■ RUGBY UNION
Bok coach announcement
The new Springbok coach will be selected on Jan. 9, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Monday. A meeting of the council of provincial union presidents -- which has 19 voting members -- will make the choice after receiving recommendations from a nine-man appointment committee. The four shortlisted candidates to succeed Jake White, who steered the Springboks to victory in the World Cup earlier this year, were to be interviewed on Monday and yesterday, a SARU statement said. The contenders are Springbok backline coach Allister Coetzee, SA under-21 coach Peter de Villiers, Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer and 1995 World Cup-winning Springbok wing Chester Williams.
■ Soccer
Rogerio Ceni honored
Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who allowed only 19 goals and scored seven, won his second straight Brazilian league player of the year award on Monday, the Brazilian soccer confederation announced. Ceni, whose penchant for leaving his own goal for scoring opportunities is his trademark, helped Sao Paulo claim its fifth Brasileiro and second straight title. "It's a moment of great happiness for me. To receive awards at this level is a great honor," Ceni said upon receiving the trophy. "The message I have is that all the fan clubs live in harmony. I am only an instrument of my team." He also won trophies for being the championship's best goalkeeper and was selected the top player with 51 percent in an Internet fan poll. Of Ceni's seven goals, two came via free kicks and five more on penalty kicks.
■ Rugby Union
Lionel Nallet honored
Lock Lionel Nallet was named France's international player of the year on Monday in a stinging rebuke to former national coach Bernard Laporte. Laporte, who quit as coach after the World Cup to become junior sports minister, omitted the 31-year-old Castres forward from his team for the World Cup semi-final loss to England in October. "I think I won the award because I played all the games of our winning Six Nations campaign," Nallet told reporters during the "Night of Rugby" ceremony. "I would have liked to play more during the World Cup. It was really frustrating because we didn't reach our objective which was to win the World Cup," he said. The awards were made by the French rugby league, players' union and coaches' association. The best player of the French championship award went to Juan Martin Hernandez, who plays for Stade Francais.
■ Soccer
Builders still on strike
Builders of a stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa were on strike on Monday with talks still locked on bonuses and transport allowances, the union said. Some 800 workers downed tools for the fifth day running at the site of the Mbombela stadium, where at least four first-round matches in the World Cup are scheduled to be played. "They want a 2,000 rand bonus and a 900 rand transport allowance," said Onismus Serothwane, the regional co-ordinator for the National Union of Mineworkers. Workers at the stadium in the northeastern city of Nelspruit first went on strike on Nov. 21, however they returned to work after a day to allow their employers to come up with a suitable offer. They resumed their strike action last Wednesday after the parties failed to reach an agreement.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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