France captain Thierry Dusautoir has been named International Rugby Board player of the year at a ceremony in Auckland.

South Africa 9 Australia 11

AUSTRALIA coach Robbie Deans has told his players their record against South Africa is meaningless at a World Cup.

Australia 68 Russia 22

AUSTRALIA coach Robbie Deans admits the Wallabies’ injury crisis has forced him to be “creative” in his team selection for tomorrow’s World Cup clash with Russia (3.30am Irish time).

Australia have named number eight Radike Samo on the wing for Saturday’s World Cup clash with Russia in Nelson.

AUSTRALIA coach Robbie Deans was happy with the progress made in the win over the United States, but there was also cause for concern as the Wallabies’ injury toll mounted in Wellington.

Australia head coach Robbie Deans was happy with the progress made in the 67-5 win over the United States tonight, but there was also cause for concern as the Wallabies’ injury toll mounted in Wellington.

Australia 67 United States 5

Australia hooker Stephen Moore has been confirmed as another late withdrawal from the squad ahead of the clash with Ireland this morning.

THE ODDS are stacked against them and history suggests they haven’t a hope but there is something tangible about Ireland’s demeanour heading into the World Cup Pool C showdown with Australia that suggests something special is on the cards at Eden Park tomorrow morning.

SEAN O’BRIEN is ready for the true litmus test tomorrow, the game which will tell us exactly where Ireland are and how far they can go in this Rugby World Cup.

THERE have been few more intimidating rabbits in the headlights than Radike Samo but Australia’s back-row giant greets his late-blooming success in a Wallabies jersey with something approaching wide-eyed incredulity.

Australia 32 Italy 6

Criticism of his tactics, selections, birthplace or any other facet of his behaviour has been wool off a sheep’s back to Australia’s New Zealand-born coach Robbie Deans.

IRELAND have had to absorb painful lessons over the course of the last four weeks and it remains to be seen if recent events will sharpen their World Cup appetite for battle or kill their enthusiasm for the fight.

AUSTRALIA’S five-point win over New Zealand in the Tri Nations decider has left Robbie Deans with a number of selection dilemmas to sort through before the World Cup.

Australia’s five-point win over New Zealand in the Tri Nations decider has left Robbie Deans with a number of selection dilemmas to sort through before the World Cup.

Australia 25 New Zealand 20

LATE tries from veteran Argentinian scrum-half Augustin Pichot and Fijian substitute Radike Samo inspired Stade Francais to a 23-18 victory over Clermont in the French Top 14 championship final at the Stade de France on Saturday.

Calvisano 10 Stade Francais 45

GEORGE Gregan looks set to add to his world record 115 test caps after being confirmed as Australia’s captain for their tour of Europe in November.

The Barbarians squad to take on New Zealand in Saturday’s international at Twickenham is packed with world stars but only features one player from the northern hemishpere.

New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup with victory over Australia in wet and windy Wellington today.

AUSTRALIA captain George Gregan has admitted victory over England in Brisbane this weekend would go nowhere near erasing the pain of last November’s World Cup final defeat.

Australia were today forced to reshuffle their replacements for Saturday’s World Cup final rematch against England after winger Mark Gerrard and hooker Jeremy Paul sustained injuries in training.

Inside centre Matt Giteau returns to the Australia team to play England in Saturday’s World Cup final rematch after shaking off the flu that kept him out of last weekend’s victory over Scotland.

Morgan Turinui, a try-scorer in yesterday’s 34-13 victory over Scotland, has been dropped from the Australia squad to take on England in next Saturday’s World Cup final rematch.

International rugby latest:

Australia 17-10 Scotland H/T

Hugo Southwell completed a remarkable rise to prominence today when he was named as Scotland’s starting full-back to take on Australia, the World Cup finalists, in Melbourne on Sunday.

Head coach Matt Williams today admitted Scotland face a “massive task” in Sunday’s first Test against Australia in Melbourne but backed his players to rise to the challenge.

Scotland will face a new-look Australia side in Sunday’s first Test after Wallabies coach Eddie Jones awarded Clyde Rathbone and Radike Samo their international debuts.

Newcastle are confident that ACT Brumbies Super 12 star Radike Samo will be a Falcons player next season. The Falcons insist that 28-year-old Samo’s agreement to join them was binding.

Newcastle are confident that ACT Brumbies Super 12 star Radike Samo will be a Falcons player next season.

Australia have included five new players in their squad for the forthcoming Tests against Scotland and England – and they are all from the Super 12-winning ACT Brumbies team.

Newcastle may have to brace themselves for an ugly tug-of-war over Radike Samo after the Australian Rugby Union confirmed today they want to persuade him against completing his move to the Powergen Cup winners.