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Today's sports news: What you need to know

09:49 am on 8 April 2019

Substitute flyhalf Domingo Miotti scored two late tries within three minutes of his Super Rugby debut to rally the Jaguares to a maiden victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Jaguares celebrate a win over the Bulls . Photo: Backpagepix/Photosport

Miotti came off the bench for his Super Rugby bow in the 72nd minute with the Argentine side trailing by 10 points, but within a minute scored a first try and then moments later added a second to snatch the win for the visitors.

The Bulls finished the game with 13 players after two late yellow cards for loose-forward Tim Agaba and prop Conraad Van Vuuren, and were made to pay for their ill-discipline as they let their lead slip.

Flank Pablo Matera also crossed the tryline for the Jaguares in the opening half, while there was a first Super Rugby score for Bulls wing Jade Stighling in his third appearance.

Meanwhile Reece Hodge bagged a hat-trick for Melbourne to extend their lead at the top of the Australian conference with a crushing 42-15 win over the Sunwolves.

The six-try bonus-point victory on Saturday night at AAMI Park means the Rebels are seven points clear of their nearest rivals, the NSW Waratahs, who fell to the Blues earlier in Auckland.

The men from Tokyo kept themselves in the hunt with big winger Semisi Masirewa continuing his five-star form with the first of two tries for the night.

The Rebels were unable to shake the visitors until the 61st minute when Hodge charged down a clearing kick by Josh Timu and dived on the ball before it could roll dead.

Wallabies halfback Genia wound back the clock when he raced through a gap off the back of a lineout and scooted 50m to touch down, before heading to the bench to watch his team run out the win.

Both sides finished the match with less than the full complement as discipline wavered.

Osei-Nketia closing in on 100m record

New Zealand born teenager Edward Osei-Nketia has moved closer to breaking his father's national 100 metre record.

New Zealand sprinter Edward Osei Nketia. Photo: Photosport

The 17-year-old, who was raised in Australia but is back in New Zealand and attending Wellington's Scots College, won the 100 metre title at the Australian Athletics Championships on Saturday night.

Osei-Nketia's new personal best time of 10.19 seconds in the semifinals is just 0.08 of a second outside the New Zealand record his father Gus Nketia set at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

The talented teenager is also a promising rugby player and will play this season for the Scots College First 15.

And on Sunday, New Zealand shot putter Tom Walsh was in a class of his own, winning the Australian national title by more than two metres.

Walsh's third-round 21.91m metre effort was his best for the season by more than 20 centimetres, well clear of Australian Damien Birkinhead's second-placed 19.79m.

Although well below his all-time best of 22.67m set a year ago, Walsh is pacing his season well as he looks to defend his world championship title in Doha later this year.

Golden glow for Maloney in Palma

New Zealand sailors have claimed three medals at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, including gold and bronze in the Finn class, to finish as the second-most successful nation at the event.

New Zealand sailor Andy Maloney. Photo: Sailing Energy

Andy Maloney won his first major regatta in the Finn class since switching from the Laser to the heavyweight dinghy and Josh Junior claimed bronze.

Alex Maloney and Molly Meech collected another silver in the 49erFX, following on from their second placing at February's World Cup Series event in Miami.

The three medals saw New Zealand finish level with the United States as the second-most successful nations in Palma behind Great Britain, who snared eight medals.

Seven New Zealand boats were due to compete in the top 10 medal races on Sunday (NZ time) but winds in excess of 20 knots and big waves meant there was no racing in the 49er (three boats), 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes.

More than 100 boats lined up in the 49er class, so it was an impressive achievement for New Zealand to finish with three boats inside the top nine.

Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn were the best placed of the Kiwis in sixth, but it was an encouraging return to international 49er sailing for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who were seventh.

The Princess Sofia Regatta is the first major European event of the season, with more than 1200 competitors in the 10 Olympic classes, and there were 86 boats in the Finn class.

Salt through to US college final

Auckland centre Jack Salt and his University of Virginia Cavaliers team have booked a spot in tomorrow's NCAA basketball final in Minneapolis.

The Cavaliers survived a thriller to defeat the Auburn University Tigers 63-62 and book a place against Texas Tech in the final.

It is the first time Virginia has made the final, and the No.1 seeds looked down and out when Auburn, seeded fifth, went on a late 9-0 run and led by four points with 17 seconds left.

Virginia's star guard Kyle Guy hit a three-pointer with nine seconds to go and with one second left was fouled attempting another three-pointer.

Guy coolly sank all three free throws to win the game.

Virginia coach Tony Bennett kept a tight rotation of just seven players, with the 208cm tall Salt coming off the bench for two rebounds in eight minutes.

Kupcho triumphs at Augusta

Jennifer Kupcho struck a blow for gender equality and entered golf history books on Sunday (NZ time) when she was crowned Augusta National Women's Amateur champion by firing a final-round five-under 67 for a four-shot win over Maria Fassi.

Following the first women's competitive round played at Augusta National, it was a double celebration for Kupcho as she hoisted the silver and gold Tiffany-designed cup at a club that just seven years ago did not have a single woman member.

"You are now part of history of Augusta National along with all the great Masters champions who have been right here in this Butler Cabin," Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said as he presented Kupcho with her trophy in the same location where the Masters champion is presented with the winner's green jacket.

With Augusta National set to host the Masters next week, Fassi and Kupcho proved that women can also produce nerve-jangling drama with a back-nine battle worthy of any major.

Opened for play in 1933, Augusta National became the private sanctuary for some of the world's most powerful men and it was almost 80 years before the club welcomed its first women members in 2012, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore.