RUGBY UNION
Fiji overtake Tonga at home
Fiji came from behind to beat Tonga 30-22 in a bone-jarring Pacific Nations Cup encounter in Suva yesterday. In a clash full of direct running and big tackles, Tonga led 22-16 going into the last 15 minutes before their high error count caught up with them. There were three tries apiece, with Fiji scoring two of theirs as they controlled the closing stages to make a positive start to the 10th edition of the tournament. In the only game of the tournament to be played in the Pacific, with the remainder in the US and Canada, Tonga rocked the 2013 champions with a punishing start. Nili Latu and Taniela Moa led a straight-up-the-middle approach, pinning Fiji deep in the own territory for most of the first quarter. Exeter wing Fetu’u Vainikolo dotted down first. Moa started the move when he plowed through a floundering defense before Latu fired a long pass out to Vainikolo who scored in the corner. Fiji hit the front when Henry Seniloli scored after a big run down the right wing by Lepani Botia who swatted would-be defenders aside with ease. Tonga regained the lead after halftime with a try to Telusa Veainu, converted by Lilo, and after Volavola put Fiji back in front 16-15 with two further penalties, Tonga again gained the initiative when Sonatane Takulua scored. However, Fiji were not done and came back with tries to Waisea Nayacalevu and Peni Ravai to seal the match.
SOCCER
Bolivian boss arrested
Police in Bolivia have arrested the president of the nation’s soccer federation for alleged corruption. The prosecutor’s office issued a brief statement on Carlos Chavez’s arrest that offered no details beyond saying it was part of an “investigation of presumed corruption” in managing state resources. Chavez was arrested after eight hours of questioning and ordered jailed in Sucre, where the prosecutor’s office is located. The coach of one club in Bolivia’s soccer league accused Chavez of embezzling funds from the national federation. Chavez said on Friday morning as he submitted to questioning that there was no proof to the accusations.
SOCCER
Miami stadium planned
Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said on Friday that a group led by former English soccer star David Beckham has confirmed plans to build a stadium near the city’s downtown next to the Miami Marlins baseball park. The Beckham group previously spurned the proposed site for the Major League Soccer franchise they announced in Miami last year. One of Beckham’s partners, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, tweeted that the group had “presented ... our intentions” for the new stadium to the mayor on Friday morning.
RUGBY UNION
Break ends Naholo’s season
All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo suffered a broken leg during his Test debut against Argentina on Friday and has been ruled out of contention for this year’s World Cup. Fiji-born Naholo, who scored 13 tries for the Dunedin-based Highlanders during the Super Rugby season, made a strong debut before leaving the field midway through the second half of the Rugby Championship Test with what was thought to be a sprained ankle. He was omitted yesterday from the All Blacks’ 31-man squad for the Championship match against the Springboks in Johannesburg next weekend. X-rays revealed Naholo had suffered a cracked fibia and he will not have recovered in time to play at the World Cup, which starts in Britain in September.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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