Gourcuff's style faces scrutiny from Madjer

Former Algerian star, Rabah Madjer, berated Fennecs head coach Christian Gourcuff saying he does not have any experience about African football.

Algeria lost 1-0 against Ghana on Friday at the Africa Cup of Nations to make their third match against Senegal a do-or-die game.

"Gourcuff doesn't have any experience in African gootball because this is the first time he is taking the charge of a team in Africa," said Madjer.

"And the players lost their way to play as a team so they became less dangerous against Ghana. The Algerian team have very good players but they could not play as a team and that's a big problem.

"Algeria should return back to playing with their style not the European style that Gourcuff is trying to play with it. Our players don't know the African football very well because most of them play in teams in Europe. They stick to playing our style of football in the last match against Senegal," the former FC Porto player concluded.

Gourcuff assumed the head coach role of Algeria following the departure of Vahid Halilhodzic, who managed the North Africans at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

Ronaldo sent off as Real edge Cordoba

Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off as leaders Real Madrid beat Cordoba 2-1 in La Liga on Saturday thanks to late Gareth Bale penalty.

The Portuguese kicked out at defender Edimar with seven minutes to go as Real struggled to create chances but they were gifted the win when a Bale free-kick was handled by Fede Cartabia in the area.

Cartabia was also sent off for a second bookable offence and, with Ronaldo off the pitch, Bale fired home the penalty with two minutes left.

Real have been unable to maintain the form that saw them string together 22 consecutive victories in all competitions before Christmas but they remain in top spot in La Liga with 48 points and four clear of Barcelona.

Nabil Ghilas gave Cordoba the lead from the penalty spot with just two minutes played following a handball by Sergio Ramos.

Real lacked rhythm and intensity in their link-up play but Benzema scrambled home an equaliser midway through the first half after Bale flicked on a corner.

Cordoba had looked more likely to win the game and Florin Andone hit the crossbar after 67 minutes with a lob over keeper Iker Casillas.

Second-placed Barcelona, on 44 points, are at lowly Elche later while Atletico Madrid, in third and seven points off the pace, host Rayo Vallecano.

Eto'o set to join Sampdoria

Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic said on Saturday that Samuel Eto'o is set to join the club and told his players not to be distracted by the former Cameroon forward's arrival.

Television pictures showed Eto'o, currently at Everton, arriving at a clinic in Rome for a medical. He was due to be presented to the crowd before Sunday's Serie A match at home to Palermo.

But Mihajlovic said he did not want his players to be carried away by the expected festive atmosphere.

"Party, what party?" he told a news conference. "Eto'o is joining this team but he must not be a distraction.

"He's a great player, who has won everything and that attracts a lot of attention from the media, but this should not distract us.

"The reason we are (joint) third is thanks to these guys, their commitment and their daily work."

Eto'o, 33, who is a free agent, joined Everton from Chelsea in August after one year at Stamford Bridge. In the same month, he announced his international retirement after winning 118 caps and scoring a record 56 goals for Cameroon.

Eto'o has won four league titles, seven domestic cups, a Fifa Club World Cup medal and three Champions League, two with Barcelona and one with Inter Milan.

Sampdoria are joint third in Serie A alongside Napoli with 33 points from 19 games.

Bulls complete Texas two-step

Chicago completed a Texas two-step by winning a hard-fought game 102-98 at Dallas on Friday, a day after handing San Antonio a heavy defeat.

The Bulls maintained their 4-1/2 game lead in the NBA Central Division but could make up no ground on runaway Eastern Conference leaders Atlanta, who notched their 15th straight win by defeating Oklahoma City.

Among the Western Conference contenders, Houston edged Phoenix to close within a game of the Southwest Division lead, while overall league leader Golden State smashed Sacramento, with Klay Thompson scoring a record 37 points in the third quarter.

Chicago's Derrick Rose scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler had 14 of his 20 in the second half to guide the Bulls to another impressive road victory which suggested the team was over a sticky patch that saw them lose six in eight.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, who missed a chance to go into a virtual tie for the Southwest lead.

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Atlanta put in another even team scoring performance to beat Oklahoma City 103-93 and stretch their remarkable winning streak.

Paul Millsap scored 22 points and Jeff Teague added 17 for the Hawks, whose streak is the longest in franchise history.

Four starters were in double figures and backup point guard Dennis Schroder led a spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that helped the Hawks pull away.

Russell Westbrook's 22 points led the Thunder, who were ahead until just before halftime.

Houston's James Harden scored 33 points, including a 20-foot jumper as time ran out which sealed a 113-111 win against Phoenix.

Harden's 33 points came in the absence of injured star centre Dwight Howard for three quarters.

Harden, the NBA's leading scorer entering the night at 27.2 points per game, added 10 assists and six rebounds and made 14 of 17 free throw attempts.

Eric Bledsoe had 25 points, eight rebounds and nine assists to lead the Suns,

Golden State's Klay Thompson set an NBA record for most individual points in a quarter as he tallied 37 to help the Warriors cruise past Sacramento 126-101.

Thompson, who finished with a career-high 52 points, made all 13 shots in the third quarter, including a league-record nine from 3-point range, and hit both of his free throws during a 12-minute span.

His streaky shooting touch helped the Warriors overcome an otherwise sloppy showing for its franchise-best 18th consecutive home victory. Golden State (35-6) became the 10th NBA team to win at least 35 games halfway through a season.

Cleveland put in a dominating performance to beat Charlotte 129-90 and notch a fifth straight win.

LeBron James scored 25 points and J.R. Smith scored all his 21 points in 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, whose 35-point halftime lead was the biggest in franchise history. They built that to 49 points in the fourth quarter before easing up.

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Al Jefferson's 22 points led the Hornets, who had won eight of nine, but were no match for the Cavaliers, who have again looked like title contenders since James returned from an eight-game injury absence.

San Antonio led from start to finish in beating the Los Angeles Lakers 99-85.

Kawhi Leonard had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Manu Ginobili scored 15 points for the Spurs.

Nick Young scored 17 points to lead the Lakers, who lost their seventh straight.

Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant, who tore his right rotator cuff on Wednesday in New Orleans, will have scans on Monday to determine if he can return this season.

Toronto came from nine points down with 5-1/2 minutes to play and won 91-86 at Philadelphia, helped by Kyle Lowry scoring 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Miami survived another second-half struggle at home, hanging on to top Indiana 89-87.

Boston's Avery Bradley hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:24 left as the Celtics edged Denver 100-99, handing the Nuggets a fifth successive defeat.

New Orleans narrowly avoided another ugly road loss, beating lowly Minnesota 92-84.

New York won their third straight game - having gone 5-36 beforehand - by beating Orlando 113-106.

Venus back in second week of Grand Slam

In her two-decade career on the tennis tour, Venus Williams has seen plenty of players come and go.

She used to take the court against the likes of Steffi Graf and Jennifer Capriati. Now that they're long since retired, she's playing against women who weren't even born when she and her sister Serena turned pro in the mid-1990s.

"I think everybody we grew up with has moved on, into a mature life," Venus said with a laugh at the Australian Open on Saturday after yet another victory at a Grand Slam tournament - win No 223, to be exact. "We just can't figure out how we're still here."

At 34, Venus is not just still here - she's playing in the second week of a Grand Slam again after rallying to beat Italian Camila Giorgi, a player more than a decade her junior. Venus was two points from defeat before turning the match around and prevailing 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1.

It's her first appearance in the round of 16 of a major since Wimbledon in 2011 and her subsequent disclosure that she'd been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.

The years since her diagnosis have been trying as she's had to learn how to live with the illness while continuing her career as a pro athlete. Her results began to suffer. Once a constant fixture in the later rounds of slams, she got used to losing early. Her ranking dipped and she began to face more and more questions about retirement.

But Venus never viewed her condition - or her steadily increasing age - as an impediment to being competitive on the court again.

"The years go by fast," she said. "It's definitely been a lot of work and a lot of learning and a lot of perseverance. It will continue to be that for me. Just have to come to terms with it."

Slowly, she's worked her way back into the top 20 and now, with her win over Giorgi, closer to the top 10 again. And she has a chance to reach the quarterfinals of a major for the first time since the 2010 US Open if she beats her next opponent, sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.

Her run at Melbourne Park this week has motivated her sister to rally from a set down in her own third-round match on Saturday and drawn praise from players both young and old.

"She's been huge for American tennis. She's been huge for women's tennis, in general," said 19-year-old American Madison Keys. "And even now, she's still playing, still dominating, and it's one of those things where you think, hopefully I can have a career like hers one day."

Billie Jean King, one of the trailblazers in women's tennis, posted her congratulations on social media following Venus' third-round victory.

"I am inspired by @Venuseswilliams every time she takes the court. Great to see her healthy, competing and loving what she does."

Radwanska presents a much stiffer challenge in the next round. Although Venus holds a 5-4 edge in their head-to-head match-ups, her last victory came nearly five years ago. Radwanska has won three matches since then, all in straight sets.

But Venus isn't counting herself out. She's still playing to win titles - just like her sister.

"I think our perspective is we're still quite good at what we do," she said. "While we're here, we're going to be here. While we're gone, we might watch (tennis) on TV."

Lopez apologises to injured ball-boy

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez showed a compassionate streak in addition to a dangerous serve by apologising to the ball-boy he struck in the groin at the Australian Open.

Lopez, seeded 12th at Melbourne Park, unleashed a 196 kmph serve which hit local teenager Sam Day during his second round match with Adrian Mannarino on Thursday.

Lopez grimaced when he saw Day doubled over in pain and both he and Mannarino approached the ball-boy out of concern. Day was escorted off court for a while but came back to stoically complete his duties.

Video of the incident went viral on social media.

The 33-year-old Lopez advanced to the fourth round on Saturday by beating Pole Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets and told reporters he had caught up with his victim the previous day.

"I just wanted to apologise and to make him happy for a while," Lopez said. "I gave him a T-shirt and a wristband from the match.

"Yeah, it was very funny because he became very famous with his mates at school. Everybody was watching the video on YouTube. Thousands of viewers, I've heard.

"He was happy in a way, but he was also very fortunate when he was hit that he was okay after five, six minutes.

"He went out to sit down a little bit. I told him to go out. He wanted to continue to work. I told him, 'no, better that you sit down for a while and then you come back'. I told him, 'don't worry, it's going to be okay. This happened to me already a few times. So just go and sit down for a while and come back'.

"This is what he did. Luckily he is perfect and he is fine."

Left-hander Lopez will battle Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic for a place in the quarterfinals.

Zaripova faces doping ban

Olympic 3 000 metres steeplechase champion Yulia Zaripova faces a doping ban and the potential loss of several major titles in the latest scandal to hit Russian athletics.

Athletics' world governing body, the IAAF, told The Associated Press that Zaripova is under suspicion under biological passport rules, a means to track extreme blood values which indicate doping.

IAAF spokesman Chris Turner said "a decision is expected soon" on Zaripova, who voluntarily withdrew from competition in July 2013.

Zaripova has previously said she missed the August 2013 World Championships in Moscow after injuring her leg in training and then that she was taking a break from athletics to have a baby.

Her case follows that of five Russian race walkers, three of them Olympic champions, banned on Tuesday. In those cases, results were annulled as far back as 2009, including five World Championship gold medal-winning performances.

If Zaripova is banned, she potentially stands to lose her Olympic gold medal from the London 2012 games, her 2011 World Championship gold and 2009 silver, as well as her 2010 European title. She could be prevented from competing at next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The main beneficiary would be Tunisia's Habiba Ghribi, who finished second behind Zaripova at the 2012 Olympics and the World Championships the year before.

The Russian athletics federation's top coach, Valentin Maslakov, resigned on Friday with the organisation facing multiple doping-related scandals, including:

- World Anti-Doping Agency and IAAF investigations into claims that federation officials organised a systematic doping programme, as alleged in a German TV documentary last month. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency is alleged to have covered up positive tests for top Russian athletes.

- Bans for five Russian race walkers announced on Tuesday, affecting five World Championship gold medals from 2009 and 2011.

- An IAAF investigation into whether four top Russian race walkers, including Olympic champions Sergei Kirdyapkin and Elena Lashmanova, raced at a Russian meet last month while suspended. They could now miss next year's Olympics.

- Allegations that Sergei Morozov, a former race walker serving a life ban from any role in athletics, was employed as a coach at the Russian national training centre.

Brengle slops on sunscreen and slips into fourth round

Madison Brengle could conceivably be the new face of advertising campaigns Down Under that urge people to 'slip, slop, slap' during the scorching summer months to help Australians and New Zealanders to lower the risk of skin cancers.

The 24-year-old American, who made the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time on Saturday with a surprise 6-3 6-2 victory over compatriot Coco Vandeweghe, was lucky to be in Australia at all.

She was only given the all clear to travel in early January after she had a tumour cut out of her knee in late October.

"It obviously was not a fun time hearing that," Brengle said of being told the spot on her knee that she discovered before last year's US Open needed to be removed.

"But you deal with it. A lot of people have to go through so much worse.

"They found it really, really early. We took care of it (and) I have a nice scar on my leg to show for it."

Cancer organisations in Australia and New Zealand, which have some of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, encourage people to 'slip' on a shirt, 'slop' on sunscreen and 'slap' on a hat during the summer months.

Brengle said her own cancer scare should be a lesson to warn of the dangers of being out in the sun for extended periods, which is an occupational hazard for professional tennis players.

"I think it should probably be a little bit of a wake-up call to people to wear sunblock when you're out there," she added.

"I think it's part of being out in the sun. I mean, I'm not the tannest person in the world. I get freckles. It happens.

"(But) they caught it quite early. As long as the margins are clear when they take it out, you're good to go.

"I'm reapplying the sunblock, but I'm totally clear."

Brengle, who made the final in Hobart after playing qualifying in Tasmania, will move inside the top-50 after the Australian Open and said she felt she was now in an upward curve in her career.

"I've been decently confident for a while now," she said. "I go out, and I'm trying a lot to play to win instead of being afraid to lose.

"As long as you go out and you play to win, do your best, you can walk off court with your head held high."

Former coach backs Silva to shine at Real

Joining Real Madrid is a dream that has come true for Brazilian Lucas Silva, his former coach Marcelo Oliveira has said, while describing the midfielder as a "diamond".

The talented Silva, who played for Cruzeiro, has agreed a contract until June 2020 for a reported fee of 14 million euros ($15.7 million) and will be presented at the Bernabeu on Monday.

Real won the chase to bring in the creative 21-year-old, who is able to dictate play from the middle of the pitch and will be a useful under-study to Toni Kroos this season as he gains first team experience.

"I have been talking with Lucas and he is very happy as one of his dreams has come true. (Real Madrid coach Carlo) Ancelotti has got a real diamond," Oliveira, who manages Cruzeiro, told Spanish newspaper As.

"He is a technical player with good vision, he can make precise 30-40 metre passes and has a strong shot.

"I have been behind him when he has shot from outside the area and believe me he has a lot of potential that can be further exploited. He will push those who are already in his position.

"He will need to adapt now to a new formation but I am sure he will develop a lot alongside the quality at Real Madrid."

Real were weakened in midfield with the departure of Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich ahead of this season and there has been a lot of pressure on Kroos as Ancelotti has used alternatives Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi sparingly.

Khedira is in a contractual dispute with Real and is expected to leave at the end of this season while Illarramendi has failed to progress as predicted following a big money move from Real Sociedad.

Ancelotti has said publicly that Illarramendi remains an important member of his squad but he has struggled to impose himself in the midfield when he has had chances.

Silva's arrival could prompt his departure with Athletic Bilbao favourites to sign him.

Cape Verde want to keep up shock run

The smallest country to ever qualify for the African Nations Cup finals are setting their sights on at least repeating their shock quarterfinal place of two years ago.

Cape Verde coach Rui Aguas said that is the minimum target the islanders, whose population is just over half-million strong, have set themselves at the 16-team tournament in Equatorial Guinea, where they make their second-ever finals appearance.

"We will try everything we can, of course. We have everything in our own hands," Aguas said.

"What we want to achieve is to do better than what we did last time. The minimum objective is to get to the next phase."

They would effectively need a result against 2012 winners Zambia in their last Group B game at the Estadio de Ebibeyin on Sunday to advance and confirm the potential they showed in the last finals in South Africa two years ago.

That time they had first shocked by qualifying for the finals, eliminating Cameroon in the process and then reaching the last eight.

Cape Verde have drawn their opening two matches, taking points off previous champions Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that vastly dwarfs the Cape Verde in size.

"Finishing has been a problem for us but we have played two very good games so far. I think we have discovered that we can do better than we have and reach the next round," added Aguas, a former Portugal international.

"It has been frustrating and disappointing not to have won and missing chances means we have just made it more difficult for ourselves. I believe we can do better and score finally in the third game."

Cape Verde's only goal at this tournament has been a penalty converted by Sporting Lisbon striker Heldon in the 1-1 draw with Tunisia in their opening game at the tournament. The next game against the Congolese on Thursday ended goalless.

Two years ago, on their maiden appearance at the finals in South Africa, Cape Verde eliminated Angola and Morocco in their group before losing in the last eight to Ghana, capturing the imagination of African football followers.

This is me, says grunting, cursing Azarenka

Two-time grand slam champion Victoria Azarenka will no longer bite her tongue or try to fit into any media-trained "image" as she makes her way on the tennis tour, the Belarusian said at the Australian Open on Saturday.

Azarenka advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a 6-4 6-4 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, a brilliant return to grand slam tennis after her 2014 season was all but wiped out by injury.

The Belarusian has already distinguished herself from some of her more introverted rivals, wearing a loud fluorescent yellow outfit on court and swearing like a trooper at herself during matches when disappointed with her play.

Azarenka took it to another level on Saturday, when she cursed during her courtside interview in front of some 7 000 fans at Margaret Court Arena, using an obscenity to describe her dismay at missing an attempted lob when serving for the match.

The 25-year-old told her interviewer the word could be "bleeped out" and later made no apologies for the 'sailor talk'.

"I'm having a lot more fun," Azarenka, wearing a multi-coloured pair of leggings and a trucker's cap backwards, told reporters of her new season.

"I'm just being me. I say what I want to say. I laugh when I want to laugh. I play how I want to play. I grunt when I want to grunt.

"I don't think I've changed as a person. I think I grew as a person. I think I'm able to speak my thoughts more freely, which before I think I was holding back and really was trying to fit into some kind of image that a lot of people, a lot of players do.

"I think it's very important to stay original, to stay yourself, true to yourself, to who you are.

"So I think I had to learn that and just be able to live with that and accept who I am as a person. I still have a lot of room to improve, but I love the way where I'm heading."

A happy Azarenka is likely to mean a tough match for her next opponent Dominika Cibulkova, the pint-sized Slovakian who was a surprise finalist last year.

Though a fierce challenger on court, Azarenka said she was also going out of her way to be more friendly in the locker room, reaching out more to her rivals.

"I just think we all have to forget that tension off the court and really enjoy it," she said. "If we look at other sports, there's so much incredible bond and just relations that I think on the tour we can do much better."

Proteas to make four changes

South Africa could make as many as four changes to their team for the fourth One Day International against the West Indies at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

With an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, Proteas captain AB de Villiers said he wanted to give the full squad a go in the next two matches.

"We're definitely making a few changes. Dale and Hash are not here, they've been rested," said De Villiers on Saturday.

"We're also thinking of giving one or two of the other bowlers time off.

"Whether we make a few changes or not, it's important to keep winning.

"There's nothing more powerful than winning games of cricket, especially going into the World Cup."

Dale Steyn will be rested for the remainder of the series, while Hashim Amla will sit out the match in the windy city, paving the way for Morne van Wyk to open the batting and take over wicketkeeping duties from De Villiers.

Seamers Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell as well as spinner Aaron Phangiso would come in, while Vernon Philander and Imran Tahir would both likely be rested said the captain.

"Abbott will probably come in, and Parnell will get a go. Maybe Vernon will get a rest. Then in the last one we'll probably give Morne [Morkel] a bit of time off.

"It's very likely Aaron will come in tomorrow to give Imran some time off.

"Imran is still our main go-to guy, but it's important for Phangy to get some overs under the belt."

PUT CAPTAINCY BOOTS ON

De Villiers would also welcome the chance to give the gloves to Van Wyk.

"I don't keep [wicket] very often these days. It's important to have concentration on my keeping for the full 50 overs.

"When I keep all the time then I don't have to think too much about the keeping, then I can really put my captaincy boots on. It was a little bit difficult to juggle around the other night, but not too bad."

After his first day back training with the squad on Thursday following his ahead-of-schedule recovery from an ankle injury, Quinton de Kock looks set to regain his place in the final ODI according to De Villiers.

"We want to give him game time and it would be great for him to play that last game. It looks good, he's running around and he looks in good knick. I would love to give him a game in the fifth ODI." De Kock, 22, has already scored six ODI centuries since making his debut for South Africa in January 2013, but his time out with injury could have an effect on his form going into the World Cup. De Villiers, however, is confident his young player would produce the goods.

"He's a wonderfully gifted cricket player, we know what he's capable of.

"He's just got to go out there and play his game. He bats up front with Hash, who provides stability. I don't want him to him feel like he's become a vital player to us even though he is. When he doesn't come off, we have a long batting line-up, we're playing a seventh batter these days. There's not a lot of pressure on him. He's a wicketkeeper, so it's a bit of a bonus when you have your keeper opening the batting."

West Indies captain Jason Holder, meanwhile, said his side were still chasing that elusive win over the hosts.

"It's just about getting on the board, we've obviously lost the series so it will be about getting some momentum heading to the World Cup," said Holder.

The West Indies cancelled their training session on Friday, but Holder said his team had used the time adequately to discuss their issues.

"Yesterday we had a team activity where we discussed some things. We just tried to get the guys' minds in the right direction ahead of this game.

"Obviously we've lost the series and didn't perform very well in the second and third games. It's just about salvaging some pride."

Nervous Hendrik strides to Q-School triumph

He said he’s never been more nervous during a round, but 18-year-old Hendrik du Plessis saved his best golf for last as a four-under-par 68 saw him win the 2015 Sunshine Tour Qualifying School.

He carded his fourth consecutive round in the 60s as he edged Justin Turner by a single stroke with his five-round aggregate of 15-under-par 345, with Zander Lombard and Rourke van der Spuy in joint third another shot further back. This was after two rounds at each of Bloemfontein and Schoeman Park Golf Clubs, with the final round after the cut being played at Bloemfontein Golf Club.

“I was nervous over my first tee shot on the first day,” said Du Plessis, “and then I was nervous throughout the round today. And when I saw the leaderboard on 17, I really started to nip.”

He needn’t have. He overcome the late-round wobble which nearly derailed him with bogeys on 10 and 15, after he had turned in three-under-par 33, with a good birdie on 17, and then he rolled in his birdie putt on the par-five 18th to match the low round of the day – Bryce Easton, England’s Henry Featherstone and Portugal’s Antonio Rosado also signed for 68s in gaining their Sunshine Tour cards.

Du Plessis plays out of Sesambos Golf Club in Limpopo, a 70-member club way up in the north of the country, but he spends a lot of his time at Serengeti Golf Estate under the tutelage of Doug Woods.

He signed away his amateur status late last year, but seemed unconcerned at the risks he was taking should he not have gained his Sunshine Tour card. “There is always the Sunshine Big Easy Tour, or some other professional events I could have played in,” he said.

Behind him and the others in second and third, Easton and Etienne Bond shared fifth, four shots off the pace, while Bryce Bibby was alone in seventh.

Sean Jacklin, son of the 1969 Open champion and 1970 US Open champion Tony Jacklin, also gained his card, finishing a good week with a 69 to share eighth with three other players, including the leading amateurs, Burger Heckroodt of the local club and Kevin Rundle of KwaZulu-Natal.

Other amateurs to gain their cards were Breyten Meyer and Tyron Roelofz.

Of the 33 players who gained their playing privileges, eight were from outside South Africa, including three from the United States. After Jacklin, who plays under the Scottish flag, Grant Doverspike of the US was the best of the foreign contingent, finishing 12th on eight-under-par.

The rookies will get their first shot at a Sunshine Tour event in February’s Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt.

SCORES:

345 – Hendrik du Plessis (RSA) 70 69 69 69 68

346 - Justin Turner (RSA) 67 72 71 66 70

348 - Zander Lombard (RSA) 71 64 69 75 69, Rourke van der Spuy (RSA) 66 73 70 68 71

349 - Bryce Easton (RSA) 71 72 67 71 68, Etienne Bond (RSA) 68 73 68 67 73

350 - Bryce Bibby (RSA) 69 68 72 72 69

351 - Sean Jacklin (SCO) 69 76 70 67 69, Burger Heckroodt (AMA) (RSA) 73 70 65 72 71, Coert Groenewald (RSA) 70 68 70 71 72, Kevin Rundle (AMA) (RSA) 71 71 67 68 74

352 - Grant Doverspike (USA) 70 73 70 69 70

353 - Henry Featherstone (ENG) 73 70 69 73 68, Patrick Newcomb (USA) 68 72 75 67 71, MJ Viljoen (RSA) 72 71 70 69 71, Lean Boezaart (RSA) 74 69 69 69 72, Calvin Caldeira (RSA) 74 68 67 71 73

354 - Michael Scholz (RSA) 67 71 68 76 72, Otto van Greunen (RSA) 68 72 70 71 73, Breyten Meyer (AMA) (RSA) 76 69 67 68 74

355 - Gert Myburgh (RSA) 73 70 72 70 70, Jaco Prinsloo (RSA) 73 73 65 72 72, Werner van Niekerk (RSA) 68 72 70 73 72, Russel Franz (RSA) 70 72 69 72 72, Wayne De Haas (RSA) 78 71 68 66 72, Alex Gaugert (USA) 71 72 69 71 72, Alessandro Grammatica (ITA) 65 73 67 76 74

356 - Antonio Rosado (POR) 71 70 73 74 68

357 - Tyron Roelofsz (AMA) (RSA) 70 69 74 72 72, Grant Veenstra (RSA) 73 68 73 70 73, Nico Els (RSA) 74 74 71 67 71, Dongkwan Kim (KOR) 72 70 70 74 71, JeanPaul Strydom (RSA) 72 71 69 74 71

England on course for record sackings

More managers will be sacked in the Premier League and Football League than ever before if current trends continue, according to the League Managers Association's (LMA) quarterly report.

As of the end of December, 27 managers – more than a quarter of the Premier League and Football league's 92 clubs – had been dismissed from their clubs. The tally is three more than at the same stage last season.

A further seven managers resigned or departed by mutual consent.

"If the trend continues we are on course to exceed the total dismissal record of 46 set in 2006-2007," the LMA report stated.

"The managers dismissed so far this season have been in post for an average of only 1.04 years."

Premier League dismissals are down six from last season, however, as only Crystal Palace's Neil Warnock and West Bromwich Albion's Alan Irvine were sacked by the New Year.

Twelve clubs in the Championship (second tier) dismissed managers up to December 31, with the average tenure of current managers in the division standing at an alarming 0.82 years.

Leeds United are on their third permanent manager of the season having appointed Neil Redfearn in November after the sackings of David Hockaday and Darko Milanic.

Five managers were sacked in League One (third tier) and eight in League Two (fourth tier).

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger remains the longest serving current manager at 18.26 years, while West Ham United's Sam Allardyce is the second longest serving Premier League manager at 3.5 years.

Queens Park Rangers boss Harry Redknapp, who has spent time in charge of West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur, holds the record for most games managed by a current manager at 1 383 matches.

Wawrinka and a selfie to remember

Stan Wawrinka is true to his word.

Last year, after winning the Australian Open, he vowed that upon his return in 2015 he would go straight to the corridor in Rod Laver Arena known as the Walk of Champions, to take a picture of himself standing beside his larger-than-life image on the wall.

And that is what Wawrinka did. He took a selfie.

"When I came back the first time here in the locker room, I had all the big memories from last year," Wawrinka said Saturday, after cruising to his third straight sets victory with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Jarkko Nieminen. "I came to see my picture and to take a picture with me with myself over there.

"That's the best feeling. To see my picture over there with all these amazing champions," said the 29-year-old Swiss, who has spent most of his career in the shadow of countryman Roger Federer.

Wawrinka is the defending champion, but he does not want to dwell on it - even though he enters post-match news conferences in a bright red T-shirt provided by his sponsor that says "Stan the Man".

He remains today, as he was right after his victory, more subdued than overjoyed when he talks about winning his first Grand Slam title. He gives the impression of a man who does not want to jinx his success by talking about it.

"My focus is on the tournament this year. I'm not thinking about last year," Wawrinka said. "I had some amazing memories last year, for sure. But it's really important to stay on what's happened today, and what's going to happen tomorrow."

In a news conference earlier in the week, Wawrinka said his approach was "to start at zero again," to try to wipe out thoughts that could prove distracting.

But to briefly revisit the past, Wawrinka's triumph last year included beating the then three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and then No 1-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final, despite having never beaten either of them before. As a result, he rose to a career-high ranking of No 3.

This year, Wawrinka is ranked No 4 and could meet Djokovic in the semifinals and face another final against Nadal, who has returned from injuries in a determined bid for the title.

No 6 Andy Murray, seeking his third Grand Slam trophy, is another possible opponent for the final.

As the Australian Open heads into its second week, the spotlight remains riveted on the top players still in the draw. The surprise third-round loss of No 2 Roger Federer means that only three of the so-called Big Four are still in contention.

Some high-profile observers, like Serena Williams, say Wawrinka cannot be overlooked.

"Stan is playing well. He's kind of flying under the radar," said Williams, who nonetheless says Murray is her favourite to win.

Keeping a low-profile suits Wawrinka fine.

"For sure, I'm not the focus. For me it doesn't matter," he said. "I'm feeling great. I'm happy the way I'm playing. To get to the second week again, it's great. So far, everything is good for me."

On Monday in the fourth round, Wawrinka has a score to settle against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who beat him in the first round of last year's French Open.

"That was a tough loss, that's for sure," he said. "It will be nice to play him again in a Grand Slam - here."

American foursome into fourth round

Top seed Serena Williams and her older sister Venus led a foursome of American women into the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday, while men's top seed Novak Djokovic survived a nervous start to overcome a feisty Fernando Verdasco.

It is the first time four women from the traditional tennis powerhouse, which has relied on the Williams sisters for much of their grand slam success in the past decade, have made the last 16 at a major since Roland Garros in 2013.

The sisters were joined in the last 16 by the two Madisons - Brengle and Keys - who will play each other - with the 19-year-old Keys upsetting twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-4 7-5 in the last match of the day.

"I think my hands are still shaking," said Keys, who is coached by former No 1 Lindsay Davenport. "I'm excited to play Maddie in the next round."

Twice champion Victoria Azarenka also advanced after a 6-4 6-4 victory over 25th seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and will now meet last year's beaten finallist Dominika Cibulkova.

FEDERER SHADOW

With Roger Federer's surprise exit on Friday still hanging over the tournament, the men's favourites had some nervous moments in their third round clashes on Saturday.

Djokovic was forced into a first set tiebreak by former top-10 player Verdasco, while fifth seed Kei Nishikori also dropped the first set tiebreak before he beat Steve Johnson.

Johnson and 19th-seed John Isner, who was beaten by Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, were the last American men in the singles competition, though North America will be represented in the fourth round by Canada's Milos Raonic.

Djokovic's match, which was temporarily halted before the third set as Verdasco took a timeout, did have another distraction with a marriage proposal in the stands that the world No 1 applauded when the woman accepted.

"I'm sure he was very happy when she said yes," a smiling Djokovic said. "It's nice to see this moment."

Men's champion Stan Wawrinka, pleased to be out of the glare of many people, also continued his quiet progression with a clinical victory over tricky lefthander Jarkko Nieminen.

"I'm not the focus on the tournament because there's Novak, Rafa coming back from injury, Roger also just lost, there's Kyrgios, Tomic still playing," Wawrinka said.

"For me, doesn't matter."

OMINOUS PORTENT

While Azarenka continues to lurk as a danger to anyone in the top half of the draw, an ominous portent developed over the rest of the women's field with the Williams' sisters success.

The last time the siblings reached the last 16 at Melbourne Park, Serena went on to win her fifth Australian Open title.

It was also the last time the 18-times grand slam winner lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

The world No 1 beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 4-6 6-2 6-0, while 18th seed Venus also needed a set to get going before she beat Italy's Camila Giorgi 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 to make her first grand slam fourth round sinceWimbledon in 2011.

"That feels fantastic especially when things happen in your life that are not in your control," said Venus, who struggles with Sjogren's syndrome, an auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain and fatigue.

"But I don't want to stop now, I want to keep it going.

"This little cat has a few tricks up her sleeve."

The 34-year old will now meet women's sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska who also continued her largely untroubled progress with a 6-0 7-5 win over another American Varvara Lepchenko, while Serena will play the enigmatic Garbine Muguruza.

The hard-hitting Spaniard beat Serena last year in the second round at Roland Garros and the tall right hander said that victory, while a 'perfect game', was not a factor on the Melbourne hard courts.

"I think I don't have nothing to lose," the 21-year-old said. "Just another match, same game, same concentration.

"Nothing new. ... I don't think I have pressure."

Rosberg expects title duel with Hamilton

Nico Rosberg expects another Formula One title duel with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton but no challenge from fellow-German former champion Sebastian Vettel who is now at Ferrari.

Rosberg told Saturday's Bild daily that he is highly optimistic ahead of the season starting on 15 March in Australia, after three rounds of testing beginning on 1 February.

"I am fully optimistic and believe it will be a duel with Lewis against me again," Rosberg said.

Mercedes totally dominated the 2014 season in which Hamilton beat Rosberg for his second career world title. Mercedes also won the constructors' list, ahead of Red Bull, surprise team Williams and Ferrari.

Rosberg named Red Bull and Williams big rivals again but doesn't believe that Ferrari can turn around their fortunes despite getting the four-time champion Vettel from Red Bull.

Rosberg said changes can't be achieved overnight, as he knows at Mercedes who struggled for several years before their breakthrough. Ferrari have not won a race since summer 2013, their last constructors' title was 2008 and the last drivers' title (from Kimi Raikkonen) 2007.

"I don't want to appear arrogant but if I go by the 2014 results I can risk it all and say no to a Ferrari challenge although one should never fully write them off," Rosberg said.

"Sebastian will see my taillights on many occasions," Rosberg vowed.

Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire out to make amends

Heavyweight contenders Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire will try to forget mediocre starts to the African Nations Cup when they play their second Group D matches later on Saturday.

Cote d'Ivoire take on Mali at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo before Cameroon meet Guinea at the same venue.

The first two group matches ended 1-1 with Cameroon coming from behind against Mali and the Ivorians, despite being down to 10 men, holding Guinea.

Striker Gervinho will be missing for the Elephants as he starts a two-match ban for the red card he received for retaliation against Guinea.

Captain Stephane Mbia returns for Cameroon after completing a suspension picked up in qualifying but his deputy Enoh Eyong is still out with injury.

On Friday, Senegal went top of Group C after a 1-1 draw with South Africa while Ghana beat Algeria 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Asamoah Gyan.

Grace claims the Qatar Masters

South African Branden Grace became the first player to win multiple events in the 2015 Race to Dubai after he held his nerve to win the Qatar Masters in Doha on Saturday.

Grace fired a bogey-free, six-under-par 66 to finish the tournament on 19-under, one shot clear of Scotland's Marc Warren (67) and two ahead of Austrian Bernd Wiesberger (68).

Tied at 18-under-par as they approached the 18th tee, Grace held his nerve with a birdie while Warren could only salvage par after his wayward tee-shot failed to find the fairway.

"It was a great day, a great week, and it's another trophy to put in the cupboard," Grace told the europeantour.com.

"The form has been there, I played great and I managed to get in on top."

Grace, who claimed his sixth career title and second in four starts this season, followed up a first-hole birdie with 10 successive pars before going five-under through the final seven holes.

Having shot birdies on the 12th and 14th, the 26-year-old carded a superb eagle on the 16th after a crushing tee-shot.

A second eagle nearly followed on the 18th but his sublime pitch shot tricked agonisingly wide.

Grace holed the three-foot putt for birdie while Warren failed with his 20-foot effort to force a playoff.

Warren's superb five-under-par back nine had helped him back into contention after an inconsistent front nine which yielded a bogey and double-bogey alongside three birdies.

World No 2 Henrik Stenson finished on 10-under-par while defending champion Sergio Garcia was well off the pace a further six shots adrift on four-under.

The Race to Dubai is the European Tour's season-long competition spanning 47 tournaments and was won by Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy in 2014.

FINAL SCORES

269 Branden Grace (South Africa) 67 68 68 66

270 Marc Warren (Britain) 71 65 67 67

271 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 69 66 68 68

272 Eddie Pepperell (Britain) 69 71 65 67

273 An Byeong-Hun (South Korea) 67 69 72 65, Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 67 69 67 70, Gregory Bourdy (France) 70 68 70 65

274 Alejandro Canizares (Spain) 67 70 68 69

275 Alexander Noren (Sweden) 67 71 72 65

276 Oliver Fisher (Britain) 65 73 69 69, Benjamin Hebert (France) 72 68 69 67

277 George Coetzee (South Africa) 68 67 70 72

278 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 70 73 67 68, Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 73 70 67 68, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 70 71 71 66, Magnus Carlsson (Sweden) 71 69 70 68, Johan Carlsson (Sweden) 74 65 69 70, Justin Rose (Britain) 68 73 69 68

279 Andy Sullivan (Britain) 71 68 70 70, Julien Quesne (France) 70 72 69 68, Anders Hansen (Denmark) 71 69 70 69, Seve Benson (Britain) 70 71 69 69

280 Tommy Fleetwood (Britain) 73 65 74 68, Felipe Aguilar (Chile) 71 68 72 69, Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) 69 73 69 69, Alvaro Quiros (Spain) 70 70 72 68, Ernie Els (South Africa) 67 72 70 71, Darren Fichardt (South Africa) 67 70 71 72 , Matthew Baldwin (Britain) 70 68 70 72

281 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (France) 70 70 69 72, Ricardo Gonzalez (Argentina) 69 70 73 69, Ross Fisher (Britain) 70 70 73 68

282 Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) 71 71 67 73, Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 66 73 70 73, Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 71 70 70 71, Stephen Gallacher (Britain) 68 75 72 67, Kristoffer Broberg (Sweden) 67 71 72 72

283 Shiv Kapur (India) 70 68 72 73, Brett Rumford (Australia) 69 72 73 69, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 68 71 75 69, Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 73 68 68 74, Jeev Milkha Singh (India) 70 70 73 70, Thomas Aiken (South Africa) 69 73 72 69, Renato Paratore (Italy) 69 69 70 75, Richard Green (Australia) 70 67 76 70

284 Peter Lawrie (Ireland) 70 68 73 73, Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 71 68 73 72, Dawie Van der Walt (South Africa) 72 69 70 73 , Paul Lawrie (Britain) 67 73 73 71, Sergio Garcia (Spain) 69 69 77 69, James Morrison (Britain) 68 70 75 71

285 Michael Hoey (Britain) 71 69 74 71, Mark Foster (Britain) 67 73 70 75, Andrew Johnston (Britain) 69 73 72 71, Jason Barnes (Britain) 72 70 72 71, Edouard Espana (France) 70 73 70 72, Tom Lewis (Britain) 72 71 69 73

286 Damien McGrane (Ireland) 68 72 74 72, Gregory Havret (France) 70 69 75 72, Eduardo De La Riva (Spain) 70 69 72 75, Peter Uihlein (U.S.) 69 73 71 73

287 Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 70 73 73 71, Jorge Campillo (Spain) 72 70 73 72, Mark Tullo (Chile) 69 74 73 71

288 Moritz Lampert (Germany) 67 74 77 70, Scott Jamieson (Britain) 68 73 72 75, Jake Roos (South Africa) 75 68 72 73

289 Matthew Nixon (Britain) 72 71 74 72, Adrian Otaegui (Spain) 73 70 73 73

290 Richard Finch (Britain) 71 72 75 72, Paul Waring (Britain) 70 72 76 72

293 Matthew Fitzpatrick (Britain) 68 71 77 77, Wade Ormsby (Australia) 74 69 71 79

294 Mikko Korhonen (Finland) 73 70 77 74