South Africa 126 for 2 (Malan 63*) and 223 require 312 more runs to beat England 269 and 391 for 8 dec (Sibley 133*, Root 61, Stokes 72)

Mark Boucher encouraged his South Africa side to channel the spirit of the 2008 Perth Test last night, and Pieter Malan's battling, unbeaten 63 left them dreaming of an improbable escape on the fourth evening of the Newlands Test despite James Anderson's late wicket.

After England looked to hammer their advantage home in the day's first session, with Dom Sibley completing his maiden Test hundred and Ben Stokes clubbing 72 off only 47 balls, South African heads began to drop with the lead soaring past 400.

But after the declaration came 20 minutes after lunch, Malan and Dean Elgar were resolute, leaving the ball well and blunting England's attack on a pitch that looked to possess few demons by the close. Elgar fell for 34 after struggling against the part-time legspin of Joe Denly, but Malan put on 52 with Zubayr Hamza to push South Africa towards the close before Anderson coaxed an edge out of Hamza to give England a vital breakthrough.

That wicket left South Africa needing 312 more runs on the final day. If that target seemed a tall order, then the fact that conditions have become increasingly favourable for batting suggests that a draw is by no means impossible.

After Dom Bess's dismissal to the final ball of the third day, Stokes wasted little time in signalling England's attacking intentions in the morning session. He bludgeoned the eighth delivery he faced to the midwicket boundary off Dwaine Pretorius, and hit the same bowler for six down the ground and through third man with a delicate reverse-lap in consecutive balls at the start of his next over.

Unexpectedly, Faf du Plessis had declined to take the new ball as soon as it became available, instead hoping that Keshav Maharaj might lull Stokes into a false stroke. Stokes took the bait, ripping it clean off while avoiding the hook as he deposited him over midwicket for six.

The new ball then came, but Stokes showed no signs of slowing down as Vernon Philander's 14th over of the innings went for as many runs (12) as his previous 13 combined. Kagiso Rabada fared little better, and at one stage, Stokes was on 38 off 26 balls at the same time that the unmoved Sibley had added only three from the 31 deliveries he had faced.

After edging through the vacant third-slip area for four, Sibley nailed a sweep shot off Maharaj to bring up his maiden Test hundred, the first by an England opener at Newlands since Jack Hobbs in 1910. He began to move through the gears himself, perhaps inspired by the carnage unfolding at the other end as Stokes smote four, six, four off three Maharaj balls to move to 70 from 42.

But he was soon to go, slapping the left-arm spinner to Rassie van der Dussen at long-on after 75 destructive minutes to start the day. Ollie Pope dragged on while looking to force the ball through the off side before Jos Buttler edged the unwell Anrich Nortje through to Quinton de Kock while scooping, and Sam Curran picked out Hamza at midwicket three balls after lunch.

Sibley, however, stuck to his task, hitting a rare six and reverse-sweeping four more off Maharaj, before Joe Root decided he had seen enough and called his men in with 438 the target.

Malan and Elgar started watchfully, showing good judgement in leaving the ball and looking to score when England erred from their lengths. England thought they had made the breakthrough only ten balls into the innings, as Stuart Broad rapped Malan on the pad, but Kumar Dharmasena shook his head and was proved right when Ultra-Edge revealed a large spike as the ball passed the inside edge following England's review.

Root turned to spin early in the piece, bringing Bess on to bowl the ninth over of the innings, but it was not until Denly's introduction immediately before tea that Elgar looked particularly troubled.

Perhaps by a quirk of fate, Elgar had only faced 106 balls of legspin in his Test career before this game, despite playing as many as 104 innings, and he immediately struggled to read Denly's legbreaks, which turned and bounced appreciably out of the rough. He survived until the interval after being struck on the thumb, but then feathered an edge through to Buttler when lunging forward in defence to give England the breakthrough.

Elgar reviewed Paul Reiffel's decision almost immediately, but Ultra-Edge suggested he had got the faintest of scratches on the ball, enough evidence for the on-field decision to be upheld, and he was left to rue what he perceived to be his misfortune.

It seemed like a big moment, with Hamza struggling against Broad throughout the series - the No. 3 had been dismissed by him in all three innings - and South Africa's first fifty stand for the first wicket in 17 Test innings coming to an end. But despite both batsmen taking regular body blows, and Malan in particular leaving several deliveries that seemed almost certain to hit the top of his off stump, South Africa were set to survive until the close.

But Anderson re-wrote the script's finale, after finding a fraction of reverse swing late in the day. After shaping the ball in towards Malan in the first over of his final spell, the second ball of Anderson's next over nibbled away off the seam, finding the outside edge as Hamza pushed at the ball expecting it to come back in. It was Anderson's 92nd wicket against South Africa, taking him past Shaun Pollock (91) as the leading wicket-taker in England-South Africa Tests.

It seemed as though Malan in particular would prove a tricky man for England to dismiss: as Boucher had hoped, he was positive in using his feet against the spinners, and survived a short-ball barrage from Stokes in the final session to make it to stumps unscathed. While victory seems highly improbable, South Africa will be hopeful that their new opener can lead the charge towards a crucial draw.

FRISCO, Texas -- Mike McCarthy will be the ninth head coach in the history of the Dallas Cowboys, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The news was first reported by Fox Sports.

McCarthy stayed at the home of Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones on Saturday night, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"Once you stay at Jerry's house, he doesn't lose his guy," the source said.

McCarthy replaces Jason Garrett, who went 85-67 as Dallas' coach from 2010 to 2019, with the hope that McCarthy can do for the Cowboys what he did for another storied franchise -- win a Super Bowl.

In February 2011, McCarthy led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl XLV win against the Pittsburgh Steelers at AT&T Stadium, his new home with the Cowboys.

McCarthy compiled a 125-77-2 record with the Packers and made the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons. In addition to the Super Bowl season, the Packers made it to the NFC Championship Game two times, but his tenure ended sourly, missing the playoffs in 2017 and getting fired after 12 games in 2018.

McCarthy spent last season going through a study of trends across the league while also planning for his next job. He interviewed for the New York Jets' vacancy after the 2018 season and turned down the chance to speak with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals.

Before interviewing with the Cowboys over the weekend, he spoke with the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants regarding their vacancies.

The approach by Jones and son Stephen, the Cowboys' executive vice president, was far different than the last full-scale coaching search they had in 2007, after Bill Parcells' retirement. They interviewed 10 coaches before settling on Wade Phillips, who was hired after Garrett was on board as offensive coordinator.

This time, the Cowboys interviewed just Marvin Lewis and McCarthy before making their decision.

McCarthy's arrival will bring an entirely new offense to the Cowboys after running mostly a Garrett scheme since 2007, even though the team has had three different playcallers since 2013 -- Bill Callahan (2013), Scott Linehan (2014 to 2018) and Kellen Moore (2019).

Moore, offensive line coach Marc Colombo, quarterbacks coach Jon Kitna and receivers coach Sanjay Lal are under contract. Most of the defensive staff, including coordinator Rod Marinelli and passing game coordinator Kris Richard, have expiring contracts.

McCarthy played a key role in the development of Aaron Rodgers, and the Cowboys believe he will be good for Dak Prescott, who is entering his fifth season. Perhaps of note to the Jones family, McCarthy had a 7-3 record against Dallas while with Green Bay and twice ended their season in painful ways, in the divisional round of the 2014 and '16 playoffs.

In 1993, McCarthy entered the NFL coaching ranks as an offensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs. From 1995 to 1998, he served as the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach before moving on to Green Bay for a season as a quarterbacks coach. From 2000 to 2004, he served as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and had a one-year run in the same job with the San Francisco 49ers in 2005 before becoming the Packers' head coach.

In Green Bay, he dealt with the shadows of championship coaches Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren. In Dallas, he will deal with the shadows of championship coaches Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson.

Jonny May says Leicester's win against Bristol was a moment that can help revive the former Premiership giants.

Two tries by the England winger helped the 10-time English champions to just their second league win of the season.

"The lessons we've learned came through and we turned it around," May said.

"I hope this is the point we get serious and start getting better every week because this is a club that has all the ingredients to be one of the best teams in Europe."

Two-time European champions Leicester are still second from bottom in the league and above only Saracens, who had a 35-point deduction imposed on them.

But May, whose second try late on helped seal the win against Bristol, said the result "was special".

He told BBC Radio Leicester: "It is as good a feeling I've had at Leicester Tigers because of how desperate we were for it.

"It's never a good thing to be desperate on the pitch, but you can't say you weren't because I was desperate."

May is one of six England internationals who missed the start of the season for Leicester because of World Cup duties and admits they were "embarrassed" on their league return when beaten 36-13 by derby rivals Northampton in November.

"That was the first proper game to see where we were at and it was a shock, it was a crash back to earth," he said.

"What we have done is be hard on ourselves. That takes character.

"We've lost a fair few games over the past couple of years and we have only ourselves to blame, whether defensively or because of indiscipline.

"Hopefully now we have a bit of belief and realisation that we can be a great team, and if we keep working on what we have been working on we can steady the ship and make progress.

"Things are starting to look better, but you can't speak too soon because the hard work needs to continue."

Leinster have said that Johnny Sexton is making "good progress" in his recovery from a knee injury and will increase his training load this week.

Sexton will miss Saturday's Champions Cup game against Lyon but looks to have a good chance of featuring in Ireland's Six Nations opener against Scotland.

The British and Irish Lions fly-half, 34, was injured in Leinster's win over Northampton in early December.

Ireland open their Six Nations campaign against Scotland on 1 February.

Leinster are awaiting news on the calf injury sustained by Ireland lock James Ryan in Saturday's Pro14 win over Connacht.

Ryan, 23, was substituted in the first half and Leinster say his fitness will be "monitored through the week" before a final decision is made on his availability for this weekend's contest against Lyon.

Exeter have donated their share of Saracens' fine for breaching the Premiership salary cap to charity.

The reigning English champions were fined £5.36m and docked 35 points after admitting breaching cap rules for the previous three seasons.

The remaining 12 clubs with Premiership shares have each been given £350,000 of the fine levied on Sarries.

Exeter's money has been donated to the Exeter Chiefs Foundation, the club's official charity.

The foundation has raised almost £2m for projects around the city, including play parks for disabled children, an outdoor learning centre, refurbishing hydrotherapy pools and wheelchairs for a wheelchair rugby team.

"As this sum was not budgeted for and looking at our own future forecasts, we feel we do not need to absorb this sum of money into the rugby club," Exeter chairman and chief executive Tony Rowe said.

"Given where it has come from, the board felt it should go straight into the Foundation's funds, which will benefit hugely and use the money to help a great deal of charities and organisations within our local community."

Exeter were one of the clubs most aggrieved about Saracens' financial transgressions, having lost to them in the last two Premiership finals.

Rowe stated in November that he believed Saracens should be relegated from the Premiership, but his side exacted some revenge when they put in a superb defensive display to beat their rivals 14-7 just after Christmas.

Officials from the Touring Outlaw Modified Series have announced the tour’s schedule of events for the rapidly-growing touring series for USRA Modifieds.

Entering its seventh season, the Touring Outlaw Modified Series line-up features 20 nights of racing at eight unique venues.

The series will make their first visit of the season to the Monarch Motor Speedway in Wichita Falls, Texas, on March 13, and then wrap up the campaign when they invade the Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, for the fifth annual Touring Outlaw Modified Series Nationals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-24.

Two additional dates at the Mountain Creek Speedway on April 17 and May 1 will feature non-sanctioned modified races. Summit USRA Weekly Racing Series national and series points will not be awarded at these two shows.

“The schedule-even though smaller-actually gives a better opportunity for better race programs for the fans with larger car counts,” said Series Director Keith Pirtle. “I want to thank Kevin Sustaire for his help putting it all together.”

For the fifth straight year, Triston Dycus of Maypearl (formerly Waxahachie), Texas, claimed the TOMS championship title. Troy Taylor followed in second with Charlie Smith, Colby Smith and Kenny Gaddis completing the top five in the final standings. Sixth through tenth were Skip O’Neal, Clyde Dunn Jr., Chris Huckeba, Sean Gaddis and Bo Day.

Originally launched as the Texas Outlaw Modified Series, Clyde Dunn Jr. claimed the first series crown in 2014 but Dycus has been the driver sitting atop the mountain at season’s end since then.

2020 Touring Outlaw Modified Series Schedule

March 13 – Monarch Motor Speedway – Wichita Falls, Texas
March 20 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, Texas
March 21 – Superbowl Speedway – Greenville, Texas
May 2 – Southern Oklahoma Speedway – Ardmore, Okla.
May 16 – 82 Speedway – Petty Texas
May 24 – RPM Speedway – Crandall, Texas
June 6 – Southern Oklahoma Speedway – Ardmore, Okla.
July 3 – Monarch Motor Speedway – Wichita Falls, Texas
July 25 – Superbowl Speedway – Greenville, Texas
Sept. 5-6 – RPM Speedway – Crandall, Texas
Sept. 19 – Big O Speedway – Ennis, Texas
Oct. 9-10 – Southern Oklahoma Speedway – Ardmore, Okla.
Oct. 16 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, Texas
Oct. 22-24 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, Texas

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Lee Faulk Racing and Development has announced that 18-year-old Braden Rogers has joined the team to compete in select late model stock events this season.

Rogers, of Bakersfield, Calif., is tentatively scheduled to compete in a variety of late model stock events around the Southeast. He recently completed multiple test sessions for Lee Faulk Racing and Development as he prepares to make his debut for the team.

“This is such a cool moment for me,” said Rogers, who has been racing for four years. “The staff at Lee Faulk Racing are so knowledgeable and they always prepare top notch race cars. I’ve already learned a bunch in the few times that I’ve tested with them. I can’t wait to work with Michael and Lee more and hopefully we can score a couple of wins this year together.”

The High Point University student began his racing education in California, scoring multiple wins before bringing his racing talents to the East Coast last year.

Last season he scored two Legends car Semi-Pro victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the popular Bojangles’ Summer Shootout, finishing fifth in points. In addition, Rogers also owns two victories during the annual Spring Battle at Texas Motor Speedway while also getting his feet wet in a late model last season.

“We see a lot of potential in Braden. He’s a proven winner, both on the East Coast and West Coast, and he’s got a willingness to learn. That’s extremely important in a young race car driver,” said Lee Faulk Racing and Development’s Michael Faulk. “We’re looking forward to having him in our race cars this year. He’s ready to get the season started and his first race will be here before we all know it.”

Rogers is set to make his debut for Lee Faulk Racing and Development during weekly late model stock competition at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway on March 14.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – After winning the rookie-of-the-year title in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chase Briscoe will race for an Xfinity Series championship this year as he returns to Stewart-Haas Racing.

Briscoe is a two-time winner in the Xfinity Series, with both of his victories coming in SHR-prepared Ford Mustangs. The 25-year-old from Mitchell, Ind., finished fifth in the championship standings in 2019, earning a berth in the NASCAR Playoffs with a win, two poles and 13 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes in his first full season of Xfinity Series competition.

“This is the first time I’ll be able to run back-to-back, full seasons with the same team, and I couldn’t be happier to do it with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Briscoe, a development driver with Ford Performance. “Their faith in me means a lot, and I want to reward them and Ford with more wins and a run for the championship.”

“We are thrilled to continue Chase’s development program with a second full season running the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Chase has proven himself well so far and we’re looking forward to continuing his progression as he competes for an Xfinity Series championship for SHR and Ford.”

Briscoe is a third-generation racer whose career began on dirt tracks in and around Indiana. Since he was 13, Briscoe hasfollowed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps, racing sprint cars on the rough and tumble bullrings of the Midwest.

“We’re very proud to have Chase back with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Tony Stewart, who co-owns SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. “Chase is an Indiana kid with a dirt-track background who has shown he can race on asphalt as well as he can on dirt. We think very highly of him and look forward to a strong season in 2020.”

Briscoe has thrived in his transition to NASCAR, which began after a six-win campaign in the 2016 ARCA Racing Series earned him the championship by a whopping 535 points. He advanced to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2017, earning four poles and winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Briscoe’s 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes allowed him to make the playoffs, finish sixth in points and score the series’ rookie-of-the-year and most popular driver awards.

Briscoe parlayed a limited Xfinity Series schedule in 2018 where he drove for both SHR and Roush-Fenway Racing into a full-time drive in 2019 for SHR. He earned his first career Xfinity Series victory on Sept. 29, 2018 in just his 14th career start when he won the inaugural race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. Briscoe scored his second Xfinity Series win in his 36th career start July 27, 2019 at Iowa Speedway in Newton.

The 2019-20 rookie class is defined by defensemen. While Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes have put up big numbers, there is another pair of blueliners within our top six who deserve recognition, and they're a pair of guys you could have seen play together in the past.

Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and Penguins blueliner John Marino spent the past three NCAA seasons patrolling the blue line at Harvard. Fox was initially drafted by the Flames but later flipped first to the Hurricanes and then to the Rangers. Instead of returning to Harvard for his senior season, he signed with New York and played a significant role as a key building block in their restructuring. Marino, meanwhile, was perhaps the even bigger surprise to leave the Crimson. Originally drafted by the Oilers in 2015, Marino was flipped to the Penguins for a conditional 2021 pick in late July.

Fox was the flashy offensive defenseman who led Harvard in scoring and was one of the final three Hobey Baker finalists last season. His production made him the big name. Marino, was right behind him on the depth chart but made a much bigger defensive impact for the team. Marino's career high in points with the Crimson was 16 in his sophomore season.

Their similar paths have now led into pretty solid first seasons in the NHL. While they might not get the recognition of Hughes and Makar, each of whom also came from the college ranks, they've become key pieces for their teams' present and future. Here are the top 10 rookies so far this season. All statistics cited are from NHL.com, hockey-reference.com and Natural Stattrick and current through Jan. 5.

1. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 1

Despite missing a significant chunk of time because of injury, Makar remains only three points off of Victor Olofsson's scoring total. He still leads all rookies in points per game and has returned to Colorado's lineup as its top defenseman without missing a beat. He deserves a long look as the All-Star Game's last man in for the Central Division because he's undoubtedly a huge part of Colorado's success so far this season.

2. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 2

Hughes is becoming one of the NHL's most effective transition defensemen. His ability to collect pucks and get the Canucks going the other direction is unique. Even the way he scoops pucks off the boards is different, and his feet still leave forecheckers bewildered with which direction he's going to go. No rookie is playing more minutes per game. Meanwhile, his relative Corsi for percentage is 6.9%, which is right near the top of the rookie class. He has made an especially positive impact on the Canucks this season and has far exceeded any expectations I could have had for him, even as a prospect I've thought so highly of for years.

3. Victor Olofsson, LW, Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 3

The rookie of the month for December, Olofsson continues to produce at a solid rate. He leads all rookies with 35 points and is second in points per game. Meanwhile, he is averaging nearly three minutes more ice time per game than any other rookie forward. And for as much of a power-play performer as he was early in the season, he's second among all rookies with 21 even-strength points. Unfortunately, the Sabres just lost Olofsson (lower-body injury) for six weeks.

4. Adam Fox, D, New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 5

Averaging over half a point per game and getting top-four minutes on a nightly basis, Fox has exceeded Year 1 expectations. He has shown a level of poise with the puck that was always evident in lower levels, and his average north-south speed has not been an issue thanks to good edges and anticipation. He has helped the Rangers in the puck-possession game with a 6.2 relative Corsi for, which is tops among rookies. Fox moves the puck remarkably well, racking up assists and aiding in the transition game. His move from college to the NHL has gone better than I anticipated, especially in a difficult situation with the rebuilding Rangers.

5. Nick Suzuki, RW, Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 9

Suzuki is flourishing as his rookie season progresses. He has given Claude Julien, a coach who notoriously has a short leash for younger players, no choice but to play him. Montreal's injury issues might have helped a bit, but Suzuki has made the most of his time as a consistent top-six forward and power-play option. Suzuki had a seven-point week to close out December and played a career-high 20:43 in his first game of January. He's trending up quickly.

6. John Marino, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 8

I'd be lying if I said I saw this coming. Marino has already passed his single-season point total for any of the three years he played at Harvard in his first NHL campaign, and he's playing a top-four role for one of the league's prestige teams. Marino is one of only four rookie defensemen averaging over 20 minutes per game and is seventh among all rookies with 15 even-strength points.

7. Martin Necas, C/W, Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 7

He's a bottom-six player on a really good squad, but I think most teams would love to see a bottom-six guy produce the way Necas has as a rookie. The Czech forward has settled in on the wing on Carolina's third line with Erik Haula and Ryan Dzingel. Necas is tied for fourth among all rookies with 23 points (18 at even strength) but is second among all rookies with 2.22 points per 60 minutes.

8. Ethan Bear, D, Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 6

Of the rookies in the NHL, few are drawing tougher assignments than Bear. And yet the Oilers are controlling shot attempts at a rate 4.7% higher with Bear on the ice than off. He's second only to Darnell Nurse among Oilers defensemen in average time on ice, he starts over half his shifts in the defensive zone and he is a largely reliable defenseman on a team that has been relatively leaky.

9. Ilya Mikheyev, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 4

It might be a while before we again see Mikheyev on the rookie rankings after that scary laceration he suffered just over a week ago. He really seemed to be clicking with John Tavares too. The 25-year-old was tied for fourth among all rookies with 23 points when he went down. Mikheyev was getting solid middle-six minutes and scored almost exclusively at even strength, leading all rookies with 22 even-strength points before the injury. Now out three months, Mikheyev will get passed, but he has been an extremely valuable member of the Maple Leafs to this point.

10. Ilya Samsonov, G, Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: NR

Samsonov has appeared in only 15 games so far but has been a factor. With a .918 save percentage, Samsonov has won 11 of 13 starts, including all eight of his starts on the road. He is only the second goalie in NHL history to win each of his first eight starts away from home. The Capitals have a good situation with their young netminder as Braden Holtby's contract situation beyond this season remains unclear. While I think this rookie class has a lot of players who could fit in this spot, you have to recognize what Samsonov has done even in a limited role.

Justin Thomas bested Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele in a playoff at Kapalua to claim the first trophy of the new year at the Sentry Tournament of Champions for his 12th PGA Tour win.

Here’s what was in the winner’s bag:

Driver: Titleist TS3 (9.5 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana BF 60 TX shaft

3 Wood: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees), with Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Blue 80TX shaft

5 Wood: 915Fd (18 degrees), with Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X shaft

Irons: Titleist T100 (4), 620 MB (5-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (46 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft; SM7 (52, 56 degrees), SM6 (60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts

Putter: Scotty Cameron Futura X5

Golf ball: Titleist Pro V1x