RUGBY UNION
Drua defeat Crusaders
The Canterbury Crusaders yesterday were stunned 20-10 by the Fijian Drua for a third straight defeat, equaling their worst start to a Super Rugby season. The seven-time defending champions fell away in the second half in Lautoka. The only other time the Crusaders have lost their three opening matches was the competition’s inaugural season in 1996. Captain Scott Barrett said the humid conditions in Fiji played a part in their error-ridden display. “You give the Fijian Drua a sniff and they will really punish you,” Barrett said. In other Super Rugby Pacific games yesterday, The ACT Brumbies beat the Western Force 22-19, the Wellington Hurricanes downed the Auckland Blues 29-21 and the Queensland Reds defeated the Waikato Chiefs 25-19.
BOXING
Joshua KOs Ngannou
Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua yesterday stopped Francis Ngannou in the second round, dominating his matchup with the ex-UFC heavyweight champ. Joshua floored Ngannou in the first round and again in the second with right hands at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. He finished the fight with one punch immediately after the second 10-count, apparently knocking Ngannou out cold with an unblocked right hand. The 37-year-old Ngannou eventually got up to his stool, but he was dazed and clearly hurt after his encounter with Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) in only his second pro boxing match. Joshua and Ngannou embraced and talked afterward. “I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing,” Joshua said. “He can do well. Remember, he’s two fights in, and he’s fought the best. He can go a long way if he stays dedicated, but it’s up to him.”
CRICKET
Anderson’s feat soured
James Anderson yesterday became only the third bowler to reach 700 Test wickets, but his feat was soured as England lost by an innings and 64 runs against India in the fifth and final Test inside three days. India scored 477 runs in their first innings, while England made 218 and 195 in reply. Anderson joined the 700 club when he dismissed India’s Kuldeep Yadav at Dharamshala. The England veteran is the first pace bowler to reach the milestone and follows Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708 wickets) to have achieved the mark.
CRICKET
Black Caps fight back
New Zealand opener Tom Latham yesterday hauled the Black Caps back into the second Test against Australia Saturday as they overhauled a 94-run deficit to lead by 40 at stumps. Latham was unbeaten on 65 in New Zealand’s second innings at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval after a partnership of 105 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson.
TENNIS
Swiatek thrashes Collins
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Friday moved on at the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over power-hitting Danielle Collins. Swiatek earned her fifth straight win over the 30-year-old American, who previously announced that she intends to retire after this season. On the men’s side, Andrey Rublev defeated Andy Murray 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, while Alejandro Tabilo, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur also won in straight sets.
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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