2 Mar 2021

Today's sports news: What you need to know

12:08 pm on 2 March 2021

Latest - The Blues squad has returned negative Covid-19 test results and have left Wellington.

Blues No.8 Hoskins Sotutu and the Blues celebrate.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Blues squad that played the Hurricanes remained in Wellington post-game, and yesterday all returned negative Covid tests.

It is bye week, so the squad has now dispersed and will officially reassemble at the weekend with training to re-start on Sunday at the temporary base in Cambridge, Waikato.

The remainder of the squad and staff that did travel to Wellington have relocated to Cambridge - and remain in a separate bubble awaiting the results of their Covid Tests - due back today.

If they are clear, then they too will be free to disperse.

No-one can travel to Auckland.

Some players/staff have decided to remain in Cambridge for their break - and will continue with light training at Hautapu RC and Avantidrome - under L2 restrictions.

Black Caps will have a full contingent at training today as the Auckland players return to the squad after their brief isolation.

Following Auckland's move to Covid level 3 on Sunday, the Auckland players went into isolation and had covid tests... those tests have now all returned negative.

The Black Caps play Australia in game three of their T20 series in Wellington tomorrow, leading the series 2-0.

Meanwhile Northern Districts all-rounder Brooke Halliday has replaced Lea Tahuhu in the White Ferns squad for the three T20's against England starting tomorrow.

Tahuhu suffered a hamstring injury in the ODI series.

Gabby Sullivan remains with the squad as injury cover for seamer Hannah Rowe, who tweaked a quad muscle in the third ODI.

Patel takes up fulltime role with Lions

The former New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel has been promoted to a full-time coaching role with England Cricket.

Jeetan Patel of the Wellington Firebirds

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Patel has worked with England over the past 18 months as a consultant coach, spending time with the men's team during tours of New Zealand and South Africa last summer.

He is currently with the men's team in India.

The 40 year old has now been appointed as permanent Elite Spin Bowling Coach.

Patel played 24 Tests and 43 ODI's for New Zealand and spent 13 years playing for Warwickshire in English County cricket.

-ECB

Premiership play-offs delayed

New Zealand Football has pushed back the men's Premiership play-offs by a week because of Auckland's change of Covid alert level.

Auckland City's Logan Rogerson celebrates his goal. 2021.

Auckland City FC Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The semi-finals, scgeduled for this weekend will now be played on the 13th and 14th of March with the final on Sunday March 21st.

Sunday's postponed league game between Hawke's Bay United and Eastern Suburbs AFC will now be played midweek next week.

In Auckland's alert level 3 restrictions are extended and that game can't be played, it will be deemed a draw, ending eastern Suburbs chances of making the top four.

The top four teams at the moment are Auckland City FC, Team Wellington, Hamilton Wanderers and Waitakere United.

If the alert level 3 restrictions in the Auckland region are further extended, impacting on the Semi-Finals, the competition will proceed to a straight Final between the top two clubs, Auckland City FC and Team Wellington.

Djokovic equals Fed record

Novak Djokovic has equalled Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as ATP world number, holding the top spot for the 310th week.

Team Europe Novak Djokovic of Serbia talks with Team Europe Roger Federer of Switzerland. 2018 Laver Cup.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Djokovic's ninth Australian Open title last month guaranteed that he would surpass Federer's record next week.

Having reached another milestone in his illustrious career, Djokovic had said he would look to adjust his calendar and make overhauling Federer and Rafa Nadal's joint-record of 20 Grand Slam titles his top priority.

This is Djokovic's fifth stint atop the world rankings. The 33-year-old reclaimed the top spot from Nadal in February last year and finished as the year-end number one for the sixth time - tying the record set by American great Pete Sampras.

-Reuters

Zlat out with injury

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to be ruled out for up to three weeks with a left thigh injury, meaning he will miss the Europa League tie against former side Manchester United.

The 39-year-old, who scored 29 goals in 53 games for United, was substituted in the 56th minute of Milan's 2-1 win over Roma yesterday.

The two legs of the last-16 tie are due to be played on 11 and 18 March.

The Swede has scored 16 goals in 21 games this campaign.

AC Milan are second in Serie A, four points behind rivals Inter Milan.

-BBC

Big names progress at mixed pairs bowls.

World champions, Commonwealth Games gold medallists and multiple New Zealand title holders are amongst those who have won through to post-section play at the inaugural National Mixed Pairs Bowls Championship in Central Otago.

Jo Edwards, who is all of the above, and her playing partner Mike Carroll have led more than 40 combinations who went unbeaten through qualifying.

Tayla Bruce and Seamus Curtin, Deb White and Tony Fabling and Sheldon Bagrie-Howley and Selina Smith were amongst the other high-profile pairings who were a perfect three from three in their round-robin games.

Robbie Bird and past world champion Val Smith were also unbeaten in qualifying, but they weren't required to play their third game.

Fourteen-time national champion Gary Lawson and his playing partner Dale Rayner, and Peter Hodson and women's fours runner-up Sandra Keith both bounced back from first-up defeats to progress.

Blackjacks Mike Kernaghan and Shannon McIlroy are the major omissions from the knock-out draw.

CAS lifts ban on Iran Judo

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has lifted the indefinite suspension imposed on the Iran Judo Federation for pressuring one of their fighters not to face an Israeli athlete.

The International Judo Federation sanctioned Iran in October for putting pressure on fighter Saeid Mollaei to withdraw from the world championships to avoid a potential final round against Israeli contender Sagi Muki.

Mollaei, a 2018 judo world champion, subsequently fled Iran for Germany where he was granted refugee status, and later became a citizen of Mongolia.

Iran appealed the IJF decision to CAS, which has ruled that although Iran committed "severe violations", the unlimited suspension imposed on the country had no legal basis in the IJF regulations.

-Reuters

Former Barca boss arrested

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been arrested after Catalan police officers searched the La Liga club's offices.

A regional police spokeswoman confirmed several arrests had been made following an investigation by the force's financial crimes unit, without confirming the number of arrests made or their identities.

The investigation stems from the 'Barcagate' affair which was unearthed last year by Cadena Ser and revealed the club had contracted marketing consultancy I3 Ventures to monitor social media activity.

The revelations led to protests from supporters and to several board members resigning while increasing the pressure on Bartomeu, who eventually stepped down in October after facing a vote of no-confidence.

The club's members will vote to elect a new president in next Sunday's election, which was postponed from January due to COVID-19 restrictions in Catalonia.

-Reuters