Australia got back on track in the Rugby Championship by recording a deserved 25-17 win against South Africa in Adelaide, responding to their humiliating defeat to Argentina in emphatic fashion. 

Dave Rennie's men appeared keen to atone for their 48-17 hammering against the Pumas from the outset on Saturday, with Fraser McReight going over to put them in charge almost straight from the kick-off.

A further McReight try, as well as a fine effort from Marika Koroibete, handed the Wallabies an unassailable lead after the break, though South Africa restored some pride with two late scores from Kwagga Smith.

But the final score ultimately failed to reflect Australia's superiority as they inflicted back-to-back defeats on the out-of-shape visitors.

The Wallabies made a flying start and hit the front less than two minutes in; McReight going over following good work from Saia Fainga'a and Nic White after the hosts won possession in South Africa's 22.

Having opened his account with the subsequent conversion, Noah Lolesio successfully kicked a penalty just five minutes later as the hosts established a 10-point lead.

Handre Pollard reduced the arrears 24 minutes in with a penalty of his own as South Africa finally responded, but that was the sum of their first-half efforts as the Springboks spurned several opportunities to cut the hosts' advantage. 

The visitors were made to pay for their wastefulness eight minutes after the break, as Koroibete darted between two challenges to convert after the ball was worked out to the left by White.

Australia then added some gloss to the scoreline as James Slipper found Lolesio in space from a fine set-piece move, allowing the number 10 to hand over to McReight to ease to his second try of the match.

The visitors were at least able to salvage some pride – and deny their opponents a bonus point – when Smith took advantage of a defensive mix-up to cross unopposed with five minutes remaining, before doubling up on the final whistle. 

But even that late flurry could not prevent South Africa making it eight Tests without a win on the road against Australia (D1 L7), as Rennie's side moved on to nine points at the top of the Championship standings.

McReight at the double for rampant Wallabies

With the home crowd expecting a response following Australia's dismal loss in Argentina last time out, McReight settled the nerves by going over after just 62 seconds.

He then capped a brilliant move in the 57th minute to hand the Wallabies what proved to be an unassailable lead.

World champions' woes continue

There was to be no resounding reaction from the Springboks, however, who were well beaten by New Zealand last time out and looked well off the pace for much of this contest.

They are still without a win over the Wallabies in Australia since September 2013, when they enjoyed a comprehensive victory in Brisbane.  

Geno Smith has been named as the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback for their NFL opener against the Denver Broncos after seeing off competition from Drew Lock.

Smith started the Seahawks' 27-26 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, with Lock subsequently coming in to throw one touchdown pass and three interceptions.

Former New York Jets passer Smith, who moved to Seattle in 2019 after also featuring for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers, looked likely to get the nod after a bout of COVID-19 forced Lock to sit out their second outing of preseason, a 27-11 defeat to the Chicago Bears.

Head coach Pete Carroll confirmed his decision after the loss to Dallas, declaring: "Geno's going to start.

"He's going to start the opener, and he's earned it, he's won the job. With the time frames that got messed up for Drew, he just ran out of time."

Smith, 31, has started all three of Seattle's preseason outings, and said: "Obviously I'm thankful for the opportunity and grateful, but I have a lot of work ahead of me, that was my mindset from the start.

"I'm just getting ready to get out there and win games, and this is just step one in that process. None of this will matter if we don't get out and win the games we're supposed to win." 

The Seahawks' season-opening clash with Denver will see them face their former star quarterback Russell Wilson, whose trade took Lock to Seattle earlier this year. 

Emma Raducanu played down injury concerns on the eve of the US Open after the defending champion suffered discomfort during practice on Friday.

Raducanu enjoyed a meteoric rise at Flushing Meadows last year, becoming the first qualifier to win a grand slam as she claimed an unexpected victory in New York.

The British number one overcame Leylah Fernandez in last year's final, clinching a breakthrough success after reeling off 10 consecutive wins without dropping a single set.

But her hopes of defending the title appeared under threat when she twice stopped her session with Ekaterina Alexandrova on Friday, being consoled by coach Dmitry Tursunov after appearing upset by pain in her right hand.

Raducanu headed off court for treatment before returning to complete the session, and insists she is not worried by the episode. 

"I had a few small things, got a couple of blisters, a bit of a niggle here and there," she explained. "It's just one of those weird days where you just feel a bit out of it.

"I can't really explain myself, to be honest. I'm sure everyone in this room has probably had a day like that. I have no concerns of an issue, no."

Raducanu has endured an inconsistent year to date, suffering several niggling injuries and posting 13 wins and 15 defeats in 2022.

While the 19-year-old is not looking to inflate expectations ahead of the US Open, she expressed her delight at returning to the scene of her greatest triumph.

"It's really nice to be back in New York," Raducanu added. "It's great for me to come here having done a year on the tour, having played most of the tournaments.

"I'm really happy with what I've done this year and how I've come out of certain situations. I've obviously got amazing memories in New York.

"I think defending a title is just something that the press makes up. I'm just taking it one match at a time. 

"Every single player is very capable in this draw. I just focus on what I'm doing, my own trajectory. As I said last year, I'm just going to do things my way."

Raducanu, who claimed notable victories over Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati last week, will face Alize Cornet in the first round at Flushing Meadows. 

All 16 runs of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-6 win over the Miami Marlins were scored after the fifth inning, with Mookie Betts collecting four hits and driving home four runs in a big day at the plate on Friday.

After a scoreless opening five frames, Chris Taylor drove in the first run of the game for the Dodgers with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, only for the Marlins to respond with a two-run double to Joey Wendle to give the Marlins a 2-1 lead.

Betts connected on his 28th home run of the season with a two-run shot to left-field in the seventh inning, but the lead was again short-lived as the Marlins responded in the bottom of the frame, with Miguel Rojas and Wendle driving in a run each to lead 5-4.

In the ninth inning, trailing by one run, Betts came through again with his 29th homer to tie the game, and when Justin Turner made it 6-5 with his RBI single, it looked like the Dodgers were going to get the job done in regulation, but a big Peyton Burdick home run took things to extra innings.

The Dodgers made sure it would not drag on all night, piling on four runs in the 10th, highlighted by an RBI double to Betts for his fourth hit of the night.

With the win, the Dodgers extended their league-best record to 87-37, giving them a seven-and-a-half game lead atop the National League, and 19-and-a-half game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West.

Judge, Cole carry the Yankees

The New York Yankees received starring performances from their marquee players as they defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on the road.

Setting the foundations for the win was ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, who struck out 11 batters in his seven-and-a-third innings, allowing one run from three hits and two walks. It was the first time Cole has been credited with a win this month.

With scores tied at 0-0 in the fifth inning, Oswaldo Cabrera and D.J. LeMahieu were able to string together a couple singles to put two runners on base for Aaron Judge, and the AL MVP favourite delivered, crushing his 49th home run of the season. No other player has more than 35.

After a rough month, the Yankees have now won five in a row.

Harper returns in style for the Phillies

Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper returned from a two-month injury layoff on Friday, and delivered a two-run hit with his very first at-bat in his side's 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Harper finished one-for-four at the plate with two RBIs as he came back in the designated hitter spot, while Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos all collected multiple hits.

Bailey Falter banked the win on the mound, making it through six innings while conceding three runs from six hits and no walks, striking out six.

It will be an all-unseeded final at the Winston-Salem Open after Adrian Mannarino eliminated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-0 6-4 in the semi-final.

Van de Zandschulp, the tournament's second seed, was the last seeded entrant remaining in the draw.

In a dominant first set, Mannarino won 80 per cent (12-of-15) of his service points to not allow his Dutch opponent any openings, and he took advantage of some sloppy play.

Van de Zandschulp committed four double faults and 16 unforced errors in the opening set, while Mannarino had no double faults and only one unforced error as the 34-year-old played a veteran's game and allowed his opponent to beat himself.

Overall, Van de Zandschulp committed 20 more unforced errors and five more double faults in the loss.

Mannarino will play Serbia's Laslo Djere in the final, with a chance to win his second career ATP Tour title. His sole title came at the Netherlands' Rosmalen Championships back in 2019. He has a career record of 1-9 in finals.

Djere made it through after yet another grinding affair, defeating Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 20 minutes.

All five of his wins this week have required over two hours of court time, with this being his first straight sets result.

In a match that saw each player secure one break of serve, Djere was just slightly better throughout, winning 52 per cent (98-of-189) of the total points, while building a 37-24 advantage in the winners category and serving 10 aces to Huesler's four.

A few days after losing the Carolina Panthers starting job, Sam Darnold was carted off the field with an ankle injury in the third quarter of Friday night’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. 

Darnold was hit by defensive lineman C.J. Brewer as he was throwing the ball away. His left ankle appeared to become twisted as he landed awkwardly on the turf.  

He is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain based on initial evaluation, according to sources. He will have an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity and if there is other damage.  

Carolina coach Matt Rhule announced earlier this week that Baker Mayfield would be the team’s starting quarterback for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns on September 11.  

Darnold was five-of-11 for 49 yards and ran for a one-yard touchdown before exiting. 

If Darnold is out for any length of time, P.J. Walker would likely move into a backup role behind Mayfield. Rookie quarterback Matt Corral suffered a season-ending injury when he tore a ligament in his foot in a 20-10 loss to the New England Patriots last week.  

Julio Rodriguez has made quite an impact during his rookie season for the Seattle Mariners, and now it appears the sides are entering into a long-term relationship. 

Rodriguez and the Mariners are reportedly putting the finishing touches on a contract extension that would guarantee at least $210million for 14 years, with the potential to exceed $400m over the life of the contract. 

According to sources, the contract could max at out at $470m.  

The deal guarantees Rodriguez the most money for a player with less than one full year in the major leagues. The San Diego Padres signed Fernando Tatis Jr to a 14-year, $340m contract after his second season, and the Tampa Bay Rays guaranteed $182m over 11 seasons to Wander Franco last winter.  

Rodriguez’s deal, which has not been officially announced, has a base of $120 million and goes through the 2029 season. The Mariners can exercise an option after the 2028 season for an additional eight to 10 years, depending on where he finishes in MVP voting in the preceding seasons. 

The 21-year-old Rodriguez is the leading contender for American League Rookie of the Year. He’s batting .269 with a .799 OPS with 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 64 RBIs in 108 games.  

'J-Rod', as he is affectionately known, won AL Rookie of the Month in May and June and was one of six rookies to make the All-Star roster.  

He is among the biggest reasons why Seattle holds one of the three wild cards as the franchise attempts to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and end the longest postseason drought in major pro sports.  

''He's learned a lot over the last four-and-a-half, five months about Major League Baseball and things he needed to work on and continue to improve upon,'' Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ''Really good teammate. I mean, you can go on and on describing where he's at. But there's a lot of baseball, really good baseball ahead of him, and I know that's what excites me and the organization.'' 

When he homered Wednesday against the Washington Nationals, Rodriguez became the fastest player in American League history to reach 20 homers and 20 stolen bases, surpassing Mike Trout. 

Rodriguez broke out nationally during the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. He reached the final where he lost to Juan Soto, but had a memorable first two rounds where he hit 63 total home runs to beat Corey Seager and Peter Alonso.  

Daria Kasatkina has a chance to win her second tournament this month after blowing past Diane Parry 6-2 6-0 in the semi-final of the Granby Championships.

Kasatkina, who beat Shelby Rogers in the final of the Silicon Valley Classic a couple of weeks ago, dominated Parry from the jump with her powerful serve.

Parry did not stand a chance when Kasatkina would land her first serves fair, with the Russian converting 88 per cent (15-of-17) of those opportunities in the opening frame, before winning 92 per cent (12-of-13) of her total service points in the second set.

Kasatkina, who has now collected three straight-sets wins in a row, will face Australia's Daria Saville in the final after her semi-final opponent, Marta Kostyuk, withdrew due to injury.

Meanwhile, at Tennis in the Land, Liudmila Samsonova continued her red-hot form with a 6-1 6-2 semi-final victory over Bernarda Pera to book her place in the final.

Samsonova, who is yet to drop a set at the tournament, dominated both with her serve and in her return game, winning 89 per cent (32-of-36) of her service points and 56 per cent (24-of-43) of her return points. She created nine break point opportunities, while allowing zero.

She will play Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the final after the Belarusian outlasted France's Alize Cornet 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 53 minutes.

Sasnovich shot herself in the foot early with four double faults in the opening set, but cleaned it up as the match wore on, committing just two the rest of the way.

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele have broken away from the field after two rounds of the Tour Championship, with Scheffler at 19 under and Schauffele the only player within six strokes, sitting at 17 under.

Scheffler, the world number one, started the season's final event at 10 under due to finishing atop the FedEx Cup standings, and he established a five-stroke lead in his first trip around East Lake Golf Club with a five-under 65.

He was strong again on Friday to post a bogey-free 66, but his lead was trimmed by three shots as second-placed Schauffele produced six birdies and an eagle with one bogey to shoot 63, one shot off the round of the day.

The 18th hole could end up being a turning point in the event, as Scheffler opted to play it safe on the par five while Schauffele decided to take on the water to make the green from his second shot. It resulted in a two-stroke swing as Schauffele eagled the last, cutting the deficit in half from four shots to two.

Only three players posted Friday scores better than 65, with Jon Rahm flying up the leaderboard into outright third place at 13 under after his 63. His eight birdies were the most in the round.

The rest of the field is at least seven shots back from the lead, with Patrick Cantlay and Im Sung-jae tied for fourth at 12 under, Joaquin Niemann alone in sixth at 11 under, and Rory McIlroy has sole possession of seventh at 10 under.

The round of the day went to Max Homa, who went bogey-free with six birdies and an eagle to post a 62 for the best 18 of the tournament so far.

After five birdies from his first eight holes, Homa rattled off seven pars in a row, before a birdie on 16 and an eagle on the last.

Matt Fitzpatrick was Thursday's top performer, but he struggled to a 71 in his second trip around the course, and he is tied at eight under in a group that includes Justin Thomas.

Cameron Smith also shot 71 to drop a shot back to six under, where he is joined by Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa.

Captain Harry Maguire will be made to work for his place in the Manchester United XI as just "one of" the team's leaders, according to manager Erik ten Hag.

Maguire has been the United captain since January 2020, having been one of the first names on the teamsheet for much of his time at Old Trafford.

But that is no longer the case after a tough start to the season, failing to impress in defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.

Maguire played alongside new signing Lisandro Martinez in those defeats, with his team-mate also coming in for criticism.

However, Martinez stood out against Liverpool on Monday as he kept his place at Maguire's expense, with Raphael Varane brought in.

Ten Hag appears to determined to keep faith with Martinez, and for now Varane is ahead of Maguire in the pecking order, too.

"I think it doesn't mean when you are captain you are established to play always, especially when you also have Varane in your squad," Ten Hag explained.

"We have a leader group and Harry is one of them. Bruno [Fernandes] is one of them.

"Bruno did quite well as captain [against Liverpool]. He led by example and he brings so much energy to the team in and out of possession."

Maguire will get his opportunities, though, with United involved in four competitions in a season that will be disrupted by the World Cup break.

"We have options," Ten Hag said "Varane, his stature is immense, and in pre-season we took a decision to build him physically, so he had a bit of a slow start.

"His profile, his stature and what he won already in the past shows he can really contribute to his team. For the team, there is competition, and we need that. We have to cover so many games.

"Victor Lindelof did really well in pre-season, so I am happy that he will be back in the squad, so we will have another option.

"We have competition internally, and that's good. That is what top teams need."

Liverpool will try to sign a new midfielder before the end of the transfer window after Jurgen Klopp admitted he was initially wrong about their needs.

The Reds' poor start to the Premier League season – which has seen them amass just two points from three games – has been exacerbated by injury woes.

Monday's 2-1 defeat to a Manchester United side who were previously in crisis was seen as something of a wake-up call, with Liverpool's starting midfield trio of James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Jordan Henderson failing to impress.

Klopp was without Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Fabinho was only fit enough to feature from the bench.

Thiago and Jones are expected to be back in contention soon, but clearly something has changed in Klopp's mind as the German had previously been insistent about Liverpool not needing midfield reinforcements.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Klopp said: "There's really nothing to say about it because we are looking for it, and if it is the right player, we need him; if it is not the right player, we don't need him."

Asked if his U-turn was down to the poor start to the season and injuries, he replied: "That changed. I know we have had this discussion now since it all started; I am the one who said we don't need a midfielder, and now we go looking for a midfielder – you [the media] were all right and I was wrong.

"So, again, Curtis comes back, Thiago is not too far off, Diogo [Jota] not too far off, Joel [Matip] comes back. That all eases the situation slightly.

"It would be great if nobody gets on the [injury] list on the other side. But yeah, a really intense time coming up, we know all that. It's just we cannot change, or we will not change, for that now the way we deal with the situation, so there is nothing really for me to say to you in this moment. So, let's see."

Among the midfielders tentatively linked with Liverpool recently have been Borussia Dortmund talent Jude Bellingham and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.

Neither appear straightforward targets, but Klopp reiterated he does not want to just sign any player.

"I don't know, we will see," Klopp said when asked if they can get someone in before Thursday's transfer deadline.

"It needs to be the right player, but we are working, and we will see if something will happen or not. As you can imagine, we are actually working constantly on these kind of things, and there are reasons why it is sometimes not happening – sometimes too expensive, sometimes not the right player – but then the situation changes.

"One thing stays important, and it's that it needs to be the right player. If we do something, it'll be that we are 100 per cent convinced about it, and if we are not convinced, then we don't do it."

Neal Maupay has joined Everton on a three-year contract with the option for a further 12 months after leaving Brighton and Hove Albion in a reported £15million deal.

Maupay spent three seasons at Brighton, having signed from Brentford for £20m in 2019.

The forward scored 10 goals in his first season in the Premier League but struggled to build on that campaign, netting eight apiece in his next two.

Maupay started 84 league games in three years for a Brighton side who became renowned for their lack of a prolific goalscorer, with the Frenchman prominent among their profligate forwards.

A departure in this transfer window had long looked likely, with Danny Welbeck starting the season up front for the Seagulls, who also have Deniz Undav back from a loan stint at Union Saint-Gilloise.

Fulham appeared to be at the front of the queue for Maupay, but he reportedly had a late change of heart and headed instead for struggling Everton.

The Toffees have been without Dominic Calvert-Lewin due to injury at the start of this season, while Richarlison left for Tottenham and Anthony Gordon has also been linked with a move to Chelsea.

Maupay is therefore likely to come straight into the team, although he was not registered in time to debut against Brentford on Saturday.

"Everton is a great club with unbelievable fans and I am so, so happy to be here," he said. "It feels amazing.

"It was an easy choice for me when I started to talk with the club. I knew straight away I wanted to play for Everton and help the club to succeed. I'm excited and it's a new challenge for me.

"I will do everything I can for Everton. That's what the fans want – they want players that are ready to give their best and ready to fight

"When I step on the pitch, I will run, I will tackle, I will try to make assists and score goals. Whatever the team needs, I will do it, because I want to be successful and I want my team to win."

Inter suffered their first setback of the Serie A season as substitutes Luis Alberto and Pedro earned Lazio a 3-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Nerazzurri had been one of three teams to take six points from a possible six at the start of the campaign, but a trip to the capital on Friday represented their first real test.

And it was not one Simone Inzaghi's side passed at their coach's former home, despite initially recovering from Felipe Anderson's first-half header.

Lautaro Martinez took one of very few Inter opportunities to equalise, yet Romelu Lukaku had already been substituted by the time Luis Alberto restored Lazio's lead with a deflected strike, and there was no response second time around as Pedro added a late third.

Inter started the brighter of the two teams, but the first big chances fell to Ciro Immobile, who was uncharacteristically wasteful as he dragged one effort across the face of goal and tamely aimed another straight at Samir Handanovic.

Felipe Anderson's cutback created that second opening, and he was far more clinical five minutes before half-time.

Found by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's gorgeous pass in behind, Felipe Anderson directed his downwards header beyond Handanovic for an opening goal that was deserved despite Inter's dominance in terms of the possession.

Martinez had Inter level when he reacted fastest to a loose ball in the Lazio area and prodded past Ivan Provedel, but their momentum waned.

Luis Alberto's blast benefited from a deflection off Nicolo Barella to leave Handanovic rooted and pick out the top-right corner, before Pedro cut inside from the left to curl beyond the goalkeeper after Immobile went down in the box.