A shark was found in a swimming pool at one of Sydney’s most popular beaches on Friday.
Australia recovered from a sloppy start to crush an under-strength France 34-13 in their first Test at the Olympic stadium on Saturday.
Australia coach Robbie Deans admitted on Wednesday that the Wallabies were struggling to adapt to ”old” rugby rules as they prepare to face
France.
Australia’s cricketers and cancer campaigners paid tribute on Monday to Jane McGrath, the wife of Glenn McGrath, who lost her fight with the disease.
A lovelorn man who put his life in Australia up for sale was one step closer to starting over on Monday as bids for his house and lifestyle hit $2,1m.
World soccer governing body Fifa expressed its concern on Tuesday about this month’s deadly attacks on foreigners in South Africa, but said the violence would not affect the 2010 World Cup. The attacks have raised concerns about the high crime rate in South Africa and the potential risk to foreigners who visit the country for the soccer tournament in 2010.
Australian soldiers are ashamed of their low-risk missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and are scorned by troops of other nations, two officers charged in comments published on Tuesday. ”The restrictions and policies enforced on infantrymen in Iraq have resulted in the widespread perception that our army is plagued by institutional cowardice,” Major Jim Hammett said.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter will forge ahead with plans to curb the number of foreign players at soccer clubs, saying on Tuesday that the organisation should coral the world of sport into helping make it happen. The Swiss head of world soccer’s governing body insisted that Fifa would not be ”going into confrontation” with any employment laws.
Ewen McKenzie rates Saturday’s Super 14 rugby final as the ultimate challenge as he pits his wits against the Canterbury Crusaders’ incoming Wallabies coach Robbie Deans. The NSW Waratahs coach has put behind a season of off-field turmoil to steer the Sydney team to their second Super rugby final.
Aboriginal leaders used national ”Sorry Day” on Monday, the day Australia acknowledges past injustices to Aborigines, to renew calls for compensation for their past mistreatment. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to Aborigines in February, but his government, which came to power in November 2007, has stopped short of offering compensation.
Forty-five children living in the Australian mining town of Mount Isa, where Xstrata produces 4% of the world’s lead, have unsafe blood lead levels above World Health Organisation standards. Xstrata and local and state governments are facing legal action from the parents of a six-year-old Mount Isa girl who has suffered injuries to her brain and nervous system.
The expansion of the Super 14 rugby finals to a six-team play-off next year is all but a certainty after this season’s logjam saw two form teams miss the cut. Sanzar officials have been considering revamping the finals, with the most obvious first step being to increase the number of teams involved following repeated complaints that a four-team final is far too restrictive.
A Sydney suburb has been dubbed "cannabisville" after police found four apparently normal family homes were actually marijuana hothouses containing vast quantities of the illegal drug. Police have seized 1 000 plants worth $7,5-million from four houses in Blair Athol.
Former Wallaby Wendell Sailor on Monday signed with National Rugby League team St George Illawarra after completing a two-year ban for drug use. The 33-year-old was dealt the ban after after testing positive for cocaine while playing rugby union for the New South Wales Waratahs in 2006.
Dan Carter celebrated his return from injury with a try and two conversions to guide New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders to a 27-21 win over Australia’s Queensland Reds in the Super 14 at Brisbane on Saturday. The Crusaders scored 19 unanswered points in the last 13 minutes after trailing 21-8 to ensure they finish the regular season in first place.
Australian batsman Michael Clarke has scoffed at suggestions his team’s mantle as the world’s top cricketing nation is under threat after the retirement of players ranked among the all-time greats. Opponents have been hoping that the loss of players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist will spell the end of Australia’s long dominance.
An Australian politician who admitted to sniffing the chair of a female colleague has survived a challenge to his state leadership of his party, an official said on Monday. Troy Buswell was endorsed as the head of the West Australian Liberal Party after a motion to depose him at a party meeting failed, spokesperson Ray Halligan said.
South Africa’s Coastal Sharks face a moment of truth against the toughest team in rugby’s Super 14 when they put their chances of a home play-off on the line against the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday. The Sharks are feeling the effects of five demanding weeks on the road in Australia and New Zealand.
An invasion of venomous spiders has forced an Australian hospital to evacuate patients and temporarily close its doors, reports said on Wednesday. Authorities decided the infestation of redback spiders at Baralaba Hospital in Queensland state’s Banana Shire Hospital was too dangerous for patients, Australian Associated Press reported.
The Canterbury Crusaders will field a largely second-string line-up against bottom team the Lions as they look to extend their six-point lead at the top of rugby’s Super 14 series this weekend. The six-time champions and the team to beat for this year’s southern hemisphere provincial crown are coming off a bye last weekend.
The New South Wales Waratahs put a tumultuous week behind them to claim their first scoring bonus point of the season with a five-try spanking of the Auckland Blues in their Super 14 game on Saturday. The Waratahs gave their most accomplished performance of the season to down the third-placed Blues 37-16 to move into sixth place and press their semifinal claims.
The Waikato Chiefs ruined Stirling Mortlock’s return from injury by romping to a 42-28 win over the ACT Brumbies in a Super 14 match in Canberra on Friday. Australia captain Mortlock was playing his first game of the season following shoulder surgery but was powerless to contain an inspired Waikato side.
The Otago Highlanders held off a brave fightback from the Lions to claim their first Super 14 win of the season, 29-20 in Dunedin on Friday. The New Zealanders looked on course for a comfortable victory when they scored their third try just after half-time to extend their lead to 21-3, but the South African side hit back with two quick tries.
The Sharks put their unbeaten record on the line in their opening Australasian tour match of the Super 14 rugby series against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday. The Durban-based team, along with table-topping Canterbury Crusaders, are the only two teams yet to taste defeat in the southern hemisphere provincial competition.
New South Wales Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie’s contract will not be renewed beyond this year’s Super 14 season, the state’s rugby chiefs announced on Tuesday. McKenzie’s five years at the helm will end in July even if the Waratahs win their first title in the southern hemisphere provincial competition, New South Wales Rugby Union chief executive Jim L’Estrange said.
The Stormers scored one of the fastest tries in the Super 14 as they romped to a 32-16 win over Australia’s Western Force in Perth on Friday. Wing Tonderai Chavhanga caught the Force napping to touch down after just 48 seconds as the Stormers ended their month-long visit to Australia and New Zealand with three wins from four matches.
Australia’s New South Wales Waratahs survived a late fightback from South Africa’s Cheetahs to win their Super 14 clash 23-19 at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday. The Cheetahs, who are yet to win a match this season, threatened to pull off an upset when they scored 12 unanswered points in the second half to cut the margin to a point.
Crusaders coach Robbie Deans is expecting the toughest match so far for his unbeaten team in Friday’s New Zealand Super 14 rugby derby against the Hurricanes in Wellington. The six-time champions have looked dynamic in winning their first six games of the southern hemisphere provincial series.
An Australian toddler who saved his mother’s life by phoning emergency services has been nominated for a bravery award, national radio reported on Wednesday. Three-year-old Noah Opris called 000 on Monday and said his mother, who suffers from epileptic fits, was asleep on the floor and bleeding.
The ACT Brumbies overcame a crippling injury toll to beat the Cheetahs 29-23 in the Super 14 in Canberra on Friday. The Brumbies survived a late fightback from the visitors to chalk up their third win of the season while earning a valuable bonus point to stay in contention for a place in the finals nearing the halfway stage of the competition.
Six-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders have boosted their team for an anticipated tough battle with the New South Wales Waratahs in this weekend’s feature Super 14 rugby clash in Christchurch. The Crusaders have the opportunity to open up a potential eight-point gap at the top with a bonus-point victory over the Waratahs on Friday.
Animal rights activists declared themselves human shields on Saturday and vowed to prevent authorities from killing kangaroos that have overrun a Canberra military base. Last week, the Australian government enraged animal lovers by approving the killing of about 400 kangaroos at risk of death from starvation.