Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 23 September 12:30 pm

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

# First up, rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admits he is rolling the dice in his team selection for Sunday’s one-off Test against Australia in Perth. He has made 13 changes to his starting team, with only lock Eben Etzebeth and wing Ethan Hooker remaining from the side which beat the All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore. Erasmus says he is trying to work out the balance of the team with the Nations Championship and next year’s World Cup in mind:

Meanwhile, eighthman Jasper Wiese will play his 50th Test for South Africa on Sunday when he starts on the bench. The 30-year-old made his debut in 2021. Versatile André Esterhuizen will lead the team in Siya Kolisi’s absence, becoming the 68th Springbok captain. Erasmus only retained nine players from the squad who clinched the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series. Kick-off is at 11:45 on Sunday morning, South African time.

# Cricket: Proteas batter David Miller has reaffirmed his commitment to the national team for the foreseeable future, despite not being contracted for the 2026/27 season. The 37-year-old was omitted from Cricket South Africa’s books after spending the last year on a hybrid deal, designed for single-format or veteran players. Miller will make his first one-day outing since March last year against Australia tomorrow. He says his goal is to be selected for next year’s World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

# Swimming: South Africa’s four-time Olympic medallist, Tatjana Smith, says her return to competition tomorrow is aimed at preparing for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. She entered for the 50-, 100- and 200-metres breaststroke in the South African short-course championships in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Twenty-nine-year-old Smith retired after the 2024 Paris Games, where she clinched gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, and silver in the 200-metre. The 50-metre event will be introduced for the first time in the US city, and Smith says that is what she will concentrate on.

# And lastly, tennis: Carlos Alcaraz heads into this weekend’s Laver Cup for Team Europe with a 19-2 career record against the Team World players. The Spaniard is unbeaten against Alex de Minaur and Francisco Cerundolo, while he leads Taylor Fritz 5-1 and Ben Shelton 3-1. He has also beaten Alexander Bublik in their only meeting, but has never faced Learner Tien. Alcaraz says Team Europe is determined to reclaim the trophy after losing 15-9 to Team World in San Francisco last year. The Laver Cup starts in London on Friday.

Stay tuned for more news………….