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/ 9 December 2005

Boje now on the injury list

South Africa’s tour woes worsened on Friday when spinner Nicky Boje injured his hand during the one-day festival match against a Western Australian Chairman’s XI. Boje was fielding during the limited-overs game at Perth’s Lilac Hill ground when he split the webbing on his right hand.

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/ 7 December 2005

South Africa thrashed in tour opener

South Africa crashed to an innings defeat in their opening tour match against Western Australia on Wednesday after losing eight wickets for 139 runs on the third and final day. The tourists had been forced to follow-on after making just 179 in their first innings in reply to Western Australia’s 391 for 8 declared.

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/ 7 December 2005

Hopes fade as South African wickets tumble

South Africa’s hopes of salvaging their opening tour match in Australia were all but extinguished by lunch on Wednesday as they slumped to 120 for five in their second innings against Western Australia. Forced to follow on after making a paltry first innings of 179 in reply to Western Australia’s 391 for 8, South Africa were still 92 runs adrift of the Western Australian total.

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/ 6 December 2005

Mickey Arthur: No need to panic!

South African coach Mickey Arthur denied there was any cause for panic amongst his ranks after the tourists were forced to follow-on during the second day of their three-day tour match against Western Australia at the Western Australian Cricket Association Ground here on Tuesday.

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/ 6 December 2005

South Africa fail to fire on placid wicket

The Proteas showed glimpses of their attacking potential but again failed to produce a killer punch against Western Australia by lunch on the second day of their three-day tour match at the WACA Ground in Perth on Tuesday. Half an hour before the interval the hosts declared their innings closed at 391 for 8 after losing three early wickets at the start the day.

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/ 5 December 2005

SA strike early blow in tour match opener

South Africa sounded an early warning to Australia after piling on the pressure in the first session of a three-day tour match against a Western Australian state team led by Test opener Justin Langer here on Monday. At lunch in the match at the Western Australian Cricket Association Ground, the home team were struggling at 73-3 after being sent into bat in overcast conditions.

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/ 3 October 2005

Humble beginnings for the Western Force

Australian rugby’s newest team kicked off in humble surrounds on Monday when players from the Western Force practised on a bumpy training paddock for the first time in preparation for next year’s Super 14 competition. About a dozen players had their first hit-out under former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, who conceded his charges, nearly all drawn from teams on Australia’s eastern seaboard, were rusty.

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/ 21 August 2005

Springbok handed three-week suspension

South African winger Breyton Paulse was given a three-week suspension on Sunday after being found guilty of kicking Australian prop Al Baxter during the Springboks’ 22-19 Tri-Nations rugby win over Australia on Saturday. The incident happened in the 77th minute, leaving Baxter with an abrasion to his face.

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/ 20 August 2005

Sorry for you, Australia

Australia matched its worst losing record in nearly 25 years on Saturday after its fourth consecutive rugby union test defeat, losing 22-19 against a rampant South Africa in the Tri-Nations series. A sellout record crowd of 43 278 at Subiaco Oval was not able to help the Wallabies overcome winger Bryan Habana’s two tries.

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/ 18 August 2005

Jones: ‘We need to be patient’

Australian coach Eddie Jones has warned his team not to get sucked into South Africa’s high-tempo game in Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash, saying patience holds the key to victory. The under-fire coach said the Australians will be determined to play at their own pace against the high-flying Springboks.

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/ 15 August 2005

Boks pile pressure on Aussie scrum

The all-conquering Springboks on Monday played down their chances in this week’s Tri-Nations rugby clash against a struggling Australian outfit who have been outmuscled in their past three Tests. But forwards coach Gert Smal delivered the first blow in the inevitable psychological build-up to the clash.

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/ 11 August 2005

Jake White plays diplomat

South African rugby coach Jake White was the ultimate diplomat on Thursday when his team arrived in Australia, saying a draw would be his favoured outcome when Tri-Nations rivals Australia and New Zealand play on Saturday. White believes injuries in the Australian and New Zealand camps make squad depth the key factor.

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/ 26 April 2005

Western Force unveil another recruit

The new Western Force Super 14 rugby franchise continued their aggressive recruitment drive on Tuesday with the signing of New South Wales prop Gareth Hardy, the third Waratah poached by the Perth-based outfit in as many weeks. The Force have angered rival Australian teams by targeting players up for contract renewal.

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/ 19 April 2005

Is the Force strong with this one?

”The Western Force” has received mixed reviews from the local community after it was revealed on Tuesday as the name of the new Western Australian Super 14 rugby team. The name, which supposedly ”best represents a strong, energetic and inclusive rugby team that has a solid connection to the state’s ideals”, has polarised Perth’s sporting fans.

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/ 13 October 2004

Fund-raiser sets out to ride across Australian outback

A former British soccer player raising money for a leukemia charity set off on Wednesday on a coast-to-coast ride across Australia on a Victorian-era bicycle that is older than the country. Lloyd Scott dressed up as fictional British supersleuth Sherlock Holmes, complete with tweed coat, deerstalker hat and a fake mustache for the 4 350km trip from Perth to Sydney.