Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 23 March 12:30 pm

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

# We start off with golf: LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil says the success of the inaugural LIV event in Africa this weekend has reaffirmed that South Africa is home to a vibrant golf culture, world-class talent, and fans whose passion elevates the game. American Bryson DeChambeau defeated Spain’s Jon Rahm in a playoff to win in front of a record crowd at Steyn City in Johannesburg on Sunday. O’Neil says deciding to bring LIV Golf back to South Africa in 2027 was a no-brainer:

# Motorsport: Marco Bezzecchi leads the MotoGP rider championship standings by eleven points after the first two races of the season. The Aprilia Racing rider won the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, backing up his victory in the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix earlier this month. Jorge Martin made it an Aprilia 1-2 and VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio held off defending champion Marc Marquez to claim third place. Four riders crashed out of the race, including South Africa’s Brad Binder. Up next is the US Grand Prix in Austin this weekend.

# Rugby: The Springbok Women’s Sevens have qualified for the season-ending three-tournament Sevens World Championship Series in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux. South Africa finished third in Montevideo, Uruguay, winning three of five matches over the weekend. Argentina, Germany and the USA have also qualified for the championship. Bok Women coach Cecil Afrika says he is happy with the overall performance of his team:

In other rugby news, Rugby Australia have bolstered their coaching ranks by announcing that former All Blacks assistant Scott McLeod has joined the Wallabies’ backroom staff as the defence coach. The appointment confirms the first addition by the union to incoming Wallabies head coach Les Kiss’ coaching team. McLeod is an experienced coach who currently works as an assistant at Japan Rugby League side Kubota Spears and spent more than six years with the All Blacks, serving at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups.

# And lastly, cricket: Australia’s Cricket Board will resist calls to exert greater control over the nation’s test wickets despite a pair of two-day matches during the Ashes that cost the local game millions of dollars. The first Ashes test at Perth Stadium and the fourth at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were decided in two days. The MCG pitch was rated unsatisfactory for benefitting the bowlers with 36 wickets that fell. The lost days of cricket in Perth and Melbourne were a huge financial blow for Australian cricket, with a loss of 180-million-rand due to ticket refunds and other costs.

Stay tuned for more news………….