RUGBY UNION
Stormers remain unbeaten
The South Africa-based Stormers maintained their unbeaten record in Super Rugby this year, beating the Lions 33-30 in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Stormers were trailing 30-26 nearly two minutes after the final hooter, but kept the ball alive and worked an opportunity for center Ruhan Nel to score a dramatic match-winning try in the last play of the game. In Buenos Aires, hooker Julian Montoya scored three tries as the Jaguares rallied from 24-12 down at halftime to beat the Queensland Reds 43-27.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Folau has winning debut
Former Wallaby Israel Folau scored two tries on his debut for the Catalans Dragons in Saturday’s 36-18 Super League win over the Castleford Tigers. Folau, 30, who joined the French side on Jan. 28, crossed after just six minutes having caught a high kick. Dragons coach Steve McNamara said that the team were not letting controversy over Folau distract them. “The plan all along was to get Israel on the field and give him time. I understand the headlines, but let him play, let him get on the field and we’ll understand the person a little more after that,” McNamara told a post-match news conference. Folau was sacked last year by Rugby Australia after a social media post that said “hell awaits” homosexuals and other groups. Some people inside the ground waved rainbow flags to protest Folau. “People are judging him on a headline,” McNamara said. “When I sign a player I look at him from a football perspective, then I work out what type of person he is. Is he a good person? Is he a good player? Will he add value to the team on and off the field?” Folau’s name was cheered when it was read out on the sound system before the game at the Stade Gilbert Brutus. The Dragons were investigating claims that stadium security asked them to not fly the flags. The Dragons said it was not their policy to ban rainbow flags.
OLYMPICS
Twitter accounts hacked
Twitter on Saturday said that an official Twitter account of the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) media account had been hacked and temporarily locked. The accounts were hacked through a third-party platform, a Twitter spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement, without giving further details. “As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we locked the compromised accounts and are working closely with our partners to restore them,” the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the IOC separately said that it was investigating the potential breach. La Liga soccer club Barcelona’s account faced a similar incident, Twitter said later. “FC Barcelona will conduct a cybersecurity audit and will review all protocols and links with third-party tools in order to avoid such incidents,” the club said in a tweet after the hack.
ATHLETICS
Pole vault record set
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis on Saturday set a world pole vault record of 6.18m at an indoor meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, adding 1cm to the record he set in Poland this month. Duplantis cleared the bar with something to spare and won a world-record bonus check of US$30,000. The record of 6.16m set by French vaulter Renaud Lavillenie had stood since 2014 until Duplantis broke it in Torun on Feb. 8.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
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