An expanded United States conference-style Super rugby series is being touted by the New Zealand Rugby Union as a way of reviving the flagging Super 14 rugby tournament for the 2010 season. NZRU officials have begun a nationwide tour of all the franchises and provinces to divulge their concepts, which then need to be accepted by Sanzar partners.
New Zealand high-performance referee coach Colin Hawke has questioned the performance of referee Paul Marks in the Hurricanes and Sharks’ Super 14 rugby game on Saturday. Hawke said he was surprised the Australian did not use all the aids available to him in the controversial Wellington game.
A New Zealand school is to ban children sharing birthday cake as the government introduces new guidelines to restrict unhealthy food being sold to pupils, a report said on Friday. Oteha Valley School in Auckland has told parents not to allow their children to bring birthday cakes to school for friends to share.
New Zealand Rugby Union boss Steve Tew was forced into the role of moderator on Thursday as Australian counterpart John O’Neill espoused a radical plan to revamp Super 14 rugby. O’Neill said ”high level discussion” had begun on a plan to expand the tournament to six-and-a-half months from February to August.
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/ 25 February 2008
Lack of fitness and a sluggish ability to adapt is holding back the South African teams early in the Super 14, according to Blues coach David Nucifora. The Blues thrashed the Lions 55-10 in Johannesburg on Saturday to follow the Crusaders’ equally comprehensive 54-19 triumph in Pretoria the day before.
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/ 9 February 2008
All Blacks coach Graham Henry said he thought his international career was over after his team’s shock elimination from the Rugby World Cup last year, a newspaper reported on Saturday. In his first interview since being reappointed in December, Henry said he only stood for re-selection because of the public support he had received.
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/ 15 November 2007
The All Blacks coaches have blamed English referee Wayne Barnes for their World Cup failure, it was reported on Thursday as the New Zealand Rugby Union deliberated on the future of the coaching panel. Head coach Graham Henry and his assistants Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith have maintained a diplomatic silence about Barnes’ performance in the World Cup quarterfinal.
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/ 9 November 2007
If national coach Burta de Kock had been allowed four years to develop and nurture a squad, as Jake White was, it would be a different South African team taking to the court at the World Netball Championships in New Zealand this weekend. Not only would they have been more confident in their own abilities, but also in those of their teammates.
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/ 14 September 2007
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A week into the Rugby World Cup and, if you believe the headlines in New Zealand and South Africa, the Webb Ellis Trophy is already heading back to the southern hemisphere. After defeat for France in Paris on the opening day and less than impressive wins against the minnows for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the northern hemisphere is merely making up the numbers.