Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 16 July 12:30 pm

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

# We start with rugby: Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids says they are determined to return to their high standard of play when they face Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The Boks stuck to a six-two split for the drawn Ireland series that worked out in the first Test they won 27-20 at Loftus Versfeld but was tested in the 25-24 loss at Kings Park this past Saturday. Davids says the team is highly motivated to bounce back strongly from last week’s defeat:

Meanwhile, Springbok utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mmgomezulu has proven his quality during the second Test against Ireland. The 22-year-old was thrown into the deep end when Willie le Roux was injured in the second minute. He has started on the bench for all three Tests this season. Mmgomezulu says he felt more at home as the game progressed:

# Cricket: Australian Test captain Pat Cummins is rested for the white-ball tour or England and Scotland, and the team will be led by Mitchell Marsh. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will miss the T20s and only play the one-day matches. Cooper Connolly will make his T20 debut. Australia first plays three T20s against Scotland in Edinburgh, and then three T20s against England, followed by five ODI’s. The Baggy Green hosts India for a series of five Tests from November.

# Golf: Fifteen-time Major champion Tiger Woods returns to action at The Open at Royal Troon in Scotland this week after missing last year’s contest through injury. The former world number one is set to complete all four majors for the first time in a calendar year since 2019. The 48-year-old American missed the halfway cut at both the US PGA Championship and US Open this year and has not played since, but insists he feels strong enough to compete.

# And Olympics: World Aquatics says the International Testing Agency has committed to testing Chinese athletes eight times, twice as much as is standard, ahead of the Games in Paris. Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, which can enhance performance, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but were still allowed to compete. Eleven of the 23 swimmers will compete in Paris. World Aquatics says trust in the anti-doping system has been weakened by the handling of this situation.