The return of brilliant winger Lote Tuqiri heads a comprehensive list of changes for Australia ahead of their rugby Test against Fiji on Saturday. As he searches for his best World Cup and Tri-Nations combination, Wallabies coach Jon Connolly retained just five of his starting 15 from their 31-0 win over Wales last Saturday.

The Western Force kept their slim Super 14 finals hopes alive with record 45-17 thrashing of the Central Cheetahs at Subiaco Oval in Perth on Friday. The Force, needing a bonus-point win to remain mathematically capable of reaching the play-offs in their second season, delivered with a six-try spree that took them to their highest score yet in the competition.

The Western Force notched a club-record third straight victory with a gritty 22-12 Super 14 win over the often undisciplined Coastal Sharks at Subiaco Oval in Perth on Friday. The result in front of a noisy crowd of 28 400 kept the Force right in the hunt for a finals berth in just their second season in the competition and confirmed their status as the leading Australian contender.

The plucky Otago Highlanders clung to a one-point lead for the entire second half to upset the Western Force 8-7 in the Super 14 match at Subiaco Oval in Perth Friday. The Western Force were expected to be one of the big improvers in their second season in the competition, but they had no answer to the tough defence of the determined Highlanders.

Blistering batting has propelled New Zealand to the brink of the finals of the triangular one-day series — now they have their sights set on upsetting the unbeaten Australians. The Black Caps appear certain to face the home side in the tri-series finals after their 58-run win over a besieged England at Perth’s Waca ground on Tuesday.

England’s lack of cohesion was in the spotlight again on Wednesday after wicketkeeper Paul Nixon took aim at captain Andrew Flintoff’s claims about their fielding in Australia. Nixon also contradicted coach Duncan Fletcher’s assertion that the players had been training too hard, underlining the disarray in the England side during their calamitous tour down under.

England are again set to be without three of their key players for the crunch triangular one-day series clash with New Zealand on Tuesday. Defeat will almost certainly end England’s hopes of reaching the tri-series finals to cap a disastrous tour, and they look to be missing captain Michael Vaughan as well as opening bowlers James Anderson and Jon Lewis.

Centuries by Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden helped Australia maintain their winning streak with an unexpectedly narrow eight-run victory over a plucky New Zealand in their triangular series one-day international in Perth on Sunday. Ponting won the toss and elected to bat in extremely hot conditions. His decision was vindicated as Australia capitalised on New Zealand fielding errors.

England captain Michael Vaughan says his side urgently need to find a way to heal some of the mental scars inflicted during their horrific Australian tour. Vaughan, who is himself sidelined as he continues to battle to overcome a hamstring strain, said the self-doubt permeating the team was ”cancerous” and a real threat to England’s hopes in the upcoming World Cup.