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Dupont’s dream Rugby World Cup comeback ends in failure when France loses in Paris

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Antoine Dupont sank to one knee and covered his face with his hand as the disappointment of France’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to South Africa sank in.This was supposed to be his night, the script written perfectly for the captain to lead his side into the semifinals on home soil.Instead, Les Tricolores lost by one point — 29-28 — and the world’s best scrumhalf was unable to summon enough magic to make the difference. In fact, his performance became rather sloppy after a bright start.Dupont won his race to recover from surgery for a broken cheekbone sustained in a game against Namibia 3 1/2 weeks ago, and wore a scrum cap on his surgeon’s advice.He lasted the whole match with seemingly no ill effects. He even endured some rough stuff midway through the first half, when he was bundled to the ground by South Africa captain Siya Kolisi.When he was injured by an illegal head-on-head tackle by Namibia captain Johan Deysel on Sept. 21, Dupont thought his R...

Jones and Stewart help Liberty avoid sweep, take Game 3 of WNBA Finals, beat Aces 87-73

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones scored 27 points and Breanna Stewart added 20 to help the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 87-73 on Sunday in the WNBA Finals and force a Game 4.New York struggled in the first two games against the Aces in Las Vegas, but the Liberty found their shooting touch in Game 3 behind Jones, who hit four of the team’s 13 3-pointers.This was the Liberty’s first win in the WNBA Finals since Teresa Weatherspoon’s half-court shot in Game 2 against Houston in 1999. The Aces are up 2-1 in the best-of-five series and Game 4 is Wednesday night in New York.The Liberty led by three at halftime before scoring the first eight points of the third quarter to take a double-digit lead, bringing the crowd of 17,143 to its feet. They led 61-50 after three quarters.Behind A’ja Wilson, the Aces got to within six before Stewart hit a turnaround jumper and Betnijah Laney stole the ball from Jackie Young at halfcourt and made a layup to extend the lead...

Resilient Springboks stun host France in quarterfinals at Rugby World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Defending champion South Africa knocked France out of its home Rugby World Cup with a performance of sheer resilience to cling on 29-28 in the quarterfinals on Sunday.France played all the attacking rugby for the first 60 minutes, and had three tries in the first half, including two from prop Cyril Baille, who had France ahead as early as the fourth minute. South Africa also had three tries in the first 40, but all of them came against the run of play.Thomas Ramos kicked France into a 22-19 lead at halftime with South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth in the sin-bin.Ramos pushed that advantage to 25-19 in the 54th and France appeared in control with brilliant scrumhalf and captain Antoine Dupont pulling the strings on his return from a broken cheekbone and the home fans baying for a French victory at Stade de France.But the Springboks kept grinding despite a big territorial disadvantage and Etzebeth’s barging run for a try next to the posts in the 67th minute suddenly ...

Watson-less Browns deal Purdy, 49ers 1st loss of the season 19-17; Moody misses late FG attempt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal with six seconds left, leaving San Francisco stunned 19-17 by the Cleveland Browns, who ended the 49ers’ regular-season winning streak at 15 on Sunday and handed quarterback Brock Purdy his first loss as an NFL starter.Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals for the Browns (3-2) — the last with 1:40 left, capping a drive helped by a disputed unnecessary roughness call against San Francisco (5-1). Cleveland pulled off the league’s biggest upset this season without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who missed his second straight game with a bruised right shoulder.The 49ers were short-handed without playmakers Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, who went out with injuries.P.J. Walker came off Cleveland’s practice squad and outplayed Purdy, who had won his first 10 starts.Purdy nearly pulled out a comeback, driving the 49ers into field-goal range in the final seconds before Moody pushed his attempt to the right.Purdy was 12 of 27...

Upset father shoots youth football coach in St. Louis over his son’s playing time, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A youth football coach in St. Louis has been hospitalized in critical but stable condition after being shot at practice, allegedly by a father who was upset about his son’s playing time, authorities said.Shaquille Latimore, 30, was shot multiple times Tuesday evening at Sherman Park. Daryl Clemmons, 43, later turned himself in, police said. He was charged Wednesday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.Clemmons does not yet have an attorney who could speak on his behalf, according to Missouri’s online court-reporting system. A call to a phone number listed for him went unanswered. He remains jailed without bond.Relatives told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Shaquille Latimore has undergone surgery and is in good spirits.Shaquille Latimore coaches a little league football team made up primarily of 7- and 8-year-olds, his mother, SeMiko Latimore, told the newspaper.Shaquille Latimore told police that Clemmons was “upset with him for not starti...

Netanyahu vows to ‘demolish’ Hamas as Israel prepares to move into Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to “demolish Hamas” as Israeli forces prepared to move into the Gaza Strip in pursuit of Islamist militants.Israel has told Palestinians to evacuate south in the Gaza Strip. In the enclave, where conditions are deteriorating and deaths from Israeli air strikes are rising, civilians said they were not safe anywhere, according to media reports. Militant group Hamas has told them to ignore Israel’s message to evacuate and move south.The Israeli military said its forces were preparing to implement a “wide range of operational offensive plans” amid heightened expectations of an imminent invasion of the Gaza Strip, a week after Hamas gunmen launched a devastating attack on Israel. Israeli forces were increasing operational readiness for the next stages of the war, “with an emphasis on significant ground operations,” according to a statement from the military.The Israel Defense Forces said it hit “...

Police respond to rollover crash in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

Boston police responded to an early morning rollover crash in Roxbury.Officers responding to the crash on Columbus Avenue found the crumpled vehicle on its roof.Two passengers in the vehicle were hospitalized with minor injuries.No additional information was immediately available.

Police: Suspect arrested in Roxbury stabbing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

A Fitchburg man is facing criminal charges in connection with a stabbing on Southampton Street in Roxbury late Saturday night.Officers responding to a reported stabbing in the area of 112 Southampton St. around 9:45 p.m. found the victim suffering from non-life-threatening stab wounds to the shoulder and lower back, according to Boston police.Alexander Aulet, 40, was arrested on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Aulet is expected to be arraigned Monday in Roxbury District Court.

Forecasters watching would-be ‘Tammy’ in the Atlantic 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

A tropical depression or potentially Tropical Storm Tammy “likely to form” in the next few days from a system expected to move toward the central tropical Atlantic, National Hurricane Center forecasters said Sunday.That system, which emerged off Africa on Wednesday has a 60% chance to develop in the next two days and a 90% chance in the next seven days, according to the center’s 8 a.m. advisory.Meanwhile, the former Tropical Storm Sean was once again a tropical depression, which was expected to fade to a remnant low Sunday. Sean, located in the central tropical Atlantic, is forecast to dissipate late Monday.So far this season in the Atlantic, there have been 18 named storms, six of which were hurricanes. Of those, three were major hurricanes, meaning Category 3 or above.Those were Hurricane Lee, a rare Category 5; Hurricane Franklin, a Category 4; and Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend region at Category 3 strength on Aug. 30.After Tammy, the remaining storm...

No severe weather expected, but rain possible to start and end week, NWS says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:21 GMT

It’s mostly quiet on the weather front, according to the National Weather Service.Forecasters with the NWS station in Norton predict weather around Boston will be mostly calm and seasonal through the workweek, with just a slight chance of sporadic rain to start but potential for more through the weekend.Monday will include some “very widely scattered showers,” according to NWS meteorologist Bryce Williams, who said a 30% chance of rain is possible through most of the day. Temps will be in the mid-40s when the commute begins before climbing toward the 60s through the day, he said. The weather service expects more of the same overnight into Tuesday, when temperatures will drop back into the mid-40s.More scattered showers are possible Tuesday, coming mostly between the morning and afternoon commutes. NWS is again expecting a 30% chance of precipitation around Boston, Williams said. Winds aren’t expected to top 10 mph for the first two days of the week and become still-to-variable...