RUGBY UNION
Brumbies win, stay unbeaten
The ACT Brumbies beat the Durban-based Sharks 29-10 to remain the only unbeaten team in Super Rugby after five rounds, stretching their winning run away from home to a club-record seven games. The Brumbies posted only their second win over the Sharks in Durban in 18 seasons to continue an away-win streak that began when they beat the Lions in Johannesburg in April last year. “We are extremely happy,” Brumbies captain Ben Mowen said. “It is not an easy place to come and win, and to pick up a bonus point is an absolute bonus.”
GOLF
Three-way tie in Tampa
Kevin Streelman, Justin Leonard and George Coetzee were tied for the lead after the third round of the Tampa Bay Championship on Saturday, setting the stage for a thrilling last day. The trio charged to the top of a congested leaderboard to finish the day level at six-under-par. However, the tournament remained wide open with another 13 players lurking within three shots of the leaders. Streelman shot a flawless round of six-under 65 to grab the early clubhouse lead as PGA Tour rookie Shawn Stefani quickly fell away. Stefani, who led by a shot overnight, bogeyed four of his first eight holes before salvaging a three-over-par 74 to end the day just two off the pace. Leonard got to seven-under, but dropped a shot with a bogey on the 15th hole, while Coetzee birdied the 17th to join Streelman in a three-way share of the lead.
BASEBALL
Dominicans win again
The Dominican Republic edged Puerto Rico 2-0 in Miami on Saturday to complete an unbeaten run to the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic as top seeds. The victory gave the Dominicans a day off before they meet the Netherlands in the semi-finals today at AT&T Park in San Francisco, venue for the final round of the 16-team international tournament. Puerto Rico were due to return to the diamond yesterday in San Francisco to face defending champions Japan. The championship game will be tomorrow. Catcher Carlos Santana crushed a long home run to lead off the fifth inning and lefty Wandy Rodriguez pitched six innings of two-hit ball to earn the win for the Dominican Republic.
SKIING
Ligety confirms dominance
Ted Ligety capped his season-long dominance in giant slalom (GS) with a sixth World Cup win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on Saturday, fueling comparisons with the best GS skier in history. The American joined Ingemar Stenmark as the only men in World Cup history to get six GS victories in a season. “It’s very surreal for any ski racer,” Ligety said of being likened to the Swedish great. “He is at another level that’s not really achievable.”
SKIING
Shiffrin snatches globe
US teenager Mikaela Shiffrin won the last World Cup slalom race of the season in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on Saturday to snatch the discipline’s Crystal Globe from Tina Maze. With her fourth World Cup win of the season, Shiffrin added the globe to her world championship success in Schladming last month. Maze could only finish third on Saturday to see her globe dreams evaporate. It was a second disappointment within a few days for Maze, who also lost out to the injured Lindsey Vonn in the downhill due to the last race being canceled because of fog on Wednesday. However, the Slovenian did finish as overall World Cup winner and also claimed the Crystal Globes in the super-G and giant slalom events.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was