South Africa’s Coastal Sharks maintained their perfect start to the Super 15 season with a commanding 39-12 win over Australia’s Western Force yesterday.
Also beaten in their first outing, the Force lost Mitch Inman to a dislocated elbow in just the seventh minute and a couple of minutes later had David Pocock limp off with a knee injury.
Already down 7-3 after an early Odwa Ndungane try, the Force then were reduced to 14 men in the 18th minute.
Reserve Rory Sidey, who came on from Inman, was sent off for the remainder of the match for a spear tackle on Ndungane.
Just moments after Ndungane was carried off, the Sharks extended their lead when they won a lineout and drove over the line for a Bismarck du Plessis try.
The boot of James O’Connor kept the Force alive through penalties, but in the 34th minute, Steven Sykes picked up a loose ball and lumbered over for a third try.
The Sharks sealed the win when a period of sustained pressure ended with Willem Alberts bustling over for the bonus-point try in the 70th minute.
The Force finished the match with 13 men after Nick Cummins was sin-binned in the 77th minute, with Patrick Lambie grabbing a try in the dying seconds.
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