Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 28 May 12:30 pm

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

# We begin with rugby: The Stormers aren’t sweating over the absence of experienced Springbok back player Damian Willemse for Friday night’s United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against Glasgow Warriors in Scotland. He was given a three-match ban for his red card against Cardiff, which could be reduced to two if he attends World Rugby’s so-called tackle school. Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani says the team has improved tremendously over the past few weeks after a bad start to the season, and they don’t rely on just one extraordinary gifted player.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s South African-born Scottish winger Duhan van der Merwe is back from a long-time ankle injury and could face the Bulls in Saturday’s quarterfinal in Pretoria. He joined his teammates on the plane to South Africa yesterday. Van der Merwe will also represent the British and Irish Lions again this year after travelling with the team to South Africa in 2021. Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt describes him as a world-class player who will bring a wealth of experience to the team.

# Surfing: South African Jordy Smith has clinched his second victory of the season at the Margaret River Pro in Australia, claiming the top spot on the World Surf League leaderboard. He delivered a dominant performance, impressing judges with powerful maneuvers and wave control. Smith outscored US rival Griffin Colapinto. He says he is excited for the upcoming California round with championship hopes high:

# Cricket: Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt will be available for Adelaide Strikers in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League for another two years. She extended her contract after five seasons during which she scored one-thousand-726 runs. Twenty-six-year-old Wolvaardt says the team had become a second home to her, and she’s excited and determined to help them achieve more success. The team has won the title in 2022 and ’23, but ended seventh last year. This year’s competition starts in November.

And more cricket news, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Indian Premier League table-toppers Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 tomorrow after a six-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants. Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 118 off 61 balls powered Lucknow to 227 for three in their 20 overs. In reply, stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten 85 helped RCB chase down the target with eight balls and six wickets to spare. This is the third-highest successful run chase in the tournament’s history.

Stay tuned for more news………….