Sailing:Team New Zealand beat Alinghi by 25 seconds in a classic America's Cup race at Valencia yesterday, recovering from a poor spinnaker drop which nearly ended their race, to take a 2-1 lead over the Swiss defender in the best-of-nine series.
The Kiwis struggled to free their billowing red spinnaker, which had become tangled with their jib sail and lines, as they tacked back up the windward leg of the second round.
With the Kiwis desperate to regain their poise and speed, Alinghi broke back in front and the lead moved back and forth.
However, the Swiss team could not hold their lead down the course and as the teams converged on the line, the Kiwis emerged with a clear lead ahead of their rivals.
Cycling:This year's 20th anniversary of Stephen Roche's triple of Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships will be commemorated at the Grand Prix bearing his name in Meadowmount, Dundrum, tonight, writes Shane Stokes.
Both Stephen and his son, Nicolas, will be in attendance, the former to present the prizes and the latter competing in his first Irish event since finishing the Tour of Italy four weeks ago.
"It will be great to have both of the Roches there," said Paul Tansey of the promoting Orwell Dundrum Town Centre club. "In order to commemorate his achievements in 1987, we will have three special sprints during the race - the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the World Championship primes."
Rugby:Danny Grewcock's prospects of appearing in a third World Cup were effectively ended last night when the England lock failed to escape a six-week ban for punching. He is now ineligible for the opening two matches of his country's World Cup defence after a European Rugby Cup disciplinary panel in Birmingham threw out his appeal and ordered the Bath forward to pay all their legal costs.
The outcome almost certainly marks the end of the 34-year-old's international career after 69 caps. England's head coach, Brian Ashton, has no shortage of other second-row contenders and will not want to pick a player who is suspended until September 15th and will miss the pool games against the United States and South Africa.
