SPORT Briefs

Dasuni, little star on board

Dasuni Hansika Mendis of Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo scored five point out of nine atin the Asian Schools Chess Championships 2011 which was held in new Delhi, India, defeating three rated players and drawing against another two rated players.

She was also the tournament's best performer among the Sri Lankan under 11 girls.

Dasuni contributed five points to the Sri Lankan team's aggregate of 8 1/2 points thus helping the Lankan under-11 girls to win the silver medal at this international event.

She is the all-island champion in the under-11 age category and also the under-11 girls blitz chess (5 minutes per player) champion 2011.

France to play Australia, Samoa and Argentina in November

France will play Australia, Argentina and Samoa in their November internationals, a source close to the French rugby federation said Thursday.

Philippe Saint-Andre's players will host the Wallabies and Samoa at Paris' Stade de France on November 10 and 24 respectively, while the November 17 fixture against Los Pumas will be played outside the French capital at a venue to be decided.

The World Cup runners-up kick off their 2012 against Italy at the Stade de France in the Six Nations on February 4.