Weekend sport wrap

Our wrap of the best of the weekend's sporting action.

Weekend sport wrapWeekend sport wrap

Weekend sport wrap

Sport is an area of life where dreams can come true so memorably.

 

And this weekend, one of the emerging nations of world rugby had theirs come true in a fashion everyone who saw it will remember for a long time to come, scoring a stunning surprise on the biggest stage.

 

Closer to home, the premiership dreams of the stars of the AFL and NRL are now just two victories away, as a star said his final farewells.

 

And in the English Premier League, Arsenal's big game against Chelsea was the sort of dream that turned into a nightmare for the Gunners.

 

We start with the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup and perhaps the biggest upset in the tournament's 28 year history.

 

A last-minute try from winger Karne Hesketh giving Japan a fairytale-like victory over two time world champions South Africa in Brighton.

 

It's a triumph that was partly Australian-engineered, as the Japan is coached by Australian Eddie Jones- a former Wallabies coach.

 

Speaking to Fox Sports after the incredible match, Jones says he sees this as just the beginning for Japanese rugby for in many ways.

 

"Today's just the start. Our target's got to be the quarter-finals now. We got Scotland in four days, so we can't rest on our laurels. But it's got to give Japanese rugby a lift. If you're a young kid at home in Japan watching rugby now, you'd want to play rugby at the next World Cup. So it's a fantastic thing for Japanese rugby."

 

Australia will be hoping to avoid South Africa's fate as a beaten favourite when it opens its campaign in the early hours of Thursday morning against Fiji in Cardiff.

 

In Australia itself, both the AFL and NRL are down to the last four teams.

 

Hawthorn thrashed Adelaide on Friday night, and North Melbourne beat the Sydney Swans in Sydney on Saturday night to end their season.

 

As it turned out, it also ended the career of Swans star Adam Goodes, who announced his retirement to his team mates in the dressing room after the match.

 

Goodes has been a controversial figure in recent times, but says the Swans have done the right thing by him, and he's leaving the game, more or less, as he wants to.

 

"I just wanted to do it on my terms, and I think I've done that. And the footy club have been fantastic about that, they've been part of that journey probably for the last two months. So I couldn't be any more happy with their support."

 

Next weekend, the focus shifts to Perth...with Fremantle hosting Hawthron on Friday night, and West Coast hosting North Melbourne on Saturday.

 

The winners of those matches play each other in the Grand Final.

 

In the NRL, the Sydney Roosters eliminated Canterbury and North Queensland beat Cronulla in two lopsided games.

 

A turning point in the Roosters' 38 points to 12 win was a controversial decision by the video referee to award a try to Roosters forward Kane Evans despite the fact this looked to be the wrong decision.

 

It's the latest in a recent stream of complaints about how the sport is officiated.

 

But Roosters forward Aidan Guerra isn't sympathetic to Bulldogs fans who think they were robbed.

 

"At this time of the year, you've got to be confident. There'll be four teams left next week, and if you don't believe in yourself, there's something wrong. We're not in bad shape as a sport. There's always going to be someone who's not happy about something. But...tough titties. That's the way it is."

 

The Roosters play Brisbane in Brisbane on Friday; North Queensland plays Melbourne in Melbourne on Saturday; the winners of these two games play each other in the Grand Final.

 

And in football, Chelsea has scored a big win in trying to get the defence of their English Premier League title back on track.

 

They beat Arsenal 2-0 in a match prominent for two Arsenal players being sent off.

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Chelsea striker Diego Costa got his players sent off.

 

But, in typical fashion, his Chelsea counterpart, Jose Mourinho says Wenger is a serial complainer, and should just accept defeat and get over it.

 

"Look, I think I told you before the game that I have to cope with my defeats, tonight he has to cope with his defeat. Bye."

 






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