Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 23 May 12:30 pm

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

# We start with rugby: Former New Zealand captain, Sam Cane, and Ireland greats, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray, have been revealed as the first players included in the Barbarians squad to play South Africa in Cape Town next month. The trio, who have 352 international caps to their name, will represent the team for the first time. Head coach Robbie Deans says his squad will be a blend of high-profile global international stars and other standout performers from European clubs, Super Rugby and the Japanese league.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named a 41-member preliminary squad for next month’s international friendlies against Tanzania and an as-yet-unnamed second opponent. Broos has called up several new faces, including Orlando Pirates sensation Mbekezeli Mbokazi, his teammate Simphiwe Selepe, and Kaizer Chiefs youngster Mduduzi Shabalala. The matches will serve as crucial preparation for Bafana Bafana’s upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September and October. The preliminary squad will be trimmed to 23 players in the coming days.

# Tennis: The top-two players in the world, Jannik Sinner of Italy and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, will become the youngest top-seeds in a Grand Slam tournament in almost two decades when the French Open starts in Paris on Sunday. Swiss maestro Roger Federer was 25 and Alcaraz’s compatriot, Rafael Nadal, 20 when they were the number one and two seeds in the US Open in 2006. Sinner is 23 and Alcaraz 22. Their seedings mean they won’t meet each other at Roland Garros before the final.

Alcaraz will begin his French Open title defence against Japan’s Kei Nishikori, and Sinner plays home hopeful Arthur Rinderknech. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic starts his quest for a record-setting 25th Grand Slam title against American Mackenzie McDonald. Last year’s runner-up, German Alexander Zverev, plays US teenager Learner Tien. Poland’s Iga Swiatek faces a difficult route to a fourth successive title. She is in the same quarter as 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy, former champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and 2022 Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

# And finally, motorsport: George Russell believes Mercedes needs to find more performance in the car at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Briton finished seventh at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola last weekend, the first time this season he has finished outside the top five. Russell, who is currently fourth in the drivers’ championship, says the new two-pit-stop regulation for Monaco will be an opportunity for Mercedes:

Stay tuned for more news………….