Today's sport news: what you need to know

Latest - Manawatu leapfrogged Taranaki into the national provincial rugby championship playoffs with a bonus-point 33-17 win over Counties Manukau in Palmerston North.

That saw them move to fourth on the second-division ladder with 21 points, three more than Taranaki.

Former All Black Ngani Laumpape played a starring role but left the field after 45 minutes with an injury.

Earlier, Tasman beat Hawke's Bay 47-28 in Napier.

In women's rugby - Tasman beat North Harbour 25-19 away from home in the first Farah Palmer Cup quarter-final.

Russell bags four in Black Sticks win

Kane Russell scored four goals to lead the men's Black Sticks hockey team to a 6-3 win over Japan in the second Test in Stratford.

The Black Sticks still smarting from their first match loss came out in match two focused and determined.

In the first minute they forced a Japanese turnover, Russell then eliminated several Japan defenders before smashing a reverse shot into the goal.

New Zealand managed to score goals at regular intervals thanks largely to Russell and were able to keep Japan at bay.

The Black Sticks continued playing with speed in the attacking end of the field.

Russell scored his fourth goal of the match in the 48th minute when he converted his second penalty corner of the game.

The series is level at one all with the third test on Monday.

Britain's Farah defends reputation

British Olympic champion Mo Farah defended his reputation at a news conference ahead of the Chicago Marathon after being bombarded with questions about his former coach Alberto Salazar who has been banned for doping violations.

Farah, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, worked from 2011 to 2017 with Salazar, who was given a four-year ban by the US Anti-Doping Agency on 30th September.

The 36-year-old Farah, speaking for the first time since Salazar was suspended, responded angrily to questions about his former mentor, with whom he achieved some of his best performances.

"It's very disappointing to see you guys going at it again and again, and headlines, 'Farah, Farah, Farah'," he said.

"I'll just say there's no allegation against me. I've not done anything wrong.

"If I tell you guys and talk to you guys and be nice to you, you'll still be negative. If I don't talk to you, you'll still be negative.

"I'm aware I can't win. You've already made up your mind what you're going to write - that is a fact."

- Reuters

England suffer shock loss

England suffered their first tournament qualifying defeat for 10 years when they lost 2-1 away to the Czech Republic in their Euro 2020 football qualifying Group A clash in Prague.

England and the Czech Republic top the group with 12 points.

Turkey snatched a late 1-0 win over Albania to maintain their lead at the top of Group H, ahead of France on head-to-head ranking, after Les Bleus beat Iceland 1-0.

Both Turkey and France sit on 18 points from seven matches, while Iceland have 12 leaving qualification unlikely for the Euro 2016 surprise package.

Ukraine moved to the verge of qualification for the tournament with a 2-0 win over Lithuania to maintain their five-point lead at the top of Group B.

In the other Group B clash, Portugal took control of the race for second with a comfortable 3-0 win over Luxembourg which saw them rise to 11 points, four clear of third place Serbia.

- Reuters

Wallabies limp into quarter-finals

Australia lurched into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with an unconvincing 27-8 bonus-point victory over Georgia in their Pool D clash amid swirling winds and rain at Shizuoka Stadium as Typhoon Hagibis started to make its presence felt.

Australia had already qualified for the quarter-finals before their first clash with Georgia and hoped to stamp their authority on the game and send a message to the rest of the tournament as they headed into the knockout phase.

They dominated possession, territory and the set piece but ran into an impressive defence from Georgia, who made 201 tackles, and were only able to pull away in the final quarter with tries from Marika Koroibete, Jack Dempsey and Will Genia.

The typhoon is expected to lash central and eastern Honshu today, which has led to the cancellation of the games between England and France in Yokohama and New Zealand and Italy in Toyota City.

- Reuters

Bottas quickest at Suzuka

Valtteri Bottas led Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton in practice for the Japanese Grand Prix before Formula One battened down the hatches and awaited the arrival of typhoon Hagibis.

Saturday's final practice was cancelled and qualifying shifted to Sunday morning.

Friday's afternoon session at the Suzuka circuit will decide the starting grid for the race if conditions have not improved enough for the hour-long qualifying at 10 a.m local time on Sunday.

Mercedes, who have won every race at Suzuka going back to 2014, can seal a record-equalling sixth successive Formula One constructors' championship on Sunday by scoring 14 more points than Ferrari.

Hamilton, 73 points clear of Bottas in the overall standings with five races to go, is also well on his way to clinching a sixth title even if he cannot get the job done in Japan.

Max Verstappen went third fastest for Honda-powered Red Bull, making a strong start to the Japanese engine supplier's home weekend.

- Reuters

Kohli leads the way again

Virat Kohli scored a career-best 254 not out and moved past 7000 Test runs to help India take command on day two of the second match of the series against South Africa.

Largely thanks to its captain's seventh double-century, India declared its first innings on 601 for 5 and reduced the Proteas to 36-3 after 15 overs by stumps.

South Africa, already 1-0 behind in the series, trail by 565 runs.

Kohli moved ahead of compatriots Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, who each scored six, and into joint-fourth on the list for most Test double-centuries - level with Wally Hammond (England) and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka).

Kohli's score surpassed his previous best - 243 against Sri Lanka at Delhi in 2017 - and included 33 fours as well as two sixes.

In reply, South Africa was stunned by Umesh Yadav, who dismissed openers Aiden Markram (0) and Dean Elgar (6) within four overs.

- Reuters

Defending champs stay alive

Auckland's hopes of defending their provincial men's rugby title stay alive after they scored a 35-11 win over Taranaki in New Plymouth.

Auckland scored a bonus point in their four tries to one victory.

It takes them to fourth spot in the standings with 29 points, three ahead of North Harbour.

However, if Harbour beat Canterbury and lift the Ranfurly Shield on Sunday they will take the last spot for the semi-finals.

Nike closes Oregon Project

Nike is closing its controversial Oregon Project in the wake a suspension of its head Alberto Salazar, the US sportswear company announced.

Two weeks ago, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) banned Salazar for four years for anti-doping regulations offences.

The USADA alleges that Salazar trafficked banned performance-enhancing drugs to the project's athletes. The Cuban-born former marathon runner has appealed that decision.

No NOP athlete has ever failed a doping test, and the USADA probe around the time 2010-2014 pre-dated the entry of the athletes to the group.

- AAP

Liverpool youngster banned

Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott has been suspended from all domestic club football for 14 days after using offensive language to mock Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane in a video posted on social media.

The English Football Association said Elliott, 16, admitted to a breach of its rules after impersonating England captain Kane on a Snapchat video during last season's Champions League final when Liverpool beat Spurs in Madrid.

Elliott, who made his Liverpool debut in a 2-0 League Cup win at MK Dons last month, issued an apology when the video came to light earlier this season.

Elliott was also fined $700 and asked to complete a "face-to-face education course".

- Reuters