Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 8 July 12:30 pm

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

# We kick off with rugby: Junior Springbok coach Bafana Nhleko has made seven changes to his team to take on England in Cape Town tomorrow in a must-win match in the World Rugby Under20 Championship. Likhona Finca will make his debut at right wing, while tighthead prop Herman Lubbe is set to earn his first cap off the bench. Having lost to Argentina, the hosts must beat England to stand a chance of making the semifinals. Only the top two teams in the pools go through.

In New Zealand, All Blacks scrumhalf TJ Perenara and English prop Joe Marler will both probably miss Saturday’s second Test in Auckland. Both were injured during the weekend’s first encounter in Dunedin, which New Zealand won 16-15. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson says a player is on standby should Perenara not recover from a knee injury he sustained when he collided with a teammate. He just returned after 18 months on the sidelines with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Marler injured his foot in his 95th Test.

# Cricket: The second of three Women’s T20 Internationals between South Africa and India in Chennai was called off at the halfway stage due to rain. Tazmin Brits scored her second consecutive half-century to help South Africa post a competitive 177 for six. Rain delayed India’s chase and the game was eventually abandoned, leaving the visitors still leading the series one-nil after winning the first T20 by 12 runs. The third and final match will take place at the same venue tomorrow.

# Tennis: Wimbledon’s women’s draw was blown wide open this weekend when both the top-two seeds were eliminated. After the exit of world number one, Iga Swiatek of Poland, and number two Coco Gauff of America, only two of the top ten remain. They are fourth-seeded Elena Rybankina of Kazakhstan and seventh-seeded Jasmine (Jazz-mien) Paolini of Italy. Local favourite Emma Raducano also lost, while 19th-seeded American Emma Navarro looks dangerous after beating both Gauff and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan.

And, former world number one Andy Murray expressed extreme disappointment after his Wimbledon career came to a sudden halt. Raducano unexpectedly withdrew from their mixed doubles partnership due to a stiff wrist, saying she couldn’t play doubles on top of singles. Thirty-seven-year-old Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and ’16, hinted earlier he would retire after the Olympic Games. He had to withdraw from the singles, and he and his brother Jamie were defeated in the first round of the men’s doubles.

Stay tuned for more news………….