Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Rugby-Wallabies assistant coach Wisemantel resigns
Australia assistant coach Scott Wisemantel has resigned from his role effective immediately to focus on his family and business interests outside of the sport, Rugby Australia said on Thursday. Wisemantel’s decision leaves head coach Dave Rennie without an attack coach seven months out from the World Cup in France.
Soccer-Kane closes in on Greaves record, Forest move out of bottom three
Harry Kane closed in on Jimmy Greaves’ all-time Tottenham Hotspur goalscoring record as he helped Spurs thrash Crystal Palace 4-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday, while Nottingham Forest beat Southampton to move out of the relegation zone. West Ham United and Leeds United remain embroiled in a relegation battle after the pair drew 2-2 at Elland Road, while Unai Emery’s Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
NHL roundup: John Gibson, Ducks blank Stars
Mason McTavish collected one goal and one assist and goaltender John Gibson posted his first shutout in 14 months as the host Anaheim Ducks blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Wednesday. Adam Henrique also scored for the Ducks, while Gibson made 35 saves for his 24th career shutout and first since Nov. 2, 2021.
Soccer-FIFA’s Infantino shows support for Umtiti, Banda after racist abuse
FIFA President Gianni Infantino called on fans to “shut up all the racists” after Lecce defender Samuel Umtiti and team mate Lameck Banda were subjected to racial abuse during their home game against Lazio on Wednesday. Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported the match was paused for several minutes while an announcement was made in the stadium calling for the chants to be stopped.
Soccer-Danielle Reyna told U.S. Soccer about Berhalter domestic violence incident – reports
Danielle Reyna, the mother of U.S. men’s national team midfielder Gio Reyna, notified U.S. Soccer last month about a 1991 incident where head coach Gregg Berhalter kicked his wife, ESPN and other outlets reported on Wednesday. Danielle, who has known Gregg and Rosalind Berhalter for years, reportedly made the federation aware of the fight between the pair outside a bar 31 years ago after Berhalter criticized her son after the World Cup.
Tennis-Djokovic survives Halys scare to reach Adelaide quarters
Novak Djokovic battled back from 5-2 down in the first set to beat Quentin Halys 7-6(3) 7-6(5) and move into the Adelaide International 1 quarter-finals on Thursday. Halys, ranked 64th in the world, has never beaten a top-10 opponent but gave Djokovic a big scare before the former world number one prevailed in two tiebreakers.
Top 25 roundup: No. 17 TCU rallies to knock off No. 19 Baylor
Chuck O’Bannon Jr. hit a go-ahead jumper with four seconds to play and Mike Miles Jr. scored a career-high 33 points as No. 17 TCU came from behind to beat No. 19 Baylor 88-87 on Wednesday in a Big 12 Conference battle in Waco, Texas. The Bears led by 17 points with three minutes to play in the first half and 10 at halftime before TCU (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) charged back.
Rugby-Marler sorry for insulting opponent’s mother but says sledging is the norm
Harlequins and England prop Joe Marler has apologized for insulting an opponent’s mother but said that kind of sledging is “the norm” in rugby. Marler was handed a two-week ban for comments made to Bristol Bears’ Jake Heenan as well as an additional four-week ban suspended until the end of the 2023/24 season.
NFL-Bills’ Hamlin shows improvement, remains in critical condition
The Buffalo Bills said on Wednesday that safety Damar Hamlin has shown “signs of improvement” since suffering a cardiac arrest during a Monday night NFL game in Cincinnati, but that he is still in critical condition. “Damar remains in the ICU (intensive care unit) in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight,” the Bills said in a social media post.
Soccer-Inter end Napoli’s unbeaten start as Juve extend winning streak to seven
Napoli’s 11-match winning streak and unbeaten start to the Serie A season ended on Wednesday when Edin Dzeko’s second-half goal secured Inter Milan a 1-0 victory. Napoli are still top of the table with 41 points after 16 games but their advantage over second-placed AC Milan, who beat Salernitana 2-1, narrowed to five points.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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