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In a performance that made a mockery of their subordinate name, the Junior All Blacks opened their Pacific Nations Cup campaign with an emphatic 31-10 victory over Samoa in Apia on Sunday.

Argentina head coach Marcelo Loffreda has confirmed the 22-man squad to face Ireland next Saturday in Buenos Aires, with stand-in skipper and fly-half Felipe Contepomi not included in the second Test match.

Ireland flanker Keith Gleeson believes his side paid the penalty for their indiscipline during Saturday's defeat by Argentina in Santa Fe.

Prop Andrea Lo Cicero has been chosen to lead Italy on their upcoming tour of South America which kicks off in June.

The IRB will hold a forum on the international calendar at the end of the Rugby World Cup in October, this time inviting representatives of England's and France's clubs to participate, according to a report in The Guardian on Saturday.

A last-gasp try from Stephen Hoiles helped Australia bounce back from an early 17-0 deficit to beat Wales as anticipated on Saturday, but John Connolly's new-look team made life mighty hard for themselves in the 29-23 win.

Wales captain Gareth Thomas hailed his under-strength side's belief after they slipped to an agonising last-gasp 29-23 defeat to Australia in Sydney.

Wales Coach Gareth Jenkins expressed his frustration at the way Wales conceded a 17-0 lead to go down to a last-ditch, 29-23 defeat to Australia in the first Test at Telstra Stadium on Saturday.

South Africa produced a brutal yet clinical display to thump a plucky England side 58-10 at Bloemfontein on Saturday scoring seven tries in the process.

A last-gasp Felipe Contepomi drop goal gave Argentina 22-20 victory against Ireland in Santa Fe on Saturday.

Jason Robinson insisted England had contributed to their own downfall after they went down to a record 58-10 defeat against South Africa.

Kevin Yates will enter the England record books when he returns to international rugby on Saturday in Bloemfontein, and admitted that he 'never gave up hope' of making a remarkable comeback.

It's another "funny" Test. In this case both teams could probably be labelled more properly A teams, but the match is down as a Test and the players playing will get caps.

Tomas De Vedia insists he is not nervous ahead of his senior debut for Argentina in Saturday's first Test against Ireland in Santa Fe as others look to press their claims for a place in the World Cup squad.

Wallabies coach John Connolly called for an end to the media bashing of his side and the Welsh touring side, saying that it was damaging the game as well as the atmosphere.

Ireland's new-look side are determined to beat Argentina in their own back yard for the first time on Saturday and cement their places in Eddie O'Sullivan's World Cup plans.

It's international time again for us rugby fans and I should be licking my lips with anticipation. The thought of seeing the creme de la creme of World rugby battling it out should be enough to raise the hairs on the neck of even the most apathetic fan.

John Wells insists England's rookie pack "know what is coming" when they stand toe to toe with a juggernaut South Africa eight in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Jason Robinson has urged a collective effort from England in Saturday's first Test against the Springboks - and not rely on Jonny Wilkinson repeating his Bloemfontein heroics of seven years ago.

England's plans for the first Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Saturday continue to be hit by injury and illness.

New Zealand Maori began the defence of their Churchill Cup in style with a resounding 59-23 win over Canada at Northampton Saints' Franklins Gardens on Friday.

If your local club had 35 of its top players grounded by injuries or prior commitments, the end-of-season jolly across the border would undoubtedly be cancelled and the stragglers would decamp to the nearest pub, and rightly so. But those who do battle in the name of England do things differently.

Rory Lamont touched down as Scotland 'A' opened their Barclays Churchill Cup campaign with an unconvincing 13-9 victory over the USA Eagles in Henley on Wednesday.

England have suffered a blow ahead of Saturday's first Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein with wing David Strettle missing the game due to illness.

Ireland flanker Keith Gleeson believes controlling his Leinster team-mate Felipe Contepomi will be the key to winning Saturday's Test against Argentina in Santa Fe.

It is one of those things you hate to hear when you finish on the winning side - 'you didn't win it; we lost it' - but that is exactly what the Sharks must be muttering amongst themselves this week.

The respective domestic seasons are over, the best players have come to the fore and proved their worth and now it is time for the finest in Australia and Wales to do battle in a two Test series. At least that is how it is meant to be, but in reality it is a different story.

England are travelling to South Africa with a squad peppered with virtual unknowns, so in a spirit of information, here is the lowdown on England's new kids on the block - and a few kind words on the senior members too! We had the forwards on Wednesday, now the backs...

Wales captain Gareth Thomas admits the younger members of the squad are helping him feel his age as he closes in on becoming the nation's most capped player.

Italy have been forced to replace Ramiro Pez, their Argentinean expatriate fly-half, for their tour to Uruguay and Argentina next month.

Ireland have named rugby league convert Brian Carney on the right wing for Saturday's opening Test against Argentina in Santa Fe.

The experiments in possible law changes which started in Stellenbosch, moved north and then went south to Sydney will now move further south the New Zealand.

Andy Hazell has been challenged to put down a World Cup marker when he makes his England return after a two-year absence on Saturday.

England are travelling to South Africa with a squad peppered with virtual unknowns, so in a spirit of information, here is the lowdown on England's new kids on the block - and a few kind words on the senior members too! We kick off with the forwards...

Ireland centre Andrew Trimble believes the desire to cement places in Eddie O'Sullivan's World Cup squad will make up for the team's inexperience when they take on Argentina in Sante Fe on Saturday.

Ulster prop Simon Best has described his appointment as Ireland captain as "a dream come true" ahead of the opening Test against Argentina in Santa Fe.

Gareth Thomas will become Wales' most capped player when he leads his country into battle for the 93rd time in the first of two Tests on tour against Australia, to be played at Telstra Stadium, Sydney on Saturday.

Wales and Cardiff hooker Gareth Williams is ruled out of the two-Test tour of Australia after tearing a calf muscle in training and is set to fly home this weekend.

Bath lock Danny Grewcock is once again in trouble with the disciplinary, this time for puching in the European Challenge Cup final.

There is shuffling at the top - not right at the top but just under the peak.

England scrum-half Peter Richards believes victory for his team on Saturday against the Springboks in Bloemfontein will be the perfect response to criticism of the South Africa tour.

Colin Charvis has been ruled out of Wales' first Test against Australia in Sydney on Saturday because of a minor knee injury.

The final of the 2007 Super 14 in Durban was a tense affair, won by the Bulls by one point over the Sharks with a try and a conversion well into injury time.

London Wasps rule Europe! It may have been a surprise result when Wasps beat Leicester Tigers 25-9 but a deserved one. We have some points of law from the match to talk about.

The much-anticipated Glenwood vs College fixture, which has become the match to watch in KwaZulu Natal schoolboy circles these days, produced some magic moments that will live in the memory for years to come, as Glenwood won 19-12.

Former Wales skipper Michael Owen insists the side will not roll over against Australia despite the odds being stacked against them, insisting "we are here to compete".

St Andrew's beat Cambridge of East London 65-0 in Grahamstown on Saturday.

The Graeme first rugby team scored five tries in each half to over power Woodridge 69-14 in Grahamstown on Saturday.

Daniel Pienaar beat the home side Die Brandwag 31-21 in the big Uitenhage derby on Saturday but they had to battle for it.

Former Wales fly-half Neil Jenkins has lauded successor James Hook as a player so talented that coaches should leave him alone to develop.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan insists his side's two-match tour of Argentina will not be an anti-climax, despite leaving a clutch of first-choice players at home.

St Andrew's beat Cambridge of East London 65-0 in Grahamstown on Saturday.

The experiments into possible law changes to be implemented after the World Cup - sometimes referred to as the Stellenbosch Laws - have met further approval in Australia.

All the excitement of the finals are finished and now Tests break out all over the world as rugby rackets on to the World Cup. Forget tired bodies, forget the status of the Test match - rugby goes ahead and money rattles into coffers. Rattles? Thuds, more like it.

In a game that will long be remembered for the atrocious conditions in which it was played SACS beat HTS Bellville 24-5. After torrential downpours overnight and all morning the game was moved to the Memorial B-field, which although still muddy and slippery, tends to drain better than the main pitch.

Wales hooker Matthew Rees will fly straight home from Sydney after his side's opening Test against Australia on Saturday to ensure he is at the birth of his first child - due just four days later (May 30).

Lots of eyes were on the grand occasion in Durban on Saturday afternoon but here and there throughout the land there were all sorts of intense battles on the playing fields of South Africa.

George Gregan will not captain Australia through the June Tests and Tri-Nations as he prepares to sign off from world rugby after the Rugby World Cup.

The Sharks and the Bulls' met at ABSA Stadium in Durban and the Bulls won a cliff-hanger 20-19. Here we give some statistics of the Final.

England Saxons were much too good for the USA in the opening match of the Churchill Cup, winning 51-3 at Edgeley Park in Stockport on Friday night.

Bath captain Steve Borthwick admitted his side's 22-16 defeat to Clermont Auvergne in the European Challenge Cup final had been a "huge missed opportunity".

Clermont Auvergne won the European Challenge Cup on Saturday with a 22-16 win over Bath at the Twickenham Stoop, holding off a fierce fightback from the West Countrymen.

Ireland A kicked their Churchill Cup campaign off with a well fought 39-20 victory over a plucky Canadian side on Saturday in Exeter.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has told his players they must focus on the upcoming tests with France and Canada rather than looking forward to the World Cup.

Wales coach Gareth Jenkins has been forced to defend his squad selection for the tour of Australia after Wales arrived in Sydney to a hostile reception.

Kevin Yates dreamed of resurrecting his England career, and if he realises the dream and features for the world champions on their tour of South Africa, he will set a record.

England scrum-half Shaun Perry returned to training in South Africa on Saturday after shaking off a calf strain.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan is backing rugby league convert Brian Carney to rise to the challenge of breaking into the Test team.

Wales coach Gareth Jenkins has backed his Australia tour squad to prove their Rugby World Cup potential.

The system of using yellow and red cards by the referee is recent in rugby football, the invention of an Association Football referee Ken Ashton who sat thoughtfully at a traffic light in London.

Clermont Coach Vern Cotter has named a virtually full strength side for the European Challenge Cup Final against Bath on Saturday at the Twickenham Stoop.

There's an aphorism that says: "Ignorance is bliss." However, Jan de Koning tells us why he feels this has become a disease.

NEC Harlequins scrum-half Andy Gomarsall could make a remarkable return to England colours next week - a year after his rugby career looked destined for the scrapheap.

World Cup winner Mike Catt offered to travel with England on their tour of South Africa but was told to concentrate on building up his fitness.

London Irish tyro Shane Geraghty will use Friday night's Churchill Cup opener against USA as an opportunity to prove himself worthy of a ticket to the forthcoming Rugby World Cup.

The second FNB Classic Clash between the only two boys' schools in Potchefstroom, the Technical High School (HTS) and Potchefstroom Boys' High, ended in a one point victory for the hosts, Boys High.

The USA's Churchill Cup campaign looks to have suffered an immediate setback ahead of their tournament opener against England Saxons on Friday night.

Full internationals Jeremy Staunton, Johnny O'Connor and Roger Wilson have all been included in the Ireland 'A' side to face Canada in the Churchill Cup at Sandy Park in Exeter on Saturday night.

Unavailability and injury has forced Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda to make two changes to his 22-man squad ahead of Ireland's two-Test tour.

The semi-finals of the 2007 Super 14 have come and gone but we still have a few incidents to hang discussions of laws on, and we have one which we should have done the week before.

David Bory is determined to leave Bath Rugby with silverware in The Rec trophy cabinet - even if it comes at the expense of his hometown and old club.

Bath Rugby will face a red-hot ASM Clermont Auvergne side when they clash in the European Challenge Cup final at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.

The final of the European Challenge Cup takes place at The Stoop when Clermont Auvergne meet Bath. We give a brief record of European Challenge Cup finals.

England coach Brian Ashton insists he is not looking for "damage limitation" despite leading a young, inexperienced side to take on the Springboks on home soil.

Wasps fly-half Jeremy Staunton has dropped out of the Ireland squad for the tour of Argentina and has been replaced by Leinster's Luke Fitzgerald.

For many a year during the good old days of amateur rugby the belief was very much that it was a game for all shapes and sizes. However those days are a distant memory as rugby has slowly developed into a game for the big men.

Again we have little change this weekend. Perhaps we have got it right already, which seems unlikely. Perhaps the season is just warming up and some are still to make their big move.

There has not yet been a tied final in Super rugby, but a draw is always a possible result. What happens then?

I remember taking up rugby. I wasn't a big lad by any stretch of the imagination, but I held my own. I played, and I like to think I played reasonably well.

England coach Brian Ashton and stand-in captain Jason Robinson were both defiant on Tuesday in refuting that the patched-up England team, shorn of over 30 players because of injury and club commitments, is on another 'tour to hell' in South Africa.

The Graeme College first rugby team beat St Andrew's for the first time since 2003 in their FNB Classic Clash on Saturday played at Graeme's Somerset Field, and did so easily ? winning by 37-12. The game was televised live on Supersport, and Graeme supporters will want to watch this one over and over again.

Jonny Wilkinson is braced for a punishing England tour to South Africa, admitting: "We are going to be hauled out of our comfort zone."

Lote Tuqiri, under-fire for a prank on team-mate Peter Hewat which backfired last weekend, has been taking further flak in the Wallabies' training camp after he was given an individual sprint session on Tuesday.

The Queen?s 1st XV found themselves on the receiving end of a rampant Selborne team, and slumped to a 22-3 defeat on the Selborne fields in East London on Saturday afternoon.

The big one this weekend - a Tale of Finals - the Heineken Cup, The European Challenge Cup, the Super 14, the Super 10 Final.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry, the architect of the vilified New Zealand conditioning programme that saw 22 top All Blacks withdrawn from half of the Super 14, has stated that New Zealand failure to see a team in the finals is "probably a good thing".

Calvisano will be hoping to emulate Overmach Parma on Friday when they travel to Newport to play the Dragons in a one-off play-off for the final Heineken Cup spot next season.

This was a disappointing match, with very little quality rugby produced by either side.

Steve Walsh of New Zealand is to referee the Super 14 Final between the Sharks and the Bulls at ABSA Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon. It is an all-New Zealand team of officials.

Calvisano will be hoping to emulate Overmach Parma on Friday when they travel to Newport to play the Dragons in a one-off play-off for the final Heineken Cup spot next season.

The annual FNB Classic Clash between Glenwood and Durban High School was always going to be a tight affair with the match, as expected, going down to the wire.

There are some big results this week with top sides in action and those neighbourly affairs which always bring out the best.

It was different this year - both semi-finals in South Africa as the prelude to an all-South African final. The victory margins were similar - 16 points in Durban, 15 in Pretoria.

In a ding-dong battle, played in Wellington in searing heat, Hugenote were full value for their upset win over SA College High School (SACS). The final score was 29-23 to the hosts after they had led 17-13 at the interval.

The IRB has taken another small step towards the creation of a globally integrated playing calendar, announcing that a forum will be convened for the game's stakeholders to integrate themselves into the process.

Wales veteran Colin Charvis insists he still has a healthy appetite to play for his country despite winning the last of his 84 caps 14 months ago.

The qualifying structure for future Rugby World Cups is to be changed to better reflect the modern game and to increase the profile of one of the world's largest sporting events.

We again look at an aspect or two of the success of the changed procedure for scrum engagement, noting that this week there was the possibility of an adaptation to that procedure.

The Board of ERC confirmed details of the 24th place play-off for the 2007/8 Heineken Cup on Wednesday, following the announcement by ERC's Shareholders of a "conditional agreement" with regard to the future of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup.

For ten teams this was the end of the 2007 Super 14, but which ten would rest was decided only by that remarkable match in Pretoria when the Bulls broke records.

We have, since the Six Nations, been concentrating on the Super 14 with its demanding seven matches a weekend for our law discussions. But we have two queries from Premiership rugby in England which are certainly worth discussion.

There is the big English Premiership final at Twickenham which will take lots of attention as will the two Super 14 semi-finals in South Africa.

There is little movement in our Top 20 this week as the top schools settle into the new season.

Whew! That's it. The 14 weeks are over and we end with the totals down below - most and fewest tries, most and fewest penalties, most and fewest stoppages, most disciplinary sanctions, apart from the possession stats for this 14th week.

Matt Henjak, the Force scrum-half who was once considered George Gregan's successor-in-waiting, is crushed after being left out of Wallaby coach John Connolly's 59-man training squad.

The Derby encounter between Queen's and Grey failed to meet expectations and the quality of rugby on display would have disappointed spectators, who would have anticipated much more from these two top schoolboy sides.

Australian referees, Stuart Dickinson and Matt Goddard, will referee the semi-finals of the 2007 Super 14. Both matches are between South African and New Zealand teams in South Africa.

Woman referee Kerstin Ljungdahl has been appointed to the men's Division 1 Cup final between SC 1880 Frankfurt, one of Germany's oldest sporting clubs, and RC Heidelberg on Saturday.

Lyndon Bray of Wellington, New Zealand, is one of the world's top referees who has been refereeing particularly well in the 2007 Super 14 - certainly one of the best communicators amongst referees with his concise, matter-of-fact way of talking. we asked him about his career, and he told us.

Eldoraigne again beat Monnas, this time in the final of the Michelin-Reeks, played at LC de Villiers Stadium. That was probably the top match of the weekend.

On a beautiful winters morning in Cape Town, SA College High School (SACS) beat their local rivals Rondebosch Boy?s High by 14-7. Despite the 11.20am kick-off the temperature was touching 30-degrees.

Maritzburg College went down to Durban and beat DHS 13-9.

Northampton Saints star Ben Cohen has withdrawn from England's tour of South Africa and has made himself unavailable for selection for Rugby World Cup 2007. The wing wants to spend time with his wife, who is expecting twins.

A memo has gone out from Paddy O'Brien, the International Rugby Board's refereeing manager, on practical matters regarding the application of the Laws of the Game. This includes the new law on the engagement procedure at scrums.

In assessing the referee and the touch judges, the assessor will note significant events. There was one when the Force played the Blues at Subiaco Oval on Friday evening.

England Saxons coach Jim Mallinder believes the Churchill Cup will present an opportunity to assess a number of players before the Rugby World Cup squad is selected.

The Top 20 will appear again this week and for every week till September. From now on it will appear on a Tuesday, but the funny weekends have rather bogged us down up till now.

Toulouse president Rene Bouscatel has claimed that his club has been left in the dark over a mystery illness that has befallen Wales star Gareth Thomas.

Aghast at England's shambolic preparations for the forthcoming tour of South Africa, James Griffith looks to the future - and beseeches Twickenham to do the same...

I remember a time when one could be penalised at a ruck for something called ?bridging?. This offence involved entering a ruck where your player has been tackled, and leaning on the tackled player on the ground to shield the ball from the defenders. The law was that it had to be a fair squabble for the ball at the ruck, and that you would have to fight for ball retention.

This week 2007 beat 2006 but overall 2006 is still winning the contest of the resets - as a percentage, not as a total, for there have been fewer scrums this year.

Gloucester and Sale Sharks are expected to provide a large chunk of England boss Brian Ashton's South Africa tour squad when it is announced at Twickenham on Tuesday.

In the Eastern Province, where rugby stumbles in dark chaos, the match between Grey and Framesby was cancelled last week because of a squabble beg tween the Eastern Province Rugby Union and the chairman of the Eastern Province Schools Union, Willem October.

Phillip Bosch has been appointed to referee his first Super 14 rugby match on Saturday when the Lions and the Cheetahs meet at Ellis Park.

It's hard to believe that the Super 14 has already reached Week 13. It has flown by but not so quickly that we do not have points of law to discuss to keep our knowledge sharp. Imagine how tedious it must be to follow a game whose laws/rules are simple!

Rob Andrew, England's director of elite rugby, has called into question the future of mid-year tours in the years of a Rugby World Cup after England named a squad devoid of over 30 top-name players for the two-Test trip to South Africa.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has dropped Lee Dickson from his Churchill Cup squad after the 22-year-old wavered over committing himself to the country.

With over thirty top players unavailable for selection, England coach Brian Ashton has been forced to pick a mish-mash of old soldiers, young bucks and late bloomers for the forthcoming two-Test tour of South Africa.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has omitted his entire first-choice XV from the 30-man squad that will tour Argentina.

There are semi-finals in the English Premiership and the last round of Super 14's league format. It's a desperate time.

Wales coach Gareth Jenkins has named a 28-man squad for next month's two-Test tour of Australia, handing Ospreys star Gavin Henson the chance to prove himself ahead of Rugby World Cup 2007.

Intensity rising - that's what's happening to the Super 14 as we close the penultimate week of the round robin part of the tournament with semi-finals not yet decided. That will happen only after the last match on the last weekend - next weekend. We give some stats which deal mainly with possession.

This is a long, long weekend. It is amazing how a long weekend in South Africa can always be made longer! If Tuesday is a holiday, Monday becomes one, too.

On Freedom Day Grey College of Bloemfontein beat Maritzburg College 86-3, an astonishing result.

Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda has unveiled a 45-man squad for the forthcoming Test matches with Ireland and Italy.

Tony Spreadbury of England will blow to kick off the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He is one of 12 referees appointed to referee the matches at the World Cup and will referee the opening match - France versus Argentina at Stade de France.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced the appointments of match officials to various Tests around the world as the Rugby World Cup rushes closer.

Last week I selected my Bok squad of choice and labelled it my 'Dream Team'. Perhaps that was slightly misleading as I did give myself some selection restrictions, namely John Smit has to be the skipper, and there was no point in even contemplating picking Luke Watson because Jake White will never select him no matter how well he plays.

Tony Spreadbury of England will blow to kick off the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He is one of 12 referees appointed to referee the matches at rugby's showpiece event and has been awarded the opening match - France vs Argentina at Stade de France.

England coach Brian Ashton has confirmed that he will not consider players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath for selection in next month's two-Test tour of South Africa.

With England's forthcoming two-Test trip to South Africa looking more like a tour de farce than a tour de force, Andrew Baldock wonders why the English are even bothering with the two-week expedition...

The International Rugby Board has announced the appointment of match officials for the first 37 matches of the Rugby World Cup, hosted this year by France.

New Zealand referee Paul Honiss is set to become only the second New Zealand referee to reach 200 first-class matches when he officiates in the Super 14 match in Perth later this week.

On Goldstone's on Saturdfay, Marigtzburg College beat Pretoria Boys High 20-15.

Namibia has already held trials and chosen four teams for the mid-year national weeks for age-group teams in South Africa.

Again we compare 2007 with its new scrum procedure with 2006 and its shorter scrum procedure. Again it seems that, with resets as our gauge, we are worse off in 2007 than we were in 2006.

The Super 14 is reaching the crunch stage now with just two more rounds of the Round Robin left. A referee's decisions are always important but now can be crucial - giving or not allowing a side to score points which could count to a semi-final or a (lucrative) semi-final.

England's County Championship starts and becomes the latest Law laboratory, as the International Rugby Board's Experimental Law Variations are again tested.

The Twickenham Stoop will host the European Challenge Cup final between Clermont Auvergne and Bath on Saturday, May 19.

Things are heating up in domestic championships in Europe and in the Super 14 as the plunge towards the semi-finals gets steeper.

As the Super 14 gets increasingly tense with just two more Round Robin weeks to go, we again give some statistics of getting and using possession. They include running totals which tell which team has scored most tries, which fewest and which team has been most penalised, which team least often.

In what has become an annual tug-of-war, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Toulouse have once again become embroiled in a dispute over the availability of Wales star Gareth Thomas.

Bath won the right to face Clermont Auvergne in the Final of the European Challenge Cup after recording a tense 31-30 win over Saracens in Sunday's free-flowing semi-final at Vicarage Road, holding off a late surge from the locals to record a famous victory.

SACS proved to be their own worst enemies as they went down 37-6 at home to Boland Landbou. SACS showed an admirable willingness to run with the ball and had more than their fair share of possession but made to many elementary errors on the day. Without doing too much hard work the Bolanders were able to feed off SACS?s errors and turnovers and accumulate points at regular intervals.

Most schools are in action again now and we try to give the results of their matches.

England coach Brian Ashton would have been watching from behind his sofa as Wasps overpowered Northampton Saints on Sunday to set up a mouth-watering clash with Leicester Tigers in the final of the Heineken Cup.

Clermont Auvergne stormed into the final of the European Challenge Cup on Saturday with a convincing 46-29 win over the Dragons in France, in a terrific game of European rugby which should serve as a very real wake-up call to the suits trying their damnedest to rob of such spectacles.

New Zealand won the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship when they beat South Africa 31-7 in the final at Ravenhill, Belfast, on Saturday evening.

A magnificent game of rugby, played in the finest of spirits, was rounded off in the most sporting of ways by Clermont coach Vern Cotter and Dragons coach Paul Turner in France on Saturday.

When Bath play Saracens on Sunday in the European Challenge Cup, the West countrymen know that making a success of their season hinges on that match alone.

Bath coach Steve Meehan has named his side for his side's European Challenge Cup semi-final against Saracens at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

New Zealand Under-19 coach Kieran Crowley has made one change to the starting line-up for Saturday evening's International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship Final against South Africa at Ravenhill in Belfast.

Newport Gwent Dragons have made three changes for their European Challenge Cup semi-final game against Clermont at Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin on Saturday.

The final round of Division B of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship being played in Belfast will be played on Friday 20 April.

Italy had a cionvincing win over Canada to win Duivisi9on B of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Cham[pkionship being played in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The news that SANZAR's members have weighed in with their support of the European unions currently scrapping with the French and English clubs might be seen as impertinence by some.

James Jones of Wales will referee the Division A Final of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship being played in Belfast while Matt Stanish of New Zealand will referee the Division B final.

This is the third bit of our law discussion for this week and the most interesting - the laws in action.

Newport Gwent Dragons are gearing up for "the biggest game in the history of the region" when they clash with Clermont Auvergne at the Stade Marcel Michelin on Saturday in the first of the European Challenge Cup semi-finals.

The 1st and 2nd teams of Monument High School in Krugersdorp both recently experienced an awesome tour in New Zealand. It was a huge success as both teams came back unbeaten, having played some of the best schools in New Zealand.

Clermont go into their home European Challenge Cup semi-final against Newport Gwent Dragons determined to go all the way to next month's final and finish a terrific season on a high.

Is the new scrum procedure meant only for the innocent of the scrummaging underworld? There has been an Under-19 World Championship in Belfast and their statistics are more encouraging than those of Super 14.

As Super rugby comes to a close, it's time to evaluate how the South Africans have fared against the best. Here is my choice of Springbok for the year 2007.

Italy play Canada on Friday, 20 April, to see who will win Division B of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship being played in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Baby Blacks will play the Bay Boks in the final of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship being played in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

We again give some statistics of getting and using possession. They include running totals which tell which team has scored most tries, which fewest and which team has been most penalised, which team least often.

The Vodacom Cup quarter-finals have been decided with home-ground advantage to the Blue Bulls, Griquas, Western Province and the Free State.

College played Volkskool on Friday 13 April on the Gevers Field at Potchefstroom Boys' High School. The match was a hard bruising encounter that Volkskool won 8-0.

This coming weekend will see schools rugby in general swing throughout South Africa. This last weekend most of what happened was north of the Vaal River.

The European Cup rugby returns with fascinating contests. That will be the main focus of the weekend though the Super 14 is now on the threshold of its own knock-out rounds.

SANZAR has announced the referees for the last three rounds of the round robin part of Super 14.

The IRB has announced the draw and the match officials for the semi-final rounds of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship as it reaches crunch time in Northern Ireland.

Italy scraped home 8-6 against Tonga in Division B of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship being played in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Wales will contest the semi-finals of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship.

Oakdale Landbou of Riversdale, one of South Africa's top rugby schools, has taken two teams, 1st and 2nd, to Argentina, playing three matches each.

Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) chief Serge Blanco has responded to the statement issued by International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman Dr Syd Millar, insisting his stance on the Anglo-French boycott of Europe is not motivated by personal glory but by his concerns about the future of the club game.

Last Friday, I spoke to Springbok flank Solly Tyibilika, a man who captures in his person the very essence of the struggles of South African rugby.

The most interesting decision to discuss this week was probably one by the television match official when the Stormers played the Lions at Newlands.

We again give some statistics of getting and using possession. They include running totals which tell which team has scored most tries, which fewest and which team has been most penalised, which team least often.

The European Rugby Cup has announced the referees for the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.

On Good Friday a commentator on the match between the Blues and the Cheetahs, lamenting the regularly disintegrating scrums, bet that things were better in 2006, before the change in scrum procedure that is. This led us to compare the two years.

Most schools are on holiday but have found lots of time to enjoy rugby at various tournaments around the country.

International Rugby Board chairman Dr Syd Millar has urged Guinness Premiership clubs to back out of their European boycott and return to the negotiating table.

Wasps chief executive David Davies has responded witheringly to IRB chairman Dr Syd Millar's attack on the Anglo-French boycott of Europe, calling his statement a "tantrum".

The third round of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship is a tough lone with several make-or-break matches.

Easter has gone as the year marches ahead at a great rate. Super 14 is reaching crunch time and so are other competitions.

With the future of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup still hanging in the balance, it has become quite clear where our readers' loyalties lie. Nobody wants to see Europe's biggest rugby tournaments come to an end. This is what you had to say about the the European shenanigans...

Premier Rugby (PRL) has requested a meeting with the International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman Dr Syd Millar to discuss the impasse regarding the future of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup competitions.

St Stithians Easter Festival came to an end at the Randburg school on Easter Monday. The climax of the week was the clash between Affies and Gimmies.

Tonga, Italy, the USA and Canada are the four unbeaten sides after two rounds of Division B of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship.

A very successful Easter Rugby Festival was help at Potchefstroom Boys' High School this weekend. 12 sides participated and there were good crowds (Saturday the largest, about 3000 people). The spectators were treated to some good schoolboy rugby in a festival that was characterised by some very one-sided matches and some extremely close contests.

The St John's Easter Festival ends on Easter Monday.

The Baby Blacks soar while the Baby Boks come crashing down.

The Easter Festival at King Edward VII School ended on Easter Monday. Waterkloof and Westville appeared the strongest of the schools.

In the second round of the International Rugby Board's Under-129 World Championship Phillip Bosch of Port Elizabeth will referee the Pool A match between New Zealand and Japan.

Hosts St Andrew's end with a big win over their guests from Zimbabwe.

There was a good result for Westville in the top clash on the second day of King Edward VII School's Easter Festival.

There wasa tough battle between Affies and Boland Landbou, clearly two top sides.

The match between Grey of Bloemfontein and DHS on the second day of the St John's Easter Festival was desperately close at half-time when Grey led just 7-6.

The Professional Rugby Players' Association (PRA) have reacted angrily to the ongoing row which forced the Anglo-French boycott of next season's Heineken Cup.

FFR (Federation Francaise de Rugby) boss Bernard Lapasset has revealed his disappointment at the LNR?s decision to go ahead with its boycott of the Heineken Cup next year and outlined the extraordinary lengths he went to in an attempt to keep Serge Blanco and the French clubs in European competition.

Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) president Serge Blanco insists the failure to resolve shareholding issues was the decisive factor behind the "irreversible" decision of French clubs to go ahead with their boycott of next season's European competitions.

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) has expressed serious concern in regard to decisions announced yesterday by the French National League (LNR) and Premier Rugby in England (PRL) to withdraw from the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup from next season.

A commentator on the match between the Blues and the Cheetahs, lamenting the regularly disintegrating scrums, bet that things were better in 2006 - before the change in scrum procedure that is.

Michaelhouse, Jeppe, St Alban's and hosts KES sprang surprises on the opening day of the King Edward VII School's Easter Festival.

The International Rugby Board's Under- World Championship started in Belfast on Wednesday when the Pool B teams in action.

There were some great performances on the last day of Oakdale's Rugby Week in Riversdale.

England's top clubs have confirmed they are joining their French counterparts in deciding to boycott next season's Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup competitions.

The 12th St John's Easter Rugby Tournament is taking place at the school in Houghton, starting on Maundy Thursday.

Pool B's matches were played on Spy Wednesday. Pool A's are on Maundy Thursday as the week moves towards Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

The St Stithians Easter Festuicval kicked off again on Easter Thrusday with a thriller bertween Noord-Kaap of Kimberley and the FNB Invitational XV.

High temperatures did not deter the energy and commitment of rugby players during the first five fixtures of the St Andrew's College biennial Easter Rugby Festival in Grahamstown. Commencing on Thursday 5 April on the picturesque Lower Field the festival attracted many spectators and supporters from the community.

France's top-flight clubs have confirmed their boycott of next season's Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup competitions following a meeting in Paris.

Pool A of the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship was played in sunny Belfast on Thursday.

Brive centre Ludovic Valbon and Leicester prop Marcos Ayerza have both been cited in the wake of their Challenge Cup and Heineken Cup quarter-finals respectively.

The International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship starts on Wednesday when the Pool B teams will be in action.

The International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship kicks off on Wednesday when the Pool B teams are in action.

This is the oldest of the Easter Festivals for schools in South Africa, dating back to 1984. It attracts big crowds to the Randburg school.

It beats winning Interschools - that was the Union High verdict on their victory over St Andrew's on the second day of their festival in beautiful Graaff-Reinet.

Daniel Pienaar, are the only team to win all three of their matches at Die Brandwag's Rugby tournament in Uitenhage. The hosts drew one and won two.

As always there are some incidents worth discussing in the Super 14 just past.

Hilton College and Maritzburg College of KwaZulu Natal set off on a tour to New Zealand while Bishops shot up to England and France.

Krugersdorp High again holds its Easter Festival. Twelve teams are taking part.

In Day 2 of the 28th Oakdale Rugby Week, probably the most impressive results at the top of the scale were those of hosts Oakdale, Framesby of Port Elizabeth and the Rooi Bulle of HTS Middelburg

We again give some statistics of getting and using possession. They include running totals which tell which team has scored most tries, which fewest and which team has been most penalised, which team least often.

Easter is upon us as Holy Week gives way to celebrations and yet another outburst of rugby, including international tournaments for Under-19 and Under-18 players.

Lots of schools are on holiday and lots of schools are at tournaments or will soon be.

Saracens booked a date with Bath in the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup by notching up a turgid but tense 23-19 victory over Glasgow Warriors at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

Autumn has started and so had out news of schools rugby. From now on the news will be weekly till the end of September.

Oakdale of Riversdale are again holding their rugby tournament with 24 schools taking part. It kicked off on Saturday.

Weston from up the West Coast shoved Hentie Cilliers of Virginia on the second day of Die Brandwag's tournament in hot Uitenhage.

Newport Gwent Dragons produced a stunning six-try display to beat Brive 39-17 in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals at Rodney Parade on Saturday.

Nick Abendanon scored a hat-trick of tries as Bath booked a spot in the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup by notching up an impressive 51-12 victory over their Bristol in a lop-sided West Country duel at the Rec on Saturday.

Having had two weeks to prepare for Saturday?s European Challenge Cup showdown against Bristol, Steve Meehan is in no doubt that his Bath Rugby will be fresh and raring to go.

The St Andrew's College biennial Easter Rugby Festival takes place in Grahamstown.

Potchefstroom Boys' High will host its annual Easter Rugby Festival from the 5-9 April.

Die Brandwag of Uitenhage has its 5th annual rugby tournament this weekend. It is part of the school's 70th birthday celebrations.

The Dragons create history on Saturday when they play a European quarter-final game at Rodney Parade for the first time.

Clermont booked a place in the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup courtesy of a tense 24-19 victory over Newcastle Falcons at Stade Marcel Michelin on Friday evening, thereby condemning the English side to another season devoid of silverware.

Oakdale of Riversdale are again holding their rugby tournament with 24 schools taking part.

The wind blew in Uitenhage on the first day of Die Brandwag's annual tournament.

Maritzburg College fly to New Zealand on 24 March via Singapore on a six-match tour. They arrive home on 15 April.

King Edward VII School of Houghton, Johannesburg, is again holding its Easter Festival which includes rugby.

Hoerskool Durbanville ends March with its WorldSports Events annual sports tournament which includes rugby.

Ten schools are taking part in the Pukke Rugby Institute in Potchefstroom, part of the University of North West.

Hilton College of the KwaZulu Natal Midlands is undertaking a tour to New Zealand over Easter.

England centre Andy Farrell will make his first appearance for five weeks when Saracens tackle European Challenge Cup opponents Glasgow Warriors at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

Tappe Henning, recently retired from refereeing international rugby, has been appointed by the International Rugby Board to its five-man committee that selects referees.

Newcastle Falcons have made two changes to their side as they prepare for Friday's European Challenge Cup quarter-final trip to French side ASM Clermont-Auvergne.

Instructions have gone out from the IRB, giving a new procedure of scrum engagement and insisting on putting the ball straight into scrums, not stamping and not showing dissent. We have a little look at compliance after five weeks of Six nations and eight weeks of Super 14.

The 12th St John's Easter Rugby Tournament will take part at the school in Houghton with matches on 5 April, 7 April and 9 April.

With the Six Nations out of the way the focus for the Northern Hemisphere sides now is their respective tours, which has, without much surprise, sparked a row between two of the top nations in the world.

Experiments will take place in Johannesburg over Easter in which the referee will act as TMO.

Richard Hill will send his Bristol team out against his hometown club in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals at high noon on Saturday wary of a Bath backlash.

Pierre Mignoni was at the heart of France winning the 2007 Six Nations title ? and now the live wire scrum half has set his heart on helping ASM Clermont Auvergne winning the European Challenge Cup for a second time.

Legendary veterans such as Jonah Lomu, Carlos Spencer and Justin Marshall will form a New Zealand side that will take on Japan in May, as part of the Asian side's World Cup preparations.

The Portuguese Rugby Federation has issued a statement on the incidents which happened in Montevideo after their successful World Cup Qualifying round with Uruguay.

There are a few interesting incidents to discuss after this weekend's matches, including two rarities from the Durban match between the Sharks and the Brumbies.

We again give some statistics of getting and using possession. They include running totals which tell which team has scored most tries, which fewest and which team has been most penalised, which team least often.

Referees are appointed to many top matches again this weekend, including the Heineken Cup which gets going again and is at the crucial knock-out stage.

The Heineken Cup's future was still in jeopardy on Friday after a proposal from both the French League's governing body (LNR) and Premier Rugby Ltd (PRL) was rejected by the RFU.

Super 14 Week 7 has come and gone, the half-way mark, and we have not yet reached autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. We have some interesting incidents to discuss from the six matches played. After all it's not every weekend that you get two penalty tries and both for the same sort of infringement.

SANZAR has announced the appointments of match officials for Weeks 9-11 of Super 14.

The Six Nations have come to a sudden end with a dramatic three-match Saturday. We look at some incidents from the three matches in terms of the Laws of the Game.

What a dramatic finish. Two TMO decisions right at the end of each match decided who would win the Six Nations Championship. Such drama!.

The New Zealand Under-19 team have gathered in Auckland for the IRB's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast, starting on 4 April.

Uruguay have announced their team for the IRB's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast next month.

The Six Nations has come to a frantic end and most international focus will be on the Rugby World Cup Qualifier in Montevideo.

We look at some match statistics as the half-way mark in the 2007 Super 14 is passed, while the weather is hot and cricket is being played.

Argentina has announced its Under-19 team to take part in the IRB's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast in April.

Like many referees, schoolmastering set Dean Richards on a refereeing course which will take him this weekend to Madrid for the European Nations Cup match between the Leones of Spain and the Lelos of Georgia.

On Saturday James Laurence Jones of Swansea will be refereeing his very first Test - a match between Romania and Czech Republic in Ricany. Of course, it's exciting for the 28-year-old who has been refereeing for 15 years.

Instructions have gone out from the IRB, giving a new procedure of scrum engagement and insisting on putting the ball straight into scrums, not stamping and not showing dissent. We have a little look at compliance.

The controversial ending to the Rome match has overwhelmed all interest in the laws of the game this last weekend. There seems little else to discuss.

Queensland's former Test referees, Andrew Cole and Scott Young, are to help with the development of promising referees under a new advanced referee development program in Queensland.They join many former Test referees around the world who help with the development of younger referees.

We could produce a booklet of law discussion on Week 6 of the Super 14, but will try not to bore too many people.

Last weekend saw the Six Nations take an unexpected turn for the interesting with the title still anyone's for the taking (Besides Italy, Scotland and Wales!). England surprised, Ireland nearly choked (literally) and Italy stunned Wales (albeit due to a dubious last-minute decision by the ref). Here are your thoughts on the action...

It's yet another big action weekend for players and referees as the Six Nations comes to an end and the Super 14 rackets on.

Two close encounters and a surprise for all but those who had kept faith, and there the score flattered the losers as England came back strongly from defeat in Dublin.

There was the historic thriller in Perth this weekend when the lead changed twice in dramatic fashion in the last four minutes. There were also convincing displays by the Highlanders, the Brumbies, the Bulls, the Blues and the Sharks.

What a nasty ending to a rugby match! The Roman ending to Wales's romantic effort to win a rugby match was truly horrible.

Instructions have gone out from the IRB, giving a new procedure of scrum engagement and insisting on putting the ball straight into scrums, not stamping and not showing disssent.

A few weeks ago, Tighthead Thomas and Loosehead Les went head to head in a sensitive debate over whether Italy deserves to be in the Six Nations or not, arguing whether Argentina deserved to take the Azzurri's place instead. It seems to have struck quite a high note with Italian fans! This is what you had to say...

It's a shorter journey than usual for Dave Pearson this weekend as he heads over the Borders to Edinburgh to referee the Six Nations Match between Scotland and Ireland - a shorter distance from home than for most club matches in his native England.

The European Rugby Cup has appointed the match officials for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.

This was the week that turned the Super 14 on its head, emphasising for us that sporting prediction is not an exact science and that the surprising is still the great spice of sport.

We have already given the statistics for Week 5 of Super 14 and now we discuss the laws in action, taking some incidents from the seven matches.

There are just two rounds of the Six Nations to go. This round has three fascinating matches.

Australia has announced its team to defend the title at the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast in April. Quade Cooper who made his Super 14 debut on Saturday is in the side.

Gavin Henson has been told he can claim a place on Wales' May tour of Australia despite being ruled out of the Six Nations Championship.

South Africa announced its Under-19 team for the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championships to be held in Belfast in April.

Nigel Whitehouse, who is currently on the International Rugby Board's merit panel of 21 referees, has decided to retire from refereeing.

An old Roman said that there was always something unusual coming from Africa. There is always something unusual from every rugby match that is worth talking about.

So far this busy week we have given the stats for Super 14 and Six Nations and the incidents discussion for Six Nations,. Now we shall discuss a few incidents from the Super 14, including the case of advantage that raised eyebrows.

The response has been non-stop with Ireland's 43-13 Six Nations of England at Croke Park on Saturday. It was a fine perfomance by the hosts, and a less than satisfatory one by the visitors. Well, at least that is what you had to say about it amongst other things...

There has been a lot of reaction to New Zealand coach Graham Henry's excitement at the early results that has been brought about by the three-month conditioning window afforded to 22 hand-picked Test stars. It is said that when his side assembles in early June to play France, he will have charge of what will unquestionably be the biggest, fastest, fittest All Black team ever assembled. This is what you had to say about that...

The laboratory for experimenting with law changes is now the Scottish Super Cup. Richard White did some early evaluating and now does so again.

There were three matches which were so exciting on the weekend - Wales ahead early against France who came back, Italy ahead ridiculously early against Scotland who did not come back and all that rain and emotion in Dublin. Here are some stats from the matches.

We have a bit of a breather after last weekend's international intensity, but rugby rumbles on.

There were more tries this week as we give some statistics, mostly about getting possession.

Teams continue to warm up for the IRB's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast in April.

It's not a reverse armada by any means but English refereeing coaches will be working with individual Spanish referees

The International Rugby Board has changed a law and sent out three directives to referees. How are they going.

It seems that the more professional the game gets, the more the man in the middle is responsible for every misfortune that befalls a team at a crucial moment. But even if he is wrong, what can be done about it?

SANZAR has made known the appointments of match officials for Weeks 5-8 of the Super 14.

Italy have chosen a squad of 40 players for the International Rugby Board's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast in April.

Jan de Koning takes a look at the weekend's refereeing controversies - not from a referee's perspective, but the angle of a journalist - and he feels that maybe we are hearing too much of the one side of the story.

It was not a happy weekend for referees with lots of criticism, controversy and anger.

Referee Marius Jonker has been much criticised for flagging Anton Leonard on Friday night but Andre Watson, South Africa's referee manager, and Paddy O'Brien, the International Rugby Board's referee manager, have both supported Jonker's action.

Six Nations breaks out again this week with lots of focus on Croke Park where England come to play Ireland - a venue associated in the past with Irish nationalism.

After Week 3 with its low points differences, low scores and two matches devoid of tries, we look at the statistics of the weekend and some totals to tell us who has scored the most tries, who is most penalised and so on.

Wales Under-19 play their Irish counterparts at Stradey Park in Llanelli on Friday evening as the teams warm up for the IRB's Under-19 World Championship in Belfast in April.

Whew! This is the end for this week, Week 2 of Super 14, just in time for the start of Week 3.

We look at the laws in action from the three Six Nations matches of the past weekend - England vs Italy, Scotland vs Wales and Ireland vs France.

Two aspects of the scrum are of interest at the moment - the procedure of engagement and the putting in of the ball.

The Sunday after England cast aside Scotland at Twickenham saw the English national papers filled with headlines rejoicing in the return of 'King Jonny'.

There was much talk about advantage this weekend, especially after the Ireland-France match.

Jonny Wilkinson's return to the Test arena has sparked mass debate on whether the Rugby World Cup winning fly-half is back to his form of old. But it's not a case of him 'deserving' to be there, but more the case of him belonging there!

SA Rugby has launched a new website for referees, which went live on Tuesday morning.

There is a chance for the Six Nations to catch its breath this weekend but that does not mean that players and match officials are allowed to flop into deckchairs. There is still a good deal of activity.

There has been overwhelming response to Ireland's last minute loss to France in the thrilling Six Nations encounter at Croke Park over the weekend. Ireland supporters, though gracious in defeat, still feel they were robbed by New Zealand referee Steve Walsh. Here's a few things you had to say...

Week 2 of the Six Nations produced a thriller at Croke Park in Dublin. Here we give some statistics for that match and the matches at Twickenham and Murrayfield.

Week 2 of Super 14 and fewer cards and more tries and some exciting matches despite unseasonable wet. Here we look, as we do each week, at some statistics. We are also starting to accumulate each week's stats.

Steve Walsh is in his 13th year of refereeing first-class rugby. When he runs out onto Croke Park on Sunday, it will be his 25th Test, and he is not yet 35.

We have already discussed matters from the Six Nations and given some Super 14 stats. Here we discuss some incidents from the first week of Super 14.

February is a pleasant month for women with St Valentine's Day and all the attention paid them. February 2007 is a special month in the history of women's rugby as five women referees make a giant leap.

There are always refereeing matters to talk about after a match. We can learn from every match and especially from seeing top men in action. Here we discuss a few indents from the first week of Six Nations.

The standings for the 2016/17 Sevens World Series!

Andy Macpherson of Scotland is excited. He is about to referee his first-ever Test match and he is not yet 25.

Super 14 is upon us with many errors on sweaty fields and a rash of yellow cards. We deal here with some statistics which we hope to update along the 14 weeks.

The 2007 Six Nations burst into full flower at the Millennium Stadium with a great contest between Wales and Ireland. In this section, as in the past, we give some match statistics.

Steve Walsh probably has the big one this week as rugby makes history by packing out Croke Park in Dublin, the great holy place of Gaelic games.

There is going to be a lot of law talk after this hectic weekend with Six Nations and Super 14 starting.

HURRICANES 2011

BLUES 2011

CHEETAHS 2011

CHIEFS 2011

CRUSADERS 2011

BRUMBIES 2011

BULLS 2011

REDS 2011

HIGHLANDERS 2011

WESTERN FORCE 2011

LIONS 2011

WARATAHS 2011

STORMERS 2011

SHARKS 2011

Chris Waldburger takes a look at the modern game of rugby and asks if the sport as we know it is busy dying? Are the players "cashing in" at the expense of the sport? And has Test rugby lost its "sparkle"?

Kelvin Deaker, the experienced New Zealand referee, has an exciting prospect - refereeing the Gaelic derby between Wales and Ireland at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on the opening day of the 2007 Six Nations in this year of World Cup.

Herve Dubes, a Top 14 referee in France, heads west to Lisbon for the Iberian derby between Portugal and Spain on Saturday, the opening round of the European Nations Cup.

Wayne Barnes will blow the whistle to start the Six Nations. Paul Honiss will do the same to start the Super 14. Two big rugby competitions start this weekend.

In its preparations for the World Cup qualifier with Uruguay, Portugal will play against Montpellier.

Rugby becomes more domestic this weekend except for the vital qualifier in Lisbon and the Trans Tasman warm-ups Down Under. But the onset of Six Nations and Super 14 is in the back of many minds.

It is not so long ago that the intricacies of front row play were a mystery to most and the scrum signalled a prop's primary role on the rugby pitch. However all that could change with the advent of a new phase in the engagement process.

A tackle occurs when a ball-carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to the ground.

A ruck is a phase of play where one or more players from each team, who are on their feet, in physical contact, close around the ball on the ground.

'Kicked directly into touch' means that the ball was kicked into touch without landing on the playing area, and without touching a player or the referee.

A knock-on occurs when a player loses possession of the ball and it goes forward. There are other ways for a knock-on to occur.

A 'no tackle' occurs when the ball is available on the ground and a player goes to ground to gather the ball, except immediately after a scrum or a ruck.

The ball is an important part of rugby. We give you all the important dimensions.

The law of advantage takes precedence over most other laws and its purpose is to make play more continuous with fewer stoppages for infringements.

There are also a few variations at the Under-19 level of rugby union.

A rugby match is started with a kick-off. What then?

The Laws of the Game apply to the Seven-a-side game, but are subject to certain variations.

The Object of the Game is that two teams of fifteen, ten or seven players each, observing fair play according to the Laws...

A maul occurs when a player carrying the ball is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball-carrier's team-mates bind on the ball-carrier.

Penalty kicks and free kicks are awarded to the non-offending team for infringements by their opponents.

The kick-off occurs at the start of the match and the re-start of the match after half-time. Re-start kicks occur after a score or a touch down.

There are various ways to score points in rugby union.

There is not definitive history of where rugby came from or when or how. The game is likely to have started as an amalgamation of soccer and other games.

Law One of rugby union deals with basic things... like the ground we play on.

To make a mark, a player must be on or behind that player's 22-metre line.

In-goal is part of the ground as defined in Law 1 where the ball may be grounded by players from either team.

What are the various definitions in rugby? We have all that and more.

Foul play is anything a person does within the playing enclosure that is against the letter and spirit of the Laws of the Game.

At the start of a game all players are on-side. As the match progresses players may find themselves in an off-side position.

You need a referee to officiate in rugby union. But what are all their duties during a match?

How many players are allowed in a rugby team? Find out more...

We give you the lowdown on rugby players' clothing.

Rugby union matches last eighty minutes. What about half- and extra-time? Timing in rugby union.

The purpose of the scrum is to restart play quickly, safely and fairly, after a minor infringement or a stoppage.

Two tries from Mike Stephenson and the trusty kicking of Olly Barkley, who also touched down, ensured Bath topped European Challenge Cup Pool Four with an emphatic 42-17 win over Montpellier.

Serge Blanco heaped much of the blame on his league's decision to boycott the Heineken Cup on the RFU on Thursday, after the English governing body refused to enter an agreement with Premier Rugby over a share of ERC governance as the FFR had done with the LNR.

Bristol's hopes of topping European Challenge Cup Pool One were dashed despite a comfortable home win over Bucuresti.

With Round Six of the European Challenge Cup upon us, there are still seven quarter-final berths up for grabs.

The battle for the three best runners-up places in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals promises to be a tight contest, with NEC Harlequins desperate to stay in the mix with a home win over Connacht Rugby at The Stoop on Saturday.

With his whistle in his bag and the fate of two nations in his hands, Wayne Barnes is off to Casablanca to referee the World Cup Qualifier between Morocco and Portugal.

Glasgow Warriors will collide with Saracens at Hughenden on Friday night with an automatic European Challenge Cup quarter-final place on the line, so expect it to be a full bloodied game full on tension.

Having lost away to the Dragons last week Bristol coach Richard Hill insists the Welsh region are now firm favourites to qualify for the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals as Pool One winners.

SANZAR, the body which organises the Tri-Nations and the Super 14, has announced the referees for the first four rounds of the 2007 Super 14.

There is a World Cup qualifier in Casablanca this weekend. Neither team would qualify as "usual suspects" for neither has been to the World Cup before.

Saracens wing Tomas De Vedia scored four tries as the English side put Narbonne to the sword by running out 47-20 victors in their European Challenge Cup clash on Sunday.

Worcester were made to pay for a shocking start as Clermont Auvergne scored a crucial European Challenge Cup Pool Five win at Sixways.

Wayne Barnes of England will blow his whistle at Stade Flaminio in Rome and the 2007 Six Nations will come to life, for he is the referee and this is the first match of the 2006 Six Nations. Recently, Wayne became England's youngest full-time referee, and clearly a referee going places.

Guinness Premiership leaders Bristol were stunned in Wales as the Dragons roared to European Challenge Cup success at Rodney Parade on Friday night.

Eric Sauls, the new coach of the South African Under-19 team has invited 45 players to a trials camp in Saldanha on 14-21 January.

Marius Jonker, whose progress in the world of refereeing has been rapid, has been appointed to referee the Calcutta Cup match, this year at Twickenham in the opening match of the Six Nations. What a great occasion for the young man from Zululand.

Pierre Mignoni and his Clermont Auvergne team-mates are just a win away from qualifying for the European Challenge Cup knock-out stages – but the international scrum-half is adamant they must overcome their stern test against Worcester Warriors at Sixways on Saturday.

Bath captain Steve Borthwick and Danny Grewcock will line up together in the second row for the first time since September 9, when the England duo to battle in the European Challenge Cup against Connacht at the Sportsground in Galway on Friday.

We have an incident from a match played in White River near the Kruger National Park which may be of interest.

Gareth Llewellyn has helped take, and keep, Bristol Rugby at the top of the Guinness Premiership and the re-born West Country giants are also riding high and chasing glory on the European front.

Jerome Bonvoisin is immensely proud of Brive’s performances in the current European Challenge Cup and he wants to go all the way and lift the silverware in late May.

The new Scottish Super Cup has become the latest laboratory to test law changes which may have a radical effect on the game. The first of these matches was played at Old Anniesland in Glasgow between Glasgow Hawks and Boroughmuir.

The Heineken Cup has a two-week splurge to end the Round Robin part of the competition which is now heading for the knock-outs.

England Under-19 found Italy Under-19 tough but they beat them 18-11 at London Irish club in Sunbury on Friday afternoon.

Recently the IRB sent out a set of recommendations for sanctioning players guilty of foul play. These had their first possible test this past week.

The European Cup has announced the referees appointed to Rounds 5 and 6 of the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.

It is the middle of summer heat in South Africa at present but warm-up matches are about to happen, for the Samoans are in the country, the Super 14 is at hand and the Vodacom Cup will soon be on the go.

Hugo Ellis of London Wasps will captain England Under-19 in their first match of 2007 - against Italy at Sunbury on Friday afternoon.

Paddy O'Brien, the IRB's referees manager who will be based in Invercargill home but working around the world, has send out a decree that the ball is to be put in straight to the scrum.

From 1 January 2007, the procedure for scrum engagement will change.

England have announced a squad of 30 to represent its Women's Under-19 team this year.

England and Italy meet in an Under-19 international at Sunbury on Friday afternoon.

Rugby gets back to fuller action this weekend, perhaps a bit sluggishly after all the celebrations.

Christmas festivities past, teams go straight back into action - but there are not many of them.

It is always good to get readers' comments on laws and the law discussions we have. From time to time we publish what they have to say or ask. Here are some to end 2006.

We have Peter Shortell of Cheltenham to thank for this incident taken from the Heineken Cup match between Ulster and London Irish last Friday. Later this week we shall publish some things readers have had to say on the laws.

Christmas is at hand. In the hot parts of the Southern Hemisphere they sing See amid the Winter's Snows and eat gargantuan meals, but they do not play rugby.

Newcastle Falcons claimed an emphatic 35-0 victory over a poor Montauban side at Kingston Park on Sunday to keep alive their hopes of some European silverware.

Bristol put one foot into the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a predictable mauling of Bayonne at the Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

The Planet Rugby Your Say page! The best place to chew the fat with fellow Union fans. Keep sending in all your views on all things relating to the game.

André Watson, South Africa’s manager of referees, has made known new panels of referees for 2007. There are radical changes.

France international prop Franck Tournaire will be out of action for three months after undergoing thumb surgery, his club side Narbonne said.

Bristol supporters will get their first opportunity to see Shaun Perry in action at the Memorial Stadium since he became a full England international, with the scrum-half named in a strong Bristol line-up for Bayonne on Friday.

Not content with being at the summit of the English Premiership Bristol and Director of Rugby Richard Hill have their sights firmly set on bigger achievements, namely the Heineken Cup next season.

Languishing at the bottom of Pool Four with not a point to their name you would be forgiven for thinking French side Albi had given up the ghost as far as the European Challenge Cup is concerned.

The Heineken Cup reaches Round 4 and, it being the second Tuesday in December, the Varsity Match will take place at Twickenham with all that tradition.

Winger Joe Maddock stunned Harlequins fans with a last-minute try to give Bath a 24-18 win and the upper hand in their European Challenge Cup pool.

Newcastle's hopes of European silverware took a severe battering, with Montauban emerging 16-10 victors from a monumental forward battle at Stade de Sapiac.

Newcastle have recalled Captain Matthew Burke to the team after missing last weekend’s EDF Energy Cup victory over NEC Harlequins, with England centre Jamie Noon also resuming club duties after starting all four autumn Tests for England.

Saracens go into their clash with GRAN Parma on Sunday as one of the six sides in the European Challenge Cup to have won both their opening round fixtures, with wins against Glasgow and Narbonne respectively.

Montauban will be seeing stars when Newcastle Falcons travel to Stade Sapiac for their Challenge Cup clash on Friday night.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) Council has approved a change to the Law that governs the scrum. This follows a review of the scrum by the IRB Rugby Committee and its Law Project Group following recommendations made by the IRB's Medical Committee.

The SANZAR nations (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) had a trial run with the new scrum laws in Sydney this week and the initial reactions were not nearly as positive as the International Rugby Board (IRB) brainstrust would have hoped.

Matches between Montpellier and Connacht Rugby are becoming something of a European Challenge Cup tradition – this is the third successive campaign in which the French and Irish teams have been drawn against each other.

Newcastle Falcons skipper Matt Burke insists Friday’s trip to Montauban is the ideal chance to get his side’s European Challenge Cup campaign back on the rails.

This weekend we have Sevens in George and the Heineken Cup in Europe.

Scottish Rugby has reached agreement with the International Rugby Board to try out a number of Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) in the new Premier 1 Club Super Cup which starts on 6 January 2007.

The two panels of referees drawn up and published in November 2006 are unchanged from the two panels promulgated earlier this year.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced the match official appointments for the RBS Six Nations 2007 which kicks-off on 3 February.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) on Thursday announced the pools, seedings and schedule for the IRB Under-19 World Championship 2007.

Michael Cupido, lone of South Africa’s top-tanked referees, is to move from the middle of the field to its edges, changing from refereeing at the top level to becoming a specialist touch judge, in keeping with the restructuring plans for South African referees.

There were six incident-filled matches, and we shall look at just a few incidents as a way of refreshing our knowledge and understanding of the laws of the complicated game.

There were six incident-filled matches. We look here at four incidents which concerned tries or possible tries or unlikely tries in four of the matches.

All six Six Nations teams were in action again, this time with Canada back in the mix, playing a Test in Pordenone under the Dolomites for the very first time.

After the banquets of November it's back to bread-and-butter this weekend. The hectic Test period is suddenly over, the Southern hordes have receded to aestivation, and clubs plod back into action.

Ireland gave the crumbling stands of Lansdowne Road a fitting send-off on Sunday afternoon, punctuating a glorious chapter of the stadium's history with a handsome 61-17 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

Ireland gave the crumbling stands of Lansdowne Road a fitting send-off on Sunday afternoon, punctuating a glorious chapter of the stadium's history with a handsome 61-17 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

Ireland gave the crumbling stands of Lansdowne Road a fitting send-off on Sunday afternoon, punctuating a glorious chapter of the stadium's history with a handsome 61-17 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

Ireland gave the crumbling stands of Lansdowne Road a fitting send-off on Sunday afternoon, punctuating a glorious chapter of the stadium's history with a handsome 61-17 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

South Africa bought their beleaguered coach some breathing space by securing a gritty 25-14 victory over England on Saturday, with four drop-goals from Andre Pretorius handing the visitors their first win at Twickenham since 1997.

New Zealand completed their Northern Hemisphere tour with another comprehensive victory, beating Wales 45-10 in front of a sold-out Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Australia pulled out a superb second-half performance to sink Scotland 42-15 in Edinburgh on Saturday to end their tour of Europe on a high note.

France recorded their first win of the November series on Saturday, beating Argentina 27-26 in Paris, but it was a close-run match, in which the visitors clawed their way back from 27-9 down in the final half-hour, and nearly pinched a famous victory.