🏉 Rugby Gets Supersized

Cya next week, it's Friday, 22 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Lucy Watkin are at the mic.

Today's listen time: 9.30 minutes

.Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺 What we're watching this weekend

🏉 Friday, 7.55pm - NRL - Broncos v Bulldogs - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

🏀 Saturday, 11.30am - NBA Playoffs - Pelicans v Suns - Smoothie King Centre, New Orleans - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Saturday, 2.00pm - Super W Grand Final - Drua v Waratahs - AAMI Park, Melbourne - 9Gem, Stan Sport

🏐 Saturday, 5.00pm - Super Netball - Swifts v Lightning - Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ Sunday, 2.30am - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund - Allianz Arena, Munich - Foxtel, Kayo

🏁 Sunday, 11.00pm - Formula 1 - Imola Grand Prix - Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Emilia Romagna - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Monday, 3.20pm - AFL - Bombers v Magpies - MCG, Melbourne - Channel 7, Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 Monday, 4.00pm - NRL - Dragons v Roosters - SCG, Sydney - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

All times are in AEST

🏉 Sound the alarm because rugby is superstylin' 

Things are about to get supersized for rugby union fans in Australia.

Golden points: The Super Rugby Pacific comp will have its first Super Round, which means all the teams are in Melbourne for games this weekend.

• But it’s not all about the fellas. The Super W Grand Final is on Saturday at 2.00pm (AEST) between the unbeaten Fijiana Drua and the NSW Waratahs, who have won 4-straight comps.

• Then it’s time to focus on the guys because this is the first time that Aussie sides will play the teams from New Zealand after border restrictions were lifted.

• The Reds and the Brumbies are 2 of the 3 teams on 7 wins heading into the footy festival at AAMI Park.

They said it: “It is unfortunate that the match between the Western Force and Moana Pasifika has had to be postponed due to COVID.” - Not all teams will play this weekend after Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos confirmed another outbreak.

Watch it: If you can’t get to Melbourne, don’t stress. All games are on Stan Sport and some will be on 9Gem. Super Round kicks off tonight with the Waratahs playing the Chiefs at 7.00pm (AEST). Here are the highlights from the Drua’s win over NSW earlier in the year to get you warmed up for the Super W final.

🏐 Shine bright like a Diamond

It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock ‘n’ roll, but it doesn’t take that long if you’re really good at netball.

Golden points: Donnell Wallam hadn’t played much netball until 2019, but she’s now in the Australian diamonds squad for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

• It’s no surprise Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich picked her because Wallam is 2nd on the goal-scoring list in this year’s Super Netball comp.

• That’s incredible for a number of reasons, especially because she only made the team as a maternity leave replacement.

• If Wallam makes the final 12-woman team then she’ll be the 3rd Indigenous player to represent the Diamonds.

What’s next: There are 15 members from the squad that won the Quad series earlier in the year, but only 12 players can make the final team for Birmingham. The Aussies are the #1 team in the world. The Comm Games start 28 July.

🏉 Chance of a Dusty return isn't so slim

A few weeks everyone was pumped to see Tiger Woods back on the golf course. Now we might see another legend back in Tigerland.

Golden points: Richmond superstar Dustin Martin is back in Melbourne after he spent a few weeks in Sydney for personal reasons.

• One of those reasons is that his dad died during the off-season.

• Martin hasn’t played since Round 1 and there were fears he might retire.

• But Richmond officials said he’d be back, and just yesterday coach Damien Hardwick said Martin was in a better headspace.

What are the chances… he plays this week? Absolutely zero. But he could start training soon which would mean a return to AFL is getting close. That's great news for the Tigers because Martin is the only player to win the Norm Smith Medal 3 times.

Watch it: Here are some of the highlights from the night Martin won his 3rd Norm Smith Medal.

🏊‍♂️ Swimmers weigh in on transgender debate

It’s one of the most debated topics in sport at the moment, and now Australia’s greatest Olympian has shared her thoughts on whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete.

Golden points: A lot of the chat started last month when Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win a major college swimming title in the States.

• Olympic champion Emma McKeon was asked about it and said she didn’t think it was fair to race against someone who was biologically male.

• Fellow swimmer Emily Seebohm agrees. She said she wants to compete against other swimmers on the same playing field.

• The International Olympic Committee says sports should look at this on a case by case basis. The debate has led to some pretty strong comments from politicians in Australia.

They said it: “You want to be inclusive, but you can't have the females racing against someone who's biologically male.” McKeon states her case.

🏀 NBL playoffs are a mathematical nightmare

Fire up the calculator and dust off the abacus because it’s time to crunch some numbers ahead of the NBL playoffs.

Golden points: There’s been a lot of focus on the NBA playoffs this week, but it’s Australia’s turn for some high stakes basketball. But good luck trying to work out who will finish in the top 4.

• Well, that’s not entirely true. Melbourne United will finish first. That means they might rest players for their game against the JackJumpers.

• That could be important because the Tasmanian team is battling it out with the Hawks and Wildcats for 2 spots in the finals.

• The Wildcats just need one more win to make the playoffs for the 36th year in a row, but they’ve suffered a major injury blow.

Key click: If maths isn’t your strong suit then read this for all the info you need to know.

What’s next: Sit back and relax on Sunday with a couple of biggies on Foxtel and Kayo. The Kings play the Hawks at 3.30pm (AEST) and then it’s the Wildcats against the Phoenix from 5.30pm.

👀 Quick singles

🎾 The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at Wimbledon this year could shift from the tennis court to the courts of law. The Belarussian Tennis Federation is considering legal action over the ban.

⚽ Manchester United has signed a new coach for next season to try to help turn things around. Erik ten Hag joins the club on a multi-year deal after a stint with Dutch club Ajax.

🥊 Aussie UFC star Robbie Whittaker has pulled out of his next fight because of injury. The former middleweight champion was supposed to fight Marvin Vettori in June.

🏉 Siosifa Talakai has emerged as a shock candidate to play left centre for the Blues in this year’s State of Origin series. NSW coach Brad Fittler says he’s a fan after watching Talakai destroy the Sea Eagles last night.

🎾 Former tennis player Pam Shriver says she had a relationship with a coach who was nearly 3 times her age when she was a teenager. Shriver says relationships like hers are still happening today.

⚽ A couple of the world’s biggest sporting icons are reportedly part of a bid to buy Chelsea. Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and tennis legend Serena Williams want to be part owners of the EPL team after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell.

🏀 The Phoenix Suns could be without guard Devin Booker for a couple of weeks. He has been one of the best players in the league this season but he injured his hamstring in game 2 of the NBA playoffs series against New Orleans.

⚽ Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and his family are safe after police were called to his home to deal with a bomb threat. A police explosives dog was needed to do a sweep of his house.

🥊 Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has been filmed punching a fellow passenger on a plane. A spokesperson for Tyson said the passenger got aggressive and threw a water bottle at Iron Mike.

🙃 Left of field…

It really is a good idea to let other people know if you’re going to fly a big plane close to a really important building in the States.

Golden points: The Washington Nationals thought it would be fun to have some army members jump out of a plane before their baseball game yesterday.

• The problem is, no one told the people at the US Capitol Building. And that’s a big deal because there were a lot of important politicians there.

• Seeing a big plane flying where it’s not supposed to be usually leads to panic. This was no exception.

• It turns out it was just a giant misunderstanding. Everyone is fine, and the pilot is glad they didn’t decide to fire any missiles.

They said it: “Congress looks forward to reviewing the results of a thorough after-action review that determines what precisely went wrong today and who at the Federal Aviation Administration will be held accountable for this outrageous and frightening mistake.” - Don’t mess with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

📽 The highlight reel

Joel Embiid is doing things in that NBA that big guys shouldn't be able to do. The Philadelphia 76ers lead their series against Toronto 3-0 thanks to this shot in overtime.

📸 Photo finish

It's a tradition for the Melbourne Storm's first-year players to visit the Victorian Shrine of Remembrance before their Anzac Day game against the Warriors.

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Perth's Bryce Cotton won it last year and the year before that. Cotton, Jaylen Adams and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr are this season's finalists.