Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - The Australian rugby league great Johnny Raper has died. He was 82.

Raper played in eight consecutive NRL premierships for St. George from 1959, and also represented the Australian Kangaroos in 39 tests.

He played as a lock and was adept at making low tackles behind the defensive line, was one of the greatest players ever, according to Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V'landys.

"Johnny was a football genius. He had a gut instinct for rugby league like few we have seen. He wasn't the biggest player on the field, but he was the smartest," he said.

Legendary coach Jack Gibson, who played with Raper in Sydney, described him as being one of the hardest workers he ever saw.

"[He was] small and not all that quick, but he had football instinct," Gibson said.

"There was an intensity about him. Nobody trained like he did."

-Reuters/ABC

Joshua gets re-match in May

British boxer Anthony Joshua's rematch against heavyweight rival Oleksandr Usyk is set to take place in May.

Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine's Usyk on a unanimous points decision in front of a sell-out crowd at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.

British media reported that Tyson Fury had offered Joshua a fee to step aside from his contractually obligated rematch with Usyk to allow the Ukrainian to face Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title bout. But those talks collapsed.

"It's clear AJ will be fighting Usyk, which is his preferred choice," promoter Eddie Hearn told the BBC.

"May is when you'll see that fight.

"There's the UK, America, the Middle East - we've had offers all around the world for that fight. I'd like to do it in the UK and we'll see."

-Reuters

Newcastle earn valuable win

Latest - Newcastle United earned a huge win in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League as they came from a goal down to beat Everton 3-1 and move out of the bottom three.

An own goal by Jamaal Lascelles in the 36th minute gave Everton the lead but the Newcastle skipper made amends a minute later when his header went in off Everton's Mason Holgate.

Roared on by a fervent St James' Park crowd, Ryan Fraser put the hosts ahead in the 56th minute before Kieran Trippier made the points safe with a superbly-executed free kick in the 80th minute.

Newcastle's All White's striker Chris Wood had a goal diusallowed for offside.

Newcastle's victory lifted them into 17th place with 18 points, two ahead of Norwich City and three more than 19th-placed Watford, who lost 1-0 at West Ham United.

The Hammers are now fourth on the table ahead of Manchester United who drew 1-1 at bottom club Burnley.

Manchester City have 57 points, Liverpool 48, Chelsea 47, West Ham 40 and Manchester United 39.

-Reuters

Ferns might experiment in India series

The White Ferns plan to experiment with their line-up in the series against India in Queenstown.

Today's sole T20 is followed by five one-day matches as both sides prepare for the Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand next month.

The White Ferns haven't played since last year's tour to England and captain Sophie Devine says this final hit out for the world cup squad is important.

"We know building momentum into the World Cup is going to be extremely important, but we also know this is an opportunity to iron out a few of those kinks and maybe test a few people out in different positions," said Devine.

"What is really important is that we keep trending in the right direction whether results go our way or not."

Meanmwhile India won't rest their frontline fast bowlers in tthe series.

Captain Mithali Raj says the side is looking ahead to next month's World Cup and want to take advantage of the opportunity to play in local conditions ahead of the showpiece event.

Anderson and Broad dropped

England's all-time leading test wicket takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been dropped for the three-test tour against West Indies.

Fast bowlers Anderson and Broad have taken a combined 1,177 wickets in test cricket but were left out by the selection panel comprising of interim managing director Andrew Strauss, interim head coach Paul Collingwood and head scout James Taylor.

Other players who played in the Ashes but have also been dropped include Dom Bess, Sam Billings, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan.

Durham opener Alex Lees and Yorkshire seamer Matthew Fisher received their first call-ups while wicketkeeper Ben Foakes also returns to the squad.

Collingwood was named interim head coach after Chris Silverwood stepped down last week following the team's 4-0 series defeat in the Ashes against Australia.

The first test begins on March 8 in Antigua.

-Reuters

I'm still here because we keep winning

Pep Guardiola said there was no other reason why he has stayed on as Manchester City manager for so long other than the fact his team keep winning but he is no rush to sign a new contract.

The Spaniard's contract runs out at the end of next season, and should he see that deal through, Guardiola will have been in charge of City for seven seasons, three campaigns more than he oversaw at this native Barcelona.

City are on course for their fourth Premier League title under Guardiola, top of the standings and nine points clear of second-placed Liverpool going into their clash with Brentford this week.

"I am here so long because we won a lot and we're winning a lot," Guardiola said. "Otherwise, I will not be here in front of you after six seasons.

"We are comfortable - both the club and myself. And that's why we continue, it is no more than that.

"We still have a one year and a half contract, which is a lot of time considering how world football is. We see how many managers were sacked, not just here in England, but everywhere.

-Reuters

Gillespie not interested in top job

Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie is not interested in replacing Justin Langer as the team's head coach.

Langer resigned last weekend, shortly after leading Australia to a 4-0 Ashes series win over England, with Cricket Australia saying he had rejected a short-term extension of his contract.

Gillespie had been considered as a potential replacement for Langer, but the 46 year old said he is committed to his coaching role at South Australia.

"I am not putting myself up for any jobs, I'm fully committed to South Australian cricket," Gillespie, a former test team mate of Langer, said.

"I've got a lot of work to do here and I'm absolutely loving it.

"It's nice to be thought of in that way, but it's not something I'm entertaining," Gillespie added when asked if he was flattered to have been mentioned as a possible successor to Langer.

Assistant coach Andrew McDonald, who will lead the squad on an interim basis, is also a potential candidate.

Australian Trevor Bayliss, the former England coach, has also been linked to the role.

-Reuters

Australia dominate England

Skipper Meg Lanning led by example as Australia crushed England by eight wickets in the third and final one-dayer to finish the multi-format Ashes series unbeaten.

Australia's bowlers, spearheaded by Annabel Sutherland (4-31), laid the foundation for their 3-0 sweep of the one-day leg of the series by bowling out England for 163 at Melbourne's Junction Oval.

Lanning led their chase with an unbeaten 57 as Australia romped home with 13.4 overs to spare for a 12-4 series victory less than a month after their men's team's 4-0 Ashes triumph against England.

The England team under Heather Knight finished winless, their points coming from two washed out T20 matches in Adelaide and a drawn test in Canberra.

"We have had so many contributors. That holds us in good stead moving forwards," said Lanning whose team are overwhelming favourites to win the World Cup in New Zealand beginning next month.

-Reuters

Brady may come back

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said he could return to the NFL following his decision to retire last week after a glittering 22-year career during which he won a record seven Super Bowl championships.

44-year-old Brady said he was happy with his decision but wouldn't mind reconsidering it six months from now.

"I'm just gonna take things as they come. I think that's the best way to put it and I don't think anything, you know, you never say never," said Brady, who played most of his career for the New England Patriots.

Brady, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, added that the decision to retire was heavily influenced by him missing things outside of sport.

"I think the choice is, everything certainly comes at a cost, and the cost is what am I missing out on other aspects of my life?" he said.

-Reuters

Caitlyn Jenner starts motor racing team

A new racing team owned by former Olympic gold medal winner and transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner will compete in the 2022 W Series, the all-female motor racing championship.

American Jenner, a former professional racing driver, will be the team principal overseeing the day-to-day running of the Jenner Racing team.

The 72-year-old, who as Bruce Jenner won the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and competed as a racing driver in the 1980s, publicly came out as a transgender woman in 2015.

"As a believer in fair competition, a lover of motor racing, and a supporter of all women in sport from the grassroots to elite level, W Series ticks every box for me and is a fusion of the different aspects of my career," Jenner said in a statement.

The W Series visits five new circuits in 2022 as part of an eight-race calendar in which teams compete on the same weekends as Formula One for the second successive year.

The series begins in Miami from May 6-8 as a support event for the inaugural Formula One Miami Grand Prix around the Hard Rock Stadium.

-Reuters

Hammers player apologises for actions

West Ham United have condemned the actions of defender Kurt Zouma after a video emerged of him kicking his pet cat.

The 27-year-old France international has apologised after the video showed him slapping the cat and kicking it across the floor. He is also seen throwing shoes at the animal and chasing it around the room.

"West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated," the Premier League club said in a statement.

"We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally, but we would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty towards animals."

Zouma said it was an isolated incident.

The video has caused outrage with animal charity the RSPCA saying it could investigate the matter.

The Metropolitan Police said they would not be investigating the incident.

-Reuters