Rugby Union: Number eight Wycliff Palu and centre Matt Giteau have been recalled to the Australia squad for next week’s Rugby Championship decider against New Zealand with uncapped prop Toby Smith also getting the nod for the Sydney test. Palu was rested for the victories over South Africa and Argentina and returns in place of Scott Higginbotham, while a recall for Giteau after he missed the test against the Pumas with a sternum injury means winger Nick Cummins drops out.

Tennis: Top seed Anastasia Pavlyu-chenkova needed barely an hour to book her place in the semi-finals of the Baku Cup after comfortably sweeping aside the challenge of Kirsten Flipkens 6-1 6-3 in just 62 minutes yesterday. The Russian will now face Patricia Maria Tig who had the better of Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-3 6-2.

Baseball: The San Francisco Giants made a deal for one of the hottest pitchers in baseball yesterday by acquiring right-handed starter Mike Leake in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds. The Giants sent minor league players Keury Mella and Adam Duvall to the Reds in exchange for the red-hot Leake. The 27-year-old has surrendered just two runs in his last four starts, two of them shutouts. He is 9-5 with a 3.56 ERA this season.

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