A former member of the All Blacks who put his prized Test cap up for auction on the Internet after critics belittled his efforts for the team has canceled the sale after receiving support from New Zealand fans.
Stung by assessments on fan forums that have named him among the worst 10 players ever to don an All Blacks’ jersey, Shayne Philpott listed his Test cap on Internet auction site TradeMe with a reserve price of NZ$3,000 (US$2,400).
“I have no use for it, or no wish to display it, so better to give it to someone who will make use of it,” said the former utility back, who played two Tests for the All Blacks in the 1991 World Cup.
The 45-year-old said his playing days were “not anything I look back at with fond memories, to be honest,” saying the sale was not motivated by money and he just wanted to get rid of the cap.
However, Philpott had a change of heart after being inundated with positive feedback from rugby fans on the Web site and withdrew his cap from sale on Sunday.
“Thanks for the kind words,” he said “[It’s] probably something I shouldn’t be doing, so [I] am withdrawing it from auction. I should probably just learn to deal with the knockers a bit better.”
The AllBlacks.com player profile lists Philpott as “a cheerful journeyman” who had exceptional abilities as a utility player.
Among the supportive comments on the TradeMe Web site was one from “lazza8,” who made it clear that many New Zealand fans respected Philpott’s achievement in earning a place among the All Blacks and urging him to keep his cap.
“I remember watching you play and thought you did a fine job in the black jersey and you should feel nothing but proud for what you achieved!!,” it said. “I think you should put it back in the box and throw it in the back of your closet because once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite