Andy Haden again challenged to prove his claims about Crusaders Polynesian cap...

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Andy Haden again challenged to prove his claims about Crusaders Polynesian cap...




Maori Party's Te Ururoa Flavell says if Andy Haden cannot prove his claim of Crusaders' Polynesian cap his integrity must be questioned



Rugby World Cup ambassador Andy Haden is again being challenged to provide evidence to his claim the Crusaders have a cap on selecting Polynesian players.



Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell has joined the chorus of critics who question whether Mr Haden should keep his job. He says if the former All Black is really concerned about the future of rugby then he should name the writers of the policy, or even show a written copy of it. He says if Mr Haden cannot substantiate his claims then his integrity needs to be questioned.



"By refusing to disclose the identity of the people who Andy says wrote this so-called policy, he has turned a blind eye to what could potentially be institutionalised racism in that franchise.



"If Andy is really concerned about the future of rugby in this country, and it being a safe sport for all peoples to play, then he must name the policy writers or even better, show us the policy on paper.



Mr Flavell says Mr Haden's role as a Rugby World Cup ambassador should also be called into question if he cannot prove his claims.



It actually gets down to Andy Haden's credibility - or the lack of it.








Acknowledgements: © 2010 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

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Australia win the IRB London Sevens tournament...

Australia win famous IRB London Sevens tournament..


Australia have won a first IRB Sevens World Series Cup title for the first since Brisbane 2002

Australia beat South Africa 19-14 in a thrilling final at Twickenham to win the Emirates Airline London Sevens and claim a first Cup title on the IRB Sevens World Series since Brisbane in 2002.



With their victory the Australians climb to joint-third in the World Series standings with one tournament to play, the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens at Murrayfield next weekend.



In beating closest rivals New Zealand to reach the Cup semi finals Samoa took a giant stride towards a first ever IRB Sevens World Series title and take a seven-point lead from the second-placed kiwis to Murrayfield for the season climax next weekend.



In the other competitions Canada beat Portugal at the death in a fine Bowl final and Kenya also needed all 14 minutes to beat France and claim the Shield.



England's home title defence came to an end at the Cup quarter final stages when they were beaten by South Africa.

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Last ever rugby test against the All Blacks at Carisbrook will be Wales on June 19 2010, and is sold out...

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Last ever test against the All Blacks at Carisbrooke will be Wales on June 19 2010, and is sold out...


All regular tickets to this  last and historical All Blacks test to be played at Carisbrook have been sold out.



With 29 days to go before the June 19 test against Wales, the last of the 27,247 traditional stand and terrace tickets were sold this morning.



The Otago Rugby Union has decided to add 800 special on-field seats to boost capacity.



Acknowledgements:   - NEWSTALK ZB

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Richie McCaw'd reaction time tested ahead of Crusaders semi-final against the Bulls

Crusaders rugby captain Richie McCaw's reaction time was tested well before Friday's Super 14 defeat of the Brumbies...


To his horror, McCaw found his passport in a dishevelled state after going through the washing machine, but realising a trip to South Africa for the semifinals was a strong possibility, he lodged an emergency passport application on Wednesday.



A replacement arrived in time and the team left for Sydney today.



They won't leave there until tomorrow, as the third-qualifying Waratahs had first rights to business class seats for today's flight to South Africa.



The seven-time champions face the defending champion Bulls in a stellar semifinal at Soweto on Sunday morning (3am NZT), the top-qualifying South Africans sure to start favourites as they seek a third title in four years.



Acknowledgements:- NZPA

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Crusaders in Super 14 rugby competition final four - Hurricanes knocked out...

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Crusaders in Super 14 rugby competition final four  -  Hurricanes knocked  out...




The Crusaders have made the Super 14 semis after a 40-22 win over the Brumbies; Hurricanes beaten by Waratahs


The Crusaders have marched on to a ninth successive Super Rugby semifinal appearance, while the Hurricanes' season has come to a sudden end.



The seven-time champions have booked their place in the top four with a bonus point 40-22 win over the Brumbies in Christchurch.



Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder says they are looking good. He is really proud that they are in the semifinals and he is confident they can go all the way if they prepare well next week.



The Crusaders semifinal opponents will be decided when the Stormers host an under-strength Bulls side in Cape Town tomorrow morning.



If the Stormers win, the Crusaders face a trip to Pretoria, but if the Bulls win, the Crusaders will face the Waratahs in Sydney.



The Crusaders will be the only New Zealand franchise in this year's semis after the Hurricanes' Super 14 hopes were shattered by the Waratahs in Sydney.



Hurricanes assistant coach Jono Phillips was left to rue a high error count after their season-ending 32-16 loss. He says they did not build anything in the first half and the Waratahs scored tries off the Hurricanes' errors.

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NZRU has apologised to former NZ Maori representative players...

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NZ Rugby Union has apologised to former NZ Maori representative players...



Maori players received apologies from NZRU and SARU for being excluded from tours to South Africa during the apartheid era



The New Zealand Rugby Union has issued an apology to Maori players who were excluded from South African tours during the apartheid era. This includes legendary All Blacks such as the late great George Nepia.



It follows a similar one from SARU president Regin Hoskins, who has said sorry to the men excluded from selection and for the offence it may have caused to the Maori community.



Hoskins says the acknowledgment of the mistakes of the rugby union's predecessors and the apology for the sport's culpability is another step in attempting to lift the shadow of apartheid. It is better late than never!

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Kiwi driver Scott Dixon has won the Kansas City 300 in the Indy Car Racing series...

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Kiwi driver Scott Dixon has won the Kansas City 300 in the Indy Racing Series.....


Dixon wins Kansas City 300.



NZ driver Scott Dixon has won the Kansas City 300 in the Indy Racing series, for the second year in a row



It is the second year in a row Dixon has won the race, and fourth consecutively for his Chip Ganassi team at the event. It is Dixon's first race win of the season and 23rd of his career. He says it is a very important win heading into the Indy 500.



It puts Dixon into second in the championship, 26 points behind Will Power. Dixon has twice won the championship, and is a past Indy 500 winner.



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