Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 3 March 12:30 pm

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

# We kick off with rugby: This coming weekend’s United Rugby Championship derby between the Sharks and the Lions in Durban will decide who wins the competition’s South African shield. The Stormers are currently in first place after beating the Bulls on Saturday, with the Pretoria team second, followed by the Sharks and the Lions. The Sharks will win the shield if they beat the visiting team from Johannesburg at Kings Park. In the overall URC competition, the Bulls are third, the Sharks fourth, the Lions ninth and the Stormers 12th.

More rugby news: The Springbok Women’s Sevens defeated Colombia 29-nil to claim third place in the first leg of the World Sevens Challenger series in Cape Town. South Africa missed a spot in the final after losing 19-15 to Kenya in the semifinal. Kenya won the final, beating Argentina 17-12. Bok women’s coach, Renfred Dazel, says starting in third place after the first tournament is not what they wanted, but it’s also not the end of the world:

# Golf: Johannesburg-born Dylan Naidoo beat England’s Laurie Canter on the first play-off hole to win the South African Open Championship in Durban, his maiden DP World Tour title. The tournament went straight to a play-off between the joint overnight leaders after the final round was abandoned due to rain. Another Englishman, Marco Penge, finished third. Naidoo says the play-off was a free hit for him:

# Cricket: All-rounder Cooper Connolly has been called into Australia’s Champions Trophy squad ahead of the semifinal clash against India tomorrow. The 21-year-old replaces star opener Matthew Short, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a quad injury he suffered against Afghanistan. Australia has not lost to India in an ICC knockout match since the 2011 World Cup. The two teams last faced each other in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which Australia won by six wickets.

# And finally, motorsport: Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez claimed victory in the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix, his first win in the opening race since 2014. The Spaniard’s younger brother, Alex Marquez, finished second with two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia of Italy in third to complete an all-Ducati podium. South Africa’s Brad Binder finished eighth. Marquez says winning the opening race is the best way to start the season:

Stay tuned for more news………….