Rugby Union: George North has overcome a virus to be named in Wales’ starting line-up for their first Test against South Africa tomorrow. Head coach Warren Gatland has picked an experienced side for the game in Durban with Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies and Ospreys’ Matthew Morgan the only uncapped players in the squad. Wales beat Eastern Province Kings 34-12 in a warm-up on Tuesday and Gatland is looking forward to a tough test against the Springboks. “A Test series in South Africa is always a tough challenge, but we are excited by it,” Gatland said.

Tennis: Andy Murray was left to rue eight set points that went begging in the first set as he slumped to a shock 7-6(10) 6-2 defeat by Czech veteran Radek Stepanek in the third round of the Aegon Championships yesterday. The British number one was strangely off colour as he allowed Stepanek to steal the opening set with a delightful crosscourt volley. Any hopes of a Murray revival fell flat early in the second set when the British number one surrendered the opening game with a forehand error and Stepanek made sure he made the most of his chances. The wily Czech sealed an impressive victory when his opponent sliced a backhand into the net on match point leaving the crowd stunned.

Motor Racing: Audi’s Le Mans winner Loic Duval has been ruled out of the 24 Hours sportscar race on doctors’ orders this weekend after a heavy crash in practice on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Frenchman escaped with only scratches from the high-speed impact that demolished his car but Audi announced later that Spanish reserve Marc Gene would replace him in the rebuilt number one car. Organisers said doctors had submitted a report to the marshals “disallowing him from racing after the accident he experienced”.