Briefs

Rugby great dies

Former Wallabies captain John Thornett MBE has died aged 83. One of the greatest figures in Australian rugby history, Thornett remarkably played almost every position in the forward pack during an illustrious 37-Test career from 1955-67. From 1963 to 1967, Thornett was entrenched as Australia’s leader, captaining the Wallabies more times than any player to that point in Test history. Thornett died on Friday morning.

Leishman slips shot

Marc Leishman took a scorecard hit but remains in the mix midway through day one at the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Leishman signed for a five-under-par 68 at Kapalua’s Plantation course on Maui and was two shots back of Kevin Tway after the first round. Leishman came within a shot of Tway through 16 holes but hit a double- bogey six at the 17th. Fellow Australian Jason Day sits a shot further back on four under.

LeBron out in lead

Lakers superstar LeBron James and Milwaukee’s “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the first tally of fan voting for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. The rest of the top five in the East are Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.