Six Nations: England suffered a blow in their bid to retain the Six Nations championship as lock forward George Kruis was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a knee ligament injury. The 26-year-old Saracens forward will have surgery this week and will be sidelined for up to three months, a statement from the England team said.
Golf: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama maintained his sizzling run of form as he defended his Phoenix Open title with a play-off victory over American Webb Simpson at the TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. Matsuyama clinched his fifth win in his last nine starts worldwide when he sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the fourth play-off hole, the driveable par-four 17th, where Simpson parred. The duo had finished the 72 regulation holes on 17-under-par 267, Matsuyama narrowly missing a birdie putt at the last to card a five-under 66 and Simpson closing with a best-of-the-day 64.
Winter Games: Japan will allow North Korean athletes and officials to take part in the Sapporo Asian Winter Games this month despite sanctions against the reclusive state that bar North Koreans from entering the country, Kyodo news agency said. Japan has long has comprehensive sanctions in place against North Korea. However, government sources were quoted by Kyodo as saying that about 20 people, including seven athletes, would be allowed to enter Japan to take part in the Winter Games in Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The Games run from February 19-26.
Cricket: Alastair Cook has stepped down as England’s test captain but plans to carry on as a player, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said yesterday. Cook, who was appointed captain in 2012, led England in 59 tests, which includes Ashes victories at home in 2013 and 2015 as well as series wins in India and South Africa. ECB has started the process to appoint the next test captain with batting mainstay Joe Root regarded as the favourite for the job. “Stepping down has been an incredibly hard decision but I know this is the correct decision for me and at the right time for the team,” Cook said in a statement.
[attach id=560455 size="medium"][/attach]
Rugby: Joost van der Westhuizen (picture, right), the scrumhalf for the South African rugby side that triumphed at the 1995 World Cup, died yesterday after a long battle with motor neurone disease at the age of 45, his charitable foundation said. “It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Joost. He passed away in his home surrounded by his loved ones,” read a statement from the J9 Foundation, a charity the rugby player founded to help motor neurone disease sufferers. Van der Westhuizen played 89 tests for the Springboks between 1993 and 2003 and scored 38 test tries.