Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 30 July 12:30 pm

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

# First up we have rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says the team is gearing up for a testing Rugby Championship campaign, which kicks off against the Wallabies in Johannesburg on 16 August. He stressed the importance of their two-week training camp, saying it was vital in ensuring that the coaches, players, and entire management team were aligned and prepared. The Springboks won the prestigious competition last year for the first time since 2019. They will wrap up the first week of their training camp tomorrow afternoon before re-assembling in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Meanwhile, World Rugby promises a bigger, bolder and more accessible World Cup than ever in Australia in two years’ time. The tournament has been expanded from 20 to 24 teams which will be divided into six groups of four teams each. World Rugby’s chairperson, Brett Robinson, says tickets will go on sale in February, with a million tickets being made available at the lowest price at the equivalent of one-thousand-167-rand, and 230-rand for children. Sydney will host the semifinals, as well as the final on 13 November 2027.

# Cricket: All-rounder Mitch Owen is in contention to make his one-day international debut after being included in both Australia’s T20 and ODI squads for next month’s home series against South Africa. The 23-year-old was impressive in the T20 series against the West Indies, scoring 125 runs and taking two wickets. Key players Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood return to the team, while Mitchell Starc is rested. Mitchell Marsh will continue to be the stand-in ODI captain, as skipper Pat Cummins remains sidelined.

# Tennis: Eight star-studded teams have received direct entry into next month’s US Open mixed doubles championship, while six teams have received wild cards. Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz are one of six wildcard pairings, including Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic. Two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion Venus Williams will compete with Reilly Opelka in front of their home crowd. Wimbledon singles champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have direct entry with their respective partners, Casper Ruud and Emma Navarro. A further two wildcard teams will be announced later.

# And finally, cycling: Four-time Tour de France winner, Tadej Pogačar, will miss this year’s edition of the Vuelta a España in Spain as he has opted to rest and prepare for his World Championship road race title defence. The 26-year-old Slovenian clinched his fourth Tour title on Sunday. The Vuelta is the only one of the three Grand Tours that Pogačar has not won. He plans to return to competition in the Canadian one-day races in Quebec and Montreal in mid-September, a week before the World Championships begin in Rwanda.

Stay tuned for more news………….