Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - A hat-trick of tries for Hurricanes fullback Jordie Barrett, coupled with his long-range goal kicking accuracy, lifted his side to their first win of Super Rugby Aotearoa season.

The Hurricanes beat the Highlanders 30-19 in Dunedin with Barrett scoring all of the Hurricanes' points.

Barrett's 30-point haul is a Super Rugby Aotearoa record.

For the Highlanders Bryn Evans, Connor Garden-Bachop and Thomas Umaga-Jensen scored tries in the loss.

The visitors lead 17-7 at half-time.

Black Caps take max points in Super League

New Zealand have grabbed a full 30 points in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League series against Bangladesh after Friday's win in Wellington helped complete a 3-0 series sweep.

New Zealand are second in the points table owing to a better net run rate though four others - Bangladesh, England, Afghanistan and the West Indies - are also on 30 points.

This was the first Super League series for New Zealand and the second for Bangladesh, who had prevailed 3-0 over the West Indies at home.

Reigning World champions Australia lead with 40 points in the Super League, which was introduced last year to add context to ODI cricket.

All sides play four home and four away three-match series with seven teams getting direct qualifying spots to join hosts India at the 2023 event.

The tournament features the 12 ICC Full Members and the Netherlands, who qualified by winning the ICC World Cricket League Championship 2015-17.

Teams get 10 points for a win, five for an abandonment/tie/no result and none for a loss while points may be deducted for slow over rates in matches.

Sides are ranked according to total points earned and those failing to qualify directly will get a second shot through a Qualifier to be played in June and July of 2023.

Winning start for Germany, England and Italy in World Cup qualifiers

Former champions Germany, England and Italy got off to winning starts in their football World Cup qualifying campaigns but Spain were held to a 1-1 home draw by Greece.

Four-times winners Germany enjoyed a 3-0 win over Group J rivals Iceland.

The German team followed the example of Norway earlier in the week making a protest before the start of the game, lining up in Tee-shirts spelling out "Human Rights".

The 2022 World Cup finals will be held in Qatar, who have been criticised by human rights groups.

England trounced San Marino 5-nil, Italy had a 2-nil win over Northern Ireland while Spain drew one all with Greece.

Scotland twice came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw with Austria with a spectacular overhead kick from John McGinn five minutes from time salvaged a potentially vital point for the Scots, who like Austria last qualified for the World Cup in 1998.

Poland fought back to earn a 3-3 draw with Hungary.

-Reuters

Breakers pipped again

The Breakers were unable to maintain their start as they were beaten 82-79 by Melbourne United.

The Auckland side was up 54-38 at half time, but could managed just 25 points in the second half.

Fatigue again the problem for the shorthanded Breakers against the second placed Melbourne side.

The Breakers are closing in on their fifth season based in Australia and remain short on manpower with Rob Loe back home, Corey Webster injured and new signings Levi Randolph and William McDowell-White still in quarantine.

Finn Delany was the game's top-scorer delivering 17 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Breakers with Jeremy Kendle adding 13 points, Rasmus Bach 12, Colton Iverson 11 and Jarrad Weeks 10.

The Breakers record of four wins and 11 loses has them second to bottom on the table and they play the Bullets in Brisbane tomorrow.

Panthers beat Storm

The Penrith Panthers snatched a 12-10 win over Premiers Melbourne in an NRL grand final replay in Penrith.

Kurt Capewell scored the match winning try two minutes from time while fellow second-rower Viliame Kikau denied the Storm a four-pointer after the siren with a desperation tackle.

The Panthers, who were beaten by the Storm in last year's grand final, are now three from three, while Melbourne have one win from three games.

The Warriors play the Raiders in Canberra tomorrow.

Rennie says Super Rugby AU sides must play Aotearoa teams

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie thinks the quality of Australian rugby has improved this season but still believes it is vital that the players get to face New Zealand Super Rugby opposition this year.

Plans for a trans-Tasman Sea Super Rugby competition in May and June are reliant on a travel bubble opening up between New Zealand and Australia, a move that has been slow in coming.

While Rennie thinks the Super Rugby AU clash between Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies two weeks ago was on a par with the quality of contests in his homeland, he is still keen for younger players to get a taste of New Zealand rugby in the raw.

"I think it's essential we play against New Zealand sides and get an understanding of the intensity and the skillsets that they play with. Hopefully that happens ... itG��d be a good indicator for us as to where we're at."

Rennie conceded at the end of his first season in charge last year that Australia still had a long way to go to be competitive at the elite level in test rugby.

France are scheduled to play three tests in Australia in July and although COVID-19 concerns mean the tour has not yet been confirmed, Rennie is confident it will happen.

Rennie will announce a training squad of 40 players on Sunday and, even after he completely overhauled the team last year, suggested there would be some new faces as he looks ahead to the 2023 World Cup.

-Reuters

EPL sides to test brain injury mouthguards

Players from two English Premier League clubs will wear mouthguards embedded with microchips in training sessions to help monitor the impact of headers as part of research into brain injuries, the BBC reported.

The mouthguards, which are already used in rugby union and rugby league, will collect and send data to coaching and medical staff in real time to show how heading the ball affects the brain.

The report did not identify the clubs involved but said the Premier League wanted the research to be completed in a matter of months as the issue of dementia in the professional game gathers steam following the death of England's Nobby Stiles.

Stiles, who along with many of his 1966 World Cup-winning team mates including Jack and Bobby Charlton, had been diagnosed with dementia.

Premier League managers have called for a ban on heading in training if research shows it can lead to dementia, while the Professional Footballers' Association has urged clubs, leagues and the FA to come up with techniques to monitor training and protect players.

-Reuters

Favre was addicted to painkillers

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre said an addiction to painkillers led him to contemplate suicide shortly after steering his team to a Super Bowl title in 1997.

Favre became dependant on painkillers while dealing with injuries in 1994. He suffered two seizures the following year after increasing his intake, prompting him to enter rehab for 75 days.

The three-time MVP said he "fell right back into the cycle" of his addiction after leaving rehab but eventually managed to overcome it by flushing the pills down the toilet.

"I was as low as I possibly could be," Favre said on an episode of his podcast. "I said it's one of two things, I die, or I flush these pills down the toilet. I sat by the toilet for two hours.

"Eventually, I dumped the pills in the toilet, flushed them and I almost wanted to kill myself because of doing that. I could not believe that I've actually done that, and I was so mad at myself because now what was I gonna do?

The Hall of Famer played 16 seasons with the Packers before spells with the Vikings and Jets.

-Reuters