RUGBY LEAGUE
Scots drop three for drinking
Captain Danny Brough is among three players dropped from Scotland’s Rugby World Cup squad yesterday for misconduct which is being investigated by the tournament’s integrity unit. Media reports say Brough, Sam Brooks and Johnny Walker were forced to miss Scotland’s flight from Christchurch to Cairns yesterday, because they were deemed too drunk to board the plane. Scotland entered the World Cup ranked fourth behind Australia, New Zealand and England, but have had a disastrous tournament, losing 50-4 to Tonga and 74-6 to New Zealand. It can still reach the playoffs if it can beat Samoa in its final pool match, but would likely face top-ranked Australia in the quarter-finals. Keith Hogg, chairman of the Scotland Rugby League, said: “We expect everyone involved in Scotland Rugby League to adhere to the highest standards of behavior.”
FOOTBALL
Owners to release records
A number of NFL owners will be asked to turn over communications records related to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the league. A league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, among others, will be deposed and asked to turn over all cellphone records and e-mails in relation to the collusion case brought by the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. Kaepernick filed a grievance under the collective bargaining agreement against the NFL last month, accusing all 32 owners of collusion against signing him to an NFL contract. ABC News reported other owners to be deposed include the Seattle Seahawks’ Paul Allen and the San Francisco 49ers’ Jed York.
OLYMPICS
KHL may withdraw players
Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) might withdraw its players from the Pyeongchang Olympics in protest at doping investigations into Russian athletes, the league president suggested on Saturday. The KHL, widely considered the strongest league outside the NHL, contains leading Russians, but also many players who could represent the US, Canada and various European nations. In a statement, KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko said the International Olympic Committee “is destroying the existing world order in sports” by pursuing doping cases against Russians in other sports who are suspected of using banned substances around the time of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Chernyshenko referenced the NHL’s absence from Pyeongchang in February next year after failing to reach a deal with the committee, and said: “The KHL is ready to respond accordingly.”
BOXING
Wilder pummels Stiverne
Deontay Wilder knocked out the only man who had ever gone the distance with him, sending Berman Stiverne to the canvas three times in the opening round to defend his WBC heavyweight title on Saturday night at Barclays Center in New York City. Wilder entered the ring wearing a gold cape and mask. He looked all business and was sporting a scowl for the 2 minutes, 59 seconds the fight lasted. After the second knockdown, he yelled at Stiverne’s corner to stop the fight. Instead, the undefeated “Alabama Slammer” did it himself, pummeling Stiverne before finishing him off. Wilder won the belt from Stiverne in 2015 in a 12-round decision. He repeatedly insisted Stiverne would go down and out early in this one. Wilder kept his word. He is 39-0 with 38 knockouts.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
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