Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 23 October 12:30 pm

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

# We begin with cricket: Proteas captain Temba Bavuma is proud of how the team rallied together to win the rain-affected second Test against Australia in Gqeberha. South Africa won by an innings and 31 runs to set up a series decider in Cape Town next week. Standout performances included Bavuma’s career-best 179, and fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who took a combined 12 wickets. Bavuma says impressive all-round individual performances make his job much easier:

# Rugby: Italian referee Andrea Piardi will again take charge of a Springbok Test next month after last month’s controversial match against the Wallabies in Perth, when he issued Australia four yellow cards in the final ten minutes. He will handle the Boks’ Nations Championship clash with France in Paris on the 13th. South Africa will face Italy in Turin the previous week, and Ireland in Dublin on the 21st. Scotland’s female referee, Hollie Davidson, will handle the match between France and Argentina on the same day.

Staying with rugby: The Bulls will have to do without Springbok scrumhalf Embrose Papier for several weeks after undergoing surgery. The 29-year-old suffered an ankle injury after coming off the bench in the 56-20 Champions Cup victory over Stade Français last Saturday. Papier’s absence leaves Paul de Wet and Zak Burger as the scrumhalf options for tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship clash against Ulster at Loftus. De Wet retains the number nine jersey alongside flyhalf Handré Pollard, with coach Johan Ackermann keeping his starting backline unchanged despite making wholesale changes to the forward pack.

# Soccer: The United States will host the inaugural edition of the Women’s Club World Cup in January 2028. Seven clubs have already qualified for the 19-team competition, courtesy of winning continental tournaments in the past two seasons. The list includes Women’s Super League side Arsenal of England, current European champions Barcelona of Spain, and Corinthians of Brazil. FIFA’s chief for women’s soccer, Sarai Bareman, says America’s recent excellence in staging top FIFA tournaments, combined with the significant interest in the women’s game plus its elite sporting infrastructure, made the country the standout option.

# And motorsport: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli admits claiming his maiden Formula One title in the US Grand Prix this weekend would be a dream. The Italian leads the drivers’ championship by a season-high 102 points. To become world champion on Sunday, Antonelli will need to win the race and hope his teammate George Russell finishes no higher than ninth and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower. Antonelli intends to just have fun:

Stay tuned for more news………….