The Crusaders medical team has announced that the knee injury to Joe Moody will put him out for the season.
Joe Moody Photo: Photosport Ltd
A specialist confirmed that he ruptured his ACL playing against the Blues in round nine of Super Rugby Pacfic.
Moody will have surgery to repair the injury and has been ruled out of rugby for the remainder of 2022.
The 33 year old prop has 57 caps for the All Blacks since debuting in 2014.
This is the latest in a number of frustrating injuries for Moody, who late last year signed on with New Zealand Rugby through until the end of 2024.
Pulse win third match in a row
The Northern Stars have faced another difficult challenge in their ANZ Premiership campaign - falling to the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse 56-46 in Auckland.
Pulse mid-courter Maddy Gordon Photo: Photosport Ltd
Turnovers and missed shots at goal cost the Stars, as they were forced to chase the Pulse for the whole contest.
The Pulse got away to a strong start, ahead 28-20 at the half-time break.
The Stars closed the gap slightly late in quarter, but the Pulse still held a handy 43-30 advantage after three quarters, with Aliyah Dunn near-faultless.
Passes stuck and composure returned, as the Stars made a positive push and building some much needed momentum - winning the final quarter 16-13.
The result sees the Stars drop to a three win, three loss record from six games played, while the Pulse have five wins and three losses in their campaign.
The two teams won't have to wait long to battle each other - with their next meeting on Sunday in Palmerston North.
Osaka focusing positivity in lead up to the French Open
Naomi Osaka says she is filtering out any negativity in her preparation for the claycourt season as she continues to heal from being heckled in a second round loss at Indian Wells last month.
Naomi Osaka Photo: AFP
The four-times Grand Slam champion was broken in the first game at the tournament in California when a fan shouted "Naomi, you suck" and Osaka could later be seen wiping away tears.
However, the Japanese said her focus was on the positive ahead of the Madrid Open beginning this week.
"I'm not going to lie, it's not like everyday is being perfect," Osaka told reporters when speaking about her struggles with mental health.
"I talk to my therapist at least once a week and I just try to be more open to things. Say something happens that kind of throws my off my groove, I try to see it from a different perspective. I was talking to my therapist about that, being more open to all the possibilities.
Osaka added that she is staying away from Twitter because "it is way more negative than Instagram".
She also said that the Indian Wells experience allowed her another opportunity to grow as she looks to recover her world number one ranking, having slipped to 36 since taking a break from tennis following her upset loss at last year's U.S. Open.
After losing in straight sets to current world number one Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open final earlier this month, Osaka went to Rafa Nadal's home in Mallorca to prepare for the claycourt season and made a few tweaks to her game inspired by the 21-times Grand Slam winner.
"I stole one of the things that he does and I've been practicing it recently so it will either go really good or really bad. There is no in-between," Osaka joked.
-Reuters
England advertise for separate red-ball, white-ball coaches
The England cricket board look set to return to a split coaching set-up after inviting applications for two new head coaches, following Chris Silverwood's resignation.
Paul Collingwood Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Silverwood resigned in February in the aftermath of the team's 4-0 Ashes test series defeat in Australia, with Paul Collingwood named the interim coach.
The appointment of the new coaches is the latest step in a shake-up of the ECB's management structure, with former England batter Rob Key being appointed as the managing director of the country's men's cricket team earlier this month.
Key's appointment came two days after Joe Root stepped down as test captain following dispiriting tours of Australia and the Caribbean, overseeing only one victory in England's last 17 tests.
The last time England had separate coaches for red-ball and white-ball cricket was between 2012 and 2014, when Andy Flower was test coach while Ashley Giles led the one-day international and Twenty20 international teams.
British media has linked former India head coach Gary Kirsten with the England job, while Collingwood is also considered to be a leading candidate. The deadline for applications is May 6.
-Reuters
Vince Wilfork's son pleads guilty to stealing Super Bowl rings
The son of former All-Pro defensive tackle Vince Wilfork pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of his father's jewelry, including two Super Bowl rings.
D'Aundre Holmes-Wilfork received five years of probation after pleading guilty to theft of property greater than $300,000.
Wilfork reported in May 2021 that he was missing his Super Bowl rings in addition to AFC championship rings, a college football national championship ring, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Wilfork first noticed the items were missing a year prior but believed them to be in storage.
He was contacted by a New England Patriots fan earlier in 2021 when the Super Bowl rings were up for sale, alerting him to the theft.
Holmes-Wilfork's attorney said the all parties are trying to move forward from the situation.
Wilfork played in the NFL from 2004-16, primarily as a member of the Patriots, winning Super Bowls with the club following the 2004 and 2014 seasons.
-Field level media
