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This one is for the golfers among us.

You’ve probably heard of a birdie, eagle, or even an albatross, but have you ever heard of an “archaeopteryx”?

The term describes a golfer scoring 15 or more shots over par on a single hole, and fittingly continues golf’s bird theme, since the archaeopteryx was a prehistoric flying dinosaur.

The most famous example came in 1927 when Scottish golfer Tommy Armour, fresh off winning the U.S. Open, took 23 shots on a par five at the Shawnee Open in Oklahoma.

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Stat of the day

6
The number of wickets Australia beat England by to stay unbeaten at the Women’s Cricket World Cup. Chasing 245 in Indore, Australia recovered from 4-68 thanks to an unbeaten 180-run stand between Ashleigh Gardner (104 runs) and Annabel Sutherland (98). Sutherland, who also took three wickets with her bowling, was named the Player of the Match. The win puts Australia on top of the table heading into their final group match against South Africa, who sit second with five wins and one loss. 

Last night’s Player of the Match Annabel Sutherland (Getty)

Quote of the day

“It’s carefully thought through. I would say I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. We have hundreds of millions of people watching, but I have full confidence it’ll be a good show.”
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell speaking about the appointment of Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny as the headline act of the Super Bowl halftime show in 2026, following criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. Bad Bunny has been critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and did not perform in  the U.S. on his recent tour except for Puerto Rico (a U.S. territory), fearing raids on his concerts by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Trump said: “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (Getty)

Random fact of the day

Canadian strongman Kevin Fast holds the world record for the heaviest aircraft ever pulled by a man. In 2009, he towed a 188.83-ton aeroplane nearly nine metres, roughly the weight of 125 cars, earning a spot in the Guinness World Records.

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In case you missed it…

Australian cyclists have won two bronze medals at the UCI Track World Championships in Santiago, Chile. The women’s sprint team of Alessia McCaig, Molly McGill, and Kristine Perkins beat Poland to repeat their result from last year, while the men’s trio of Ryan Elliott, Leigh Hoffman, and Daniel Barber edged out France to also claim bronze. The success continues Australia’s strong record on the track, with the men’s team pursuit squad now set to race Denmark for gold on Friday after defeating Great Britain in the semifinals.

The Aussie The women’s sprint team (right) on the podium (Getty)

Australia’s Alex de Minaur is through to the Vienna Open quarter-finals after defeating Austrian Filip Misolic in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). The result marks the Demon’s 11th tour-level quarter-final of the season, and he now leads the ATP Tour with 39 hard-court wins in 2025. De Minaur sits seventh in the ATP Race to Turin as he chases qualification for the season-ending finals and a second ATP 500 title of the year after the Washington D.C. Open. Fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin was eliminated, losing to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in straight sets.

Alex de Minaur is in the quarter-finals of an ATP event, again (Getty)

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid continued their unbeaten starts in the Champions League, each winning for the third straight match to stay top of their groups in Europe’s premier club football competition. 17-year-old Bayern Munich star Lennart Karl scored on his first European start as his side defeated Club Brugge 4-0, while Jude Bellingham’s second-half strike gave Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid a hard-fought 1-0 win over Italian club Juventus. In England, Chelsea eased past the Netherlands’ Ajax 5-1, and Liverpool returned to form with a 5-1 victory over Germany’s Frankfurt.

17-year-old Bayern Munich star Lennart Karl (Getty)

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Artem Dolgopyat is a gold medal winning Israeli gymnast (Getty)

IOC responds to Indonesia’s ban on Israeli atheletes

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended discussions with Indonesia about hosting future Olympic events after the country refused to issue visas to Israeli gymnasts for this week’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta.

Context

The decision to deny Israeli athletes entry into the country came after Indonesian minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the ban reflected “Indonesia’s commitment to support Palestinian independence.” 

It was followed by an urgent appeal by the Israel Gymnastics Federation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which was rejected “due to a lack of jurisdiction”. 

An IGF statement described Indonesia’s decision as “outrageous and dangerous to the sporting world.”

It urged the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to relocate or cancel the event, but the appeal was rejected, with the court ruling that visa decisions fall outside the FIG’s authority. 

IOC Response

The IOC said Indonesia’s move breached the Olympic Charter, which guarantees all athletes the right to compete without “discrimination by the host country”

Subsequently, the IOC has urged international sports federations not to hold events in Indonesia until its Government provides guarantees of open access for all athletes. 

Jakarta’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics has also been frozen. Indonesia has previously been penalised for similar bans, including being stripped of the 2023 Under-20 FIFA World Cup.

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The Wallabies first challenge will be up against Eddie Jones’ Japan side (Getty)

Wallabies set to face Japan ahead of crucial Spring Tour

The Wallabies will face Japan in Tokyo on Saturday to open a five-Test Spring Tour that could shape their path to the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Coach Joe Schmidt is set to make several changes to his starting side.

Here’s what to know.

Context

The drawing of groups for the 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place in December, with teams seeded into six pools based on world rankings. 

Australia sits seventh, just outside the top six that would ensure a more favourable draw and avoid facing a top-three nation such as South Africa, New Zealand, or Ireland in the pool stage. 

Each result on the upcoming tour will influence that seeding. A win over higher-ranked sides could lift the Wallabies, while a loss to 13th-ranked Japan would be a significant setback. Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui said on Stan Sport: “If you lose to Japan, you forget about the top six, it’s all over.”

Wallabies v Japan

Schmidt is expected to rest several senior players following a demanding season, which has already included the British and Irish Lions Tour and The Rugby Championship. Reports suggest Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i and Max Jorgensen are two of those who will be rested, while Len Ikitau is unavailable after joining English club Exeter. 

Hunter Paisami is in line to start at inside centre, while either Carter Gordon or Tane Edmed could feature at fly-half. 

Andrew Kellaway is set to return from a calf injury in a back three likely to include Corey Toole and Dylan Pietsch. Angus Bell should start at loosehead prop, and Carlo Tizzano is pushing for his first Test start of the year.

The match is also Japan coach Eddie Jones’ first meeting with Australia since leaving the Wallabies head coach role after a disastrous World Cup campaign in 2023. Last week, Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said the team are “not focusing on the fact that Eddie Jones is the coach”. 

What’s next

After Japan, the Wallabies will travel to London to face England, then to Italy for a meeting in Udine before clashes with Ireland in Dublin and France in Paris. Wins against England, Ireland and France would offer the biggest boost to Australia’s world ranking, while victory over Italy would consolidate their position before the 2027 draw is finalised.

The Wallabies will kick off against Japan on Saturday at 4:50pm (AEDT). You can watch it on Stan Sport.

Looking back…

NBL (Ignite Cup)

Who: Cairns Taipans v Perth Wildcats
Result: Wildcats won 110-78

Women’s Cricket World Cup

Who: Australia v England
Result: Australia won by six wickets

Constellation Cup (Netball)

Who: Australia v New Zealand (Game 2)
Result: Australia won 68-51 (Lead series 2-0)

Looking forward… (All times are AEST)

Cricket ODI

Who: Australia v India
Time: Right now!

Where to watch: Kayo, Foxtel

NBL

Who: NZ Breakers v Brisbane Bullets
Time: 5:30pm tonight

Who: SE Melbourne Phoenix v
Sydney Kings
Time: 7:30pm tonight

Where to watch: ESPN via Disney+

NBA (Week 1)

Who: Pacers v Thunder
Time: 9:30am tomorrow

Who: Warriors v Nuggets
Time: 1:05pm tomorrow

Where to watch: Kayo, Foxtel, ESPN via Disney+, NBA League Pass

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