Sport news in brief
Ireland urged to use ‘unbelievable platform’ of South Africa win
Jack Conan has said Ireland’s statement win over world champions South Africa is both a benchmark and a springboard for future challenges but also feels there are “massive areas” for improvement. The in-form Irish maintained their hold on top spot in the world rankings thanks to last weekend’s gripping 1916 success in Dublin.
Andy Farrell’s men move on to Aviva Stadium appointments with Fiji and Australia before turning attention to the 2023 Six Nations and next year’s World Cup. British and Irish Lion Conan is hoping to start in Farrell’s back row against the Fijians this weekend, following four consecutive appearances from the bench, and wants to keep driving standards.
“The lads set an unbelievable platform at the weekend, the 15, the 23 that ran out,” said the 30-year-old. “We spoke this week about that being the status quo now and we need to push on from that and get better. That is going to be the challenge because the lads went so well on the weekend. It’s massive, you want to play against the best teams in the world – we are the best team in the world at the moment. It’s a platform and a springboard going forward. We took a lot of lessons from it.
“There are massive areas we can get better at but it’s great with Fiji this week, Australia next week and leading into the Six Nations that we have that good performance under our belt.” PA
Pakistan roar into T20 World Cup final with NZ win
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit top form in a timely fashion to propel Pakistan into the T20 World Cup final as they overcame New Zealand by seven wickets at Sydney. The opening pair are widely viewed as two of the best white-ball batters in the world and, while they have both had quiet tournaments so far, they flourished when it mattered most against the Black Caps.
A bit of luck was involved as Babar was dropped off his first ball before going on to register 53 off 42 deliveries, taking the sting out of a chase of 153 alongside Rizwan in a 105-run first-wicket stand. Rizwan departed for 57 off 43 balls with 21 still required off the last three overs but there was to be no dramatic twist despite New Zealand’s best efforts as Pakistan got home with five balls to spare.
Shan Masood’s single off the first ball of the final over made sure Pakistan will head to the MCG on Sunday to face either India or
England, who play the other semi-final at Adelaide today. PA
Fleetwood and Molinari named first Hero Cup captains
Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari have been named as playing captains for the Hero Cup, a new team match play contest aimed at boosting Europe’s bid to regain the Ryder Cup. Luke Donald, Ryder Cup captain, will oversee the event in Abu Dhabi from 13-15 January, with two 10-man teams competing in foursomes, fourballs and singles, and all 20 players taking part in each session.
Fleetwood and Molinari will select nine players to join them on the Great Britain and Ireland and continental Europe teams respectively. The competition effectively fills the gap left by the Seve Trophy, which was held eight times between 2000 and 2013 and gave captaincy experience to future Ryder Cup skippers Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.
Molinari said: “The Hero Cup is a great idea and will be a very good way for European players to get some more experience of playing in team match play. I definitely felt like it benefited me when I played in similar events in the past.” PA
England dominate to seal top spot in World Cup group
Leah Burke scored a hat-trick as England emerged bruised but unbowed from their toughest test of the women’s Rugby League World Cup so far with a 42-4 win over Papua New Guinea at Headingly. Their hard-earned victory ensures England finish on top of Group A and will more than likely avoid a semi-final against red-hot favourites Australia, who face New Zealand in their concluding Group B clash today.
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