🗞 Five Little Ducks

G'day sports fans,

Classic quote: “Chemistry is a class you take in high school or college, where you figure out two plus two is 10, or something” - Dennis Rodman on Team Chemistry.

🧹 Housekeeping: I’m away at the moment with the worst wifi of all-time. Therefore you can expect the next edition of Sport Journal bright and early on Monday 25th September. As always thank you to everyone for your continued support in reading and sharing Sport Journal.

🏉 Fiji have pulled off a major upset with a 22-15 win over the Wallabies in Saint Etienne.

It's their first win over the Wallabies since 1954 as they kept their World Cup hopes alive.

Ben Donaldson opened the scoring but it was Fiji that looked to tick the scoreboard over throughout the first half through the boot of scrum half Simione Kuruvoli.

The Fijians brought a physical edge in trademark fashion to start the game, brutalising defenders through the likes of Tuisova and Jiuta Wainiqolo.

Player of the match Josua Tuisova latched onto a loose ball at the start of the second half to extend the advantage to 22-8.

Suliasi Vunivalu gave the Australians some hope late, only for Fiji to hang on for the victory.

WALLABIES 15

• TRIES: Nawaqanitawase, Vunivalu

• CONS: Donaldson 0/1

• PENS: Donaldson 1/1

FIJI 22

• TRIES: Tuisova

• CONS: Kuruvoli 1/1, Lomani 1/2

• PENS: Kuruvoli 4/4, Lomani 0/1

🏏 Marco Jansen’s all-round masterclass has steered South Africa towards a 3-2 series triumph over Australia, with the hosts securing a comprehensive 122-run victory in the series finale at Wanderers on Sunday.

In response, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh smacked a half-century before the tourists lost 8-69 in a dramatic collapse, ultimately bowled out for 193 in 34.1 overs with Jansen taking a career-best 5-39.

It marks the first time that Australia has lost a bilateral ODI series after winning the opening two matches.

🏟️ icymi: The AFL have confirmed a twilight preliminary final at the Gabba for Brisbane's massive Saturday of preliminary finals football.

The Lions will host Carlton from 5.15pm ahead of the NRL preliminary final between the Broncos and NZ Warriors from 7.50pm at Suncorp Stadium.

🏏 Travis Head has been ruled out of Australia’s upcoming ODI series against India, with Victoria’s Matt Short earning a call-up in his absence.

On Sunday evening, Cricket Australia unveiled an 18-player squad for the three-match series against India, which gets underway in Mohali on Friday evening AEST. (Full Squad)

Head, who fractured his wrist during Friday’s ODI against the Proteas at Centurion, was the notable absentee, with the 29-year-old set to return to Australia following the ongoing white-ball tour of South Africa.

🚘 Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup have held on to win the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 after a Safety Car period energised the first endurance race of the Gen3 era.

🇦🇺 Collingwood has confirmed young gun Nick Daicos will be available for the preliminary final clash against GWS after overcoming the knee injury he suffered six weeks ago.

🇦🇺 The evolution of the great game, this was the AFL football many grew up with. How many of these actions would get a life ban these days » (Twitter)

🏉 Penrith playmaker Jarome Luai's teammates are optimistic about his push to be fit for the club's preliminary final after he joined the main squad for a field session on Sunday.

Luai is now gunning to be ready for Friday night's preliminary final against Melbourne at Sydney Olympic Park.

❤️ Indigenous rugby league pioneer Lionel Morgan has died, aged 85.

The first Indigenous player to represent Australia in rugby league, Morgan scored a double on debut against France in 1960 before playing two more Tests against the nation.

The winger, who died on Saturday night in Brisbane, also played 12 interstate matches for Queensland against NSW between 1960 and 1963, scoring 11 tries.

🏎️ Carlos Sainz won the Singapore Grand Prix with a controlled drive for Ferrari that ended Max Verstappen and Red Bull's winning run.

Sainz managed the race expertly from the front while Verstappen fought back to fifth place after starting in 11th on a difficult weekend for Red Bull.

Sainz led McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton nose to tail across the line after George Russell crashed out of third place on the last lap.

⚽️ EPL: Arsenal dug deep to secure a narrow but well-deserved 1-0 win over struggling Everton at Goodison Park.

The Gunners - have suffered away at Everton in recent years, losing on four of their last five visits.

But the Toffees, still without a Premier League win this season, were desperately short of quality and Arsenal substitute Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock with a classy side-foot finish after 69 minutes.

Bournemouth and Chelsea continued their lacklustre starts to the campaign with the first goalless draw of the Premier League season.

🏏 India bowled out Sri Lanka for 50 on their way to winning the Asia Cup with a 10-wicket thrashing in Colombo.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj took 6-21, including four wickets in one over, as Sri Lanka were dismissed in just 15.2 overs after electing to bat.

Hardik Pandya took three wickets in his 2.2 overs as five Sri Lanka batters were dismissed for ducks.

🏈 It's "not out of the question" that Aaron Rodgers could return this season, sources told ESPN, but the New York Jets quarterback has not and will not put a specific timeline on his return.

Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers tore his Achilles in 2021 and came back faster than virtually any professional athlete: just under five months. Rodgers tore his Achilles on Sept. 11 -- exactly five months before this season's Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

🏉 South Africa scrum-half Cobus Reinach scored a the second quickest hat-trick in World Cup history inside 25 minutes as his side cruised past Romania with an 12-try win in Pool B in Bordeaux.

Makazole Mapimpi also completed a hat-trick in the second half in a 76-0 win.

⚽️ Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, is suing former club Juventus for AU$35m in wages that were left pending during the Covid pandemic.

TODAY

06:25 - NFL - Dallas Cowboys v New York Jets (ESPN)

06:25 - NFL - Denver Broncos v Washington Commanders (7mate)

08:00 - PGA TOUR - Fortinet Championship, Round 4 (Fox Sports)

09:00 - CPLT20 - Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals (Fox Cricket)

09:10 - MLB - Arizona Diamondbacks v Chicago Cubs (ESPN 2)

10:20 - NFL - New England Patriots v Miami Dolphins (ESPN)

17:00 - NBL Blitz - Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks (Kayo Sports)

19:30 - NBL Blitz - Sydney Kings v South East Melbourne Phoenix (Kayo Sports)

TUESDAY

04:45 - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Burnley (Optus Sport 1)

05:00 - Spanish La Liga - Granada v Girona (Optus Sport 2)

09:15 - NFL - Carolina Panthers v New Orleans Saints (ESPN)

10:15 - NFL - Pittsburgh Steelers v Cleveland Browns (ESPN 2)

17:00 - NBL Blitz - New Zealand Breakers v Tasmania JackJumpers (Kayo Sports)

19:30 - NBL Blitz - Perth Wildcats v Adelaide 36ers (Kayo Sports)