Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - The Football Ferns will take a knee joining a global call for greater racial equality in sport ahead of their opening Olympic match against Australia tonight in Tokyo.

New Zealand Olympic Committee chef de mission Rob Waddell said he fully backs the players as they become some of the first Olympic athletes to advocate for social justice under new IOC guidelines.

"We are delighted that the IOC has made room for athletes to use their voices for good at the Olympic Games and are proud of our athletes for making a global stand for greater racial equality.

"We fully support athlete advocacy where the New Zealand Team values are upheld.

The pressure goes on the Football Ferns right from the outset.

The Ferns are in a tough pool alongside Australia, world champions the USA and Rio silver medallists Sweden and must finish among the top two to advance to the quarter finals.

"Australia is one of the teams we are targeting to get a result. The Australians are the ones we know the best out of the three teams, we've got great familarity with them and we think if we get our preparation right, get our tactics right and everyone turns up on the day we can get a positive result," said coach Tom Sermanni.

- RNZ

Injury setback for the All Blacks Sevens

The All Blacks Sevens team will be without one of their senior players for the Tokyo Olympics.

Experienced forward Sam Dickson has been ruled out of the Games after suffering a hamstring injury during the team's training sessions in Townsville.

Dickson is one of just six New Zealanders to have played in 50 world series tournament and attended the Rio Olympics.

He has been replaced in the squad by travelling reserve Amanaki Nicole.

Meanwhile the IOC has made changes to the alternate replacement rule meaning sevens coaches will be able to call on an extra player during the Games.

The amendment to the rules sees teams able to pick from the 12 selected players and the alternative reserve in the starting 12 for each match in the tournament.

Previously the travelling reserves were only able to be used as a permanent injury replacement.

Naholo signs with Canterbury

Former All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo has been named in the Canterbury squad for the upcoming national provincial championship.

Naholo recently returned to New Zealand following an injury-plagued stint at London Irish.

The 30-year-old played the last of his 26 tests for the All Blacks in 2018 and previously played for Taranaki in the NPC.

The Canterbury squad also includes six current All Blacks; George Bridge, Braydon Ennor, Joe Moody, Richie Mo'unga, Codie Taylor, and Sam Whitelock as well as Fijian international Manasa Mataele and Manu Samoa flanker Henry Stowers.

Reed Prinsep will again captain Canterbury.

Cape Town to host all Lions tests

All three tests between world champions South Africa and the British & Irish Lions will be played in Cape Town, with officials wary that the risks associated of a return to the altitude of the Highveld are too great.

The second and third tests in the series were due to be staged in Johannesburg, but with South Africa experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 infections driven by high numbers in the Gauteng province, the decision has been made to remain in Cape Town beyond Saturday's first test.

All three tests will be played in front of empty stands at cape Town Stadium with South Africa in Level 4 lockdown, it's second most severe category.

Meanwhile Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has recovered from Covid-19 to be named in the starting XV for the first Test.

Kolisi leads a side which includes 11 of the players who started the World Cup final win over England in 2019.

Handre Pollard will win his 50th international cap after being selected at fly-half.

- Reuters

Fonua-Blake to lead Warriors

Front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake will lead a depleted Warriors side in Saturday's NRL match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on the Sunshine Coast.

Fonua-Blake has been named captain in the absence of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who suffered a concussion against the Panthers on Sunday.

Centre Rocco Berry, back-rower Tohu Harris and hooker Wayde Egan have also been ruled out with injuries suffered in the first half of the defeat to Penrith.

It is yet to be determined when Tuivasa-Sheck and Berry will be able to return, but Harris will miss the remainder of the season and Egan is also expected to be sidelined for a lengthy period.

Saturday's game will be the first Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has missed in what is his final NRL season before switching codes.

Kodi Nikorima has been named to take Tuivasa-Sheck's place at five-eighth, while Adam Pompey will replace Berry iin the centres.

Jack Murchie and Josh Curran have been promoted to the forward pack, with Jazz Tevaga shifting to hooker.

Rookie hooker Taniel Otukolo has been named on the bench for what will be his second appearance.

Blitz Boks get to train

South Africa's rugby sevens team, whose Olympic preparations have been hard hit by COVID-19, were able to train yesterday for the first time since arriving in Japan one week ago.

The Springbok Sevens are among the gold medal favourites but were forced into isolation on arrival in Japan because a passenger on the same plane tested positive and they were deemed close contacts.

Their coach Neil Powell has since tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will miss the Olympic men's competition from July 26-28.

But the rest of the squad have been cleared and trained at Shiranami Stadium in Kagoshima on Tuesday.

Powell is isolating for 14 days, and will continue to help the side he has coached since 2013, albeit through a computer screen, and will liaise with assistant coach Renfred Dazel on match day.

South Africa won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and they will be among the favourites again. They are in Group C with the United States, Kenya and Ireland.

- Reuters

Jacks Ridge is back

The Battle of Jacks Ridge motorsport event will return in November for a second edition.

Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen won the inaugural event last year on the purpose-built two kilometre piece of road in Whitford, south of Auckland.

Van Gisbergen will defend his crown against the country's leading rally drivers, including former WRC event winner Hayden Paddon.

"It was an awesome experience last year and I had a blast," van Gisbergen said.

"I am super keen to come back and have another go.

"The field will be competitive, and I will have my work cut out again in 2021, but I am really looking forward to it."