A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Crockett replaces Woodcock in only change for All Blacks
RUGBY:Loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett is the only change to the New Zealand side to face Australia on Saturday as the All Blacks seek to retain their grip on the Bledisloe Cup.
Coach Steve Hansen has picked Crockett to replace Tony Woodcock, who suffered a rib injury in the 27-19 victory over the Wallabies last Saturday in Sydney.
Robbie Deans’s Wallabies side have also lost two players to injury with openside flanker and captain David Pocock forced to undergo knee surgery, while tighthead prop Sekope Kepu has been ruled out after suffering a knee injury at training.
Argentina outhalf Juan Martin Hernandez will miss Saturday’s home match against South Africa with a torn leg muscle, picked up in the 27-6 defeat to the Springboks.
NEW ZEALAND: I Dagg; CJane, M Nonu, SB Williams, H Gear; D Carter, A Smith; W Crockett, K Mealamu, O Franks, L Romano, S Whitelock, L Messam, R McCaw (capt), K Read. Replacements: A Hore, B Franks, B Retallick, V Vito, P Weepu, A Cruden, B Smith.
ARGENTINA: M Rodriguez; G Camacho, M Bosch, S Fernandez, H Agulla; AN Other, N Vergallo; R Roncero, E Guinazu, J Figallo, M Carizza, P Albacete, J Farias Cabello, A Galindo, JM Fernandez Lobbe (capt).
Honner shows her all-round talents with second medal
Laois’s Alison Honner showed her all-round talents when adding a silver to the bronze medal she won on Tuesday in two different disciplines at the European Transplant and Dialysis Games in Zagreb, Croatia.
Representing her country for the first time, the 26-year-old secured a silver in the 18-29 age category in bowling yesterday to go with the bronze she received for making it to the semi-finals of the badminton on Tuesday.
“I am so happy I did it. It’s great to go home with a medal, I can’t believe it,” said Honner, who has undergone two transplants after being born with two small kidneys and still receives dialysis treatment.
Honner will be looking for a third medal when she competes in the Ball Throw today.
Roche in eighth at Vuelta as Degenkolb claims stage
CYCLING:Ireland's Nicolas Roche remains eighth overall in the Vuelta a España after yesterday's fifth stage, staying 24 seconds behind the race leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha). The Ag2r la Mondiale rider remained in the main bunch on the flat leg, rolling in 72nd and both saving energy and biding his time before today's leg to Jaca.
This concludes with the third category ascent of the Alto Fuerte de Rapitán, and will see those classification contenders seek to snatch seconds from each other. Roche is normally strong on such climbs and will likely take an aggressive approach.
Up-and-coming German sprinter John Degenkolb claimed his second stage of the tour yesterday when he outpowered Italian Daniele Bennati and Belgium’s Gianni Meersman in a mass charge for the line.
Seemingly oblivious to the heatwave, the Argos-Shimano rider made a late surge in Logrono city centre for a convincing victory on stage five to reinforce his lead in the points classification.
Overall, Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez of the Katusha squad continued to lead the race by one second from Britain’s Chris Froome, with Spain’s Alberto Contador in third.
Degenkolb admitted the stage had unfolded perfectly. “We wanted a really small group to get in the early break, and only one guy got away, and then after he was caught late on we and Katusha moved to the front to control the final lap of the race.”
Nicolas Roche was placed in 72nd position in the mass sprint and remains in eighth position overall, 24 seconds behind Rodriguez.
Boyd one clear of the field in Belfast
GOLF:With the late withdrawal of the Slieve Russell twins, Leona and Lisa Maguire, the main focus of attention turned to the other Irish competitors in the smaller-than-usual field in the British Ladies Open strokeplay championship at Shandon Park, Belfast, yesterday.
Continentals are conspicuous by their absence from an event in which they have done particularly well in recent years but Curtis Cup players Amy Boulden, Kelly Tidy and Bronte Law are in the line-up providing plenty of quality.
It was a little-known player from the English west country, Sarah-Jane Boyd of Truro, who leads the way after round one with a three-under-par 69, one stroke clear of Boulden from Conwy in north Wales.
Boyd finished spectacularly with birdies on six of the last seven holes for an inward half score of 30.
Lisburn’s 20-year-old Laura Grant who is leading the Irish challenge after a level par return of 72, which included an eagle three at the 16th. Her sister Paula is also in the top 20 having posted a 76.
Somerset re-sign O'Brien for finals
CRICKET:Ireland all-rounder Kevin O'Brien has been re-signed by Somerset for the finals day of the Friends Life Twenty 20 competition, which takes place in Cardiff on Saturday.
Somerset take on Hampshire in the second semi-final and will play the winners of the Sussex v Yorkshire clash.
One player that Somerset will be without is left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who captained Ireland under-19 as they lost their Plate semi-final to Sri Lanka in Brisbane yesterday by 109 runs.
Dockrell took three for 39 but an unbeaten 112 from Sandun Weerakkody helped Sri Lanka make 258. In reply, Ireland were bowled out for 149, with Shane Getkate top-scoring with 46, and will now play Scotland tomorrow for 11th position.
The Ireland women’s team lost by 42 runs on Duckworth Lewis in their one-day international against Pakistan at Claremont Road. Batool Fatima made an unbeaten 101 in Pakistan’s total of 254 for three, with Ireland finishing on 181 for eight from 39 overs after being set a revised target of 224.
EMMET RIORDAN
