Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest- The round Lake Taupo Cycle challenge has been postponed until February with organisers citing the uncertainty around hosting the event due to Covid restrictions.

The 44th edition of the event was due to be held in five weeks time, on November 27th and had attracted 5,000 riders.

It's been pushed back until February 19th.

However organisers won't be offering any refunds for those that can't make the new date .

Entry costs range from $20 to $279 and event director Hayden Dickason said those who have entered will be are automatically transferred to the new date.

"The event is owned by a charitable trust, and we are committed to honouring our commitments to the community we support. Given the significant non-recoupable costs that the event has incurred over the past 18 months, no refunds or transfers to future event dates are available," he said.

"We have not reached our decision to postpone the event lightly....(but) we have concluded that hosting a February event is in the best interests of our cycling community."

-RNZ

Ronaldo saves the day for Man U

Cristiano Ronaldo headed the winner nine minutes from time as Manchester United came back from two goals down to record a memorable 3-2 Champions League win over Atalanta at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had been booed off at the break, such was the lack of invention they showed in falling behind 2-0.

But the jeers turned to cheers as United, roared on by an increasingly frenzied crowd, rallied to complete one of their great European victories.

United top the group after three games on six points with Atalanta and Villarreal two points behind.

Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 win over Sweden's Malmo and they're three points behind Juventus who kept their perfect record with a 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg.

Bayern Munich struck four times in a frantic 15-minute spell late in the second half to cruise past Benfica Lisbon 4-0 and make it three wins out of three in their group.

Bayern have nine points, Benfica four and Barcelona have three after beating Dynamo Kyiv for their first win of the competition.

-Reuters

USA wants to host Rugby World Cups

The United States has officially launched its campaign to host an upcoming men's and women's Rugby World Cup as part of an effort to expand North American interest and participation in the sport for generations to come.

The United States, which was approved as a bid candidate in June, is looking to host the men's Rugby World Cup in 2027 or 2031 and the women's Rugby World Cup in 2029.

No country has ever bid for both events together and, if successful, it would mark the first time a men's Rugby World Cup has been held in North or South America.

"We are confident in the strength of this bid, the support around us, the cities and stadiums interested in hosting, our country's top-level infrastructure for large-scale sports events and the opportunity the U.S. population of sports fans presents for rugby's growth, both domestically and globally," said USA Rugby World Cup Bid Chair Jim Brown.

Bid organisers said 29 cities have put their name forward as prospective hosts, a list that includes Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington as well as Vancouver in Canada.

Australia and Russia are among other contenders for the 2027 men's tournament.

The bid was launched as the All Blacks prepare to face the USA Eagles in a test match on Sunday in Washington as part of the inaugural 1874 Cup.

- Reuters

Sri Lanka into World Cup Super 12

Sri Lanka qualified for the Super 12s stage of the Men's T20 World Cup with a 70-run win over Ireland in Abu Dhabi.

Wanindu Hasaranga hit 71 off 47 balls as Sri Lanka posted 171-7 and then took 1-12 from four overs as Ireland were bowled out for 101 in 18.3 overs.

Namibia beat Netherlands by six wickets in the earlier game, with David Wiese hitting 66 off 40 balls.

They will play Ireland this weekend, with the winner qualifying for the next stage of the competition.

Sri Lanka will top group A if they beat bottom-placed Netherlands - who can no longer qualify for the Super 12s.

-BBC

Bruce out of Newcastle United

Steve Bruce has left his position as Newcastle United manager by mutual consent, two weeks after they were taken over by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium.

Bruce had appeared to be on borrowed time after the Premier League announced earlier this month that Newcastle had been sold to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The 60-year-old had said following the change of ownership that he would understand if he was replaced but he was allowed to take charge of the 1,000th match in his managerial career when Newcastle hosted Tottenham Hotspur in the league, losing 3-2 last Sunday.

"I'm grateful to everyone connected with Newcastle United for the opportunity to manage this unique football club," Bruce said in a club statement.

"I would like to thank my coaching team, the players and the support staff in particular for all their hard work. There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts.

"This is a club with incredible support, and I hope the new owners can take it forward to where we all want it to be. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the rest of this season and beyond."

Newcastle said Bruce's assistant Graeme Jones will lead the team on an interim basis, starting with Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace, and will be supported by the coaching team of Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence, Ben Dawson and Simon Smith.

Bruce, who was appointed Newcastle manager in July 2019, was already on thin ice after a dismal start to the campaign that leaves the club languishing second-from-bottom in the league without a win after eight games.

- Reuters

Taunoa-Brown leaves the Warriors for rival club

Prop Jamayne Taunoa-Brown is leaving the Warriors to continue his NRL career with another club.

The 24-year-old 2020-2021 Indigenous All-Stars front rower was initially on a train and trial contract with the club before earning a fulltime deal for the 2020 season.

"Unfortunately we were unable to offer him a contract beyond 2022 so, with his best interests in mind, we've reluctantly agreed to let him go so he can accept a long-term offer for his future and security," Warriors recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan said.

Taunoa-Brown made his NRL debut off the bench in the opening round of the 2020 season against the Newcastle Knights, going on to make 19 appearances in his rookie year.

He added 13 more matches this year to lift his club tally to 32 while he also had two games while on loan to the St George Illawarra Dragons.

An announcement on Taunoa-Brown's next move is expected soon.

Australian Baseball League cancelled

The Australian Baseball League has decided to abandon the 2021/22 campaign due to the ongoing challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams said the decision was incredibly difficult to make but made with the league's long-term success and sustainability in mind.

The Auckland Tuatara had already opted out of the 2021/22 campaign due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The league last month pushed back opening day to mid-to-late December but with an early February deadline to wrap up the season and a large number of unknowns due to Covid the challenge of completing a season was becoming increasingly complex.

Instead the ABL's attention will turn to the longer term and the 2022/23 season.

The Tuatara and Geelong-Korea are slated to return next season.

Pattinson retires before Ashes

Australia fast bowler James Pattinson has announced his retirement from international cricket ahead of the upcoming Ashes series against England.

Pattinson decided to step away from international cricket to focus on his family, continue playing for his state team Victoria and help nurture the next generation of fast bowlers.

Pattinson announced himself on the world stage with a five-wicket haul on his test debut in December 2011 in a win over New Zealand. He was named the best player of the two-test series, thanks to his 14 wickets.

The paceman, who has battled injuries throughout his decade-long career, took 81 wickets at an average of 26.33 from 21 test matches. He also played 15 one-day and four Twenty20 international matches for the national team.

The 31-year-old's decision to retire leaves Australia short of bowling options for the five-test Ashes, which is due to begin on 8 December in Brisbane.

- Reuters

Canada joins SailGP

Canada will join the SailGP line-up for season 3, starting May 2022, bringing the total number of boats on the start-line to 10.

The franchise of the Canada SailGP Team is owned by businessman and investment entrepreneur and lifelong sailor, Fred Pye.

The ethos behind the team will be twofold; to expand the sport in Canada and promote a pathway into high performance sailing in Canada.

Featuring the sport's best athletes, Canada will join teams from Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United States in Season 3 - spanning 2022-2023 - and expected to comprise 10 events.

SailGP was launched in 2018 and is currently in the closing stages of its second season, with two more events in Sydney and San Francisco remaining before the SailGP Season 2 champion is crowned.

Nico Hulkenberg to try IndyCar

German former Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg will get a first taste of IndyCar with a one-off evaluation test for Arrow McLaren SP at Alabama's Barber Motorsports Park.

The 34-year-old is currently reserve driver for the Aston Martin F1 team, who will be racing in Austin, Texas, at the weekend.

Hulkenberg raced twice in Formula One last year as a stand-in at Silverstone for Mexican Sergio Perez, who had tested positive for Covid-19, and unwell Canadian Lance Stroll at the Nuerburgring.

A Le Mans 24 Hours winner, Hulkenberg has made 179 career Formula One starts.

"I am pleased to try out an Indy car and see what it's all about," he said. "While I don't have any current plans to race in IndyCar, it will be great to drive a car for the first time and get a feel for the series."

Arrow McLaren SP are considering eventually running a third car in the U.S.-based series, with Mexican Pato O'Ward and Sweden's Felix Rosenqvist confirmed for 2022.

-Reuters

Australia searching for new Sevens coaches

Australia has started a recruitment process for head coaches of its national men's and women's rugby sevens teams after both programmes flopped at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Australian women, coached by John Manenti, were eliminated in the quarter-finals of their gold medal defence in Tokyo.

Under Tim Walsh, the men also fell in the last eight and embarrassed Australia's Olympic delegation after some of the squad's players damaged their rooms in Tokyo and were drunk on a flight home.

Rugby Australia said it had completed a review into the "disappointing" Tokyo campaign and advertised for coaches to start in January and take the squads through the Olympic cycle to the 2024 Paris Games.

Both Walsh and Manenti will remain in charge of their teams for the first two legs of the 2021-22 World Rugby Sevens series which begins in Dubai next month.

- Reuters