Sports
All Blacks overcome Pumas
by Rajitha Ratwatte
Brodie Retallick was appointed captain for this game due to injuries, the 4th captain this year for the All Blacks. The team is still not up to full strength. Last-minute hamstring strain for Lennert – Brown meant the Rieko Ioane came in at no 13. The referee for the game Nick Berry of Australia. A perfect day for running rugby at the Suncorp stadium Brisbane but the stadium nowhere near full.
Nine minutes into the game Reiko Ioane proved too fast for the Argentine defence and went over far left. Beauden Barret converted and looked like he had recovered his kicking form. 7–0 and the ABs dominating play. The Argentinean defence proved steadfast and forced errors from the New Zealanders in attack. Sanchez in a record-breaking number of appearances for Argentina in this game tried a penalty from over 55 meters out and fell just short in the 22nd minute. 32 minutes into the game T.J. Peranara who started at halfback earned a turnover penalty and Beauden Barret obliged, taking the score to 10–0. There was more tactical kicking from Beauden Barret as we have come to expect, and he tried to set his brother Jordie up with a grubber which was overcooked, and later in the game a high kick which even the 6’7″ no15 could only get down on the dead-ball line.
36 minutes into the game Seevu Reece launched himself like a torpedo under four Argentine players and scored mid-right. Beauden Barret pulled the kick to the left and there were some concerns raised about a calf injury he had collected in the last game 15-0. The Pumas were trying their best to slow the game down and although the AB’s had enjoyed 70% of possession up to this stage, they had not been able to convert it into points. Ten minutes from half time Pablo Matera paid for the sins of his team who were playing under a warning and copped a yellow card. The All Blacks capitalised immediately with Dalton Papalii scoring far left and Jordie Barret taking over the kicking duties and converting to take the score to 22–0 at halftime.
Pumas started the second half a man short and would be that way for 7.5 minutes. Beauden Barret was far too experienced not to exploit such a situation and a great run by him finished off with a spectacular one-handed pass to Jacobson playing at no 8 saw the score progress to 29-0 in the 45th minute. The All Blacks started to stamp their class and George Bridge got over the line in the 65th minute but was denied by the TMO. The 66th minute saw another yellow card to the Pumas, and it was one-way traffic from that point onwards with Jacobson scoring another try from no 8 off an advancing scrum and Jordie Barret finishing things off with a 30-meter penalty taken from mid-right. The final score reading 39-0 to the All Blacks, who displayed a professional game, refusing to allow the Argentineans to slow the game down or be provoked by their rough house tactics.
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When my good friend Nimal Welgama requested me to pen a few lines about Sir Gary Sobers as I had the privilege of playing for Sri Lanka against the mighty West Indies as they were known then, I was wondering whether I can do justice to this awesome cricketing all rounder.
In this particular game Sir Gary fell short of scoring his usual hundred. Sir Gary had a flair for unique stylishness which no other cricketer matched and it came naturally to him. He wore his shirt open all the way down to the navel perhaps to keep himself cool from the hot weather one encounters when playing cricket.He walked into bat leaning forward slightly with a gait that that had confidence written all over it.I had the good fortune of viewing on a video clip of an innings of 230 plus he made in a Match against Australia against a formidable attack headed by fearsome Dennis Lillee where he tore the the bowling to shreds.This innings was described by probably the greatest batters of all time Sir Donald Bradman as the best innings he has witnessed live.A tribute difficult to ignore. I wish to conclude by saying that Sir Garfield Sobers was an all rounder of exceptional ability which void will be hard to fill.
by Anura Tennekoon ✍️
Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to lift Spain to their second World Cup title with a 1-0 win im extra time over 10-man Argentina in the final.
Torres’s deserved winner on Sunday came 16 years and eight days after Andres Iniesta also scored in extra time to lift the Spaniards to their first World Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.
It came on La Roja’s 20th shot in the contest against defending champions Argentina that failed to manage any to that point and struggled to wrest possession away from their superior Iberian opponents.
That was true at even strength and became more difficult when La Albiceleste’s numbers were reduced when Enzo Fernandez’s late challenge on Pau Cubarsi left referee Slavko Vincic no choice but to produce a second caution just before the end of normal time.
Spain remain the only nation ever to win a European Championship and World Cup in successive tournaments, having now done so a second time. They are also the first World Cup champions ever to concede only once across an entire tournament.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina failed to earn a title for the first time in three major tournaments, having also captured the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas either side of their 2022 World Cup triumph.
The 39-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi finished the competition with eight goals and four assists, but had little time on the ball in the final until Spain finally took the lead. And he never seriously looked like he would lift his side to another great moment as he has so many times in the last two World Cup cycles.
Emi Martinez made 11 saves for La Albiceleste, who fell short in their bid to be the first consecutive World Cup champions since Brazil won the 1958 and 1962 titles.
What had felt so difficult for the first 105 minutes suddenly looked easy after 37 seconds of play in the second period of extra time.
Pedro Porro curled in an out-swinging cross from the left to the back post, Nico Williams won the header and nodded it back into space, and Torres hammered a half-volley at last past the flailing Martinez.
It was his only goal of the tournament, making him the seventh player to score during a tournament in which his side never trailed.
Asked about his goal, Torres said after the game: “Honestly, I didn’t think too much. I just saw the ball coming to me, and I just shot with the power of all the Spanish people.”
The win made Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, at 65, the oldest coach ever to lead a team to the World Cup title
“We are world champions,” de la Fuente said. “It was together we reached this stage.”
There was some pushing and shoving after the final whistle, which was quickly cleaned up, and Spain commenced their celebration as most Argentina players sat on the turf in disbelief.
Cooler heads prevailed, and Spain’s players lined up minutes later to form an honour guard of sorts for Argentina’s squad to walk through on their way to the stage for the runner-up medals.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted that Spain were the better team.
“They were the better side – that’s the truth – but I’ll cherish the memory of them [his side], of what they achieved, and of the value of making it this far,” Scaloni said.
“We have to place immense value on this, because it takes so much effort.”
(Aljazeera)
HONOUR MCA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026
Sampath Bank powered by a 53 ball 79 by Adithya Siriwardena and excellent bowling performance led by Chamath Dilsara, Dulaj Ashen and Hansaja Bandara registered their third win in the MCA Champions league cricket tournament sponsored by HONOUR mobile phones by crushing MAS Intimates by 131 runs at the Colts Cricket Club Ground on Saturday.
Batting first Sampath Bank powered by Adithya’a 79 and notable scores from Chamara Dilsara [34], HansajaBandara [42] and 20 plus scores from Gajitha Kotuwegoda ,Abhishek Anandakumara and Dumindu Sewmina posted 284/8 in their allocation of 50 overs after which the bowlers led by Chamath Dilsara restricted MAS Intimates to 153.
Scores:
Sampath Bank
284/8 in 50 overs (Hansaja Bandara 41, Adithya Siriwardena 79; Ruvin Senevirathne 2-41)
MAS Intimates
153/10 in 36.1 overs (Maheesha Sithum 39; Dulaj Ashen 2-13, Chamath Dilsara 3-21, Hansaja Bandara 2-15)
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