Three Kiwi boys on a big jetplane over the Tasman...

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Three Kiwi boys on a big jetplane over the Tasman...



At 9am New Zealand time today three young Kiwi boys, two from the Hutt Valley and one from Taranaki, set out from Wellington International Airport for Melbourne in Australia.



From Melbourne Airport they were whisked away to the Melbourne Storm NRL Club headquarters to be welcomed and informed about what will be happening over the next six days. The boys will be staying in a flash hotel and receive three meals a day there.



One of the boys is my very talented young sportsman and rugby league playing grandson, 14 year old Pride Petterson-Ropati. Pride already has a six year contract withe the Storm, while the other two boys get their dream partially realised - a trial with the top rugby league club in Australia... and the world!



Pride will be put through some training programs to test him physically and mentally, and be given a training regime to follow back in New Zealand. He will return to Melbourne during each school holidays and be tested for his progress. He will move to Melbourne next year and will stay with a foster family and be schooled there.



Prides's future is now in his own extremely young and capable hands. It is planned for him to play under 16 year Grade football, and then progress to the Under 18 Grade. Eventually he will get the opportunity to play Under 20's and First Grade football. His contract covers a rising scale of payment during each grade.



The Melbourne Storm club will pay for all his living expenses and schooling and a weekly payment for expenses and pocket money.



The two boys who accompanied him to Melbourne will trial for similar contracts to Pride's. One of the boys is an older clubmate of his.


Acknowledgements: Peter Petterson

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Super 14 Rugby final - Bulls have to beat Crusaders first...

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Super 14 Rugby: Unbeaten Bulls eye Soweto as possible playoffs venue. Have to beat the Crusaders first.







Bulls' Danie Rossouw  and Gary Botha, halted Rodney So'oialo last Saturday.. The unbeaten Bulls are talking about defending their Super 14 crown in the township of Soweto while their usual Loftus stronghold is being polished for World Cup soccer matches.



That scenario has some distance to go before the Bulls can confirm hosting rights for the playoffs but there will be great intrigue about the impact of a venue shift to the 41,500-seat Orlando Stadium which has undergone a R300m (NZ$58 million) facelift.



The Bulls have agreed to any playoffs move away from Loftus in May because the arena will be undergoing a clean stadium makeover for the start of Fifa's showpiece.



At Loftus, the Bulls have been unbeatable in the Super 14 since the Hurricanes belted them last year.



The visitors had a chance of repeating that result on Saturday but were worn down and beaten 19-18 by the Bulls mauling and driving play backed up by Morne Steyn's boot.



It was a more robust challenge from the visitors but their third straight loss and they now head home to face last year's losing finalists, the Sharks, who rediscovered a winning formula against the Highlanders.


Meanwhile, the Bulls do not look like they will surrender their unbeaten record as they head for Perth to play the basement battlers the Force at the start of a four-game Australasian expedition.



After that stretch they will get Bakkies Botha, Akona Ndugane and Chiliboy Ralepelle back from the injured roster.



Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said the series start and schedule had panned out perfectly. His team could prepare at home this week before travelling to meet a Force team down on players, luck and results.



This season the Bulls had worked hard to improve their conditioning, scrummaging and discipline to counter the effects of the changing law interpretations.



That combination spelt problems for the Hurricanes who have slumped to a 3-3 record, although coach Colin Cooper was much happier with their work than he had been in their previous two games on tour.



He was concerned, though, with rulings from referee Steve Walsh about the Hurricanes' methods of defending rolling mauls with loose forward Victor Vito sinbinned late in the game.



The Stormers are second on the points table with a solitary loss and have a bye this week before they head for Australia and New Zealand.



They will have an anxious wait to check the health of goalkicking fullback Joe Pietersen for the tour after he quit the derby win against the Cheetahs at halftime.



While skipper Victor Matfield was claiming his 100th cap for the Bulls, Blues captain Keven Mealamu celebrated the same honour for the Blues in their rollicking 39-34 win against the Brumbies.



A four-try blitz soon after halftime dragged the Blues from a deficit to a handy lead which they maintained in a match of high tempo.



New centre Rene Ranger was the standout individual with his bludgeoning attack, while Jerome Kaino and Viliame Ma'afu in the pack with five-eighths Stephen Brett and Benson Stanley delivered quality contributions.

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Former All Black Carl Hayman to play in France...

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Rugby: Former All Black Hayman will stay in Europe and play in France.
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Carl Hayman wants to be a dairy farmer, family man but obviously not an  All Black.



However, he could not find a way to blend all three parts of the puzzle and, after months of agonising, the tighthead prop has accepted a lucrative contract in France to achieve his strongest goals.



Hayman signed what is believed to be a multimillion-dollar deal with the Toulon club at the weekend.



"Toulon is very excited about securing Carl's signature but we would also be happy to release Carl to play international rugby for New Zealand if they were to pick him," club owner Mourad Boudjellal said.



"I would be most surprised if he wasn't selected for the World Cup as he is the best tighthead prop in the game."



That offer will test the New Zealand Rugby Union's resolve and edict that anyone selected for the All Blacks has to be playing in New Zealand competitions.



For months, Hayman fretted about his decision.



"In fact, I think it has been in the back of my mind all the time I have been here at Newcastle," he told the Herald yesterday.
It came down to a choice between pragmatism against emotion. The 1000th All Black wanted to tackle the challenge of another World Cup campaign.


"After that tournament it was time to move on," he said.



"But it was not as clear this time. There were a lot of variables, what-ifs and trying to look into the crystal ball.



"I could see the positives and negatives on both sides. In the end, it came down to a financial and lifestyle move."



Hayman wants to own a dairy farm in Taranaki, he wants to settle and raise a family in his home province once his playing days are done. He had more chance of achieving those goals if he signed on for Toulon.



The NZRU made a generous late pitch to change his mind but there were some matters that needed more work and time.

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Skippy gets a lifeline - Mathew Sinclair recalled as batting cover for Australian cricket test...

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Mathew Sinclair has replaced Neil Broom in the NZ test squad. Photo / Getty ImagesPeter Ingram has retained his test No 3 slot while Mathew Sinclair was recalled as batting cover in the New Zealand test cricket squad named today to face Australia.



Selectors Daniel Vettori, Mark Greatbatch and Glenn Turner sprung few surprises in their 13-man squad for the two-test series starting in Wellington on Friday, largely keeping faith with the side who beat Bangladesh by 121 runs in Hamilton last month.



The playing 11 from that test were all retained, along with Northern Districts paceman Brent Arnel and 32-test veteran Sinclair.



The Central Districts batsman, who played his last test against England at Napier in 2008, was rewarded for a prolific Plunket Shield season which reaped 610 runs at 61. He replaced Otago batsman Neil Broom in the squad.



"We felt we needed a cover top-order batter, rather than cover for our middle order, so Neil is a little unlucky in that respect," Greatbatch said.



Ingram kept his spot after scoring 42 and 13 on debut against Bangladesh but struggling in the one-day series against Australia, scoring 40, 14 and five before being dropped.

He scored three for Central against Wellington in Napier yesterday in a bid to regain some form.



Greatbatch confirmed that captain Daniel Vettori would again bat at No 6, which would enable five bowlers to be selected.



The final call would come down to second spinner Jeetan Patel versus Arnel.



"He (Vettori) has been very successful there over the last half-dozen tests. It also gives a very good balance to our side," Greatbatch said.



"It enables us to play the five bowlers we are looking for, whether that is four seamers and one spinner, or three seamers and two spinners in our squad, we have the ability to be flexible."



New Zealand test squad

Daniel Vettori (captain), Tim McIntosh, BJ Watling, Peter Ingram, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Daryl Tuffey, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, Brent Arnel, Mathew Sinclair.



Acknowledgements:  NZPA

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All Blacks will play every test under revised rules this year...

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All Blacks will play every test this year under the revised rules...

The All Blacks The All Blacks will play every test this year under the revised rules which have gathered growing favour during the Super 14 and which will be showcased at next year's World Cup.

International referees boss Paddy O'Brien confirmed his officials were using the rule alterations in the Six Nations and would persevere with the changes when Ireland and Wales toured New Zealand in June.

"We want everyone to be on the same hymn sheet and from June there will be 16 months for all teams to get used to the changes before the World Cup," he said.

"We have been pleased with what we have seen in the Super 14 and Lyndon [Bray] has done a great deal of work getting the messages through about what is needed ..."

O'Brien said games looked different in the hemispheres because of weather conditions, but the same laws applied. There was room in rugby for all sorts of styles but the laws and their application needed to be uniform.

Under the changes in emphasis this season, referees have penalised tacklers who do not roll away or release their victims before they contest possession.

They have also insisted on a slower scrum engagement sequence, and been vigilant about obstruction in the mauls and the offside line in chasing kicks.

"There are still other things we need to clean up like infringing at the breakdowns because we are looking to create space on the field," O'Brien said.

"The game seems to be settling down well in the Super 14 and we are clearly seeing a better game. We are emphasising the same things up north. There is no divide in interpretations."

O'Brien could not say who would referee the June tests in New Zealand but he thought those appointments would be announced next month.

"We want to have the top referees doing the top games, it does not matter where they come from."

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans believes the revised interpretations have been a success.

"We're very close to perfection I think, so if they can get the whole picture right and lift the height of the ruck we'll have a great game - and I think we've seen evidence of that already," he said.

"Dealing with the first event [the tackle] is relatively easy and having dealt with that they can now turn their focus to the arriving support players and insist that they play the game on their feet, because there is no need now to launch with your shoulders below your hips to remove bodies off bodies.

"So given the referee is going to cater for that, they should be able to enter the ruck higher, there's still an incentive to go there for both sides so there'll be a genuine contest.

"The risk is if referees don't insist on attacking support players playing on their feet then essentially the defence will opt out of the contest and then we'll end up with a cluttered D-line that we had a couple of years ago."

Acknowledgements: Wynne Gray

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George Whitelock retains the No 7 for the Crusaders jersey despite Richie McCaw’s return. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is back in the Crusaders starting line-up, but in an unfamiliar position.

McCaw will start at blindside flanker for Saturday night's Super 14 match against the Blues in Christchurch after making a successful return off the bench last week. George Whitelock has been retained at openside.

Fellow All Black Kieran Read shifts to No 8 in place of the injured Thomas Waldrom, while Owen Franks replaces brother Ben in the front row.

The backline remains unchanged.

On the bench, All Blacks hooker Corey Flynn has been bracketed with Quentin MacDonald. Isaac Ross also returns from injury to take a place on the bench.

Crusaders
Jared Payne, Sean Maitland, Robbie Fruean, Ryan Crotty, Zac Guildford, Daniel Carter, Andy Ellis, Kieran Read, George Whitelock, Richie McCaw (captain), Sam Whitelock, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Ti'i Paulo, Wyatt Crockett.

Reserves: Quentin MacDonald/Corey Flynn, Peter Borlase, Isaac Ross, Jonathon Poff, Kahn Fotuali'i, Adam Whitelock, Colin Slade.

Acknowledgements: NEWSTALK ZB

Former NRL star Sonny Bill Williams set to return to rugby union in NZ...

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Former NRL star Sonny Bill Williams set to return to rugby union in NZ...

Former Bulldogs NRL rugby league star and New Zealand Kiwis international player, Sonny Bill Williams is set to come home and play his rugby union football in New Zealand this year. So far Williams has played a few seasons in France.

To qualify for the All Blacks at next year's Rugby World Cup in NZ, Sonny Bill will have to play in the provincial Air New Zealand Cup this season, and in next year's professional Super 15 competition.

Williams may play with former All Black captain, Tana Umaga, also player coach at his club in France, for the Counties-Manakau team. This would also qualify him for a Super15, currently Super 14, team. the competition has been expanded by one more team next year, the Rebels from Melbourne.

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