Coach Steve Hansen said his world champion All Blacks would bounce back from their off-night after losing the Rugby Championship decider to the Wallabies 27-19 in Sydney on Saturday.

World governing body FIFA have launched an investigation into the violent scenes which marred last night’s World Cup play-off between Turkey and Switzerland in Istanbul.

Alex Ferguson has given England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson his blessing to pick Wayne Rooney for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Azerbaijan.

Zinedine Zidane has picked up a thigh injury five days before world champions France launch their World Cup defence against Senegal in Seoul.

Zinedine Zidane will be back for France when they play their crucial World Cup match against Denmark on Tuesday.

Newcastle boss Bobby Robson has refused midfielder Clarence Acuna permission to play for Chile in next week's World Cup qualifier against Peru.

IRELAND assistant manager Liam Brady says the BoysIn Green have nothing to fear from their upcomingWorld Cup playoff with France – insisting it’s time to end a ‘tradition of failure’ against Les Bleus.

INTERNAL rows and personal bickering remain an entertaining sideshow but with just over 17 months to go before the 2006 World Cup in Germany there is barely a hint of trouble on the organisational front.

AUSTRALIA coach Robbie Deans believes England team manager Martin Johnson has the ability to push international rugby into a new era.

AU revoir Zizou. Adeus Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and maybe Ronaldo. Goodbye Claudio Reyna. Auf wiedersehen Oliver Kahn and ciao Alessandro Del Piero.

After the euphoria of Ireland’s successful overhaul of 305 against the West Indies, some blithely assumed that the UAE would meekly subside.

Arsenal have announced the signing of Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina from Nice on a long-term contract.

Kevin-Prince Boateng was today included in Ghana’s 23-man squad for the World Cup finals.

Marcell Coetzee hasn’t given up hope of a late call-up to the South African World Cup squad and hopes his superb form for Ulster will help get him to Japan.

THE mother of surprise All Blacks hero Stephen Donald clamed her son had proven his critics wrong with a Rugby World Cup-winning performance.

IRELAND manager Paul McNaughton rates Gordon D’Arcy’s chances of travelling to the World Cup as “tight”.

A RUGBY film with a difference airs tonight at the Cork Film Festival. Walk Like A Man follows the Sydney Convicts and the San Francisco Fog as they prepare for the Bingham Cup, the World Cup of gay rugby.

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN is adamant that his players will not arrive “cold” for the World Cup, despite surviving on a diet distinctly lacking in high intensity rugby for the last five months.

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