RUGBY UNION
Winner doubts poll validity
Italy’s Andrea Masi, voted Six Nations player of the tournament following a public internet vote, said on Tuesday he doubted the validity of the poll and believes an English player should have won. Masi picked up 30 percent of the 17,562 votes cast, with Italy teammate Fabio Semenzato coming second. The 29-year-old became the first Italian winner of the award.” I think I was lucky to have a lot of friends and fans in Italy who voted by internet,” Racing-Metro player Masi said. “Frankly I don’t think I should have won this trophy, but rather the English players, who won the competition and who showed an incredible level for five matches. It was a surprise. I didn’t expect to win such a prestigious trophy.” Masi was nominated after his man-of-the-match performance in the win over France, following an internet vote from a list of 12 candidates named man of the match during the first four games.
CRICKET
Tribesmen prepare for clash
Pakistani tribesmen were cleaning their guns and collecting explosives for celebratory fire to prepare for Pakistan beating India in yesterday’s World Cup semi-final. The North Waziristan region near the Afghan border, which is infested by Taliban and al-Qaeda linked militants and is the target of US drone attacks, ground to a halt like cities and towns across the country. Awash with light and heavy weapons, the tribal belt — described by Washington as the most dangerous place in the world — is cricket-crazy like the rest of Pakistan. Markets, schools and offices were closed in the region’s main town Miranshah and many made special arrangements to watch the much-hyped match on large screens. Tribesmen who consider the country’s honor to be at stake were seen cleaning their weapons for firing should Pakistan win, witnesses said. “I am going to sacrifice this for the Pakistan team,” tribesman Hayatullah Jan said as he dragged a sheep.
NASCAR
Raikkonen set for debut
Finnish rally driver Kimi Raikkonen will be make his NASCAR debut this year with brand new team ICE1 Racing, a Finnish newspaper has reported. Raikkonen told one of the country’s largest dailies, Turun Sanomat, that he will continue to race in the World Rally Championships (WRC) for another eight rallies before making the leap to NASCAR this summer. “I have been following it for a long time ... Obviously, it will be very challenging and great fun for me,” he told the paper. Like all NASCAR rookies, he will start racing in the World Camping Truck series before expanding to the Sprint Cup Series. Former Formula 1 champion Raikkonen left the sport in 2009 to race in the WRC last year.
RUGBY UNION
Ex-player linked to murders
South African police have arrested a former Currie Cup player over three axe murders allegedly to avenge the gang-rape and HIV infection of his daughter, media said yesterday. Police arrested the 34-year-old, who played for the Blue Bulls in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup, in Durban on Tuesday, Afrikaans daily Die Beeld reported. The man, who was not named in reports, will appear in court this week. One victim was decapitated and others hacked in the neck, said the Cape Argus, which quoted a man who escaped an attack last week after being confronted by a man who accused him of being a rapist and infecting his daughter. “As the axe came down towards my head, I ducked and it scratched my stomach,” Khangelani Mdluli, 27, told the daily.
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
West Ham United on Monday advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Brentford, who paid the price for Dango Ouattara’s spot-kick blunder. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side twice blew the lead as Jarrod Bowen’s double was canceled out by an Igor Thiago brace to force extra-time in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, but in the shoot-out, Brentford winger Ouattara attempted a chipped Panenka penalty, but his woeful effort was straight at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was an awful mistake by the Burkina Faso international and West Ham took full advantage. Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, Callum
CHANCE TO QUALIFY: Both teams now have three points from two games, and Taiwan sit ahead of Vietnam and behind Japan, who last night beat India 11-0 Taiwan yesterday defeated Vietnam 1-0 to move into second place in Group C at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with one match remaining. Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Taiwan midfielder Saki Matsunaga’s shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1981. It was a deserved victory for Taiwan, 2-0 losers to Japan on Wednesday, who created several chances to extend their lead. Vietnam, the 2022 quarter-finalist, beat India in their opener, but struggled to
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