Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 1 March 12:30 pm

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

# We start with rugby: Taxpayers paid over 1.3-million-rand on travel and accommodation for super fans Mama Joy Chauke and Botha Msila during last year’s World Cup in France. The Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture provided this information to civil rights group AfriForum, which requested it under the Promotion of Access to Information Act. AfriForum’s campaign official, Charné Mostert, says certain details regarding the fans’ full spending remain undisclosed:

More rugby news: Blitzboks head coach Sandile Ngcobo believes his charges will be able to turn things around in the weekend’s world sevens series tournament in Los Angeles in the US. South Africa is in sixth place on the log after disappointing results in the past three events following their clinching of the Dubai title in the first tournament of the season. They face log leaders Argentina, Ireland and Spain in LA. Ngcobo is adamant the Blitzboks are good enough to win tournaments:

# Golf: South Africans Pieter Moolman and Shaun Norris share the lead after the first round of the SDC Championship at St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape. The pair struck seven-under-par 65 to lead England’s Daniel Brown by one shot. Defending champion Matthew Baldwin of England finished on two-under on 70. Norris says he is happy with how he was able to navigate the tricky conditions:

# Motorsport: Seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, says he was taken by surprise after topping the timesheets in yesterday’s second practice session at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Mercedes’ driver was quicker than his teammate George Russell with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finishing the session third. Hamilton says he is cautiously optimistic:

# And finally tennis: Three Grand Slam champions, American Venus Williams, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, and Britain’s Emma Raducanu, have been awarded wildcards for the Miami Open. Wozniacki, a finalist in Miami in 2017, returns for the first time since 2019, having taken a three-year break following the birth of her two children. The field will be led by world number one and 2022 champion Iga Swiatek of Poland and reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. The tournament starts on the 17th of this month.

Stay tuned for more news………….