Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 14 August 12:30 pm

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

# We start with rugby: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus says he isn’t disrespectful towards the Wallabies by chosing a totally different team for Saturday’s second Rugby Championship Test in Perth. He made ten changes to the starting team that demolished Australia 33-7 in Brisbane, resting captain Siya Kolisi and other experienced players. Erasmus says there is enough depth to limit the risk with the inclusion of several young players. He says he backs the team to see off what he expects to be a much-improved Wallabies challenge.

Meanwhile, Kolisi and lock Eben Etzebeth are set to walk UFC middleweight mixed martial arts champion Dricus du Plessis to the ring when he takes on Israel Adesanya in Perth on Sunday. This will be Du Plessis’ first title defence after becoming the first South African world champion when he beat Sean Strickland in Toronto in January. Du Plessis says having Kolisi and Etzebeth with him will be awesome.

# South Africa’s most decorated Olympian, Tatjana Smith, was overwhelmed by the generosity of a fan when she and other members of Team South Africa arrived home from Paris. A woman among the welcoming crowd gave Smith 100-rand, telling her to buy herself chocolates, that she loved her, and wished she could give her more money. The two women posed for a picture, and Smith accepted the gift graciously. She added two medals in Paris to the two she won in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Nigerian sporting officials are under pressure from accusations of incompetence and calls for reform after the country failed to win any medals in Paris. While smaller nations on the continent came home with multiple medals, the giant of Africa left empty-handed for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics. Former and current Olympians lashed out at the country’s sporting federations, calling for a shakeup in organisations they say failed their athletes.

# And finally, cricket: England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the rest of the English summer after tearing his left hamstring while playing in The Hundred. The 33-year-old will miss the three-Test series against Sri Lanka, which gets underway next Wednesday. The all-rounder aims to return for England’s three-Test tour of Pakistan in October. Vice-captain Ollie Pope will lead the side for the Sri Lanka series in Stokes’ absence.

Stay tuned for more news………….