Rugby World Cup 2011
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WELLINGTON CITY — Outgoing South Africa captain John Smit has paid an emotional tribute to fellow veteran Victor Matfield as "the greatest Springbok ever".
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AUCKLAND CITY — With their Rugby World Cup dreams over for another four years Ireland, England, South Africa and Argentina will soon begin their tournament reviews and planning for how to improve for RWC 2015 in England.
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AUCKLAND CITY — As Argentina made their way home on Monday, New Zealand coach Graham Henry heaped praise on them and said better days are ahead for the South Americans.
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Australia and hosts New Zealand reached the semi-finals of RWC 2011 after victories against defending champions South Africa and Argentina two more enthralling quarter-finals.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Piri Weepu pulled on his shooting boots to kick New Zealand to victory over Argentina and seal a place in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Australia somehow turned a spluttering lineout, an embattled scrum and minimal territory into an 11-9 win over South Africa and a place in the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 2011.
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WELLINGTON CITY — After almost four years as South Africa head coach Peter de Villiers has confirmed that his team's 11-9 defeat by Australia in their Rugby World Cup 2011 quarter-final on Sunday will be his last match in charge.
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AUCKLAND CITY — New Zealand captain Richie McCaw believes the big difference between his side and Argentina in Sunday's quarter-final match was the All Blacks' ability to capitalise on their scoring opportunities.
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AUCKLAND CITY — One thing is certain about France's approach to their Rugby World Cup 2011 semi-final against Wales: they are taking their opponents very seriously.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Australia withstood tremendous pressure from South Africa to edge their quarter-final against the Springboks 11-9 in Wellington on Sunday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — They are the fourth-youngest team to play in the knockout stage of a Rugby World Cup.
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A lighter look at Rugby World Cup 2011. Numbers 0 - Points England scored in the first half of Saturday's quarter-final against France.
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AUCKLAND CITY — England manager Martin Johnson was still ruing his team's wastefulness in attack little more than 12 hours after they had lost 19-12 to France to crash out of Rugby World Cup 2011.
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Wales and France reached the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 2011 following victories against Ireland and England respectively in the first two quarter-finals.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wellington Police are again pleased with RWC fans at the Ireland versus Wales quarter final match at the Wellington Regional Stadium tonight.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Imanol Harinordoquy gave a barnstorming display to earn the man-of-the-match award as France reached the Rugby World Cup semi-finals with a 19-12 win against England on Saturday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — A Wales side playing "without fear" defended their way to a Rugby World Cup semi-final by standing up to a muscular Ireland to win the first quarter-final 22-10 on Saturday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Captain Thierry Dusautoir revealed a determination to show the world some French flair inspired his side to a 19-12 victory over England and a place in the last four of the Rugby World Cup.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wales captain Sam Warburton praised his team's defence after their 22-10 triumph over Ireland in Rugby World Cup 2011's first quarter-final.
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AUCKLAND CITY — In an exclusive column for the official Rugby World Cup 2011 match programme, South Africa's RWC 2007 winning coach Jake White analyses this weekend's epic quarter-finals.
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WELLINGTON CITY — The youngest player on the field in Sunday's quarter-final between South Africa and Australia won't be in the precocious Wallaby backline, but guarding the fort for the battle-hardened veterans of the Springbok team.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Knockout rugby is exactly that, and every team playing in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals is aware of the consequences, perhaps none more so than Argentina, who must face New Zealand at Eden Park on Sunday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Argentina's veteran hooker Mario Ledesma has joined the war of words ahead of the Pumas' clash with New Zealand on Sunday, reminding the tournament favourites of their shock quarter-final exit at the hands of France in Rugby World Cup 2007.
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AUCKLAND CITY — It is not always the whack and clatter of rugby that the whirr and click of cameras capture.
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AUCKLAND CITY — English-French rivalries go back a long way, and while they have not always been confined to sporting arenas in the past, they will be on Saturday when the old foes do battle in the quarter-finals of Rugby World Cup 2011.
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AUCKLAND CITY — With the quarter-finalists occupying the top eight places in the IRB World Rankings, there is plenty of scope for change this weekend, including a new side rising to the top, the end of the southern hemisphere dominance of the top three and a new high for Wales.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Australia coach Robbie Deans has returned to the same backline that helped beat South Africa 14-9 in their last encounter in Durban two months ago in naming his side to play the Springboks in Sunday's quarter-final at Wellington Regional Stadium.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Flanker Dan Lydiate typifies the enthusiasm and competitiveness in the Wales side that will play their tough and physical Celtic rivals Ireland on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 2011.
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AUCKLAND CITY — No rugby player ever wants to sit in the stands watching his team play and for All Blacks veteran Mils Muliaina it has been no different at RWC 2011.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Argentina head coach Santiago Phelan on Friday announced his team to play New Zealand in their quarter-final match at Eden Park, Auckland on Sunday, 9 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Australia head coach Robbie Deans on Friday announced his team to play South Africa in their quarter-final match at Wellington Regional Stadium on Sunday, 9 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — The All Blacks have selected 31-year-old full back Mils Muliaina to play his 100th Test match in Sunday's quarter-final against Argentina.
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AUCKLAND CITY — For the third time in three Rugby World Cups, England and France renew their fabled rivalry, this time at the quarter-final stages at Eden Park on Saturday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — New Zealand head coach Graham Henry on Friday announced his team to play Argentina in the quarter-final match at Eden Park, Auckland on Sunday, 9 October.
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At any sporting event you are guaranteed to witness every conceivable human emotion.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Paddy O'Brien, the IRB Referee Manager, has declared himself pleased that the scrum has not developed into an area of contention at Rugby World Cup 2011.
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WELLINGTON CITY — A likely tournament-ending injury to South Africa second row Bakkies Botha has stunned the Springboks squad as they prepare for Sunday's quarter-final against Australia at Wellington Regional Stadium.
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AUCKLAND CITY — England coach Martin Johnson has opted to pick up where he left off against Scotland by selecting both Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood for the quarter-final with France at Eden Park on Saturday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wales' coach Warren Gatland faced one of the toughest selection processes of his career when he sat down to pick the team to face on Ireland on Saturday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — UPDATE: Rory Best is named as hooker and Sean Cronin on the replacements bench as No.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Australia prop Ben Alexander says the Wallabies have learned the lessons from their defeat by Ireland and are determined there will be no repeats against the Springboks on Sunday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — When Wallaby kicker James O’Connor lines up a shot at goal against the Springboks on Sunday there will be one South African hoping he strikes straight and true.
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AUCKLAND CITY — England manager Martin Johnson on Thursday announced his team to play France in their quarter-final match at Eden Park, Auckland on Saturday, 8 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Wales head coach Warren Gatland on Thursday announced his team to play the quarter-final match against Ireland at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday, 8 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen says Richie McCaw will play against Argentina this weekend, despite fears that a troublesome foot injury could keep the New Zealand captain on the sidelines for the quarter-final at Eden Park.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll has noticed some "really nice subtleties" to the way 110kg Wales inside centre Jamie Roberts goes about laying waste to anyone in his path.
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WELLINGTON CITY — South Africa have lost aggressive second row Bakkies Botha for Sunday's quarter-final against Australia after the Rugby World Cup 2007 winner aggravated his achilles problem when landing heavily at lineout training.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Ben Foden is hoping England go hard at France from the first whistle of their quarter-final clash at Eden Park on Saturday evening because he fears the worst if they don't.
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AUCKLAND CITY — South Africa head coach Peter de Villiers on Thursday announced his team to play Australia in their quarter-final match at Wellington Regional Stadium on Sunday, 9 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — <p>When England and France line up against each other in Saturday's quarter-final Martin Johnson's men will take confidence from a record of three victories in four Rugby World Cup matches against their cross-Channel rivals.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wales expect to have all 30 players to choose from when they name their side for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash with Ireland at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — The New Zealand squad are spending this week glued to the television screen watching videos of Argentina ahead of their quarter-final clash at Eden Park on Sunday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Quade Cooper has more reasons than most players at RWC 2011 to wish he had stayed at home.
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WELLINGTON CITY — The rate of recovery shown by Ireland hooker Rory Best since injuring his shoulder against Italy on Sunday has encouraged Ireland coach Declan Kidney to provisionally name him in the side to play Wales in the quarter-final at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Competition is hotting up on the wing for New Zealand as the All Blacks prepare to take on Argentina at Eden Park on Sunday, and the rivalry has been given some spice with some friendly fire between the players vying for the spots in coach Graham Henry’s starting XV.
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A lighter look at Rugby World Cup 2011. The number 13 - The number of times the All Blacks have faced Argentina in matches they have recognised as Tests.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Schalk Burger says the Springboks are prepared for whatever the notorious Wellington weather throws at them for their quarter-final against Australia on Sunday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — The misconduct hearing into the alleged breaches by Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu (Samoa) of the RWC/IRB Code of Conduct in relation to comments made about referee Nigel Owens via the public social media network Twitter has been adjourned until 09:00 Saturday, October 15.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Ireland head coach Declan Kidney on Wednesday announced his team to play Wales in their quarter-final match at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday, 8 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Denis Simplikevich will never forget his time at Rugby World Cup 2011, the 20-year-old marking his Test debut with a try against Ireland and then touching down in his only other appearance against former champions Australia.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Toby Flood cracked a joke when asked what it will take for him to be named ahead of Jonny Wilkinson in England's starting XV for Saturday's quarter-final against France.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wales wing George North has earned plaudits for a try-scoring prowess that belies his youth but one of his self-confessed fans will be attempting to put a dent in his reputation on Saturday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — South Africa second row Bakkies Botha is painfully aware that he may end up playing only another 80 minutes in a Springboks shirt.
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AUCKLAND CITY — The mood in the All Blacks camp was unexpectedly upbeat on Tuesday as assistant coach Wayne Smith and a group of players hammed it up at a press conference.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Leonardo Ghiraldini of Italy has been suspended for 15 weeks after acknowledging that he had been guilty of an act of foul play contrary to Law 10(4)(m).
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WELLINGTON CITY — Ireland have announced that Munster hooker Michael Sherry will travel to New Zealand as precautionary cover for the injured Rory Best.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wallaby flanker Rocky Elsom believes the team that wins the breakdown will probably win the match when Australia meet defending champions South Africa in their quarter-final on Sunday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — France's decision to persevere with Morgan Parra at fly half for a third successive match when they play England in the Rugby World Cup 2011 quarter-finals might have resulted in some raised eyebrows - but it comes as no surprise to England scrum half Richard Wigglesworth.
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WELLINGTON CITY — It was a case of the young bulls of Wales and the old bulls of South Africa succeeding in Pool D, with Samoa and Fiji disappointing and Namibia once again up against the pros and semi-pros.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Fans are the lifeblood of any sporting event and New Zealand has had them by the millions for Rugby World Cup 2011.
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AUCKLAND CITY — As if the All Blacks needed any extra motivation, they are now even more determined to win the Webb Ellis Cup and realise injured playmaker Dan Carter’s Rugby World Cup dream.
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AUCKLAND CITY — On the back of Tonga’s upset of France in their final Pool A match, we talk to William Glenwright, the IRB’s Regional General Manager for Oceania, to learn exactly how the International Rugby Board uses Rugby World Cup revenues to assist Pacific Islands rugby.
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Welcome to the quarter-finals! For this week's social media round up we recorded over 60,000 Tweets posted on Saturday night to discover some interesting statistics.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Pool D threw together defending champions South Africa, a well-prepared and ambitious Wales and the Pacific "bruise brothers" of Samoa and Fiji, along with South Africa's neighbours Namibia.
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AUCKLAND CITY — The misconduct hearing was held on Tuesday, 4 October in Auckland into the alleged breaches by Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu (Samoa) of the RWC/IRB Code of Conduct in relation to comments made about referee Nigel Owens via the public social media network Twitter.
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WELLINGTON CITY — When rugby players talk about the pressure that comes with the knockout stage of Rugby World Cup 2011, they might reflect on the perspective offered by the legendary Australian cricketer and Second World War fighter pilot Keith Miller when asked about the pressure he faced in Test matches.
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AUCKLAND CITY — France head coach Marc Lièvremont on Tuesday announced his team to play England in their quarter final match at Eden Park, Auckland on Saturday, 8 October.
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AUCKLAND CITY — As Tri Nations champions, Australia have plenty of big names with even bigger reputations at Rugby World Cup 2011.
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AUCKLAND CITY — The defining episode of Pool C was played out before a crowd of almost 60,000 on a stormy night at Eden Park on 17 September.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Leonardo Ghiraldini (ITA) will have a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, 4 October following a citing by Peter Larter (ENG) for a breach of Law 10.4(m) contact with the eyes or the eye area and acts contrary to good sportsmanship on Ireland No.1 (Cian Healy) during the Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool C match against Ireland on 2 October.
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WELLINGTON CITY — South Africa have not beaten Australia since August 2010 but both sides agree past performance will not decide Sunday's Rugby World Cup 2011 knockout quarter-final at Wellington Regional Stadium.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Ireland are sweating on the fitness of hooker Rory Best for their quarter-final against Wales at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday after he injured his shoulder in the 36-6 win over Italy on Sunday.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Tonga’s reward for causing one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history, with their 19-14 victory over France on Saturday, is a place in the top 10 of the IRB World Rankings for the first time.
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AUCKLAND CITY — England's Tom Palmer is not giving much credence to reports of splits within the ranks of the France squad ahead of Saturday's quarter-final showdown at Eden Park.
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DUNEDIN — Italy's Rugby World Cup campaign came to a disappointing end when they lost 36-6 to a rampant Ireland to put paid to their quest to claim a maiden quarter-final berth.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Tonga’s reward for causing one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history, with their 19-14 victory over France on Saturday, is a big rise in the IRB World Rankings.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Legendary Scotland and Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan referred to key players as “Test match animals” - those who grow under pressure, rather than go into their shells when the heat is on.
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AUCKLAND CITY — Fabrice Estebanez of France has been suspended for 3 weeks after admitting committing tackle contrary to Law 10(4)(j).
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AUCKLAND CITY — The crunch games of Pool B may have lacked tries but there was no shortage of compelling rugby.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Wales won't need to beat up each other in training this week because they got enough tackling practice in keeping Fiji scoreless on Sunday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — The tournament-ending injury to Springbok centre Frans Steyn was a bigger loss to South Africa than New Zealand losing Daniel Carter, South Africa coach Peter de Villiers said on Monday.
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WELLINGTON CITY — Tackle-busting Wallaby wing Digby Ioane is almost certain to be selected for Australia against South Africa in the quarter-finals after recovering from a broken thumb.
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