Today's sport news: what you need to know

Latest - South Africa have booked a spot in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup with a 66-7 win over 14-man Canada in Kobe.

Canada, who conceded 48 points to Italy and 63 to New Zealand in their opening matches, again found the going tough in Pool B as they conceded 10 tries to the dominant Springboks.

Halfback Cobus Reinach helped himself to a hat-trick in the opening 20 minutes while influential fly-half Elton Jantjies kicked his way to 16 points.

Canada, who trailed 47-0 at the break, also had to play more than half the game with a numerical disadvantage after Josh Larsen was sent off for a shoulder charge into the head of Thomas Du Toit.

South Africa made 13 changes for the game but there was no problem with their cohesion as they raced in front with a try after just two minutes.

South Africa are likely to finish second in pool B and play either Japan, Ireland or Scotland in the quarter-finals.

-AAP

Is he Joseph Parker or Peter Parker?

Heavyweight boxer Derek Chisora has taken a verbal swing at Joseph Parker after the New Zealander pulled out of this month's bout in London.

Chisora will now meet fellow Brit David Price at London's O2 Arena after Parker withdrew through illness citing a spider bite that had hampered his training.

"It didn't matter who got in the ring with me on October 26th I'm ready for WAR. Parker b*tched out, it's like he thinks he is Peter Parker not Joseph Parker with his Spider-Man excuses. It's cool, let him do his thing," Chisora said.

35 year old Zimbabwe-born Chisora has a record of (31-9, 22KO's), while Price is (25-6, 20 KOs).

Hong Kong Open postponed

This year's Hong Kong Squash Open has been postponed due to the current situation in the region.

The event was due to be played at the start of December, but it's now hoped it will be played next year.

The Professional Squash Association and Hong Kong Squash are in active discussions on identifying the best timing to schedule the event in 2020.

New Zealand's Joelle King won the women's title in Hong Kong last year, while Egypt's Mohamed ElShorbagy won the men's final.

It was ElShorbargy's fourth Hong Kong Open title in five years.

New team-mate for Scott Dixon

Scott Dixon has a new Indy Car team-mate.

Chip Ganassi Racing has announced that Marcus Ericsson will join fellow Swede Felix Rosenqvist and Dixon in the team, which is entering a third car next year.

Ericsson made his Indy Car debut this year, after making 97 starts in Formula 1 over five seasons.

"First of all I'm extremely happy and proud to get the opportunity to join Chip Ganassi Racing. It's a team of winners and their history speaks for itself," Ericsson said.

I'm very thankful that they believe in me and I will do everything I can to make 2020 another successful year for the team. I'm also very excited to work with two of the best drivers in the series in Scott and Felix."

Burgess out of GB team

South Sydney enforcer Sam Burgess has been forced out of the Great Britain rugby league squad that will face New Zealand and Papua New Guinea due to a shoulder injury.

The 30-year-old suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury in his club's NRL preliminary final defeat by Canberra Raiders in August and set to undergo surgery in Sydney.

The loss of Burgess, who made his Great Britain debut as an 18-year-old against the Kiwis in 2007, is a major blow for Wayne Bennett's team as they prepare to embark on the first Lions tour for 23 years.

The RFL announced a 16-man England squad for the World Cup Nines, with 11 players staying on for the Lions tour.

That squad will be boosted by other NRL-based players and representatives from Saturday's Grand Final between St Helens and Salford before it is announced on Monday.

-AAP

Biles becomes most decorated woman gymnast at world champs

The United States women cruised to their fifth consecutive team title at the gymnastics world championships in Stuttgart, with Simone Biles becoming the event's most decorated woman.

The Americans hardly made a mistake in the finals, with Biles helping them to a score of 172.330 -- 5.801 points more than second-placed Russia.

Italy took third spot for its first world team medal since 1950, while China slipped off the podium for the first time since 2003.

Biles secured her 21st world medal, overtaking Russia's Svetlana Khorkina for the women's record.

Only Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus has won more world medals with 23, which Biles could surpass by the end of the individual events this week.

-Reuters

Smith undecided on future

Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith says he will make a decision on his NRL playing future after a family holiday.

Speaking at the Storm end of season awards Smith said that he was still undecided about whether to play out the final year of his contract in 2020.

"I've got a break coming up so I will put my feet up for about 10 days and relax and come back refreshed and put this season's disappointment out of my mind and make a decision then," Smith said.

While Smith is still undecided, Will Chambers confirmed he will leave the Storm and return to rugby union.

The veteran centre, who joined the Storm initially back in 2007, has signed to play in Japan.

The 31-year-old was made life member of the NRL club at their end of season presentation night on Tuesday night.

Smith was pipped for the Storm player of the year award by Dale Finucane, with the lock storming home in the finals to overtake his captain in the voting.

-AAP

Murray beaten in China

Former world men's tennis number one Andy Murray has lost a fiery encounter with Italy's Fabio Fognini in the second round of the Shanghai Masters after twice failing to serve out the match.

The performance itself gave more than enough talking points, with Murray raising his level again to push a player ranked 12 in the world all the way before slipping to a 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-2) defeat.

Murray was furious with Fognini, who is no stranger to controversy, when he shouted as the Scot was about to put away a volley in the 11th game of the deciding set.

Murray confronted his opponent at the change of ends, telling the Italian to "shut up" as umpire Fergus Murphy tried to dissuade him from taking it any further.

Roger Federer marked his return to the tour with a straight-sets victory over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

-AAP

Schweinsteiger retires

Germany's 2014 World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement at the age of 35, following the end of the American MLS season.

Schweinsteiger, who has played for Chicago Fire since 2017, is among the most decorated German footballers, having won many titles with Germany's Bayern Munich and the national team over a 17-year professional career.

A midfielder, Schweinsteiger played for Bayern Munich from 2002 to 2015, winning eight league titles, seven German Cups and the 2013 Champions League with the dominant Bundesliga team.

He then had a brief stint at Manchester United from 2015-17 before joining Chicago Fire in the United States.

Schweinsteiger also earned 121 caps for Germany, scoring 24 goals and crowning his international career with the 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil.

-Reuters

NBA boss backs Rockets

NBA commissioner Adam Silver regrets the outcome, but said he continues to support the right of freedom of expression exercised by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.

Chinese state TV broadcaster CCTV announced it would not televise NBA games played this week involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, a sponsor of the Lakers-Nets game, led multiple Chinese companies suspending business with the NBA on Tuesday over Morey's comments and the NBA's support of Morey.

Morey sparked a firestorm by posting a comment via Twitter last week: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."

Silver said in Japan that he plans to be in Shanghai to meet with Chinese officials today.

"I'm sympathetic to our interests here and our partners that are upset," Silver said. "I don't think it's inconsistent on one hand to be sympathetic to them and at the same time stand by our principles. But if those are the consequences of us adhering to our values, I still feel it's very, very important to adhere to those values."

-Reuters

More money for English women's cricket

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced a funding boost for women's cricket of $38 million over the next two years in a bid to increase grassroots participation and make cricket a gender-balanced sport.

With an ambition of investing almost $100 million over the five years, the ECB launched an action plan that will allow organisations across the domestic cricket network to recruit more dedicated resources.

The funding will also ensure 40 full-time professional, domestic contracts to be handed out in addition to the existing central contracted players for England Women's elite players.

The ECB's 10-point plan focuses on increased girls participation, developing a pathway from under-11 to under-17 levels and raising the profile of the women's game through The Hundred - a new domestic tournament which begins in July 2020.

As part of the project, the ECB will also launch a new semi-professional, eight-team regional domestic structure for women's cricket.

-Reuters

Faroe Islands wants to go to the Olympics.

The Faroe Islands will step up its bid to become members of the Olympic family rather than compete under the flag of mother country Denmark, Prime Minister Barour a Steig Nielsen has said.

The archipelago located between Scotland and Iceland in the north Atlantic and self-governing since 1948 already competes as a football nation after being recognised by governing body FIFA, and has competed at the Paralympics since 1984.

Yet they have never received recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Former handball player Nielsen, who took office last month said he was committed to the dream of Faroese sportsmen and women competing at future Olympics.

-Reuters