Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Highly rated halfback Folau Fakatava re-signs with the Highlanders until 2023.

Despite the efforts of other sides, the Dunedin based franchise have won the race for the 21-year-old's signature, securing him for another two years.

After an impressive Mitre 10 Cup campaign with Hawke's Bay, Fakatava has made a strong start to the Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign sharing halfback duties with All Black Aaron Smith.

Fakatava said Smith's guidance has been a huge help to his development as a player and he's enjoying living in Dunedin.

"I have really enjoyed my time here and although there were other options, I really wanted to pay back the club that gave me my start," Fakatava said, "I have had the best halfback in the world as my coach and I feel very lucky to have had the chance to learn so much down here. I feel like a southern man now."

Meanwhile, Highlanders coach Tony Brown is pleased to retain Fakatava and believes Smith's presence at the club shouldn't reduce his chances of receiving an All Black call-up.

"He is a special talent no doubt, he has certainly grown as a man and a player over the last few seasons and his game is starting to come together nicely. We look forward to him taking his game to new heights over the next few years and I would love to see both Aaron and Folau in the All Blacks - he is certainly capable," he said.

King bows out in Cairo

Waikato squash player Joelle King has been beaten in straight games in the semi-finals of the Black Ball Open in Cairo by world number one Nour El Sherbini of Egypt.

King, ranked eighth in the world was beaten 11-5, 11-8, 11-4 in 35 minutes as the Egyptian extended her impressive record against the New Zealander to 12 and one.

Sherbini had an answer to everything King threw at her and never gave away any stray shots or points.

The semifinal result for King equals her last tournament finish at the December edition of the same event.

The next event for King is the Manchester Open next month.

Fellow New Zealander Paul Coll will now play in the men's version of the Black Ball Open starting in a couple of days.

Coll is the fourth ranked male player in the world and is in the same half of the draw as second seed Mohamed El Shorbagy of Egypt.

England believe they have the next Riche McCaw

The England rugby forwards coach believes flanker Tom Curry could develop into a player to match All Black great Richie McCaw, says forwards coach Matt Proudfoot.

22 year old Curry has become one of England's mainstays, winning 32 caps since making his Test debut in June 2017.

McCaw led New Zealand to two Rugby World Cup triumphs, winning 148 caps and three World Player of the Year awards during his career.

"He's a special, special player," said coach Matt Proudfoot.

"His mindset for growth and improvement, his determination, his relentless training regime...how he takes onboard information, asks questions and makes sure that he adds the right thing to his game.

"If you look at the way Tom has improved in the last three or four years, if he just continues that growth, I think, in three, four years' time, he could be another McCaw," said Proudfoot.

Spithill says he'll be back

Luna Rossa co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill says he has unfinished business at the America's Cup after tactical errors and poor execution saw the Australian suffer a second successive loss to Team New Zealand.

Spithill, who was part of Oracle Team USA's team that lost 7-1 to Team NZ in 2017, helped Luna Rossa into a 3-2 lead but five successive race defeats ended his bid for a third America's Cup triumph.

The 7-3 loss also dashed Italy's hopes of securing sport's oldest international trophy for the first time and Spithill, who skippered Oracle to America's Cup wins in 2010 and 2013, felt he had let the team down.

"I'm disappointed obviously I let them down," he said. "I believe we left some wins on the table. But that's sport and I truly believe the better team won.

Spithill, who has competed in every America's Cup regatta since debuting as a 20-year-old in 2000, plans to return for another campaign.

"I love the fight, I love competing. That's my fourth Cup final in a row and two wins and two losses, so I can't leave it there, I've got to tip it the right way," he said.

-Reuters

Australian hockey coach resigns

Australian women's hockey coach Paul Gaudoin has resigned from his post four months before the Olympics, ahead of the release of the findings of an independent review into claims of bullying in the national setup.

Gaudoin took charge in 2016 and guided the team to second in the world rankings by the end of 2019.

Hockey Australia launched an independent review in December after they were made aware of a "toxic culture and bullying" in the program and the findings are set to be released today.

Assistant coach Katie Allen has been made the interim head coach until HA announce a replacement for both roles ahead of the Tokyo Games in July-August.

-Reuters

Rublev joins call for rankings change

Russian world number eight Andrey Rublev has joined U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev in criticising ATP Tour's current rankings system during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the revised rules do not fairly reward performance.

Zverev, ranked seventh, said it was "absurd" he remained behind Roger Federer under the system having won two titles and finishing runner-up at a Grand Slam and a Masters 1000, given that the Swiss was out injured for over a year.

Rublev has won 16 of his 18 matches in 2021.

"If we would have the normal system, I would be like No.4 in the world I think," Rublev told reporters when asked about Zverev's comments. "So what do you think is better for me, to be No.8 or No.4?"

The 23-year-old Russian has won his last four ATP 500 events, dating back to Hamburg last September, and only Federer has a longer winning streak at the level with 28 victories.

The ATP, which runs the men's tour, froze the rankings last year during the five-month shutdown of professional tournaments, with countries imposing lockdowns and sealing borders to check the spread of the coronavirus.

When the tour restarted in August a revised system was put in place for calculating the rankings, which determine a player's ability to enter events and receive seedings.

-Reuters

Another triple-double for LeBron

LeBron James recorded a second consecutive triple-double to reach 99 for his career, delivering the Los Angeles Lakers to a 137-121 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.

With 99 career triple-doubles, James moved within one of becoming just the fifth in NBA history to reach 100. Those who have achieved the milestone ahead of him are Oscar Robertson (181), Russell Westbrook (157), Magic Johnson (138) and Jason Kidd (107).

Meanwhile James says he wants to own an NBA franchise after taking a stake in Boston-based Fenway Sports Group.

The Boston Globe reported on Tuesday that James had joined FSG as a partner, making the four-time National Basketball Association MVP a part-owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox.

FSG also owns Premier League football champions Liverpool.

"For me, and for my partner Maverick (Carter), to be the first two black men to be a part of that ownership group, in the history of that franchise, I think it's pretty damn cool," said James.

-Reuters

Queen of Nuerburgring dies

Former racing driver Sabine Schmitz, the 'Queen of the Nuerburgring' who was also a presenter of the popular BBC Top Gear television programme, has died at the age of 51.

The German circuit announced that it had "lost its most famous female racing driver".

The German, who grew up near the circuit and won the 24 Hours of Nuerburgring touring car race with BMW in 1996 and 1997, had revealed last year that she was diagnosed with cancer in 2017.

Also known as 'the world's fastest taxi driver' for the passenger rides she gave around the 20.8km Nordschleife -- the north loop of the old 'Green Hell' circuit -- Schmitz estimated she had lapped it more than 20,000 times.

In 2004 she drove a Ford diesel van around the track for a Top Gear episode, lapping in just over 10 minutes -- only nine seconds slower than fellow presenter Jeremy Clarkson's best effort in a Jaguar S-type.

-Reuters