Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - The six teams in the Auckland region will remain on the sidelines when New Zealand's provincial rugby competitions resume next week.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has confirmed the men's and women's NPC and the men's Heartland Championship would recommence from next Friday.

However, with the Auckland region in Covid alert level four until at least next Tuesday, a return date for the Auckland, Counties Manukau and North Harbour teams was yet to be decided.

All other teams would be back at training on Wednesday, giving them more than a week to prepare for the resumption of the respective competitions.

NZR said a revised draw for all three competitions would be released "in due course", with the intention still to complete all three in full.

The six teams in the Auckland region would play catch-up matches later in the season.

Blues re-sign MacDonald

Blues head coach Leon MacDonald has signed a two-year contract extension with the Super Rugby side.

The former All Blacks fullback took over the top job in 2019 when Tana Umaga decided to step aside to become defensive coach.

After a mixed performance in 2020, the Blues made big strides under MacDonald in 2021 to clinch the Super Rugby trans-Tasman trophy.

The 43-year-old said there was a lot more to do with the "massive talent-pool" in the wider Auckland region.

MacDonald said a key reason for extending his stay at the Blues was the quality of his coaching group led by assistant coaches Coventry, Halangahu and Afeaki.

The Blues were searching for a new defensive coach after Umaga decided to pursue his family business interests.

Tuipulotu to Toyota

Toyota Verblitz have signed All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu ahead of the new Japanese Top League season.

They have also signed South Africa loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit.

Tuipulotu, who led the Blues to this year's Super Rugby Trans-Tasman title, signed a contract with New Zealand Rugby through to 2025 and the new deal permitted him to move to Japan with a return home slated for mid-2022.

Tuipulotu is reunited with former All Blacks' World Cup-winning coach Steve Hansen, who is now director of rugby at the club, while he will be playing under coach Simon Cron, also a New Zealander.

Du Toit was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2019 when the Springboks won the World Cup.

Verblitz lost to the Panasonic Wild Knights in the semi-finals last season.

The new season is scheduled to kick off in January.

-Reuters

Europe maintain Solheim Cup dominance

Team Europe held off a late American charge to retain the Solheim Cup on the final day at the Inverness Club.

The 26-year-old Finn Matilda Castren sank a put on the last hole to edge her match against Lizette Salas and take Europe to their target of 14 points with three matches still to complete.

They had started the day 9-7 ahead and won a further four matches with two halves ensuring the all-important 14-point tally to retain the trophy won at Gleneagles two years ago.

Rookie Leona Maguire beat Jennifer Kupcho five & four to pick up the first point of the day and extend Europe's lead as she became only the third player in Solheim Cup history to earn four or more points in a single competition.

It was quickly followed by Madelene Sagstrom bagging another point with a three & two win over Ally Ewing and then Celine Boutier completed a resounding five & four victory over Mina Harigae in a blemish free performance.

The much-anticipated contest between Anna Nordqvist and Lexi Thompson, who were the first singles pairing to tee off on the final day, was halved after 18 holes to take Europe even closer, but then began a gripping U.S. fightback.

The first full point of the day for the Americans came from World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who beat Georgia Hall on the last hole at the end of a close contest that finally gave the partisan crowd reason to cheer.

Home momentum faltered as Austin Ernst missed a short birdie put on the last and halved with Nanna Koerstz Madsen but then Megan Khang and Brittany Altomare revived American hopes to reduce Europe's lead to 13-11.

Khang, who was six up at one stage, completed a three & two win over Sophia Popov while Altomare ended Carlota Ciganda's unbeaten singles record in the Solheim Cup with a two & one victory.

However, Castren then steered in a right to left par putt on the 18th to edge Salas and ensure Europe retained the trophy with three matches still to complete.

-Reuters

Routliffe and partner beaten at the US Open

The doubles run is over for New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and her Canadian partner Leylah Fernandez at the US Open.

They have been beaten 6-1 4-6 6-2 an hour and 56 minutes by the Romanian pair of Monica Niculescu and Elena Gabriela Ruse.

Routliffe and Fernandez never really got going in the first set and paid the price for low first serve percentages as the hard-hitting Romanians broke at will in the first set to take it in 30 minutes.

It looked dire when the Romanians broke again at the start of the second set before Routliffe and Fernandez finally got a foot hold in the match.

Fernandez who was playing on her 19th birthday is through to the quarter finals in the singles after her stunning wins over defending champion Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber in the previous two rounds.

For Routliffe who won her first two matches at a Grand Slam at the US Open, it is a breakthrough performance and will see her ranking climb from 108 at the start of the tournament to around 78 which will be a career high for the 26-year-old.

It will ensure she can get into WTA tournaments each week.

Bottas to leave Mercedes and race for Alfa Romeo in 2022

Valtteri Bottas will leave Mercedes and race for Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo in a multi-year deal from 2022, the Swiss-based Formula One team said in a statement.

The Finn's departure clears the way for George Russell, 23, to leave Williams and join seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in an all-British line-up.

"A new chapter in my racing career is opening," said Bottas, a nine-times grand prix winner, who will replace retiring compatriot and 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Bottas, 32, joined Mercedes from Williams in 2017 after the abrupt retirement of 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg and he said he was proud of what he had achieved alongside Hamilton.

"It has been a privilege and a great sporting challenge to work with Lewis, and the harmony in our relationship played a big part in the constructors' championships we won as team mates," he said.

Mercedes have won the last seven drivers' and constructors' championships.

Alfa boss Frederic Vasseur, who worked with Bottas when the Finn was coming through the junior series, said the driver had shown he was a strong team player.

Mercedes paid tribute to Bottas, without any mention of his replacement.

-Reuters