Latest - Fullback Stephen Perofeta has steered Taranaki to a 32-26 victory over Wellington in Inglewood as the NPC rugby season resumed after the nationwide covid lockdown.
Stephen Perofeta Photo: Photosport
Perofeta scored 22 points, including a try and five penalties, as Championship leaders Taranaki held on for their third win of the stop-start season.
Both sides scored three tries apiece, with Jayson Potroz and Michael Bent adding to Perofeta's fifth-minute try for the home team. For Premiership outfit Wellington - who trailed 16-20 at halftime - Wes Goosen, Pepesana Patafilo and Sam Smith crossed.
Later in Whangarei, defending champions Tasman shook off a second-half rally from Northland to run away to a 48-29 win and leap-frog to the top of the Premiership with three wins from as many starts.
Ahead 24-15 at half-time, the Mako were slow off the blocks from the restart, and Northland skipper Jordan Olsen scored to narrow Tasman's lead to just two points at the 50-minute mark.
But the visitors were quick to regroup, with tries to Leicester Fainga'anuku - his second of the game - Timoci Tavatavanawai and Mark Telea in the space of 10 minutes wresting back control.
On Friday, Canterbury beat Waikato 20-19 in a controversial finish in Hamilton. Waikato first-five Fletcher Smith missed a game-winning conversion on full-time but believed he should have been given another attempt as Canterbury appeared to charge his kick early.
However, it was judged that Smith made a single step to the side after and before standing stationary, and that was deemed to be the start of his kicking motion.
He wasn't given another attempt at goal as Canterbury held on to win.
Sea Eagles soar into penultimate week of NRL finals
Manly bounced back from last week's heavy loss to the Melbourne Storm to trounce the Roosters 42-6 in last night's NRL elimination playoff in Mackay, Queensland.
Sea Eagles Kieran Foran (R) celebrates after scoring a try during the NRL Semi Final match between the Manly Sea Eagles and the Sydney Roosters. Photo: AAP IMAGE
The Sea Eagles scored seven tries with fullback Tom Trbojevic bagging two.
Manly will play the Rabbitohs next weekend for a place in the grand final.
The Sea Eagles' 36-point winning margin, just seven days after a 28-point thrashing, is the largest finals turnaround in rugby league history.
Trbojevic has now scored 27 tries this season, the most by a fullback in one season in NRL history.
NZ Canoe Sprinters on form at World Champs
New Zealand's Aimee Fisher won her heat last night to advance directly to the final of the women's K1 500 at at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Copenhagen.
She finished almost six seconds ahead of her nearest rival in her heat and her winning time was the fastest of all the heats.
Taris Harker finished fifth in his heat of the men's K1 200 to progress to the semi-finals.
Together for a Shared Future' unveiled as motto for Beijing 2022 Games
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unveiled its official motto, "Together for a Shared Future", during a ceremony at the city's Capital Museum on Friday.
Chen Ning, director general of Beijing 2022's Culture and Ceremonies Department, said that the slogan was a commitment towards overcoming global challenges as a community with a shared future for mankind.
The motto was chosen after a lengthy process that included a total of 79 different proposals.
"This motto embodies the Olympic spirit, the Chinese way of revealing the Olympic spirit. That's because 'together' embodies a type of unity, cohesion and way of overcoming difficulties," said Chen.
Earlier, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said that the Games would -- like Tokyo 2020 -- require strict COVID-19 restrictions, with Chen adding that organisers were yet to decide if spectators would be allowed.
The Games will be held from Feb. 4-20, with Beijing set to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
-Reuters
Beckham increases ownership stake in MLS club Inter Miami
Former England captain David Beckham has increased his ownership stake in Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club said on Friday.
Inter Miami, who made their MLS debut last year, said in a news release that co-owners Beckham and brothers Jorge and Jose Mas finalised the buyout of Marcelo Claure and Masayoshi Son.
"We are immensely proud of the progress we've made over the past year and a half in Major League Soccer, and we are grateful to have had Marcelo and Masayoshi with us for the first part of our journey," said 46-year-old Beckham.
"I am more committed than ever to working with my partners and friends Jorge and Jose to build a lasting legacy, developing youth players from our Academy, competing for championships regularly, and most importantly, rooting ourselves into the DNA of our community and South Florida."
Beckham, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder, had the right to a discounted MLS franchise as part of the deal which brought him to the league as a player in 2007 when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy.
His arrival in Los Angeles put MLS on the map and brought a level of legitimacy and visibility that otherwise may have taken the North American league decades to reach.
Inter Miami made the MLS Cup Playoffs last year and, after a poor start to the current campaign, have found form and are one point outside an Eastern Conference post-season spot with a game in hand.
-Reuters
