Rugby Union The former Springbok prop, Johan le Roux, was sent off four days after returning from a 19-month suspension as Transvaal lost 13-9 to the Australian Capital Territory in a Super-12 match yesterday. Le Roux was dismissed by the referee, Wayne Erickson, five minutes into the second half after allegedly butting the opposing hooker, Marco Caputo, who left the field with blood streaming from a gashed forehead but returned after treatment.Le Roux, 34, was given his ban after biting the ear of the New Zealand captain, Sean Fitzpatrick, during a Test against the All Blacks in July 1994 - he was sent home from the tour and ruled out of last year's World Cup in South Africa. South Africa 328 for 3 (A C Hudson 161, G Kirsten 83); Netherlands 168 for 8 (at stadium, Rawalpindi, India).P W L T NR Pts RRSouth Africa 5 5 0 0 0 10 2.06Pakistan 4 3 1 0 0 6 0.99New Zealand 4 3 1 0 0 6 0.94England 5 2 3 0 0 4 -0.07UAE 5 1 4 0 0 2 -1.83Netherlands 5 0 5 0 0 0 -1.95TODAY: Group A: India v Zimbabwe (at Green Park stadium, Kanpur, India) TV: Sky Sports: Live 03.30-11.30 Sri Lanka v Kenya (at Asgiriya stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka) TV: Sky Sports: Highlights 19.00-22.00. His 161 off 132 balls, including four sixes and 12 fours, was a chanceless innings that propelled South Africa to their 10th successive one-day international victory.South Africa left the Netherlands facing the task of scoring at an average of 6.58 an over for victory, and despite making 50 off their first 11 overs, with 47-year-old veteran Nolan Clarke finally finding form in the tournament, it was always likely to be beyond them.(South Africa won toss)SOUTH AFRICAG Kirsten c Zuiderent b Aponso 83A C Hudson c Zuiderent b Gouka 161*W J Cronje c Lubbers b Cantrell 41D J Cullinan not out 19J H Kallis not out 17Extras (lb5, w2) 7Total (for 3, 50 overs) 328Fall: 1-186, 2-274, 3-301.Did not bat: B N McMillan, S M Pollock, S J Palframan, P L Symcox, C R Matthews, A A Donald.Bowling: Bakker 10-1-64-0; Lubbers 8-0-50-0; De Leede 10-0-59-0; Aponso 10-0-57-1; Cantrell 10-0-61-1; Gouka 2-0-32-1.NETHERLANDSN E Clarke c Pollock b Donald 32P E Cantrell c and b Matthews 23T B M de Leede b Donald 12K J van Noortwijk c Palframan b Symcox 9F Aponso c Kirsten b Symcox 6B Zuiderent run out 27M Schewe b Matthews 20E Gouka c Kallis b Pollock 19R F van Oosterom not out 5*S W Lubbers not out 2Extras (lb7, w5, nb1) 13Total (for 8, 50 overs) 168Fall: 1-56, 2-70, 3-81, 4-86, 5-97, 6-126, 7-158, 8-163.Did Not Bat: P J Bakker.Bowling: Pollock 8-0-35-1; Matthews 10-0-38-2; Donald 6-0-21-2; Cronje 3-1-3-0; Symcox 10-1-22-2; McMillan 4-2-5-0; Kallis 7-1-30-0; Cullinan 2-0-7-0.World Cup updateYESTERDAY: Group B: South Africa bt the Netherlands by 160 runs. The Netherlands, the only team not to have won a game in the tournament, were then restricted to 168 for 8.Hudson and Kirsten (83), broke the 11-year-old Cup record for a first- wicket stand of 182, by Australia's Rick McCosker and Alan Turner against Sri Lanka at The Oval in 1975.South Africa's total was their highest in one-day internationals, while Hudson's score was the third best by a South African batsman. They now face the likely prospect of a quarter-final against the West Indies.Hudson shared in a Cup-record opening partnership of 186 with Gary Kirsten, spurring South Africa to 328 for 3 in the Group B match. Cricket South Africa 328-3 Netherlands 168-8 (South Africa win by 160 runs) Andrew Hudson plundered 161 and shared in two records as South Africa continued their unbeaten sequence at Rawal- pindi, Pakistan, yesterday with a 160-run World Cup win over the Netherlands.

"I got the beating of my life.""Be careful you don't get any flashbacks," came back Welch.. "I'm more relaxed now," he said, "and ready to give young Scott a few lessons." For Bugner's sake, it is to be hoped he will be able to see the sucker punch coming rather better than he did at yesterday's press conference."What was the worst loss you ever had, Joe", Welch enquired respectfully."Against Ron Lyle in 1977, in Las Vegas," replied Bugner. He put it down to pre-fight nerves that he never really punched his full weight. "He was allowed to get away with things that were totally out of order. I reckon he must have hit me about seven times on the back of my head without the referee intervening once."Never in love with the game, Bugner is a gentle giant who only ever produced his best when riled or hurt by an opponent, the Bruno match notwithstanding. "I would love to eventually fight Bruno again because I believe I was done an injustice in our fight at White Hart Lane nine years ago," Bugner said. "Cooper walked in my shadow as a fighter," Bugner said.Carrying a couple of stones more, at 18 and a half, than in his halcyon days when he fought very creditably against the likes of Ali and Joe Frazier (whom he still believes he beat at Earls Court in '73), Bugner sees this undercard match as a mere stepping stone to the likes of Tyson (shudder the thought), Bruno and Bruce Selsdon.

The Board have said they will review their decision if he wins. The Budapest-born Bugner was never taken to his adopted country's bosom like Our 'Enery and believes that "[one or two at the board] still have the needle" with him for beating Henry Cooper in that controversial contest, the 25th anniversary of which he will mark with the fight against Welch, who was two at the time. Indeed it was hard not to see the funny side of this particular match, given that Welch owns two old people's homes on the South Coast ("I'm used to dealing with old people").The affable old champ took it all in good humour, though he was bitter about the British Boxing Board of Control's refusal to grant him a licence to fight in this country. But since the fight is on the same night as not only Bruno-Tyson, but Naseem Hamed's first defence of his World Boxing Organisation featherweight championship against Said Lawal, there is every chance that it could go completely unnoticed outside of Berlin bierkellers.Thanks to George Foreman, the prospect of fighting grandads is not as preposterous as it ought to be.