Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 25 February 12:30 pm

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

# We kick off with rugby: Springbok and Stormers prop Steven Kitshoff was forced to announce his retirement due to a serious neck injury. Doctors advised him it would be highly dangerous to continue playing. The 33-year-old played 83 Tests for South Africa, winning two World Cups, a British and Irish Lions series and a Rugby Championship. He also played 138 games for the Stormers. Kitshoff says the game has been his life from a young age, and he was lucky enough to live the dream of many young boys.

More bad news for the Boks is that prop Trevor Nyakane could miss the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon while playing for the Sharks. He twisted his ankle during the United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls the previous weekend, and underwent an operation. The 35-year-old shared a post on social media, saying his doctors were very satisfied after the procedure. He says he just has to stay positive during his journey to recovery. Nyakane says he still hopes to keep on playing for another three years.

# Golf: The City of Johannesburg says it is ready to host elite golfers from across the globe, as the 17th edition of the Joburg Open returns to the Houghton next week. The course has a proud history as a championship facility, having hosted no fewer than eight SA Open events. The metro’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says behind-the-scenes preparations are underway, and marketing efforts have been intensified to attract more spectators to this year’s edition of the tournament:

# Cricket: New Zealand is through to the Champions Trophy semifinals, after beating Bangladesh by five wickets in Rawalpindi. Spinner Michael Bracewell returned career-best ODIone-day international figures of four for 26 to help restrict Bangladesh to 236 for nine. In reply, Rachin Ravindra scored his fourth ODI century, as the Black Caps reached the target with over three overs to spare. New Zealand’s victory meant hosts Pakistan had been eliminated from the tournament, while India has also secured a place in the last four.

# And finally, motorsport: MotoGP world champion, Jorge Martin, will miss this weekend’s first race of the season, the Grand Prix of Thailand, after suffering a new injury during training in his home country. The 27-year-old Spaniard had undergone surgery earlier this month after breaking his right hand and foot in a crash in Malaysia. Martin’s new Aprilia team says he now fractured his left hand during a training session and will undergo surgery in Barcelona today. The recovery time will be assessed post-surgery.

Stay tuned for more news………….