Category: 6. Sports

The world record holder for the most points scored in Test matches (1598) is the most obvious statistic to support any claim for Carter’s greatness, but adding some overseas context to his quality is highly regarded South African columnist Mark Keohane.

In the latest issue of SA Rugby Magazine, Keohane ran the rule over all the first five-eighths he has seen playing in all the major rugby stadiums of the world since 1995 and said that Carter is the most complete fly-half he has seen in the professional era.

“Carter played the game as if he was never in a hurry. The pass, the kick, the run – always in sync.

“He could play 10 or 12. He could tackle like a loose forward. And he did it all with the poise of someone who looked immune to the pressure and pain of Test rugby.

“Carter owns the record for most Test points scored, but his goal-kicking was a given. What completed him was every aspect of his game.

“When people ask who the best is that I have seen – the best of the best – I don’t hesitate: Dan Carter.

“Carter won two World Cups and got to 112 Tests in a 15-year Test career. He wrote his own coronation.”

Keohane made his comment as a forerunner to citing Springbok five-eighths Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu as a player capable of reaching the heights Carter achieved.

“Don’t read this as me thinking he is a Carter impersonator; rather, he has every quality that Carter showed in a 112-Test career.

“That is the potential of Feinberg-Mngomezulu. That is why the hype is justified, even if the coronation is premature.

“Feinberg-Mngomezulu is into his second year of Test rugby. He has been anointed, but the royal capping will only come with his last act in Test rugby.

“Hopefully, for pure pleasure and spectator joy, his is a Carter-type 15-year Test career.”

Claressa Shields is ‘seriously pursuing’ a fight against Muhammad Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali, after successfully retaining her undisputed heavyweight championship.

The American star, who is a multi-weight world champion, defeated Lani Daniels by unanimous decision in front of 15,366 fans at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Shields could now switch her attention to a showdown with the 47-year-old Laila Ali, who hasn’t boxed since 2007, but held a world title in her unbeaten career.

Dmitriy Salita, who promotes Shields, told Sky Sports: “Claressa Shields continues to break barriers and elevate the sport of boxing with every move she makes.

“Following her historic win in Detroit, we’re focused on keeping her active and aligned with her mission – fighting the biggest and best.

“A matchup with Laila Ali would be a monumental moment in sports history: the daughter of the GOAT vs the GWOAT, two generational icons whose stories transcend boxing. That’s a fight we’re seriously pursuing.”

Shields defeated Savannah Marshall, avenging her only boxing defeat while an amateur, to become an undisputed middleweight champion in front of a massive audience at The O2.

But Salita believes the two-time Olympic gold medallist can still reach new heights in her trailblazing career.

“At the same time, Claressa’s legacy is still being written,” he told Sky Sports. “She’s a symbol of inspiration and resilience, and we’re working on opportunities that push new boundaries – title defences, new weight classes, and global events that continue to grow the sport.

“What she’s done is already historic, but what’s ahead may be even greater.”

Hampton, who has been playing her first major tournament as England’s first-choice goalkeeper, had big shoes to fill in Switzerland.

Earps – twice named as the best women’s goalkeeper in the world – had played significant roles in England’s victory at Euro 2022 and on the way to the 2023 World Cup final.

But Hampton, who looked likely to start at the Euros even before Earps’ retirement, has proved she deserves the number one shirt.

“At the start of the tournament did you think Hannah Hampton would be the star? Perhaps not. You wondered how she was going to do,” ex-Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha said.

“Look how well she has done on the biggest stage. To save those penalties – and these were really good saves. She backed herself 100%.

“An amazing moment to see her be that important to the team.”

Just months after England’s Euro triumph in 2022, Hampton was dropped from the squad.

Reports suggested it was because of her behaviour, and she had to wait until March 2023 for a recall, when Wiegman said Hampton had “sorted out personal issues”.

Speaking to BBC One following her shootout heroics in the 2025 final, Hampton said: “All I can really say is thank you to Sarina [Wiegman] for all the belief and faith that she’s had in me.

“She knew what I was capable of and she really put that in me to really go and showcase what I can do.”

Hampton, who helped Chelsea win a domestic treble this season, has shown exactly what she is capable of throughout the tournament.

After losing their opening game against France, Hampton was instrumental in helping England bounce back against the Netherlands – with a sublime defence-splitting pass starting the attack for England’s first goal and setting the tempo for a statement 4-0 performance.

Then, in their quarter-final against Sweden, she pulled off two brilliant saves in the shootout to help keep England’s title defence alive.

“The girls have run around for 120 minutes, so the least I can do is save a couple of pens here and there and help the team out in any way I can,” Hampton told BBC Radio 5 Live after the final.

She added on BBC One: “There’s still a lot more to come from me. For my first major tournament, to win it is not too bad.”

Piastri had demonstrated how difficult it is for the driver on pole to lead by the end of the first lap at Spa by losing the sprint race win to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman slipstreamed past Piastri up the hill to Les Combes, and then held the McLaren at bay for 15 laps, while Norris followed closely in third.

In the grand prix, it was Norris in front, with Piastri in second and Piastri had been thinking about the opportunity this presented him since losing out on pole the day before.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said: “This weekend, Oscar, if anything, the only inaccuracy was in qualifying, where his laps weren’t perfect.

“At the same time, we have to say that after the sprint qualifying, he said, ‘Yeah, I’m in pole position, but maybe this is not the right place to be in pole position.’

“And as a joke, after the qualifying yesterday, he said, ‘That was not my best lap in Q3, but perhaps this is the best place not to have the best lap in Q3.’”

Sure enough, Piastri took the lead on lap one of the grand prix, just as Verstappen had the day before.

“I had a good run out of Turn One,” he said, “and then tried to be as brave as I could through Eau Rouge and was able to stay pretty close. After that, the slipstream did the rest for me.

“When I watched the onboard back, it didn’t look quite as scary as it felt in the car. I knew that I had to be very committed to pull that off.”

But Norris could have done a better job. For a start, he failed to build himself a gap over the finish line by arguably going too early at the restart. Then he made a mistake at La Source, which allowed Piastri to be right on his tail approaching Eau Rouge.

“I didn’t have the best Turn One,” Norris said. “So it’s hard to know how much that played a part. At the same time, Oscar came past me pretty easily. So even if I had a better Turn One, his run and the slipstream probably still would have got me.”

Stella said: “It would have always been very difficult for Lando to keep the position starting first at the safety car restart. At the same time, I think Lando didn’t help himself by not having a great gap on the finish line.”

Christian Lundgaard is flourishing in his debut season with Arrow McLaren.

The Danish driver surged from seventh on the grid to finish second in Sunday’s Java House Grand Prix of Monterey, piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet to an impressive result.

“I obviously knew the pit sequences would be really key around here,” Lundgaard said. “It ended up being a red tire race, and I just can’t thank this team enough.”

Lundgaard started the race on the primary compound of the Firestone Firehawk Racing Tires, stretching his first stint to Lap 20. That strategy allowed him to complete the final two stints on the softer alternate tires, enabling a six-position gain and securing his fifth podium in 14 starts this season with Arrow McLaren.

For comparison, Lundgaard earned just three podiums in 52 starts with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, including one runner-up finish and a single series victory on the streets of Toronto in 2023.

This season alone, Lundgaard has already recorded two second-place finishes. Notably, the car he now drives had managed only four podiums in 81 starts before his offseason arrival.

“This is the most podiums they’ve had in a single year, so I’m very proud of the No. 7 team, and I’m sure they are, too,” Lundgaard said.

Herta Starting to Heat Up in Second Half of Season

Colton Herta opted for a different strategy at the start of Sunday’s 95-lap race, diverging from front-row starters Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward.

While Palou and O’Ward began on the softer Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, Herta chose the harder primary compound and followed Palou closely through the early laps.

Despite an early caution, Palou built a 4.8782-second lead by the second yellow on Lap 11. That gap continued to widen until both drivers pitted for the first time on Lap 25.

Herta maintained second position after the second pit cycle, but dropped to third when Christian Lundgaard, who had pitted six laps earlier, cycled ahead.

Over the second half of the race, Herta made several aggressive attempts to reclaim second place, but Lundgaard’s Chevrolet powered vehicle proved too strong to overtake. Herta crossed the finish line in third, just under a second behind Lundgaard.

“It was good,” Herta said. “I’m so happy whenever we get to come back here. This place has been great to me and great to my family. It’s a real treat.”

Sunday’s result marked Herta’s fourth podium in six career starts at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. He previously earned dominant wins at the track in 2019 and 2021 and finished runner-up to Palou in 2023.

“It’s a real driver’s track to come out here, especially in an IndyCar,” Herta added. “To get everything out of it is difficult. Always happy to be on the podium here. The Gainbridge Honda was super fast and we’ll carry this momentum into Portland in two weeks.”

The third-place finish was Herta’s fifth top-five result of the season and his third in the last five races. He placed fourth at Mid-Ohio on July 6 and matched that finish last weekend on the streets of Toronto.

Kirkwood, Dixon Eliminated From Championship Contention

Only two drivers remain in contention for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship as the series heads to the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Aug. 10.

Palou holds a commanding 121-point lead over O’Ward, the only other driver mathematically eligible to lift the Astor Cup this season.

Sunday’s race eliminated both Kyle Kirkwood and Scott Dixon from title contention. Each needed to be within 161 points of Palou at the checkered flag to stay alive. Starting from 18th (Kirkwood) and 19th (Dixon), both faced an uphill battle.

Kirkwood entered the race 173 points behind Palou, with Dixon trailing by 174. In a bid to gain track position, both drivers elected to pit under the second caution on Lap 12—an alternate strategy call.

The move paid off for Dixon, who charged through the field to finish fifth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. It marked his seventh straight top-10 finish and the 216th top-five result of his illustrious career, extending his all-time record. Still, the consistency wasn’t enough to keep his championship hopes alive in his pursuit of a record-tying seventh title. He now trails Palou by 198 points heading into Portland, a track where he has yet to record a win.

Kirkwood’s race took a turn on Lap 25 when he made contact with Rinus VeeKay’s No. 18 askROI Chevrolet, resulting in a spin and a stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact. He finished 16th in the No. 27 JM Bullion Honda and now sits 213 points behind Palou—officially out of the title race.

Odds and Ends

· Five of Palou’s eight wins this season have occurred on natural road courses. He also won at The Thermal Club, Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Road America and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

· Seven of Palou’s 19 career victories have come from the pole. That is tied with Tony Bettenhausen for 14th all-time. By comparison, Dixon has 12 wins from the pole.

· The most wins in a single season belong to Foyt (1964) and Al Unser (1970), who each had 10. Mario Andretti had nine in 1969.

· Callum Ilott gave PREMA Racing its best NTT INDYCAR SERIES finish by coming home sixth on Sunday. That comes a week after he finished eighth in Toronto. Robert Shwartzman finished ninth in the second Iowa Speedway doubleheader to give the team three consecutive top-10 finishes.

· Marcus Armstrong continued his strong season with his ninth top-10 finish by bringing the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda home eighth. He has eight in the last 10 races.

High Performance staff from New Zealand Football (NZF) have returned energised and inspired following a valuable three-day study visit to Melbourne, where they were welcomed into the inner workings of three of Australia’s most respected professional sporting clubs, the Melbourne Storm (NRL), Essendon Bombers (AFL), and Richmond Tigers (AFL).

Designed by OFC to support the professional development of coaches and technical staff, the trip offered rare access to elite environments of other sporting codes and provided a wealth of learnings around leadership, athlete development, team culture and high performance.

The delegation included senior national team coaches, with All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley and assistant Tony Readings, Football Ferns head coach Michael Mayne, as well as both Men’s and Women’s U-17 head coaches Martin Bullock and Alana Gunn, forming part of the study group.

Throughout the visit, the NZF staff had the opportunity to observe training environments, attend team and coaching meetings, and engage directly with staff and players. Central to the experience was the chance to explore how each club builds its performance culture, from leadership development and mental skills to athlete pathways and identity.

(Photo: the group chatting with Melbourne Storm development coach, Todd Lowrie)

All Whites coach Darren Bazeley says the study visit was really insightful.

“It enabled us to have a good look inside 3 of Melbourne’s top professional sporting clubs, we were given great access to understand the integral aspects of how these clubs run and what they stand for, including structure, culture and leadership. We were able to sit in on team meetings, view training sessions and engage with their players.

We spent time with all of their coaches and different departments having discussions around how they get the best out of their players and team, whilst these are all clubs working in different sports to us (Rugby League and AFL) it was great to see their processes working towards achieving consistent high performances.”

(Photo: left to right, Alana Gunn, Martin Bullock, Tony Readings, Dave Wright, Darren Bazeley, Michael Mayne)

At Melbourne Storm, the group was hosted by long-time Director of Football Frank Ponissi, who shared the club’s strategic vision and deeply rooted values. Discussions touched on legacy, storytelling and the influence of New Zealand culture, brought to life through the leadership of former Kiwi international Tawera Nikau. Staff also heard from Storm Analyst Noel Green on performance review and opposition scouting processes and explored player development planning with Dean Penton and leadership strategies with Todd Lowrie. The day culminated with training observation and informal exchanges with players and coaches, a hands-on look at the Storm’s culture in action.

Essendon FC provided another dimension of elite sport. NZF staff were welcomed into the AFL club’s coaching environment by Head of Performance Dave Rath, attending pre-training meetings, match previews and tactical discussions ahead of the team’s upcoming fixture. Conversations with senior coaches over lunch in the club’s dedicated ‘Learning Room’ offered space to reflect on environment design and long-term development strategies. Coaches later broke into smaller groups to observe positional unit meetings, where players and coaches analysed performance together.

(Photo: left to right Darren Bazeley, Alana Gunn, Richmond Tigers assistant coach Ben Rutten, Dave Wright, Tony Readings, Michael Mayne)

At Richmond FC, the final stop on the visit, the group was invited to observe team meetings and training sessions as the club prepared for a major clash with top-of-the-table Collingwood. Assistant Coach Ben Rutten led an impressive workshop on Richmond’s coaching framework, with a strong emphasis on balancing performance demands with player wellbeing. The day concluded with a mental skills and team culture session that underlined the club’s reputation for excellence and innovation.

Reflecting on the experience, OFC High Performance Manager Dave Wright concurred with Bazeley’s assessment.

“On behalf of OFC I would like to extend sincere thanks to Melbourne Storm, Essendon and Richmond for their time and energy. It was a privilege to be immersed into their respective environments. We were welcomed with open arms, and the experience was inspiring, challenging and generated a huge amount of discussion and ideas amongst the group. I have no doubt that all of the New Zealand Football coaching staff benefitted from the experience.”

This visit builds on previous high performance study trips with Fiji FA and NZF and is part of OFC’s broader strategy to enhance coaching and performance capacity across its Member Associations.

(Cover image: Essendon FC trophy room)

Joaquin Niemann continued his stellar season with a commanding wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf UK by JCB, marking his fifth win of the 2025 season and seventh LIV Golf win overall, both LIV Golf records. The Chilean posted rounds of 65-63-68, finishing at 17-under, three shots ahead of his closest challenger.

Niemann’s dominance at JCB was a masterclass, excelling in all major statistical categories. He was exceptional from tee to green and among the week’s top putters.

See what Niemann had in his bag this week at JCB Golf & Country Club:

DRIVER

Brand/Model: PING G430 LST
Loft: 10.5°
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6X

FAIRWAY WOODS

Brand/Model: PING G440 MAX (3-Wood)
Loft: 17°
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8X

Brand/Model: PING G425 (7-Wood)
Loft: 20.5°
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8X

HYBRID

Brand/Model: PING G430 Max
Loft: 26°
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-95 Flex-X

IRONS

Brand/Model: PING Blueprint S (5-9, PW)
Shaft: True Temper Project-X 6.5

WEDGES

Brand/Model: PING S159 (52°, 56°, 60°)
Lofts: 52°, 56°, 60°
Shaft: True Temper Project-X 6.5

PUTTER

Brand/Model: PING PLD DS72
Type: Mallet

GOLF BALL

Brand/Model: Titleist Pro V1 X 25

(Equipment data supplied by World Tour Survey)

Years after his dad’s pivotal lacrosse-for-golf exchange, Keefer reached another seminal moment at the 2024 NCAA Championship (remarkably, just over a year ago). Keefer, then a fifth-year senior at Baylor, entered his final collegiate event at No. 29 on the PGA TOUR University Ranking, needing to move inside the top 25 to qualify for that summer’s North American Swing on PGA TOUR Americas. As he understood it, he needed roughly a top-10 finish at NCAAs to move inside the top 25, otherwise, he was headed to PGA TOUR Americas Q-School in California. And if things didn’t work out there, he would embark on an uncertain schedule for his first summer as a pro.