Sport

Today's sports news: what you need to know

09:05 am on 7 August 2019

Latest - Young Chelsea players were targeted for years by a "prolific and manipulative sexual abuser" who was able to operate "unchallenged", according to a damning report.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Evidence from 23 witnesses details how ex-chief scout Eddie Heath, who died in 1983, groomed and abused young boys aged between 10 and 17 in the 1970s.

An external review said some adults at Chelsea must have been aware of Heath's abuse but "turned a blind eye".

In a statement, Chelsea's board apologised "unreservedly".

Meanwhile, a separate review into allegations of racial abuse from 1982 up until the late 1990s conducted by charity Barnado's concluded that "black players were subjected to a daily tirade of racial abuse".

-BBC

Maloney banned for key game

Penrith star James Maloney will miss Friday night's crucial NRL clash with Cronulla after being found guilty of tripping Canterbury utility Jeremy Marshall-King.

Photo: Photosport Ltd 2019

The NSW State of Origin five-eighth has been suspended for one game in a cruel blow to the ninth-placed Panthers' finals hopes.

In maintaining his innocence, Maloney insisted he only had eyes for the ball during the 73rd minute incident on Saturday night.

Meanwhile South Sydney captain Sam Burgess did escape suspension.

Burgess was facing a two-game ban for a high tackle on Cronulla fullback Matt Moylan but was successfully in having a grade two charge reduced to a grade one offence.

The English international was instead fined $2000 but is free to tackle table-topping Melbourne in Gosford on Sunday.

-AAP

Anderson out of second test

Jimmy Anderson has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test at Lord's as the veteran's calf injury continues to prove a major boost to Australia's pursuit of a breakthrough series win in England.

England pace bowler James Anderson has equalled Ian Botham and the England record when he took his 27th five-wicket haul Photo: Photosport

Anderson returned from a month-long stint on the sidelines at Edgbaston after convincing himself, medicos, selectors, coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Joe Root that he had recovered from a calf injury.

But the 37-year-old tweaked the same muscle after delivering only four overs with the new ball on day one of the first Test.

Anderson failed to bowl again in the match and it is unclear when he will be fit to return in the five-Test series.

The hosts will be particularly reluctant to rush the right-armer back, given how his comeback left Root a bowler down in Birmingham.

-AAP

Kiwi sailors on the rise

Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox rocketed up the leaderboard at the 470 world championships in Japan to leave themselves in a strong position heading into the first day of gold fleet racing.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The pair banked two seconds and a 10th in yesterday's three races to leave them in sixth overall, seven points behind leaders Spain's Jordi Xammar and Nicolas Rodriguez.

The leaderboard was always going to radically shake up once the drop for their worst result came into play and it benefitted Snow-Hansen and Willcox immensely as they were able to discard the 24th they recorded in their opening race.

It means they have little margin for error, however, and can't afford another big score in the remaining six races.

Carlos and DJ to lead rugby teams

Carlos Spencer and DJ Forbes will be among a cast of Pacific Island and New Zealand rugby legends who will play a curtain-raiser to the All Blacks-Tonga Test in Hamilton next month.

Carlos Spencer Photo: Photosport

The New Zealand Barbarian Legends will play the Pacific Legends in a midday match organised to raise awareness of the diabetes and obesity epidemic affecting many New Zealand communities, but especially the Pacific Island and Māori communities.

Coached by All Blacks greats Sir Michael Jones (NZ Barbarian Legends) and Tana Umaga (Pacific Legends), the two squads will be made up of a generation of well-known players.

Headlining the NZ Barbarian Legends line-up is former Māori All Blacks, Auckland and Blues first-five Spencer, who played 35 Tests for the All Blacks between 1997 and 2004.

DJ Forbes captained the All Black Sevens for many years and won Commonwealth Games gold in 2010.

Arsenal lose skipper

Arsenal skipper Laurent Koscielny will end his nine-year spell in London and join French Ligue 1 side Girondins Bordeaux for an undisclosed fee.

The 33-year-old French centre back, who joined from Lorient, made more than 350 appearances for Arsenal and was part of their FA Cup-winning squads in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Financial details were not disclosed, but British media said Bordeaux would pay up to $10 million for Koscielny, who was also a target for Olympique Lyonnais.

His departure is a blow to manager Unai Emery, who must look to reinforce the defence as Arsenal look to improve on their fifth-place finish last season.

Arsenal begin the new campaign with a trip to Newcastle United on Sunday.

-Reuters

Steve Price to help Bulldogs

Canterbury have recruited former club great and premiership-winning captain Steve Price to help oversee their NRL rebuild.

The former Queensland and Australian prop has been appointed as the Bulldogs' general manager of football after stepping down from the club board.

Price played 313 matches during his illustrious career including 222 for the Bulldogs, along with 28 State of Origins for Queensland and 16 Tests.

He was a member of the 1995 premiership team and skippered them in 2004 however missed their grand final win over the Sydney Roosters because of injury.

He played his last five years for the Warriors.

"I am really looking forward to working with everyone at the Bulldogs and to continue building towards making this club great again," Price said.

-AAP