Australia

The Auckland Blues extended their lead at the top of the Super 14 standings to five points with a 28-9 win over the Otago Highlanders at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues scored three unanswered tries in the second half to run away with the match after Otago had led 6-3 at the break and held their advantage until the final 20 minutes.

Shane Warne has dismissed South Africa’s chances of winning the World Cup, insisting New Zealand and Sri Lanka pose a bigger threat to Australia’s title defence. The retired spinner said South Africa lacked the flair required to win the championship in the Caribbean.

Six-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders can put the heat on the table-topping Auckland Blues and the Wellington Hurricanes by ending the unbeaten run of the Natal Sharks in Durban on Saturday. The Crusaders burst back into title contention with a spectacular 49-28 win over the Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last weekend.

Australian judges ruled on Thursday that it was not offensive to call a gay United States television star a ”pillow biter” and a ”pompous little pansy prig”. The judges dismissed a complaint by a gay rights activist against a radio broadcaster who made the remarks about Carson Kressley.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting warned on Wednesday that despite some recent poor form the world champions will be ”extremely hard to beat” at the upcoming cricket World Cup. Speaking to reporters at the Sydney Airport as the team flew out to the Caribbean in search of a third straight World Cup victory, Ponting said he believed his team deserved to remain favourites.

Wallaby coach John Connolly said on Monday he is seriously concerned about the poor start to the Super 14 season by the four Australian teams in World Cup year. Australian teams — Western Force, ACT Brumbies, NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds — are languishing near the bottom of the Super 14 ladder, sitting in seventh, eighth, 11th and 13th positions.

Australia’s hopes of defending their World Cup cricket crown suffered a huge blow with the official withdrawal of pace spearhead Brett Lee on Friday. On the back of five straight one-day defeats, Australia will leave for the West Indies next week minus their strike bowler and amid mounting concern over whether they can successfully defend their title.

Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone, attending the premier of his new Rocky movie on Saturday, said Australian customs’ seizure of several items from his luggage at Sydney Airport on Friday night was a misunderstanding. Customs officers are investigating the prohibited items, which were confiscated during a routine luggage check.

The news keeps getting better for the unbeaten Natal Sharks, with South Africa’s one-time golden boy Bobby Skinstad set to make his debut for his new Super 14 franchise in Saturday’s home match with the Otago Highlanders. The Sharks lead the southern hemisphere provincial series with New Zealand’s Auckland Blues after opening wins over the Bulls and the New South Wales Waratahs.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has expressed his satisfaction with the current rest period his top players are enjoying to boost their World Cup preparations. Henry requested that 22 of the leading All Blacks miss the opening seven rounds of this year’s Super 14 competition and he is more than happy with the results.

Australia’s Qantas Airways has grounded a flight attendant after fellow crew members alleged she had sex with British actor Ralph Fiennes aboard a flight to India, news reports said on Sunday. The woman, named by the Sunday Telegraph as Lisa Robertson (38), issued a statement denying the charge.

Wallaby playmaker Stephen Larkham makes his first appearance of the Super 14 rugby season for the ACT Brumbies against the Auckland Blues in Canberra on Saturday. Larkham missed the Brumbies’s 21-15 opening victory against Waikato last week to be with his wife and newborn daughter.

England beat New Zealand by 14 runs in Brisbane on Tuesday to join Australia in the tri-series one-day international finals. Paul Collingwood smashed 106 and Andrew Strauss 55 as England recovered from a slow start to amass a formidable total of 270-7 from their 50 overs. New Zealand made a flying start in their reply, but lost their way in the latter stages to finish on 256-8.

Australia are seeking clarification from the International Cricket Council over the eligibility of injured players for the World Cup after all-rounder Andrew Symonds tore a bicep tendon in his right shoulder on Friday. Symonds underwent surgery on Sunday and is likely to be out of action for at least six weeks, jeopardising his place in the World Cup.

Australia’s Houdini-like conman Peter Foster was back behind bars on Tuesday, this time in his home country, one day after returning from the island nation of Vanuatu where he talked his way out of a prison over lunch. Foster, once a confidante of British prime minister’s wife Cherie Blair, returned to Australia on Monday night and was immediately arrested on money laundering charges.

Australia’s rugby league recruit Clinton Schifcofske scored 17 to steer Queensland to a 25-16 win over last year’s Super 14 finalists Wellington at Brisbane on Saturday. Schifcofske kicked five penalties and a conversion for Queensland to beat a depleted Hurricanes side and give sacked Australia coach Eddie Jones the perfect start to his new job.

England spectacularly revived hopes of playing in the triangular one-day series finals with their first breakthrough tour win over Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. The embattled tourists put aside unrelenting months of heavy defeats in the five Ashes Tests, the 20-20 international and the one-day series to crush the Australians by 92 runs.

A sign saying ”Jesus Loves Osama” outside some churches in Australia drew criticism from the prime minister and religious leaders on Thursday, though they conceded it was probably true according to Christian beliefs. Several other churches in the city had similar signs urging prayers for Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda terrorist leader.

Global warming will leave Sydney in permanent drought by 2070, with huge seas battering its famous beaches and raging bushfires threatening its outskirts, a report released on Wednesday says. The report from the national government’s scientific agency predicts a grim future for Australia’s largest and best-known city.