The All Blacks will celebrate their championship at the Rugby World Cup with parades in three cities across New Zealand this week, starting in Auckland today. New Zealand beat Australia 34-17 in Saturday’s final at London’s Twickenham stadium to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups and the first to win the Webb Ellis Trophy three times. The team arrives in New Zealand early Wednesday and will parade through central Auckland from midday, with thousands of fans expected to turn out to greet them. Parades are also planned for Christchurch tomorrow and the capital of Wellington on Friday.
Football – Mourinho given 1-match stadium ban for misconduct
Already enduring the worst run of results in his Chelsea career, Jose Mourinho will be banned from the stadium for Saturday’s match at Stoke after being punished by the English Football Association. Mourinho admitted to a charge of misconduct toward the referee during a loss to West Ham last month and he has already been fined 40,000 pounds (USD61,700) by the FA’s regulatory commission. Mourinho was sent to the stands by the referee against West Ham on Oct. 24, and the FA said the Portuguese coach “admitted an FA charge of misconduct regarding his language and/or behavior towards the match officials in or around the dressing room area during halftime.” Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has denied media allegations he is organizing a dressing room revolt against the manager, the BBC reported yesterday. Chelsea are 15th in the league table.
Tennis – Williams opens Zhuhai tournament with win over Keys
Venus Williams opened the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai yesterday with a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Madison Keys. Williams has already won two titles in a resurgent season and could return to the top 10 in the rankings for the first time in more than four years with a strong showing in the 12-player tournament. Williams was two points from defeat in the second set before pulling out the victory in a rematch of the Australian Open quarterfinals, won by Keys. The tournament brings together 11 of the top players who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals in Singapore, including Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic and U.S. Open finalist Roberta Vinci. Zheng Saisai of China was added to the field as a wild-card entry.
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