ACT coach David Nucifora says the Canterbury Crusaders’ historical dominance over the Brumbies is irrelevant and that his side have the players to win Saturday’s Super 12 rugby final. The New Zealanders have beaten the Brumbies in five of their last six meetings.

Dwayne Smith hit a run-a-ball 62 on Sunday and added two wonderful outfield catches to help lead the West Indies to a series-clinching 23-run victory over Bangladesh in a shortened one-day international at Arnos Vale. The West Indies have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Sri Lanka completed a Test and one-day international whitewash over Zimbabwe when they won the second Test match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Monday by an innings and 254 runs. This was marginally better than their victory in Harare last week when the margin was an innings and 240 runs.

Morocco will rally behind South Africa as Africa’s representative for the 2010 Soccer World Cup Bid, its embassy said on Monday. ”Now that the bid competition is over, let us rally, in the true African spirit of brotherhood and solidarity, behind South Africa as our representative in the world of football,” the embassy said.

Moroka Swallows and relegation candidates Hellenic played to a 1-1 draw in their Premier Soccer League game at PAM Brink Stadium in Springs on Sunday. Swallows opened the score when captain Goodman Mazibuko hit home with a header from a corner kick by Peter Lekone in the 17th minute.

Prior to their big midweek Premier Soccer League fixture against Kaizer Chiefs, Supersport United coach Pitso Mosimane has declared their game against the Amakhosi not all that important to his side. Mosimane claimed that more crucial was for his side to beat Al Hilal of Sudan in their first-leg CAF Champions Cup match at the weekend.

Zimbabwe’s cricket vice-captain Dion Ebrahim was on Sunday banned for one Test match for making ”inappropriate” remarks about the delivery action of Sri Lanka spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan. Ebrahim’s comments were reported to match referee Mike Procter in Bulawayo after the first day’s play of the second Test.

Real Madrid’s spectacular end-of-season collapse continued when they recorded their fourth straight loss, going down ignominiously 2-1 at already-relegated bottom club Murcia on Sunday. Never before, since the Spanish league started 75 years ago, have Real suffered such a losing streak.