Australia

New South Wales made its first Super 14 home match of the season a winning one Saturday, while the Canterbury Crusaders won their fourth in a row to join the Waratahs among the tournament’s top four. Playing before 25 619 fans in a rare afternoon game, Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri broke an 11-match try-scoring drought to help the Waratahs to a 31-16 win over South Africa’s Sharks.

Wallaby back Mat Rogers made a sparkling return to rugby as the New South Wales Waratahs climbed to fourth in the Super 14 with a 31-16 victory over South Africa’s Coastal Sharks in Sydney on Saturday. The Sydney franchise scored three tries to one and just missed out on a four-try bonus point in a free-flowing victory.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting risks aggravating a stomach muscle strain if he plays in the remainder of the five-match one-day series in South Africa, team physiotherapist Errol Alcott has warned. Medical opinion is that Ponting will miss the game as well as Sunday’s match in Port Elizabeth.

New South Wales Waratahs will be looking to overcome a tumultuous week of suspensions as they try to get their Super 14 rugby campaign back on track against South Africa’s Coastal Sharks in Sydney on Saturday. Last season’s beaten finalists will be without banned forwards Rocky Elsom and Matt Dunning.

An Australian surfer accused of ”surf rage” has been banned from riding the waves at nine Sydney beaches, local media reported on Thursday. A court heard that John Dunne (34) had mounted a campaign of intimidation against other surfers who dared catch his favourite, world-renowned, breakers at North Narabeen beach.

Wallaby winger Wendell Sailor was suspended for an additional two matches and fined an extra 3 500 Australian dollars ( 587) on Tuesday over an incident outside a Cape Town nightclub during the New South Wales Waratah’s tour of South Africa earlier this month.

Fast-bowler Glenn McGrath ruled himself out of Australia’s cricket Test series against South Africa for family reasons on Tuesday, Australian Associated Press reported. McGrath has chosen to remain in Australia to be with his wife, Jane, who is fighting cancer.

Opening batsman Phil Jaques was on Monday added to the injury-hit Australian one-day squad for its limited-overs series in South Africa, Cricket Australia said. The New South Wales batsman was considered unlucky to miss out in the original selection after a prolific-scoring Australian summer.

South Africa’s Coastal Sharks will use a secret weapon as they try to reverse a wretched playing record in New Zealand against reigning champions Canterbury Crusaders in Super 14 rugby action on Saturday. The weapon is former All Blacks fly-half Tony Brown, who played 19 Tests and 83 Super 12 matches for the Otago Highlanders.

An Australian businessman who faked his own death nearly six years ago in an attempt to cash in a 3,5-million Australian dollar ($2,5-million) life insurance policy was jailed on Thursday for 15 months. Harry Gordon (56) who was declared officially dead after an apparent boating accident but never received the money, was also ordered to compensate police Aus$22 000 for the costs of searching for him.

Wallaby winger Wendell Sailor returned home in disgrace from the NSW Waratahs’ rugby tour of South Africa on Wednesday saying the nightclub incident that led to his early departure was a low point in his career. Sailor has already incurred a one-match ban and a fine from team authorities after he reportedly pushed a man to the ground outside a Cape Town nightclub.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting wants his team to help defuse anticipated hostile South African crowds and engage them in friendly banter while fielding during this month’s one-day cricket series. Ponting’s comments follow South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher’s urging of South African crowds to give the Australians a hard time.

Australian opening Test batsman Justin Langer took on world flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan in a promotional bout in Sydney on Monday and according to the boxer made a good fist of it. Langer went two rounds with world flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan in trainer Jeff Fenech’s Sydney gym.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Monday he will be allowed to use his illegal graphite-backed bat in this month’s one-day cricket series in South Africa. The Marylebone Cricket Club, the custodian of cricket’s rules, said last week that the bat used by Ponting and several other leading international players contravened cricket laws and was illegal.

Wallaby winger Wendell Sailor will return home from the NSW Waratahs’ rugby tour of South Africa on Tuesday after incurring a one-match ban and a fine following an incident at a Cape Town nightclub, the New South Wales Rugby Union (NSWRU) said on Monday. The NSWRU said in a statement that Sailor was suspended for one match and fined an undisclosed amount for inappropriate behaviour while intoxicated.

A global bird flu pandemic could kill as many as 142-million people and wipe about ,4-trillion from economic output, according to a worst-case scenario published by Australian academics. The study, released on Thursday by independent policy body the Lowy Institute, found that even a mild outbreak would have a sustained impact on the world economy.

Australian public broadcaster SBS on Thursday defended its decision to show previously unseen pictures of the abuse of prisoners in Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison by United States troops. Washington has complained that the broadcast could further inflame anti-US sentiment and endanger troops in Iraq.

Australia’s cricketers celebrated their crushing win in the one-day series against Sri Lanka and South Africa on Wednesday, as national selectors continued to experiment with the team line-up ahead of next year’s World Cup. The world champions had faced criticism recently over the decision to rest key players from some games during the triangular series.

Money doesn’t buy happiness, and now there’s a study to prove it. Australian researchers found that people in well-off Sydney are among the most miserable in the country, while those in some of the poorest areas are much more satisfied with their lives.

Australia have crashed from unbeatable favourites to facing a must-win match in Sydney on Sunday against rejuvenated Sri Lanka to prevent losing a home triangular one-day cricket series for the first time in 13 years. Australia’s suicidal batting performance to hand Sri Lanka a stunning 22-run victory in the opening final in Adelaide on Friday puts skipper Ricky Ponting in a perilous situation.

The New South Wales Waratahs are looking for a more expansive game to go one better in this year’s new-look Super 14 rugby series. The Waratahs lost to the all-conquering Canterbury Crusaders 35-25 in their first Super 12 final last season and under coach Ewen McKenzie they are bullish about winning this year’s provincial tournament.