Down teenager Martin Clarke made a composed start to his AFL career today as he debuted for Collingwood in their 76-57 Premiership win over Sydney Swans at the Telstra Stadium.

Australia 31 Wales 0

Gareth Thomas will lead Wales from full-back and veteran hooker Mefin Davies returns at hooker as the tourists look to level the Test series against Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

Australia 29 Wales 23

LEINSTER fly-half Felipe Contepomi will captain Argentina in the first test against Ireland in Santa Fe on Saturday.

Wallaby coach John Connolly’s plans to lay the foundation of victory against Wales based on improved forward power began to unravel less than half a day after his original team announcement.

Julian Huxley has been named at full-back for Australia in Saturday’s Test against Wales at Telstra Stadium, while George Smith and George Gregan will start on the reserves bench.

Fears that Tadhg Kennelly would miss the start of the Sydney Swans' AFL Premiership campaign have been quashed.

Former Kerry footballer Tadhg Kennelly will play in his second AFL Grand final next Saturday after helping the Sydney Swans to a 127-92 win over Fremantle in the early hours of this morning.

KERRY native Tadhg Kennelly last night helped the Sydney Swans into their second consecutive Grand Final of the Australian Football League — the first time the club have achieved back to back decider appearances since 1936.

Tadhg Kennelly could be about to emulate his former Kerry team-mates by finishing his season Down Under with silverware.

England have dismissed Australian claims of underhand tactics in their attempts to stop tearaway flanker George Smith during the world champions’ 34-3 first Test defeat.

England’s return to the scene of their 2003 World Cup final triumph ended in a predictable and painful defeat as Australia sunk them following an error-marred Telstra Stadium showdown.

Australia have named a 33-man squad for the Test against England at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney on June 11.

SWITZERLAND held on in Istanbul last night to book their place in next year’s World Cup despite a stunning fight back from Turkey at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Australia 1 Uruguay 0 (1-1 AET, Australia win 4-2 on penalties)

Australia 1 Uruguay 0 (1-1 aggregate, extra-time being played)

Australia 1 Uruguay 0 (1-1 aggregate)

Kerry’s Tadhg Kennelly helped to virtually guarantee Sydney Swans’ safe passage into the knockout stages of the AFL yesterday.

Australia coach Eddie Jones said he would “step aside” if asked to after the Wallabies’ 30-13 Bledisloe Cup defeat against New Zealand at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

WALLABIES coach Eddie Jones has deflected talk that his position is under threat ahead of tomorrow’s pivotal Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup Test with New Zealand in Sydney.

Australia coach Eddie Jones is upbeat about his team’s chances of ending a 42-year hoodoo at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in a fortnight’s time.

Doug Booth

Jonny Wilkinson will make his international comeback on Monday when the Lions face Argentina at the Millennium Stadium.

Australia 23 New Zealand 18

New South Wales coach Phil Gould and legendary stand-off Brad Fittler bowed out of representative rugby league football as winners today as the Blues beat Queensland 36-14 to retain the State of Origin series.

England arrived in Australia tonight for the first time since they were crowned world champions with head coach Clive Woodward feeling the full effects of an injury crisis.

For the second weekend running, Scotland coach Matt Williams felt the scoreline in defeat to Australia was not a fair reflection of the way his players had battled against the Wallabies.

Scotland were looking to end their Australasian tour and a 16-Test international season with an unlikely victory over the Wallabies at Sydney’s Telstra Stadium.

Matt Giteau, Australia’s inside-centre, was a late doubt for today’s Test against Scotland in Sydney after coming down overnight with a fever.

Iain Fullarton, the 17-stone Saracens-bound lock, has been confirmed as Stuart Grimes’ replacement in the Scotland side to play Australia in tomorrow’s second Test at Telstra Stadium.

Scotland have added a match against Australian Super 12 side Queensland Reds to their summer tour schedule.

LANSDOWNE ROAD is set to be renamed once the €250 million re-development of the ground is completed over the next four years.

Australia prop Ben Darwin today announced the neck injury he suffered in the Wallabies’ World Cup semi-final victory over New Zealand had forced him to retire from rugby.

Jonny Wilkinson has revealed how he chose a period of quiet reflection over all-night partying to celebrate England's historic World Cup triumph.

JONNY WILKINSON emerged from the mania of television cameras and a thousand popping flashbulbs to insist that no-one could buy a piece of the world’s best rugby player if it interfered with his game.

Martin Johnson tonight hailed England’s “fantastic” achievement in being crowned world champions.

England won the Rugby World Cup today in a historic victory over Australia by 20-17 in a pulsating final in Sydney.

England’s judgement day arrived under the Telstra Stadium floodlights – in conditions more akin to home than Sydney.

Clive Woodward has admitted that he does not care how England win the World Cup - as long as they lift the trophy at Telstra Stadium on Saturday.

New Zealand 40 France 13

Prop Al Baxter and his front-row colleagues have vowed to win the World Cup on Saturday for their injured Wallaby team-mate Ben Darwin, whose rugby career hangs in the balance after he suffered a neck injury in Australia’s semi-final victory over New Zealand.