MATT GITEAU’S chances of playing in a third Rugby World Cup have suffered a major blow after he was left out of Australia’s squad for Saturday’s Tri Nations opener against South Africa in Sydney.

Bath fly-half Butch James is a notable absentee from the South Africa bench for this weekend's Tri Nations encounter against Australia in Bloemfontein.

South Africa coach Peter De Villiers has made two changes to his side ahead of Saturday’s game against Australia in Pretoria.

GRAHAM HENRY expects his New Zealand side to face a much-changed South Africa one when the two countries meet in the Tri-Nations on Saturday.

SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has rung the changes ahead of Saturday’s Tri Nations clash with Australia at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

SOUTH AFRICA lock Victor Matfield was yesterday despairing at the way Irish referees Alan Lewis and Alain Rolland have policed the breakdown, following his side’s second successive Tri Nations defeat to New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.

SOUTH AFRICA out-half Morne Steyn insists there will be no knee-jerk reaction to last week’s Tri Nations destruction at the hands of the All Blacks when the sides meet again in Wellington tomorrow (8.35am).

SOUTH AFRICA lock Bakkies Botha has apologised to his team-mates after being banned for his head-butt on New Zealand scrum-half Jimmy Cowan.

WHILE the Super 14 is more commonly associated with dazzling backs and fingertip handling, it’s the forward-oriented pursuit of the lineout that is the primary focus at international level as the 2010 Tri Nations hovers into view.

FRANCE coach Marc Lièvremont blamed his team’s horrific opening 20 minutes for their 42-17 loss to South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday.

LEINSTER manager Chris Whitaker described Brian O’Driscoll’s selection by prestigious Rugby World magazine as player of the decade as a no-brainer.

Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll has been voted as Rugby World magazine’s player of the decade.

WORLD champions South Africa suffered a second successive loss on their northern hemisphere tour as France triumphed in Toulouse last night.

South Africa’s big names are back in the starting XV for the Test match against France on Friday.

ANY hopes Munster may have harboured of star signing Jean de Villiers arriving early in Ireland were dashed in Brisbane on Saturday as Australia recorded a remarkable 21-9 Tri-Nations win over South Africa.

THE Tri-Nations tournament is South Africa’s to lose after Peter de Villiers’ side racked up their fourth straight win with a 32-25 victory over Australia in Perth on Saturday.

Ruan Pienaar was today handed a surprise recall to the starting line-up for South Africa’s Tri-Nations encounter against Australia in Perth on Saturday.

VICTOR MATFIELD believes the last two weeks which have produced back-to-back Tri-Nations victories over New Zealand will count for nothing when South Africa run out against Australia in Cape Town.

NEW ZEALAND were left to lament costly errors after going down 28-19 to South Africa in the Tri-Nations match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has backed Jaque Fourie to fill the void created by the loss of centre Adi Jacobs for the Springboks’ Tri-Nations opener against New Zealand on Saturday.

THE smiles were back and promises kept as the 2009 British and Irish Lions produced the performance of this South African tour to emphatically avoid a whitewash at Ellis Park, Johannesburg on Saturday with a victory that highlighted just how unlucky they were to lose the three-game Test series.

Peter de Villiers has made 10 changes to his South Africa side to face the British and Irish Lions in the third Test at Ellis Park on Saturday.

IRELAND full-back Rob Kearney, who realised a lifetime ambition when coming on for the Lions at Kings Park on Saturday, believes a Test series victory is still possible.

Heinrich Brussow has walked straight into South Africa's starting line-up for the first Test against the British and Irish Lions in Durban on Saturday.

PETER DE VILLIERS yesterday named two uncapped players in the South Africa squad to face the Lions in a three-match Test series to be played in late June and early July.

PETER DE VILLIERS has named three uncapped players in his South African XV to face a Namibian Invitational XV in Windhoek tomorrow.

GORDON D’ARCY’s slim Lions prospects were eliminated yesterday when head coach Ian McGeechan confirmed he would not be calling up a replacement for the injured Tom Shanklin.

ALL BLACK fly-half Dan Carter has been ruled out of Perpignan’s European Cup game against Leicester on Saturday despite starting a six-month contract for the French side yesterday.

South Africa captain John Smit will lead a star-studded Barbarians side against Australia in Wednesday’s Olympic centenary clash at Wembley.

ALL BLACKS captain Richie McCaw has delivered an emphatic message to the critics who question his style of play.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made two changes to the team which beat Scotland last weekend for the season-ending Test against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Wales star Shane Williams has been named in the Barbarians squad for next month’s London Olympic Centenary match against Australia at Wembley.

WORLD Cup superstar Bryan Habana has led the tributes to departing Springboks coach Jake White, declaring: “He has taken us on an unbelievable journey.”

South Africa will field nine of their victorious World Cup final starting line-up against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

FIVE tries, four of them deliciously created, produced the all-important bonus point for Munster in the somewhat surreal surroundings of Thomond Park yesterday.

Uncapped prop Heinke van der Merwe has been included in the South Africa squad for the clashes with Wales and the Barbarians.

South Africa coach Jake White has recalled prop CJ van der Linde for Sunday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina in Paris.

SPRINGBOK coach Jake White saluted the leadership of his senior players after South Africa survived a major World Cup quarter-final fright against Fiji at Stade Velodrome.

NEW ZEALAND have recalled their big stars for Sunday’s World Cup Pool C clash against Scotland at Murrayfield.

MARTIN CORRY claims England will “draw strength from adversity” when they go into battle as huge World Cup underdogs against South Africa tonight.

There were few surprise inclusions as South Africa named their 30-man World Cup squad today.

South Africa coach Jake White has handed Currie Cup player of the year Kabamba Floors his debut in a rejigged Springboks back row to face England this weekend.

South Africa coach Jake White will make a late decision over his fly-half for the Tri-Nations clash against New Zealand at the Westpac Trust stadium in Wellington on Saturday.

WALLABIES sharpshooter Stirling Mortlock has vowed to improve his mediocre strike-rate as rain is set to make goal-kicking a key factor in this morning’s Tri-Nations clash against South Africa.