Serena, the world’s top women’s tennis player, was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year again, after a sparkling 2015 in which she won three Grand Slams.

Laureus Academy Member Boris Becker, now Djokovic’s coach, said: “He had a great year again. He’s played 88 matches, has won 82, He won three out of the four Grand Slams, reached the final of the French Open, he’s won seven other tournaments. Very few players, if any, had a year like that.”

There was a special posthumous Laureus Spirit of Sport Award to celebrate the life of Johan Cruyff, who died in March. It was received by his son Jordi Cruyff.

On a glittering evening in Berlin that recognised the outstanding sporting achievements of 2015, rugby was the other big winner with the All Blacks taking the Laureus Team Award and Dan Carter receiving the Laureus Comeback of the Year Award, following the team’s Rugby World Cup success.

Carter said: “It’s nice to be recognised for the year I had in 2015. It was a very special year, not only for me, but also for the All Blacks and to be a part of that was amazing.”

To the delight of the Berlin audience, Germany’s Jan Frodeno, the first man to win both the Ironman World Championship and an Olympic triathlon gold medal, was presented with the Laureus Action Sports Award, while golfer Jordan Spieth won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award. Spieth said: “Thank you so much to the Laureus Academy. Just to know a couple of you is an honour. For me it’s unique. We’re used to being recognised in the golfing community but this Award recognises us around the world to all of sport and it’s something that’s very difficult to put into words.” Brazilian Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias won his third Laureus Disability Award, another record. Dias, who is one of Brazil’s big hopes for gold medals the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in September, said: “This is another great honour for me and gives me great encouragement, as we are now in the build-up to the Paralympic Games in Rio. To think I have won win three Laureus Awards, something only managed by other sportsmen like Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Kelly Slater, is quite overwhelming.”

Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda, now Non-Executive Chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ahead of New Zealand’s 34-17 victory, Australian supporters were full of optimism as they watched the match live on big screens as if they were at the game in Twickenham.

“Honestly I think our back three are just unbeatable when it comes to the forwards … we’ve got much stronger wings and our field and centres are going to be awesome,” Wallabies fan Daniel Meharg said.
But there were also New Zealand fans in Australian pubs, hoping the All Blacks could clinch back-to-back titles.

“I think the All Blacks have got greater intensity and greater strength off the bench to really take it away from the Australians in the last quarter … so I think that’s going to be the difference up until then,” All Blacks fan Mike Bentley said.

“It’s going to be a tight-fought match.”

At the sound of the final whistle, shattered Wallabies fans contemplated what could have been.

“Obviously I’m very, very, very shattered, but the All Blacks did a great job,” Wallabies supporter Tim Rogers said.

Wallabies fan Paige McLaren said the atmosphere in the pub she watched the game in was “sombre” after the game.

“It’s devastating because we were in a World Cup final, but it’s always hard against the All Blacks and they put up a good fight, but it’s never good losing to New Zealand,” she said.
New Zealand fans were jumping for joy, with their team breaking records by winning three titles and successfully defending a World Cup crown.

“One of the best games I’ve watched them play … that drop goal was just astonishing … and it’s just such a great feeling to win two in a row,” New Zealand supporter Richard Hobbs said.

Philip Fuaivaa, who was born and raised in New Zealand, said it was an “awesome feeling” to have his hometown win the World Cup.

“These are our heroes from childhood … As a Kiwi would know, All Black means everything,” he said.

“With the All Blacks winning, it’s the best feeling ever.” (abc)

The winners will top the group and so avoid South Africa, whose 64-0 thrashing of the United States on Wednesday continued their revival after a shock opening loss to Japan, in the last eight.

Both the Wallabies and Wales have won all three of their ‘Pool of Death’ matches so far, with every World Cup-winning team, including Australia in 1991 and 1999, going through the tournament unbeaten.

“No team ever won the World Cup losing a game,” said Australia coach Michael Cheika.

“It is going to be a big game for us. It is going to be a massive battle and pretty painful.”

Wales have lost their last 10 Tests against Australia — a sequence that includes a third place play-off defeat at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

But that did not stop Cheika labelling Wales counterpart Warren Gatland as the “master coach” last week.

Although Cheika has only been in charge of the Wallabies for barely a year, the Australian’s attempts to present himself as a novice cut no ice with Gatland.

After all, Cheika is the only coach to have won both the European Cup, with Irish province Leinster, and the southern hemisphere’s Super Rugby competition, with the New South Wales Waratahs.

This year also saw Cheika guide Australia to the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship title.

Australia underlined their credentials as title contenders with an impressive 33-13 win over England last weekend that knocked the tournament hosts, beaten 28-25 by Wales the previous week, out of the event.

Bernard Foley scored 28 points in an impressive all-round exhibition of fly-half play, while Australia’s back-row of David Pocock, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy bossed the breakdown.

Hooper, however, will be absent on Saturday because of a one-week ban for a shoulder charge, with his place taken by Sean McMahon.

The 33-year-old fly-half, already France’s all-time leading scorer, scored 14 points to go 12 past Thierry Lacroix’s previous mark of 124.
Michalak earned the man-of-the-match award in front of a record crowd for Millennium Stadium of 28,145 including Prince Harry.
France’s far from convincing win — the Canadians came back from 17-0 down to 17-12 — sets them up for their final Pool D clash against Ireland on October 11 to decide who tops the table and avoids a probable clash against New Zealand.
The Irish, unbeaten in two games so far, play Italy on Sunday.

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre said that while there had been a spell of poor play by his side he was pleased overall.
“The end result is three games, three wins and 14 points from a possible 15.
“As a group we are eager to go far and we have some huge games to come starting with Ireland.”
A typical piece of visionary brilliance by Michalak in the fourth minute opened up the Canadian defence.
He handed off one of the props dismissively, burst free, drew his defender and with a sublime sleight of hand passed the ball to Wesley Fofana who ran the ball in.

Michalak converted to draw level with Lacroix’s record.
He broke it in the 15th minute slotting over a penalty to make it 10-0. The Canadians’ evening worsened as captain Tyler Ardron had to go off with a knee injury.
Michalak and Fofana nearly combined for a second try in the 24th minute. Michalak placed a cheeky cross field kick into Fofana’s path over the try line but the centre could not quite gather the ball to touch it down.
However, the French did not have to wait long to add to their tally. Hooker Guilhem Guirado bundled over with Michalak adding the extras for 17-0.

The Canadians struck back almost immediately. French debutant Remy Grosso was beaten in the air and the ball was eventually worked brilliantly out to the other wing where DTH van der Merwe used his speed to outpace the defence and touchdown.
– Van der Merwe’s trio –
It took van der Merwe onto 19 Test tries and his third in three games at this World Cup.
Hirayama converted to rousing cheers, including several spectators dressed as Canadian Mounties, for 17-7.
The Mounties were whooping and hollering minutes later as unbelievably the Canadians scored a second try. Hooker Aaron Carpenter planted the ball on the line — though Hirayama missed the conversion — for 17-12.
The French pulled themselves together and responded with a try two minutes from the break, the ball worked by Bernard Le Roux to lock Pascal Pape for prop Rabah Slimani to finish it off. Michalak converted for 24-12.
Hirayama reduced the deficit two minutes into the second-half to make it 24-16.
The fly-half deservedly drew the Canadians within a converted try of the French, slotting over another penalty as the clock ticked over into the 55th minute.

Michalak made it 27-18 with another penalty.
The French grabbed their bonus point fourth try when Pape squeezed the ball through a mass of bodies and Michalak converted for 34-18 with 13 minutes remaining.
The Canadians tired and saw replacement Nanyak Dala Bieng sin-binned as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
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