SportAustralian Associated PressWrist injury blow to Petaia's Rugby World Cup bid
Jordan Petaia's Rugby World Cup hopes have suffered a blow after he underwent surgery to repair a ligament injury in his wrist, ruling him out of the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific season.The Queensland Reds winger or fullback has been in career-best form this season to force his way into Eddie Jones' Wallabies selection plans despite the great depth in those positions.
SportAustralian Associated PressForce brace for double points fight against Fijian Drua
Western Force captain Michael Wells has declared the play-offs have now begun for his team, and he's gearing up for a "double points" showdown against Fijian Drua at HBF Park.A two-match losing streak on the road has left the Force (3-7) languishing in 11th spot with just four matches remaining.
SportAustralian Associated PressConfident Creighton flags Reds raid in NZ return
Lawson Creighton will play with more freedom and a new-found confidence when he steers the Queensland Reds around against the Chiefs in a game nobody expects them to win.A perfect 10-0 this Super Rugby Pacific season, the Chiefs have set the benchmark the Reds (4-6) crave and fallen well short of.
SportAustralian Associated PressEddie Jones finalises Wallabies coaching panel
Eddie Jones has loaned Brad Davis from London Irish to run the Wallabies' attack in the final appointment for what the coach describes as his World Cup "smash and grab" mission.Currently an assistant at the Premiership club, the Australian-born Davis forged a 10-year rugby league career in England before moving into coaching.
SportAustralian Associated PressFemale ref Neville to officiate at men's World Cup
Joy Neville, of Ireland, will make history when she becomes the first female referee to included in the list of match officials for a men's Rugby World Cup.Neville, 39, was among a group of 26 match officials representing nine nations announced by World Rugby on Wednesday.
SportAustralian Associated PressBolter Brumbies banging on Eddie Jones' World Cup door
Dominant Super Rugby Pacific form is putting a string of Brumbies players into the Wallabies pipeline, with a number of lesser-known talents looking to feature at this year's World Cup.Eleven Brumbies featured in Eddie Jones' first 33-player Wallabies training squad earlier this year, with another four ruled out with injuries.
SportAustralian Associated PressTupou targets July return in World Cup fitness battle
Taniela Tupou concedes he's walking a tightrope to be ready for the Rugby World Cup despite targeting a July comeback from serious injury.Tupou on Wednesday revealed he still won't be running for another two weeks after tearing an Achilles tendon on last year's spring tour to Europe.
SportAustralian Associated PressForce coach not happy at embarrassing boots mistake
Western Force coach Simon Cron has revealed he gave some of his players a rocket for wearing the wrong types of studs in last week's 48-13 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Crusaders.The Force endured scrum problems throughout the match, and it didn't take long for Cron to realise some of his players were wearing studs not suited for a game in Christchurch.
SportAustralian Associated PressNew faces into Wallaroos rugby squad for Fijiana Test
Queensland playmaker Carys Dallinger and exciting teenage NSW Waratahs fullback Caitlyn Halse are two of the new faces in the Wallaroos squad named ahead of their Test against Fijiana.Coach Jay Tregonning announced a 32-player squad ahead of Australia's May 20 clash in Sydney.
SportAustralian Associated PressJorgensen thrives amid talk of Wallabies World Cup spot
Teenage sensation Max Jorgensen says he feels like he belongs as Wallabies coach Eddie Jones toys with the notion of thrusting the son of a gun into his Rugby World Cup squad.Jorgensen was already proving to be one of the finds of the Super Rugby Pacific season before returning to the NSW Waratahs with an extra spring in his step following a three-day Wallabies camp in Queensland.
SportAustralian Associated PressNSW Waratahs would welcome Rooster Suaalii a year early
The NSW Waratahs say they would welcome Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii a year earlier than expected if the Sydney Roosters are willing to release the code-hopper from his NRL contract at season's end.But that is only the case if they can nut out the financials for the $1.
SportAustralian Associated PressRebels back-rower Kemeny banned for three Super games
Melbourne Rebels' try-scoring back-rower Josh Kemeny has been suspended for three weeks for a dangerous tackle during their Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Brumbies on Sunday.The 24-year-old will only return for the last round in a blow to their hopes of pushing into the finals-bound top eight.
SportAustralian Associated PressWallabies' White relieved to have rugby future decided
Nic White admits a decision on his playing future has been affecting his form, and hopes signing with the Western Force will have him at his best for the ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby Pacific finals campaign.The veteran Wallabies halfback signed a two-year deal with Rugby Australia and the Force, who he will join at the end of the current season.
SportAustralian Associated PressJones brings England rugby mind coach over to Wallabies
Eddie Jones has engaged the sports psychologist who helped England to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final to work with the Wallabies ahead of this year's tournament in France.Jones recruited Corinne Reid to help heal the wounds from England's disastrous 2015 campaign, when they became the first hosts ever to crash out in the pool stages.
SportAustralian Associated PressReds aim to buck history and cement Super finals spot
The Queensland Reds will likely need to end their horrific New Zealand record to sneak into the Super Rugby Pacific finals after another costly loss exposed their tough run home.The Reds surrendered sixth spot to rivals NSW Waratahs in a 32-24 loss in Townsville on Saturday.
SportAustralian Associated PressCooper return trumps Folau brilliance in Japan
The 'real' return of Quade Cooper has trumped the brilliance of Israel Folau as Hanazono Kintetsu Liners took an important step towards Division One survival in Japan Rugby League One.Kintetsu, who had won just once this term, thrashed previously-unbeaten Urayasu D-Rocks 36-14 in the first leg of their Replacement Battle, with Cooper's confident hand providing a key difference for a side that had conceded 854 points in 16 games.
SportAustralian Associated PressLolesio's message to Eddie Jones as Brumbies pip Rebels
Noah Lolesio has sent a message to Wallabies coach Eddie Jones and rival five-eighth Carter Gordon as he helped the Brumbies to a thrilling 33-26 Super Rugby Pacific victory over the Melbourne Rebels.The result pushed the Brumbies back up to second on the ladder while the Rebels remain outside the finals-bound eight.
SportAustralian Associated PressWaratahs leapfrog Reds with Super derby win
The NSW Waratahs have taken an important step in a race for the last three Super Rugby Pacific finals berths by leapfrogging interstate rivals Queensland with a 32-24 victory.Darren Coleman's side spoke about addressing inconsistencies in the lead-up to Saturday's contest in Townsville and their second-half performance had the coach pleased after shutting out the Reds for almost the entirety of the half.
SportAustralian Associated PressFijiana Drua claim back-to-back Super W titles
Fijiana Drua captain Bitila Tawake has likened consecutive Super W titles to "winning the World Cup" after her side beat the Queensland Reds 38-30 in a pulsating grand final in Townsville.The Drua's physicality and offloading was too much for a brave Reds outfit that fought hard in the second half after finding themselves on the wrong end of three quick tries that blew out the margin.
SportAustralian Associated PressWestern Force feel the sting in the Crusaders' tail
The Crusaders have put a big dent in the Western Force's Super Rugby Pacific finals hopes with a clinical 48-13 bounce-back win in Christchurch.The defending champions delivered a set-piece masterclass to put the Force to the sword with an eight-tries-to-one drubbing at Orangetheory Stadium.
SportAustralian Associated PressDrua shock Hurricanes; Savea matches Folau tries tally
Former All Blacks winger Julian Savea has scored two tries in a losing cause to join Israel Folau as the all-time top try-scorer in Super Rugby as the Hurricanes were beaten 27-24 by the Fijian Drua in Suva.The Drua managed to almost exactly repeat their giant-killing 25-24 win over defending champions the Crusaders in Lautoka in round three to emphasise how difficult they are to beat in Fiji.
SportAustralian Associated PressRebels look to rein in Super second-half blues
Taking on one of the best finishing teams in the Super Rugby Pacific competition in the Brumbies, Melbourne are aware they will be punished if they repeat their pattern of second-half fade-outs.The Rebels host the high-flying Brumbies at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon, desperate for a win to jump up a spot on the ladder into the top eight.
SportAustralian Associated PressChiefs beat Highlanders to stretch Super Rugby streak
Flyhalf Damian McKenzie and fullback Shaun Stevenson led the Chiefs counter-attacking game as the Hamilton-based team beat the Dunedin-based Highlanders 52-28 to extend their winning start to the season in Super Rugby Pacific to 10 matches.McKenzie or Stevenson had a designing hand in five of the six tries scored by the Chiefs in their bonus-point win.
SportAustralian Associated PressForce's try-scoring star not fazed by Crusaders aura
The aura of the Crusaders has loomed large over the Western Force this week, but not for try-scoring machine Zach Kibirige.The Force will be aiming to post their first away win of the Super Rugby Pacific season when they take on the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday.
SportAustralian Associated PressNew Zealand to host inaugural women's rugby tournament
England, France and Wales women's rugby teams will head for New Zealand in October as the world champions host the inaugural WXV tournament.World Rugby has confirmed the venues and dates for the new three-tier competition, which seeks to increase "the competitiveness, reach and impact" of the 15-a-side women's game across the globe.
