Rugby minnows Portugal enjoyed a memorable first day at the South African leg of the World Sevens Series on Friday.
Portugal surprised not only their opponents, but probably themselves, when they qualified for the Cup quarter-finals after winning all three of their matches in Pool D.
With a team made up largely of players who specialize in the 15-man code, they kicked off their day with a 14-12 win over African giant-killers Kenya and followed that up with a first ever triumph over Sevens powerhouse Samoa 19-17.
They then beat Wales 19-17 to top Pool D.
Despite finishing second in their pool, it wasn’t the best of days for the Samoans, who not only lost to Portugal, but were made to fight all the way in downing Kenya 17-12.
SHOCKS
Portugal were not the only side to cause an upset on the day. The US shocked all by beating the far more fancied Australia 28-26, while Zimbabwe recorded an emphatic 17-7 win against Scotland.
Fiji, with a three from three record, topped Pool C, followed by Argentina, Zimbabwe and Scotland.
World Sevens series title holders and defending champions in south Africa, New Zealand, made up for their slip-up in the semi-finals against England in Dubai a week ago by beating them in their final Pool A match of the day, 19-7.
New Zealand also picked up comfortable wins against France (40-5) and Tunisia (36-0) and D.J. Forbes’ team finished top of their pool, with England second.
DUBAI CHAMPIONS
Hosts and champions from Dubai last week, South Africa, in their quest to win their first home tournament, advanced to the Cup quarter-finals after a perfect record.
They started with a 24-0 win over the US and followed that up with an even better display in beating Georgia 31-5, but were made to sweat in the last match of the day against Australia, eventually running out 17-7 winners.
The US, with two wins from their three matches, finished second in the pool and advanced to the Cup quarter-finals.
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
Mary McGee, a female racing pioneer and subject profiled in an Oscar-contending documentary, Motorcycle Mary, has died, her family said. She was 87. “McGee’s unparalleled achievements in off-road racing and motorcycle racing have inspired generations of athletes that followed in her footsteps,” her family said in a statement. The family said McGee died of complications from a stroke at her home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on Wednesday, the day before the release of the short documentary Motorcycle Mary, on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer on the film, which became available globally on Thursday. Its premiere
RSS