rugby
SportAustralian Associated PressBoks' No.1 spot on line against Wallabies
Wallabies captain Michael Hooper expects more of the same, only better from South Africa as their world No.1 status goes on the line in Brisbane.
SportAustralian Associated Press'Belligerent' arrivals fuel Wallaby hunger
The Wallabies' mid-week billiards battles have become a competitive outlet to cope with their sudden glut of Rugby Championship options.Nic White will return to the starting side at stand-out No.
SportAustralian Associated PressJapan-Aust Test just the start: Hooper
Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has floated regular Test matches against Japan and possible entry into the Rugby Championship after the two countries were locked in to play next month in Oita.The October 23 Test will be the teams' first meeting since November 2017 and seventh in total, coming before the Wallabies play Scotland, England and Wales on November's Spring Tour.
SportAustralian Associated PressSmarting Springboks out to hit back
Still stinging from being shown up at scrum time last time out, South Africa are banking on their vaunted set piece to restore order with a bounce-back Rugby Championship win over Australia on Saturday night.The Springboks say they took it personally when the Wallabies scrum piled over them at the end of the first half and second half, ultimately costing the world champions six points - and the match - in the last-gasp 28-26 loss on the Gold Coast on Sunday night.
SportAustralian Associated PressProdigal sons close to being reunited
It won't happen this week but the door is open for James O'Connor to rejoin Australian rugby's fellow prodigal son Quade Cooper back in the Wallabies' starting XV.In a scenario unimaginable just a few weeks ago, and certainly in the preceding years before that when Cooper and O'Connor couldn't even find a Super Rugby club, the two exciting former prodigies may be reunited for the Wallabies as soon as this month.
SportAustralian Associated PressAll Blacks overhaul XV for Pumas rematch
Damian McKenzie will make his first Test start at No.10 for three years after All Blacks coach Ian Foster overhauled his team for their Rugby Championship clash with Argentina on Saturday.
SportAustralian Associated PressRennie marvels at record-setting Hooper
Lavishing praise on his captain courageous, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is convinced Michael Hooper will eclipse George Gregan as Australian rugby's most-capped player and not just as skipper.Hooper will eclipse Gregan's record for most Tests as Wallabies captain when he leads Australia for a 60th time in Saturday night's Rugby Championship return bout against South Africa.
SportAustralian Associated PressBoks show faith ahead of Wallabies rematch
World champions South Africa have backed themselves to make amends for last weekend's after-the-siren loss to Australia, making minimal changes for their rematch in Brisbane on Saturday.The Springboks were uncharacteristically sloppy coming off a series win over the British and Irish Lions and two victories over Argentina, missing three straight kicks and four in total in the 28-26 loss on the Gold Coast.
SportAustralian Associated PressWallabies greats back O'Connor in No.15
Elton Flatley has lauded Quade Cooper's "tremendous" return to Test rugby and thrown up James O'Connor as an option at fullback to complement him in Saturday's Rugby Championship rematch with South Africa.Cooper kicked a perfect eight from eight in Sunday's 28-26 win over the world champions, including the long-range penalty on an angle to win the game after the siren.
SportAustralian Associated PressRA told to further ease Wallabies criteria
Chris Latham has urged Rugby Australia to continue loosening Wallabies eligibility laws, saying they must embrace the inevitable urge for top-line players to chase big-money overseas deals.Australia saw what they have been missing in Sunday's defeat of world champions South Africa with Samu Kerevi's dominance in the No.
SportAustralian Associated PressHalf Smith puts family before All Blacks
All Blacks half Aaron Smith's international season may be over as he elects to stay home in New Zealand for the birth of his second child.Test centurion Smith will miss the rest of the Rugby Championship in Australia and may not link up with the squad for their northern hemisphere tour, he said on Wednesday.
SportAustralian Associated PressSpringboks have been here before: Mostert
Lock Franco Mostert says South Africa are in familiar territory with their backs to the wall following the Rugby Championship loss to Australia on Sunday, but recent experience has shown them the way out of their current predicament.The 28-26 defeat means the Springboks will likely have to win their three remaining games in the competition to retain the title they won in 2019.
SportAustralian Associated PressWallaroos appoint new coach for World Cup
Incoming coach Jay Tregonning is open to working with the Australian Sevens program and his Wallaroos players topping up in other codes as they prepare for next year's Rugby World Cup.Tregonning was the Wallaroos' assistant coach at the 2014 World Cup but reluctantly had to step away from the program as he also juggled the demands of his school teaching career and young family.
SportAustralian Associated PressDoor opens for Cooper's citizenship bid
Wallabies match-winner Quade Cooper has thanked his supporters for helping clear a path towards gaining Australian citizenship.Returning to the Test fold for the first time in more than four years on Sunday, Cooper slotted a perfect eight-of-eight kicks including a long-range effort after the siren to beat South Africa 28-26.
NewsAustralian Associated PressCharges dropped against All Black Frizell
Assault charges against New Zealand flanker Shannon Frizell have been formerly dismissed by a Dunedin court after the loose forward completed a police "diversion" scheme aimed at first offenders, local media reported.The 27-year-old, who has played 15 Tests for the All Blacks, faced two charges of assault against a woman and one of common assault after an incident at a Dunedin nightclub in May.
SportAustralian Associated PressWallabies look to back up shock Boks win
Rampaging prop Taniela Tupou and debutant hooker Feleti Kaitu'u are set for more game time after helping deliver the Wallabies' last-ditch scrum shunt that turned their Test against South Africa.Recalled playmaker Quade Cooper was the unlikely hero, booting Australia to a memorable 28-26 victory over the world champion Springboks with a penalty kick after the siren on Sunday night for their first Rugby Championship win.
SportAustralian Associated PressQuade Cooper seizes his Wallaby chance
Coach Dave Rennie says "of course" a 35-year-old Quade Cooper could lead the Wallabies into the next World Cup after the maligned playmaker took down world champions South Africa in his first Test for more than four years.That scenario would have seemed bizarre even after the 33-year-old was drafted into the squad during his Japanese off-season, primarily as a mentor to budding No.
SportAustralian Associated PressCooper kick seals after-siren Wallaby win
Quade Cooper has capped an incredible Wallabies return, kicking a match-winning penalty after the siren to beat South Africa 28-26 in his first Test for more than four years.A shock call-up to face the world champions, Cooper kicked a perfect seven-from-seven penalties and a conversion as the hosts won a scrum penalty in the final 20 seconds.
SportAustralian Associated PressNZ thump Argentina in Rugby Championship
New Zealand have consolidated top spot in the Rugby Championship with a commanding 39-0 victory over Argentina on the Gold Coast.Caught off guard in a shock first-ever loss to the Pumas in the corresponding fixture last year, the All Blacks shut out the South Americans in a ruthless display this time around.
SportAustralian Associated PressAll Blacks' Whitelock out of Rugby Champs
New Zealand captain Sam Whitelock will not feature in the remainder of this season's Rugby Championship due to quarantine issues, the All Blacks have announced.Whitelock, Richie Mo'unga and Aaron Smith did not travel to Australia with the rest of the All Blacks squad earlier this month as they remained in New Zealand on paternity leave.
SportAustralian Associated PressBoks wary of Cooper, horror Aus record
Quade Cooper and Samu Kerevi have got South Africa thinking as the unlikely Wallabies pair attempt to arrest Australia's slide in Sunday's Rugby Championship clash on the Gold Coast.Cooper is the bold selection after four years in the Test wilderness, the playmaker's return creating some buzz around a side soundly beaten in their three previous Tests against New Zealand.
SportAustralian Associated PressSean McMahon to join Wallaby camp
Sean McMahon will join Samu Kerevi and Quade Cooper in the Wallabies squad next week as the latest former star to be lured back under the relaxed eligibility laws.Cooper will play on Sunday against South Africa on the Gold Coast for the first time since 2017, which was also when gun backrower McMahon last wore Wallaby gold.
SportAustralian Associated PressOn cusp of history, Hooper demands better
A trio of sorry losses to New Zealand mean Michael Hooper hasn't had time to reflect on his historic shift in charge of the Wallabies ahead of Sunday's clash with world champions South Africa.The inspirational flanker will play Test number 112 in the Rugby Championship clash on the Gold Coast - only four men have played more often for Australia - while he will equal George Gregan's record when he leads the Wallabies out for a 59th time.
SportAustralian Associated PressPumas focus on discipline against NZ
Argentina's Pumas have spent two weeks in quarantine reflecting on recent losses to South Africa and focusing on discipline ahead of Sunday's Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks.The Pumas lost to the Springboks 32-12 and 29-10 in Rugby Championship Tests in South Africa before flying to Australia where they have had to isolate for 14 days before continuing the tournament.
SportAustralian Associated PressSanchez back for Pumas against All Blacks
Argentina have recalled Nicolas Sanchez at five eighth for Sunday's Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand on Australia's Gold Coast, where the Pumas will be looking to repeat last year's history-making victory over the All Blacks.The experienced playmaker scored all of the points in Sydney last season when Argentina beat New Zealand for the first time but was dropped in favour of Domingo Miotti for the second Test against South Africa last month.
