In breaking news this afternoon, South Sydney Rabbitohs star Brandon Smith has been charged with drug supply and betting offences by Queensland Police. 

The club has confirmed it’s aware of the allegations and raised it with the NRL Integrity Unit.

Smith, who has represented New Zealand and played 150 games in the NRL, has struggled with injury in the past two seasons but returned to the field against the Titans in Round 23 earlier this month. He will face court on 18 September. 

More on this story to come. 

$US12.932 million ($AU19.926 million)

The price a signed collectible card featuring Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant was sold for at an auction. The sale set a record for the highest price ever paid for a sports card. 

"When you've lost so many times, a three-shot lead down the last doesn't feel like that many."
English golfer Tommy Fleetwood after winning his first PGA tour title at the Tour Championship. Before the victory, Fleetwood had 30 top five finishes without having won a title, the most of anyone on tour. Along with the title, Fleetwood also took home a winner’s share of $US10 million ($AU15 million).

The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is an event which sees solar-powered cars race 3,000 kilometres from Darwin to Adelaide. The event has been held twice a year since its inaugural edition in 1987. The latest edition began on Sunday and features 34 cars from 17 countries. 

🏉 The Sydney Roosters women’s side has extended its NRLW win streak to 14 matches in a row with a 56-12 demolition of the Parramatta Eels on Saturday night. Taina Naividi starred for the Roosters with her second hat-trick of the season. The NRLW has three weeks remaining in the regular season before finals begin. 

🏏 Australia won the third and final ODI against South Africa by a staggering 276 runs. South Africa still came away with the series, having won the opening two matches. Australia’s top three batters - Mitch Marsh, Travis Head, and Cameron Green - all scored centuries to help the host side post a total of 431 runs, their highest ever on home soil. Green’s century came off just 47 balls while Head was named the player of the match after scoring 142 runs. 

🏉 The AFL Finals are almost set with just one match remaining in the regular season. The Gold Coast Suns (9th) will play Essendon (15th) on Wednesday night in a fixture that was scheduled for the opening round but postponed due to Cyclone Alfred. If the Suns win, they will knock the Western Bulldogs out of the top eight and advance to the club’s first ever finals series. The Bulldogs had an opportunity to secure their place in the finals on Sunday against the Fremantle Dockers (6th) but were outplayed 112-97. The Adelaide Crows finished first on the ladder and secured the minor premiership. 

🎾 Jordan Thompson is the first Aussie through to the second round of the 2025 U.S. Open after he defeated France’s Corentin Moutet in four sets. The other two Aussies playing the singles main draw on day one, Rinky Hijikata and Destanee Aiava, were both beaten. Hijikata lost to 32nd seed Italian Luciano Darderi and Aiva went down to Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini. There are six Aussies in action overnight, headlined by 15th seed Daria Kasatkina.

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The Gold Coast Titans have confirmed veteran coach Des Hasler will leave the club at the end of the season, despite being contracted until 2026. 

Josh Hannay, a former Queensland and Cowboys centre who is currently an assistant coach at the Cronulla Sharks, has signed a three-year deal to take charge from next year.

Hasler will see out the final two rounds as the Titans chase just their sixth win of the season and sit in last place on the ladder. Since his appointment in 2024, the club has managed a win rate of only 28% per cent and finished 14th last year. 

The 64-year-old is one of the most experienced coaches in the NRL, with stints at Manly and Canterbury across two decades. He has taken teams to five grand finals, winning two, and earlier this year became only the sixth coach to lead 500 matches.

After announcing Hannay as Hasler’s successor, Titans chief executive Steve Mitchell said: “Josh is one of the best young minds in the game. After 10 years in the NRL as a player, Josh has built a body of work as an assistant coach that has him ready to be successful with a team of his own.” 

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The Wallaroos delivered a statement in their Pool A opener with their biggest ever Rugby World Cup win, while the Wallabies went down in a hard fought contest against the Springboks in The Rugby Championship. 

Here’s what to know. 

The Wallaroos thumped Samoa 73-0 in Salford, scoring 11 tries and recording their biggest ever victory at a World Cup. Winger Desiree Miller starred for the Aussies with a hat-trick on her World Cup debut. 18-year-old Caitlyn Halse and reserve hooker Adiana Talakai also scored doubles.

Coach Jo Yapp said: "Samoa kept coming at us physically, so it was good to see the girls step up. Still, there's definitely areas of the game that we know we can tighten up on for next week."

The Wallaroos’ next pool stage match is against the U.S. on Sunday (AEST). The U.S. will be looking to bounce back after a heavy 69-7 loss to tournament favourites (and hosts), England. 

The Wallabies fell short in a tight rematch against the Springboks on Sunday morning (AEST), losing 30-22 in Cape Town. Both teams crossed for three tries but the difference came from the boot of the Springboks’ Handré Pollard, who converted all six of his goal attempts. Australia's James O’Connor missed three crucial kicks. 

The match took a physical toll on the Wallabies with injuries to fullback Tom Wright (ACL), halfback Nic White (concussion), and centre Joseph Sua’ali’i (concussion). 

Coach Joe Schmidt said: “I was delighted for [the team] that they actually patched themselves together and were still very competitive.” 

The Wallabies will now regroup in Australia ahead of two Tests against Argentina in Townsville and Sydney. 

In the other Rugby Championship fixture on the weekend, Argentina beat New Zealand 29-23 in Buenos Aires. It marked Argentina’s first victory over the All Blacks on home soil.