Rugby Union: France ran in six tries to crush Argentina 49-10 in the second Test in Tucuman on Saturday and record their biggest ever win over the Pumas. The victory was also revenge for the previous week’s 23-20 defeat that the French suffered at the hands of the South Americans in Cordoba when they had sloppily conceded a try in the dying minutes. France led 30-3 at the break as a young Pumas side wilted.
Other result: USA vs Italy 10-30.
Tennis: The controversial blue clay used by the Madrid Masters was banned by the ATP, a move which will head off a devastating boycott of the crucial French Open warm-up event by the world’s leading players. The surface, which was introduced for the first time at this year’s tournament, was widely condemned by the world’s top two, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. They insisted they would not return to the event in 2013 if the blue clay remained.
London 2012: Hundreds of people got up early and braved the rain to watch a football legend carry the Olympic flame in Manchester yesterday. Bobby Charlton carried the Olympic flame as it passed Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium at 6.30 a.m. The 1966 World Cup winner and Manchester United hero, 74, was one of 151 torchbearers who carried the torch yesterday as it made its way from Manchester to Leeds. Sir Bobby carried the flame from Water’s Reach to Old Trafford, which is an Olympic football venue.
Tennis: Roger Federer and Gilles Simon are the highest-profile names on the new ATP Player Council. Federer returns along with Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, doubles representative Eric Butorac and Brazilian Andre Sa, who served a previous term from 2002 to 2004. Simon and Kevin Anderson, the towering South African who is a possible third-round opponent for Andy Murray at Wimbledon this year, join Federer and Nieminen in a quartet of members from the top 50 of the singles rankings.
Auto Racing: American Ryan Hunter-Reay captured his second consecutive IndyCar Series victory, winning the weather-delayed Iowa Corn Indy 250 race Saturday night. Hunter-Reay won the Milwaukee Mile a week ago following a 90-minute rain delay and he clinched the Iowa race after the start was delayed 40 minutes because of thunderstorms. Hunter-Reay started seventh in the 25-car field before taking the flag just ahead of his team-mate Marco Andretti, who won the race last year.
Motor Racing: Marussia driver Timo Glock missed yesterday European F1 Grand Prix in Valencia after failing to recover fully from a stomach bug he picked up earlier in the week. The 30-year-old Glock was unable to take part in Saturday’s qualifying sessions because of his intestinal problems, but was handed a place at the back of the grid based on his times in free practice on Friday and Saturday morning.