Lions pip Giants and Blues thrash Freo

Tom Rockliff ... celebrates the Brisbane Lions come from behind win over GWS. Source: Darren England / News Limited

The Brisbane Lions have come from behind to win by three points against a spirited Greater Western Sydney outfit to put themselves in the box seat for a pre-season Cup grand final berth, while Carlton have dominated Fremantle by 70 points.

0.3.2 (20)	Q1	1.2.2 (23)
1.8.3 (60)	Q2	1.5.7 (46)
1.10.7 (76)	Q3	1.9.12 (75)
2.12.7 (97)	Q4	1.12.19 (100)

Sam Frost 2	Aaron Cornelius 5
Jonathan Giles 2	Marco Paparone 2
Adam Treloar 2	Patrick Karnezis 1
Jeremy Cameron 1	Ryan Lester 1
Toby Greene 1	Sam Michael 1
Anthony Miles 1	Tom Rockliff 1
Jonathon Patton 1	Dayne Zorko 1
Devon Smith 1
Liam Sumner 1
Callan Ward 1

The topsy-turvy battle in front of a crowd of 7,068 at Robertson Oval, Wagga, saw the lead change hands several times in the second half, with Brisbane eventually winning 1.2.19 (100) to 2.12.7 (97).

The Lions blew several golden opportunities late in the final quarter, before a composed Sam Michael kicked the winning goal late in the match.

Aaron Cornelius went a long way to nailing down a permanent spot in the Lions line-up, scoring five goals and providing a reliable target up front despite the absence of co-captain Jonathan Brown.

Jed Adcock was solid as ever in his first game as captain for the Lions, however it was Patrick Karnezis (26 possessions) who was the big impress or for the Brisbane side.

Claye Beams (21 possessions) and Jack Redden (20 possessions) would have also given coach Michael Voss plenty to smile about.

Meanwhile Callan Ward and Lachie Whitfield were the best for the Giants, while Adam Treloar, Sam Frost and Jonathan Giles led the goal scoring for the Lions with two goals apiece.

The Giants bounced back from a narrow deficit at quarter time to lead by 14 points at the half time break courtesy of a Jeremy Cameron super-goal.

But the Lions bounced back immediately, scoring three goals within five minutes after the break.

The Lions had a golden opportunity to snatch a the lead late in the match, but Josh Green shanked the ball from right in front of the sticks.

It was looking like it would cost Brisbane the match until Michael got a last minute opportunity to redeem the visiting side.

The Giants 2011 No.1 draft pick Jonathon Patton kicked his only goal of the match in the second minute of the game before hobbling off the field with a bad cork to the right leg midway through the second quarter.peThere were no reported injuries for the Lions.

The Giants travel to Canberra's Manuka Oval next Friday for a pre season Cup clash against Essendon while the Lions travel to Etihad stadium to take on Collingwood on Saturday night.

0.6.5 (41)	Q1	0.1.1 (7)
0.12.7 (79)	Q2	1.1.3 (18)
0.14.12 (96)	Q3	1.5.7 (46)
0.18.16 (124)	Q4	1.6.9 (54)

Eddie Betts 4	Matthew De Boer 2
Jefferey Garlett 3	David Mundy 2
Bryce Gibbs 2	Hayden Crozier 1
Mitch Robinson 2	Jonathon Griffin 1
Andrew Carrazzo 1	Garrick Ibbotson 1
Levi Casboult 1
Michael Jamison 1
Matthew Kreuzer 1
Marc Murphy 1
Andrew Walker 1
Simon White 1

Meanwhile Carlton have dominated their second-round pre-season Cup match against Fremantle, winning by 70 points at Etihad Stadium.

The Blues were never really challenged and won the match 0.18.16 (124) to Fremantle's 1.6.9.54.

Matthew Kruezer, working in combination Sam Rowe and Matthew Warnock, dominated the ruck and consistently gave their midfield control of the ball.

The Blues, under the influence of new coach Mick Malthouse, were kicking long into the forward line where they just had too many options for a stale Fremantle defence.

By the end of the match, Carlton had 11 goal kickers compared to just four for the Dockers.

Small forward Eddie Betts showed excellent early forming, kicking four early goals to help build Carlton's match-winning lead.

In a new role for Betts, Malthouse threw him into the midfield at times giving the Blues even more speed across the centre of the ground.

Jeff Garlett was also creative in the forward line, ending the night with three goals.

Levi Casboult was also impressive, showing himself to be a worthy marking target in the midfield.

When he didn't mark the ball, he put plenty of pressure on the defenders and brought it to the ground for the small forwards.

While the Blues looked sharp for a March hit-out, the Dockers looked underdone.

They made plenty of errors and coughed up the ball under pressure. Their decision-making was sloppy, often handballing to men under pressure and turning over the ball to their opponents.

The only real highlight for the Dockers was a super-goal from Garrick Ibbotson during the second quarter.

Both sides were without several of their most important stars for the pre-season match. Carlton was without former captain Chris Judd, Jarrad Waite, Brock McLean, Heath Scotland and Shaun Hampson.

Meanwhile, Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich, the injured ruckman Aaron Sandilands,Michael Barlow, Chris Mayne and Alex Silvagni were all out for the Dockers.

Still the Blues were getting were able to find run thought the likes of Mark Murphy, Bryce Gibbs and Mitch Robinson.

By contrast, the bigger names of the Dockers, players like Hayden Ballantyne, Luke McPharlin and Nathan Fyfe could not get into the game.

New Docker and former Port Adelaide forward Danyle Pearce was a positive for his new club, one of the few Dockers to use the ball well through the match.

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Aussie collapses put India in control

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Skipper ... Michael Clarke couldn't reach his century in Hyderabad. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Australia suffered two separate collapses as they crumbled for 9-237 declared on day one of the second Test against India in Hyderabad.

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And not surprisingly it was skipper Michael Clarke who stood tall among the ruins.

Clarke top-scored with 91 and was ninth man out at 236 before making the bold decision to declare with one wicket in hand and bowl three overs at the home side before stumps.

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India reached no wicket for five.

With only No.10 James Pattinson and No.11 Xavier Doherty left, Clarke had hit out on 91 and was bowled by spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3-33), falling nine runs shy of his 10th hundred in 23 Tests as captain.

2nd Test - Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium

2 March 2013 - Day 1, Session 3

India 1st Innings

M. Vijay	0	12	0	0	0
V. Sehwag	4	6	1	0	66.67
J. Pattinson	2	1	1	0	0.50

Clarke and Don Bradman (101.51) are the only two players in cricket history to have led a side for more than 20 Tests and averaged over 70 as skipper.

Matthew Wade, batting with a fractured cheekbone following a training accident on Friday, played a crucial knock of 62 after Australia had chosen to bat and lost their first four wickets for 63 runs.

The No.6 batsman and wicketkeeper shared a partnership of 145 with Clarke, which is a record for the fifth wicket for Australia in India.

Wade said it was disappointing to fall away after he and Clarke had rebuilt the innings.

"It would have been nice to get a few more runs going down the order today,'' Wade said.

"But Moises played out of his skin in the last Test match (with two half-centuries on debut) and it was Maxie's first game.

"It was disappointing in the last session, how we fell away.''

Australia's top order fell cheaply on a pitch showing early signs of variable bounce.

Paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-53) dismissed David Warner (six), Ed Cowan (four) and and Shane Watson (23) and Phil Hughes (19) was caught behind to spinner Ravi Ashwin.

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Relive all the day one highlights from Hyderabad with our Test Cricket Match Centre, featuring all the stats and ball-by-ball commentary.

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Clarke and Wade went to lunch at 4-83 and added 104 without loss in the middle session.

Wade threw his head back in disgust after slicing a wide ball from spinner Harbhajan Singh to point where he was caught by Bhuvneshwar Kumar at 5-208 after tea.

The dismissal of Wade triggered a collapse of 5-28.

Moises Henriques, the allrounder who scored two half-centuries in his debut in the first Test in Chennai, was bowled by Jadeja for five.

Debutant Glenn Maxwell was caught behind to Jadeja for 13 at 7-233 and Peter Siddle was out for a duck three runs later with Clarke on 91.

Clarke hit nine fours and one six from 186 deliveries and was in fine touch following his century in the first Test in Chennai which India won by eight wickets.

Australia made two selection changes, recalling left-arm spinner Doherty and including Maxwell at the expense of offspinner Nathan Lyon and left-arm quick Mitchell Starc.

Wade remained confident his bowlers could still trouble India.

"These wickets are so different to what we're used to playing on,'' he said.

"If we bowl well enough tomorrow, we can definitely restrict India to under 230.''

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Sky Blues lose despite ADP stunner

Crestfallen ... Alessandro Del Piero's stunning strike wasn't enough for Sydney FC. Source: News Limited

Alessandro Del Piero produced a 27-metre wonderstrike but it wasn't enough as Sydney FC crashed to a 2-1 defeat to A-League strugglers Perth Glory at nib Stadium on Saturday night.

Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic could only watch on in amazement as Del Piero produced a trademark thunderbolt in the 28th minute to level the score at 1-1 following Chris Harold's earlier strike.

But Shane Smeltz's 34th-minute volley was enough for Perth to secure all three points, lifting the Glory back within three points of sixth spot.

Sydney, who ended the match with 10 men after Fabio received his second yellow card of the night in the 56th minute, face a major battle to secure a finals spot following back-to-back losses.

With four rounds remaining, Sydney remain one point adrift of sixth spot.peBut with tough games against Central

Coast, Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney and Brisbane in the run home, Sydney must rediscover their mojo if they are to make a late charge into the top-six.

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Re-live all the action from the nib Stadium clash, including video of the Italian maestro's stunner, at our A-League Match Centre.

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Glory midfielder Daniel De Silva, who turns 16 next Wednesday, became the second youngest debutant in A-League history when he came on as a 62nd-minute substitute.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Western Sydney	23	15	2	6	14	47
2	Central Coast	23	13	6	4	24	45
3	Adelaide	23	11	3	9	1	36
4	Victory	22	11	3	8	-2	36
5	Newcastle	23	8	6	9	-6	30
6	Brisbane	23	8	4	11	1	28
7	Heart	22	8	3	11	-1	27
8	Sydney	23	8	3	12	-10	27
9	Perth	23	7	4	12	-3	25
10	Wellington	23	5	6	12	-18	21

De Silva, who signed a two-year deal with the club last week, provided the Glory with plenty of energy, and displayed enough talent to justify his tag of being a star in the making.

Glory, who entered the match without Jacob Burns (back), Travis Dodd (calf) and Nick Ward (quad), were dealt a further blow when defender Steve Pantelidis was forced off late in the first half with an ankle injury.

There were chances galore in the first half, and it was Glory winger Harold who struck first in the 19th minute after a neat midfield run from Liam Miller.

Del Piero was a menace from the outset, and the Italian great made Glory pay when he was afforded too much space in the 28th minute.

Vukovic hardly moved as Del Piero's swerving strike hit the top corner, but Perth were back in the lead when Smeltz side-footed home a dangerous cross from Scott Jamieson.

Although Vukovic could do little to stop Del Piero's goal, he produced a series of sharp saves throughout the match.

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'Shock, surprise at spin selection'

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Tough ... Moises Henriques surrounded by Indian fielders. Source: Craig Greenhill / News Limited

I'll be straight with you here. When I heard that Glenn Maxwell was making his test debut for Australia , I was surprised. No, I was shocked.

I then found out that Xavier Doherty was to be his spin brother for this game and I was shocked. No, I was surprised.

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No, I was scratching my head contemplating what on earth the selectors were thinking. From there, I fell into a state of catatonia and woke up sharing a cell with Randal Patrick McMurphy (Mac to his mates). This news was difficult to take.

But, with some well placed research, Glenn Maxwell is in fact the best performed domestic spinner on the current tour of India . This is more surprising than the fact that Virender Sehwag is slowly morphing into Mr Mole from Wind in the Willows.

Mr Mole ... or is it Virender Sehwag? Source: Supplied

Maxwell – 27 wickets @ 33
Lyon – 103 wickets @ 40
Doherty – 122 @ 44
Smith – 46 wickets @ 56 

These numbers are not pretty and suggest that those in charge of Australian cricket development are having some serious issues. Outside of this group, Steve O'Keefe is the unlucky man to be given a crack on the clay courts that are Indian surfaces.

O'Keefe 78 wickets @ 27

There are people with far greater credibility pushing young O'Keefe's cause. Stuart Macgill has made it well known around the traps that he thinks Xavier Doherty is not a Test match spinner. This has been well publicised and the point was further made by some skywriting over the city of Sydney . "X is a pie lobber and not a test match performer" Personally, I thought this was too much.

Of course, Maxwell and Doherty will get their respective opportunities in this current test and it is possible that they will prove their doubters wrong – but not likely. We've talked about this before.

Off-spinners that don't have a doosra, will not have major success at Test level. Lyon was slammed for his lack of variation in the first test and I thought this was unfair. What is an off-spinner meant to do if he can't take the ball away from the righties? Bowl a bumper? Try some underarm? Bowl with his opposite arm? Shoot the ball and a clown out of a cannon? He is an off-spin bowler that doesn't have the doozy. So is Maxwell. This means trouble.

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Doherty is a chance of success against the Indians because he takes the ball away from the right handers, of which India have a few. Jadeja bowled superbly for India today. His angles and subtleties through the air are what Doherty is capable of.

Keep in mind that the Indian team are phenomenal players of spin bowling and this is their home patch. This means further trouble.

Positives? How good does James Pattinson look?

His bowling action - for those that love bio-mechanics and good use of levers – is possibly the best I have seen. If he wasn't a cricketer, I have no doubt his physical attributes would carry him into an AFL team.

For the young people that read this, apologise to your parents for the fact that you are reading this and learnin bad grammar n that. Then, watch James Pattinson and attempt to emulate his bowling style. He is a jet and should be cloned. 

Michael Clarke is pure magic. I've talked about him before and how good he is. Seriously, as spectators, we are being treated to something memorable. Michael Clarke will be talked about in the same way that the Don is now.

I've heard people say "Is Don, is good" but this was not in reference to Don Bradman and has nothing to do with cricket at all. It does, however, have something to do with rolls of belgium and as a public school boy, the memories of belgium and sauce sandwiches are happy thoughts that make me smile.

If you too had a father that cared little for your dietary requirements, you will be smiling at the thought of a lettuce and vegemite or pickles and apricot jam sanga. Delish!!

The Australians were pretty unlucky on day one of this match. Eddie Cowan got a stinker. Watto got an old fashioned molly grubber and Davey Warner didn't quite make it to the toilet, leaving an awful mess to be cleaned up in the middle of the change rooms.

Poor Davey; there is no worse feeling than having to run to the toilet every two or three minutes. We've all been down this road at some stage. 

I holidayed in Hawaii once and hired a car to travel some distance to one of the higher ranked golf course on the island. After three days eating American sized meals and drinking the local brew, my stomach was in a bad way.

I made it 25 minutes down the freeway and got an urge so bad, I couldn't rest my bottom on the seat. I took the nearest exit hoping for a roadhouse or a golden arches; I received neither and was met by a sign that read "next exit 80km's" – oh no.

Fortunately, I had my own golf clubs with me and the end result was that I had to purchase a new golf towel upon arrival to the course. This was a baaad day.

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Giggs to play on with Red Devils

Winger ... Ryan Giggs will play a 23rd EPL season with Manchester United. Source: Jon Super / AP

Ryan Giggs, who is set to make his 1,000th appearance in senior football this weekend, has signed a new one-year contract at Manchester United, the club announced on Friday.

The Barclays Premier League leaders said the deal keeps the 39-year-old Wales winger at Old Trafford until June 2014 and sees him complete a 23rd season as a first-team player.

Coach Alex Ferguson told manutd.com: "What can I say about Ryan that hasn't already been said? He is a marvellous player and an exceptional human being. Ryan is an example to us all, the way in which he has, and continues to, look after himself.

"He has fantastic energy for the game and it is wonderful to see. Ryan seems to reach a new milestone every week and to think that he now has 23 unbroken years of league goals behind him is truly amazing in the modern-day game.

"His form this year shows his ability and his enjoyment of the game are as strong as ever and I am absolutely delighted that he has signed a new contract.''

Giggs signed professional forms with United in 1990 and made his debut on March 2, 1991. He has made 931 appearances for the club -- a Manchester United record -- and scored 168 goals.

He has been capped 64 times for Wales and played four times for the British Olympic men's football team at last year's London Games.

During his impressive, storied career, he has won 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, one Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.

Giggs said he was "delighted'' to have signed a new contract and despite his advancing years said he was "feeling good, enjoying my football more than ever and, most importantly, I feel I am making a contribution to the team''.

He added: "This is an exciting team to be part of, with great team spirit, and we are again pushing for trophies as we head towards the business end of the season.''

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Tahs snap losing run against Rebels

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Waratahs ... break their losing streak against Rebels. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Substitute Ben Volavola has sparked a second-half revival from the Waratahs, who powered home to beat the Rebels 31-26 in their Super Rugby clash in Sydney.

3 Tries 2
Bernard Foley 58'	Ged Robinson 25'
Michael Hooper 65'	Kurtley Beale 80'
Paddy Ryan 75'
2 Conversions 2
Brendan McKibbin 60'	James O'Connor 27'
Brendan McKibbin 66'	James O'Connor 80'
4 Penalties 4
Brendan McKibbin 3'	James O'Connor 8'
Brendan McKibbin 29'	James O'Connor 19'
Brendan McKibbin 52'	James O'Connor 38'
Brendan McKibbin 72'	James O'Connor 69'

Volavola's injection into the match a few minutes after halftime resulted in the 22-year-old shifting to fullback with star recruit Israel Folau moving to the right wing and Tom Kingston replaced.

Coach Michael Cheika's much-vaunted running rugby didn't eventuate in the first half on Friday night with the Waratahs trailing 16-6 at the break.

The only five-pointer came from Rebels hooker Ged Robinson from a short lineout in the 26th minute in slippery conditions.

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But Cheika's call to send Volavola on brought the side to life and also put the lethal Folau into the game.

With Rebels prop Laurie Weeks in the sin bin, the Waratahs made the visitors pay with a nice exchange of passes.

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Relive the action at our interactive Super Rugby Match Centre, featuring video highlights of key moments.

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Folau drew in a couple of defenders before finding Kane Douglas, who popped a ball to five-eighth Bernard Foley to score on 58 minutes.

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The home side scored again seven minutes later through openside flanker Michael Hooper on the back of mounting pressure from close range.

Replacement prop Paddy Ryan then barged over to score and seal the game with five minutes remaining, with Kurtley Beale scoring a consolation try in the dying seconds.

Waratahs halfback Brendan McKibbin racked up 16 points from four penalty goals and two conversions, as did Rebels fullback James O'Connor.

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Bulldogs pip Hawks in thriller

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Winners ... Bulldogs' Luke Dahlhaus evades a Hawthorn tackle. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

The fight the Western Bulldogs were missing for much of last AFL season has been rediscovered in a valiant one-point comeback NAB Cup win over Hawthorn.

The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 14 points midway through the last quarter before charging home to win 1.10.6 (75) to 2.8.8 (74) despite a fine five-goal performance from Hawk superstar Lance Franklin at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

The Hawks, winless so far in the pre-season, had their night further soured by having David Hale and Luke Breust limp off injured in the second half, while Dogs draftee Jake Stringer also hobbled off in the last term.

0.3.3 (21)	Q1	0.1.3 (9)
0.5.3 (33)	Q2	1.3.5 (32)
0.8.4 (52)	Q3	1.6.6 (51)
1.10.6 (75)	Q4	2.8.8 (74)

Ryan Griffen 2	Lance Franklin 4
Luke Dahlhaus 1	David Hale 2
Tory Dickson 1	Jarryd Roughead 1
Brett Goodes 1	Shane Savage 1
Jason Johannissen 1	Isaac Smith 1
Liam Jones 1
Robert Murphy 1
Clay Smith 1
Koby Stevens 1
Jake Stringer 1

Skipper Matthew Boyd (31 disposals) was excellent for the Bulldogs while youngster Clay Smith had a fine game and kicked a nine-point super goal to put his side in front in the last quarter.

But after Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis kicked a behind from what should have been a straightforward set shot, to level the scores, it was a poster from young tall forward Liam Jones that ended up deciding the game.

Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney praised his team's fight.

"They wanted to hang in there,'' he said.

"That was a good sign because we haven't been able to do that for a while now.''

It was the Dogs' first win since midway through last season, with the club having lost their last 11 games last year.

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They kicked the first three goals of the night, the first to Robert Murphy, who is expected to play mostly in attack this year and showed he will add spark.

Franklin kept the Hawks in touch with his side's only goal of the first term.

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He also kicked the first of the second quarter then gave the Hawks the lead with a nine-pointer midway through the term, after shrugging off a tackle and taking a bounce.

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The Dogs edged back in front by halftime before Hawthorn looked set to blow them away with the first three goals of the second half.

A one-armed mark and goal from Bulldogs tall forward Liam Jones, who showed brighter signs in attack than he did for most of last year, narrowed the margin.

Stringer, playing his first game, then snapped cleverly to put the Dogs in front at the last change.

The Hawks again looked set to kill the contest when Jarryd Roughead booted a nine-pointer to start the last quarter and Franklin kicked two goals in two minutes soon after to push the lead to 16 points before the Dogs' decisive charge.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said his team were "rusty" and would be right to go come round one before launching a scathing attack on the new interchange cap rule.

"There's not a person in the land who knows what's going to happen to the game if that happens,'' he said.

"I reckon that's an enormous risk to take with what's a pretty good game we've got at the moment just on a hunch.''

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Reds hang on against Hurricanes

Hair-raising ... the Reds cause plenty of anxiety for fans, but manage to hold on. Source: Darren England / News Limited

Digby Ioane and Rob Simmons both ended very different try-scoring droughts for Queensland to finally crack their Super Rugby bogey side, the Hurricanes, at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

It certainly wasn't pretty by the Reds, in fact a real comedy of errors, but they somehow held on for a valuable 18-12 victory - their first win over the Wellington side since 2007.

2 Tries 0
Digby Ioane 23'
Rob Simmons 49'
1 Conversions 0
Quade Cooper 50'
2 Penalties 4
Quade Cooper 4'	Beauden Barrett 2'
Quade Cooper 9'	Beauden Barrett 11'
	Beauden Barrett 21'
	Beauden Barrett 56'

Both teams are renowned as two of the competition's most vibrant, attacking outfits but neither were able to handle the greasy conditions in a stop-start encounter.

Australia Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Brumbies	2	0	0	35	1	13
2	Reds	2	1	0	-4	0	8
3	Waratahs	1	1	0	-3	0	8
4	Melbourne Rebels	1	2	0	-15	1	5
5	Western Force	0	2	0	-19	1	1
New Zealand Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Blues	2	0	0	33	2	10
2	Chiefs	1	0	0	14	1	5
3	Highlanders	0	1	0	-14	0	4
4	Crusaders	0	1	0	-19	0	4
5	Hurricanes	0	2	0	-20	1	1
South Africa Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Southern Kings	1	0	0	12	0	8
2	Bulls	1	0	0	8	0	4
3	Sharks	1	0	0	7	0	4
4	Cheetahs	0	1	0	-7	1	1
5	Stormers	0	1	0	-8	0	0

Neither will they want to watch a tape of the match which was dominated by the whistle of referee Steve Walsh who frustrated both teams at key moments.

Wallabies winger Ioane scored his first try at Suncorp Stadium since the 2011 Super Rugby final triumph, while lock Simmons scored the first of his 51-match career by burrowing over for an 18-9 lead with half an hour to play.

But the Reds were unable to return to the Hurricanes half for the rest of the match as they were tormented by a litany of mistakes.

It was only the visitors' inability to retain possession themselves, cruelling a number of late try-scoring chances, that saved them in front of 30,995 fans.

"It was one of the strangest games I've ever played," said disbelieving Hurricanes skipper Conrad Smith. "We don't know what was going on and we didn't understand."

The Hurricanes were just one of two teams the Reds hadn't beaten since Ewen McKenzie took charge in 2010.

But the victory kept McKenzie's perfect record over Kiwi teams at Suncorp Stadium and gives them 23 wins from 26 matches at the venue.

Ioane ended his home ground drought in the 23rd minute, dashing over in the left corner from a swift scoot to the blind and pass by halfback Ben Lucas, in the only genuine highlight of a scrappy first 40 minutes.

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Re-live the action and check out all the video highlights with Match Centre.

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Queensland attempted to limit the Hurricanes' opportunities with the ball by keeping possession tight around their forward pack but their hands let them down out wide.

The Hurricanes rued three missed kickable penalty attempts by Beauden Barrett which could have reversed the result but Barrett did show glimpses of class, along with All Blacks winger Julian Savea.

Flanker Liam Gill was again among the Reds' best, although a 79th minute kick out of his quarter almost ended disastrously, while playmaker Quade Cooper had a game he'd rather forget.

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Video: Re-live best one-day finishes

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Heartstopping ... Re-live some of the best one-day finishes in our video. Source:FOX SPORTS

After spending an entire day watching high-class players slog it out for their club, state or country, there can be nothing more exhilarating for cricket fans than watching a one-day match that comes down to the last over.

Purists complain that the 50-over game has become too formulaic, but it's hard to argue with the entertainment value provided by a last-over thriller.

The case was put forward again on Wednesday night, as Queensland seemingly came from nowhere to claim a stunning win over Victoria in the Ryobi Cup final courtesy of a great final over from Ryan Harris.

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But you don't have to cast your mind back too far to conjure up similar scenes on the cricket field.

In fact, last year's Ryobi Cup final had just as much theatre, memorably ending in a tie and with Ricky Ponting throwing his pads off so he could run faster for the last ball.

On the international scene, few will ever forget Australia's famous win over South Africa in the 1999 World Cup semi-final, when Lance Klusener smashed two boundaries in the last over before calamitous running with Allan Donald saw the Aussies snare a remarkable tie that put them through to the final.

Seven years later those two sides were at it again, with Mark Boucher hitting the winning runs in a match that is better remembered for both teams setting the world record for most runs in an ODI.

From the immortal image of Michael Bevan hitting a four off the last ball against West Indies at the SCG in 1996 to Ryan McLaren hitting a six off the final delivery of the match against New Zealand just a month ago, we've compiled a video of one-day cricket's great last-over finishes.

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Watch the video at the top of the page to see some classic one-day finishes and let us know the most exciting by leaving a comment below.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Smith: I'd consider Wallabies return

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Interested ... Smith says he'd have to consider a return to the Wallabies if approached. Source:AAP

Wallabies great George Smith is open to a return to the national team for the British and Irish Lions series but says his main focus is contributing to the Brumbies' Super Rugby title charge.

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The 110-Test veteran this week signed a short-term deal with the Canberra-based franchise, sparking a string of comments from the likes of Eddie Jones and George Gregan that he should be in the mix for the three-Test series in June.

Speaking exclusively to Rugby HQ's Sean Maloney, Smith said he'd have to consider a shock return to the gold jersey for what would be his second Lions series.

"These are two people that I respect hugely, George Gregan's done it all and Eddie Jones is a mentor of mine," Smith told Rugby HQ.

"Their opinion I do take on board, and if I was considered for the Wallabies I'd definitely think about it because it is such a huge occasion.

"But first and foremost I have to earn my spot within the Brumbies."

Smith will serve as cover for likely Wallabies captain David Pocock in Canberra, although there has been speculation Brumbies coach Jake White may look to play the two in tandem.

Whatever the case, the Brumbies now boast a backrow contingent the envy of many other Super Rugby franchises especially with skipper Ben Mowen also in impressive early-season form.

Smith said he wanted to "test" himself again, after playing in the less-intensive Japanese competition over the past few seasons.

"It was presented to me a little while ago, a few weeks back," Smith said of contract talks.

"I obviously had time to think about it and I thought it would be a good way to test myself in the Super Rugby arena, and I'm excited about the challenge.

"I've had two good seasons at Suntory Sungoliath and I think this will definitely test me."

Smith said he was keen to renew hostilities with New South Wales Waratahs in the Brumbies' Centenary match at Canberra Stadium in round four.

"I'd love to play within that game but first and foremost I have to earn my spot in the Brumbies side," he said.

"And that's why I'm turning up tomorrow (Friday) in Canberra and training well and meeting the guys."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More