British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will attend Saturday's Rugby World Cup final between England and South Africa in France.
Brown, who lost his sight in one eye after a school rugby accident, will travel to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis following a meeting of European Union leaders in Lisbon, Portugal.
"He has been invited by the [English] Rugby Football Union and he does plan to attend," Brown's spokesman, Michael Ellam, said.
England beat France 14-9 in Saturday's semi-final. South Africa defeated Argentina 37-13 on Sunday in the other semi-final.
Though Brown was born in Scotland, he has said he will cheer on England as it seeks to retain the trophy.
``The one barrier to my support for England in the World Cup final has been removed by the unfortunate defeat of Scotland,'' Brown said last week.
Argentina knocked out Scotland in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, England wing Josh Lewsey has been ruled of the Rugby World Cup final because of a hamstring strain.
Lewsey scored the only try in England's win over France, crashing over French fullback Damien Traille in the second minute. He hurt his right leg just before halftime and had to limp off the field during the break.
The 30-year-old Lewsey had scans late on Sunday and team medical staff decided yesterday he would not recover in time for the final, England's second in a row.
Lewsey played fullback in the 2003 World Cup final win over Australia, when England captured the title for the first time on Jonny Wilkinson's extra-time dropped goal.
England spokesman Dave Barton said team officials were contemplating drafting in a replacement in the 30-man squad.
Coach Brian Ashton is expected to announce his England squad for the final tomorrow and must carefully consider the balance of his backline.
The easiest option is to recall Mark Cueto or leave outside center Matthew Tait on the wing where he finished last weekend's semi-final.
Dual international Jason Robinson could revert to the wing but has had a great impact on the attack from No. 15.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
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