Christchurch lose all RWC and Super 15 matches...

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Christchurch loses all Rugby World Cup matches...



Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully has announced no Rugby World Cup matches will be played in Christchurch

Christchurch has lost all its Rugby World Cup matches.

The announcement has just come from Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully after consultation with IRB officials who are in Christchurch.

The decision was unanimously supported by the International Rugby Board, the New Zealand Government, the New Zealand Rugby Union and Rugby New Zealand.

Vbase, who are responsible for AMI Stadium, advised tournament organisers that it could not provide an absolute assurance that all necessary remedial work could be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup.

Quarter final matches on October 8 and 9 will be played at Eden Park in Auckland, but a decision regarding where the five pool matches will now be played is yet to be made.

Mr McCully says the Government is committed to keeping most of them in the South Island. He says the decision to move all the games has been made with sincere regret.

Ticket purchasers for all Christchurch matches will be offered the option of a refund or the opportunity to secure tickets to the relevant reallocated matches. Rugby New Zealand 2011 has confirmed there will be enough tickets available to rescheduled matches for those wanting to take up that option.

The surface of AMI Stadium (formerly Lancaster Park) has been badly damaged by liquefaction during the last earthquake in Christchurch. Super 15 matches have also been transfered from AMI Stadium to Nelson, most likely Twickenham for the Sharks v Crusaders game, and possibly Timaru.

Acknowledgements:© 2011 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

http://anzacbloggersunite.blog.co.uk

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NZ Rugby league relocates Anzac test from Christchurch...

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NZ Rugby League relocates Anzac test from Christchurch..






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The New Zealand Rugby League have decided to relocate the annual Anzac test due to the mounting death toll from Christchurch EQ...


Earthquake-ravaged Christchurch has lost out on hosting the Anzac rugby league test between New Zealand and Australia.

The test was scheduled to be played in the city on May 5 but the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) today decided to relocate the international due to the mounting death toll, which has risen to 163, and the serious damage inflicted on Christchurch's infrastructure by last week's magnitude 6.3 earthquake.

The match will instead be played at Skilled Park on Queensland's Gold Coast.

The NZRL said both it and the Australian Rugby League were committed to returning the Anzac test to Christchurch in 2012.

"The priority for them now is to somehow get their lives back together and the valuable resources they have on call need to be focused on trying to rebuild their city," NZRL chief executive Jim Doyle.

"By next year, hopefully, they will be looking for the tourism and the international exposure that this match can deliver, and we will be there to do everything we can to deliver that outcome.

"We remain committed to giving the people of Canterbury the chance to see the world champion Kiwis but unfortunately it is in everyone's interest that we wait for the right time.

"We are conscious that there are a lot of people hurting at the moment in Christchurch, as well as many in Queensland who are still coming to terms with the devastation of recent floods, and the test will certainly include a number of fundraising efforts."

To accommodate the venue change, the New Zealand Warriors' round nine National Rugby League (NRL) match against the Gold Coast Titans, which was scheduled to be played in Auckland, has been moved to Skilled Park. The corresponding match between the two teams in round 18 will move from Skilled Park to Auckland.

"The move has been agreed to by both clubs and reduces the impact of the venue change on the Warriors, players," said NRL chief executive David Gallop said today.

"There is tremendous sympathy for the people of Christchurch and we accept that the city is simply not in a position to host the match."

Acknowledgements: NZPA

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Sonny Bill Williams lucky...

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Sonny Bill Williams lucky...


Sonny Bill Williams has emerged as one of the lucky survivors in yesterday's destructive 6.3 earthquake. The All Blacks star was relaxing in a pool when the quake hit the greater Christchurch area.

"It was a pretty crazy afternoon," Williams said. "I was at the pool and it came from nowhere. It was unexpected, especially as everyone was just starting to get settled after the last earthquake".

Williams and the friend he was with left the pool immediately and made their way to the streets only to find Christchurch in a state of chaos.

"Going through the city and seeing the destruction it was a lot worse that the last earthquake," he said. "We started walking and it was crazy. There were fires and it looked like there were people trapped. The worst thing about it was you just felt helpless."

The Canterbury representative confirmed that his own family was safe, but seeing the devastation firsthand has hit home.

"It really puts things in perspective. The thing that we do [rugby] is just a game and there’s more to life. This is something I’ll never forget."

Call 0800 RED CROSS (0800 733 276) to find out whereabouts of friends and famil

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NZ wins Wellington Sevens - unearths new star......

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Three tries to speedster Declan O'Donnell ensured New Zealand landed the Wellington sevens rugby tournament crown with an emphatic 29-14 win over England tonight.



The Waikato teenager had earlier scored twice against Australia to send the hosts into the final and it was his blistering speed and the team's defiance after the loss of captain DJ Forbes early in the match that saw them claim their fifth Wellington title and a share of the world series lead.

Forbes, playing in his 38th sevens tournament, left the field with a knee injury following Isoa Damu's try that handed England, winners here in 2009, a 7-0 lead.

But New Zealand drew inspiration from old hands Tomasi Cama, Lote Raikabula and Forbes' replacement Solomon King to score 29 unanswered points to deny England.

Cama provided the first try for the busy Toby Arnold, before 19-year-old O'Donnell sparked into life in wet conditions.

He fended off Dan Norton twice to score under the posts and give New Zealand a 12-7 lead at the break.
From the restart, New Zealand pounced on an England error and Arnold repaid the favour for Cama who sold an outrageous dummy to scoot over next to the posts.

O'Donnell, who overcame an ankle injury to play in the tournament, then showed why he is being tipped for big things with a 80-metre dash to the line after New Zealand had soaked up concerted England pressure.

He had his third try and his 10th for the tournament with 90 seconds left and despite a minor melee near the close the final say went to England with substitute Simon Hunt scoring their second try.

New Zealand had earlier beaten Australia 17-0 to make the final, while England, who held the outright world series lead heading into the final, beat Samoa 7-5.

In addition to O'Donnell's two tries in the semi-final, Tim Mikkelson scored from 50 metres out and New Zealand withstood the sinbinning of playmaker Cama midway through the second half.

A conversion was all that separated England from Samoa in the other semi-final. The leading points scorer in international sevens, Ben Gollings, dinked over the extra points to give England a two-point lead but they then had to dig deep to deny a late surge from Samoa.

England, down a man after repeated infringing, were almost undone with time up on the clock.

Reupena Levasa opted for the kick and chase and it looked to have paid dividends only for his third kick to slide dead in goal with the try line begging.

Samoa, who struggled on the first day and had been thumped 29-5 by Australia in their final pool match, had made the semi-final after a surprise defeat of the in-form Fiji.

They led at the break after an unconverted try to Ofisa Treviranus, but England's John Brake capped a 95-metre move by England to give Gollings the chance to put them into the lead.

Elsewhere, defending champions Fiji won the plate final after beating South Africa 26-12, Kenya won the bowl after downing Tonga 19-0 and United States beat France 19-12 to claim the shield

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All Blacks beat England in dour test...

The All Blacks rumble on and poor old England stumble on, though at least Martin Johnson's men were able to make a lot more of a game of it at Twickenham today than their critics were predicting. 

In the end the All Blacks, still playing as though they've left their handbrake on, were comfortable 19-6 winners as they kept alive a couple of remarkable records in these autumn internationals


They still haven't lost in one of these November test matches since Graham Henry took charge in 2004, and they kept their line intact for another international in a run up here which stretches back to 2006. Defensively, these All Blacks are right on top of their game.


The same can't quite be said of the black attack, which once again managed just one try in 80 minutes of rugby, and despite a succession of promising raids, the final pass or the key break just couldn't be made. Once more you were left with a suspicion that despite their success, these New Zealanders still have a long way to go on the improvement chart

.
Still, this is test rugby. And as the All Blacks told us in the buildup, it's about winning first and foremost. By doing so with a degree of comfort today the New Zealanders not only retained the Hillary Shield but left English rugby with another week of navel-gazing

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Kiwis won opener against English - still more to come in Four Nations...

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The NZ  Kiwis might have won the opening battle of the Four Nations against England but they suffered a major blow to their campaign after wing Manu Vatuvei left the field with a fracture to the right arm.



Vatuvei, the Warriors marquee signing, looks to be ruled out for the rest of the campaign.



His arm was hit making a tackle in the third minute and he left the field immediately.



He went straight to the hospital for X-rays and it was confirmed later in the match he had fractured his radius bone.



The blokes holding up the "time for the beast to feast" banner got short-changed but it didn't stop Junior Sau from feasting as he moved to the left wing and Simon Mannering moved into the centres from the second row.



Coach Stephen Kearney said an injury to Vatuvei was something he was dreading, given they didn't take an extra winger into the game, preferring to leave Sam Perrett out of the 17.



"No doubt it had an effect on the balance of the side. But that was only initially before we became accustomed to it. I thought Junior did a pretty good job filling in.


Sau's try came came a minute after Vatuvei exited with a broken forearm. The Newcastle centre said it was intimidating because he hadn't played out wide for a while.



"It left a massive gap with the Beast gone early in the game but I had a job to do. Last time I played wing was four or five years ago in the under-20s, but it felt good out there. Mind you, I still needed the help of Fieny [Nathan Fien] and [Frank] Pritchard to feed off. They gave me a hand.



"If Manu was there that would have been his try. I got a good ball from Thomas [Leuluai] and fortunately the English winger [Tom Briscoe] was turned in."



Vatuvei's absence means Perrett is likely to return to the side for next week's test against Papua New Guinea in Rotorua.



Post-match, Perrett was hauling the team gear piece by piece to the bus. He's likely to have another job next week.



"I am always ready to play," Perrett says. "As soon as the call comes, I'll be ready and willing to get there. It's unfortunate for Manu - he really adds something to the team."



But Perrett said reforming the Roosters centre-wing combination with Shaun Kenny-Dowall is something to anticipate in Vatuvei's absence. The pair helped take the Roosters from 2009 wooden-spooners to grand finalists this year.



"We've had a whole season there and that'll be an advantage in its own way."



New Zealand was able to dominate with a wealth of possession, helped by a significantly better completion rate (86 per cent v 67 per cent), midway through the first half. That steadily declined as weariness set in but the damage was done in those first 20 minutes.



Consequently England were run ragged and sapped of energy through tackling which left them little to offer by way of attack.



It resulted in some ineffectual runs and dropped balls, the most notable coming from second-rower Sam Burgess who had an unforced spill in the 22nd minute which further lowered morale after they had set themselves up for a decent set of six midfield.



Fullback Gareth Widdop also dropped a crucial Marshall bomb four minutes into the second half as he wilted under Mannering's pressure. The resulting set of six saw Shaun Kenny-Dowall score after evading no less than five weak attempted tackles.



He managed to gallop his way across, continuing what has been a rich run of try-scoring form. The New Zealand player of the year picked up 21 tries with the Roosters in the NRL season.



The Kiwis capitalised on such English errors throughout. To their credit, there was also some slick movement through the hands. Both tries in the first half were set up in that fashion.



The first came with Thomas Leuluai flicking on a pass to Sau out on the left and he bustled over to set the tone.



The second came courtesy of some vintage Marshall jinking in midfield. He double-dummied to inside runners and worked his way to the right - then flicked a pass back to put Jason Nightingale in space.



He combined with Lance Hohaia backing up in the midfield to score by the posts. It sent the Kiwis out to a 12-0 lead at the break.



The English fought back strongly midway through the second half.



Coach Stephen Kearney would have been happy with the Kiwis' defensive line with just a solitary line break until hooker James Roby was able to weave his way inside and press the ball down off a grubber to the left of the posts.



That was followed by a dynamic counter-attack move to the right which went through the hands of centre Michael Shenton, five-eighth Kevin Brown and finally rested in the hands of Widdop.



It was a beautiful try but Widdop let himself down with a sloppy conversion just to the left of the upright which, if it had gone over, would have narrowed the gap to six points with 22 minutes to go.



The England resurgence was not over. Sam Tomkins banana-kicked for the corner and the New Zealand defence got sloppier as only prop Greg Eastwood was left to track back. Brown almost got the ball down in the follow through.



The only lapse in the first half came when lock Sean O'Loughlin busted through the line. He was tracked down and Junior Sau - one of the Kiwis' most impressive players of the night - hammered the receiver of his pass, Luke Robinson.



The game was only placed beyond doubt when Marshall literally stepped up to the task with 13 minutes to go.



It was another double-dummy move, complete with Marshall feints and goose steps on the 30 metre line. He worked his way right - and the English failed to put a finger on him for 10 metres.



Marshall found Nightingale again on an inside cut - and he continued his NRL grand final-winning form in support. He was half-tackled but flicked it back to the skipper whose dive breezed inside the corner flag with millimetres to spare.



It was a fine try and a good, but not entirely convincing, win. The Kiwis have the Kumuls next and will need to do better to beat Australia.



New Zealand 24 (J Sau, L Hohaia, S Kenny-Dowall, B Marshall tries, Marshall 4 goals) England 10 (J Roby, G Widdop tries; G Widdop goal) Halftime: NZ 12-0.



Acknowledgements: NZ Herald/Andrew Alderson

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NZ beats Australia in Commonwealth Games Sevens...

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New Zealand beat Australia 24-17 to claim their fourth successive Commonwealth Games gold medal...






New Zealand won their fourth successive Commonwealth Games gold medal, beating Australia 24-17 in the final of the 2010 Games in Delhi.



It was an enthralling climax to the second day of competition which also saw South Africa win bronze, Samoa win the Plate and Papua New Guinea deservedly collect some silverware, defeating Canada 17-10 in the Bowl final.



Following a dramatic end to the first day with Kenya beating Samoa, there were a further 18 matches for the crowd at the Delhi University stadium to savour, ending with New Zealand's historic victory over Australia.





Trailing 17-7 in the second half following tries from Wallaby Lachie Turner, Luke Morahan and James Stannard, it seemed as though New Zealand would suffer their first ever defeat in the history of the Commonwealth Games.



But tries from DJ Forbes, replacement Sherwin Stowers and Kurt Baker ensured Gordon Tietjens' side went home with the gold medal in front of a packed crowd at the Delhi University stadium.



Who was your player of the tournament? >>





Lote Raikabula had given the defending gold medallists a 7-0 lead but without the injured Tomasi Cama they seemed unable to unlock the Australian defence.



The three Australian tries followed either side of half time, including a sensational individual effort from Morahan, but when flyer Stowers came on as a second half replacement he had an immediate impact against some tired legs.





Australia's silver medal is their first since a bronze in 1998 and although they will be disappointed, the medal caps a successful year, with Michael O'Connor's side winning their first leg on the World Series since 2002 at the 2010 London Sevens.



Final word from IRB CEO/Secretary General, Mike Miller, on Twitter in Delhi (@irbmikemiller): "Congratulations to New Zealand for winning a fourth-successive Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens Gold. Heartbreak for the young Australians, but they go home with a first ever Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens silver."



In the bronze medal match, South Africa dramatically claimed their first medal since 2002, beating England 17-14 having trailed 14-5 at half time.





Bernard Botha scored the opening try of the match but converted tries from Matthew Turner and Dan Caprice gave the 2006 silver medallists the lead going into the interval of the penultimate match in the competition.



Cecil Afrika and Lubabalo Mtembu clinched the title in a nervy second half, however, as Paul Treu's men held firm to deny the efforts of the spirited Ben Gollings at the death to claim an historic bronze medal.



Medal competition lights up Comm Games





New Zealand became the first side to reach the final, beating England 33-12 in a repeat of the 2006 gold medal match, when New Zealand were 29-21 victors.



Forbes (two) and Cama got the defending champions off to a flying start before Isoa Damudamu hit back for England. But Raikabula and Cama cemented the victory for Tietjens' men.





The second semi final between Australia and South Africa was a closer affair and although Ryno Benjamin put Treu's men on the front foot after two minutes, Turner, Liam Gill and the influential Stannard ensured O'Connor's side were guaranteed their first medal since 1998.



New Zealand had earlier beaten RWC Sevens 2009 winners Wales 33-10 in the quarter finals despite conceding the opening try to Ifan Evans, with Baker (two), Ben Smith, Hosea Gear and Toby Arnold securing victory.





England set up a repeat of the 2006 final after a hard-fought victory over Samoa, a side they lost 15-12 to in one of the most dramatic matches of this year's World Series in Edinburgh, edging a tough encounter 7-5.



Alatasi Tupou gave Stephen Betham's men a 5-0 lead after a period of possession and territory on the England try line before Greg Barden drew the scores level and Ben Gollings added the conversion to give England a crucial two-point lead in a very tight affair. It is the second successive time England have beaten Samoa at this stage of the competition, having won 17-14 in Melbourne.





Kenya caused the biggest upset in the final pool match of the opening day, beating Samoa 12-10, but Australia proved a step too far in the quarter finals, with the 2010 London Sevens champions reaching the semi finals with a 27-5 victory thanks to two tries from Stannard.





South Africa and Scotland completed the quarter final line-up, and it was Treu's side who reached the semi finals with a 10-7 victory thanks to a decisive try from Benjamin. Scotland had scored one of the tries of the tournament through Mike Adamson with the last play of the opening half, but their hearts were broken early in the second.





Samoa too strong for Scotland in Plate final





Samoa scored six tries as the reigning World Series champions put the disappointment of missing out on a medal behind them, beating Scotland 34-0 in the final.



Afa Aiono and IRB Sevens Player of the Year Mikaele Pesamino both scored two tries against a Scotland side who will have done head coach Stephen Gemmell proud in his final Sevens hurrah.





Earlier the two teams had reached the final after respective 38-12 and 22-17 victories over Wales and Kenya, following their losses in the medal quarter finals.



The eventual winners avenged a Plate semi final loss to Wales in 2006 as Stephen Betham's men crossed for six tries against the current RWC Sevens holders, whilst Scotland beat Kenya dramatically in sudden death extra time with Lee Jones the hero.





Having earlier lost 27-5 to Australia in the medal quarter final, Kenya were unable to build on their 100% record and dramatic victory over Samoa on day one.





Papua New Guinea beat Canada in Bowl final





Papua New Guinea recorded a memorable victory over World Series regulars Canada to win the Bowl final 17-10 at the 2010 Commonwealth Games thanks to two tries from Albert Levi.



It was just reward for PNG who entertained the crowd at the Delhi University stadium with some exhilarating Sevens throughout the tournament, scoring three tries against reigning World Series champions Samoa and narrowly missing out on a huge upset with a 17-12 defeat to Pool C winners Kenya on day one.





Earlier Canada and PNG had come through two thrilling semi finals with Geraint John's side beating Uganda 22-17 despite trailing 12-5 at half time and the eventual winners proving too strong for Tonga, winning 24-5.



Henry Liliket gave a Sevens master class in the opening half, showing great strength and speed to score the first two tries before turning provider for PNG's third through Shadrach Ghabiliha, with 18-year-old Eugene Tokavai sealing the victory.





In the first semi final Uganda had opened up a 12-0 lead after Lawerence Wakabi, picking up where he left off earlier in the day, and Ambrose Kamanyire scored the opening two tries of the match, but Canada hit back with the next four tries.



Nathan Hirayama and Conor Trainor both scored twice - the former taking his tournament tally to seven - and although Kamanyire scored his second of the match, Canada held on to reach the final.



The two bottom placed teams from each of the four pools on day one moved into the Bowl competition and although no medals were on offer for them, the players put on an exhilarating competition for the spectators.





Canada had begun proceedings on day two against India and a hat-trick from Hirayama helped them through to the semi final. The home crowd were delighted, however, when Puneeth Krishnamurthy and Rohaan Sethna scored the host's points, whilst Wakabi scored two tries for Uganda in their 26-14 victory over Malaysia.





PNG earlier defeated Sri Lanka 26-12 with Levi adding to his tournament try tally with two more against the Asian side, before Tonga scored three times against Guyana to secure their position in the semi finals.





Day two results:

Gold medal match: New Zealand 24-17 Australia

Bronze medal match: England 14-17 South Africa

Plate final: Samoa 34-0 Scotland

Bowl final: Canada 10-17 Papua New Guinea

Medal semi final: Australia 17-7 South Africa

Medal semi final: New Zealand 33-12 England

Plate semi final: Kenya 17-22 Scotland

Plate semi final: Wales 12-38 Samoa

Bowl semi final: Tonga 5-24 Papua New Guinea

Bowl semi final: Canada 22-17 Uganda

Medal quarter final: South Africa 7-5 Scotland

Medal quarter final: Kenya 5-27 Australia

Medal quarter final: England 7-5 Samoa

Medal quarter final: New Zealand 33-10 Wales

Bowl quarter final: Tonga 21-14 Guyana

Bowl quarter final: Papua New Guinea 26-12 Sri Lanka

Bowl quarter final: Uganda 26-14 Malaysia

Bowl quarter final: Canada 43-10 India





Go to cwgdelhi2010.org for more information, or click HERE for match details>>



Acknowldgements: © International Rugby Board

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Kiwis in Delhi happy with what they have seen - Commonwealth Games start in six days...

Image via WikipediaKiwis in Delhi happy with what they've seen - Commonwealth Games start in six days...

More than a dozen Kiwi Commonwealth Games competitors are among the 1200 athletes who have arrived in Delhi so far.



After a week of doubts and criticism, optimism is growing that the venues and accommodation will be ready in time.



With just five days to go until the start of the Games, the rest of the New Zealand team is due to arrive in India over the next 24 hours.



And the athletes themselves told ONE News they were reasonably impressed with what they had seen so far, including security levels.



Archer Stephen Clifton said, "It looks pretty impressive, there are lots of guys with guns, hopefully to keep us safe."



Chef de Mission Dave Currie said today the venue was very different from the "bomb site" it was two weeks ago.



The accommodation was not five star, "but it's clean and tidy," he said.



"One of the challenges we feared would happen was that, as they (the organisers) have more pressure on the village, they would struggle to keep ahead of it," he told NZPA.



"They're keeping ahead of it. They've got a lot of cleaners and workers here, but I understand there are still a few countries experiencing problems."



New Zealand's lawn bowls team, coached by Dave Edwards, arrived in Delhi this morning.



"The facilities are not up to the standards the team is used to but they are habitable and functional," Edwards said.


"Obviously, there's been a bit of work go in over the past few days, but as far as we're concerned, it's fine."



There were still a few disappointing aspects which were not up to New Zealand standards, he said.



"But the plumbing is working at the moment and the air conditioning is working. It will be fine, I'm sure it won't be a problem for us," Edwards said.



And Edwards said the rooms were a good size.



"There's horror stories from previous Commonwealth Games where you roll over in the middle of the night and give your neighbour in the bed next door a black eye," he said.



"But these are roomy and spacious in that regard and the rest of the village is all fine. The dining hall is excellent."



Tight security slows movement



Currie said transport was "a bit of a problem" in getting fine-tuned because of the tight security measures in place, but he said organisers were "certainly doing what they said they would".



"There's some delays... with the security at the village here... and getting into the training venues. Because of the heightened security, getting these movements streamlined has been a challenge."



It was starting to look more like a games venue and less like the ghost town it had been, Currie told Radio New Zealand.



Currie also confirmed it had been decided that the only reason the athletes could leave the village is to train and compete.



He said while it's a sad decision to make, it was also a necessary one.



The team had been briefed on the importance of wearing insect repellent to avoid contracting dengue fever, a mosquito-borne virus, and using hand sanitiser to keep hygiene levels up.



Last week the unhygienic state of the accommodation areas, and the amount of work that still needed to be done, cast doubt on the Games, which are due to open on Sunday and run until October 14.



The situation led the New Zealand Olympic Committee to delay the arrival of the first New Zealand athletes into the village from last Saturday to today.



Today Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that they were racing against time, but that "we will perform".



"Please don't take a negative story, I wish you could all be more positive, because these will be very good games."

Smiling Kiwi athlete:

Acknowledgements: NZPA, One   http://tvnz.co.nz/

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The All Blacks flawless 2010 Tri-Nations Competition

The All Blacks flawless 2010 Tri-Nations competition...

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• All Blacks happy with start to Tri Nations (3news.co.nz)

Wallabies now major threat to AB's at next year's Rugby World Cup...

Image via Wikipedia

The Wallabies are now the major threat to the All Blacks at next year's Rugby World Cup


The Wallabies have superseded South Africa as New Zealand's closest challenger and major threat at next year's Rugby World Cup, according to All Blacks star Jerome Kaino.



While New Zealand logged their 10th straight win over Australia in the last Tri-Nations match of the season in Sydney on Saturday, the Wallabies' performance gave their supporters more cause for hope following the drought-breaking win at altitude over the Springboks in Bloemfontein the previous week.



Australia led by 13 with 15 minutes to go, but conceded two late converted tries to lose 23-22.



Fatigue caused by a short turnaround following a long flight from South Africa and Tests in successive weeks against the Springboks appeared to take a toll.



Regular starting blindside flanker Kaino, who sparked New Zealand after coming off the bench on Saturday, lavished praise on what he perceived as an improving Australian side.



"The Wallabies have young players, keen players, that are willing to improve and they are improving," Kaino said.



"They have got a lot of enthusiastic players. I've seen them grow from 12 months ago.



"The Springboks, no disrespect, a lot of what they do is quite predictable.



"Seeing these Wallabies out there, it poses a new threat, just thinking on what they are going to present in 12 months time, at World Cup time."



Kaino pointed to New Zealand's dramatic change of fortune over the last year as evidence of how much a team can improve in just 12 months.



Since losing a third straight game to the Springboks, the All Blacks have reeled off 15 successive victories, just two short of the world record streak for top flight nations.



"Twelve months ago, people weren't really thinking much or saying much about this Wallabies team and all the new players that are in there," Kaino said.



"Nowadays a lot of these players are key figures in the Wallabies team and international rugby.



"Just seeing them improve and how much these young players are going to learn, from these tough times, it's going to be huge."



He described Wallabies openside flanker David Pocock as 'a menace', who was filling the gap created by the retirement of George Smith.



While Australian goalkicker Matt Giteau missed four shots on Saturday, All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu landed all five of his attempts.



Weepu revealed he had a disastrous practice session the day before, making only three or four of 15 shots before deciding to stop.



"Before the game I was thinking to myself 'I hope this doesn't come down to goal kicks' and obviously it did come down to that," Weepu told reporters.



"You've got to be able to kick under a whole lot of pressure and 'Gits' is pretty good at kicking under pressure and tonight probably wasn't his night."



Acnowlegements: © 2010 AAP

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NZ Black Ferns win womens Rugby World Cup for fourth time...

Image via Wikipedia Rugby World Cup  -  New Zealand's fourth straight women's World Cup win this morning, after narrowly beating England 13-10 in the final at London, was built around composure, veteran first five-eighth Anna Richards said.


Richards, 45, was one of three Black Ferns shown the yellow card during the keenly contested match which was not settled until the 66th minute when Kelly Brazier slotted home a penalty.



The Black Ferns' defence then proved impenetrable for the final 14 minutes as England, playing New Zealand in a final for the third consecutive time, launched a series of attacks from deep inside their half in a desperate attempt to snatch victory.



For Richards, it was a fourth World Cup medal in a Black Ferns career that began in 1990.



Today's final marked her 49th test for the Blacks Ferns after having been called up when first choice No 10 Amiria Rule was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.



"It feels awesome, it feels kind of surreal," Richards said at a post match interview.



"It was an awesome atmosphere tonight and kind of a strange game with all the sin-binnings. It was a weird game actually, but nice to come out on top.



"It definitely ebbed and flowed. I thought we had the better first 15 or 20 and then England came back when we had a couple of sin-binnings.



"Our composure (helped us win), especially when we were down to 14 and 13 at some stages, and we believed in ourselves."



It felt good to collect her fourth winner's medal.



"I am tired but it is kind of surreal, I will believe it later but I am really happy. This one is exactly the same, it doesn't get any better - it's the best."



Otago winger Carla Hohepa crossed in the 33rd minute to score the opening try of the match while the Black Ferns had 14 players on the field.



Richards had been shown the yellow card for not rolling away in the 22nd minute and was joined in sin bin seven minutes later by prop Mel Bosman.



Otago second five-eighth Kelly Brazier converted Hohepa's try and New Zealand went to the break leading 7-0.



England's Katy McLean narrowed the lead with an early second half penalty but New Zealand came back.



Hohepa nearly added a second try when she pounced on an England turnover but lock Joanna McGilchrist produced the cover tackle of the tournament.



Brazier stretched New Zealand's lead to 10-3 with a penalty but the Black Ferns lost skipper Melissa Ruscoe to yet another yellow card in the 57th minute.



England took advantage of their superior numbers to equalise in the 62nd minute.



They opted to scrummage from the penalty and, after great work from the pack, the ball was popped onto the blindside for Charlotte Barras to score her fourth try of the tournament which McLean superbly converted.



New Zealand's winning points came from a penalty after they drove deep into English territory and Brazier slotted home from just inside the 22m line.



Ad Feedback "I was pretty nervous (with the penalty at 10-10)," Brazier said.



"The crowd were making a lot of noise. I just thought of it as another kick and thankfully it went straight through the posts.



"Obviously there was still a bit of time on the clock so I knew it wasn't over yet."



But New Zealand defence was up to the task as they calmly repelled England.



"We knew if we could just get back down their end, no one has scored on us from their own 22, so we were happy," Brazier said.



Ruscoe said the team's response to the sin-binnings had been "massive and that doesn't come down to fitness".



"It doesn't come down to how much you do down at the gym - that comes down to pride and passion and the jersey that you are wearing. The girls just put their whole heart into it and got us through the game."



Australia finished third, downing France 22-8 in the playoff.



Results:



Final: New Zealand 13 England 10



3rd Place Play-Off: France 8 Australia 22



5th Place Play-Off: USA 23 Canada 20



7th Place Play-Off: Ireland 32 Scotland 8



9th Place Play-Off: Wales 29 South Africa 17



11th Place Play-Off: Sweden 8 Kazakhstan 12

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Image via WikipediaIt wasn't the greatest day in the South Island of New Zealand's history. A double tragedy in fact.

At 4-35am  Christchurch endured the worst earthquake since the 1931 Napier earthquake that killed well over 200 people. There is devastation throughout the city and environs. Possibly ninety buildings and an unknown number of homes will have to be replaced - thousands of other homes and buildings  will have to be repaired along with the infastructure - roads,streets, water pipes, sewerage pipes and some rail lines etc. No official deaths recorded yet, though there was one fatal heart attack that may be attributed to the 7.1 earthquake. After shocks continue!


Later in the day a small plane crashed at Fox Glacier killing the nine people on board. Five locals and four tourists. This was New Zealand's worst air disaster since 2003.

Some times things come in threes; hopefully not this time!

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Just 12 months to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand...

Image via WikipediaJust 12 months to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand...








Just 12 months to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand...



Its just 12 months to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. It will be the third biggest sporting event after the Olympics and the Soccer (Football to some) World Cup. So its a huge sporting event and undoubtably will be the biggest sporting event in New Zealand's history.



The game draw has just been released(NZ play Tonga in game one,England play Argentina in game five and Australia play Italy in game six). Ticket prices have also been released and applications can be made in NZ from Sept 10 to October 10 2010. Apply RUGBYWORLDCUP.COM/TICKETS Use your Master Card.



While New Zealand won the inaugural event in New Zealand and Australia in 1987, with the final at Eden Park in Auckland, the historically superior rugby nation has not been able to win another since, despite being ranked 'Number One' every year.



I believe the Rugby World Cup has assumed too much prestige at the expense of other rugby competitions and tours to each other's countries.



After pool play where each country plays each other in that particular pool, the games from quarter finals, semi finals and through to the final are knock outs. So if a country's team has a bad game they are eliminated from that World Cup.



Some say New Zealand is peaking too early after being unbeaten in the Southern Hemisphere Tri-Nations competition which they have just won, having beaten South Africa three times and Australia twice, with one match still to go.



But in fact New Zealand is actually building up depth in their squad to ensure there are specialist replacements in the event of injuries during the Rugby World Cup tournament in 2011. It has been injuries to key players in previous tournaments that prevented NZ from having a winning chance.



It is unlikely that NZ will have a home tournament again for decades, even if ever, if the costs of holding such a tournament sky-rocket like the Olympics and the Soccer World Cup, making it prohibitive for such a small country like NZ being able to afford another tournament. Therefore it is important that NZ wins its home tournament next year!



RUGBYWORLDCUP.COM/TICKETS


http://huttriver.blog.co.uk/



http://blogevolve.com/blog/huttriver12

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