Rugby Union: Santiago Phelan has resigned as Argentina coach ahead of the Pumas’ European tour that in-cludes tests against England, Wales and Italy next month. Phelan, whose contract had been due to end in December, brought forward his decision to leave after his team finished bottom of the Rugby Championship for the second year in succession.

Basket, NBA: Centre Nerlens Noel, the Phi-ladelphia 76ers’ first-round draft pick, is expected to sit out the entire 2013-2014 season following surgery, coach Brett Brown said. “I doubt, everybody doubts that he’s going to play this year,” Brown said. Noel had surgery on his left knee last March to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Philadelphia acquired Noel and a 2014 first-round draft pick in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday.

Cricket: South Africa’s top-ranked batsman Hashim Amla will miss the second test against Pakistan in Dubai to stay at home for the birth of his second child. Amla, who last week retained his place at the top of the individual test batting rankings, played in last week’s first test in Abu Dhabi but flew home on Friday for the impending birth. Team officials had hoped the baby would arrive over the weekend to allow Amla to rejoin the team in the UAE.

Doping: Five players at England’s Rugby Premiership clubs tested positive for recreational drugs in the 2012-13 season, the Rugby Football Union said. The RFU’s third anti-doping annual report reveals that 345 tests took place as part of the illicit drugs programme. Five positive results were returned, but these cases are treated confidentially as they are first offences.

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