Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 12:30 pm

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

# First up, we have rugby: SA Rugby president Mark Alexander says they are tracking firmly in the right direction concerning transformation. A comprehensive 206-page audit compiled by Saru indicates that the Springboks did not meet the 54-percent transformation targets in any of the three series they played last year. Alexander says although they have targets for the Boks in demographics, they also have performance targets which they will not compromise on. He adds that transformation is a process at all levels of the sport in the country.

# Athletics: South African middle-distance runner Prudence Sekgodiso says she wants to reach the final of the 800 metres at the Olympic Games in Paris. She admits she stunned herself when she won the item at the Diamond League meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, on Sunday in the fastest time in the world this year. The 22-year-old says she didn’t expect to run so fast, bettering her personal best time by 39 seconds to one-minute-57.26 seconds. This was the first Diamond League victory of Sekgodiso’s career.

# Cricket: The first qualifier of the Indian Premier League will be played today. Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who ended first and second on the log, respectively, will face off in Ahmedabad. The winner goes straight through to Sunday’s final in Chennai. The loser gets another chance to reach the title match in the second qualifier in Chennai on Friday. That team will play the winner of tomorrow’s eliminator between the third- and fourth-placed teams, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also in Ahmedabad.

# Soccer: Liverpool has appointed Arne Slot as new head coach on a three-year contract. The Feyenoord boss replaces Jurgen Klopp, who took charge of his final game against Wolves on Sunday after the German spent the last nine years at Anfield. Slot secured the Dutch Cup in April and led Feyenoord to their first title in six years in the 2022-’23 season. The 45-year-old says the opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, was difficult to ignore.

# And finally, golf: World number one Scottie Scheffler’s arraignment date has been postponed to the third of June. The American was arrested ahead of his second round at the PGA Championship last week Friday, after trying to drive into Valhalla Golf Club in heavy traffic caused by an earlier and unrelated accident. Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an official. He has denied all charges.

Stay tuned for more news………….