Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 27 August 12:30 pm

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

# We start with rugby: All Blacks assistant and forwards coach, Jason Ryan, says they are preparing for a physical onslaught from the Springboks in their Rugby Championship Test at Ellis Park on Saturday. Ryan says they are confident they will be able to compete with South Africa’s ferocious pack:

# On to cricket: Only pride is at stake for the Proteas in tonight’s final T20 against the Windies in Tarouba. The hosts already clinched the series after winning the first two encounters. They beat South Africa by seven wickets in the first match, and by 30 runs in the second. The Proteas now return to South Africa to start preparing for a full summer, including series against Afghanistan, Ireland and Sri Lanka, before facing Pakistan in three T20s, three one-day matches and two Tests.

# Athletics: South Africa’s Bradley Nkoana will make his World Athletics Under-20 Championships debut in Lima, Peru, in the 100-metre heats today. He formed part of South Africa’s silver medal-winning men’s four-by-100-meter team at the Olympic Games earlier this month. Some one-thousand-700 athletes from more than 130 countries will compete for honours over the next five days. Nkoana says winning a medal in Paris was very special:

# Tennis: Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz says he should be fine for his first match in the US Open after an injury scare. He stopped practising as a precaution on Saturday after twisting his ankle. The third-seeded Spaniard says he felt comfortable a few hours later, and isn’t worried about his participation in the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. He faces world number 189, Australian Li Tu, in the first round at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Meanwhile, women’s defending champion Coco Gauff says she is not putting pressure on herself. The American started her title defence with a dominant 6-2, 6-love victory over France’s Varvara Gracheva. World number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus beat Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon 6-3, 6-3, while 2017 champion Sloane Stephens of the US was knocked out by France’s Clara Burel. Gauff says her performance against Gracheva was the best she has played in a while:

Stay tuned for more news………….