Springboks go left field again with players switching positions for Romania game at Rugby World Cup

Regular-season NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. is in a slump going into Saturday night's race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Two bad races to open the playoffs has left him on the brink of elimination. Also below the cutline are Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell. NASCAR moved the start of the race up by one hour because of expected bad weather. Four drivers will be cut from the 16-driver field after the race.

In the wake of a tragedy, the Maui Invitational is returning to its roots.

Three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins missed a third straight practice Friday, making him questionable for the Tennessee Titans’ home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday with an injured ankle. Hopkins said he's getting prepared for whatever is next. Hopkins caught seven passes for 65 yards in his Tennessee debut. He said he rolled his ankle pretty good on the last offensive snap in the Titans’ at New Orleans last week. The Titans will be without two starters in their secondary. Cornerback Kristian Fulton is out with a hamstring injury while safety Amani Hooker remains in the concussion protocol.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce and Chris Jones should be ready to go for the Chiefs when they play at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, coach Andy Reid said Friday.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he’ll use doubters as motivation in his rehabilitation from Achilles tendon surgery and indicates he’ll play football again and perhaps even this season. Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon on the fourth snap of his debut with his new team last Monday night, a 22-16 overtime victory over Buffalo. The four-time NFL MVP had surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles. He said in an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday that everyone can doubt him but “watch what I do.” Rodgers says his rehab plan will ”shock some people.”

Flag football at the Olympics? Admit it: You chuckled a bit at the thought. Well, hold the laughter. This apparently is a serious thing, though it’s increasingly difficult to keep a straight face when it comes to anything involving the International Olympic Committee. We've already got 3-on-3 basketball in the Summer Games, and they'll be handing out gold medals next summer for breakdancing. Now, the IOC and Los Angeles organizers are trying to lock down which new sports make the cut for 2028. Nine are under consideration, but the one that stands out for American fans is flag football.

New York Giants starting left tackle Andrew Thomas practiced on a limited basis for the second straight day and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with the Arizona Cardinals. Thomas sustained a hamstring injury in Sunday night’s 40—0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He played the majority of snaps but struggled against a Dallas defense that sacked Daniel Jones seven times. Thomas, who signed a  $117.5 million contract extension in July, did not practice Wednesday and he was limited on Thurssday and Friday. If Thomas cannot go, Josh Ezeudu or veteran Matt Peart probably will replace him

The Washington Wizards have re-signed veteran Taj Gibson. The Wizards announced the move Friday. The 6-foot-9 Gibson averaged 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 49 appearances last season. He’s shot at least 50% from the field each of the past nine seasons. Gibson has played in 945 games with Chicago, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York and Washington, averaging 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Browns starting safety Juan Thornhill returned to practice, a promising sign for Cleveland’s defense going into Monday night’s game at Pittsburgh. Thornhill, one of the Browns’ key off-season acquisitions, missed the 24-3 win in the season opener against Cincinnati with a calf injury. He was not on the field Thursday, but did stretching and individual drills during the portion of practice Friday open to the media. The 27-year-old returned an interception for a touchdown in the Browns’ preseason finale at Kansas City. Thornhill spent four seasons with the Chiefs before signing a three-year, $21 million contract with Cleveland in March.

The Washington Mystics can spend a couple of nights at home between games of their WNBA playoff series with the New York Liberty because of the expanded time between postseason games this season. Washington plays at New York on Friday night in the opener of their best-of-three series. Game 2 isn’t until Tuesday night, so the Mystics will bus home after the game and won’t return to New York until Monday. New York finished the regular season with a 32-8 record, second-best in the WNBA, while the Mystics went 19-21.

Bristol Motor Speedway will ditch the dirt track concept the Tennessee track has used the last three years. It will run both of its 2024 NASCAR weekends on the concrete surface. Bristol in 2021 covered the high-banked half-mile bullring in red Tennessee clay for its spring race in hopes of boosting both attendance and television ratings. All three dirt races were met with mixed reviews and the novelty wore off. The racing was considered sub-par, too.

Daniel Hemric will return to the NASCAR Cup Series next year in a promotion with Kaulig Racing. Hemric is in his second full season racing in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig. He won the Xfinity championship in 2021 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, where he briefly landed after unexpectedly losing his Cup ride after one season with Richard Childress Racing. Hemric won the 2019 top rookie honors in his only full season in the Cup Series. He finished 25th in the Cup standings that year before Childress dumped Hemric for Tyler Reddick. Hemric has had to claw his way back.

The Maui Invitational will be held in Honolulu this year because of the wildfires that devastated Lahaina, where the tournament usually is played. Games will be played at the Stan Sheriff Center on Hawaii’s campus on Nov. 20-22 and the tournament will again feature a loaded field that includes potential top-10 teams Kansas, Purdue, Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette. Syracuse, Chaminade and UCLA round out the field. This is the third time in four years the tournament has had to be played somewhere other than Maui.

The WNBA once again had strong metrics as the league had its most-watched regular season in 21 years and its highest average attendance since 2018. Viewership was up 21% over last year across its national television partners and the league’s average attendance of 6,615 fans was the WNBA’s highest since the 2018 season. An expanded schedule to 40 games helped the league have its highest total attendance in 13 years (1,587,488). The league also set new high across its digital platforms, social media engagement and sports betting on the website FanDuel. The number of bets on that platform website doubled from last year.

A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract extension with forward Jarred Vanderbilt. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Lakers haven’t announced the long-term deal with their defensive specialist. The contract includes a player option in the fourth year. The Lakers acquired Vanderbilt from Utah in February, and he quickly became a key contributor during their impressive late-season run to the Western Conference finals.

The defending champion Springboks have pushed rugby’s boundaries a little again with a left-field team selection to play Romania at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday. It keeps alive their tradition of challenging tradition under the coaching duo of Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus. Faf de Klerk is a scrumhalf but will be the reserve flyhalf. Grant Williams is also a scrumhalf but will start the match as a wing. The two actual scrumhalves in the team for Sunday are starting No. 9 Cobus Reinach and Jaden Hendrikse on the bench. Coach Jacques Nienaber says it will be a valuable test of South Africa's “versatility.”

The soreness Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard felt Monday morning provided a sense of relief. He didn't need any special medical treatment or trainers or doctors to examine his body. Instead, this was the kind of pain telling Leonard he had survived his first NFL regular-season game in nearly 11 months the same way he used to. And his recovery from two surgeries for a nerve injury that caused discomfort in his left leg. Yes, the three-time All-Pro finally was feeling and playing like his old self.

Jordan Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia came after Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp failed to offer guarantees over playing time, the German coach said Friday. Henderson was heavily criticized for joining Al-Ettifaq during the transfer window. He said in an interview last week that he would have stayed at the Merseyside club if he had felt wanted. Klopp said “Hendo said the truth, in all departments" and added there was “no bad blood.” Henderson has been a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community and has been criticized for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia. In an interview with The Athletic he said he was “really hurt” by the accusation that he had turned his back on the community.

New York Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein has a groin injury that could keep him out of the game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Robert Saleh said Friday that Zuerlein was hurt late in practice Thursday and wouldn't participate in the team’s final full session before traveling to Dallas. Saleh said “we’re 50-50” on Zuerlein’s chances to play. Saleh added the Jets were working out kickers Friday in case Zuerlein can’t play. It’s the latest adversity to hit the Jets this week after they lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon.

Like so many tennis fans around the world, Nathan Willett was captivated by Carlos Alcaraz’s five-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final this summer. All the twists and turns, spectacular shots and impressive rallies. Only Willett was on the road with the Cold War Kids, opening for Tears for Fears on a North America tour. Willett says the match was "just phenomenal.” Tennis has become a regular pastime for Willett, especially when he goes on the road with his California band. There are 30 more dates on his schedule after Cold War Kids announced a tour on Tuesday in support of its self-titled 10th album.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says his players must abide by his strict rules after Jadon Sancho was forced to train away from the first team. Sancho claimed on social media that he had been made a “scapegoat” after being cut from United’s squad for its 3-1 loss to Arsenal this month. He is now on a “personal training program” until a discipline issue is resolved. Ten Hag has previously taken a hardline stance after transgressions by Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford. He declined to go into detail about Sancho but made it clear he intended to stamp his authority on the club.

Veteran flanker Michael Leitch will set a national record with his 15th Rugby World Cup appearance for Japan when it faces England on Sunday. Head coach Jamie Joseph has made four changes from the victory against Chile with hooker Shota Horie, flanker Pieter Labuschagne, No. 8 Kazuki Himeno and center Tomoki Osada selected for the match in Nice.

A Mississippi football player is suing coach Lane Kiffin and the school for racial and sexual discrimination and negligence after he says he was kicked off the team during a mental health crisis. DeSanto Rollins, a defensive tackle from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, where the school is located. The school says Rollins remains on scholarship. Rollins is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages. He claims that he was not supported through his depression the way white and female athletes have been at Ole Miss.

Adrian Meronk is using the pain of his Ryder Cup omission to underpin a run for the most prestigious title on the European tour. The Polish player is in a three-way share of the lead midway through the second round of the BMW PGA Championship after shooting 4-under 68. Europe’s entire Ryder Cup team is in the field at Wentworth and all 12 of the players heading for Italy are behind Meronk. He feels aggrieved at not being one of Luke Donald’s captain’s picks after winning three European tour events since last July. Meronk says “I am trying to turn that disappointment and anger into fuel."

This Date in Baseball, September 16 - Sammy Sosa becomes third player to hit 50 home runs in 3 different seasons

Two losses in five days already puts the Minnesota Vikings in a big hole that’s been difficult for NFL teams to overcome. Since 1990, only 31 of the 270 clubs (11.5%) that began a season 0-2 advanced to the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals recovered from losing their first two last season to finish 12-4 and reached the AFC championship game. The Vikings have to buck the losing trend after another sloppy effort in a 34-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. They had four costly fumbles, including Justin Jefferson losing the ball out of bounds in the end zone. That followed up a mistake-filled 20-17 loss at home to Tampa Bay in Week 1.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will give evidence by video link for a hearing into her doping case that rocked the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport says Valieva and Russian officials are among “parties, witnesses and experts” giving testimony remotely at a closed-door hearing in Lausanne from Sept. 26-29. The World Anti-Doping Agency wants Valieva banned for four years. A CAS verdict could take months. Valieva was the 15-year-old gold-medal favorite in Beijing when her positive test for a banned heart medication was revealed.

USA Basketball is back atop the FIBA men’s world rankings even after failing to medal at the World Cup. The Americans flipped spots with Spain for No. 1 in the world in the updated rankings, reclaiming the top spot that they lost late last year. Spain is now No. 2, and World Cup champion Germany soared eight spots to No. 3 on the world list. That's the best ranking ever for Germany. USA Basketball also has the No. 1 spot in the women's, girls and boys worldwide rankings.

England has won the toss and chosen to bat first against New Zealand at Lord’s in the fourth and final match of their one-day international series. England leads 2-1 in the Cricket World Cup warmup series. Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson have been rested and replaced by Harry Brook, David Willey and Brydon Carse. Opener Jason Roy has missed the entire series with a back injury. New Zealand has brought in Matt Henry and Tim Southee for Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult.

Some are calling for a rethink in government funding less than a week after Germany won the Basketball World Cup. Basketball was ranked last of 26 sports in the most recent edition of the Potential Analysis System. The system ranks German sports’ governing bodies by their potential to succeed on the world stage and plays a role in how sports get public funding. The top-ranked sport was track and field. The German track team failed to win a medal at this year's world championships for the first time ever.