Japan coach Jamie Joseph said Thursday that the Brave Blossoms were World Cup small fry, despite a breakout performance two years ago. The host nation will share the same pool as Ireland and Scotland for the 2019 tournament following Wednesday’s draw in Kyoto, where Joseph confessed to feeling a little intimidated. “It wasn’t until I … Read more
Mohammad Hafeez accelerated from a pedestrian start to pace Pakistan to a formidable 308 for five batting first against the West Indies in the opening one-day international at the National Stadium in Guyana on Friday. Amid increasing speculation about his worth to the team, the 36-year-old right-hander contributed a top score of 88 to temporarily … Read more
Italy and Scotland will play a test match in Singapore June 10 as the city-state seeks to establish itself as a stopover for nations bound for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The two Six Nations sides will make the stopover en route to Fiji and Australia for another series of matches, rugby officials … Read more
Rugby can grow from a niche sport to be as big as football in China and eventually rival the cash-rich Chinese Super League in popularity, the head of the sport in the world’s most populous nation said. Wang Liwei, head of the Chinese Rugby Football Association, said China’s President Xi Jinping was a rugby fan … Read more
Springbok great Joel Stransky on Tuesday urged SANZAAR to stop delaying and unveil its revamped Super Rugby format, saying the governing body needed to make tough decisions and stand by them. Stransky said uncertainty had engulfed the southern hemisphere club competition since the governing body announced early last month that a shake-up was imminent without … Read more
Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur Tuesday said he felt “gutted” over a fresh alleged spot-fixing scandal that has engulfed his team, adding any players found guilty only had themselves to blame. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has provisionally suspended Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed on charges linked to spot-fixing … Read more
Utility back Kurtley Beale has signed a two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union and New South Wales Waratahs after rejecting a lucrative contract at England’s Wasps to focus on the 2019 World Cup. Beale, 28, is reportedly the Premiership’s highest-paid player, and with 60 caps he would be eligible for Wallabies selection even if … Read more