Latest - World champions France started their Euro 2020 campaign with a 1-0 win over Germany thanks to a Mats Hummels' own goal in a high-quality heavyweight Group F match.
Mats Hummels Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Hummels - recalled for this tournament after being told by coach Joachim Low in 2019 that his international career was over - diverted Lucas Hernandez's cross into his own net in the first half of a fascinating contest in Munich.
Tournament favourites France were marginally the better of the two sides, but appeared to be in third gear for much of it.
Germany came into the finals with big questions over their best XI as well as their chances of success after an uncharacteristically turbulent few years, but proved typically competitive finals opponents.
France's win means they and Portugal, who beat Hungary 3-0 in Budapest earlier, take the early initiative in a highly competitive Group F.
Ronaldo netted twice for Portugal to move beyond France's Michel Platini as the record goalscorer at European Championship finals, taking his tally to 11 in Budapest.
-Reuters
Fiji missing a couple of stars
Fiji will be without star backs Semi Radradra and Josua Tuisova for the two tests against the All Blacks next month.
Semi Radradra Photo: Photosport
Radradra is unable to get to New Zealand in time to complete the 14 days' mandatory quarantine due to his club Bristol Bears playing in the English Premiership semi-finals this weekend against Harlequins.
There is also no place in the squad for Tuisova, who plays in the French Top 14 for Lyon.
The Crusaders winger Manasa Mataele has been selected.
Fiji play two Test matches against New Zealand on July 10 and 17 in Dunedin and Hamilton repectively.
Levani Botia will lead the Flying Fijians in an extended squad that consists of 14 players from France, five each from England and Scotland, three from Australia, two from New Zealand, while four are Fiji based. Veterans Nemani Nadolo, Leone Nakarawa, Peceli Yato and Ben Volavola are included in the group.
Ferguson to play The Hundred
New Zealand bowler Lockie Ferguson will play The Hundred cricket tournament in Britain next month.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ferguson replaces Kagiso Rabada in the Manchester Originals squad after the South African withdrew because of Covid-19 related issues.
Rabada is currently involved in South Africa's tour of the West Indies and is in their squad for a tour of Ireland which follows, running until the end of July.
Ferguson is currently playing for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast.
The 30 year old has played one Test, 13 Twenty20 internationals and 37 one-day internationals, including in the 2019 World Cup final against England when he took 3-50.
The eight team men's and women's The Hundred tournament, which has 100 balls per innings, runs from July 21 to August 22.
Ferguson joins fellow New Zealanders Kane Williamson, Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr in the tournament.
Medvedev misfires in Halle
World number two Daniil Medvedev's Wimbledon preparations suffered a setback when he was bundled out by Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets in the opening round of the ATP 500 tournament in Halle.
Danill Medvedev Photo: Icon Sportswire
In his first match of the grasscrout season, top seed Medvedev made a bright start to open up a commanding 5-2 lead in the opening set before Struff roared back into the contest.
Medvedev, who suffered a quarter-final exit at the French Open, will hope he rediscovers his touch on grass before he resumes his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon starting June 28.
He has never progressed beyond the third round at the grasscourt major since his main draw debut in 2017.
Meanwhile world number one Novak Djokovic has taken an unusual route to prepare for his title defence at Wimbledon by confirming his participation in doubles at next week's ATP grasscourt event in Mallorca, Spain.
-Reuters
Eriksen feeling fine
Denmark's Christian Eriksen said he was feeling "fine -- under the circumstances" and expressed gratitude for the flood of messages he had received after he suffered a cardiac arrest during their Euro 2020 opener last weekend.
A message from @ChrisEriksen8.
— DBU - En Del Af Noget Større (@DBUfodbold) June 15, 2021
♥️ pic.twitter.com/WDTHjqE94w
His first public comment since the collapse on the pitch came as his team mates were preparing for Denmark's second Group B game against Belgium on Friday.
"Big thanks for your sweet and amazing greetings and messages from all around the world. It means a lot to me and my family," Eriksen said in a post on the national team's Instagram profile. "I'm fine -- under the circumstances."
The post was accompanied by a picture of the 29-year-old lying in a hospital bed, smiling and giving a thumbs-up.
"But I feel okay. Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches, Play for all of Denmark," he added.
-Reuters
South African teams confirmed in European rugby
South African teams could feature in Europe's elite club rugby competitions from the 2022-23 season following the formation of the United Rugby Championship which was unveiled today.
The Super Rugby side the Sharks in action against the Bulls. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers will square up against four sides from each of Wales and Ireland, and two from Scotland and Italy, in a revamp of the PRO14 competition that is set to kick off in September.
The move has long been mooted and will now allow South African clubs to qualify for either the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, subject to the finalisation of an agreement with European Professional Club Rugby, which owns the competitions.
South African sides have previously played in Super Rugby against teams from Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, but dwindling interest in that competition has seen them break away from their Southern Hemisphere rivals and look north to the more lucrative European market.
The URC will take place across 18 rounds with each team's fixtures comprising of six home and away fixtures against their regional pool opponents, and 12 home or away fixtures against the remaining teams in the league.
This will be followed by a knockout stage starting with the quarter-finals.
-Reuters
Anfield to be expanded
Liverpool have been granted planning permission for their proposed expansion of the Anfield Road stand which would increase the capacity at Anfield to over 61,000.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The redevelopment will increase the ground's capacity by around 7,000, making Anfield the third-largest stadium in the Premier League by capacity, after Manchester United's Old Trafford and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Liverpool have also been given permission to host up to six concerts and major events at Anfield for a period of five years.
Liverpool also announced they will run a 12-month trial of rail seating at Anfield from the start of the 2021-22 season.
Liverpool said the new seats are not "safe standing" areas but the design will allow fans to stand safely at key moments in the game.
All-seater stadiums were made mandatory in the Premier League and Championship by the 1990 Taylor Report which ordered clubs to convert their stands by 1994 following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
-Reuters
Record rowing entries
A record number of countries have qualified the Tokyo Olympics rowing regatta.
With confirmation of a crew from Kuwait, 80 countries are heading to Tokyo, an increase on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by 11 nations.
In the qualified mix are nine countries competing in Olympic rowing for the first time... Ivory Coast, Benin, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Namibia, Morocco, Uganda, Sudan and Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand will take its biggest ever rowing squad to an Olympics with a 32-strong squad selected in 9 crews.
The squad surpasses the 31 rowers sent to Rio in 2016.
-World Rowing
