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MotoGP: Former Superbike world champion Sylvain Guintoli  (picture) will make a MotoGP comeback at his home French Grand Prix this month as replacement for injured Suzuki rider Alex Rins, the team said yesterday. The race at Le Mans is on May 21 and Suzuki said the experienced 34-year-old would stand in until Spanish rookie Rins could return. Rins broke his right ankle while training on a motocross bike in March and was then ruled out of last month’s Grand Prix of the Americas in Texas after crashing heavily in final practice and fracturing his left wrist.

Rugby Union: Ireland will host South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in November’s Guinness Series at Aviva Stadium. Ireland will face the Springboks in the opening fixture on Nov. 12. The hosts defeated South Africa 29-15 on their last visit in November 2014. Fiji are set to face Joe Schmidt’s Ireland on Nov. 18. Ireland won the last three tests between the two sides. The final game of the series will see Argentina return to Ireland for the first time since their 46-24 defeat in 2012.

Basketball: Basketball players will be allowed to wear headgear for religious reasons after world governing body FIBA yesterday approved a new rule to come into effect from October 1. “The new rule comes as a result of the fact that traditional dress codes in some countries, which called for the head and/or entire body being covered, were incompatible with FIBA’s previous headgear rule,” FIBA said. Qatar’s women’s team withdrew from the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea after being denied permission to wear the hijab on court.

Golf: Retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is an excellent golfer and has some spare time these days, so he will try to qualify for the 2017 US Open. Romo is one of more than 9,000 players who signed up for the US Open. He is scheduled to play an 18-hole local qualifier Monday at Split Rail Links and Golf Club, in Texas. If Romo plays well enough in that event to advance, he would compete in sectional qualifying in June. Romo attempted to play his way into the US Open three previous times. He tried in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and got as far as the sectional qualifying in 2010.

Basketball, NBA: The San Antonio Spurs suffered a major injury blow with Tony Parker going down with a leg injury during his team’s second round playoff game against Houston on Wednesday. Parker came down awkwardly on his left leg after a shot attempt early in the fourth quarter and stayed down for several minutes before eventually being carried into the locker room. Parker had an MRI surgery yesterday and the Spurs announced he will be out for the rest of the reason.