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Today's sports news: What you need to know

09:29 am on 16 May 2019

Latest - Rowing New Zealand has lost another coach with Dan Kelly resigning.

Kelly was the women's sweep coach.

New Zealand rowing coach Dan Kelly Photo: Photosport

"Since returning to New Zealand after the 2017 World Rowing Championships, I have come to the conclusion that the commitments required of my role, including spending three months in Europe, are not something I can honour for a further two years.

For this reason I have offered my resignation ahead of our upcoming international tour so they are able to approach Tokyo with a familiar coach.'' Kelly said.

He has coached international crews with Rowing NZ since 2008 and joined the elite team in 2017, where he has remained with the women's eight.

Gary Hay has been named as his replacement.

Men's head coach Noel Donaldson left earlier this year.

Frizell and Naholo back for Highlanders

Loose forward Shannon Frizell returns from his All Blacks break to take his place at number eight for the Highlanders Super Rugby clash with the Lions in Johannesburg on Sunday morning.

Shannon Frizell returns for the Highlanders this week. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Fellow flanker Elliot Dixon is being rested while Dillon Hunt completes a new look backrow with James Lentjes heading to the bench.

Josh Dickson and Tom Franklin will lock the scrum and Tyrel Lomax replaces Siate Tokolahi at tighthead.

In the backs, Waisake Naholo, returns from a lengthy injury break and is on the bench.

Teihorangi Walden will partner with Rob Thompson in the midfield and Patelesio Tomkinson will move to the wing to cover for the injured Tevita Li.

Daniel Hollinshead will again start at first-five.

Derby into Championship play-off final

Derby County roared back from a two-goal aggregate deficit to beat Leeds United and progress to the English Championship football playoff final against Aston Villa.

With a place in the Premier League at stake, Derby beat Leeds 4-2 at Elland Road to win 4-3 on aggregate.

Derby will play Aston Villa at Wembley in the final at the end of the month.

Burling and Tuke still on top in England

Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke remain on top of the standings after the latest day of racing at the European 49er championship in England.

After three wins yesterday, the pair managed a ninth, fifth and second today to stay one point ahead of a Spanish crew.

Fellow New Zealanders Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn are third.

Alex Maloney and Molly Meech are fourth in the 49er FX and Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders are seventh in the Nacra 17.

Alonso escapes injury

Fernando Alonso. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso escaped injury as he crashed during practice for this year's Indianapolis 500.

Alonso's McLaren Racing Chevrolet slid across the track before slamming into the barrier.

The former F1 driver got out of the car unassisted and was not injured.

Alonso first competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 2017.

Australian Will Power has been quickest so far today, while New Zealander Scott Dixon was 13th on the time sheets.

The race is 10 days away.

German wins latest stage on Giro

German champion Pascal Ackermann led a sprint finish in the rain to take his second stage win of the Giro d'Italia after a cold and slippery fifth stage from Frascati to Terracina.

Slovenian Primoz Roglic kept the overall leader's pink jersey after the stage was neutralised with nine km remaining due to the treacherous conditions, freeing the sprinters to race for the line while the main men could stay safe in the pack.

Injured 2017 champion Tom Dumoulin abandoned the race shortly after the start after a crash yesterday, with his focus now on the Tour de France.

-Reuters

Englishmen dominate NRL game

History will be made when six Englishmen play in an NRL match for the first time this weekend.

South Sydney and England international Sam Burgess. Photo: Photosport

Brothers Sam, Tom and George Burgess will line up under England head coach Wayne Bennett for South Sydney against Canberra Raiders on Saturday.

The Raiders line up features Englishmen Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead and Ryan Sutton.

The top-four clash, which has been dubbed the "Battle of Britain", will break the record of five Englishman in one match set in 1976 when Penrith's Bill Ashurst, Mike Stephenson and Dave Topliss went up against Manly's Steve Norton and Phil Lowe.

The record was equalled in the 1989 Easts-Wests match, which featured Roosters duo Martin Offiah and Joe Lydon against the Magpies trio of Ellery Hanley, Gary Schofield and Kelvin Skerrett.

The tally on Saturday would have been seven if Canberra back-rower John Bateman was not sidelined with a fractured eye-socket and the Raiders are set to add a fifth Englishman for 2020 with Wigan stand-off George Williams set to follow Bateman and Sutton to the Australian capital.

-AAP

Two more Springboks leaving South Africa

The Bulls will lose two South African representatives at the end of the current Super Rugby season, with centre Jesse Kriel and lock Lood de Jager both signing deals abroad.

Jesse Kriel playing for the Springboks. Photo: Photosport

Kriel will join Japanese side Canon Eagles.

De Jager joins the growing list of South Africans at the Sale Sharks in England next season that includes fellow Boks Faf de Klerk, Robert du Preez, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Coenie Oosthuizen and Akker van der Merwe.

It follows the announcement yesterday that Bulls captain and flyhalf Handre Pollard will sign for Montpellier in France's Top 14 and lock RG Snyman will move to Japanese club Honda Heat.

The weakness of the South African rand currency means there has been a flood of players signing lucrative contracts with clubs in Europe and Japan in the last few months after eligibility rules for players abroad were relaxed.

Overseas-based players with under 30 test caps can now represent the Boks, but South African Rugby has said they strictly enforce the 14-week international window and make sure leading players return from their clubs for tests.

-Reuters

England captain suspended

England cricket captain Eoin Morgan will miss this weekend's fourth one-day international against Pakistan in Nottingham after being suspended for a slow over-rate offence.

The England one-day cricket captain Eoin Morgan. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Match referee Richie Richardson imposed the suspension on Morgan after England were ruled to be two overs short after time allowances during their victory over Pakistan in the third ODI in Bristol yesterday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was Morgan's second "minor over-rate offence" after being previously found guilty during the Barbados ODI against the West Indies in February.

Morgan was also fined 40 percent of his match fee, while the players were hit with a 20 percent fine.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow has been reprimanded by the ICC for hitting the stumps with his bat after his dismissal for 128 in the 29th over of the same match.

ICC confirmed that one demerit point was added to the disciplinary record of Bairstow, his first since the introduction of the revised code in September 2016.

England lead the five match series 2-0.

-Reuters

Perth dominate team of the year

Perth Glory have posted a 6-4 win over Sydney FC ... in the PFA A-League Team of the Season award.

Six Glory players were selected in the 16-man squad, with Diego Castro named captain after receiving the most votes from players across the league.

Sydney had the second most representatives with four players.

The two sides meet in the A-Leaue grand final this weekend.

Two Phoenix players make the team, forward Roy Krishna, who this week was named player of the season, and goalkeeper Filip Kurto.

PFA TEAM OF THE SEASON

Goalkeeper: Filip Kurto

Defenders: Jason Davidson, Shane Lowry, Bart Schenkeveld, Rhyan Grant

Midfielders: Neil Kilkenny, Brandon O'Neill, Diego Castro

Forwards: Chris Ikonomidis, Ola Toivonen, Roy Krishna

Substitutes: Liam Reddy, Michael Jakobsen, Isaias, Milos Ninkovic, Adam Le Fondre

Coach: Tony Popovic

-AAP