London Irish have signed forward Ruan Botha from Durban-based Super Rugby side The Sharks on a six-month deal.

The South African has made 64 Super Rugby appearances and will initially join Irish as Rugby World Cup cover.

The 27-year-old will then re-join the Exiles at the conclusion of a spell with Kubota Spears in Japan in time for the English pre-season in June 2020.

"Ruan being available during the Rugby World Cup period is a boost to us," director of rugby Declan Kidney said.

"He has a lot of top-class rugby experience and will also bring a lot more to the squad in terms of his leadership qualities."

Botha is the latest of a host of players to join London Irish, who achieved an immediate return to the Premiership by winning the Championship title this season.

Allan Dell, Adam Coleman, Sean O'Brien, Nick Phipps, Sekope Kepu, Paddy Jackson, Curtis Rona, Waisake Naholo and Will Goodrick-Clarke have also signed for the promoted Exiles.

Israel Folau will not appeal against his sacking by Rugby Australia for comments about gay people but says his decision is "in no way an acceptance of the judicial panel's findings".

The full-back, 30, had his contract terminated after saying "hell awaits" gay people in a social media post.

A code of conduct hearing upheld the RA decision. Folau had 72 hours to appeal but has chosen not to.

"I am considering all potential avenues open to me," said Folau.

The fundamentalist Christian, who had a contract running until 2022, could still take his case to the courts in Australia.

"My decision not to commence Rugby Australia's appeal process is in no way an acceptance of the judicial panel's findings," he said.

"I simply do not have confidence in Rugby Australia's ability to treat me fairly or lawfully throughout this process.

"I believe I still have a lot of rugby left in me and the potential impact of Ruby Australia's decision on my reputation and my career is substantial."

Folau's sacking stems form a banner he posted on his Instagram account in April that read: "Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators - Hell awaits you."

He requested a hearing into his dismissal, at which he was found guilty of a "high-level breach" of RA's player code of conduct.

"As Folau has not notified the panel of his intention to appeal, the code of conduct process has now formally concluded," said an RA statement.

"With the code of conduct matter complete, Folau's employment contract will be terminated."

In addition to his rugby union career, Folau has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football. In April, Australian rugby league's governing body ruled out Folau returning to the NRL.

He has recently lost sponsorship deals with Land Rover, who withdrew a car issued to him, and sportswear brand Asics.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Acknowledged as a premier amateur road racing series in North America, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour winners can truly take pride in their accomplishment.

But emerging victorious more than once in the same weekend at a single event, that’s something to be cherished. And that’s exactly what a handful of drivers achieved this weekend at Portland Int’l Raceway during a two-day event hosted by SCCA’s Oregon Region.

Driver Scotty B. White can legitimately lay claim to an exalted status after earning three first-place finishes over the course of 48 hours. On Saturday, White scooped up the Touring 3 (T3) win in his No. 0 GOT CDL?/Extreme CMT/Hawk Brakes Ford Mustang. On Sunday, White was again victorious in T3 on the 1.97-mile, 12-turn circuit, but also slipped into his Ford Mustang for a GT-3 win later in the day.

A racer who brought home two wins was Bill Collins, a serious challenger frequently seen at Hoosier Super Tour events. In his No. 63 Interstate Truck Driving School Chevrolet Corvette, Collins drove to both Touring 1 and Touring 2 victories on Sunday.

“This is the first time I’ve ever done this,” Collins said about grabbing two wins on the same day. “Racing in SCCA keeps me young. We love this stuff and I’m going to keep doing this forever. I’m almost 69 years old and I’m going strong.”

Speaking of strong, Formula Mazda champion Melvin Kemper took wins Saturday and Sunday in his No. 4 Goodyear MSR Formula Mazda. But the wins didn’t come easy. On both days, Kemper had to fight with Bill Weaver and his Star Formula Mazda.

“Bill got a really good jump Sunday, and it was on,” Kemper said. “I caught back up in traffic and we seesawed a little bit. He’s pretty quick and tough. Bill would’ve been really tough to pass … but he got caught up a little bit in some traffic.”

B-Spec racer Cherie Storms, in the No. 16 WCS Motorsports Mazda 2, also managed back-to-back wins on the weekend. However, it came at a price. Cherie and her father, Ford Fiesta driver W.C. Storms, were fighting for the B-Spec victory when they both came across a portion of track slicked down by the fluids of another race car.

“We were having a great race, me and my dad, and I was so happy keeping him behind me,” Cherie said. “But there must have been oil down in turn 12 and my car just took off and hit the wall, and dad took off behind me and we were both in the wall.

“I was able to get out of the wall and finish the race,” Cherie continued. “It was important for me to finish the race, even if they were slow laps. I’m just happy to finish and really happy to race with my dad. Big thanks to my dad … and we got some work to do on these cars after this weekend.”

Other competitors who claimed double victories during the weekend included H Production’s Michael Cummings in the No. 32 Huffaker Engineering/Hoosier Tires Austin Healey Sprite, Formula 500’s Lance Spiering in his No. 29 KBS MK VII, Formula Continental® newbie Nick Persing in the No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc Van Diemen RF00, Thomas Burt in his No. 45 SCCA Formula Enterprises 2 Mazda, Prototype 1 ace Jim Devenport in the No. 23 Cranbrook Group Norma M20F, Prototype 2 star Tim Day Jr. in his No. 8 Mere Mortal Apparel/George Dean Racing Engines Stohr WF1, GT-3 champion Collin Jackson in the No. 53 Specialty Engineering Nissan 240SX, Touring 4 driver Derrick Ambrose in the No. 70 CorkSport Mazda Performance/BFGoodrich/Monarch Inspections/G-LOC Brakes Mazda 3, Super Touring® Lite’s Kristina Etherington in the No. 96 EZ Racing Mazda RX-8, and Super Touring® Under’s Whitfield Gregg in the No. 22 TFB Mazda Miata.

PORT COLBORNE, Ontario — The New Humberstone Speedway opened up the gates for their 60th season opener presented by the Seaway Mall Sunday night and it looked like the racing action was going to get completed.

Feature action was held for the JC Auto Thunderstocks with Dave Bailey getting the win. Craig Vlasic picked up the win in the Mini Stocks and Dylan Llord scored the win in the Airhardt Deliveries Pro 4 Trucks.

Double features for the Cosco Haulage DIRTcar Sportsman and the Pro Fabrication RUSH Late Models will take place next Sunday. Speedway management will work the organizers with the UMP Modifieds about a reschedule date.

CALIFORNIA, Mo. — Tyler Blank won Sunday night’s 360 winged sprint car feature at Double-X Speedway.

Tyler Utz and Korey Bales started on the front row. Utz would lead the first two laps before Bales would take the point until sliding off of the top of turn two. On the restart, Utz was back at the point with opening night feature event winner Blank in second.

Utz would lead with Blank keeping pace, on lap 10 Blank would show his front wing to Utz on the low side of turn four and as Utz moved to protect the low line, Blank moved to the top shelf in turns three and four to make the pass for the lead. Evan Martin moved around Utz two laps later to take second and began to reel in the leader.

Martin closed up to challenge for the lead on lap 22, but as he was working around the lapped car of Tyler Utz he slid over the berm in turn one. Martin was able to keep his momentum and came back on the track as the yellow flag waved on for the stalled car of Broc Elliott.

On the restart, Blank moved back to the low groove and held off Evan Martin to claim his second win on the season at Double-X. Taylor Walton was third, Riley Kreisel finished a good run in fourth and Ben Brown finished fifth.

Cody Frazon won the super stock feature and Rick Girard topped the hobby stock race.

Barcelona believe they have lost ground to Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in the race to sign Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt, sources have told ESPN FC.

Sources close to the negotiations said that the "optimism" which Barca maintained a few weeks ago has decreased due to the renewed interest of some of Europe's biggest clubs and the excessive demands from De Ligt and his agent, Mino Raiola.

- Valverde coy on Griezmann signing
- Carragher: Liverpool should re-sign Coutinho
- Barcelona keep or dump: Who should stay?

"We can't move any more on what we've offered," a Barcelona source told ESPN FC. "One of the things that could benefit us is the player's desire to come here, but we will see if that really is what he wants in the end."

Barcelona have been leading the chase for the in-demand centre-back for weeks. They already have an agreement in principle with Ajax to sign him for a similar figure to what they will pay for Frenkie de Jong -- €75 million plus add-ons.

But they have still not managed to strike a deal with De Ligt and Raiola, which has allowed Juve, PSG and Bayern to re-open negotiations and attempt to better the offer made by Barca, who are beginning to tire of the player's elevated financial demands.

The main problem facing Barca is Raiola's attempt to take advantage of the interest from elsewhere and De Ligt's excellent end to the season to push for a salary which the Catalan club are not prepared to pay.

De Ligt helped Ajax win a domestic double and reach the Champions League semifinal -- and that is being used as a reason to backtrack on an agreement struck with Barcelona in March and ask for more money, as revealed by ESPN FC earlier this month.

Barca are unable to meet those new demands and sources have said the club will not budge another inch from the last offer they made. They hope other factors will play in their favour, such as the player's will to move to Camp Nou, the signing of De Jong and the chance to play with Lionel Messi.

Juve's sporting director Fabio Paratici said two weeks ago that De Ligt "will sign for Barcelona" following a conversation with his Ajax counterpart, Marc Overmars. But talks between Barca and De Ligt have hit a snag and sources have suggested Juve and PSG may now be better placed to land the defender.

Barca have worked on the deal for months. After announcing the signing of De Jong in January, president Josep Maria Bartomeu made the decision to push hard for De Ligt, even though he wasn't a priority for the club at the time. Given the good relationship with Ajax, they were able to loosely agree the framework of a fee with the belief they would be able to convince the player to join.

Bartomeu himself said in an interview with ESPN FC in April that he knew what would happen with De Ligt this summer, but he could not say. Despite that, things have changed in recent weeks and the situation is not so rosy for the Blaugrana anymore.

De Ligt, before facing Juve in the Champions League quarterfinal, said that his future would be decided by Raiola. Few believed him at the time but there is now a realisation of just how much power the agent has over his client.

"Raiola is very good at what he does -- he is spectacular at seducing players and [De Ligt] is completely committed to him," a source told ESPN FC.

PSG declined to comment when asked by ESPN FC, while Raiola is unavailable due to a suspension.

Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has told EPN FC he is relaxed over comments from Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, where he appeared to criticise his client's attitude.

Zidane omitted Bale from two matchday squads despite the Wales international being fully fit and then left him on the bench for the entirety of the final day 2-0 home defeat to Real Betis in La Liga.

- Zidane: Bale unused sub due to bad attitude
- Modric, Benzema struggle in Betis loss

Asked after the game why he had not given Bale a chance to say goodbye, Zidane said the 29 year old's day-to-day attitude at training meant he had not deserved to play.

"I have to look at the day to day, and make decisions," Zidane said. "And when there is something I do not like, or does not fit for me, I must do what I think best.

"It might be difficult for the player -- we cannot forget all he has done here -- but I must live in the present, think of the future. We will see [if Bale stays]. I don't know what will happen, truthfully."

Asked about these comments by ESPN FC, Barnett replied: "Fine, that's his opinion."

Pushed as to whether president Florentino Perez's opinion could influence any decision over Bale's future, Barnett said the Frenchman had full say over transfer dealings.

"Zidane has complete control," Barnett said.

The Premier League summer transfer window opened just after midnight GMT on Thursday, and it promises to be a busy summer for all of the leading clubs. Who will arrive and who will leave before the 2019-20 season kicks off on Aug. 10?

We point out the players whose will-they, won't-they transfer sagas could drag on until the final minutes of the window.

-- Transfer window: When does it open and close?
-- Grades: Tracking every big summer signing

David De Gea

The Spain No. 1 is stalling on a new contract at Manchester United and could leave on a free transfer next summer. United have enquired about the availability of Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak, so if Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain formalise their interest in De Gea, a deal could be done.

Paul Pogba

The Manchester United midfielder is likely to be at the heart of the biggest transfer saga of the summer. Real Madrid want the Frenchman, who has done nothing to play down the prospect of a move. United insist that he is not for sale, but a bid north of £100 million could tempt the club to sell.

Leroy Sane

Bayern Munich are keen to sign the Germany winger as part of their rebuild, and though City will not welcome a bid, the 23-year-old has grown frustrated with his lack of starts under Pep Guardiola. At this point, a move back to the Bundesliga this summer cannot be ruled out.

Gareth Bale

It's another summer of uncertainty for the Real Madrid winger, but while Zinedine Zidane is prepared to offload the Welshman, Bale's £600,000-a-week wages are likely to scare off most clubs. Bale will be 30 in July, so this is a huge summer for the former Tottenham man, who could struggle to find a new club.

Joao Felix

Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus are all trailing the Benfica attacking midfielder, who, at 19, is regarded as one of the emerging stars in world football. Benfica don't want to sell, but a bidding war is likely to end with the player moving to the biggest spender.

Christian Eriksen

Real Madrid and Manchester United are both monitoring Eriksen's contract situation at Spurs, with the Dane yet to sign a new deal. Eriksen has 12 months to run on his current contract, and Spurs face the decision of whether to cash in now or risk losing him for nothing next summer.

Toby Alderweireld

The Belgian centre-half can leave for a bargain £25 million before the final two weeks of this summer's transfer window due to a clause in his contract. Alderweireld is another Manchester United target, so Spurs must negotiate a new deal quickly or risk him leaving for the knockdown fee.

Harry Maguire

The Leicester centre-half is on the radars of both Manchester City and Manchester United. Brendan Rodgers will be backed to strengthen his squad by Leicester's owners, but after refusing to push for a move to United last summer, Maguire might see this window as his time to move to one of the game's biggest clubs.

Antoine Griezmann

The Atletico Madrid forward rejected a move to Barcelona last summer, but the Spanish champions are expected to hold off Premier League interest from Chelsea and Manchester United to sign the France international this summer.

Saul Niguez

Both Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in the Atletico Madrid midfielder, but his €150 million escape clause could prove too much for fans of the 24-year-old. United are favourites to sign him if they can secure a lower fee for the Spain international.

Eden Hazard

The Chelsea forward has said he has made a decision on his future but won't reveal his intentions until after the Europa League final against Arsenal on May 28. With Hazard still stalling on a new deal and Real Madrid hovering, a move to Bernabeu is now the most likely outcome.

Matthijs De Ligt

Barcelona are the favourites to sign the 19-year-old Ajax captain, but Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United are also pursuing the centre-half. A big money offer from any of the Premier League trio could knock Barca out of the running.

Paulo Dybala

Juventus are struggling to persuade the 25-year-old Argentine that his future is in Turin, and the forward is on Manchester United's long list of targets, especially with the emergence of Moise Kean as a preferred attacking option. Juve remain keen on moves for David de Gea and Pogba, so Dybala could be used to land either of those top targets.

Philippe Coutinho

The Brazilian has become unsettled at Barcelona after being the target of intense criticism by the club's supporters. Barca are prepared to sell the former Liverpool man but will want to recoup a large chunk of the £142 million fee paid to sign him from Anfield in January 2018.

Jadon Sancho

Manchester United have a long-standing interest in the England winger, who has emerged as one of Europe's hottest properties in his two seasons at Borussia Dortmund. The German outfit rated Sancho in the £100 million bracket, which means United could be forced to spend on other areas.

Carlos Soler

Tottenham have been tracking the Valencia midfielder all season, but Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have emerged as rivals for the 22-year-old's signature. Mauricio Pochettino is determined to strengthen his squad this summer and has identified Soler has a key target.

Romelu Lukaku

Inter Milan have shown an interest in the Manchester United forward, who has admitted his desire to play in Serie A in the future. Lukaku has been in and out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's starting team, so a move could happen if United are able to find a proven replacement.

Nabil Fekir

Liverpool abandoned a move for the Lyon midfielder due to a failed medical last summer, but the France international has proven his fitness this season and is attracting the interest of Juventus instead.

Australia's attention turned to spin in their build-up to the Men's World Cup, with Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon the focus of the second training session in London. While Australia's bowling strength in the 50-over format has undoubtedly been pace in the post-Shane Warne era, legspinner Zampa believes spin will play a key role in their upcoming campaign and revealed how he and Lyon - who were both part of Australia's recent eight-game undefeated streak against India and Pakistan - have worked closely on their partnership.

"I think it was a few months ago where we actually spoke to each other and said, 'I reckon we can play a huge role coming up in the World Cup together so let's do everything we can to make sure we're both there'," Zampa said. "So we've communicated really well over the last few months. We speak a lot in the nets, we speak a lot in the field, just about whatever - anything - spin bowling, field settings or how the ball's going to come out. Just anything. So we communicate a lot and really well."

Zampa, who averages 35.45 at a strike rate of 38.00, has been the first-choice spinner for Australia in ODIs after a string of options were used with varying success while Lyon, who came to prominence in T20 cricket after a breakout season with South Australia, has been preferred in Test cricket and has often been overlooked in white-ball formats. But while Australia rarely opt for two spinners outside the subcontinent, Zampa believes that could change in England.

"It's definitely going to play a role with the smaller grounds," Zampa said. "I think the way we have been playing lately, we've been loading up a little bit towards the back end, so to have those wickets in hand is really important. So I guess stopping the [opposition] spinners from getting wickets in the middle overs is really important and obviously vice versa for us, for me and Nath to bowl well.

"I love playing with Nath. We play two different roles. He's so accurate, beautiful offspinner. Bowls to his field really well, bowls really tight, and it means I can attack from the other end. So I really, really like bowling with 'Gaz'. I think it's going to play a huge role for us sometime throughout the World Cup. I don't know if it will be every game but I definitely see us playing a huge role together."

Zampa was overlooked for Australia's ODI tour of England in 2018, which they lost 5-0, but picked up a contract playing T20 cricket in The Blast for Essex, an experience he hopes to draw from in the coming months.

"I absolutely loved my time there," he said. "It was really tough and I think the added pressure of being an overseas player, you've got to really perform. So I found playing under those conditions and that pressure really good for me. Small ground. Chelmsford is probably the smallest ground in the world if you've ever been there, so yeah, that was enjoyable."

As the role of spin has developed in ODI cricket, so has Australia's use of spinners. Zampa believes he has more licence to be attacking during the middle overs under captain Aaron Finch, even if it means leaking runs. That's the kind of confidence he admires in the England camp and he views Adil Rashid as something of a role model.

"Adil Rashid is someone that, you know, I could almost base my career around his," Zampa said. "He's been in and out of the team when he was a lot younger, he's probably a little bit of a different bowler than I am but England have really backed him in. From looking from afar they've almost said to him, 'you're playing every game for the next couple of years until the World Cup is over.' So he goes 1 for 80, 3 for 80, he's a genuine wicket-taker for England and he's probably had some ups and downs in his career too, but he's someone I've really enjoyed watching bowl and he's had a lot of success in England."

Australia's first World Cup match is against Afghanistan in Bristol, a match that will likely pit Zampa against another player he admires and has observed closely, Rashid Khan. The pair spent time together during the most recent BBL series in a session that Zampa found both informative and humbling.

"I had a bowl with Rash after a [Melbourne] Stars versus [Adelaide] Strikers game this year and I was always intrigued with Rash," Zampa said. "I was like, 'I love watching this guy so I'm going to pull him aside and have a bowl with him' and, to his credit, he spent about 45 minutes with me and at the end of it I was so glad I did that because now I know that I would never ever be able to bowl like Rashid Khan."

Perhaps not, but Australia will undoubtedly hope that bowling like Adam Zampa is good enough to help them win a World Cup.