AUSTRALIA coach Robbie Deans says there'll be nothing personal in his first battle with his homeland as the upbeat Wallabies turn their attention to the All Blacks.

AUSTRALIA centre Berrick Barnes says his defence got a rugby league style workout as South Africa's big forwards targeted Australia's small men in the 16-9 Tri-Nations victory at Subiaco Oval.

REIGNING international player of the year Bryan Habana has virtually blamed himself for South Africa's 16-9 Tri-Nations loss to Australia at Subiaco Oval.

THE man who first tried to lure Mark Gasnier to rugby believes the NRL star will be a hit in France, but has warned him not to expect a holiday.

WESTS Tigers star Benji Marshall forgot how good he was, but a quick recap of his performances during the Tigers' 2005 premiership triumph was all it took to turn his - and his side's - season around.

CANBERRA have boosted their NRL finals hopes after easily overcoming a lacklustre Sydney Roosters outfit 34-12 at Canberra Stadium.

THE injury-wracked Gold Coast Titans are hopeful five-eighth Mat Rogers will escape sanction from the NRL match review committee.

DAVID Gallop described western Sydney as a "battleground" as the NRL chief executive answered criticism stemming from the AFL's push into the area.

SOUTH Sydney want to upgrade the contract of captain Roy Asotasi until the end of 2012 to eliminate a get-out clause allowing him to switch to the English Super League.

MANLY fear they have lost prop Jason King for the season, while star five-eighth Jamie Lyon could be sidelined for six weeks.

After their momentous win last week, the Springboks came back down to earth with a bang. They turned in a flat, tired performance against the Wallabies in Perth on Saturday, and duly went down 16-9. The Boks were handicapped by

The Blue Bulls gained five valuable points when they defeated the Boland Kavaliers 26-10 in a Currie Cup match at Wellington on Saturday after leading 19-5 at halftime. The match was far from spectacular, but the Bulls were happy to

Leading 24-5 at half-time, the Lions eventually defeated Griquas 36-32 in an exciting climax to the Absa Currie Cup match played in ideal conditions at Absa Park, Kimberley, on Saturday afternoon.

The Cheetahs got the defence of their Currie Cup crown back on track after two successive defeats with a resounding 31-9 victory over a toothless Sharks side in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

GREG Inglis, the man who carved up Mark Gasnier in State of Origin II this year, rejected an offer to play rugby union with Western Force because he feared he would become bored in the 15-man code.

AUSTRALIA coach Robbie Deans will begin plotting the downfall of his home country New Zealand after the Wallabies upset world champions South Africa 16-9 in their Tri-Nations clash at Subiaco Oval.

Manchester United's tour of Africa got underway with a 1-1 draw against the Kaizer Chiefs in the opening match of the 2008 Vodacom Challenge series. 22-year-old Chris Eagles took advantage of a rare first-team appearance with the equaliser for the

Diamond was one of the few loyal fans who endured a poor day and dire performance by Middlesex. There was perambulation, talk of EGM. However, sadly the events on the field fill the crux of this report which carries a