In spite of the doom and gloom around Australia at the Rugby World Cup, it hasn’t been knocked out yet.

Eddie Jones’ misjudged bluster about winning the tournament with a young squad died after consecutive defeats to Fiji and Wales over the last two weekends, but his Wallabies are alive until Saturday evening at least.

If, by then, Fiji has beaten Georgia with a bonus point in Bordeaux then Fiji joins Wales in the quarterfinals from Pool C and the Wallabies are shut out of the knockout stage for the first time ever. If Fiji loses to Georgia or doesn’t get a bonus point, it still has one more chance to make the quarters next week against Portugal.

In the meantime, the two-time champion Wallabies can cross as many fingers as they can to hex Fiji, and will know their fate before they complete their pool campaign on Sunday in a first meeting with the lively Portuguese.

Os Lobos have done their country proud for a team that was the 20th and last qualifier to make the Rugby World Cup, 16 years after its only other appearance.

A Wales second string was flattered to win by 28-8 and Os Lobos could have beaten rival Georgia but drew 18-18 last Saturday for its first World Cup points.

The Wallabies, following the dismal 40-6 defeat to Wales last weekend, have dumped centers Samu Kerevi and Jordan Petaia and replaced them with Waratahs pair Lalakai Foketi and Izaia Perese, who have a combined 13 tests but don’t feel out of place. They are between Waratahs mates Ben Donaldson at flyhalf and Mark Nawaqanitawase on one wing. Perese will make his first start in his second test.

“Foketi has trained well the whole tournament,” Jones said on Friday. “Samu has probably just been a little off. He’s had a tough run-in to the World Cup, coming back from an ACL, two hamstring injuries. He just hasn’t been as sharp as we’d like him to be.

“Jordy Petaia had a bit of a calf issue. He’s fit now but, again, with Izzy, he’s trained really well the whole World Cup.”

Fraser McReight has gone into the back row, and the reserves were freshened with Rob Leota, one-cap back-rower Josh Kemeny and two-cap scrumhalf Issak Fines-Leleiwasa.

Prop James Slipper will become the most capped Wallaby at a Rugby World Cup with his 21st game, leaving behind George Gregan.

The lineup confirmed squad captain Will Skelton and first-choice tighthead Taniela Tupou were still unavailable following their training injuries after the opening win over Georgia.

“A tough old week,” Jones said. “We trained the day after the (Wales) game because we wanted to get back out on the field.

“With the young players we thought we wanted to get their thoughts in their head about how we want to play against Portugal. We’ve got a clear plan.

“I think we’ve trained really well but we are not getting the results, and sometimes the scoreboard is the last thing to change. And that’s hard to take and I know it’s hard to understand, but sometimes that’s the case.”

Portugal made four changes from the Georgia draw, all in the forward pack. Loosehead David Costa and back-rowers David Wallis and Thibault de Freitas make their first appearances in the Rugby World Cup. Martim Belo comes into the second row after 14 minutes off the bench last week.

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Lineups:

Australia: Andrew Kellaway, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Izaia Perese, Lalakai Foketi, Marika Koroibete, Ben Donaldson, Tate McDermott; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Tom Hooper, Richard Arnold, Nick Frost, James Slipper, Dave Porecki (captain), Angus Bell. Reserves: Matt Faessler, Blake Schoupp, Pone Fa’amausili, Rob Leota, Josh Kemeny, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Carter Gordon, Suliasi Vunivalu.

Portugal: Nuno Sousa Guedes, Raffaele Storti, Pedro Bettencourt, Tomás Appleton (captain), Rodrigo Marta, Jerónimo Portela, Samuel Marques; Thibault de Freitas, Nicolas Martins, David Wallis, Martim Belo, José Madeira, Diogo Hasse Ferreira, Mike Tadjer, David Costa. Reserves: Francisco Fernandes, Duarte Diniz, Francisco Bruno, Steevy Cerqueira, Rafael Simoes, Joao Belo, Joris Moura, Manuel Cardoso Pinto.

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AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

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After Ruffels broke the 20-year Epson Tour 36-hole scoring record on Saturday, Ruffels started the final round with a six-stroke lead.

A bogey on the second hole – only her second bogey of the week – would be her only misstep as she closed with a one-under 71 for a five-shot win from Isabella Fierro (62), Agathe Laisne (63) and Ga Yul Kan (65).

Her total of 19 under par equaled the 54-hole scoring record, and after winning the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic in March, Ruffels is just one win away from automatic promotion to the LPGA Tour with three wins.

Even without her, she’s all but assured of a 2024 LPGA Tour ticket, further extending her lead at the top of the Epson Tour money list.

“This win is a big step in the right direction,” Ruffels said of her LPGA Tour ambitions.

“We’re all out here for the same reason, which is to take the LPGA Tour to the next level. There’s still a long season ahead of us, but I’m definitely making some progress.”

The win earns Ruffels $30,000 to take her yearly tally to $89,262, enough to place seventh in the 2022 Race To The Card.

The 23-year-old broke the Buffalo Dunes course record with 10-under 62 on Friday and backed that up with 8-under 64 in Round 2 to set a new low for the Epson Tour.

Even the biggest leads can bring expectation and pressure, but Ruffels was never really threatened, and birdies at 14 and 16 ensured she always had at least a three-shot lead through the back nine.

“I was definitely very nervous, but I knew I had a big buffer, which really helped,” Ruffels said.

“I just tried to play every shot as it was and not overdo it.

“I just tried to be super consistent and I managed that today, so I was very happy.”

Four of Australia’s current LPGA Tour contingent did their country proud at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in San Francisco.

Seeded 7th at the start of the week, the Australian team of Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Steph Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp defeated both Korea and Japan in the round robin matches to earn a place in the semifinals.

With a format change for the final day, the Aussies secured a spot in the finals with a clean win over Sweden in the semis. In the two singles games, Stephanie Kyriacou defeated Anna Nordqvist 4&3 and Hannah Green defeated Caroline Hedwall 3&2 while Minjee Lee and Sarah Kemp achieved a 5&3 four-a-side victory over Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark.

But in a repeat of their last round robin duel, Team Thailand again proved too strong in the final.

Atthaya Thitikul provided Kyriacou 4&2, Patty Tavatanakit defeated Green 4&3 and Sisters Jutanugarn, Moriya and Ariya defeated Lee and Kemp 4&3

Adam Scott’s fifth-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship was his best PGA TOUR result since last August, resulting in a rise to 37th in the world rankings and a check for $772,500.

Scott had plans to rein in runaway leader Wyndham Clark early in the final lap, but bogeys on one and six made the task all the more difficult.

A two-putt birdie on the seventh par-5 and a 15-foot birdie putt on the eight provided some positive momentum, but a back nine from a 37-plus prevented Scott from making a bigger impression on the course .

Results

Epson tour
Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes
Buffalo Dunes Golf Course, Garden City, Kansas
1 Gabriela Ruffels 62-64-71-197 $30,000
T21 Robyn Choi 69-69-70-208 $2,260
T29 Cassie Porter 69-68-72-209 $1,764
T36 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 71-69-70—210 $1,420
MC Emily Mahar 74-74-148

PGA TOUR
Wells Fargo Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
1 Wyndham Clark 67-67-63-68-265 $3.6 million
T5 Adam Scott 67-68-67-71-273 $772,500
T59 Cam Davis 71-70-73-72-286 $44,600
T59 Harrison Endycott 74-66-71-75-286 $44,600
MC Jason Day 72-70-142

LPGA Tour
Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown
TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
final
Atthaya Thitikul defeated Steph Kyriacou 4&2
Patty Tavatanakit def. Hannah Green 4&3
Moriya Jutanugarn/Ariya Jutanugarn def. Minjee Lee/Sarah Kemp 4&3

semifinals
Stephanie Kyriacou defeated Anna Nordqvist 4&3
Hannah Green def. Caroline Hedwall 3&2
Minjee Lee/Sarah Kemp def. Madelene Sagstrom/Maja Stark 5&3

round robin
Australia vs Korea
Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou defeated Hye-Jin Choi/In Gee Chun by 2 points
Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp def. Jin Young Ko/Hyo Joo Kim 2&1

Australia vs Japan
Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou defeated Nasa Hataoka/Ayaku Furue by 2 points
Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp separated Hinako Shibuno/Yuka Saso

Australia vs Thailand
Patty Tavatanakit/Atthaya Thitikul def. Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou 1
Moriya Jutanugarn/Ariya Jutanugarn def. Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp 3&2

DP world tour
DS Automobiles Italian Open
Marco Simone GC, Rome, Italy
1 Adrian Meronk 68-68-66-69—271 €500,495.38
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ) 69-78-147
MC Jason Scrivener 74-75-149

Asia tour
The 42nd GS Caltex Maekyung Open
Namseoul Country Club, Korea
Event reduced to 54 holes due to rain
1 Chanmin Young 63-68-66—197 $US222,222.22
T31 Zach Murray 75-67-69-211 $8,018.52
T43 Wonjoon Lee 71-70-72—213 $6,000
T43 Kevin Yuan 76-64-73—213 $6,000
T51 Terry Pilkadaris 69-71-74-214 $4,888.89
T60 Junseok Lee 72-70-73—215 $4,074.07
T60 Scott Hend 71-71-73-215 $4,074.07
MC Todd Sinnott 74-73-147

PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric classic
TPC Sugar Loaf, Duluth, Georgia
1 Stephen Ames 65-64-68-197 $300,000
T10 David McKenzie 72-70-66-208 $41,714
T17 Stuart Appleby 72-66-71-209 $29,150
T17 Rod Pampling 66-71-72-209 $29,150
T52 Richard Green 71-76-69-216 $5,200
T64 John Send 74-75-70—219 $2,600

challenge tour
UAE challenge
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
1 Maximilian Rottluff 68-73-63-70-274 €43,481.95
T46 Jarryd Felton 74-70-73-71—288 €1,277.28
T51 Maverick Antcliff 71-68-76-74—289 €1,096.11
T54 Hayden Hopewell 72-72-74-72—290 €1,005.52
MC Jordan Zunic 73-72-145

PGA TOUR Latin America
be open
Quito Tennis and Golf Club, Quito, Ecuador
1 Toni Hakula 64-76-65-67-272
T34 Harry Hillier (NZ) 70-70-73-69-282
T37 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 74-64-71-74-283
MC Aaron Pike 73-71-144
MC Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 74-82-156

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United Airlines has partnered with Virgin Australia to connect US travelers to the world’s largest Pride celebration in Sydney with a special flight staffed exclusively by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.

On February 22, 2023, celebrations at San Francisco International Airport began with a gate celebration, giveaways and onboard activities and ended with a welcome party upon arrival in Sydney. While Virgin Australia has been offering dedicated domestic flights in Australia for Pride since 2021, this marks the first time United has joined the effort.

Lori Augustine, United’s vice president of operations in San Francisco, said, “At United, we recognize, embrace and celebrate the differences that make our customers and employees unique. We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment while supporting the diverse communities we serve. Our Pride Flight is another example of good moving forward at United.”

Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of Virgin Australia Group, said: “It is so important that we speak out to promote diversity and inclusion in the communities where we live, work and fly. Our partnership with United Airlines is incredibly important and it is wonderful to witness the collaboration between the airlines and the joy we have brought to our guests by spreading our pride across the Pacific Rim and Australia.”

United has an ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, including a proud history of firsts. United was the first U.S. airline to fully recognize domestic partnerships in 1999 and was the first U.S. airline to offer non-binary gender options across all of its booking channels in 2019.

In addition, United remains committed to inclusion and empowering employees to be themselves at work. That’s why in 2021, the airline updated its appearance standards, moving away from gender-specific guidelines and allowing customer-facing employees to present themselves authentically through visible tattoos, nose piercings, hair, makeup, nails and more.

© Russell Publishing Limited, 2023. All rights reserved., Source trade journals

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United Flight 863 onward February 22nd will be operated entirely by United LGBTQ+ pilots, crew and allies and will connect US travelers to the world’s largest celebration of Pride Sydney

SAN FRANCISCO, February 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines is partnering with Virgin Australia to connect US travelers to the world’s largest Pride celebration Sydney with a special flight staffed entirely by LGBTQ+ community members and allies. departure on Wednesday February 22nd out of san francisco International Airport, the celebrations begin with a celebration at the gate, continue with inflight giveaways and activities, and culminate with a welcome party on arrival Sydney. While Virgin Australia has offered dedicated domestic flights Australia for Pride since 2021, this is the first time United have joined that effort.

“As a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community and the premier airline from the US to AustraliaUnited is excited to join the party and help people celebrate the upcoming Pride events in Sydney,” called Lori AugustineVice President of Operations at United in san francisco. “At United, we recognize, embrace and celebrate the differences that make our customers and employees unique. We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment while supporting the diverse communities we serve. Our Pride Flight is another example of how, like United, good leads the way.”

“Virgin Australia launched our first Pride Flight in the middle of the pandemic and fast forward to today, we have flights everywhere Australiaand our first ever international Pride Flight from san francisco with our wonderful partner United Airlines,” he said Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of the Virgin Australia Group. “It’s so important that we use our voice to promote diversity and inclusion in the communities where we live, work and fly. Our partnership with United Airlines is incredibly important and it is so wonderful to witness the collaboration between the airlines and the joy we have has made our guests spread pride across the Pacific Australia.”

United has an ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, including a proud history of firsts. United was the first US airline to fully recognize domestic partnerships in 1999 and was the first US airline to offer non-binary gender options across all of its booking channels in 2019. Also in 2019, the airline became the first public company to be included in Pride Live’s Stonewall Ambassador program in recognition of the airline’s commitment to LGBTQ+ equality. Through EQUAL, the airline’s LGBTQ+ business resource group, more than 4,500 members work together to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and work with members and leaders across the company to develop ways to provide resources, education and advocacy.

United remains committed to inclusion and empowers employees to be themselves at work. That’s why the airline updated its appearance standards in 2021, moving away from gender-specific guidelines and allowing front-line employees to present themselves authentically through visible depictions of tattoos, nose piercings, hair, makeup, nails and more.

United is the Bay Area’s global airline, flying to more destinations around the world than any other airline Northern California. United operates more than 200 daily departures from san francisco International Airport, which takes customers to more than 100 destinations around the world, including the most international service with flights to 26 different international cities.

United is the country’s leading airline Australia and operates flights to three destinations in Australia by SFO including Sydney, Melbourne And Brisbane. United offers more service Australia than ever and offers more seats from the USA Australia than any other airline.

United’s partnership with Virgin Australia offers customers new connectivity options Australia most popular travel destinations, and MileagePlus® members have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles/points across both airline networks.

United Flight 863 departs from SFO 10:45 p.m. on WednesdayFebruary 22 and arrive in SYD at 09:05 on FridayFebruary 24th.

About United

United’s common goal is “Connecting people. unite the world”. From our US hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC, United operates the most comprehensive global route network of any North American airline. On our journey to becoming the world’s best airline, United is bringing back our customers’ favorite destinations and adding new ones. For more information on how to join the United team, visit www.united.com/careers and for more information about the company, visit www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

SOURCE United Airlines

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