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Pollard delivers again for the Springboks to continue his comeback story at the Rugby World Cup

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Nothing will quite beat Stephen Donald coming straight from fishing whitebait on the Waikato River to boot the title-winning penalty for New Zealand as its fourth-choice flyhalf in 2011.Yet Handre Pollard’s from-out-of-nowhere emergence is proving to be another Rugby World Cup storyline for the ages.Five weeks ago, the South Africa No. 10 was preparing to play a comeback game for Leicester in a ho-hum English cup competition. He’d been on the sidelines for four months with a calf injury, robbing him of a place in the Springboks squad for a World Cup he was ready to watch on television.On Saturday night, he was booting a 78th-minute penalty from 49 meters through the Paris rain to earn his country a place in the ultimate World Cup final — the Boks vs. the All Blacks in rugby’s biggest rivalry.“It was a big moment,” Pollard said after the 16-15 win over England in the semifinals, “but it is what you want as a player on this stage. To have moments like that as a flyhalf is...

Nice edges 10-man Marseille 1-0 to go top in France. Mbappe scores for PSG in 3-0 rout of Strasbourg

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Nice, the only unbeaten team in the French league, edged 10-man Marseille 1-0 with a late goal from substitute Evann Guessand to provisionally take top spot on Saturday. Nice is one point clear of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain and two clear of Monaco. Kylian Mbappe scored from the spot and had an assist to fire PSG to a 3-0 win over Strasbourg earlier Saturday. Monaco can take the top spot back with a win over promoted Metz on Sunday. Marseille finished the game with 10 men after center back Leonardo Balerdi received a second yellow card for a late tackle on Pablo Rosario in the 78th minute. The subsequent set piece led to the winning goal for Nice as Guessand met a free kick from Jeremie Boga to score with a powerful header in the 79th. “When we show solidarity and walk in the same direction, we do what we want,” Guessand told Canal Plus television. “There aren’t many teams that can worry us.” Nice has the tightest defense in the league but was lucky to keep a...

Davis’ pick-6 helps Georgia Southern hold off UL Monroe 38-28

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Tyrell Davis scored on a 28-yard interception return with 1:53 left to play and Georgia Southern held off UL Monroe 38-28 on Saturday.The pick-6 by Davis came after UL Monroe closed to within three points after trailing by 24 late in the first half. Georgia Southern (5-2, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) scored 31 unanswered points to take a 31-7 lead.Tyrone Howell caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jiya Wright on the first possession for UL Monroe (2-5, 0-4). Davis Brin fired a 52-yard scoring strike to Derwin Burgess Jr. to get the Eagles even at 7-7 after one quarter.Jalen White answered with two straight 2-yard touchdown runs, Brin connected with Keaton Upshaw for a 14-yard score and Michael Lantz kicked a 27-yard field goal to push Georgia Southern’s lead to 24. Blake Murphy threw a 51-yard scoring strike to NyNy Davis to pull the Warhawks within 31-14 at halftime.Derek McCormick kicked two field goals and Hunter Smith followed with a 20-yard touchdown run...

Lionel Messi in starting lineup for Inter Miami in MLS season finale at Charlotte

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Lionel Messi is in the starting lineup for Inter Miami in its MLS season finale against FC Charlotte.Messi will be the captain in the meaningless game on Saturday night for Miami, which failed to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Charlotte has plenty at stake on the last day of the regular season.Charlotte wasted a pair of one-goal leads and tied Miami 2-2 on Wednesday, missing out on a chance to move from 12th to 8th place in the Eastern Conference. The top nine teams in each conference make the playoffs. Charlotte is one of five teams chasing the last two playoff spots in the conference.Messi did not play in Wednesday’s game — Miami’s last home game of the MLS season — after scoring both goals for Argentina in its 2-0 World Cup qualifying win at Peru on Tuesday night. He was in the Inter Miami bench area with his teammates for the match after returning from Peru earlier in the day.Messi told reporters in Peru that he wants to play once more for Inter...

Astros’ Abreu suspended 2 games by MLB, which says he intentionally threw at García

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu was suspended for two games and fined Saturday by Major League Baseball, which said he intentionally threw at Adolis García of the Texas Rangers during Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.MLB said all six umpires decided Abreu’s pitch was intentional. MLB said it “took into account the dangerous nature of the pitch and its potential impact on player safety.”Abreu would start the suspension with Game 6 on Sunday unless he appeals. His pitch started a benches-clearing incident that led to a 12-minute delay before play resumed.The suspension was announced by MLB senior vice president Michael Hill. An appeal would be heard by John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. García and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. were fined along with Texas pitcher Matt Bush. McCullers and Bush are being prohibited for sitting on their team benches for the rest of the series.Houston manager Dusty Baker was fined for his a...

Brilliant gameplan gets England within two minutes of the Rugby World Cup final

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A gameplan perfectly suited to disrupting South Africa in rainy conditions was two minutes away from lifting England into the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.The English just couldn’t hold up their last scrums, however, and a last-gasp penalty kick by South Africa’s Handre Pollard doomed them to a 16-15 defeat at Stade de France.England never looked like scoring a try but four penalties and a drop goal by captain Owen Farrell had them leading from the third minute until the 78th.“We came here with a plan to win the game. We fell short, only a little bit but we fell short,” England coach Steve Borthwick said. “My players were incredibly well led by Owen. They showed what it means to play for England, they played their hearts out.”The World Cup holders ran down England with a converted try and late penalty on the back of four consecutive overpowering scrums.“They found the way to gain the advantage around the scrum and that gave them the field position,” Borthwick...

Man United gets emotional victory to pay tribute to Bobby Charlton. Man City and Liverpool also win

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

LONDON (AP) — As red smoke spread over the away end at Bramall Lane, the chants of “There’s only one Bobby Charlton” rang out from the Manchester United supporters toward the end of its game against Sheffield United. On the day when United mourned the passing of the club’s greatest ever player, a thundering strike by Diogo Dalot made sure that the team and its fans could celebrate his life with a win. Dalot’s long-range curler in the 77th minute secured a 2-1 win at Sheffield United in an emotionally charged evening game that was played only hours after the death of the England great was announced. It began with United captain Bruno Fernandes laying down a wreath at the center circle before the kickoff, and ended with the chorus of chants in Charlton’s honor that were sparked by Dalot’s late goal. “We had to show our respect for him and I think we did that today,” United manager Erik ten Hag said. “We wanted to celebrate but also to remember...

Terion Stewart scores 3 touchdowns to highlight Bowling Green’s 41-14 victory over Akron

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Terion Stewart ran for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns, leading Bowling Green to a 41-14 victory over Akron on Saturday.A short TD run by Stewart gave the Falcons a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. He added two more scores as Bowling Green broke open the game with a 21-point third quarter. Connor Bazelak’s 36-yard scoring pass gave the Falcons a 34-7 lead in the third quarter and backup QB Camden Orth made it 41-7 when he hit Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim for an 8-yard score in the fourth quarter.Akron got touchdown runs of 13 yards from Lorenzo Lingard in the first quarter and 4 yards from Drake Anderson late in the fourth.Stewart led a ground game that churned out 214 yards for the Falcons (4-4, 2-2 Mid-American Conference). Bazelak was 6-for-11 passing for 69 yards and Orth was 2-for-3 for 14 yards. Each QB had one touchdown pass.Jeff Undercuffler Jr. completed 22 of 39 passes for 234 yards for the Zips (1-7, 0-4). He was intercepted twice.___ Get ale...

Medway family stuck in Gaza recall harrowing attempt to cross border into Egypt

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

A Medway family that is still stuck in Gaza say they’re worried about what may come after failing to cross the border into Egypt as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion.Trucks with much-needed aid were allowed through the border crossing at Rafah on Saturday but no people were permitted to cross, including Abood Okal and his wife, who became trapped in Gaza with their 1-year-old child when war broke out while they were visiting relatives. “We mourn every civilian and innocent life on all sides, no matter what belief or religion or faith they have,” he told CNN.Okal said he received three messages to head to the Rafah crossing but no further communication after arriving there with his wife and son.“We’ve moved to what’s supposed to be a safe zone in the southern Gaza Strip, we’re about 10 minutes away from the border and yesterday there was an airstrike about 100 meters away from the house. There’s constant shelling, constant ...

Reading police investing series of vehicle thefts, break-ins overnight

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:31:08 GMT

The Reading Police Department is turning to the public for help as it investigates three incidents involving stolen motor vehicles and series of vehicle break-ins overnight, officials said.Officers responding to a report of an idling vehicle on Main Street around 5 a.m. determined the vehicle was running with its lights on and no driver or occupants in the area, according to Reading Police Chief David Clark. Soon after, police learned the vehicle had been reported stolen in Melrose and they were able to contact the owner and return the vehicle.Then, around 8:20 a.m., police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Spring Street. It was located a short while later in Somerville and returned to its owner.Another vehicle was reported stolen on Prospect Street. That vehicle hasn’t been found.There were also nine calls from residents who reported their vehicle had been entered overnight on Locust Street, Middlesex Avenue, Condor Road, Copeland Road, and in almost all cases the ...