Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 21 August 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We kick off with rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has asked South Africa’s supporters to respect the All Blacks’ haka in tomorrow’s Test in Johannesburg. He wants the expected partisan crowd to remain quiet while the opponents perform their traditional pre-match ritual at Ellis Park. This follows after chants of “olé, olé” drowned out New Zealand’s challenge during recent Tests in South Africa. Erasmus says plenty of respect had been shown before the All Blacks’ tour matches against the Stormers in Cape Town, the Sharks in Durban and the Bulls at Loftus.

Meanwhile, All Blacks coach Dave Rennie says they are bracing for a physical arm wrestle rather than an open, expansive contest tomorrow. He has named a strong team, with Ardie Savea leading the side, and scrum-half Cam Roigard and winger Will Jordan set to make their first appearance of the tour. Rennie has flagged the aerial battle as a key early flashpoint:

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana will face Chinese Taipei, Ecuador and Uzbekistan in the preliminary phase of the intercontinental play-offs for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. South Africa earned their place in the play-offs after their campaign in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where they overcame Nigeria to keep their World Cup dream alive. The play-off matches will be played in November and December. Banyana’s coach, Desiree Ellis, says it’s not an easy draw, but doable provided they get off to a good start.

# Tennis: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who has not played competitively in four months, will make his return at the US Open. The 23-year-old Spaniard injured his right wrist at the Barcelona Open in April, resulting in him missing the defence of his French Open title and Wimbledon. Alcaraz was due to return at the Cincinnati Open this month before withdrawing from that event. The seven-time Grand Slam champion will chase his third US Open title, with the tournament starting in New York on the 30th.

The tournament’s purse will reach 1.74-billion-rand, representing the largest player compensation package in the sport’s history. This is a 20-percent increase from last year. Both singles champions will earn around 88.4-million-rand, and first-round losers will get 2.25-million-rand, the largest amount in tennis history just for making the main draw. The compensation package also includes a new Player Support Programme. The United States Tennis Association’s CEO, Craig Tiley, says they are proud to deliver record-setting prize money and expanded player benefits.

Stay tuned for more news………….