Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 30 August 12:30 pm

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

# Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry trophy splits into two halves, yet is held together by magnetism to capture the unique bond between the Springboks and All Blacks. The trophy design resembles a blade of grass, with South Africa’s half featuring artwork by Bonolo Chepape, and New Zealand’s half adorned with Māori art elements designed by Kereama Taepa. The winners of the four-Test series will receive both halves following the final Test in Baltimore in the US on 12 September. If the series is drawn, each nation will retain one half of the trophy.

South African URC Player of the Season, Embrose Papier, won two major honours at the Bulls’ annual awards. The Springbok scrumhalf was named the Players’ Player of the Year and Senior most valuable Player of the Year. Loose forward Jeandré Rudolph won the 2025 Currie Cup Player of the Year and Forward of the Year in the Champions Cup. Winger Cheswill Jooste was recognised as Newcomer of the Year. On the women’s side, the Bulls Daisies’ Camelitha Malone won two awards, including Players’ Player of the Year.

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis believes her team has what it takes to qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup, but admits the intercontinental play-off qualifying matches in November will be tough. The draw will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, today, with South Africa, Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and Ghana all in the hat. Ellis says they will have to be at their very best to reach the final stage of qualifying:

# Tennis: World number 24 Tommy Paul knocked out top seed Alexander Zverev to reach the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals. The American beat the German tot set up a clash with Italian Flavio Cobolli, who defeated Spaniard Rafael Jodar. In the women’s draw, defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland beat France’s Diane Parry to reach her fourth consecutive quarterfinal in Cincinnati. She will face world number two, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Third-seeded American Jessica Pegula battled past Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

And mor tennis: Controversial Australian player Nick Kyrgios publicly apologised after being provisionally suspended from the game for testing positive for cocaine. The 31-year-old, known for his regular outbursts on court, had been sidelined with injuries in recent years after reaching Wimbledon’s final in 2022. He reached a career-high world ranking of 13th in October 2016. Kyrgios says he made a huge mistake after testing positive for a cocaine metabolite during a tournament in Mallorca, Spain, in June.

Stay tuned for more news………….