RUGBY UNION
Stormers beat Lions 27-17
The Stormers returned from the month-long international break to beat the Lions 27-17 in their South African derby in the Super 15 in Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday. Without Springboks Eben Etzebeth and Bryan Habana, the Stormers crossed through fullback Gio Aplon, loose forward Jebb Sinclair and wing Gerhard van den Heever to come through a brave challenge from the coachless Lions at Newlands. The visitors from Johannesburg had shrugged off their problems with coach John Mitchell’s suspension to close it to 13-10 early in the second half after captain Joshua Strauss’ rampaging run and score. Howver, Canada international Sinclair and Van der Heever scored in the last 10 minutes to seal victory for the Stormers and keep them ahead in the South African conference and second overall behind New Zealand’s Waikato Chiefs.
RUGBY UNION
Bulls beat Cheetahs 40-24
The Bulls beat the Cheetahs 40-24 in Super 15 rugby in Pretoria on Saturday after an early blitz from the three-time champions put them back into the playoff places with two regular-season rounds to go. The Bulls scored four tries in the first half and another two early in the second for a 40-0 lead before the Cheetahs’ late charge. Springboks Pierre Spies, Dean Greyling, Zane Kirchner and Francois Hougaard crossed in the first 40, and fellow internationals Werner Kruger and Bjorn Basson went over in the second for the Bulls’ winning start to the final stages of the southern hemisphere competition. The Cheetahs took an hour to register their first points at Loftus Versfeld before prop WP Nel crashed over for the first of their four tries.
SOCCER
Egypt lose to lowly CAR
Record seven-time champions Egypt will miss consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for the first time since 1968 after being held to a 1-1 draw in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Saturday. Stunned 3-2 at home in a delayed first leg played behind closed doors two weeks ago, the Pharaohs fell behind midway through the first half in Bangui when captain Foxi Kethevoama scored. Veteran striker Emad Moteab, one of four players brought into the side by American coach Bob Bradley after the Alexandria debacle, leveled late in the second half, but the visitors never looked like scoring the other two goals they needed to salvage the tie. After winning a record three titles on the trot between 2006 and 2010, Egypt finished last behind Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone in this year’s qualifying group. Now they have fallen at the first hurdle on the road to next yera’s finals in South Africa after starting as strong favorites to eliminate opponents 14 places lower on the FIFA Africa rankings. While the cancelation of the domestic league after 74 fans died in riots after a game in Port Said on Feb. 1 robbed Egyptian players of match practice, it has given Bradley more time than usual with the national squad.
SOCCER
Lyon sell Belfodil
French Ligue 1 club Lyon on Saturday confirmed the sale of 20-year-old Ishak Belfodil to Italian side Parma. Belfodil, 20, made just 10 league appearances and three Champions League appearances for Lyon and spent the second half of last season on loan in Serie A at Bologna. Lyon confirmed that they will receive an initial transfer fee of 2.5 million euros (US$3.2 million) plus bonuses and 20 percent of any future sell-on fee.
BOXING
Bundrage TKOs Spinks
Cornelius Bundrage recorded a technical knockout win in a rematch against Cory Spinks to retain his IBF junior middleweight title on Saturday in Indio, California. Bundrage (32-4-0, 19 KOs) stopped the 34-year-old Spinks in the seventh round. The ending came two rounds later than Bundrage’s fifth-round TKO over Spinks in their first fight two years ago in St Louis. Southpaw Spinks (39-7, 11 KOs) was knocked down three times in the round before referee Ray Corona stopped the bout at 2 minutes, 32 seconds of the seventh. The 39-year-old Bundrage was making the second defense of his title and posted his third-straight victory.
GOLF
Felibert leads in Arkansas
Venezuelan rookie Veronica Felibert fired a five-under 66 on Saturday to stretch her lead to four shots heading into the final round of the LPGA Tour’s NW Arkansas Classic. Felibert, who celebrated her 27th birthday on Saturday, continued her surprising run, which saw her shoot an opening round 65 to take a one-stroke lead. She got into the tournament as a second alternate after missing the cut in her three previous events. Felibert is in her first year on the LPGA Tour. She finished two rounds at 11-under-par as she set a tournament 36-hole record with her 131 total. The previous record of 132 was set by Meena Lee and Ji Eun-hee in 2008, then equaled by Michelle Wie in 2010. Japan’s Mika Miyazato and South Korea’s Park In-bee were tied for second at the Pinnacle Country Club course. Miyazato had a 65, and former US Women’s Open winner Park shot a three-under 68. Felibert, who is ranked 723rd in the world, shot a bogey-free round on Saturday, closing her round with a par-saving putt on the final hole. Brittany Lang had a 63 and is in a group at six-under par. Lang’s 63 was the best round of the week. Lang is tied with LPGA Championship winner Feng Shanshan of China (70), Katie Futcher (67), Ryann O’Toole (68) and Ai Miyazato (68). World No. 1 Yani Tseng, of Taiwan, followed her opening round 73 with a 74 as she missed her first cut in more than a year. Tseng, who missed the cut by four shots, is the two-time defending champion of this event and a three-time winner this year. Wie also did not make it to yesterday, missing the cut for the sixth time in her past seven tournaments.
MARATHON
Shumye wins Gold Coast
Alemayehu Shumye of Ethiopia won the men’s Gold Coast Marathon in Gold Coast, Australia, yesterday, while Kaori Yoshida led a Japanese one-two finish in the women’s race over a course around Southport on the Queensland State tourist strip. Shumye finished in a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, 35 seconds, nearly two minutes ahead of Kenyan runners Robert Mwangi and Ernest Kebenei. Yuki Kawauchi of Japan was fourth.
RUGBY
US teams in Hall of Fame
US teams that won gold medals in rugby at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics have been inducted into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame. The IRB made the announcement yesterday on its Web site. The US will be the defending Olympic champions when rugby returns to the Games at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 after its successive victories in Olympic rugby tournaments at Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924. US teams were selected mainly from California universities and were funded by the Olympic Club of San Francisco. The 1920 team beat France 8-0 for the gold medal, while the 1924 team defeated Romania and France for gold.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
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
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
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