Today's sport news: What you need to know

Latest - The Kiwi Ferns have beaten Fetu Samoa 28-8 at Mt Smart Stadium in New Zealand's only international rugby league Test this year.

The home side took an early lead with debutant Karli Hansen crossing for a try in the second minute of the game, followed by a try to the experienced Honey Hireme-Smiler in the 10th minute and another first-gamer Autumn Stephens also scored before the half hour mark.

The Kiwi Ferns took a 16-4 lead into halftime.

In her first game for the Ferns Katelyn Vaha'akolo opened the scoring in the second half, Stephens scored another and Warriors player Crystal Tamarua rounded out the try scoring in the match marking the Kiwi Ferns 25th anniversary year.

Ricshay Lemanu and Leianne Tufuga scored for Fetu Samoa.

Black Ferns trial won by Possibles

The Possibles have taken out the Probables 28 -19 in a highly physical Black Ferns trial match at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday.

The trial match brought together 52 of the best women's players in the country, who all got game time.

Selica Winiata, Pip Love, Amy Rule and Kendra Cocksedge scored tries for the Possibles and Luka Connor, Lisa Molia and Patricia Maliepo crossed the try line for the Probables.

A spot in the Black Ferns squad wasn't the only thing up for grabs at North Harbour Stadium with money also being raised for charity.

AIG sponsored $100 for every point scored for the chosen charities with the Possibles playing for the Graeme Dingle Foundation and the Probables playing for the UpsideDowns Education Trust. A total of $4,700 was raised.

The Black Ferns and NZ Barbarians squads will be named on Monday for a two-game series later in November.

Saints go top of EPL

Southampton moved into first place in England's top flight for the first time since 1988 after a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The margin of the defeat flattered Newcastle who offered next to nothing as an attacking force.

Southampton's fifth league win of the season, having lost their opening two games, moved them to 16 points from eight games and above champions Liverpool on goal difference.

Newcastle are in 11th spot on 11 points.

Meanwhile All White Chris Woods' Burnley remain winless in the Premier League following a 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Burnley failed to score in their fourth straight game while Brighton missed a chance to pull clear of the drop zone with new signing Danny Welbeck wasting the best chance of the match.

The result left Brighton 16th in the table on six points from eight games while Burnley moved off the bottom into 19th on two points from seven.

-Reuters

NZ cyclist on podium in Spain

The New Zealand cyclist Dion Smith has made the podium on the latest stage of the Vuelta a Espana grand tour.

In a sprint finish to the 16th stage Smith actually crossed the line forth, but was promoted to third after another rider was relegated for a dangerous move.

Smith briefly held the King of the Mountain jersey on the 2018 Tour de France

Slovenian Primoz Roglic leads overall by 45 seconds with two stages remaining.

Another New Zealander George Bennett, Roglic's team-mate is 12th overall.

Williamson guides Hyderabad to IPL play-off win

Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore were eliminated from this year's Indian Premier League after Sunrisers Hyderabad prevailed in a low-scoring thriller to remain on course for a second IPL title on Friday.

Kane Williamson's unbeaten 50 and Jason Holder's crucial cameo secured Hyderabad's six-wicket victory with two balls to spare after they had restricted Bangalore to 131-7.

Hyderabad will take on Delhi Capitals in what is effectively a semi-final on Sunday with the winners meeting defending champions Mumbai in Tuesday's final in Dubai.

Bangalore spin duo of Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal restricted the Hyderabad batsmen but Williamson found the occasional boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Needing nine of the last over from Navdeep Saini, Holder, who made 24 not out, smashed back-to-back boundaries to seal their victory.

-Reuters

OGS says he's still the right man for Man U

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes he is still the right man to turn around the club's fortunes and retains the backing of the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

United have suffered three defeats in their opening six Premier League games and another loss against Everton this weekend would see them heading into the international break sitting just above the relegation zone.

A 2-1 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League on Wednesday brought Solskjaer's position under intense scrutiny, with British media reports linking former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino with the manager's job at United.

Solskjaer refused to comment on his future at the club but came out fighting in a news conference.

"If I don't trust my beliefs and values, my staff's qualities and the quality of my players, who else should?" the Norwegian said.

"I don't look at one or two results and fall like a house of cards.

"It's not long ago that we were the best thing since sliced bread when we beat RB Leipzig and Paris St Germain. There's ups and downs in football and that's just the way it has to be."

-Reuters

NBA sets start date

The NBA Players Association has tentatively approved Dec. 22 as the start date for the 2020-21 season with a reduced 72-game schedule.

The 2019-20 season was only completed in October after a four-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with teams competing in a bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

The start date announcement followed a formal vote of player representatives, NPBA said.

The NBA has pushed back the draft from Oct. 16 to Nov. 18, with training camps set to begin in early December.

ESPN had reported, citing unnamed sources, that finishing the 2020-21 season before next year's Tokyo Olympics in mid-July would be worth between $500 million and $1 billion in short and long-term revenues to the league and players.

-Reuters

Maradona being sedated

Argentina football great Diego Maradona has been sedated by doctors to help him cope with withdrawal symptoms and will remain in hospital, even though he would like to leave, his personal physician said.

"He wants to leave but he's going to stay," Leopoldo Luque said in a short statement outside the Buenos Aires clinic were Maradona is being treated.

"This was one of the few times where Diego has been told no."

Luque said the former Barcelona, Napoli and Boca Juniors player was being kept in after suffering some "episodes of confusion" due to enforced abstinence.

Luque did not say what Maradona was abstaining from but the Argentine has previously fought much publicised battles against drink and drug addiction.

The 60-year-old was taken into hospital on Tuesday and underwent emergency surgery for a subdural haematoma, a blood clot on the brain.

Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is considered one of the greatest players of all time, has suffered frequent periods in hospital over the years, often due to his extravagant lifestyle.

-Reuters