Robust wing Caleb Clarke has been named in New Zealand’s starting line-up after returning from injury for their first Test in the Rugby Championship against South Africa in Nelspruit this weekend.
The prolific Will Jordan and versatile Jordie Barrett retain their places in the back three that can expect an aerial assault from the Springboks on Saturday.
David Havili and Rieko Ioane will continue with their partnership in midfield as they were in the final Test against Ireland.
No half-back changes
Beauden Barrett remains the starting fly-half in his half-back partnership with veteran scrum-half Aaron Smith and the pair will be key decision-makers in Saturday’s Test.
The loose trio is the same as the All Blacks’ previous Test, where Akira Ioane impressed after being thrust into the starting line-up late on that occasion. Sam Cane will lead the team from the side of the scrum, whilst Ardie Savea will be looking to continue his good form at number eight in the black jersey.
All eyes will be on second-row pairing Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett, who will need to take charge of the lineout after a poor showing in the set-piece during their Test series against Ireland.
Meanwhile, George Bower, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Angus Ta’avao make up a new look front-row that will be up against a strong Springbok scrum.
On the bench, Dane Coles, Ethan de Groot and Tyrell Lomax are coach Ian Foster’s options as front-row substitutes, while Tupou Vaa’i and Shannon Frizell are the other forward replacements.
Blues livewire scrum-half Finlay Christie and playmaker Richie Mo’unga are half-back options on the bench, with center Quinn Tupaea the final substitute.
Foster was excited to start the Rugby Championship against their rivals and is looking forward to getting started.
“What a great way to start this year’s Rugby Championship. It’s always an exciting tournament to be part of,” he said. “This year’s draw means we have a massive challenge of two games here in South Africa.
Expects intense encounter
“We have settled in well in Mbombela and are preparing for what is always an intense game against our old foe.
“Many of our squad are here in South Africa for the first time. This gives us another opportunity to add new experiences and grow our game.”
New Zealand: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 David Havili, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock , 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 George Bower Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Ethan de Groot, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Shannon Frizell, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Richie Mo’unga, 23 Quinn Tupaea
Elon Musk has begged his father to “please keep quiet” after he gave an interview about their relationship to the Kyle and Jackie O show on Kiss FM.
Errol Musk, 76, told the Australian radio station he was not proud of his billionaire son when quizzed on the matter live on air earlier in the week.
But the retired electrical engineer later said he misspoke at the time because he hadn’t heard the question properly.
Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, Errol said his three daughters were so upset with the comments he made on Kyle and Jackie O they refused to speak to him for days.
“Elon knows it’s not true, so he would never get upset about it. He just laughs this kind of stuff off,” Errol said.
“But the last message Elon sent to me was: ‘Dad, the press play you like a fiddle so please keep quiet’.”
It comes after Elon accused Twitter of fraud, alleging the social media platform misled him about key aspects of his business before he agreed to a $44 billion buyout, as their court battle heats up.
The Tesla boss lodged the claim late Thursday as he fights back against Twitter’s lawsuit seeking to force him to close the deal, which he has tried to cancel.
Elon argued in the filing to a Delaware court that the number of users who can be shown advertising on the platform is far below the firm’s figures.
“Twitter’s disclosures have slowly unraveled, with Twitter frantically closing the gates on information in a desperate bid to prevent the Musk Parties from uncovering its fraud,” the claim alleged.
In its own filing, Twitter rejected the mercurial billionaire’s argument, calling it “as implausible and contrary to fact as it sounds.” “According to Musk, he – the billionaire founder of multiple companies, advised by Wall Street bankers and lawyers – was hoodwinked by Twitter into signing a $44 billion merger agreement,” Twitter said.
Elon last week filed his countersuit, which was finally made public on Thursday, along with a legal defense against Twitter’s claim that the billionaire is contractually bound to complete the takeover deal.
‘Distortion, misrepresentation’
“The counterclaims are a made-for-litigation tale that is contradicted by the evidence and common sense,” Twitter argued in the filing.
A five-day trial that will consider Twitter’s lawsuit against Elon has been scheduled for October 17.
The Tesla boss wooed Twitter’s board with a $54.20 per-share offer, but then in July announced he was ending their agreement because the firm had misled him regarding its tally of fake and spam accounts.
Twitter, whose stock price closed at $41.06 on Thursday, has stuck by its estimates that less than five per cent of the activity on the platform is due to software “bots” rather than people.
Twitter told the court that Elon’s claim that the false account figure tops 10 per cent is “untenable.” The company also disputed Elon’s assertion that he has the right to walk away from the deal if Twitter’s bot count is found to be wrong, since he didn’t ask anything about bots when he made the buyout offer.
Twitter accuses Elon of contriving a story to escape a merger agreement that he no longer found attractive.
“Twitter has complied in every respect with the merger agreement,” the company said in the filing made to Chancery Court in the state of Delaware.
“Musk’s counterclaims, based as they are on distortion, misrepresentation, and outright deception, change nothing.” The social media platform has urged shareholders to endorse the deal, setting a vote on the merger for September 13.
Billions of dollars are at stake, but so is the future of Twitter, which Elon has said should allow any legal speech – an absolutist position that has sparked fears the network could be used to incite violence.
Australia has suffered a historic three-goal loss to Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games, rocking their gold medal campaign in Birmingham.
The Diamonds had been expected to sail through their Pool A matches and meet the second ranked team in Pool B in the semi finals.
But they coughed up a six-goal lead heading into the final term to suffer their first ever loss to the Sunshine Girls.
A brilliant 47 goals from international superstar Jhaniele Fowler and some remarkable defensive efforts from Shamera Sterling ensured Jamaica nailed a 57-55 win.
Fox Netball’s Catherine Cox said the Diamonds “just shut up shop” in the last quarter as Jamaica ran home with the win.
“Australia couldn’t win the ball back – it was some brilliant defensive work from Jamaica. They really just lifted another level in the fourth quarter,” she said.
Questions will be asked of coach Stacey Marinkovich’s selections, with just Sunday Aryang entering for four minutes in the second term and Sarah Klau coming on to a rejigged defensive line with four minutes remaining in the match.
Gretel Bueta finished the pick of the Diamonds attack, despite being silenced in the final quarter by Sterling, with 36 goals from 39 attempts.
Steph Wood’s night ended with 19 goals at 86%.
QUARTER BY QUARTER MATCH REPORT
Australia opted to start Gretel Bueta at goal shooter, with Steph Wood and Liz Watson out in front of her. Kate Moloney got the nod at center with Ash Brazill, Jo Weston and Courtney Bruce rounding out the defensive trio.
For Jamaica, Jhaniele Fowler started at GS, with Beckford and Williams at GA and WA respectively. Nicole Dixon-Rochester was center with Super Netball trio Jodi-Ann Ward, Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling the starting defenders.
The world’s best shooter started the match with a bang, with five quick goals to open up the first break of the match for Jamaica.
Courtney Bruce kept her West Coast Fever teammate in Fowler as high as she could, but Shanice Beckford was brilliant around the edges to keep feeding from close range.
GAMES WRAP: Aussie men stunned as Titmus, McKeon finish on top in 25-gold blitz
FULL MEDAL TALLY >
Browning finishes 0.06 off a medal! | 00:25
Bruce and Jo Weston got early tips, but it was Jamaica who were able to convert while down the other end the connection to Gretel Bueta just fell away.
“The Diamonds are stunned here,” commentator Sue Gaudion said.
Australia scored just three goals in the opening seven minutes, before Steph Wood went from range and leveled up scores.
A Jodi-Ann Ward intercept gave Jamaica the lead once again as the long ball caught Weston’s eyes down.
“They exposed the Diamonds defense again,” Gaudion said.
A quick double play by Bueta ensured the Aussies took the lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first term.
Coach Connie Francis was left less than impressed when the Sunshine Girls threw away a brilliant Sterling intercept.
“But that is the issue – the conversion of those brilliant moments,” commentator Cath Cox said.
By the first break, it was Australia leading by one goal.
The Aussies went unchanged for the second term – the first time this tournament coach Stacey Marinkovich has opted for no changes after a break.
A big Sterling rebound gave Jamaica the first opportunity, but they couldn’t convert as Courtney Bruce’s brilliant hands over disrupted play.
“There’s plenty of feeling out there,” Cox said.
“Courtney Bruce giving the death stare to Beckford.”
The Aussies chanced their luck feeding Bueta with Sterling in hot pursuit but the move continued to pay off.
When Shanice Beckford found the top of the circle, the Sunshine Girls opted for a rare straight ball feed to Fowler.
“On the circle edge, feeding to Fowler – unbeatable,” Cox praised.
A rare mistake by Bueta saw the replay called, but once again Jamaica couldn’t convert as Khadijah Williams was penalized for footwork.
“It’s the simple things letting Jamaica down isn’t it,” Cox said.
Sunday Aryang was introduced at goal defence, joining her Fever teammates Bruce and Fowler in the goal circle.
And she almost had the immediate impact, getting a tip on a high ball to Fowler, but ultimately couldn’t stop the conversion.
Beckford had a brilliant intercept in front of Ash Brazill and suddenly the margin was back to one.
“Connie Francis willing them on,” Gaudion praised.
Wood backed her teammate Bueta when she went with the feed from the transverse, and the Firebird didn’t let her down with beautiful hands.
“The courage to let that go over the best goal keeper in the game… look at that take,” Cox praised.
By half time, it was Australia leading 30-29.
Weston returned to the court as some bad hands by Wood allowed the Sunshine Girls to draw level early in the third.
Jamaica managed to pull down another deflection but once again threw it away in the midcourt.
“That long outlet ball, if they just shortened it up and do one safety ball, I reckon they’d get themselves on the attack,” Cox said.
A rare shooter contact call on Fowler handed Australia the chance to pull away. Sterling’s cheeky pickup when Bueta put the ball down to set the penalty didn’t go unnoticed by the umpire as suddenly the lead was back out to four.
The physicality stepped up in the third, with Brazill getting under the skin of Adean Thomas and sent sprawling into the goal circle off the ball.
Once again, a Ward pick up on the circle edge ended up sailing over Fowler’s head as another turnover was wasted.
A second straight rejection from Sterling was called for obstruction as the crowd started to find their voice.
A misdirected midcourt ball ensured another turnover as the Diamonds extended the lead to six – the biggest of the match.
A strong take by Bueta over Sterling in the dying seconds pushed Australia out to a 46-40 lead at the final change.
Marinkovich went unchanged once again for the final term as Jamaican wing defender Jodi-Ann Ward came through with the deflection to help her side close within three.
Williams’ return at WA lifted the Sunshine Girls’ attack in the final term as they looked to find their rhythm to Fowler once more.
And when Wood couldn’t regather the short ball, and got done for replay, Jhaniele Fowler made the Aussies pay seconds later to close within one goal.
Liz Watson overcooked the lob to Bueta, and remarkably the Sunshine Girls took the lead with eight minutes to play.
“We haven’t seen that this game – that is the pressure. Mistakes like that have been few and far between for the Diamonds,” Cox said.
Despite Jamaican assistant coach Rob Wright pleading with his defenders to shut down Wood’s influence, it was Bueta they silenced as Wood had to step up.
And the Lightning star was up to the challenge with three successive mid-range shots.
Another Diamonds turnover, this time from Weston to her Vixens’ teammate Watson, gave Jamaica a two-goal buffer as injury time was called.
Weston headed to the bench, Bruce pushed out to GD and Sarah Klau was introduced for her first minutes of the night.
When Shamera Sterling came up with the big rejection and regather, Jamaica pushed out the lead with just a minute to play.
And in remarkable scenes, the Sunshine Girls held on in the thrilling final seconds with Shanice Beckford landing the final goal of the match.
In the end, it was Jamaica who claimed the win 57-55.
LIVE: It’s Day 6 of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and it’s set to be another cracker for the Aussies.
After 11 golds and 32 medals total on Day 5, Australia will be targeting more success – with a packed schedule in the Athletics, plus the final action in the pool.
Follow all the action in our live blog below and check back for regular updates!
Superstar Peter Bol opened his campaign in style, cruising into the end of the 800m after crossing the line in his heat in first place. While sprint star Rohan Browning is back in action in the 100m semis – and hopefully the final at 6.30am AEST.
In the pool, Ariarne Titmus hunts gold in the 400m, while Se-Bom Lee hits the water in the 200m individual medley.
There’s also plenty of other action on offer, with the Kookaburras back on the hockey field after the Hockeyroos’ comfortable victory early on day six, plus our Aussie women’s cricket who are on top against Pakistan.
That’s not to mention beach volleyball, table tennis, lawn bowls, or mountain biking and so on …
LIVE MEDAL TALLY: Keep up with the Aussie charge to the top!
EVERY AUSSIE MEDAL: Read the day-by-day recap of the Comm Games
Aussie heartbreak! Poms steal GOLD in OT | 00:25
DAY FIVE NEWS
WRAP: McKeon makes history after epic upset as Aussies surge with ELEVEN gold
‘Clunky’ Diamonds get job done as focus shifts to massive battle with Jamaica
English swimming star apologizes after backlash to ‘arrogant’ interview
Cody Simpson has blown us all away at the Commonwealth Games
Aussie cult hero goes bang at Commonwealth Games after ‘humiliation’
‘Blood in the water’: The ambush we should have seen coming as next Aussie superstar emerges
CHALMERS, AUSSIES FALL SHORT IN MASSIVE BOILOVER
Despite a sizzling anchor leg from Kyle Chalmers, Australia failed to win the men’s 4 x 100m medley relay as England caused a major upset to snare the gold.
England finished with a time of 3:31:80 while Australia touched the wall at 3:31:88.
Chalmers swam a split of 46.86 as it looked for all money that he would catch up to English swimmer Tom Dean, but it wasn’t enough.
TITMUS BEATS TEEN SENSATION TO WIN FOURTH GOLD
Ariarne Titmus has set a new Commonwealth Games record after winning the women’s 400m freestyle.
Titmus – the world record holder, defending Commonwealth Games champion, and the Olympic champion – beat 15-year-old Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh who ultimately came second in the race while Aussie Kiah Melverton took home the bronze.
Titmus touched the wall at 3:58:06, a few seconds off her personal best, but it did the job as she won her fourth medal in Birmingham.
STARC BATTLES SERIOUS INJURY AMID MEDAL TILT
Brandon Starc doesn’t look comfortable, grimacing as he deals with a reported foot injury in the men’s high jump final.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games champion needed two attempts to clear 2.15m then missed his first two efforts at 2.19m.
“That was not displaying much purpose. He did not get up off the ground, the foot injury no doubt playing on his mind, ”Channel 7’s David Culbert said.
Starc is battling a foot injury. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“With the troubles he has had you can see the body language is a bit of concern, does not look like the sort of athlete up and about feeling 100 per cent.”
Starc recovered with his third and final jump at 2.19m to stay alive, giving a little smile after nailing the height. Seven’s Matt Hill said: “Really good facial expression in contrast to what we saw a few moments ago.”
He then went on to clear 2.25m to throw down the gauntlet to the rest of the competition.
– via James Matthey, news.com.au
AUSSIE STAR SECURE GOLD IN EPIC BATTLE OF ENDURANCE
Sam Short has won the gold medal in the men’s 1500m freestyle in a physically grievous battle.
Short, who is just 18 years of age, touched the wall at 14:48:54, at a time that smashed his previous personal best by 10 seconds.
Speaking after the race, Short couldn’t hide his beaming smile as he can count himself among the elites of Australian swimming like Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett.
“All those names are incredible to me,” Short said.
“Standing here today, I didn’t think I would be in the same sentence as them. Four years ago I watched this event and didn’t know I would be in the same position.”
Ariane Titmus won gold in the women’s 800 meter freestyle and backed it up with a strong swim in the 400m to qualify in third spot for the final. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
Lani Pallister and Kiah Melverton made it a one-two-three for Australia in the heat.
FAVORITE BOWL FOR 800M FINAL
Peter Bol is once again turning heads, having flown into the men’s 800 final.
After a disappointing finish at the world championships, Bol returned to the form that made him a household name at the Tokyo Olympics and blitzed the field in the second heat, posting a time of 1:47:01.
“It’s great to be here,” Bol told Channel 7. “Unbelievable crowd as well. It’s an awesome feeling.
“Two championships in a row. It’s almost like it’s a second chance. I ran exactly how I wanted, and now four days off and back for the final.”
Australia’s Peter Bol (R) reacts after finishing in first place during the second heat of the men’s 800m at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham. Photo: AFPSource: AFP
The news wasn’t so good for fellow Australian Charlie Hunter, who missed out on the final after posting a time of 1:49:94.
Meanwhile, Steve Solomon has qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s 400m. The 29-year-old finished second in the opening heat of the event.
“I’m really happy with today’s run,” he said.
“I’ve had a challenging season to put it lightly. I’m really looking forward to coming back Friday night.
“I just wasn’t able to get the body right for (the world’s) and I’m proud of how I’ve refocused. It’s exciting times.”
STAR DUO SMOKE PAKISTAN
Australia remains unbeaten in cricket, after a clinical 44-run win over Pakistan.
Early on though and a big victory seemed a long way off.
The world champions slumped to 2-19 after the early exits of Alyssa Healy (4) and captain Meg Lanning (4), before opener Beth Mooney (70* off 49) and Tahlia McGrath (78* off 51) put Australia in the driver’s seat with their 141-run unbeaten third-wicket stand. In the end Australia finished 2-160 to set an imposing target.
Pakistan never really were in it, losing wickets regularly and finished 8-116.
McGrath took 3-13 and a run out to go along with her fabulous half-century, while Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown, Jessica Jonassen and Alan King each took a wicket.
Tahlia McGrath and Beth Mooney hit half-centuries during Australia’s big win over Pakistan. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
FLYING HOCKEYROOS
The Hockeyroos’ perfect start continued, as Katrina Powell’s side had a comfortable 2-0 win over Scotland.
The victory sealed top spot in Pool B for the Hockeyroos and a place in the final four.
Grace Stewart celebrates with teammates after scoring their side’s first goal against Scotland on day six of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
While Powell’s side dominated much of the game, they had to wait until late in the second term to find the back of the goals as Grace Stewart finished nicely to put Australia in front.
Shanea Tonkin then doubled Australia’s lead to confirm a comfortable victory.
SELECTED SCHEDULE (MORE TO COME)
ATHLETICS
Men’s 100m – 6:30am (Thursday)
HOCKEY
Men’s Group Matches – Australia v South Africa (6am)
LAWN BOWLS
Tons of action from 5.30pm AEST, culminating in theFor Women’s Pairs B6-B8 Gold Medal match – Australia v Scotland (midnight)
Volkswagen has drawn up battle plans to make the new Amarok the must-have ute of 2023.
Based on the new Ford Ranger, the new Amarok represents a significant leap beyond the previous model.
It shares core underpinnings and diesel engines with the Ranger, as well as new safety features including auto emergency braking, active cruise control and blind-spot monitoring.
Volkswagen’s best-selling model is also likely to share the Ford’s 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine, a motor that sends 184kW and 600Nm to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
But it won’t get the 292kW/283Nm petrol V6 exclusively offered in Ford’s Ranger Raptor.
Ford elected not to offer the Australian Ranger with a 2.3-litre turbo petrol engine found in some Amarok models, one that delivers 222kW and 452Nm of performance.
But the cars are not identical.
VW’s machine wears butch styling shaped by a Melbourne-based design team.
It has the same core interior as the Ranger, though high-end Amarok models have fancier 10-way electric seat adjustment than the Ranger’s eight-way chairs.
And Volkswagen’s 12-inch digital dashboard display is larger than the 8-inch readouts fitted as standard to the Ranger.
Top-grade Amarok variants ride on 21-inch wheels that are significantly larger than the 18-inch rims of a Ranger Wildtrak, which could return more car-like precision from a steering wheel shared with VW’s passenger cars.
VW says the new machine, built in South Africa as opposed to the Thailand-sourced Ranger, benefits from shorter and more frequent shipping routes than the older model, which came from Argentina.
That “ensures steadier supply”, according to Volkswagen.
But it will also mean the Amarok is subject to a 5 per cent vehicle import tariff that does not apply to the Thai-built Ranger, a factor likely to make the VW more expensive than its Blue Oval cousin.
VW will reveal prices for the Amarok closer to its official debut in the first quarter of 2023.
Team Australia dominated the Commonwealth Games medal tally in Birmingham in the opening four days, sitting comfortably in front – thanks largely to more dominance in the pool.
Australia claimed a stunning eight gold medals on day one, including five of a possible seven in the pool! On day two, Australia added five more golds.
The gold rush continued with nine on day three, highlighted by Emma McKeon making history with a record-breaking 11th Commonwealth Games gold medal when she took out the Women’s 50m freestyle final.
Australia has dominated again on day four with another NINE gold medals, coming in judo, lawn bowls, cycling and gymnastics — along with the usual big haul in the pool.
Australia has opened day five with a 72nd medal of the Games, this time a bronze in the men’s vault in artistic gymnastics.
DAY 5 LIVE: Athletics begins as Browning opens 100m campaign; McKeon and Simpson eye final swim day
DAY 4 WRAP: Aussies win NINE golds in wild Games medal blitz; Chalmers win ‘hard to enjoy’
Read on for more details and the full medal tally.
Australia sit on top of the medal tally with 31 gold, 20 silver and 21 bronze (71 total!), ahead of England and New Zealand.
The Aussies topped the tally with 198 medals — including 80 gold — in the Gold Coast four years ago.
You can track the live medal tally for every country here, with key Aussie wins and updates as they happen.
Click here for a full list of EVERY Aussie medal winner!
Commonwealth Games kick off in style | 00:34
SCHEDULE: Sport-by-sport guide to every day
AUSSIES: Our top hopes to watch
INTERNATIONALS: The big names set to light up the Games
COMMONWEALTH GAMES MEDALS TALLY (AS OF 5:30AM WEDNESDAY)
RANK/COUNTRY/GOLD/SILVER/BRONZE/TOTAL
1. Australia — 37, 28, 30, 95
2.England—28, 30, 17, 75
3.New Zealand—13, 7, 5, 25
4. Canada — 10, 14, 19, 43
5. South Africa—6, 5, 5, 16
6. India — 5, 4, 3, 12
7.Scotland—3, 8, 15, 26
8. Wales—3, 2, 8, 13
9. Malaysia — 2, 2, 3, 7
10. Nigeria — 2, 1, 4, 7
See the full live medal tally here.
DAY-BY-DAY MEDAL LIST
DAY FIVE
James Bacuetti claimed Australia’s first men’s gymnastics medal of these Games, winning bronze in the men’s vault. 20-year-old English sensation Jake Jarman won gold – his FOURTH of the Games – ahead of Fellow Englishman Giarnni Regini-Moran.
Aofie Coughlan took home the gold medal in the women’s 70kg judo final while Eileen Cikamatana set a new Games Record en route to a gold medal in the women’s 87kg weightlifting final.
in the swimming, Mollie O’Callaghan produced a stunning upset to win the gold in the womens’ 100m freestyle as Elizabeth Deckers won the women’s 200m butterfly.
nina kennedy secured the gold in the women’s pole vault.
DAY 5 LIVE: Athletics begins as Browning opens 100m campaign; McKeon and Simpson eye more gold
DAY FOUR
Australia ended day four with 31 gold, 20 silver and 21 bronze (71 total!), ahead of England and New Zealand.
Georgia Goodwin narrowly won gold in the women’s vault over Canada’s Laurie Denommee, while at the track, matthew glaetzer won gold in the men’s 1,000m time trial. Ellen Ryan won gold in the women’s lawn bowls singles and Tinka Easton caused an upset by claiming gold in judo.
in the pool, Kyle Chalmer won the 100m freestyle, Kaylee McKeown won the 200m backstroke and matthew levy claimed gold in the men’s 50m freestyle S7. Emma McKeon then narrowly clinched gold in the 50m breaststroke to extend her Games record to 12 golds, while the Aussies ended the night with victory in the men’s 4x200m freestyle.
Aussie weightlifter robbed of Gold?! | 00:26
Elsewhere, 49-year-old legend Jian Fang Lay has led the Aussie team to bronze in the women’s table tennis team event.
It began with victory in doubles alongside Yangzi Liu, who won her own singles game before Jian Fang Lay sealed the 3-0 over Wales with a singles victory of her own.
Kyle Bruce claimed silver in the men’s 81kg weightlifting after a heartbreaking jury decision overruled his final, gold-winning lift.
The Aussie men’s triples claimed silver in the lawn bowls, fighting back from 12-1 down in the final to level the score at 12-12 against England before falling 14-12.
DAY 4 WRAP: Aussies win NINE golds in wild Games medal blitz; Chalmers win ‘hard to enjoy’
GOLDEN HEARTBREAK: ‘Devastated’ Aussie in tears after gold ‘stolen away’
CHALMERS GOES ALL IN: Legends not surprised by last-minute withdrawal
BIG BLOW: Diamonds’ dream run soured as star sidelined with calf injury
Jian Fang Lay led the Aussies to bronze in table tennis!Source: Getty Images
DAY THREE
Australians Sam Harding and Jonathan Gorlach kicked off the day with superb silver and bronze medals in the men’s PTVI triathlon final.
Emma McKeon and Kaylee McKeown then added two more gold in the pool taking out the Women’s 50m freestyle and the 100m backstroke respectively.
McKeon led home meg harris in silver with Shayna Jack (24.36) finishing third.
In the men’s 50m breaststroke, Zac Stubblety-Cook (59.52) took home bronze.
The Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team then completed a dominant campaign in the pool by breaking the world record.
Georgia Godwin won the all-round rhythmic gymnastics women’s final.
Australia’s Women’s 7s rugby side then put the pain of Tokyo behind them to claim gold in the final against Fiji.
In track cycling, matthew richardson won the men’s final sprint.
Kristina Clonan took home gold in the 500m time trial.
Georgia Baker won the women’s 25km points race, while Jessica Gallagher picked up her second gold medal of the Games in the Women’s tandem 1000m time trial with pilot Caitlyn Ward.
Day 3 WRAP: ‘Extraordinary’ Aussies break world record, McKeon makes history
‘It is shocking’: Thorpe stunned as England World record holder toppled in ‘unbelievable’ boilover
SHOCK CRASH: Cyclist catapults into crowd in horror scenes after Comm Games crash
‘Lost my s***’: Boxall goes bonkers AGAIN as Aussie coach celebrates WR win
‘Took all my courage and energy to swim’: Chalmers stuns in raw, emotional interview
DAY TWO
madison de rosario took out the women’s T53/54 marathon in style, dominating the field to win with a Commonwealth Games record time of 1:56:00.
Jess Stenson won the women’s marathon with an incredible run, going better than her two bronze medals in Glasgow and the Gold Coast.
It was another ripping day in the pool, with katja dedekind winning a gold meal in the women’s 50m freestyle S13 while both the men’s and women’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay finished first.
There were silver medals for maeve plouffe in the women’s 3000m individual pursuit, Brendon Smith in the men’s 400m IM, Emma McKeon in the women’s 100m butterfly and the artistic gymnastics team.
DAY 2 NEWS
WRAP: McKeon makes history amid swim gold rush; rugby stars win thriller
‘A load of s***’: Chalmers explodes at media for ‘ruining it all’ over love triangle claims
‘Dream big’: ‘Extraordinary’ journey behind ‘one of the great’ Aussie athletics triumphs
‘I was just guessing’: New Aussie cult hero’s shock reveal after ‘epic’ career-best run
DAY ONE
matt hauser had the honor of being the first Australian to win a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, taking home the silver medal in the Men’s Triathlon Sprint Distance Final.
Ariarne Titmus won gold in the women’s 200m freestyle, 18-year-old Aussie Mollie O’Callaghan claimed silver in an unbelievable late charge, ahead of Madison Wilson.
Elijah Winnington won gold in the men’s 400m freestyle, ahead of fellow Aussies Sam Short and Mack Horton. Zac Stubblety-Cook won gold in the men’s 200m breaststroke while Kiah Melverton took silver in the women’s 400m Individual Medley.
In the final race of night one, Australia won gold in the mixed 4x100m relay.
Australia have wrapped up the Commonwealth Rugby Sevens gold medal in a 22-12 win over Fiji in a dominant display.
It’s redemption for the Aussies after a heartbreaking loss at the previous Commonwealth Games in Australia.
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Australia lost an epic final in 2018 on the Gold Coast, down 17-12 in extra-time to New Zealand.
But after edging past the Kiwis in a dramatic semi-final and losing a pool game to Fiji, Australia made no mistake in the final.
Faith Nathan scored a first half double as well as a try to Madison Ashby opened up a massive 17-0 lead at halftime.
The Aussies then scored immediately after the half through Maddison Levi, making it a 22-0 lead.
Although the Fijians finally got a pass to stick and scored a try as well as a consolation two minutes after full-time, it was nowhere near enough as the Aussies claimed the gold medal.
It had been the one medal Australia had been missing, having won in Rio in 2016, and coming into the tournament as the reigning Rugby Sevens women’s world champions after winning four of the six tournaments in the 2021-22 World Series.
Aussie star Charlotte Caslick said it was nearly a perfect performance from gold medalists.
“I think in those physical contests, we dominated nearly every single one of those and that’s what we had to do,” Caslick said after the match.
“I wouldn’t say it was perfect (performance) but it was close to.
“We’ve had an amazing World Series and been dominant year so to be rewarded in front of an awesome crowd is pretty special.”
And it was more redemption after Australia was bundled out of the Tokyo Olympics in a 19-0 quarterfinal thrashing by Fiji.
While the women’s side will bring home the extra baggage of the gold medals, the men couldn’t follow suit.
After a semi-final loss to South Africa earlier in the day, the Aussies fell 26-12 to New Zealand in the bronze medal match to miss the podium.
It was a tough break for Australia who are second on the World Series ladder behind South Africa with one tournament left in Los Angeles in late August.
South Africa broke to the men’s title in a 31-7 obliteration of Fiji.
The Wallabies’ worst fears have been realized, with Samu Kerevi expected to miss the rest of the year due to a knee injury.
It’s understood Kerevi, 28, suffered an ACL injury during Australia’s narrow 7-5 victory over Kenya in their Commonwealth Games pool match over the weekend.
Kerevi took no further part in Australia’s campaign, where John Manenti’s side lost in the semi-finals to South Africa.
Rugby Australia had been cagey about details regarding Kerevi, eager not to let the cat out of the bag.
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Kerevi told reporters he felt “alright” and added “I’m always confident [to be fit to play] but I’ll get a doc on it and see. It was just a big bang but then once it settled down it was fine.”
But the Suntory center is expected to miss the remainder of the year, with sources confirming the 41-Test center is expected to spend at least six months on the sidelines.
Kerevi is said to be devastated, believing he has let his teammates down.
The Wallabies were happy for Kerevi to take part of Australia’s sevens campaign after the former Queensland Reds captain made a promise to his teammates from the Tokyo Olympics that he would try and help them win gold in Birmingham.
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Samu Kerevi was injured at the Commonwealth Games. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“It was a tough decision in the end but I gave my word to these boys, if I was available to be back I’d be back here,” Kerevi told news corp in the lead-up to the Games.
“I’m blessed enough to be in this position and get selected for these Games. I’m pretty ecstatic about that.
“It’s pretty special to be part of this group and to represent Australia. It’s something I’ll always, always remember.
“But more than just participating, we want to be here and do well and win a medal – win a gold medal. That’s our goal and the boys are working hard towards that.”
After featuring in the No.12 jersey in all three Tests against England in July, Kerevi was always set to miss the opening two matches of The Rugby Championship against Michael Cheika’s Argentina because of his Commonwealth Games commitments.
The world class center was to link back with the squad ahead of the home Tests against the Springboks later this month, but that won’t be the case now.
There was an inherent risk about returning to the sevens program, particularly with the added miles in the legs required to succeed in the abbreviated game, but Wallabies coach Dave Rennie would have been sweating on his fitness, such is his importance to the team.
Speaking at the Wallabies’ squad announcement last month, Rennie said Kerevi had his blessing to play at the tournament and added that it would have only changed were they stretched to the limit in the centres.
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“Obviously Samu going away to the sevens, to the Commonwealth Games, we thought that was really important,” Rennie said.
“The initial talks we had a few months ago was if we got injuries maybe we wouldn’t let him go, but it’s important for our country to send away a strong side that’s got a chance of winning a medal – and the sevens boys have been going well of late and Samu will only add to that, so we’re committed to that.
“With Izzy Perese out injured, he’s (Irae Simone) coming in just to fill a role in the Argentinian tour and we’ll get Samu back after that.”
Kerevi’s long-term injury will put extra pressure on Hunter Paisami to perform, with the Reds center likely to wear the No.12 jersey against Los Pumas in Mendoza on Sunday (AEST).
Quade Cooper, meanwhile, is firming for a recall to the starting side, having missed the 2-1 series loss to England after suffering a calf injury during warm-up ahead of the opening Test.
Kerevi’s absence will allow Rennie to see how Cooper operates without his battering ram on the outside.
While Cooper won all five matches he featured in last year for the Wallabies, he benefitted from having Kerevi in the midfield who acted as the great foil on his outside.
Now without the muscle of Kerevi to steady the ship if necessary Cheika’s Pumas will undoubtedly target Cooper and try and take away his space.
Argentina are coming off a thrilling 2-1 series victory against Scotland, in what was Cheika’s first Tests as coach after taking over from Mario Ledesma earlier in the year.
Just weeks after Mike Atherton delivered the ICC an ominous warning of the very real threat of franchise cricket taking credence over the international game, an IPL boss has confirmed the desire to contract players across the world to 12-month deals.
“In an ideal world, sure – because that gives us the opportunity to make our vision and our strategy even stronger,” Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore told The Telegraph.
“If we were able to have X number of contracted players, and were able to use them all in different leagues, I think that would be nirvana. Hopefully, someday it will happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”
The report comes as former Australian captain Adam Gilchrist said it would be “commercial suicide” for Cricket Australia to allow David Warner to skip the Big Bash and play in a rival T20 league elsewhere in the world.
Australia’s David Warner is considering his future in short-form cricket. Photo: AFPSource: AFP
It also comes just weeks after the Proteas withdrew from their ODI series in Australia next January, with South Africa forfeiting their World Cup qualification points so they can have their international players at home for the launch of their new T20 competition.
While Gilchrist could understand Warner, who is in the twilight of his “great career”, wanting to play overseas to top up his bank balance, he said it would set a dangerous precedent for emerging players.
“This is the big kicker, isn’t it, of possibly being the step towards being contracted to the club before or over country for the predominant amount of cricket you play,” Gilchrist told SEN last week.
“I think it would almost be commercial suicide for them (CA) to allow a player like him (Warner) to go head-to-head up against their own competition.
“It’s the new younger player coming in that starts to make those noises where it’ll be really challenging.
“Perhaps it’s the first example where David Warner doesn’t sign a contract with Cricket Australia at all, he just plays for a match fee.
“He goes and plays wherever he wants but says, ‘I’m available for every Test match, for every one-day international and every T20 international’ by way of example, I’ll be there for you in national colours.
“But other than that, I’m going to play my club, my franchise cricket, wherever I want to, knowing that none of those big tournaments will be clashing with international cricket.”
Kolkata Knight Riders’ cricketer Andre Russell is one of a number of players who have become T20 specialists. Photo: AFPSource: AFP
Gilchrist’s comments came a fortnight after Atherton honed in on South Africa’s decision to walk away from their ODI series against Australia and, ultimately, predicted franchise cricket would increasingly fill players’ pockets and see them contracted by cashed-up owners instead of their countries.
“A franchise-dominated landscape, with yearly ICC tournaments and not much bilateral international cricket or Tests, is coming, though,” Atherton, the former England captain, wrote in The Times.
“All this is good news for the players’ bank accounts, mainly, but it will be a very different landscape, with players eventually contracted to private companies who will acquire franchises across the globe.
“I found myself chatting to a player’s agent this week in Birmingham along these lines. England, he said, will be the last man standing where Test cricket is concerned. June and July stand out as the only months without T20 competition when Test cricket can flourish.”
The Telegraph’s report confirms what many respected figures within the game have feared, with the privatization of the game, particularly at franchise level, now starting to take full effect.
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Twelve-month deals would likely have a seismic impact on the international game, enabling franchises to sign players on lucrative year-round deals and, as a result, throw into jeopardy a player’s international availability.
It could also have a destabilizing impact at a domestic level, with the next tier of players unable to improve and test their skills against international players, should they be overseas.
AceThe Telegraph highlighted, The Knight Riders now have four teams under their umbrella – their flagship IPL franchise, the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, plus sides in the International League T20 (UAE) and Major League Cricket (US), which both launch next year.
Other IPL teams are buying teams in other leagues – all six franchises in South Africa’s new T20 league, which launches in January – as international cricket faces heightened pressure to compete.
One obstacle currently standing in the way of the IPL’s desire to globalize the game is the varied recruitment rules used across different T20 leagues.
Currently, for instance, India’s stars aren’t allowed to play in overseas T20 leagues while only four international players are allowed in an XI in the IPL.
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Mysore is hopeful those barriers will be broken down eventually and says England’s The Hundred and Australia’s Big Bash competitions are the next hunting grounds for IPL owners.
“If it happened that way, at some point in the future, that’d be great,” Mysore told The Telegraph.
“What we want to create is a common platform and a system and a culture that allows us to participate around the year – enhancing our brand, building our fan base, and providing opportunities to cricketers around the world. And in the process, you hopefully build a successful business around it.”
He added: “Our immediate reaction to any such proposal is to say, yeah, we are absolutely interested because this is part of our strategy. Whether it is the Big Bash or the Hundred, although we understand the challenges these leagues face in inviting private investments.
“Wherever we have gone, we’ve made it successful for the mutual benefit of the league as well as the Knight Riders. When a proposal comes to us it’s because they understand the value that the Knight Riders brand brings with it and the entire package that comes with it – we know how to build those brands.”
Tabraiz Shamsi’s maiden five-wicket Twenty20 international haul sealed South Africa’s 90-run thrashing of England on Sunday as the Proteas completed a 2-1 series win.
The 32-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner took 5-24 as England, set 192 for victory, collapsed to 101 all out with 20 balls to spare at Southampton after losing their last eight wickets for 49 runs.
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Earlier, in-form South Africa opener Reeza Hendricks hit 70 — his third fifty of the series — and Aiden Markram made an unbeaten 51 as the Proteas posted a competitive 191-5.
Recalled left-arm quick David Willey took 3-25.
Shamsi’s haul was all the more impressive given his expensive return of 0-49 in England’s series-opening win in Bristol.
But South Africa have been much improved in the field since that 41-run defeat and this win gave them a first T20 series success in England, as well as their first white-ball bilateral series victory in the country since 1998.
By contrast, defeat left England still searching for a first series win under new white-ball captain Jos Buttler following one-day international and T20 reverses against India and a drawn ODI campaign with the Proteas.
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Jonny Bairstow (27) was the only England batsman to make more than 20, but Buttler and white-ball coach Matthew Mott do have at least seven matches at this level scheduled in Pakistan in September in which to turn things around before the T20 World Cup in Australia.
England’s chase suffered an early setback when Buttler was out for 14, caught at short third man off spinner Keshav Maharaj.
The out-of-form Jason Roy fell for 17, caught behind off Anrich Nortje — in after South Africa decided against risking fellow fast bowler Kagiso Rabada’s injured ankle ahead of next month’s three-Test series in England.
And when Moeen Ali was brilliantly caught one-handed by a leaping Tristan Stubbs off part-time spinner Markram, the hosts were 59-4.
Shamsi then cleaned up Liam Livingstone before taking two wickets in two balls, with Sam Curran caught in the deep before Willey was clean bowled.
Jos Buttler is still yet to win a white-ball series as England skipper. (Photo by Steve Bardens / AFP)Source: AFP
Chris Jordan survived the hat-trick only to be lbw to Shamsi. Adil Rashid holed out off Shamsi before Maharaj ended the match when he dismissed Bairstow with the aid of a catch by David Miller — a memorable way for the South Africa captain to finish his 100th T20 international.
England’s decision to recall Willey in place of Richard Gleeson reaped an early reward when he had potential danger man Quinton de Kock chopping onto his stumps for a three-ball duck.
But South Africa recovered, with the Proteas 53-1 at the end of the powerplay. Hendricks completed a 42-ball fifty and he then upped the tempo with three boundaries in a 16th over bowled by Curran.
He was eventually well caught by wicketkeeper Buttler off the expensive Jordan (1-52).
But Markram, back in South Africa’s T20 team for the first time since last year’s World Cup, having first provided solid support, went on to a 36-ball fifty before Miller chipped in with a quickfire 22.
