Prove yourself – Fiji Times
William Rasileka with the Barbarians at training yesterday. SPEED merchant Rupeni Caucaunibuca will have to work harder to convince the Fiji Rugby Union of his worth in donning the national jumper at the Sevens Rugby World Cup in March. Caucau, as he

Wales, Wallabies and the waving of dollars made sure rugby played its – 7 Days UAE
IF 2008 did not exactly reach the peaks of 2007, it didn’t disappoint for intrigue either. There were no World Cups, few extraordinary moments, few moments of pure drama to remember, but plenty of events that will be recalled further down the line

Hopes and possibilities aplenty for new-look Wallabies – West Online
Matt Giteau at halfback with an all-NRL midfield of Berrick Barnes, Timana Tahu and Ryan Cross operating outside him. Just one of the many intriguing possibilities rugby fans can look forward to during Robbie Deans’ second season as Wallabies coach

Darren Lockyer rests as Broncos lift the tempo – News.com.au
THE Broncos have planned a slow and easy start to 2009 with Darren Lockyer excused from next week’s pre-season camp at Coffs Harbour. Instead Lockyer will stay in Brisbane to work with rehabilitation staff on the knee that required a reconstruction

QANTAS Wallabies – Rugby.com.au
The 2008 Qantas Wallabies season has concluded with a scorecard of 10 wins and 5 losses. Under Robbie Deans, the Qantas Wallabies have achieved many superb results, whilst also introducing several young players to Test Rugby. Once again 2009 promises

Queensland’s Quade Cooper primed for Super 14 action – News.com.au
QUEENSLAND Reds back Quade Cooper isn’t one to sit around and dwell on his rising fortunes that have been evident in the past few months. To prove it, the 20-year-old flyhalf shunned advice to sit out Reds training until January and returned before

All Blacks rebound from World Cup by dominating – International Herald Tribune
New Zealand doesn’t take losing well. So after another Rugby World Cup failure and a damning independent review of the All Blacks’ campaign in 2007, the pressure was on branded villains coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw. That their results

All Blacks dominated 2008 – Independent Online
New Zealand do not take losing well. So after another Rugby World Cup failure and a damning independent review of the All Blacks’ campaign in 2007, the pressure was on branded villains coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw. That their results

A day of destiny – Independent
IT was hallucinatory almost, the violation of a natural law. Some things shouldn’t happen in rugby. For one, bullies shouldn’t go weak at the knees. All week, the Wallabies could be found looking at the heavens, like Noah with an unfinished ark. You

The 2008 year of rugby in review – ONE News
World Cup? What World Cup. Such sentiment would have been unimaginable a year ago but the shocking failure of 2007 seemed forgotten by most All Blacks followers as this rugby year wound up. The nation’s flagship sporting team won 13 of a record 15

Brumbies confirm Giteau staying put – Tenterfield Star
The ACT Brumbies have confirmed they will go into the 2009 season without Wallabies flyhalf Matt Giteau. The drawn-out negotiations between Giteau’s management and the Western Force have come to an end after Giteau agreed this week to return to the

Dilroy and Nizam take Lankan rugby refereeing into the next plane – Sri Lanka Sunday Times
Sri Lanka in the Rugby Sevens World Cup! This is what you may want to hear as a proud rugby fan. We did play in the sevens qualifiers but did not go much far. Similarly our performance at the Asian 5 Nation division two tournaments did not do very

DAILY EXPRESS 2009 SPORTS CALENDAR – FOXSports.com
JANUARY 2-5 FOOTBALL – FA Cup third round 3-11 DARTS – Lakeside World Championship, Frimley Green 4DARTS – Ladbrokes. com World Championship final, Alexandra Palace, London 6-7 FOOTBALL – Carling Cup semi-finals first leg 10FOOTBALL – Scottish Cup

Morley backs Smith as England coach despite World Cup flop – Guardian Unlimited
The veteran forward Adrian Morley has said that the England coach, Tony Smith, is still the right man to lead the national team despite their World Cup flop. England’s only win at the World Cup was by 32–22 against Papua New Guinea and they

Former French rugby stars ready for maiden Dakar experience – ninemsn
Former French rugby stars Christian Califano and Philippe Bernat-Salles are ready for the gruelling demands of the Dakar Rally when they make their debuts here on Saturday. Califano, 36 and capped 72 times by France at prop, is competing in the

The 2008 year of rugby in review – ONE News
World Cup? What World Cup. Such sentiment would have been unimaginable a year ago but the shocking failure of 2007 seemed forgotten by most All Blacks followers as this rugby year wound up. The nation’s flagship sporting team won 13 of a record 15

Lapasset has mission – Independent Online
Rugby’s most powerful administrator has a favourite method of clearing his head when it comes to contemplating the game’s pressing challenges. Bernard Lapasset gets on his bike. After his daily cycle in the foothills of the French Pyrenees near the

Return of the gouge – Times Online
M ore than five years have passed since the former Ireland prop Reggie Corrigan felt two fingers reach into his eye socket during a rugby match and exert terrible pressure. The memory has not dimmed over time. The incident happened in the Ireland v

Baa-baa Sonny Bill to rain on Origin parade – Stuff
AUSSIE-BOUND: Former NRL star Sonny Bill Williams is a likely starter for the Barbarians team to meet the Wallabies in Sydney in June. NRL defector Sonny Bill Williams is set to return to Australia in dramatic fashion by playing for the Barbarians

Wallabies to play host to Barbarians – scrum.com
Australia will kick off their 2009 season with a return clash against the Barbarians at the Sydney Football Stadium on June 6. The one-off match will also be the first in the 60-year history of the Wallabies and Barbarians to be played in Australia

Baa-baa Sonny Bill to return – Brisbane Times
NRL defector Sonny Bill Williams is set to return to Australia in dramatic fashion by playing for the Barbarians against the Wallabies next year in the same week as league’s showpiece event, State of Origin I. Williams, Mark Gasnier and Craig Gower

Wallabies to open 2009 season against Barbarians – PR Inside
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) – The Barbarians will play their first ever match in Australia, organizers announced Monday with the release of the Wallabies’ season-opening match of the 2009. The Australian Rugby Union promised a star-studded Barbarians

QANTAS Wallabies – Rugby.com.au
The 2008 Qantas Wallabies season has concluded with a scorecard of 10 wins and 5 losses. Under Robbie Deans, the Qantas Wallabies have achieved many superb results, whilst also introducing several young players to Test Rugby. Once again 2009 promises

Barbarians to play Wallabies in Sydney – News.com.au
THE Wallabies will open their 2009 season with an historic match against an international Barbarians side at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Australian Rugby Union are promising “some of the biggest names in the game” will be part of the first

Barbarians to play Wallabies at SFS – Australian Broadcasting Corp.
The Wallabies will open their 2009 domestic season against an international Barbarians team in Sydney on June 6, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said. The ARU said the Wallabies will take on an all-star Barbarians outfit at the Sydney Football

The road to Rugby World Cup Sevens – Fiji Live
Qualifying battles raged all over the world in 2008 as countries across the six IRB regions went head to head for coveted places at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai. We take a look back at the qualifying journey for the 24-team men’s competition

The return of running rugby? – AME Info
So one of the interesting features of this season’s Six Nations is watching to see whether one or more of the teams can break away from the shackles of the defensive kicking game and entertain the crowds with running rugby. On the evidence so far it

Kenya drawn with S. Africa in rugby sevens – East African Standard
Kenya have been drawn in Pool A with giants South Africa for the third round of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series on February 6 and 7 in Wellington, New Zealand. Kenya open against Tonga, who reached the Cup semi-finals last

If given a chance to play at the Rugby World Cup 7s, Waisale Serevi – Fiji Sun
The Digicel national sevens coach says he will be delighted if given the chance to play for his homeland again. Serevi, who has been faithfully representing Fiji for the last 20 years said he wanted to end his international rugby career on a high

All Blacks rebound from World Cup by dominating – International Herald Tribune
New Zealand doesn’t take losing well. So after another Rugby World Cup failure and a damning independent review of the All Blacks’ campaign in 2007, the pressure was on branded villains coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw. That their results

The 2008 year of rugby in review – ONE News
World Cup? What World Cup. Such sentiment would have been unimaginable a year ago but the shocking failure of 2007 seemed forgotten by most All Blacks followers as this rugby year wound up. The nation’s flagship sporting team won 13 of a record 15

DAILY EXPRESS 2009 SPORTS CALENDAR – FOXSports.com
JANUARY 2-5 FOOTBALL – FA Cup third round 3-11 DARTS – Lakeside World Championship, Frimley Green 4DARTS – Ladbrokes. com World Championship final, Alexandra Palace, London 6-7 FOOTBALL – Carling Cup semi-finals first leg 10FOOTBALL – Scottish Cup

Kiwis deliver victory at cup – Stuff
A season which began with New Zealand Rugby League in the pits of hell ended with the Kiwis on top of the sporting world. Such is the resilience of rugby league, a code too many critics have written off to their peril. Every time the doomsayers

Cardiff Blues 12-16 Ospreys – BBC Sport
The Ospreys finished 2008 top of the Magners League following their 16-12 victory over their Welsh rivals Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park. Wales star Lee Byrne scored the opening try for the Ospreys in the first-half after a great off-load by Tommy

Priestland cleared by disciplinary hearing – scrum.com
Scarlets fly-half Rhys Priestland has been cleared of foul play by the Welsh Rugby Union Professional Disciplinary Panel. Priestland was called before the disciplinary panel for a tackle on Ospreys wing Jonny Vaughton during his side’s 20-6 Magners

South Africa defeat Wales 43-17 in rugby test match – Mister-info.com
The South African national rugby team has defeated the Welsh equivalent 43-17 in a home rugby test match at Bloemfontein. South Africa scored four tries to defeat current Six Nations champion Wales. Conrad Jantjes, Jean de Villers, Pierre Spies and

Honours for Wales sport heroes – News Wales
Welsh athletes and coaches who won golden success in the British Olympic and Paralympic teams are included in the New Year Honours. It is difficult to think of a better vintage for Welsh sport than 2008, says Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones

VAT boosts Wales rugby – News Wales
The Welsh Rugby Union is using the Government change in VAT legislation to deliver a financial and operational boost to community rugby clubs across Wales. Ticket prices for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations tournament games against England and Ireland

Welsh honours round off great sporting year – FOXSports.com
WELSH sport has rounded off an outstanding 2008 by scooping yet more medals in the New Year Honours List. Wales’ incredible success in the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing last summer has been recognised among the end-of-year sporting honours list

Gold Coast brothel owner’s new tell-all book – News.com.au
A GALLERY of famous faces passed through Susan Brooke’s brothel but the rugby league star who wanted to “have sex with his hair” really took the cake. The long-haired footballer was later found naked in the hall, on all fours, behaving like “some

Recalled Henson closes book on O’Driscoll row – Independent
Share Matt Lloyd and Peter Bills GAVIN HENSON believes the furore over his autobiography is over as he prepares to make his return to the Welsh international set-up against Ireland this weekend. The Ospreys centre, named on the bench for Sunday’s

Cory Jennerjohn column: Freedom Irish, Wrightstown Tigers coaches – Post-Crescent
With basketball being the common denominator, I wouldn’t be surprised if a wedding buzzer replaced the customary wedding bells next summer. Freedom girls’ basketball coach Mike Vander Loop and Wrightstown girls’ basketball coach Jen Drobnick met a

Irish Eyes Smile On Quinn – New York Daily News
Calling her “fiesty, firey and Irish as a sprig of shamrock,” the Irish Echo has named Council Speaker Christine Quinn its Irish American of the Year . Past recipients of the annual honor bestowed by the country’s biggest-selling and oldest Irish

Priestland cleared by disciplinary hearing – scrum.com
Scarlets fly-half Rhys Priestland has been cleared of foul play by the Welsh Rugby Union Professional Disciplinary Panel. Priestland was called before the disciplinary panel for a tackle on Ospreys wing Jonny Vaughton during his side’s 20-6 Magners

Gold Coast brothel owner’s new tell-all book – News.com.au
A GALLERY of famous faces passed through Susan Brooke’s brothel but the rugby league star who wanted to “have sex with his hair” really took the cake. The long-haired footballer was later found naked in the hall, on all fours, behaving like “some

Ospreys hopeful over Williams injury – scrum.com
Ospreys coach Sean Holley is confident winger Shane Williams will be fit for his side’s crucial Heineken Cup clashes with Perpignan and Leicester next month. The Wales international has been sidelined for his side’s last two games with a shoulder

Big Rhondda races tonight – News Wales
Record numbers of runners will take part in this year’s Nos Galan Races in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf tonight. Almost 1,000 runners of all ages have registered to take part in the event and new entry to some categories on the day may be limited

VAT boosts Wales rugby – News Wales
The Welsh Rugby Union is using the Government change in VAT legislation to deliver a financial and operational boost to community rugby clubs across Wales. Ticket prices for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations tournament games against England and Ireland

DECEMBER 2008 REVIEW – Sporting Life
1st Liverpool moved a point clear of Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premier League following a 0-0 draw with West Ham at Anfield England were drawn with Argentina and Scotland at the group stage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Wales were drawn

The road to Rugby World Cup Sevens – Fiji Live
Qualifying battles raged all over the world in 2008 as countries across the six IRB regions went head to head for coveted places at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai. We take a look back at the qualifying journey for the 24-team men’s competition

Dilroy and Nizam take Lankan rugby refereeing into the next plane – Sri Lanka Sunday Times
Sri Lanka in the Rugby Sevens World Cup! This is what you may want to hear as a proud rugby fan. We did play in the sevens qualifiers but did not go much far. Similarly our performance at the Asian 5 Nation division two tournaments did not do very

The 2008 year of rugby in review – ONE News
World Cup? What World Cup. Such sentiment would have been unimaginable a year ago but the shocking failure of 2007 seemed forgotten by most All Blacks followers as this rugby year wound up. The nation’s flagship sporting team won 13 of a record 15

DAILY EXPRESS 2009 SPORTS CALENDAR – FOXSports.com
JANUARY 2-5 FOOTBALL – FA Cup third round 3-11 DARTS – Lakeside World Championship, Frimley Green 4DARTS – Ladbrokes. com World Championship final, Alexandra Palace, London 6-7 FOOTBALL – Carling Cup semi-finals first leg 10FOOTBALL – Scottish Cup

Morley backs Smith as England coach despite World Cup flop – Guardian Unlimited
The veteran forward Adrian Morley has said that the England coach, Tony Smith, is still the right man to lead the national team despite their World Cup flop. England’s only win at the World Cup was by 32–22 against Papua New Guinea and they

NOVEMBER 2008 REVIEW – Sporting Life
SPORTING LIFE FANZINE 2nd: Lewis Hamilton was crowned world champion. NOVEMBER 2008 REVIEW E-mail Article Print-Friendly Subscribe to RSS Feed Post to del.icio.us Facebook 1st Chelsea moved back to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a 5-0

If given a chance to play at the Rugby World Cup 7s, Waisale Serevi – Fiji Sun
The Digicel national sevens coach says he will be delighted if given the chance to play for his homeland again. Serevi, who has been faithfully representing Fiji for the last 20 years said he wanted to end his international rugby career on a high