Latest - The Crusaders will run out in playing jerseys featuring their new Tohu symbol when they kick off their super rugby season in Nelson on Saturday.
Scott Barrett, David Havili and Whetu Douglas model the new Crusaders jersey for 2020. Photo: Supplied: Crusaders
The Tohu is shaped like the letter 'C' and designed to represent the landscape of the Crusaders and replaces the previous logo of a medieval knight and sword
The franchise changed its logo in November in the wake of the Christchurch shootings after questions were also raised about the appropriateness of the Crusaders name because of its reference to the religious wars between the Muslims and Christians in the Middle Ages.
The timelines around the completion of the brand review and the production of the jerseys for 2020 overlapped, meaning the new Crusaders Tohu could not be added to the 2020 supporters gear.
Meanwhile New Zealander Vern Cotter has been appointed as Fiji rugby's new head coach.
Photo: Photosport
Cotter who has previously coached Scotland leading them to the World Cup quarter finals in 2015, is currently at French club Montpellier where he'll finish in May.
Cotter's first assignment with Fiji will be the Pacific Nations Cup in July.
He replaces John McKee who departed after Fiji failed get out of pool play at last year's world cup in Japan.
"Fiji Rugby has come a long way in the last few years and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with the talent within the national teams and enhance the competitiveness of Fiji on the world stage," said Cotter.
England topple South Africa again
England bowled South Africa out for 274 runs to win the fourth Test at The Wanderers by 191 runs and ensure an emphatic 3-1 series victory.
England fast bowler Mark Wood celebrates a wicket against South Africa. Photo: Photosport/Backpagepix
Mark Wood took four wickets as the home team crumbled in the evening session after threatening to offer stoic resistance earlier in the day.
England completed the task with a day to spare with South Africa falling well short of their 466 run target in what would have been the highest fourth innings Test chase.
For South Africa it marked a 108-year low as they lost for the eighth time in their last nine Tests for their worst run since 10 defeats in 11 Tests between 1910 and 1912.
Wood took 4-54 and Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes added two more for England as they took the last six South African wickets for 39 runs.
- Reuters
Williams ton leads Zimbabwe
Captain Sean Williams scored a century as Zimbabwe profited from a docile wicket to reach 352 for six at stumps on day one of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka in Harare.
Williams struck 10 fours in his score of 107 from 137 balls, his second test ton, before giving his wicket away late in the day when he was bowled by spinner Dhananjaya de Silva attempting a slog sweep.
Regis Chakabva (31 not out) and debutant Tinotenda Mutombodzi (10 not out) will resume the home side's innings on the second morning.
Zimbabwe made it into the final hour on the fifth day of the first Test at the same venue earlier this month, but lost by 10 wickets on their return to the international arena having been briefly suspended by the International Cricket Council last year because of government interference.
King beaten in New York semis
New Zealand squash world No 6 Joelle King has been defeated in the semifinals of the Carol Weymuller Open in Brooklyn, New York by second ranked Nour El Tayeb of Egypt.
The Egyptian moved King around the court as much as possible, force longer rallies on her way to a 11-6 11-5 11-8 in 33 minutes.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
King now looks forward to the Cleveland Classic starting later this week.
The Kiwi didn't play in Cleveland last year, but in 2018 she won the tournament beating top seed Raneem El Welily (Egypt) in the final.
This year King is the second seed behind El Tayeb and has a bye in her opening round with her first match to be against the winner of Ali Loke (Wales) and Hollie Naughton (Canada).
- Reuters
Porteous pulls off new trick
Wanaka freeskier Nico Porteous has finished fourth in the men's Superpipe on the final day of competition at X-Games Aspen.
Nico Porteous Photo: Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Saving his best until last, the Winter Olympic bronze medallist's fourth run included a trick never before landed in competition, a double cork 1620.
Using the new jam format introduced for the first time at this year's X- Games, the eight finalists had thirty minutes to take as many laps through the pipe as possible and were judged on their entire work rate across that time rather than individual top scoring runs.
Repeating his gold medal performance in the Great Clips Men's Ski SuperPipe competition, Aspen native Alex Ferriera successfully defended the gold medal.
FIBA moves women's qualifiers
A women's Olympic basketball qualifying tournament for this year's Tokyo Games has been moved from China to Serbia as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) said in a statement that the February 6-9 qualifiers scheduled for Foshan would now be held in Belgrade on the same dates.
Tall Ferns Micaela Cocks. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The flu-like virus that was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan has killed 81 people, all in China, and infected more than 2,700 others.
Belgrade was already due to host one of four FIBA Women's Olympic qualifying tournaments.
The qualifiers will complete the 12-team Tokyo 2020 Women's Olympic tournament, with the top three from each group of four going through.
- Reuters
Women's tennis tour gives coaching green light
Coaches have welcomed the WTA Tour's decision to allow them to help players from the stands this season after the issue became a hot topic following the 2018 US Open final when Serena Williams was controversially penalised.
Serena Williams trains under the watchful eye of coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Photo: Photosport
Williams's coach Patrick Mouratoglou gestured to Williams during her defeat by Japan's Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows, leading to a code violation and sparking a heated row between the American great and the chair umpire.
Coaching from the stands would still be banned at Grand Slam events but the top women's tour said it would trial the new system at all WTA Premier and International tournaments this year, starting with next month's Dubai Duty Free Championships and the Hungarian Ladies Open.
The WTA, which in the past has allowed players to call their coaches onto court at certain points during matches, said the rules associated with on-court coaching will remain the same.
- Reuters
Gone in 12 seconds
A non-league footballer suffered the ignominy of being shown three cards at once by the referee as he was sent off for committing two rash fouls within 12 seconds in the same passage of play.
Garforth Town's Alex Low made a late tackle on one of the Bridlington Town players to foil a counter-attack in a Northern Counties East Football League match on Sunday (NZ time).
The referee played the advantage as Bridlington players charged forward, only for Low to make another poorly-timed lunge - this time well inside his own half.
After the referee blew his whistle for a free kick, he brandished two yellow cards at Low before adding a red. For his part, Low had no complaints as he jogged off the pitch.
The club's Twitter account shared the video of the incident and wrote: "Here's something you don't see every day... The ref gives Garforth's Alex Low three cards at once."
The video attracted thousands of viewers after Garforth secured a 1-1 draw at the weekend, with former Premier League official Bobby Madley praising the referee for the way he dealt with the situation.
- Reuters
