Ireland calm for Samoa clash amid Rugby World Cup typhoon turmoil

Ireland skipper Rory Best is taking a philosophical approach to Saturday’s critical clash with Samoa, keeping calm as Typhoon Hagibis wreaks havoc on the Rugby World Cup schedule.

Wallabies overcome tough Georgia ahead of World Cup knockouts

Australia fine-tuned preparations for a likely Rugby World Cup quarter-final against England with a hard-fought, error-strewn 27-8 Pool D victory over Georgia at Shizuoka today (11).

Susanthika and Tonie team up to take athletics to the next level

Renowned international athletics coach Tonie Campbell promised to unearth and develop Sri Lanka’s next Olympic medal prospect, along with his former protégé Susanthika Jayasinghe and the National Olympic Committee (NOC).

New players have given selectors food for thought – De Mel

With the emergence of the likes of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Osadha Fernando and Minod Bhanuka, National Selectors are spoilt for choice in preparation for next year’s ICC World T20, Chief Selector Ashantha de Mel said yesterday, adding that only a handful of players who opted out of the tour of Pakistan were guaranteed of immediately returning to the team.

Wallabies avoid typhoon to line up ’tough’ Georgia

Escaping an incoming super typhoon, Australia will warm up for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a last Pool ’D’ outing tomorrow (11) against “tough” Georgia.

SL runners-up in Mixed shuttle event at South Asian U/21 tournament

Sri Lanka lost to India 3-1 in the finals of the mixed team event at the South Asian Under-21 Regional Badminton Championships which is taking place in Addu City, Maldives.

Sanchez steals show as Argentina pummel USA

Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez showed Argentina what they had been missing with a masterful first-half performance today (09), as the eliminated Pumas restored some pride with a 47-17 win against the United States at the Rugby World Cup.

Hastings stars as Scots set up Japan quarter-final showdown

Scotland will play Japan for a spot in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after a 26-point haul from Adam Hastings helped them to a nine-try, 61-0 thrashing of Russia today (09).

Brilliant Adams grabs hat-trick as battered Wales reach quarters

Winger Josh Adams grabbed a hat-trick of tries as a battered and bruised Wales battled to a 29-17 bonus-point win over Fiji on Wednesday to book their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

Rajapaksa, Pradeep set up Sri Lanka series win over Pakistan

Newcomer Bhanuka Rajapaksa hit a whirlwind half-century while Nuwan Pradeep and Wanindu Hasaranga recorded career-best bowling figures as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 35 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Lahore on Monday.

Springboks set sights on WC quarter-finals

South Africa face one final hurdle in their bid for a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place but seem certain to brush aside the challenge of minnows Canada when the teams meet in a Pool ‘B’ encounter at the Kobe Stadium tomorrow (8).

France qualify for quarter-finals in World Cup cliffhanger

France qualified for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals today (6) with a nailbiting 23-21 win against Tonga that sets up a winner-takes-all clash with England to top Pool ’C’. First-half tries by Virimi Vakatawa and man-of-the-match Alivereti Raka were enough to secure the win for Les Bleus against a spirited Tongan side that competed throughout a tense encounter at the Kumamoto Stadium.

Experimental All Blacks thrash Namibia 71-9

An experimental New Zealand side recovered from a sticky start and two yellow cards to hammer Namibia 71-9 and move one step closer to finishing top of their pool at the Rugby World Cup today (6).

Springboks out muscle 14-man Italy to move top of Pool ’B’

South Africa ramped up the physicality to crush an Italy side reduced to 14 men for most of the second half 49-3 today (4), moving above the Italians and New Zealand to the top of Rugby World Cup Pool ’B’ in the process.

Ireland beat stubborn Russia but concerns remain

Ireland began to put their World Cup back on track after the shock loss to Japan but it took them over an hour to secure a bonus point and strengthen their quarter-final chances in an unconvincing 35-0 win over a stubborn Russia on Thursday.

Fiji in seventh heaven with Georgia rout

Fiji finally found their feet at the Rugby World Cup with a dominant 45-10 victory over Georgia on Thursday as their jet-heeled backs tore their Pool D rivals apart in a seven-try rout at a rain-drenched Hanazono Rugby Stadium.

Ireland look to steady Rugby World Cup campaign against Russia

It is a game Ireland dare not lose and one in a sense they cannot ’win’ when they try to revive their Rugby World Cup campaign against Russia tomorrow (03).

Barrett brothers star as nine-try All Blacks maul Canada

All three Barrett brothers got on the scoresheet as reigning champions New Zealand stormed to their second victory of the Rugby World Cup with a 63-0 bonus point mauling of Canada at Oita Stadium today (02).

Scotland ease past Samoa

Scotland revived their Rugby World Cup campaign with a 34-0 victory over Samoa today (30), scoring four tries in a much-improved performance to secure a bonus point that could prove crucial in a tight Pool ‘A’.

Sri Lanka settles for fourth-place

Sri Lanka finished in fourth place after the completion of the Asian Sevens Rugby Series third-leg which concluded at the Racecourse Grounds in Colombo yesterday.

Wales beat Australia in thriller to take control of Pool ’D’

Six Nations champions Wales took a massive step towards topping Pool ’D’ with a thrilling 29-25 victory over valiant Australia in the Rugby World Cup today (29).

Powerful Georgia slay giant-killers Uruguay at Rugby World Cup

Georgia overpowered Uruguay at the Rugby World Cup for a 33-7 bonus-point win today (29), the popular South American underdogs unable to repeat their heroics against Fiji four days earlier.

Samoa test a chance for Scotland to lift the gloom

Scotland’s woeful defeat to Ireland in their World Cup opener has emboldened their rivals for second spot in Pool ’A’ but while Samoa will no doubt sense blood ahead of tomorrow game in Kobe, Gregor Townsend’s side say they are ready to bite back.

’Shizuoka shock’ - hosts Japan shock Ireland at Rugby World Cup

Kenki Fukuoka struck the killer blow as hosts Japan stunned Ireland 19-12 on Saturday to take a giant step towards a first Rugby World Cup quarter-final spot.

Montoya the hat-trick hero as Argentina beat Tonga at Rugby World Cup

Argentina hooker Julian Montoya scored a rapid first-half hat-trick as the Pumas beat Tonga 28-12 on Saturday to revive their bid for a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place.

Quill, Matu’u banned for high tackles at Rugby World Cup

USA flanker John Quill and Samoa’s Motu Matu’u were both slapped with three-game bans on Friday following a crackdown on high tackles at the Rugby World Cup.

Midnight marathon centre stage as World Championships open

The 17th edition of the World Athletics Championships got under way in Doha here Friday with organisers vowing to protect marathon runners from sweltering heat and humidity as the 10-day extravaganza began.

Sri Lanka host third leg of Asian Sevens Series

Sri Lanka will host the third leg of Asia Seven Series this week at Race Course where Sri Lanka will take their place in the Group A alongside Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) and South Korea.

Hemispheres collide as Wales take on Australia

The Rugby World Cup will get its first taste of inter-hemisphere heavyweight rivalry when Wales and Australia clash on Sunday in a match that is likely to decide who tops Pool D.

Japan’s Matsushima wary of Irish ’three-tonne truck’

Japan’s Kotaro Matsushima has been likened to a Ferrari, but he admits he’ll have to be at full throttle in Saturday’s World Cup clash with Ireland to avoid becoming roadkill.