Jonas Vingegaard took another step towards winning his first Giro d'Italia on Friday after emerging unscathed from a brutal 19th stage won by his teammate Sepp Kuss.

Antoine Semenyo is set for his second World Cup with Ghana, this time as an established Premier League forward, but he came close to abandoning his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

France and Toulon wing Gael Drean will undergo heart surgery for a genetic condition, which will sideline him for several months, his club head coach Pierre Mignoni said on Friday.

Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga has urged his financially stricken team to go out on a high as the Super Rugby club prepare to play their final match, barring a last-minute reprieve.

Tunisian international Ali Abdi on Thursday received the backing of his French club Nice amid a "barrage of threats" for joining his national team before the Ligue 1's side crucial play-off.