Sam Darcy returns to Western Bulldogs
AFL: Sam Darcy returns to the Western Bulldogs alongside coach Luke Beveridge who has resigned until the end of 2027.
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News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
South Africa finally bury demons with WTC mauling of Australia at Lord's
South Africa has routed Australia by five wickets to claim a famous, breakthrough World Test Championship title at Lord's. Pat Cummins' team came into the match as heavy favourites, but serious question marks will now be asked about his ageing side as the Proteas eagerly snatched the WTC Mace from the defending champions. Resuming on 2/213 in their second innings on Saturday, needing just 69 runs to win, South Africa lost skipper Temba Bavuma (66) early in the day but still had few troubles chasing down the 282-run total in a momentous win for the perennial bridesmaids. Opener Aiden Markram's (136) match-winning knock ended with just six runs required, but South Africa still marched to the biggest title in their long cricketing history. Australia's Steve Smith, sidelined by a gruesome finger injury for the final day, is still in imperious form at the age of 36. But the heavy defeat means fellow veterans Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja will now be under even more scrutiny, with the likes of Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis waiting in the wings. Immense talent Cameron Green was also rushed back into the Test side after a long lay-off and managed just four and then a duck at No. 3, a position he had never played before. Labuschagne returned scores of 17 and 22 in his first crack as an opener, with some of the positional choices from the Australian selectors curious at best or downright disastrous with the benefit of hindsight. Smith, Travis Head, keeper Alex Carey and the largely still performing bowling attack appear safe for now, although spinning great Nathan Lyon had no impact in this Test match. But with a two-Test tour of the West Indies commencing in just 11 days, and a huge home Ashes series racing up on the schedule, it's surely now overdue for tough calls to be made following a sensational period under Cummins' leadership. Markram's superb ton on Friday left South Africa on the brink of ending decades of heartbreak in major tournaments. As batting finally became easier over days three and four, Australia was made to pay for its second innings top order collapse. Outspoken Englishman Piers Morgan, who has regularly thrown his toys out of the cot over this Aussie side, tweeted early on Saturday: 'For the next 2 hours, I am South African.' It seemed many in world cricket shared similar sentiments as South Africa narrowed in on its first major title since the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy. Cummins, who took 6/28 in the first innings, finally snapped the 147-run third wicket partnership early on day four when Bavuma's regulation edge was caught by Carey. 'They needed an early one, they've got an early one, who else but Pat Cummins,' Nasser Hussain said on Prime Video. Matthew Hayden added: 'What a wonderful bowler he is Pat Cummins, his 301st Test wicket. 'Could that be the door (opening). 'A big South African crowd, but let me tell you there are some nerves about.' That door remained firmly shut, however, with the South Africans offering few chances as they casually, assuredly chased down the second highest winning total in Lord's history. There were a few more nerves when Mitchell Starc bowled Tristan Stubbs (8) with 41 runs still required, but with Markram in full control, the result was never really in doubt. South Africa has a history of blowing its lines in the biggest moments. The most famous was perhaps Herschelle Gibbs' premature celebration when he spilled a ball after catching Steve Waugh at the 1999 One Day World Cup. Waugh went on to score a century and Australia would win the tournament, one of six 50-over World Cups in Australia's keeping, including 2023. The baggy green brigade also won the 2023 World Test Championship and the 2021 T20 World Cup in another period of sustained success. The Proteas, meanwhile, had been persistent chokers in the biggest moments, including blowing a winning position against India in the T20 World Cup decider last year. South Africa's women's side also fell short in the final of both the 2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups to add to the heartbreak. 'It's not just that they've never won one,' Mel Jones said during the first session on Prime Video. 'They've been in so many commanding positions, year after year, in such a wide range of events, from the Champions Trophy to the 50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup. 'Apologies to the South Africans listening, I don't want to take you down a horrendous trail, but I think this is why so many have come today, it's history in the making. 'I reckon there's even some Aussies there going 'we wouldn't mind'.' We're not so sure about that one, Mel, Aussie cricket fans are greedy and pretty accustomed to success. But this South African team under coach Shukri Conrad and diminutive, combative skipper Bavuma, finally has its crowning moment. Some of their fans and the broader cricketing world was struggling to know how to react. One wrote on X: 'Still can't believe my eyes, Australia losing an ICC final. Never imagined it and it seems everyone wants South Africa to win except the Australians.' Another said: 'Am I watching the Proteas right now, am I witnessing the end of potential and promise become realised at long aching last?!' A third wrote: 'This time for Africaaaaa.' A fourth said: 'South Africa on verge of creating history! After 26 long years, with so many heartbreaks in between, SA are going to lift an ICC Trophy. Entire world would be happy for them barring Australia.' Another said: 'I want South Africa to win the final comfortably, man — this time, just for South Africa.' It was South Africa's day and Test match at Lord's, while from an Australian perspective, the shock defeat means a period of soul-searching and some tough calls must surely now commence.
Daily Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Daily Telegraph
2025 Peter Mulholland Cup live stream: St Gregory's College v Hills Sports High
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby League Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News. When St Gregory's College coach Tom Morrison calls bullocking lock Lorima Cosgrave a Mack truck, he means it. He still has the tyre mark down his chest to prove it. Coming head-to-head with his young charge in a local seniors game, Morrison got a first hand insight of what other front rowers across the Peter Mulholland Cup have had to deal with this season. It is a raw power he wants to see again when the proud Campbelltown nursery hosts Hills Sports High on Tuesday. The clash will be exclusively live streamed FREE on KommunityTV. Lorima Cosgrave in action for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the SG Ball Cup. Picture Warren Gannon Photography 'He is a Mack truck, once he gets going he is very hard to knock off centre,' Morrison said. 'He played some games in the seniors for Campbelltown City and he scored a good try in the game against us. He made half a break and I came across thinking I could make a cover tackle on him. 'He stomped me into the turf and kept on running to the tryline. 'He is a classy player, but I keep trying to tell him he isn't a dummy-half anymore, he's a middle forward out and out.' The lock is one of several players in an undersized engine room which has continued to punch above its weight in 2025. Ryan Mackander in action for the Macarthur Tigers in the Laurie Daley Cup. Picture Warren Gannon Photography Front rower Ryan Mackander has been phenomenal for the school, while Jake Gaffney has shown he isn't afraid to hold the gloves up against bigger opposition packs. With two wins from two games, St Gregory's have already punched their ticket to the finals series, putting last year's anguish of missing play-offs by a mere two points on for-and-against. While the result of their contest against Hills Sports High doesn't matter in the grand scheme of the season, for Morrison a win is almost critical. 'We want to play well at our school and put on a show for the school,' he said. 'A lot of teams really enjoy their home field advantage, but we haven't had that in recent years. We have really struggled for results there, so we want to give them something to cheer.' It will be a final run out for Hills Sports High who are not able to qualify for the finals after losing their opening two matches of the season. Originally published as 2025 Peter Mulholland Cup live stream: St Gregory's College v Hills Sports High
The Age
41 minutes ago
- The Age
After decades of heartbreak, South Africa clinch historic victory over Australia in world Test final
London: Australia have lost their World Test Championship title to South Africa after the Proteas pulled off a nervy fourth innings chase at Lord's, to end decades of trauma in big finals. Aiden Markram (136) guided his side to within just six runs of victory with a magnificent century before he was finally caught by Travis Head off Josh Hazlewood, but the damage was already done. Just minutes after the crowd stood to applaud Markram as he left the field, keeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne hit Mitchell Starc through the covers to clinch a remarkable five-wicket victory after Pat Cummins' men made the Proteas sweat by keeping runs tight and taking the wickets of Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs. Australian desperation was underlined by how Cummins burned through all his team's three DRS referrals in the space of about an hour as he tried to gamble for wickets. They also appealed for a catch at short leg off Travis Head's boot, but replays showed the ball had hit the ground first. Even Verreynne would have been sent on his way late, caught behind attempting to ramp Starc. It was ultimately a decisive triumph for the South Africans, who claimed their first win in a major global tournament final after years of near misses, most recently at last year's Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean. All up, their heartbreak in knockout games at the biggest tournaments – the men's 50-over world cup, the Twenty20 world cup, and the men's Champions Trophy – spanned two quarter-finals, 12 semi-finals and one final. 'Years in the waiting… [against] the biggest opposition, in Australia, they've given us so much heartache over the years, but now the exclamation mark of an ICC event,' said former Proteas skipper Shaun Pollock in commentary after the winning runs were struck. 'They'll be singing, they'll be dancing on the streets of South Africa.' But this win was their eighth Test match victory in as many games. Steve Smith could only watch the final stages from the team balcony in the members' pavilion after suffering a compound dislocation of his right little finger after trying to take a catch on the third day.
