Australian Rugby
England prop Alex Corbisiero has been ruled out of his side’s opening November Test against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.
Corbisiero twisted his left knee playing for club side Northampton just over a fortnight ago and won’t be fit to face the Wallabies.
London Irish confirmed that the club has signed Australian international James O’Connor on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
James O’Connor is expected to make a decision on his future in the “next 24 or 48 hours”, according to London Irish coach Brian Smith.
O’Connor has been linked with a move to the English Premiership side after the Australian Rugby Union terminated his contract following a string of embarrassing off-field incidents earlier this month, culminating with the talented 23-year-old being escorted from Perth airport for drunken behaviour.
Australia’s top rugby players have accepted a 23 percent cut in their test match fee from A$13 100 ($12 700) per game to A$10 000 over the next four years, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said on Wednesday.
The ARU, whose coffers were only partially replenished by this year’s British and Irish Lions tour, have engaged in a raft of cost-cutting measures since new chief executive Bill Pulver took over earlier this year.
The Western Force say their negotiations with James O’Connor have ended after the troubled Wallaby decided to play in Europe.
South African scrumhalf Conrad Hoffmann has signed two-year contract with the Brumbies.
The Waratahs have revealed that they will play their first Super Rugby warm up match for the 2014 season against the Melbourne Rebels.
Waratahs new recruits Kurtley Beale and Nick Phipps, along with defensive coach Nathan Grey, will take on their old club the Melbourne Rebels in their first trial match for 2014.
Another South African is making his way accross to Australia to play Super Rugby! The Twitterverse reports that MTN Lions utility backline player, Lionel Cronjé, has signed and is is off to Canberra to join the Brumbies for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
All Blacks (30) 41 / 33 (19) Wallabies (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Australian Wallabies did battle in the Bledisloe Cup at
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT, 17:35 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and winger Cory Jane have both been sidelined due to injury from the third and final Bledisloe Cup clash against the Wallabies in Dunedin (Otago Regional Stadium) on Saturday, both having picked up late injuries at training, the All Blacks said.
South African lock Etienne Oosthuizen has been released from the final year of his Super Rugby contract with the Brumbies to be closer to his family, the club said Friday.
Saturday will be a special occasion for Waratahs wing Peter Betham, as he makes his Test debut for Australia against New Zealand.
His inclusion in the No.11 jersey is one of the four changes made to the starting line-up for this dead rubber – the third in the three-Test Bledisloe Cup series, with the All Blacks holding an unassailable 2-0 lead.
The All Blacks have tweaked their backline for the Bledisloe Cup clash against the Wallabies at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
The starting XV features the return of 43-Test All Black Cory Jane who is back in the national side after recovering from a serious knee injury.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen looks set to use the final Bledisloe Cup Test to have a look at some different backline options.
Prolific wing Ben Smith will move to outside centre in place of Conrad Smith who is on holiday, with the experienced Cory Jane expected to take his place on the wing, whilst Hansen may also hand a start to impressive young flyhalf Beauden Barrett.
Wallabies wings Joe Tomane and Chris Feauai-Sautia are the latest backline players to have been ruled out of Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks due to injury.
This comes just a day after inside centre and leading goal-kicker Christian Lealiifano was ruled out of the Bledisloe Cup clash with an ankle injury.
Wallaby goal-kicker Christian Leali’ifano has been ruled out of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand with an ankle injury.
The return of star utility back Cory Jane headlines the All Black squad for the third Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia in Dunedin next Saturday.
The first Tournament of the HSBC Sevens World Series of the 2013 / 2014 season happened at the Gold Coast, Queensland, at Skilled Park.
Here are the results of the Tournament:
The Gold Coast Sevens marks the start of the IRB Sevens World Series where Fiji will be determined to make it three in a row this weekend.
The defending Gold Coast Sevens champions line-up in Pool C against Wales, Canada and Portugal and captain Osea Kolinisau is confident they’ll complete their hat-trick at Skilled Park.
Tatafu Polota-Nau and Nick Cummins return from injury in the 32-man Wallabies’ squad named on Friday for the five-Test tour next month.
It comprises 26 of the 28 players who toured South Africa and Argentina in the Rugby Championship, with front row forward Albert Anae and wing Peter Betham omitted following the return of Waratahs hooker Polota-Nau (hamstring) and Western Force outside back Cummins (hand).
Jake White has gloated he has got his ”dream” job in South Africa after walking out on the Brumbies, but another Super Rugby head coach – Damien Hill – is on the list of candidates to join the ACT coaching staff next season.
It’s understood White paid the Brumbies a six-figure amount in compensation to seek an early release from his contract, clearing his way to join the Durban Sharks as coaching director.
The IRB has cast its net further in making its appointment to the November Tests, mostly in Europe.
There are several of the tried and tested – Craig Joubert, Jaco Peyper, Nigel Owens, Steve Walsh, Alain Rolland, George Clancy, Jérôme Graces, Romain Poite, Wayne Barnes, for example. There are those finding their feet like Lourens van der Merwe, Glen Jackson, JP Doyle, Pascal Gauzère, Leighton Hodges, Greg Garner, Ian Davies, John Lacey and Francisco Pastrana. Then there are those who are just standing up and taking their first steps – Stuart Berry, Chris Assmus, Mike Fraser, Dudley Phillips, Federico Anselmi, Luke Pearce, Marius Mitrea, Joaquin Montes, Juan Sylvestre and Claudio Antonio.
Following the Test between South Africa and New Zealand this past weekend, the New Zealand All Blacks have solidified their clasp on the IRD World Test Rankings more, stretching their lead over 2nd placed South Africa to a full 5.19 ranking points.
The Australian Wallabies have also slightly improved their position after their fine win against the Argentinian Pumas over the weekend, leaving them in 4th spot.
World Champions, New Zealand have stretched their lead further by almost a full rating point.
South Africa will be kicking off the the 2014 Super Rugby season with 4 of their 5 teams playing in the first weekend.
The Toyota Cheetahs will be hosting MTN Lions on Saturday 15 February at 17:05 whilst The Sharks will host the Vodacom Bulls at 19:10. The Stormers find themselves with a bye in the first week.
Pumas (10) 17 / 54 (25) Wallabies (Final Score)
The Argentinian Pumas and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario at 00:40 Sunday SA Time (19:40 ARG Time, 22:40 GMT, 09:40 Sunday EDT Aus Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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With the Pumas hosting the Wallabies this weekend it is still all to play for for both sides to avoid the wooden spoon in The Rugby Championship.
These two teams are facing their own demons this season as the Pumas have recorded no wins and the Wallabies only one win in this year’s competition. The Pumas will be backing themselves for a win against a struggling Wallaby team who also aeem to be full of internal politics about pay disputes.
The losing team in this clash will finish at the bottom of the Log. This clash will be an interesting one as both teams want to prove a point.
Australia scrumhalf Will Genia’s yo-yo season took an upward turn when he was recalled for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test in Argentina.
Genia comes in for Nic White in the only change to the starting line-up from that beaten 28-8 by South Africa in Cape Town last weekend.
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has reached a mutual agreement to grant James O’Connor an early release from his national contract for 2013 and will not offer him a national contract for 2014.
The decision to grant O’Connor an early release from his national contract follows an ARU integrity investigation into an alleged incident at Perth Airport involving the 23-year-old in the early hours of Sunday, September 15.
World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry, affectionally also known as “Ted”, could find himself in hot water once again for disparaging remarks he has made about match officials.
The former All Blacks boss who is now a technical advisor for the Pumas, had some choice words to say about the standards of refereeing in the Rugby Championship, saying that referees and the judicial panel have been “totally inconsistent” and are “a weakness in the game.”
The recall of veteran midfielder Felipe Contepomi is one of two changes to the Argentina team ahead of their final Rugby Championship match of the year.
The Pumas, still seeking their first win after two years in the competition, will face Australia at the Gigante de Arroyito, in Rosario, on Saturday.
New Zealand’s Super Rugby coaches are pushing for a team of Pacific island players to be included in the Southern Hemisphere competition when it expands in 2016.
The team, based in Auckland, would be part of an 18-team competition under a proposal from the head coaches of New Zealand’s five existing Super Rugby teams, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Australia’s Rugby Championship campaign is being threatened by a pay row involving one of the key players in the team.
Media reports suggest Ben Mowen is considering walking out over a payment dispute with the Australian Rugby Union – just a fortnight after captaining the team against Argentina.
The 28-year-old is understood to be frustrated because he’s not receiving a top-up contract from the ARU, despite being a regular starter for the Wallabies.
The Reds have appointed Steve Meehan as their new attack coach as their preparations for the 2014 Super Rugby season continue.
With the Wallabies having arguably their worst season ever, flyhalf Quade Cooper has voiced his concerns regarding the team.
After losing against the Springboks in their match on Saturday, Cooper told the guys to come together and support the coach.
It was the penultimate Round of rugby in The Rugby Championship of 2013, with the South African Springboks playing the Australian Wallabies at Newlands, Cape Town and the Argentinian Pumas playing the New Zealand All Blacks in Argentina.
The Springboks comfortably beat the Wallabies by 28 / 8, however a 4th bonus point try just barely eveded them, whilst the All Blacks won away from home against the Pumas by 33 / 15, barely getting their 4th try in the dying seconds of the match.
The All Blacks are now 5 points clear on the Combined Log (23 points), the Springboks 2nd (18 points), followed at quite some distance by the Wallabies (4 points) and the Pumas (2 points).
The competion is now poised for two games next weekend, where the Springboks and All Blacks will contest for the Championship title, whilst the loser between the Pumas and Wallabies will receive the wooden spoon for 2013.
Here are 2 highlites videos of the matches played: