Latest - Cristiano Ronaldo says he is "back where I belong" at Manchester United and has dedicated his return to the club to former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
United have paid an initial $25m to sign the 36-year-old from Juventus, a decade after he left the club to join Real Madrid.
He has signed a two-year contract, with the option to extend for another year.
"Everyone who knows me, knows about my never-ending love for Manchester United," he wrote on Instagram.
"This is absolutely 100% the stuff that dreams are made of!"
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo signed off: "I'm right here! I'm back where I belong! Let's make it happen once again! PS - Sir Alex, this one is for you…"
Ronaldo could be available for the home game against Newcastle United on 11 September, which is the club's first match following the international break.
Ronaldo wore the number seven shirt in his first stint at United but that is currently held by Edinson Cavani and, even if the Uruguay striker was willing to hand over the shirt number, Premier League rules prevent a mid-season swap except in the most extreme circumstances.
-BBC
Tall Blacks road to World Cup revealed
The Tall Blacks have been drawn in Group A alongside Korea, the Philippines, and India for the first round of qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in the Philippines.
The draw was held on Tuesday evening NZT at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland.
Korea, ranked 29th in the world, will be the sternest test for the Tall Blacks, while the Philippines and India are ranked 31st and 78th respectively.
The Tall Blacks are currently ranked 25th in the world.
Of sixteen teams, eight will qualify for the World Cup from Asia/Oceania, however with all three of the tournament hosts coming from the region, two of those spots will be taken by Japan and the Philippines, and a potential third by Indonesia if they reach the quarter finals of next years postponed FIBA Asia Cup 2021.
This leaves six, potentially five, qualification places for the Tall Blacks to aim for.
Round 1 of the qualifiers will see the Tall Blacks play its Group A rivals, Korea, the Philippines and India on a home and away basis over three windows (Nov 2021, Feb 2022, Jun 2022).
The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round of the qualifiers, where they will join the top three teams from another group in one of two groups of six.
They will then play those three teams on a home and away basis over three windows (Aug 2022, Nov 2022, Feb 2023)
The top three teams from each Round 2 group will qualify for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
The Tall Blacks expect to make an announcement around the appointment of a head coach in the next few weeks.
Lodge free to play
Warriors prop Matt Lodge is free to play in Sunday's last-round NRL clash with the Titans after escaping a fourth suspension this year.
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The 26-year-old risked a two-match ban by challenging a grade-one dangerous contact charge for a hip drop-style tackle on Canberra's Joe Tapine.
He was found not guilty.
Lodge had already missed three games since joining the Warriors in July after contrary conduct and high tackle offences.
He's been named to start on Sunday, although injuries have forced coach Nathan Brown to make a number of changes.
Sean O'Sullivan and Chanel Harris-Tavita will line up in the halves.
Prop Bunty Afoa is out after picking up a hamstring injury at training.
Steyn retires from all cricket
Dale Steyn has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, closing the curtain on a 20-year career in which he became South Africa's highest wicket-taker in tests and arguably the country's greatest ever fast bowler.
The South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn in action. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Steyn retired from the five-day game in 2019 but had been available for limited-overs cricket and hoped to play at the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates later this year, though he had not featured in the team since February last year.
He took 699 international wickets, including a South African record 439 in tests, and is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers of his generation with extreme pace in his prime and the ability to swing the ball in both directions.
Steyn would have taken many more wickets but for injuries later in his career, especially a shoulder problem that restricted him to only 11 tests after 2015. He featured in 93 in all, averaging 22.95 with the ball at a strike rate of 42.30.
He was a key part of the South African side that rose to number one in the test rankings in 2012.
-Reuters
Dutchman wins stage 16, Eiking still leads
Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen celebrated turning 25 by securing a third stage win at this year's Vuelta a Espana, sprinting to victory in the 180-kilometre stage 16 from Laredo to Santa Cruz de Benzana.
On a day earmarked for the sprinters, there was more early drama as another crash saw second-placed Guillaume Martin and fourth-placed Enric Mas down and distanced from the peloton.
In the same incident, Italian Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), who started the day 12th overall, went down and later had to abandon the race.
Norwegian Odd Christian Eiking finished with the peloton and remains in the leader's red jersey, 54 seconds ahead of Frenchman Martin and 1:36 ahead of reigning champion Primoz Roglic.
The race goes into the mountains on Wednesday, with a 186-km stage 17 boasting a third-category climb in the opening 35 kms.
That is followed by two ascents of the first-category La Collada Llomena before a summit finish on the hors-categorie Lagos de Codavonga.
-Reuters
Osaka admits she put pressure on herself
Defending U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka said she had put undue pressure on herself by constantly striving for perfection and that going forward she wanted to stop picking holes in her own performances and be happy with trying her best.
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Osaka, who began her Flushing Meadows title defence with a 6-4 6-1 win over Czech Marie Bouzkova, withdrew from this year's French Open after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to do media duties.
The former world number one had said facing the media contributed to the mental health issues she had struggled with for years.
She told reporters she was her own worst critic.
"I tell people that I'm a perfectionist," said Osaka, who beat American great Serena Williams to win the first of her four Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open in 2018.
"I think for me something that's less than perfection, even though it might be something great, is a disappointment.
"I don't really think that's a healthy way of thinking. So something that I really wanted to change," she added.
Osaka had said on social media at the weekend she intended to celebrate her own achievements more and said it was important to believe in herself more.
-Reuters
Newton leaves Patriots
The New England Patriots released quarterback Cam Newton and turned the starting job over to Mac Jones.
Multiple teams reportedly are interested in bringing in Newton, including the Dallas Cowboys.
Meanwhile Saints head coach Sean Payton advised his team to be prepared to spend the first four weeks of the 2021 regular season away from New Orleans as recovery efforts go on following Hurricane Ida.
The Saints are working out at The Star -- the home facility of the Dallas Cowboys in Frisco, Texas -- this week and begin the season Sept. 12 against the Green Bay Packers.
Logistics remain on hold for the month of September, but Payton said the Saints are preparing as if they won't be able to return for the first four weeks of the regular season.
The Week 1 game with the Packers is unlikely to be held in New Orleans as scheduled.
-Reuters
Boks keen to take on Wallabies and ABs
South Africa are eager to test themselves against Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship, said coach Jacques Nienaber as he again defended his team's attritional style against the British & Irish Lions last month.
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The Springboks will play Australia twice in September, followed by two tests against arch rivals New Zealand as the southern hemisphere championship reaches its conclusion over the next month.
"It's always nice to test yourselves against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. We missed out on it last year," Nienaber said, referring to the South African decision not to participate in the 2020 championsip because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Africa beat Argentina in two tests in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and top the early standings ahead of their next meeting against the Wallabies on the Gold Coast on Sept. 12.
Fresh from a narrow series win over British & Irish Lions, Nienaber again defended his side's emphasis on forward domination and kicking for territory, which turned the tests against the Lions into dour contests.
"Each team has its own skills set and its own unique athletic ability. They all play towards the DNA of the team. That's the beauty of rugby, there are different styles and ways to win test matches."
Nienaber said he expects the Wallabies and All Blacks to present a different challenge to that of the Lions.
"If you look at Australia and New Zealand, I think their style of play has a lot of similarities, a lot of movement, fast, quick, confident. They are quality sides with quality coaching."
-Reuters