RUGBY

South Africa will keep the Sevens in Port Elizabeth, it was confirmed by the International Rugby Board (IRB) on Tuesday. Argentina will join the popular series as a 10th venue. Nelson Mandela Bay will again play host to the South African leg of the tournament, with matches being played there from 7-8 December. 

Steven Kitshoff will be rested for the Stormers match against the Lions over the weekend. Bryan Habana might also miss out, and Don Armand will wear the number seven jersey.

Deon Stegmann is the only Bulls player who is out of contention for the resumption of the Pretoria franchise’s Super Rugby campaign. Zane Kirchner is back, though and is available for selection.

Mike Tindall has a penned a new one-year deal with Premiership club Gloucester. The deal will see him take on a player/coach role at the club. 

Former Springbok lock Johan Ackermann has been made Lions coach to replace the suspended John Mitchell. The Golden Lions Rugby Union suspended Mitchell last week after several players put forward their grievances in writing regarding the former coach’s “harsh” management style. 

Waratahs coach Michael Foley will face the music and appear before the NSW Rugby Board to account for his team’s awful performances this season. A decision on the coach’s future is not expected to be made immediately.

CRICKET

South Africa will host this year’s edition of the Champions League. It’s the second time the tournament is coming to South Africa, having previously been helde here in 2010. Cape Town, Johannesburg, Centurion and Durban will be the host cities. 

Pakistan has warned its cricketers against submitting late tax returns. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued notices to Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq, Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz – all of whom have either not submitted their returns or filed their returns incorrectly.

South Africa ‘A’ is all set to face off against Sri Lanka ‘A’ in two four-day matches, starting in Durban on Saturday. Faf du Plessis will captain the side and coach Vincent Barnes says that this is the ideal tour for some of the young cricketers to make a name for themselves and stake their claim. 

SOCCER

Portugal’s football federation is reportedly unhappy about the choice of referee they’ve been given for the semi-final against Spain. Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir has been named as the official for the clash, but in a case of tabloid he-said, she-said splashed over the newspapers on Tuesday, the Portuguese football association is apparently worried about the referee’s links to Spain.

Olivier Giroud has signed a long-term contract to with North London club Arsenal. The 25-year old has completed a medical and agreed to the terms ,and the contract is now subject to “formal processes”. His contract will commence as of 1 July.

TENNIS

Rafael Nadal overcame an early hiccup to beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-3  in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Lleyton Hewitt to progress to the second round. In the women’s action, South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers crashed out after losing 7-6, (7/5) 7-6, (7/5) to Yaroslava Shvedova while Serena Williams progressed with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová. Petra Kvitova also progressed, beating Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-4.

ATHLETICS

Simon Magakwe is one of eight South Africans still hopeful of a place at the Olympic Games. The CAA African Senior Championships gets underway in Benin on Wednesday, and Magakwe can still qualify in both the 100m and 200m. Thuso Mpuang, Oscar Pistorius, Andre Olivier, Johan Cronje and Ruben Ramolefi are the other men hoping to still qualify, while Tsholofelo Thipe and Wenda Theron are the two women still in search of qualification.

Australian sprinter Daniel Batman has died in a car crash. The 31-year old competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and died in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, when his car rolled after veering off the road. Police are investigating the cause of the incident. DM

Photo: Daniel Batman has died in a car crash. (REUTERS)