Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - All Black George Bridge is set to miss the rest of the Super Rugby trans-Tasman competition having had his appendix removed this week.

It's another setback for Bridge who suffered a pectoral injury with the All Blacks last year and only returned for the Crusaders last month.

Meanwhile veteran Liam Messam will make his first start for the Chiefs in three years when they play the Brumbies in Hamilton on Saturday.

The 37 year old Messam was called into the squad as injury cover and came off the bench in the side's narrow win over the Force in Perth.

The Chiefs also welcome back All Black prop Atu Moli for his first appearance in over a year after undergoing hip surgery.

Dixon tops times at Indy

New Zealand driver Scott Dixon was the fastest on the second day of practice for for next week's Indianapolis 500.

Dixon, who won America's great race in 2008, managed a best lap at a speed of 365 kph.

As temperatures rose today, Dixon managed to improve of his time yesterday which was eighth quickest.

The Indycar championship leader got through 108 laps today, while fellow New Zealander Scott McLaughlin managed 112 laps and recorded the 17th fastest time.

Practice continues tomorrow with qualifying this weekend and the race on Monday May 31st (NZ time).

Liverpool close in on Champions League

Liverpool moved into the Champions League qualifying spots after a 3-0 win at Burnley took them above Leicester City and into fourth place with one round of Premier League matches remaining.

The victory moves Liverpool onto 66 points, ahead of fifth-placed Leicester on goal difference while Chelsea are third on 67 points.

Champions Manchester City and second-placed Manchester United have already secured Champions League qualification.

In the key final round games this weekend Chelsea play Aston Villa, Liverpool play Crystal Palace and Leicester play Tottenham Hotspur.

Meanwhile Sam Allardyce will step down as West Bromwich Albion manager at the end of the season, the club said after their 3-1 home defeat by West Ham United.

Allardyce took charge in December after Slaven Bilic was sacked but was unable to save the Midlands club from an immediate return to the Championship.

In other results Everton beat Wolves 1-0, Newcastle beat Sheffield United 1-0, Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 and Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-1

-Reuters

Hemed faces no further action

The Wellington Phoenix striker Tomer Hemed will not be sanctioned for his post goal celebrations last weekend.

The Israeli netted a double against Melbourne City on Sunday and showed his support for his home nation amid the most serious hostilities in years with Hamas Islamists who rule Gaza.

After scoring a penalty late in the first half, Hemed ran to a group of supporters in the terraces and draped himself in an Israeli national flag.

And after securing the draw in the final minutes with his second goal of the game Hemed pulled out a kippah, a traditional Jewish cap, from under his uniform and placed it on his head.

The 34-year-old covered his face with one hand and pointed to the sky.

Afterwards the Phoenix general manager David Dome expected a "please explain" from the league.

Stuff is reporting that Football Federation Australia said the matter is closed and that a yellow card was a sufficient punishment.

Crowley to coach Italy

Former All Black Kieran Crowley has replaced Franco Smith as Italy's rugby coach.

Smith had been in the role since 2019 and will now become Italian rugby's head of high performance.

Former Canada coach Crowley - who has spent the past five seasons at Italian club Benetton - was part of New Zealand's 1987 World Cup-winning squad.

"In these five years with Benetton Rugby, I've been able to learn and understand the country and its rugby culture, an understanding which I cannot wait to develop as head coach of the national team," Crowley said.

"We have a generation of talented young people who have recently entered the international test scene and PRO14 who have all the qualities to constitute... the backbone of Italy."

Italy have finished last in the Six Nations for six consecutive years without winning a single game.

-Reuters

Durante calls time on career

The former Phoenix captain Andrew Durante has announced that he will retire from football at the conclusion of the current A-League season.

Durante has played 414 Australian National League games including 356 A-League appearances - the most by anyone in the league.

The 39-year-old's esteemed career has spanned 20 years, beginning at the Sydney Olympics in 2001 and included 11 years playing for the Wellington Phoenix before making the switch to Victoria's Western United.

Durante's career is highlighted by a National Soccer League title with Sydney Olympic in 2001/02, and an A-League Championship won with Newcastle Jets in the 2007/08 season.

He was awarded the Joe Marston Medal in the 2008 A-League Grand Final as the best player on the pitch.

Durante will line up for Western United against the Phoenix in Wellington on Saturday.

Wilder not going away cheaply

Tyson Fury does not expect to face Anthony Joshua in his next fight after Deontay Wilder requested $28 million to step aside and allow their bout to go ahead.

Fury agreed to face fellow Brit Joshua in a highly-anticipated fight in August.

But Wilder's team forced an arbitration hearing which concluded he had a contractual right to face Fury for a third time and by 15 September.

Fury said Wilder "asked for US $28m to move over", and added: "Looks like I will have to crack his skull again."

Fury stopped Wilder in seven rounds in February 2020 to become WBC world heavyweight champion, 14 months on from when the pair shared a thrilling draw in a first meeting.

A third fight was slated for 2020 but delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and an injury to Wilder prompted Fury to focus on facing Joshua.

Joshua holds the WBO, WBA and IBF belts, meaning a bout with Fury would have been the first at heavyweight for all four world titles.

-BBC

Bernal extends lead on Giro

Swiss cyclist Mauro Schmid secured his first Grand Tour win on Stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia, a 162km ride from Perugia to Montalcino, while Colombian Egan Bernal extended his lead in the general classification.

Schmid pulled clear of the peloton early on and battled it out with Alessandro Covi after a thrilling race, pipping the young Italian on the line to take home the stage win in his debut season. Belgian Harm Vanhoucke finished third.

Bernal remained at the head of the peloton for the majority of the stage through the Tuscan gravel roads, before making his move at the end the final climb up Passo del Lume Spento.

Bernal finished 11th on the stage and is now 45 seconds clear of Russian Aleksandr Vlasov in the general classification.

New Zealander George Bennett is 27th overall ... 21 minutes off the pace.

Thursday's Stage 12 is a 212km ride from Siena to Bagno di Romagna.

-Reuters

Norris staying with McLaren

Britain's Lando Norris will partner Australian Daniel Ricciardo for a few more years at McLaren after the Formula One team announced a contract extension.

The 21-year-old Briton has moved up a gear in his third season with the former champions and is fourth overall ahead of this weekend's showcase Monaco Grand Prix, round five of the championship.

Ricciardo, a seven-times race winner with Red Bull, joined McLaren this year from Renault (now Alpine) on a three-year deal.

McLaren said the renewal with Norris, whose contract was up at the end of the season, cemented the lineup "for the coming years".

Norris has scored points in every race this year, finishing third at Imola in April, with McLaren third in the constructors' standings.

The Briton, who graduated from a reserve role after finishing runner-up in the 2018 F2 championship, said he had not considered any other options.

-Reuters