🏉 Aussie Rugby Ready To Ruck And Roll

Luck's on your side, it's Friday, 13 May

⚽️ Kicking things off...

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🔊 Sport Today Podcast

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Today's listen time: 10 minutes.

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📺 What we're watching this weekend

🏀 Friday, 9.00am - NBA Playoffs - 76ers v Heat - Wells Fargo Centre, Philadelphia - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Friday, 7.50pm - AFL - Magpies v Bulldogs - Marvel Stadium, Melbourne - Channel 7, Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Friday, 7.45pm - Super Rugby Pacific - Brumbies v Crusaders - GIO Stadium, Canberra - Stan Sport

🏐 Saturday, 7.00pm - Super Netball - Swifts v Vixens - Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Saturday, 7.45pm - NRL - Storm v Panthers - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ Sunday, 1.45am - FA Cup Final - Chelsea v Liverpool - Wembley Stadium, London - Paramount+

⚽ Sunday, 4.05pm - A-League Men Playoffs - Adelaide United v Mariners - Coopers Stadium, Adelaide - Paramount+

🏍 Sunday, 10.00pm - MotoGP - French GP - Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans - Foxtel, Kayo

All times are in AEST

🏉 It's coming home 

It’s time for the Wallabies to bring back Bill.

Golden points: Who's this Bill we speak of? That’s what rugby union fans call the Webb Ellis Cup, which is what the winner of the men's Rugby World Cup gets. And it’s good timing because the men’s World Cup is coming to Australia in 2027 and the women's World Cup is heading Down Under 2 years later.

• That’s right, Australia will host the men’s World Cup in 5 years. Sure, there were no other candidates, but a win is a win.

• We hosted the event in 1987 and 2003, but history will be made in 2029 when Australia hosts the women’s World Cup for the first time. The USA will also host the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2031 and 2033.

• But let’s focus on us for a sec because this is big news for the economy. Rugby Australia is predicting that 2 million tickets will be sold, 200,000 international guests will fly over and $2.8 billion will be injected into the economy.

They said it: “Australia will become the centre of the Rugby world over the next decade and that is incredibly exciting.” - There’s a lot going on and that has RA CEO Andy Marinos excited.

What are the chances… the grand final is played at the MCG? It’s one of the favourites at the moment because it can hold about 90,000 fans. But don’t rule out Perth’s Optus Stadium or Accor Stadium in Sydney where the 2003 final was played.

Watch it: We don’t talk about that 2003 final anymore because it’s still a little raw. Instead, let’s look back at a famous Stirling Mortlock try that helped the Aussies upset the All Blacks in the semis that year.

🏉 Coach Cameron calls it a day 

Whoever takes the job at GWS will have giant shoes to fill after long-time coach Leon Cameron decided to call it quits.

Golden points: Cameron has been calling the shots since 2014, but Sunday’s game against Carlton will be his last.

• This caught a few people by surprise. Sure, Cameron was off-contract and the club has had a slow start to the year. But the plan was to decide his future after the season.

• He took them to 5 finals series, and that includes 2019 when the club made its first Grand Final. Let’s just say it didn’t go to plan.

• Cameron’s decision to leave means we’re in for months of speculation over who will take the GWS job. Experienced former coaches like Alastair Clarkson, Nathan Buckley and Ross Lyon have already been mentioned.

Key click: Here’s a detailed look at some of the leading candidates for 2023.

Watch it: There’ll be a big farewell at Giants Stadium when they play Carlton. That’s on at 3.20pm (AEST) on Sunday, and you can watch it on Channel 7, Foxtel and Kayo.

🏏 Sri Lanka series in doubt over security fears

The Aussies have already been to Pakistan this year, but next month’s tour of Sri Lanka is suddenly in doubt.

Golden points: That’s because of growing political tension over there that saw Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister resign on Monday after months of protests.

• Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is advising all Aussies to reconsider their travel plans to Sri Lanka.

• A lot of the current violence is in Colombo, and that’s where Australia is supposed to spend 16 days during the tour.

• Cricket Australia’s head of security did a tour of the region last month and said it was safe to travel. There are still 3 weeks to go before the team is due to depart.

What’s next: It’s now time to play the waiting game. That’s all they can do for now as they wait to see what happens in Sri Lanka. If it all goes ahead, the tour starts with a T20 on 7 June.

⚽ Argentina's backflip falls flat as Aussie fans fume 

Don’t cry for me Argentina because there are plenty of football fans in Australia that are upset with you right now.

Golden points: There are some very angry fans across the country after Argentina backflipped on its decision to play a friendly against Brazil at the MCG on 11 June.

• This was being talked up as one of the biggest sporting events in the country in years. Hard to argue given 95,000 people watched them back in 2017.

• But the dream is over. We won’t get to see Neymar or Lionel Messi because Argentina has pulled out.

• About 60,000 tickets had been sold for the Superclasico. Those fans will be refunded.

They said it: “We’re pretty disappointed and I think, fair to say, pretty pissed off.” - That was Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula.

👀 Quick singles

⚽ There’s never been a better time than now to be a Western United fan. The A-League Men’s team is through to the finals, while yesterday it was confirmed that they’d have a team in next season’s A-League Women competition.

⛳ Greg Norman has been widely criticised for his comments about murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The golfer said “we’ve all made mistakes” when asked about the 2018 death.

🏀 Nikola Jokić is officially the NBA’s MVP for the 2nd year in a row. Here’s a list of all the award winners from this season.

⚽ Liverpool will be without midfielder Fabinho for this weekend’s FA Cup final against Chelsea. Fabinho has a hamstring injury but is a chance to be back in time for the UEFA Champions League final.

🏏 Brendon McCullum has been named England’s men’s Test cricket coach. The former New Zealand skipper has signed a 4-year deal that starts next month with a Test against NZ.

🎾 Alex de Minaur’s run at the Rome Masters has come to an end. The Aussie tennis star can now focus on the French Open after he lost to Alexander Zverev in straight sets.

🏇 There will be no triple crown winner in American horse racing this year. That's because Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike won't run in the Preakness Stakes later this month.

⚽ The week just keeps getting better for Manchester City. A day after the club announced it had signed Erling Haaland, they moved 3 points clear of Liverpool in the EPL after Kevin de Bruyne scored 4 goals in the 5-1 win over Wolves.

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🙃 Left of field...

If his earnings are anything to go by, LeBron James is ready to move on from Space Jam and straight into a remake of the movie Richie Rich.

Golden points: The good people at sports business company Sportico did the heavy lifting for everyone and compiled a list of the top-100 earners over the past 12 months. We're talking salary but also money made away from sport.

• If time travel ever gets sorted, let’s all come back as basketballers. They had 36 people in the top 100, ahead of gridiron (25) and football (13). LeBron topped the list with $184 million. That’s the most he’s ever made in a year.

• There are no Aussies in the top 100, but there is an international feel to the top 5. That would be Lionel Messi (Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil) and Canelo Alvarez (Mexico).

• Only 2 women made it, and they both play tennis. That’s Naomi Osaka (20th) and Serena Williams (52nd).

Key click: Below is the top 10 and here’s the full list that should spark some juicy debate over the weekend.

📽 The highlight reel

We're heading to Malaysia for a wild finish in the Super League. Fernando Forestieri scored this stunner in the 101st minute to send Johor Darul Ta'zim to the top of the league.

📸 Photo finish

Charlotte Caslick and her teammates are soaking up the fun at Disneyland Paris ahead of next week's rugby sevens event in Toulouse.

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Kevin Sheedy was in charge of the Giants for their first 2 seasons.