RUGBY UNION
Thorn unhappy with Rodda
Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn yesterday described as “disappointing” reports that Wallabies forward Izack Rodda is on his way back to Australia less than a year after walking out on the club. Rodda left the Reds and signed a lucrative contract with French club Lyon after refusing to take a short-term pay cut amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 24-year-old lock has been linked with a move back to Australia after his Lyon contract runs out in June, which would make him eligible to resume a Test career that has earned him 25 caps. “That was disappointing when it happened and disappointing to hear that as well,” Thorn told reporters in Brisbane. “You don’t dislike that person, but the whole game suffered here, the players were on 40 percent of their wages and it was hard yakka [work]. A lot of people persevered, a lot of people made sacrifices and, with our values here. [Rodda coming back] doesn’t align with that.”
TENNIS
Mari Osaka retires
Mari Osaka, the elder sister of four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, has retired from tennis at the age of 24, saying that “it was a journey which I didn’t enjoy.” The elder Osaka was ranked 340th in the world, having reached a career-high of 280 in 2018, and last played a singles tournament in January. She partnered in doubles with her sister — who is 18 months younger, ranked second in the world, and the reigning US and Australian Open champion — at the 2017 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. “I am retired from playing tennis,” Mari Osaka wrote on Instagram. “It was a journey which I didn’t enjoy ultimately but I’m grateful for all the memories and support I’ve gained and received over the years from the sport. I’m moving on now so you can look forward to new fun projects upcoming in the future.” Mari Osaka also plays a role in her younger sister’s career, and last year helped produce a manga character representing Naomi Osaka in a magazine aimed at teenage girls. “Up until I was 15, she was 6-0ing me, like ridiculous,” Naomi Osaka was quoted as saying by the WTA Tour Web site. “I don’t know what happened — something clicked in my head — but for sure she was beating me. In the win-loss category, she’s still up by a million.” However, Mari Osaka gave a different take on their matches. “Sometimes I think she was throwing the matches on purpose just so that we could finish practice quicker,” she said. “So the moment she started trying, I was getting pissed off.”
HORSE RACING
Irish jockey banned
Irish amateur jockey Rob James has been banned for 12 months, eight of them suspended, after a video emerged of him climbing on the back of a dead horse. A statement from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board said that James had acted in a manner “prejudicial to the integrity and good reputation of horse racing.” It is the second time this month that the sport has been dragged through the mud after Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott was banned for 12 months, six suspended, after a photograph showed him straddling a dead horse. James apologized for his actions last week. “I would just like to apologize for my actions, which were wholly inappropriate and disrespectful,” he said.
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday held their nerve to beat Liverpool 4-1 on penalties and reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after their tie finished one-apiece on aggregate, while Bayern Munich saw off Bayer 04 Leverkusen to complete a 5-0 win over both legs. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha fired Barcelona into the next round as the Catalans bested SL Benfica 3-1, and Inter booked a last-eight meeting with Bayern by seeing off Feyenoord 2-1. At Anfield, Ousmane Dembele netted the only goal of the night as PSG bounced back from Liverpool’s late winner last week to force the tie to extra-time and penalties. Maligned
Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi on Wednesday inflicted a first-round defeat on former badminton world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen at the All England Open. Lin came out of top after a back-and-forth first game before Axelsen dominated the second, but the Dane was not able to keep that form in the decider as Lin reeled off six points in a row on the way to a 21-19, 13-21, 21-11 victory. “If I don’t play my best, everyone can win against me,” said Axelsen, the world No. 4. “Today’s opponent played a fantastic game; it was disappointing, but that is how it is.” “I just tried
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