• England are unlikely to have a rugby head coach in place for the start of the Six Nations championship next February according to Rugby Football Union director of elite rugby Rob Andrew. Andrew has already ruled himself out of contention for the job which fell vacant on Wednesday when Andy Robinson stepped down after England lost three of their four November internationals. England, who defend the World Cup in France next year, start their Six Nations campaign against Scotland on February 3. Three specialist coaches Brian Ashton (attack), John Wells (forwards) and Mike Ford (defence) remain in place.
• After a slow start to the basketball season, Kobe Bryant pushed into high gear yesterday, pouring in 52 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers crush the Utah Jazz 132-102 in NBA action. Bryant, slowed by knee surgery, has struggled to find the touch that made him the league's leading scorer last year which was highlighted by an 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors. But Bryant rediscovered his scoring touch against the Jazz, hitting 19-of-26 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the free throw line to reach 50 or more points for the 12th time in his career.
• Sweden has agreed to hold its first professional boxing fight since a ban was imposed in 1970, although the bout will take place under amateur rules. The decision-making committee, the martial arts delegation, refused to grant permission for a full pro-boxing match that would have involved WBA title holder Nikolai Valuev, a Russian known as the "beast from the east" because of his size. Instead it approved a professional boxing event that will be held in Gothenburg in January as the rules will basically follow Swedish amateur boxing regulations. The event will feature Sweden's Asa Sandell, who lost a fight with Laila Ali last year. Sweden banned professional boxing in 1970 as it was seen as dangerous to boxers and brutalising for the audience.
• Former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann would be an ideal choice for the US, Pele said in Germany. "He'd be good for the US boys," the Brazilian World Cup great told a news conference while on a business trip to Duesseldorf this week. "He's an excellent trainer who led Germany to an incredible World Cup this year. He didn't quite have the fortune he needed to win the title. I think he'd be the right man for the job." In October, US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said he had talked to Klinsmann, who lives in California, about coaching the national team but no agreement had been reached.