Names are flying around for a quality replacement at Munster following the announcement JJ Hanrahan will quit the province and join Northampton at the end of the season.

Michael Cheika said the "real physical business" was about to begin for Australia, after they marked the start of their European tour with a dramatic 40-36 win over the Barbarians in his first game as Wallaby coach.

Barbarians 36 Australia 40

Australia 32 Argentina 25

Rugby Championship: Rob Horne scored a late try, converted by Bernard Foley, to give Australia a 24-23 win over South Africa in their Rugby Championship game in Perth.

Australia 24 South Africa 23

Coach Ewen McKenzie knows Australia must take risks if they are to end New Zealand’s 17-game winning streak on Saturday, and hopes the surprise selection of Kurtley Beale at fly-half will provide the spark in their Rugby Championship clash in Sydney.

Flanker George Smith has been recalled to the Australia team to face the British and Irish Lions in the third and final Test in Sydney.

Australia coach Robbie Deans was disappointed by the presence of Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor in a fast-food restaurant in the early hours of the morning, but did not consider dropping them.

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TOUR:

Finally the ARU have shown a bit of leadership and common sense.

Australia have named Tri-Nations winning captain James Horwill as their skipper for the British and Irish Lions Tour.

Code-hopper Israel Folau is one of three new caps in Australia’s preliminary 25-man squad to face the British and Irish Lions, with in-form Reds playmaker Quade Cooper the most notable omission.

Australia coach Robbie Deans has brought in five players to an extended squad for the Wallabies’ next Rugby Championship match against South Africa.

Wingers Drew Mitchell and Lachie Turner have been included in Australia’s training squad as they prepare for the Rugby Championship.

Australia 20 Wales 19

Australia 27 Wales 19

AUSTRALIA centre Rob Horne yesterday withdrew from the Wallabies team to face Wales at the Millennium Stadium today (2.30pm) due to a hamstring injury.

Australia full-back Kurtley Beale has been ruled out of the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup semi-final against New Zealand with a hamstring strain.

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 bid to get their World Cup campaign back on course this morning, but anticipate fierce resistance from the United States in the Pool C encounter in Wellington.

Australia have made seven changes for Friday’s World Cup Pool C clash with the United States in Wellington as they seek to bounce back from their loss to Ireland.

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.

Rocky Elsom has been sensationally dumped as Australia skipper for the World Cup campaign.

JIM WILLIAMS has warned Munster to resist the temptation of making wholesale changes to the backroom and playing staff this year.

Australia selectors have named 12 uncapped players in an extended 40-man training squad ahead of the upcoming spring tour of Hong Kong and Europe.

Australia wing Drew Mitchell has been spared the axe but Berrick Barnes and Stephen Moore have both been dumped to the bench ahead of Saturday’s vital Bledisloe Cup clash against New Zealand in Christchurch.

ROBBIE DEANS has faced pressure before, but the vultures are circling after Saturday’s disaster in Melbourne.

Australia coach Robbie Deans welcomes back three of his big guns for Saturday night’s Tri Nations encounter with South Africa in Brisbane.

Winger Drew Mitchell is the most notable omission from Australia's squad for the forthcoming Tri-Nations series.

Australia 22 Ireland 15

Robbie Deans has made two injury-enforced changes to his Australia side ahead of Saturday's one-off Test against Ireland in Brisbane.

Australia 20 England 21

Australia 49 Fiji 3

Australia coach Robbie Deans admits Kurtley Beale’s pending court appearance influenced the selectors’ decision to hand the talented utility his first Test start against Fiji in Canberra on Saturday.

Australia coach Robbie Deans has handed debuts to three players for the Test against Fiji on Saturday and the contentious number 10 jersey has gone to Quade Cooper.

AUSTRALIA captain Rocky Elsom has warned the Wallabies to underestimate the new-look England side at their peril.

Australia have named former Leinster star Rocky Elsom as the team captain for their upcoming tour of Japan, the UK and Ireland.