Rogerio Ceni honored
Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who allowed only 19 goals and scored seven, won his second straight Brazilian league player of the year award on Monday, the Brazilian soccer confederation announced. Ceni, whose penchant for leaving his own goal for scoring opportunities is his trademark, helped Sao Paulo claim its fifth Brasileiro and second straight title. "It's a moment of great happiness for me. To receive awards at this level is a great honor," Ceni said upon receiving the trophy. "The message I have is that all the fan clubs live in harmony. I am only an instrument of my team." He also won trophies for being the championship's best goalkeeper and was selected the top player with 51 percent in an Internet fan poll. Of Ceni's seven goals, two came via free kicks and five more on penalty kicks.
■ Rugby Union
Lionel Nallet honored
Lock Lionel Nallet was named France's international player of the year on Monday in a stinging rebuke to former national coach Bernard Laporte. Laporte, who quit as coach after the World Cup to become junior sports minister, omitted the 31-year-old Castres forward from his team for the World Cup semi-final loss to England in October. "I think I won the award because I played all the games of our winning Six Nations campaign," Nallet told reporters during the "Night of Rugby" ceremony. "I would have liked to play more during the World Cup. It was really frustrating because we didn't reach our objective which was to win the World Cup," he said. The awards were made by the French rugby league, players' union and coaches' association. The best player of the French championship award went to Juan Martin Hernandez, who plays for Stade Francais.
■ Soccer
Builders still on strike
Builders of a stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa were on strike on Monday with talks still locked on bonuses and transport allowances, the union said. Some 800 workers downed tools for the fifth day running at the site of the Mbombela stadium, where at least four first-round matches in the World Cup are scheduled to be played. "They want a 2,000 rand bonus and a 900 rand transport allowance," said Onismus Serothwane, the regional co-ordinator for the National Union of Mineworkers. Workers at the stadium in the northeastern city of Nelspruit first went on strike on Nov. 21, however they returned to work after a day to allow their employers to come up with a suitable offer. They resumed their strike action last Wednesday after the parties failed to reach an agreement.
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
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two