The Otago Highlanders ran in four tries to two in a 33-17 win in Dunedin yesterday to ensure the Queensland Reds remained marooned at the bottom of the Super 14 rugby competition.
After a rough tour to South Africa early in the series, the Highlanders made the most of the home advantage at Carisbrook's "House of Pain," taking a bonus point and securing their third win from six matches to entrench themselves mid-table.
The New Zealand side never surrendered the lead through the match, although the Reds looked threatening when they drew within a point early in the second spell. But the rest of the half belonged to the Highlanders who enjoyed the lion's share of possession and territory.
"We're happy with that, we want to get the most points we can at home," skipper Josh Blackie said afterwards.
Blackie led the committed Highlanders pack in the first spell before coming off after taking a knock to the head, although he said afterwards his replacement was a precautionary measure only.
Lock James Ryan shone for the home side in the lineouts and in the loose with a series of barracking runs. The side was strongly marshalled by flyhalf Nick Evans, with the All Black making just his second start of the season after an unlucky run of injuries.
Evans quickly showed his class with a clever inside flick pass from more than 40m out in the fourth minute sparking a practised backline move finished with a touchdown by inside center Aaron Bancroft.
After the two sides traded penalties, a ruck turnover gave the home side a heavy advantage in numbers right on the Reds line. Winger Lucky Mulipola lived up to his name to be on hand to dive over for the five points.
Skipper Stirling Mortlock inspired the ACT Brumbies to a much-improved 26-13 Super 14 rugby win over the Western Stormers in Canberra yesterday.
Mortlock, returning to the game after a succession of head knocks, contributed 16 points as the Brumbies won their first home match of the season by three tries to one for the first win by an Australian team in three weeks.
But the Brumbies failed to claim a fourth try bonus point despite a glut of second-half possession.
The Stormers, disappointing after their shock 30-17 win over the Hurricanes in Wellington last week, claimed their only try after the final siren when fullback Gio Aplon sprinted away for a 80m intercept try off a floating Mark Gerrard pass.
Cameron Shepherd scored a try in the final minute then kicked the clinching conversion to give the Western Force their first Super 14 rugby win at home in eight attempts, beating the Wellington Hurricanes 18-17 yesterday.
Shepherd kicked the conversion from the sideline to give the Force its third win of the season. The Force's best result at home last year -- its first in the tournament -- was a 23-23 draw with the Crusaders, and the Perth team lost two games by one point at home this season.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38