Competition for Wallaby test jerseys will intensify a bitter rivalry between the New South Wales Waratahs and ACT Brumbies, who meet in a Super 12 rugby match in Sydney tomorrow.
Only eight points separate the first and seventh teams in the championship entering the 10th of 12 rounds and the Brumbies-Waratahs match is one with strong semifinals significance.
The Brumbies lead the competition with 30 points and can all but clinch a semifinal with a win. The Waratahs, sixth-placed and three points out of the top four, need a win to stay in the chase.
Matches today between the Waikato Chiefs and South Africa's Stormers, tomorrow between the Canterbury Crusaders and the Bulls, Hurricanes and Highlanders, Sharks and Reds and Cats and Blues will all influence top-four placings.
Only the Reds and Cats, in 11th and 12th places on the table, are without a mathematical chance of semifinal qualification in the regular season's final stretch.
The Reds' elimination has heightened the importance of the annual meeting of the Brumbies and Waratahs -- Wallaby coach Eddie Jones will draw most of his test squad from those sides.
The Waratahs, who snapped a four-match losing streak with a 49-31 win over the Hurricanes last week, have several new players on the fringe of test selection.
Rivalry between the teams is intense and Jones' interest in the match will make individual clashes more important.
"There's a lot at stake for us," said Canberra and Wallabies hooker Jeremy Paul.
"If we win this game this weekend we could probably get ourselves a home semi, knock out the Waratahs and be ahead in the Australian selections."
New Zealand's chance of having two teams in the semifinals rest largely with the Waikato Chiefs and four-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders.
The Chiefs, who host the Stormers at Hamilton, are fifth on the table: a point ahead of New South Wales and two points behind the fourth-placed Sharks.
Injuries have disrupted their preparation for the match but they will field a team close to full strength. Fullback Loki Crichton will miss the match with a ruptured knee ligament and former All Blacks center Keith Lowen is in doubt because of a hamstring injury.
All Blacks flanker Marty Holah trained Wednesday is likely to play, despite an injured knee.
The Stormers have made one change to the team which crushed defending champions the Auckland Blues 51-23 at Auckland last week, naming Gavin Hume at inside center in place of De Wet Barry.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two