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1News
11 hours ago
- Sport
- 1News
Reinforcements coming as All Blacks turn focus to Rugby Championship
A day after a match he described as the toughest of the three Tests against France, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has turned his attention to the Rugby Championship and his team's upcoming two-week tour of Argentina. There are question marks over the fitness of Tyrel Lomax, the tighthead prop who needs a scan on one of his thumbs following the All Blacks' 29-19 victory at Waikato Stadium, plus replacement halfback Noah Hotham, who has a high ankle sprain. There are plenty of other bumps and bruises among the 23 who overcame a halftime deficit to keep the tourists scoreless in the second half in Hamilton, but Robertson declared himself happy with the way his experimental squad finished off the series 3-0 and he will be just as pleased at the thought of some returning reinforcements. Skipper Scott Barrett (calf tear), Beauden Barrett (hand fracture), and Wallace Sititi (ankle) are on track to be on the plane for their team's start to the Rugby Championship and the first Test in Cordoba on Sunday, August 17 and a week later in Buenos Aires. Robertson will name his squad of 36 on Monday, August 4. Several players will be involved in the NPC that weekend, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Caleb Clarke, a late withdrawal from the Wellington Test due to an ankle sprain, Rieko Ioane, out on the eve of last night's match due to a hamstring issue, and Tupou Vaa'i (concussion) will almost certainly be available too but it is the recovery of the two Barretts and Sititi, Robertson's standout loose forward who didn't play this month, that will be the biggest boosts. Lock Fabian Holland, who played his third consecutive 80-minute Test last night after making his debut in Dunedin, must be running on metaphorical fumes by now, and to a lesser extent the same could be said for the experienced Patrick Tuipulotu. All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson talks to Jordie Barrett, left, and Scott Barrett after the Test win over France in Hamilton. (Source: Photosport) Having built depth through the series, Robertson will want his key men available for the bigger challenges ahead – and the Pumas qualify as that these days – along with the two massive Tests against South Africa in Auckland and Wellington which follow in September. 'The majority of players have performed on and off the field, which is really important,' Robertson said today. 'There will be some tough calls in the next few weeks. We are looking forward to a few players playing in the NPC as well to give us some depth. The balance of our squad… and the backs and forwards split are the next questions for us.' Holland will likely be the find of the series for Robertson and company, but they are unlikely to be surprised at the way the 22-year-old has taken to Test rugby. ADVERTISEMENT Robertson has said that the Highlanders' work ethic is notorious to the point where he has to be told to stop training, and Dutchman is clearly blessed with an efficient cardiovascular system. Of the others, Du'Plessis Kirifi has made the most of his chances – he scored an important try last night after being told in the minutes before kick-off that he was starting in the No.7 jersey following Luke Jacobson's quadriceps injury. Fullback Ruben Love also had his moments in his first Test start, with centre Billy Proctor, who started the first two Tests, improving. The experiment of starting Tupou Vaa'i – not involved last night due to concussion – on the blindside flank was a clear success and they missed his height, bulk, and workrate. But the other big upside for Robertson was the way the bench – a big area of focus this year – performed in a Test during which skipper Ardie Savea said his side got an early punch on the nose. Halfback Hotham was lively when replacing Cortez Ratima, flanker Dalton Papali'i was physical and busy, props George and Fletcher Newell were strong, midfielder Jordie Barrett was outstanding. The All Blacks could not seal the deal until the final quarter and the bench's impact was crucial. 'It was the toughest of the three Tests, easily,' Robertson said. 'All the contact stats are through the roof. There are a lot of sore bodies. 'They were spirited and tough,' he said of the French. 'We couldn't quite get away on them enough to put them away. It was a reflection on how much they cared last night.'
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Sri Lanka sacks high-ranking police officer over Easter Sunday bombings
Colombo, Jul 20 (PTI) A deputy inspector general of police in Sri Lanka has been sacked from the service following a disciplinary inquiry related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Nilantha Jayawardena, who previously served as the head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), was placed on compulsory leave by the National Police Commission (NPC) in July 2024, pending an internal investigation. Following the conclusion of the inquiry, the NPC decided to dismiss Jayawardena from service. 'It was decided at the meeting of the police commission held on July 17 to order the immediate dismissal from police service of the senior deputy inspector general of police, Nilantha Jayawardena," the NCP said in a statement. About 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed as suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat, linked to ISIS, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday in 2019. On March 21, 2024, the police commission decided to conduct a disciplinary inquiry against Jayawardena for his negligence of duty, which led to the Easter Sunday attack. The report of the disciplinary investigation was received by the police commission two weeks ago. The commission ruled that Jayawardena was guilty of all the counts in the chargesheet served on him. Jayawardena becomes the most senior police officer to be found guilty of dereliction of duty. He was ordered to pay a 75 million rupee fine as compensation to the victims. The Supreme Court in 2023 ruled that former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis and former SIS Chief Jayawardena had violated the Fundamental Rights of the petitioners by failing to act on prior intelligence that could have prevented the attacks. The then president Sirisena was ordered to pay 100 million to the relatives of the victims. The attack became a political issue in the country, with the then rulers, the Rajapaksa family, being accused of using the attack to regain power. The Catholic church, unimpressed by the police investigations, called for international investigations to bring justice to the families of victims. PTI Corr NSA NSA view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sri Lanka sacks high-ranking police officer over Easter Sunday bombings
A Deputy Inspector General of police in Sri Lanka has been sacked from the service following a disciplinary inquiry related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Nilantha Jayawardena, who previously served as the head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), was placed on compulsory leave by the National Police Commission (NPC) in July 2024, pending an internal investigation. Following the conclusion of the inquiry, the NPC decided to dismiss Jayawardena from service. "It was decided at the meeting of the police commission held on July 17 to order the immediate dismissal from police service of the senior deputy inspector general of police, Nilantha Jayawardena," the NCP said in a statement. About 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed as suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat, linked to ISIS, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday in 2019. On March 21, 2024, the police commission decided to conduct a disciplinary inquiry against Jayawardena for his negligence of duty, which led to the Easter Sunday attack. The report of the disciplinary investigation was received by the police commission two weeks ago. The commission ruled that Jayawardena was guilty of all the counts in the chargesheet served on him. Jayawardena becomes the most senior police officer to be found guilty of dereliction of duty. He was ordered to pay a 75 million rupee fine as compensation to the victims. The Supreme Court in 2023 ruled that former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis and former SIS Chief Jayawardena had violated the Fundamental Rights of the petitioners by failing to act on prior intelligence that could have prevented the attacks. The then President Sirisena was ordered to pay 100 million to the relatives of the victims. The attack became a political issue in the country, with the then rulers, the Rajapaksa family, being accused of using the attack to regain power. The Catholic church, unimpressed by the police investigations, called for international investigations to bring justice to the families of victims.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
NPC: Bay of Plenty Steamers fired up for season
The Bay of Plenty Steamers are determined to make an early statement in the 2025 Bunnings NPC campaign, with their opening match set for August 3 against the Tasman Mako at Tauranga Domain. After an agonising defeat in the 2024 NPC final – losing in the 96th minute of a
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Not too many concerns for Otago against Southland
New Otago coach Mark Brown has given his side a "sneaky B-plus" for their opening effort of his tenure. They beat Southland 40-31 at the University Oval yesterday afternoon. The sneaky B-plus was more than fair. Otago dominated virtually the entire first half and led 26-12 at the break. They would have received a much higher grade except they suffered bouts of narcolepsy. The home team muffed too many restarts and Southland pounced. Hard-working No8 Ethan Macdonald crashed over from close range, and halfback Nic Shearer took off from another quick tap, ran around an Otago pack that had taken the opportunity for a forty winks, and dotted down in the corner. Both opportunities came about because of some rotten work at the restart. Brown had a wry smile when asked about the sluggish effort at that phase. "Yeah, so ironically over the last 10 days, kick-offs are the one thing we hadn't got to, so that showed," he smiled. "But no real concern on our behalf there. But what it does highlight is how important they are, so they'll get our attention in the next week or two." Other than that, the first 40 minutes were impressive from Otago. They controlled possession and territory and scored four tries. Young fullback Sam Nemec-Vial got two of them. He stepped off his left foot and ran in from 20m to score his first. And he finished off another with an acrobatic dive in the corner. The Green Island player looked dangerous when the ball came his way. But stand-in first five Sam Gilbert set the tone. He made sound decisions and gave the ball some width. He got an armchair ride thanks to the pack. Zingari-Richmond hooker A-One Lolofie had a strong game and scored from a lineout drive. New recruit Joseva Tamani was solid in the lineout, and blindside Will Stodart hit rucks hard and did well in the set pieces. Southland scored first after the break. Otago fumbled the ball close to their line and winger Michael Manson finished off a nice move from a 5m scrum. But Otago centre Thomas Umaga-Jensen burst free from a ruck, scampered 30m and offloaded to openside Harry Taylor to score. But the try of the game was scored by Jae Broomfield. He has shifted south from Canterbury to try his luck with Otago and he showed some good gas. He ghosted through a gap in the midfield and ran a 50m angle run to the corner. He outpaced the chasing pack and pushed off the last defender to score a ripper. Southland centre Issac Te Tamaki scored a late consolation for Southland to narrow the margin. But Otago dominated the fixture when they could keep their eyes open. "I don't really want to pick out names. I thought collectively they all subbed in and connected with the team and played in the system and took on board what they've been exposed to the last couple of weeks," Brown said. Otago open their NPC campaign against Southland in Invercargill on August 2. Three players who caught the eye • Otago have named just one specialist first five and he missed Otago's warm-up against Southland at the University Oval yesterday afternoon. But experienced outside back Sam Gilbert filled in more than admirably for Cameron Millar. The utility back is heading to Ireland at the end of the NPC to play for Connacht. But he demonstrated how useful he will be with a polished effort at pivot. • Otago fullback Sam Nemec-Vial is uncontracted, but he played with some real spark at the back. He stepped off his left foot and ghosted 20 metres to score his first. And he dived over in the corner later in the first half to complete an impressive outing. He has good pace and he is gutsy. Could do with a few more meat pies to fill out those skinny legs. • Southland spent most of the game on the back foot but scored some nice opportunist tries. The effort of halfback Nic Shearer was pretty impressive. He took a quick tap, ran around an Otago pack that had taken the opportunity to take a nap, and dotted down in the corner.
