Rugby Union: Australia’s rugby community was in mourning yesterday after the death of former captain Peter Johnson. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said Johnson had died at his home in Sydney on Tuesday. He was 78. The former hooker played 42 tests for the Wallabies from 1959-71, including five as captain, though he played 92 games in total for the national team and went on eight overseas tours.

Triathlon: Spain’s world and European triathlon champion Javier Gomez Noya pulled out of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro yesterday after fracturing his left arm in a bicycle accident, according to the Spanish Olympic Committee. Gomez Noya, the only triathlete to wind five world titles, was among the favourites to clinch gold at this year’s Olympics in Rio after claiming silver in London in 2012. Gomez Noya recently won his most prestigious sports award, the Princess of Asturias prize, for his “brilliant achievements”.

Doping: Italian sports agent Federico Rosa was charged in a Kenyan court yesterday over the alleged use of prohibited performance enhancing substances on local athletes. Rosa, held by police last week for questioning along with fellow Italian coach Claudio Berardelli, denied the charges and was remanded in custody. Berardelli has not been charged. Kenya, renowned for its distance runners, has faced frequent allegations of doping, with some 40 cases reported in the past four years.