Latest - Ten players from the Wellington Phoenix club have been included in Gemma Lewis's 21-player Junior Football Ferns squad for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica next month.
Kate Taylor Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Spearheaded by captain Kate Taylor, who won her first senior international caps against Norway and Wales last month, the squad also features five-cap Fern Ava Collins, while defender Marisa van der Meer was part of the Tokyo Olympics squad last year.
Three players - van der Meer, Grace Wisnewski and Macey Fraser - were also part of the bronze medal winning team at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2018.
New Zealand play Germany, Colombia and Mexico in their group.
"It's a tough group, but any group for a world cup is tough," said Lewis.
New Zealand's best performance in the FIFA U-20 World Cup remains the quarterfinal appearance in Canada in 2014 when the Aaron McFarland-coached side went down to 4-1 to eventual finalists Nigeria.
The Junior Football Ferns will depart for Costa Rica on 29 July.
Some players not happy with Manly pride jersey
Several Manly players are considering boycotting Thursday night's NRL match with the Sydney Roosters over the Sea Eagles' decision to wear a gay pride jersey in the fixture.
Photo: Manly Sea Eagles
The Sea Eagles announced on Sunday night that they would wear an LGBTQIA+ jersey for the match, with a rainbow design replacing the strip's white hoops.
But that decision has caused some unrest among players who are unhappy they were not consulted by club management.
Kieran Foran, Reuben Garrick and Sean Keppie were among those to help launch the strip but other players claim they learned about the move over social media on Sunday night.
Their concerns relate to questions that could arise from within their respective cultures.
Club great Ian Roberts, who in 1995 became the first rugby league player to come out as openly gay, told The Daily Telegraph he was disappointed by the response of the players not willing to wear the jersey.
"I try to see it from all perspectives but this breaks my heart," Roberts said.
"It's sad and uncomfortable. As an older gay man, this isn't unfamiliar. I did wonder whether there would be any religious push back.
-ABC
Cameron joins Hurricanes
Former Crusaders first five Brett Cameron will play for the Hurricanes in next year's Super Rugby competition.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Following a stint with Japanese club Kamaishi Seawaves, the 25-year-old former Canterbury and Crusaders playmaker will line up for the Manawatū Turbos in the NPC kicking off next month.
Cameron joins youngsters Aidan Morgan and Ruben Love as the third pivot on the teams' roster for 2023.
Born in Whanganui, Cameron attended Cullinane College before shifting to Christchurch to study and join the Canterbury Academy.
The 25-year-old made his provincial debut for Canterbury in 2017 and was promoted to the Crusaders in 2018 before winning a full contract in 2019, playing five matches as the Christchurch-based outfit claimed their third straight Super Rugby title.
His stunning provincial form in 2018 saw Cameron make his test debut against Japan becoming All Black #1181.
Cameron departed the Crusaders at the end of 2021 before heading to Japan for the inaugural Japan Rugby League One season with the Kamaishi Seawaves.
Vos wins stage two of Tour
Dutch great Marianne Vos won an incident-packed stage two of the Tour de France Femmes to seize the yellow jersey.
Marianne Vos wins stage 2 Photo: AFP
Several crashes had splintered the peloton in the final 25km of the 135km run to Provins, east of Paris, leaving Vos and five other riders in an escape bunch.
With general classification rivals Elisa Longo Borghini and Katarzyna Niewiadoma also in the group, Vos showed her class to sprint clear and cross the line comfortably ahead.
Fellow Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes had been favourite to follow up her victory on the Champs Elysees in the opening stage but came home in the second group.
There was heartache for one of the race favourites Marta Cavalli of Italy who abandoned after being involved in a high-speed pile-up towards the end of the stage.
Cavalli rode straight into a pile of bikes and riders laying in the middle of the road and was launched across the tarmac.
She rode on for a while but later quit.
-Reuters
Bans for pitch invaders
Pitch invaders at Premier League and English Football League matches will receive an automatic club ban under new measures to tackle fan behaviour.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Concerns were raised about safety at grounds after a number of pitch invasions at the end of last season.
Individuals who carry or use pyrotechnics or smoke bombs will also be banned and identified offenders will be reported to the police.
The Football Association will also implement tougher sanctions for clubs.
It is an offence for fans to enter the pitch "without lawful authority or lawful excuse" under the Football Offences Act 1991 - but offenders have not always been prosecuted.
However, prosecuting offenders will now be the "default response" under the new measures.
-BBC
Sri Lanka fight back
Ramesh Mendis chipped in with a lower order cameo and then claimed three wickets for 42 runs to put Sri Lanka on course for a significant first innings lead against Pakistan on day two of the second test in Galle.
Batting at number nine, Mendis contributed 35 in Sri Lanka's 378 all out at the Galle International Stadium.
The off-spinner then returned to wreck Pakistan's middle order and the tourists finished day two on 191-7, still 187 behind.
Agha Salman led Pakistan's fightback with a defiant 62 before being dismissed in the final delivery of the day.
Yasir Shah survived 61 balls, and an lbw decision against him that was reversed, for his 13 not out.
Earlier, Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah and spinner Yasir split the last four Sri Lankan wickets after the hosts had resumed on 315-6.
Pakistan won the first test by 4 wickets.
-Reuters
Another world record for Duplantis
Armand Duplantis brought down the curtain on the World Championships in stunning fashion, breaking his own pole vault world record in the final act of the 10-day track and field meet in Eugene.
Photo: AFP
After the United States claimed emphatic victories in both the men's and women's 4x400 metre relays, Duplantis took centre stage and duly delivered a perfect finale for the first championships on American soil.
The Swede sailed over 6.21 metres to surpass his previous mark by one centimetre - set in March en route to winning gold at the World Indoor Championships - and complete his collection of medals by claiming a first world title.
Unheralded Nigerian Tobi Amusan had earlier stolen the show in the women's 100 metres hurdles, rocketing to a new world record of 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals.
She then won the gold in what was initially announced as a world record 12.06, although excessive wind speeds meant her time was ruled out.
French world record holder Kevin Mayer regained the decathlon title after impressive performances in the pole vault and javelin, seizing opportunity after a competition-ending injury to Olympic champion Damian Warner.
-Reuters
Athletics to have repechages
World Athletics will introduce a repechage round in individual track events from 200 metres to 1500m at the Paris 2024 Games.
The repechage round takes place after the initial qualifying rounds, and gives athletes who have failed to make the cut for the later rounds of an event a second chance at qualification.
It is already a part of the format of other Olympic sports like wrestling and taekwondo.
The introduction of a repechage round - rubber-stamped by the World Athletics Council - will also apply to hurdles events.
It will not be implemented in the 100m, which already features preliminary heats.
-Reuters
Dubai to host final World Cup qualifier
The qualification tournament for the final place at next year's men's Rugby World Cup in France will be held at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai from Nov. 6-18.
Hong Kong, Kenya, the United States and Portugal will clash in a round-robin format, and the winners will go into Pool C at the World Cup, alongside Wales, Australia, Fiji and Georgia.
The World Cup will be played in France for the second time from Sept. 8 next year. The country also hosted the tournament in 2007.
-Reuters
