Boudjellal wants Toulon to quit France for Premiership

© Reuters

RC Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal (L) with the mayor of Toulon Hubert Falco  Outspoken Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal wants the European champions to turn their backs on the French league and join England's Aviva Premiership, English rugby officials confirmed on Thursday. Boudjellal has asked Premiership Rugby whether Toulon, currently fourth in France's Top 14, could join the English rugby elite. The league told Reuters it would discuss the unprecedented request with its member clubs although it is likely to be given short shrift. French media have reported that Boudjellal, whose financial backing has transformed the club into one of the best in Europe, has been at odds with the French league over salary caps and bonuses paid to players. The English league currently has a lower cap than its French counterpart -- a status that has enabled clubs to lure some of the sport's top names to France. Toulon, who have won three successive European titles, as well as the French crown, since Boudjellal became the club's main shareholder in 2006, boast galactic names, such as South Africa's Bryan Habana, Australians Matt Giteau and Quade Cooper, Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny and England flanker Steffon Armitage. Ironically, Armitage was among those who missed out on a place in England's World Cup squad for last year's tournament because he was based abroad. In a letter sent to the Aviva Premiership, Boudjellal said the European champions would provide "huge added value" to the English competition, according to French sports daily L'Equipe. "I wrote asking for a contact. If it's not possible the next season, perhaps it's going to be the one after that," Boudjellal said. "For them  it would be a huge added value. And it's a serious approach." A spokesman for Premiership Rugby said Boudjellal's groundbreaking request had been received on Wednesday and would be discussed with the clubs. Some rugby leagues do contain an international mix -- the Pro 12 has Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Italian teams -- but the Aviva Premiership is exclusively English-based, and any move to change that would require the agreement of the respective federations.

De Villiers wants 'naive' South Africa to strengthen coaching

© Reuters

South Africa's AB de Villiers  South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes his team need to bolster their coaching staff to climb out of the spiral of decline that has cost them their number-one world ranking. The Proteas have already lost the four-match test series against England but can arrest their worst run of results for 50 years with victory in the final match at Centurion Park, which starts on Friday. De Villiers, installed as captain for the final two tests of the summer following the resignation of Hashim Amla earlier this month, says he is keen to continue in charge, but that whatever happens, the team must improve their off-field support. "I think we have been a bit naïve in believing we can just go on in the way we have been," he told reporters on Thursday. "We need to get a bit of advice and help, not only from a batting coach, a few other areas as well. "That will all be discussed after the series. We have a nice break and time to think about things." It is hardly a glowing endorsement of the work being done by head coach Russell Domingo, who has used his predecessor Gary Kirsten, former Australia international Mike Hussey and most recently ex-Proteas captain Graeme Smith in consultancy roles to help the team's batsmen. De Villiers repeated his desire to continue as test skipper after the series. "I am keen to play a big role going forward but it's not solely my decision," he said. "I've seen a lot of talent come through. We just need to get a bit of experience and a few smart heads involved." And he knows the value to his side of claiming a win in Pretoria to ease the mounting pressure on the team. "There are no dead rubbers when it comes to test match cricket. We'd hate to lose 3-0. I think 2-1 sounds a lot better. "We haven't won a Test match for 12 months. We are rebuilding a bit and trying to find our feet but it's time for us to wake up and play proper cricket."

Djokovic and Williams target fourth-round spots

© Reuters

Serena Williams (left) of the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia  Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are back in action at the Australian Open on Friday with comfortable looking hurdles to overcome to reach the fourth round. Top seed Djokovic, untroubled so far as he seeks a sixth Australian Open title, takes on Italian 28th seed Andreas Seppi having beaten him in all 11 of their previous meetings. Williams resumes her pursuit of a seventh crown at Melbourne Park against Russia's Daria Kasatkina after fifth seed Maria Sharapova takes on 22-year-old American Lauren Davis. Djokovic will be happy to be back on court after his serene progress was interrupted in his post-match media conference on Tuesday when he was forced to deny allegations in an Italian newspaper about match-fixing in 2007. He will be wary though as Seppi beat Roger Federer at exactly the same round of last year's Australian Open. Federer, the 17-times grand slam champion, meets 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who was once labelled "Baby Federer". He will look to record a landmark 300th grand slam win, becoming the first man in history to achieve the feat. Women's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, still searching for a first grand slam title, faces Puerto Rico's Monica Puig while Japan's Ken Nishikori, seeded seventh, starts things off on the Margaret Court Arena against Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. A day after Lleyton Hewitt's final bow, one of Australia's big new hopes, Nick Kyrgios, takes on sixth seed Tomas Berdych in what promises to be a raucous night session.

Mascherano accepts one-year jail term in plea bargain

© Reuters

FC Barcelona's Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano (C) during his trial at Barcelona's Court in Barcelona  Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano accepted a one-year prison sentence for tax evasion on Thursday as part of a plea bargain, Spanish media reported, although he is unlikely to serve time in jail. The 31-year-old Argentina international, who joined Barca in August 2010, pleaded guilty last year to defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of more than 1.5 million euros by concealing earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in the United States and Portugal. During a brief appearance in court on Thursday, he agreed to pay an 800,000 euro ($870,000) fine and cover the legal costs, the newspaper El Pais reported. Sentences shorter than two years are not usually enforced in Spain. Mascherano also paid back the unpaid tax plus almost 200,000 euros in interest. In a tweet, Mascherano acknowledged the plea bargain, and said he reserved the right to take legal action against those who had given him poor advice on his personal finances. Mascherano's Barcelona and Argentina team mate Lionel Messi, FIFA's world footballer of the year, is due to appear in court with his father at the end of May to answer charges of tax fraud.