MEN’S RUGBY UNION: Just two points separate all four teams in the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship before the third round of matches kick off on Saturday morning. Ex-captain Siya Kolisi returns for world champions South Africa when they travel to face league leaders New Zealand at Auckland’s Eden Park while Australia will be without Will Skelton when they take on Argentina at Townsville, north-east Queensland.

SPEEDWAY: Jack Holder and Josh Pickering claimed a 5-1 victory in the last heat to earn Sheffield a narrow 47-43 win at Premiership table-toppers Ipswich on Thursday evening and secured the runners up spot for the south Yorkshire team. Ipswich will next come up against defending champions Belle Vue Aces in their two-legged play-off semi finals before Sheffield take on third-placed Leicester. 

MEN’S FOOTBALL: The FA Trophy’s first qualifying round continues this weekend with another 76 fixtures. Among the highlights are 1978 runners up Leatherhead hosting Raynes Park Vale, two-time winners Kingstonian up against Merstham, supporter owned phoenix-club AFC Rushden and Diamonds at Bourne Town and 1903 FA Cup winners Bury taking on Wythenshawe Town at Gigg Lane. All winners receive £1,500 in prize money, the losers £400.

MEN’S CYCLING: 39-year-old Geraint Thomas will finish his two decade professional career riding Sunday’s stage 7 of the Tour of Britain which starts outside the Newport velodrome named after him and ends in his Cardiff hometown. Thomas won two Olympic and three World Championship gold medals on the track, was the first Welshman to ever wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 2017 and went on to win the Grand Tour in 2018.