Football was particularly in the spotlight during the weekend, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August. In addition to the Premier League and the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 has resumed its rights. The champion of France, Paris Saint-Germain, already seems to be in good shape. The sports news was also marked by a new defeat of the All Blacks in rugby and by two French victories in cycling. On the other hand, the British GP did not smile on the Habs in MotoGP. Franceinfo: sport summarizes what to remember from the weekend.
Rugby: New Zealand bows again
The bad patch continues for the All Blacks. On the first day of the Rugby Championship on Saturday, New Zealand lost significantly to South Africa (26-10). It is New Zealand’s third consecutive defeat, after two straight defeats against Ireland in July.
Not to be tonight. See you next week @Springboks #RSAvNZL #TRC2022 pic.twitter.com/YJvBW594Bn
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 6, 2022
The Springboks have sometimes given a rugby lesson to their opponents. Dominated in all areas of the game, Sam Cane’s teammates were slightly deluded by scoring a try by Shannon Frizell (78th) while South Africa were playing at 14, after the exclusion of Kurt-Lee Arendse for a charge dangerous on Beauden Barrett. The two teams are due to meet on August 13 in Johannesburg.
Ligue 1: PSG starts with a bang
After four goals against Nantes in the Champions Trophy, Christophe Galtier’s players scored five goals for their opening match of the Ligue 1 championship, in Clermont. While Lionel Messi scored on a nice acrobatic return, Neymar particularly impressed in Auvergne. Sharp and true conductor of the Parisian attack, the Brazilian striker scored a goal and delivered three assists.
An ideal start! First win in #League 1 with the way for our Parisians @ClermontFoot 0⃣ – 5⃣ @PSG_inside
⚽️ @neymarjr 9′
⚽️ @AchrafHakimi 26′
⚽️ @marquinhos_m5 39′
⚽️ Leo Messi 80′, 86′ #CF63PSG pic.twitter.com/MewejI6bvb— Paris Saint Germain (@PSG_inside) August 6, 2022
MotoGP: slack for Quartararo, Zarco falls
The French missed their meeting at Silverstone, during the twelfth round of the MotoGP world championship. The leader of the classification, Fabio Quartararo, finished eighth in a British Grand Prix won by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). The Yamaha rider still remains at the top of the general classification, with 22 points ahead of his Spanish rival, Aleix Espargaro, also disappointing (9th place).
The other Frenchman, Johann Zarco can also harbor great regrets. Starting from pole position, the Ducati Pramac rider only spent four laps in the lead. After having badly negotiated a slow corner, Zarco finished in the gravel, before retiring. “It puts the balls“, reacted the 32-year-old pilot who is still racing after his first victory in MotoGP.
Cycling: Sivakov and Cordon-Ragot win
Frenchman Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) won the Tour de Burgos on Saturday. At 25, he signs his third success in a stage race after his victories in 2019 at the Tour of the Alps and the Tour of Poland. The Franco-Russian runner, who has been running under French license since March 2022, is the third Tricolore to win in the Spanish province, after Armand de Las Cuevas (1994) and Laurent Jalabert (1997).
Thanks boys! ❤️ So good to be back on the first step of the podium pic.twitter.com/eYFlQokqYS
— Pavel Sivakov (@PavelSivakov) August 7, 2022
French champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) is also smiling, after raising her arms twice this weekend. She first won the team time trial at the Swedish Open on Saturday. The 32-year-old runner, 78th in the last Tour de France women, did it again on Sunday, taking advantage of the downgrading of the Dutchwoman Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) to also win the road race. This is his first victory at the World Tour level.