SPORTS - Page 26

The 2023 Rugby World Cup final will occur on Oct. 28 at 1900 GMT at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis in France. The match between the winners of the first semi-final between host France and Ireland and the second semi-final between South Africa and England will decide who wins the Webb Ellis Cup. The All Blacks, who have won the most World Cup titles, are favorites to win again. The Springboks are ranked third in the world and will seek

Freddie Steward is back at fullback to start Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa, while Joe Marler and George Martin are drafted into the pack in the team named by England coach Steve Borthwick on Thursday. Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum move to the bench, but there is no place in the squad for Marcus Smith, the starting fullback against Fiji who left the field with a bloodied nose after a clash of heads with Harlequins teammate Vinaya Habosi.

Brazil superstar Neymar is to undergo surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, Brazil’s FA said on Wednesday. The 31-year-old went down after tussling for the ball with Uruguay’s Nicolas de la Cruz in the 44th minute of his side’s 2-0 defeat on Tuesday, holding his left leg in pain and calling for medical attention as his teammates looked on anxiously. The ex-Barcelona and Paris St Germain

William Karlsson and Kaedan Korczak each had a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Marchessault scored the game-winner in the third round of a shootout as the Vegas Golden Knights remained undefeated with a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. It was the teams’ first meeting since the Knights eliminated the Stars in six games last spring to advance to the Stanley Cup final. The defending champions have won their first four games of

Liverpool forward Neymar exited Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay with what appeared to be a severe knee injury. The former Barcelona star tripped and fell during a run in the first half in Montevideo and was carried off on a stretcher in tears, with Richarlison coming on to replace him. Per Brazilian broadcaster Globo, a medical team said the knee twist appeared severe and could lead to ligament damage. It would be a massive blow for the 26-year-old, who

Luciano Spalletti had planned to tap into the recent Premier League experience of Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali for Italy’s Euro 2024 qualifier against England at Wembley. Both players featured in his first game in charge of the Azzurri last month were called again for this latest international round. On Friday, however, they left Italy’s training base after being informed that they were investigated by public prosecutors in Turin. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) sent them back to their clubs

Ruthless South Africa extinguished the flames of a home fairytale to reach the last four of this year’s World Cup, beating France 29-28 in a ferocious and breath-taking quarter-final on Sunday. The Springboks’ experience made the difference against a French team playing their first knockout game since coach Fabien Galthie took over at the Stade de France in February 2014. The South African side has essentially the same team that started the tournament and will play in the final on

Spain clinched a place at Euro 2024 as teenager Gavi’s second-half goal was enough to beat Norway 1-0 away on Sunday, ensuring the 2008 and 2012 European champions qualified with two games to spare. Barcelona midfielder Gavi bounced a shot into the corner in Oslo as the Spaniards moved top of Group A on 15 points, while their victory ensured Scotland and Turkey also made it to Germany next year. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was full of praise

The FIA has revealed they are revisiting the incident in which Lewis Hamilton crossed a live track without permission at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix amid concern the penalty was not harsh enough. The seven-times world champion collided with Mercedes teammate George Russell at the first corner at Lusail, abandoning his car in the gravel and crossing the track to return to the pit lane. Stewards later reprimanded him and fined him 50,000 euros, half of which was suspended for

The semi-finals of the World Cup will take place on Oct. 20-21 in France, with the defending champions South Africa facing New Zealand and England taking on Argentina. The matches will have huge ramifications as the winners advance to the final on Oct. 28 and win the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup. With 20 teams competing for the title, it’s difficult to predict who will win this year. But some contenders can upset the odds and lift the trophy. The defending