Argentina fly-half Felipe Contepomi has spent the last two years as a team-mate of Jonny Wilkinson’s – but on Saturday they will be the fiercest of rivals.

St Helens’ rising star Jonny Lomax is in contention to make his England debut in the Four Nations Series after being called into coach Steve McNamara’s elite training squad.

Australia 34 England 14

New Zealand 76 Papua New Guinea 12

England face an anxious wait to discover the extent of injuries to key duo Adrian Morley and Sam Tomkins which threaten to thrown their Four Nations plans into chaos.

New Zealand have lost a fourth member of their initial 43-strong train-on squad for the Four Nations Series.

A split looks to be quickly brewing in southern hemisphere rugby after South Africa conceded it was exploring the possibility of breaking away from SANZAR.

JOHN DELANEY says the FAI will learn from the ticketing problems which caused the kick-off in the first international at the Aviva Stadium to be delayed for nearly 15 minutes.

IRELAND’S U-18 girls will be keen for success in other arenas to rub off when they get their Four Nations campaign underway at Garryduff in Cork tomorrow (6pm).

EIMEAR CREGAN admits she has had plenty of lucky breaks along the way as she stands on the cusp of becoming the most capped Irish hockey player of all time.

Argentina today moved a step closer to competing in an expanded Four Nations tournament with Australia, New Zealand and Australia after the International Rugby Board changed a regulation on player availability.

ARGENTINA’S rugby union boss Porfirio Carreras has described the invitation to join an expanded Tri-Nations competition from 2012 as a “momentous time” for the sport in the country.

Argentina have been invited to join New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in a new Four Nations tournament from 2012.

BRIAN CARNEY’S return to rugby league is set to provide Ireland with a major boost for the end-of-season European Nations Cup.

France remain on course to join the Tri-Nations Series in 2009 despite their World Cup flop, according to Rugby Football League executive chairman Richard Lewis.

Republic of Ireland U19 manager Sean McCaffrey has made two changes to his squad for the upcoming Four Nations competition with Spain, Portugal and Ukraine starting next week in Athlone.

EXCITING semi-final victories for Carl Frampton, Roy Sheahan, Darren Sutherland, a thrilling comeback for Cathal McMonagle and a walk-over for Kenneth Egan means that Ireland will have five finalists at the European Union boxing championships at the National Stadium this afternoon giving Ireland more finalists than any other nation in the tournament.

ARTHUR McDONAGH from Fermoy will have the perfect opportunity to put the disappointment of the recent national championships behind him when he travels to Germany tomorrow for back-to-back boxing tournaments in Berlin.

Argentinian Rugby Union president Alejandro Risley has described reports of the Pumas’ imminent inclusion in the Tri-Nations as “premature”.

REPUBLIC of Ireland manager Brian Kerr has lost another defender to injury ahead of his side’s triple bill of fixtures in the next fortnight.

Manager Paul Fairclough has made one change to the England squad to play in the Four Nations tournament in Cork next week.

The Football Association has today announced the England squad for the Four Nations tournament in Cork later this month.

ANDY LEE launches another defence of his national senior middleweight title at the National Stadium tonight, but said yesterday it is going to be no pushover against experienced Athyman, Hugh Joyce (St Michael’s).

Denmark have won the men's Four Nations Basketball Championship, seeing off England 71-41 at Cork's Neptune Stadium.

Ireland 16 Scotland 24

Kilkenny Wildcats' Ian Dowling is one of a host of new caps in the Irish Wolfhounds squad for this weekend's Four Nations rugby league clash with England at Clontarf.

Ireland's interest in the Four Nations tournament has come to an end following a 4-1 defeat to Wales at Harlaw Park, Inverurie.

Wales have got another goal against Ireland in the Four Nations tournament.

Ireland took the lead in the first minute of the second half of today's Four Nations semi-professional match, but Wales equalised and then went ahead.

John Russell is out of this afternoon's final Four Nations tournament match against Wales with a shin injury.

Ireland and Wales have been unsuccessful in their joint request to have tomorrow's Four Nations matches (Wales v Ireland, 12.30pm and Scotland v England, 3.30pm) kick-off simultaneously.

Ireland lost 2-0 to Scotland at Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh, Scotland in the Four Nations semi-preofessional tournament.

The Republic of Ireland face hosts Scotland in this evening's Four Nations semi-professional tournament fixture in Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh (kick-off 7.45pm).

Bohemians' Robbie Doyle has joined up with the Republic of Ireland squad at the Four Nations tournament in Aberdeen.

PAT DEVLIN’S tireless service to Bray Wanderers has been rewarded with the respected coach being named as manager of an U21 eircom league selection that will participate in a Four Nations tournament in Aberdeen next month.

The eircom League has announced that Bray Wanderers manager Pat Devlin has been selected as manager to the Republic of Ireland squad for this year’s Four Nations semi-professional tournament.

The Ireland Under 18 Squad that will compete in the Four Nations Tournament which begins in Belfast on Saturday has been announced.

ANDY LEE (St Francis) will be back in action at the National Stadium tomorrow night when the AIBA stage an action-packed international programme involving Germany at boys and junior level and Belgium at senior level, with 13 bouts in all down for decision.