Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 14 August 12:30 pm

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

# Proteas cricket captain Temba Bavuma, Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx and Olympic silver medallist sprinter Akani Simbine were nominated for Sport Star of the Year at the South African Sport Awards. Laura Wolvaardt, Kira Bester and Prudence Sekgodiso are up for Sportswoman, and Christiaan Maas, Pieter Coetzee and Kevin Lerena for Sportsman. The Protea men’s Test cricket side, the four-by-400-metres men’s relay team and the Eisenhower Trophy golf team are up for Team of the Year. The ceremony takes place in North West next Sunday.

# Rugby: All Blacks coach Dave Rennie says players could still force their way into the squad for the first Test against the Springboks with their performance against the Bulls. He has named a strong squad for tomorrow’s match at Loftus Versfeld, but insists it’s quite different to the team for next Saturday’s Test at Ellis Park. Rennie still faces selection dilemmas in positions such as scrumhalf, lock, loose forward and wing:

More rugby: Only three group rounds remain before the Currie Cup semifinals. Griquas are currently on top of the log after three victories and one loss, followed by the Cheetah, the Lions and the Pumas. Boland Kavaliers are fifth, followed by the Stormers-23, the Sharks-fifteen and the Blue Bulls. Today’s matches see the Lions and Boland do battle in Johannesburg, and Griquas welcoming the Sharks to Kimberley. Tomorrow, Pumas will host the Stormers in Mbombela, and on Sunday, the Bulls face the Cheetahs at Loftus.

# Soccer: South Africa defeated Nigeria 2-1 in their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations playoff match in Morocco to qualify for the FIFA Playoff tournament for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. Goals from Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane secured the victory for Banyana Banyana. The next phase of the qualification process will be played in November and will feature two teams from Africa – South Africa and Ghana – two from Asia, and one each from Oceania and South America. The top two teams will advance to March’s final play-off round.

And staying with soccer: Ireland has also withdrawn its support for another term for FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The country’s governing body also confirmed its backing for European, American and Asian boards who accused him of breaking trust through deception. This follows his failed plan to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial operations to a private investment company. Wales and England last week withdrew their support. Ireland says the recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation by FIFA.

Stay tuned for more news………….