Latest - Bay of Plenty lock Baden Wardlaw won't get the chance to fulfil his dream of playing Super Rugby.
Baden Wardlaw Photo: Photosport
The 29-year-old was set to debut in the 2020 season after signing with the Blues, but he's announced his immediate retirement because of an historic medical condition.
Medical checks showed that he has three fused vertebrae in his neck, and after further tests and extensive expert opinions, the advice was that he should not to play rugby again.
Wardlaw, a competitive cross-fit athlete, said that fitness has always been an interest, and he will look to move into strength and conditioning training as a way of remaining in the sport.
The Blues are expected to announce a replacement in the coming days.
Measles force Tonga out of Oceania rugby champs
Tonga have been withdrawn from the Oceania Rugby Women's Championships in Fiji and quarantined until December 4th as a precaution following an outbreak of measles across the Pacific islands and Samoa, Oceania Rugby said on Thursday.
The outbreak has seen schools closed and a crackdown on public gatherings after several deaths.
In Tonga, the ministry of health last week said an outbreak of measles in the country occurred following the return of a squad of Tongan rugby players from New Zealand and 251 confirmed or suspected cases were identified.
Tonga's women were to take part in tournament in Fiji, which are qualifiers for the 2021 women's World Cup, but the decision to quarantine the team was made by the Fiji Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation.
A New Zealand development team is competing at the tournament which is still going ahead.
-Reuters
Citroen drives away from WRC
Citroen is leaving the world rally championship with immediate effect after six-times world champion Sebastien Ogier announced his departure from the team.
Citroen Racing says it made the decision "due to the absence of a first-class driver available for the 2020 season" but commercial factors were also a major consideration.
Ogier is expected to join Toyota after Ott Tanak who won the driver's title in Spain last month, ending Ogier's six-year reign, moved from Toyota to Hyundai.
Hyundai secured the manufacturers' crown when this month's season-ending Australian race was called off due to the threat of bushfires.
-Reuters
IOC cleans out Boxing officials
Boxing referees and judges involved in the Rio Olympics won't be allowed to officiate at next year's Tokyo Games.
Boxing referee Photo: PHOTOSPORT
All 36 referees and judges from the Rio Olympics were suspended in the wake of the Games as the International Boxing Association carried out an investigation, following allegations that Olympic fights were fixed.
Several judges and referees were sent home from Rio following a number of questionable decisions during the boxing tournament.
The IOC said its decision followed discussions with athletes to increase clarity, transparency and integrity in the selection process and officiating at the Olympics.
It was also announced that scores from all judges at the end of each round will be displayed publicly during qualifying competitions and the Games.
The Special One is back
Tottenham Hotspur have named Jose Mourinho as their new manager on a contract that runs until the end of the 2022-23 season.
Jose Mourinho Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 56-year-old Portuguese returns to management for the first time since being sacked by Manchester United in December. He replaces Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked by Spurs yesterday.
Spurs, who currently sit 14th in the league, are the third Premier League club that Mourinho will manage having won the league title three times with Chelsea in two separate stints.
Mourinho has won trophies at every major club he has managed - including two Champions League titles with Porto and Inter Milan - while Spurs have not won silverware since the 2008 League Cup.
The Portuguese won the Europa League in his first season at United and finished second in the Premier League the following season - marking their highest finish since Alex Ferguson retired.
He was sacked last December following a 3-1 league defeat by Liverpool that effectively ended their title hopes.
-Reuters
Free entry to golf
Entry to this summer's New Zealand Open golf championship will be free to the public.
There will be no entry fee for the late February tournament at Millbrook Resort and The Hills course near Queenstown.
Tournament Director Michael Glading says that this move has been made to entice people from across the country to come and enjoy everything that the New Zealand Open has to offer.
"We've held the Open in Queenstown for eight consecutive years and as an event, it's reached the level of maturity and support that means we can open our gates for the 2020 event," says Glading.
There will be a charge for car parking.
Super Rugby in Pukekohe
Super Rugby will return to Pukekohe for the first time since 2013.
The Chiefs will play their ANZAC Day fixture against the South African side The Stomers at Pukekohe Stadium in 2020.
The last time the Chiefs played there was in 2013 when they beat the Western Force 22-21.
Chiefs chief executive officer Michael Collins said taking matches to the regions in Chiefs country remained a priority for the club.
Golden run continues for Sophie Devine
Sophie Devine Photo: Photosport
New Zealand cricketer Sophie Devine has helped her Adelaide Strikers side to a six wicket win over the Sydney Thunder to consolidate second place in the women's Big Bash cricket League.
Chasing 113 for the win Devine hit 62 off 58 balls and fellow White Fern Suzie Bates hit 22 as the Strikers reached their target with five balls to spare.
It was Devine's fifth half century of the championship.
Brisbane top of the standings, two points head of Adelaide with the Sydney Sixers and Perth another two points back in third.
Black Jacks chasing medals on Gold Coast
New Zealand will have at least two finalists at the Multi Nations Bowls tournament on the Gold Coast.
The men's pair and men's triple have won their trans-Tasman semifinals to advance to Sunday's title matches.
Ali Forsyth (skip), Andrew Kelly and Chris Le Lievre prevailed 16-15 against Australia Yellow in their men's triples playoff.
Gary Lawson (skip) and Jamie Hill completed a 17-10 win over Australia Yellow in the semi-finals of the men's pairs, having secured their place in the top four with an 18-all draw with Australia Green in their final round-robin match.
That game as Lawson's 300th for New Zealand, becoming just the 10th Blackjack to reach the milestone.
Women's singles player Jo Edwards and the women's four will both playoff for third and fourth on Sunday after losing their semi-finals.
Koepka out of Presidents Cup
World men's golf number one Brooks Koepka has pulled out of the US Presidents Cup team due to a knee injury and has been replaced with Rickie Fowler by playing captain Tiger Woods.
Koepka has played a limited amount of golf since the Tour Championships and not at all since the CJ Cup in South Korea in late October.
He had been in a race for fitness for the 9-15 December Presidents Cup, which will pit the US against an International Team at Australia's Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
While Fowler was not one of Woods's original captain's picks he brings plenty of experience to what will be his third Presidents Cup. He has a record of 4-3-1 in his two previous appearances.
-Reuters
Citroen leaving WRC
Citroen is leaving the World Rally Championship with immediate effect after six-times world champion Sebastien Ogier announced his departure from the team.
Citroen Racing said it had made the decision "due to the absence of a first-class driver available for the 2020 season" but commercial factors were also a major consideration.
The motorsport.com website said Ogier was expected to be announced as a Toyota driver next week.
Toyota's Estonian Ott Tanak won the driver's title in Spain last month, ending Ogier's six-year reign, but announced four days later that he was joining Hyundai for 2020.
Hyundai secured the manufacturers' crown when this month's season-ending Australian race was called off due to the threat of bushfires.
Citroen won nine successive drivers' titles with Sebastien Loeb and Ogier between 2004 and 2012 and eight manufacturers' championships.
-Reuters
Boks to play Scotland next year
World champions South Africa will play two home Tests against Scotland in July before hosting Tier 2 side Georgia for the first time.
The Springboks will welcome the Scots on 4 and 11 July, before playing Georgia a week later.
The venues for the matches have yet to be announced as the Boks entertain Scotland for the first time in six years in what will be the first games for their as yet unnamed new coach.
Current coach Rassie Erasmus has already said he will return to his role as Director of Rugby and will appoint a replacement to take the team towards the British & Irish Lions tour in 2021.
World Rugby have adjusted the global calendar to ensure there are more matches between Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams each year.
-Reuters
Hong Kong Open postponed
The Hong Kong golf Open has been postponed because of the "ongoing level of social unrest" in the city, say the European Tour and Asian Tour.
Anti-government protests have been going on in Hong Kong since June, with clashes between police and activists becoming increasingly violent.
The tournament was scheduled to take place from 28 November to 1 December.
The organisers say an attempt will be made to reschedule the tournament to early 2020.
-BBC
Federer still going strong
Roger Federer first thought about how long his playing career would last in 2009 but a decade later the 38-year-old is still going strong and says he will keeping playing until his body decides otherwise.
Federer won his last Grand Slam in January 2018 when he claimed his sixth Australian Open but the Swiss has won seven ATP titles since then, taking his career tally to 103.
Federer, who ended the year behind Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the world rankings, said he cannot predict when he will stop playing.
"I did not think I would play beyond 35, 36 years and here I am. I am doing well physically. I cannot predict when it will be the time to stop," the 20-times Grand Slam champion told reporters ahead of his exhibition matches in South America.
Federer is six titles shy of American Jimmy Connors' record of 109 in the Open era.
-Reuters
Another record for James
LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double against every team in the league during the Los Angeles Lakers 112-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
James posted 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to boost the NBA- leading Lakers, who have won 12 of 14 games so far this season.
James is fifth in NBA history with 86 triple-doubles, but the four players in front of him - Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, Lakers great Magic Johnson and Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd - hadn't done it against 30 different teams.
New Zealander Steven Adams had just two points and six rebounds for OKC in the loss.
-Reuters