Rugby: Peter De Villiers cleared of misconduct charge.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has escaped punishment over his alleged claim that referees are under orders to favour New Zealand ahead of next year's World Cup.

De Villiers made the remarks on Australian television on July 21 after the world champion Springboks were beaten 32-12 and 31-17 by the All Blacks in their first two Tri-Nations matches of the season.During an interview on Australian TV, de Villiers appeared to suggest that officials were showing a clear bias towards the All Blacks and was summoned to appear before SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) judicial officer Jannie Lubbe in Cape Town last week to explain his comments and Lubbe cleared de Villiers of any wrongdoing.

"I've got my own observations about the last two tests, and I can't say it in public," De Villiers said.

"But we do have a World Cup in New Zealand next year, and maybe it was the right thing for them to win the games so they can attract more people to the games next year." The charge of misconduct was dismissed by Jannie Lubbe after a hearing last Friday.

A statement issued by SANZAR on Tuesday read: "Mr Lubbe heard the case on Friday 6 August 2010 and after considering the evidence decided that, on balance of probability, Mr De Villiers had not breached the SANZAR code of conduct.

"Mr Lubbe stated that during his interview ... Mr De Villiers never mentioned or referred to referees or match fixing." De Villiers said he was satisfied with the outcome of the hearing.

"As the verdict makes clear, at no time did I mention referees or a conspiracy and the finding has put this whole incident into context," he added in a South Africa Rugby Union media release.

De Villiers had made his controversial comments in the wake of successive defeats by the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.

He told Fox Sportsl: "I've got my own observations about the last two Tests, and I can't say it in public. But we do have a World Cup in New Zealand next year, and maybe it was the right thing for them to win the games so they can attract more people to the games next year."

South Africa, who also lost their third Tri-Nations test against Australia and cannot retain their title, next face New Zealand in Johannesburg on Aug. 21.

Rugby: Beale talks up Wallabies

Kurtley Beale think and believes the Wallabies are on the road to becoming a 'really great' team and insists it's only a matter of time before they turn the tables on the all-conquering All Blacks.The Wallabies produced a great improved performance in Saturday's 20-10 loss to the All Blacks in Christchurch, but it wasn't enough to avert a record-equalling ninth consecutive loss to the in-form Kiwis. The Australians get the chance to gain success against the All Blacks in Sydney on September 11, but first they face the daunting prospect of consecutive games against the Springboks in Pretoria and Bloemfontein on August 28 and September 4."The boys feel a little frustrated because we feel as though it's only a matter of time and it's only a small step away that we can really complete and turn opportunities into points on the field," said Beale, who was the guest of honour at the finals of the 2010 Indigenous U16 championships at Sydney's Forshaw Rugby Park on Monday. He said, "I don't know what it is (that's holding us back) but it's definitely going to come.""We're only one win away to becoming really great so hopefully in the next couple of weeks against South Africa we can do that and hopefully continue it." Beale is adamant the Wallabies remain a united camp and defended under fire playmaker Matt Giteau. Matt Giteau faces an uphill battle to retain his spot in the run-on side in South Africa after Anthony Faingaa impressed in his run-on debut in Christchurch."He's a world class player and he can handle that (criticism)," Beale said. He said,"Everyone's on the same page, everyone's disappointed and everyone's on the hot seat so to speak. We've just got to stick together as a team now and they're a good bunch of guys and we'll get through this little period."He also said,"We won't get overwhelmed and Robbie's (coach Robbie Deans) done a fantastic job of keeping us close together ... we'll stay together, we'll work hard together and over these next couple of weeks we'll be ready to show everyone what we're really about.""If we can't be No.1 in the world at the moment, we're trying to aim to be No.2, and it all starts with our two-week tour in Africa and we'll try really hard to get over them."Beale said.Meanwhile, Beale plans to make the No.15 jersey his own after an impressive showing on Saturday.The 21-year-old former flyhalf made the most of his elevation to the run-on side after a season-ending injury to Rob Horne forced first choice fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper to outside centre."I'm just very happy to have the opportunity and I'm very grateful that Robbie and the selectors have shown faith in me and believed in me and I'm really appreciative of it," he said.Beale, who scored his side's only try of the match and was one of an unprecedented four indigenous Wallabies alongside Matt Hodgson and Saia and Anthony Faingaa on Saturday, added when asked to assess his performance: "It was probably one of the best challenges on the weekend playing against the All Blacks."He said,"Dan Carter was punching corners, he's obviously a very smart kicker and I was pretty stoked to be able to receive and gather his balls and be there at the right time and be in position well.""The nerves were kicking in at the start of the game obviously

Rugby World-Expectations are beyond our control, says NZ coach Henry

NZ coach Graham Henry tried to hose down expectations on Sunday after his side retained the Bledisloe Cup and all but secured the Tri-Nations title with their win over Australia the night before.New Zealand need just one point from their final two games to clinch their fifth Tri-Nations title in six years, and have firmed as run-away favourites for next year's home World Cup after showcasing a fast but brutally confrontational style that has delivered 13 straight wins."I think we just try to be our best every time," Henry told reporters on Sunday. "That's all we can do. We can't control the uncontrollable."He also said "I just think we are always just trying to be better and to raise the bar. We could get smashed in South Africa"

Rugby: More hard work ahead for All Blacks

The tackle bags look set for more punishment from the All Blacks this week. New Zealand has gained the Bledisloe Cup for another year after last night's 20-10 win over the Wallabies in Christchurch. However, the match was more of a war of attrition than a try-scoring spectacle. The All Blacks led 17-10 at halftime with Mils Muliaina and Conrad Smith scoring tries while Kurtley Beale dotted down for Australia. The points dried up for both sides in the second half though, with a Dan Carter penalty with nine minutes to play the only addition to the scoreboard for the entire 40 minutes. The Wallabies tried a lot. The visitors had the lion's share of possession and hammered away at the All Blacks defensive line, but could not break through. In the process, they forced New Zealand into a whopping 110 tackles in the match. But the All Blacks are not totally satisfied with their game. Lock Tom Donnelly says the win was not as convincing as they hoped for, because they put pressure on themselves by making silly mistakes. He says as a result there was far too much time spent on defence, rather than controlling the game with the ball in hand. Coach Graham Henry is a little more charitable in his summation of the game, praising his players for their monumental defensive effort. He says the Bledisloe Cup is hugely important to the All Blacks and their fans so his team should be proud of their victory. The All Blacks need just one point from their final two fixtures to secure the Tri Nations title.

Rugby: Wallabies vow to silence the critics

Ravaged by injury, condemned by critics and staring a dreaded piece of history in the face, the Wallabies have resorted to brainwashing themselves into believing they can beat the All Blacks.Defeat in Christchurch on Saturday night would extend Australia's sorry losing streak to a record nine matches against their trans-Tasman rivals and hand the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup bragging rights for an eighth straight year.Not one single player in the Wallabies can boast of toppling the All Blacks on New Zealand soil. Only five Wallabies in the starting side - Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau, Rocky Elsom, Nathan Sharpe and Benn Robinson - have ever beaten the All Blacks anywhere.And after last week's 21-point losing in Melbourne, it is hard to find any evidence whatsoever that the misery will end this weekend.Except from the mouths of the Wallabies, who defiantly continue to talk the talk."There's a lot of statistics around but what's most important to us is that we have a game to play and whoever is most willing on Saturday night will probably win that match," Elsom said after his Captain's Run at AMI Stadium on Friday."So that's something we can focus on and that's what the guys are excited about. We believe we are ready." he said."We've been pretty clear and concise with what we want to do this week and I feel like we're in a pretty good head space going into the match."The confidence comes from Robbie Deans filling his charges with hope since virtually the minute they shuffled, heads bowed, into their Etihad Stadium dressing room after last Saturday night's debacle."It's surprising how good the mood is, and I think a lot of that has got to do with Robbie and his positivity," Ashley-Cooper said."It's a shame to lose eight in a row because we know that the margin between us is so minimal, but we know we were off our game last week and we're lucky to have another opportunity." he said. The Wallabies will once again be without suspended gamebreaker Quade Cooper, along with several other influential performers like Wycliff Palu and Ben Alexander, but Ashley-Cooper says the terrible injury toll is "not a valid excuse".Genia concurs."We have a good enough group to do it," Genia said."Believing is the first part of winning. If you don't believe, I don't think you should turn up to be honest." he said."If you go into a game not believing you can win, then you've already lost. So I just think we've got good enough quality players to do it."Tired of the All Blacks testing the laws at the breakdown, Elsom has instructed his forwards to take matters into their own hands to ensure the Wallabies get their fair share of the ball."Last week that was definitely an issue for us, just bodies around the ruck. If you look at it, it slows down our attacking ball," the big flanker said."Anything that takes the sting out of your attack is not going to help. We've got to be able to play our ball and play it efficiently." he said."You've got to move those bodies as best you can. Whether they're on our side or attacking the ball, we've got to make sure that space is clear for Willie to get out and do what he does best."

Rugby-Hard referees better than soft, says NZ coach Henry

Graham Henry, New Zealand coach, has praised Craig Joubert's hard-line refereeing that resulted in three yellow cards and left Australia reeling with 14 men during its 49-28 loss to the All Blacks on Saturday.Joubert sin-binned All Blacks prop Owen Franks and Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell for seemingly innocuous tackles in the first half at Docklands, then red-carded Mitchell two minutes after the break for deliberately holding up play."I think it's good they're strict," Henry said."Okay, there might be some debate about some of the decisions, there's always going to be some debate about the decisions."he also said. "What you don't want is referees being soft and therefore you get a game that doesn't flow and there's a lot of illegal stuff happening at the tackle.""If he's grey at the tackle area or he's grey on people throwing the ball away when the other side wants it, you've got a shambles on your hands.He said, "So I think it's good that he's strict and he sticks to what he says he's going to do."Henry says his team played "exceptionally" well in the crushing win that delivered the All Blacks their eighth successive victory over their trans-Tasman rivals and propelled them 11 points clear of the Wallabies on the Tri-Nations table."There were some dull patches and some mistakes and we'd like to eradicate those if possible but you have to be pleased with seven tries," Henry said.The All Blacks head to Christchurch this week for their next Tri-Nations match against the Wallabies.There is only one fitness concern clouding half-back Jimmy Cowan, who came off the ground early with a rib cartilage injury."Apart from that I think we're pretty good," Henry said."I think it'd be a miracle if (Cowan) played next week. He'll probably be right for South Africa (on August 21)."Cowan's injury could open the door for Blues half-back Alby Mathewson to be recalled to the squad for the Christchurch encounter where the All Blacks could possibly seal their fifth Tri-Nations title in six years.

Mitchell escapes without further punishment

Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell has escaped further sanction after being sent off in Saturday night’s Tri Nations thrashing by the All Blacks.Mitchell had to face a judiciary hearing on Sunday morning after being marched in the 43rd minute for his second yellow card offence during the 49-28 defeat at Etihad Stadium.However SANZAR judicial officer Peter Ingwersen obviously felt missing almost half the match was penalty enough as he decided no further penalty was required.Mitchell had earlier been sinbinned for a late, no-arms tackle on All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and was red carded by referee Craig Joubert when he slowed down play by knocking the ball from Kiwi fullback Mils Muliaina’s hands as he gestured to take a quick throw-in.

Watch the red car of Mitchell:

2010 Tri-Nations, Melbourne: Joe Rokocoko fit to face Australia.

Joe Rokocoko will become New Zealand's most-capped winger when he plays in their Tri-Nations game against Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. He has recovered from a hamstring injury and will play his 64th Test while Jimmy Cowan replaces new father Piri Weepu at scrum half."I'm the man most wanted in New Zealand at the moment," he mused, in relation to public criticism that he is past his best."Everyone wants to take my head off."Fellow elder statesman Mils Muliaina has already survived a challenge by Israel Dagg -- the talented fullback then showed wing was not beyond his capabilities when he scored a fine individual try against South Africa in Wellington.Rokocoko has been preferred to specialist wing men Zac Guildford, and Hosea Gear - and his experience guaranteed inclusion against the Wallabies though even his loyal defender Graham Henry acknowledged the scorer of 46 Test tries was still on trial.

Australia Squad: AA Cooper, J O'Connor, R Horne, B Barnes, D Mitchell, M Giteau, W Genia; R Brown, D Pocock, R Elsom (captain), N Sharpe, D Mumm, S Ma'afu, S Moore, B Robinson.

Replacements: S Faingaa, J Slipper, R Simmons, M Hodgson, L Burgess, A Faingaa, K Beale.

New Zealand Squad: M Muliaina, C Jane, C Smith, Ma'a Nonu, J Rokocoko, D Carter, J Cowan, K Read, R McCaw (captain), J Kaino, T Donnelly, B Thorn, O Franks, K Mealamu, T Woodcock.

Replacements: C Flynn, B Franks, S Whitelock, V Vito, P Weepu, A Cruden, I Dagg