Sports Betting, Sports News, Sports Updates, Australia

The NRL Centenary Test team has taken a massive blow with Darren Lockyer ruling himself out of the match being held on May 9. Lockyer has said that he was determined not to be a liability to the Australian Centenary Test team and this is formed the basis of his decision.

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Not only has Lockyer ruled himself out of the Centenary Test game, but also the first game of the NRL State of Origin series. The State of Origin commences on May 21st, but he has said that this game is not looking very likely given that he is expected to undergo an unexpected period on the sidelines with another bout of surgery needed.

The Centenary Test coach Ricky Stuart has confirmed that Greg Bird would be moving from lock to five-eightth. This is a great shame for Lockyer and the Centenary Test.

There were some great wins in the NRL this week, with your Bet on NRL well deserved by these teams: Knights, Eels, Broncos, Warriors, Rabbitohs.

Next week’s match ups are below, our best tips for a bet on NRL are highlighted in blue:

Friday9 May: Australia v New Zealand (Centenary Test)

Regular Fixtures:

Broncos v Sea Eagles
Bulldogs v Panthers
Cowboys v Sharks
Eels v Dragons
Roosters v Raiders
Storm v Knights
BYE: Rabbitohs, Titans, Tigers, Warriors

GOOD LUCK with your Bet on NRL this week at lassesters.com.au and enjoy the Centenary Test!

Are you sitting down? I hope so, because not only have the Melbourne Demons won their first match of season 2008 but they have done so in record setting style.

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Melbourne posted the second largest comeback in AFL history in their win over Fremantle at the MCG on the weekend. They won by 6 points, the club’s best ever fightback result and their very first win of the season.

Melbourne were down by, if you can believe it, 51 points late in the 2nd quarter of the game, and 50 points at the half time siren. The Demons stunned Fremantle with a sensational second half of AFL scoring 14 goals to register a phenomenal 17.17 (119) to 15.23 (113) win.

The Demons were so bad during the first half that they were booed by the MCG crowd, many of whom left the match disappointed and disheartened before the 2nd half had started. Boy did they miss out on the spectacle of the AFL Tipping Online Year!

For those Melbourne fans that did stay, they were treated to the comeback of the year and shared the moment with their team. Sportingbet.com had some great odds on this match, but we are certain that those who backed the Demons in this clash would have scooped the sporting bet pool!

Here’s the list of winners for this week: Carlton, Adelaide, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Bulldogs.

The next AFL match ups are below, our tips for your Bet on AFL next week are highlighted in blue:

St Kilda v Collingwood
Hawthorn v Port Adelaide
Richmond v Geelong
Carlton v Brisbane Lions
Kangaroos v West Coast
Adelaide v Melbourne
Sydney v Essendon
Fremantle v Bulldogs

Don’t miss your chance with AFL Tipping online next week at sportingbet.com, good luck!

From a single look at the table, the Canterbury Crusaders are effectively guaranteed to be in the final four in this years Super 14 competition. After just ten rounds they are a huge 7 points ahead of the second-placed team, the New South Wales Waratahs, with a total point score of 43. If you are into Union and have not yet placed your bet on union, make sure you head on over to iasbet.com for the best odds and a great sign up bonus!

The Waratahs, who are not prepared to be denied a chance at the cup this season, after last year’s dismal position of thirteenth, just above the Queensland Reds. The Waratahs have only lost two games this season, the first to the chiefs who are also in the top four, and the second to the Crusaders, which was more an abolition than a defeat.

The Durban Sharks are next in line, being only a few points behind the Waratahs. They have also only lost one game; however have drawn one also, leaving them four points behind the second place team. They have played a good season this year and should stay in the top four according to iasbet.com if they continue to play the way they have been playing this year.

Also, equal with the Sharks, are the Waikato Chiefs, who have lose three games, however got a bonus point keeping them even with the Sharks points wise.

These teams should be in the top four for this year’s Investec Super 14 series, so get yourself on over to IASBet.com and register a new customer account today!

Well Round 7 was defined yet again by the Titans who took yet another match and owned it for a win this weekend. This leaves the Titans still flying solo at the top of the league ladder and really, who wants them to stop winning?!

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The win this weekend for the Titans notches a club record 5 wins in a row and with the form of the current line up, we think they can make it 6 next weekend.

In other news, the Aussie Selectors announced the NRL Centenary Test team for the clash against New Zealand over the weekend. Ricky Stewart has described the Centenary Test as a “war” and has reacted by naming one of the toughest centenary test sides ever seen, all be it at the expense of seven players who participated in the 58-0 thumping of New Zealand in October last year.

There are a bunch of test debuts to be made during the Centenary Test. The line up is as follows Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Mark Gasnier, Justin Hodges, Israel Folau; Darren Lockyer (captain), Johnathan Thurston; Brent Kite, Cameron Smith, Petero Civoniceva; Ryan Hoffman, Paul Gallen; Greg Bird Interchange: Carl Webb, Anthony Tupou, Willie Mason, Kurt Gidley

Here are the winners from last week in the fixtures: Dragons, Broncos, Manly, Storm, Titans, Tigers.

Here are our NRL Tips for next weekend, our picks highlighted in blue:

Broncos v Rabbitohs
Cowboys v Storm
Dragons v Roosters
Sea Eagles v Bulldogs
Sharks v Wests Tigers
Titans v Warriors
BYE: Eels, Knights, Panthers, Raiders
The test is going to be a cracker of a match and a Centenary test to remember, so don’t miss it and get your NRL tips on now!

Well the subject of the AFL and video umpires has come up again after one of the most controversial umpiring decisions seen so far this year. The decision cost the Swans a win and has come under heavy scrutiny since.

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Sydney defender Kennelly says that he would support a third umpire in the form of a video referee after the decision on the weekend that cost his side the match. Swans midfielder Brett Kirk was certain he had scored the winning goal for his side only to turn around and watch as the umpire called it touched on the line. The minor score took the game to a draw and with just under a minute remaining on the clock, neither side was able to consolidate and the points were split.

In other news this week, the Brisbane Lions thumped Melbourne by 52 points at the Gabba on Sunday. The performance by Melbourne was confusing if not completely appalling, even prompting former Lions player Shaun Hart on radio to say  that he hadn’t seen a team play such “boring, no-thought” football since the early days of the Brisbane Bears. Oh dear.

Winners this week were: Geelong, Collingwood, Port, Bulldogs, Adelaide, Hawthorn, DRAW Kangaroos/Swans, Brisbane.

Our AFL Tipping Online tips for next week are below, highlighted in blue:

West Coast v Carlton
Geelong v Brisbane Lions
Hawthorn v Collingwood
Richmond v St Kilda
Adelaide v Kangaroos
Sydney v Bulldogs
Melbourne v Fremantle
Essendon v Port Adelaide

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With the Centenary Test only weeks away, now is not the time you want any of your big guns out with injury, but that’s whats happened this weekend with both Karmichael Hunt and Luke O’Donnell ruled out.

Don’t forget to get your NRL Tips online and visit Lasseters for a great bonus when you sign up as a new customer!

Luke O’Donnell sent fear through the doctors and trainers in the Cowboys camp after hobbling off field during their match against the Warriors. He didn’t return, but luckily scans have revealed that the injury is in a different spot to the hamstring torn last season.

In Brisbane, Hunt has had scans that confirm he has torn cartilage in his knee during the Broncos and Titans match on Friday night and is set to miss the next two games, effectively ruling him out of the May 9 test.

Winners are indeed grinners and this week we see wins from the following: Titans, Manly, Bulldogs, Panthers, Cowboys, Knights, Tigers.

Our best NRL tips for your bet on NRL this week are below, highlighted in blue:

Broncos v Rabbitohs
Cowboys v Storm
Dragons v Roosters
Sea Eagles v Bulldogs
Sharks v Wests Tigers
Titans v Warriors

BYE: Eels, Knights, Panthers, Raiders

The NRL Centenary Test is looking like it will be an awesome spectacle of rugby league, so it is wise to start researching your odds now and looking for the best odds for your bet on NRL you can get.

Well, just as with last week, this weekend’s AFL fixtures talk of the town are Carlton and their demoralising thumping of Melbourne at the MCG.  This win gives the blues successive wins for the first time since halfway through the 2007 season and only their 4th winning streak of any kind since 2001.

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Blues fans really do have a reason to be excited this week with outstanding performances from Chris Judd and Brendan Fevola. Judd was instrumental in turning the game back Carlton’s way after the hapless Demons somehow snatched the lead, all be it for a few moments, from the blues.

Melbourne were completely out done and overpowered by Carlton and this sends an ominous sign to the rest of the league that Carlton may just have found a little something to get them across the line and into the finals this year with star recruit Judd really making his mark in this match.

Other winners you needed for your Bet on AFL this week were: St Kilda, Kangaroos, Hawthorn, Adelaide, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Bulldogs and Richmond Draw.

Our Bet on AFL Tips this week are below, highlighted in blue as usual:

Collingwood v Essendon
Fremantle v Geelong
Carlton v Adelaide
Bulldogs v West Coast
Port Adelaide v St Kilda
Brisbane Lions v Melbourne
Kangaroos v Sydney
Hawthorn v Richmond

For the best AFL Tipping online and the best odds for your next bet on AFL, look no further than centrebet.com.au!

Hang onto your hats guys, the Titans have finally won an away game and just to rub it in a bit more, it’s put them at the top of the NRL ladder. An outstanding performance on the the road for the Titans and one that is bound to inspire and motivate the team over the coming weeks.

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It was definitely the Scott Prince featuring the Titans show, but nothing can be taken away from the team who in their very short existence have only ever won 3 away games.

Prince was dazzling at both ends of the field and really putting on a show on how one is supposed to play in the #7 jersey. There is absolutely no doubt that Prince’s performance was a game winner for the Titans, let’s hope they can continue to repeat these amazing feats next week in their top of the table clash against fellow sunshine staters Brisbane.

The other winners for the NRL Tips this week so far have been: Titans, Storm, Cowboys, Roosters, Warriors, Tigers, Broncos.

Next week’s NRL Tips are below, ours highlighted in blue:

Bronocos v Titans
Bulldogs v Dragons
Cowboys v Warriors
Eels v Sea Eagles
Raiders v Storm
Roosters v Knights
Sharks v Panthers
Wests Tigers v Rabbitohs

Enjoy your NRL this week and good luck with your NRL Tips!

If your blood is blue then you are probably still celebrating Carlton’s impressive win over Collingwood at the MCG over the weekend.

Brendan Fevola starred in what can only be described as a dominating performance by the blues, a stark contrast from their previous losing streak that has stretched from June last year. The blues led at the end of every quarter in a massive upset which was also Brett Ratten’s first win in 10 outings as blues coach.

Carlton dominated most areas of the match and it will be interesting to see if this form carries on into the next few weeks. AFL tipping online on the blues would have been a cracking return on investment this weekend and we anticipate that they will pick up a great following for the next weeks.

In other news, the Brisbane Lions have staged a massive come back from behind to win their match with Port. The Lions were at one stage behind by 47 points and this win has stirred a fire in the club. Bradshaw and Brown were inspirational and these are all great signs for the Lions - can they do it in 2008?

The complete list of winners this week are: Essendon, Lions, Sydney, Geelong, Kangaroos, Richmond, Carlton, Hawthorn.

Our tips for the best bet on AFL next week are highlighted in blue below:

St Kilda v Essendon
Geelong v Sydney
Adelaide v Fremantle
Brisbane v Hawthorn
Collingwood v Kangaroos
Melbourne v Carlton
Bulldogs v Richmond
West Coast v Port Adelaide
Good luck with your bet on AFL this week and make sure you score the best odds available!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Just when you thought it was safe for South Sydney to think their season was back on track - think again. They have suffered their 4th straight loss this weekend to Manly and their mammoth efforts of 2007 look to be well and truely extinct at this stage of 2008.

centrebet.com.au have you covered for all your NRL Tips needs.

It’s lucky for the Rabbits that coach Jason Taylor remains optimistic even after watching his team look like fluffy easter bunnies against a powerful and commanding Manly outfit. Taylor has said of his side “This is a great position for us to be in, it’s a great position for us to show what we’re made of” - let’s hope it’s before we get too further into season 2008. Manly won the match up 20 - 2.

In other news this week, the Titans seem virtually unstoppable at home with another impressive victory over the Raiders on the weekend. The match was marred by a 67th minute “king hit” by the Raiders Michael Weyman which saw all referees on field needing to step in to separate all 26 players on the field before Weyman was given his marching orders.

The recipient of the punch was Titans reserve Daniel Conn who had just moments earlier scored under the posts to seal the game for the Titans. Conn was forced from the field with a suspected broken nose and a very unsightly gash under his eye. How long he will miss is yet to be seen, but it was certainly one of the most ugly moments of the week’s round.

Winners in NRL Tips this week would have had their money on: Storm, Sydney, Cronulla, Titans, Cowboys, Warriors and Manly.

NRL Tips for this week are below, ours are highlighted in blue:

Dragons v Cowboys
Eels v Titans
Knights v Broncos
Panthers v Roosters
Rabbitohs v Sharks
Raiders v Wests Tigers
Storm v Sea Eagles
Warriors v Bulldogs

Get your NRL Tips on for next week now and good luck!

Well the rivalry round certainly lived up to expectations this week with a phenomenal match between Port and the Crows.

For the best odds AFL Tipping Online, it’s IAS Bet.

It was on from the buzzer and the one thing on everyone’s round up of the match was the aggression shown by both teams, making this one of the most brutal meetings of these two teams in a very long time. Port were the losers of 6 of the last 7 times these country/city cousins have met and the Crows certainly were not going to let that record go.  The Crows defeated Port 85 - 79 in what we think is one of this season’s classic games.

In other news this week, the North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley has had a melt down at a post match press conference, but funnily enough - it has raised a few interesting points that will no doubt be discussed. Laidley slammed the umpires on the field during his team’s disappointing loss to the Hawks by saying that the umpires during the match had “conversations and body language and sounds from umpires that shouldn’t happen at this level”, he has since apologised for this.

AFL Tipping Online this week was certainly interesting and the winners this week were: Bulldogs, Sydney, Essendon, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Adelaide, Collingwood, Geelong.

Here’s our AFL Tipping Online tips for next week, ours are highlighted in blue:

Essendon v Bulldogs
St Kilda v Geelong
Kangaroos v Melbourne
Sydney v West Coast
Port Adelaide v Brisbane Lions
Hawthorn v Adelaide
Carlton v Collingwood
Fremantle v Richmond

Good Luck with your AFL Tipping Online - see you next week!

Hello and welcome Geelong to the 2008 AFL season after a commanding display of the game against a lackluster and disappointing Essendon. Their 16 goal annihilation of the bombers should spell it out loud and clear for the rest of the afl teams - Geelong are back and possibly even better than in 2007. Can they win back to back premierships? Playing like that they can so  strap yourselves in! www.lasseters.com.au

In other matches around the grounds over the weekend, the Swans humiliated Port by thumping them by 68 points. An absolute shame for Port who were looking good and primed to start off the season well. It’s early days though and we’re hoping port can shine through.

In one of the closest matches this week, the Lions snatched a 2 point win in front of a fired home crowd at the Gabba. It was a fantastic home victory for the Lions against arch rivals Collingwood and has sent a clear message that the Lions are here to play in 2008.

The winners in AFL tipping online this week were: Kangaroos, Geelong, Sydney, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Adelaide, Brisbane and the Bulldogs.

Here’s next week’s games, our tips this week are in blue. Get sorted and start your AFL tipping online now:

Bulldogs v St Kilda
Kangaroos v Hawthorn
West Coast v Fremantle
Brisbane Lions v Sydney
Essendon v Carlton
Geelong v Melbourne
Richmond v Collingwood
Adelaide v Port Adelaide

Have a great week and good luck with your AFL tipping online! www.lasseters.com.au

Barnstorming runs and monster efforts all round this week in round 3 of the NRL. One of the best wins this week was the Broncos 36 - 2 annihilation of the Cowboys (happy days for those with NRL tips on the Broncos!)  in what can only be described as a big warning to the rest of the teams this year - are the Broncos primed to give Wayne Bennett the ultimate send off? www.iasbet.com.au

After such a win, all eyes turned this week to Israel Folau, the local brissy boy who has decided this week to return home to play for the Broncos in season 2009. The decision has rocked his Melbourne teammates and is bound to influence NRL tips next year. The Broncos are undoubtedly happy with their latest player acquisition and will get the chance to see him play up close this coming weekend when they meet the Storm at Olympic Park.

Winners are grinners and this week your NRL tips should have been on: bulldogs, panthers, titans, canberra, sydney, broncos and parramatta.

A couple of upsets in there for sure and also a lot of rivalry starting to surface so early on in the season. It should make for a cracking 2008 and for some great NRL tips this year.

Here’s the match-ups for next week’s round, our NRL tips are in Blue as always:

Bulldogs v Roosters
Cowboys v Eels
Dragons v Sharks
Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs
Storm v Broncos
Titans v Raiders
Warriors v Knights
Wests Tigers v Panthers

Good luck with your NRL tips this week! www.iasbet.com.au

Sizzling is the only word that springs to mind of some of the match ups that took place this weekend in Rugby League. One of the most definitive efforts of the weekend was the 30 - 12 thumping that St George gave the Titans after their sparkling opening round victory at Skilled Stadium. Get your bets on for next week at centrebet.com.au

But it wasn’t all about the Titans this week, there were a few wins that rate a mention in our round up. One of these being the Warriors belting of the Eels and also more notably West Tigers smashing of the North Queensland Cowboys, quite the upset this early on in the season, so expect some good odds from centrebet.com.au next week.
In game round ups, this week’s spotlight belongs to Brett White and his jaw shattering right hook on Ben Cross which may just have caused White to rethink what he is doing on the night of the first origin game. League great Ben Elias has called for Brett White to be listed as a starting forward now for Origin 1 after the punch on Cross, who had prior to this landed a blow on White’s team mate Cooper Cronk. Does this theory stand up? We will have to wait and see, but there is no doubt that White may miss at least 3 weeks for looking after his mate. centrebet.com.au

The winners in Round 2 were: Bulldogs, Canberra, Newcastle, West Tigers, Warriors, Cronulla and St George.

The match-ups for next week’s round are below, our tips as always are in Blue:

Broncos v Cowboys
Bulldogs v Wests Tigers
Eels v Knights
Panthers v Rabbitohs
Raiders v Dragons
Roosters v Storm
Sea Eagles v Warriors
Titans v Sharks

Good luck with your tips for next week! Bet now at centrebet.com.au

We’re away folks! AFL season 2008 is officially underway with some cracking games and cracking injuries alike to report on this week. For the best odds afl tipping online visit www.sportingbet.com

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Essendon have suffered a massive blow during their 55 point thumping of the Kangaroos with Scott Lucas set to miss at least half the season with a knee injury. Hawthorn defender Trent Croad is also nervously awaiting the outcome of tests this week to determine how long he will be benched after dislocating his wrist against Melbourne. Another casualty of round 1 is Brent Reilly from the Adelaide Crows who will miss at least six weeks after breaking his wrist in the last quarter of their match against the Western Bulldogs. To add insult to this injury, the Crows lost the game by three points after Reilly took the bench.
Winners are grinners and this week Hawthorn, Essendon, Richmond, Collingwood, West Coast, Geelong, St Kilda and the Bulldogs all came up trumps.

It is only week one and we expect some lineup changes, harder forward work and plenty of sizzling on ball action in the weeks to come. So get your fixtures list out and keep up to date to ensure that your afl tipping online is a success!

Here’s the draw for next week, so get your tips together. Our afl tipping online tips are highlighted in blue:

Brisbane Lions v Collingwood
Melbourne v Bulldogs
Adelaide v West Coast
St Kilda v Carlton
Fremantle v Hawthorn
Sydney v Port Adelaide
Geelong v Essendon
Richmond v Kangaroos

Happy tipping until next week! www.sportingbet.com

Well, well, well folks, if you have been hanging out for the start of the 2008 NRL season - I’m betting that you were not disappointed over the weekend.  Get tipping with centrebet.com.au

It was hard to believe that it was the beginning of the season, with big hits and big action all round the parks. With record making debuts in queensland and injuries a-plenty down south, it’s certainly a lot of action to cram into this centrebet.com.au round up!

The new name on everyone’s lips after this weekend’s round is the Gold Coast Titans Jordan Atkins. Atkins blitzed the cowboys wing and scored himself 4 tries on debut - a feat that has not been accomplished since the 40’s. This opening effort at their new stadium is certainly sending a big message to the rest of the teams - the Titans are definite contenders this year. centrebet.com.au

South of the border, there are injuries to Craig Wing and Benji Marshall that are sending the respective coaches searching for replacements so early in the season. The star South Sydney recruit Wing is facing scans this week to determine the extent of the injury and if surgery is required which will definitely put a massive dent into the south’s outfit if he is out for an extended period.  Marshall’s injury is a serious tear to the ligaments of his knee which could see him sidelined for up to 12 weeks - a massive blow to the tigers this early on. centrebet.com.au

Next weekend’s match ups are certainly sure to stir up the fires again with the following games slated:

Cowboys v Wests Tigers
Dragons v Titans
Knights v Sea Eagles
Panthers v Raiders
Rabbitohs v Bulldogs
Roosters v Broncos
Storm v Sharks
Warriors v Eels

Get your bets on online now with centrebet.com.au

The QR Queensland Reds made a great start to this year’s Super 14 season with a 22-16 defeat against the Otago Highlanders last week, and now this week they face the Hurricanes in Wellington. The Hurricanes were decimated last week by the Waratahs, which would not be great for their morale at all, where as the Reds won their first game of the season, which would have boosted their self-confidence in comparison to their last season’s standing, The Wooden Spoon.

The Reds had a start to the season that no-one would have expected, currently sitting 6th on the ladder with 4 points, they appear to be trying to bring back their lost fans. The Hurricanes ended last year in 8th position, so a win from this game will be crucial for the Reds to keep their confidence up.

Winger Clinton Schifcofske (1 try, 1 penalty and 2 conversions) and Number Eight John Roe (2 tries) fulfilled the entire team’s 22 points between just themselves, showing the incredible skill the Reds team have within them, which will no doubt be shown in their upcoming game this week.

“We’ll take the first win and go on from that,” Red’s captain John Roe stated after the victory, indicating the Reds do not have any intention of being The Wooden Spoon for the second season in a row. Sportingbet.com.au

Khan celebrated his 21st Birthday on Saturday night and he made it even more memorable for himself when he destroyed Graham Earl in only 72 seconds into the fight with a fury of punches that left the Referee Howard Foster no option, but to put an end to the fight, in the packed out Bolton arena. Earl seemed to start of the fight in style and was first to connect any significance punch, but Khan soon got the measure of him and soon had Earl backtracking with his trademark assault, a superb left hook from Khan had Earl rocking less than a minute into the fight and a fantastic left hook sent Earl crashing to the canvas which led him to be giving a 8 count by the referee. It soon became crystal clear that Khan had the full measure of his opponent, but no one could off predicted such a short sharp fight.

This was Amir Khan’s second defence of his commonwealth lightweight title and only his 15th professional fight, where as this was the first fight that Graham Earl has had since his defeat by Michael Katsidis back in February, where they were contesting the WBO Interim World Title.

Amir Khan has said that he is up for World Title fight now after destroying Graham Earl in only 72 seconds and he has stated that he has now proved all of his critics wrong! Ultimately this will be up to his Promoter Frank Warren, and we will just have to wait and see, who will be next in line to face the force of Amir Khan!

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draws

After England’s disastrous exit from Euro 2008 last week against Croatia when all they need to qualify was a draw but ended up losing 3-2 to Croatia, in a twist of fate have now been drawn to face them again for the World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draws. England were Drawn in Group 6 and these are all the teams in England’s group –

Group 6

England

Croatia

Andorra

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Ukraine

As England are now not classed as one of the Top seeds, they could have come up against any of the big players in the World Cup Qualifiers, and they will now get their chance to make amends for their atrocious Euro 2008 failings, when the meet Croatia once again in South Africa.

Other Groups in the World Cup 2010 Qualifiers stand as follows –

Group 1           Group 2                       Group 3                       Group 4

Albania            Greece                         Czech Republic           Azerbaijan

Denmark         Israel                           N Ireland                     Finland

Hungary          Latvia                          Poland                         Germany

Malta               Luxembourg                San Marino                  Liechtenstein

Portugal           Moldova                      Slovakia                      Russia

Sweden           Switzerland                 Slovenia                      Wales

Group 5           Group 7                       Group 8                       Group 9

Armenia          Austria                                    Bulgaria                       Holland

Belgium           Faroe Islands               Cyprus                         Iceland

Bosnia             France                         Georgia                       Macedonia

Estonia                        Lithuania                     Italy                             Norway

Spain               Romania                      Montenegro                 Scotland

Turkey             Serbia                          Rep Ireland

Both New Zealand and Australia look to be in a good position going into the 2007 Netball world cup semi finales.

Australia takes on the underrated English team who against all odds beat New Zealand earlier in the year. If they can bring the same game plan England have a shot at Australia but I wouldn’t be putting any money on them.

New Zealand takes on Jamaica in the other game and should easily win. A sure bet if you don’t think New Zealand teams don’t chock under finals pressure.

Then again this is a class outfit that has the hopes of an entire nation riding on them to return some national pride after their embarrassing early exit from the Rugby World cup in France.

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England 6 South Africa 15

England were the Reigning Champions and came into this match on the back of four great victories and although they had quite a poor start to the tournament they battled their way through, knocking the Host France out in the process. It just was not England’s night and the Springboks out who were not particularly great in defence, dominated the line outs and Kicked five penalties to secure this great victory and win them the Rugby World Cup 2007.

Jonny Wilkinson was England’s Hero in their 2003 triumph in Sydney, but he was just unable to turn on the magic for England this time and he missed two vital drop goal attempts for England. South Africa were leading England 9-3 at the break and both sides applied pressure and flexed their muscle’s with a series of up and unders, although this did not seem to amount to anything. Percy Montgomery opened the scoring on the 7th minute of the game after Mathew Tait slipped and became isolated in the ruck and England were subsequently penalised for failing to release. Jonny Wilkinson squared the ledger on the 13th minute after Bryan Habana was called for lying on the tackled player, counterpart Paul Sackey. South Africa attacked twice more late in the half but were repelled on the line on both occasions.
England started the second half in great style as Tait cut a swathe through the middle of the South African defence and he set Mark Cueto up for a try, but after a very long deliberation from the TV match official, the wing was ruled to have been in touch when he crossed over in the corner, although some may say his decision was wrong and the try should have been given, this proved to be a turning point in the match from which England just never recovered and South Africa then went on to clinch the Victory.

Most people would say that this was one of the most dramatic climaxes to a Formula One Season ever and it all came down to the last race here in Brazil to determine the World Championship and any one of three Drivers, Raikkonen, Alonso or Hamilton could have clinched the Title. This was a very exciting race, right to the very end, and Kimi Raikkonen who drove a superb race, and very deservingly so, won this fantastic race at Brazil and at the same time clinching himself the world Championship by 1 point, and although Lewis Hamilton was favourite to win, he hopes were dashed right from the very start when he had technical difficulties with his car and lost time while he was trying to sort it out, tyre changes and having to make three pit stops did not help his cause either and through some pure expert driving skills he some how still managed to finish 7th in the race, but it was just not enough to see him win the World Championship as he needed to finish in 5th place or below.

As Raikkonen celebrated becoming Finland’s third world champion, Raikkonen said: “We were not in the strongest position but we always believed that we could recover and do a better job than the others, and even with the hard times everyone was sticking together and we did not give up. I was not really 100 percent sure if someone would stop but there were people who needed to finish and we did not know 100 percent and it took a long time to hear that we had finally won it. It has been a good finish of the season and I am really happy. An amazing day!”

Hamilton was very gracious in the face of defeat and he said:
“It’s been a crazy year, but I can’t really say that I’m gutted or that I feel I was robbed, he said after losing by a single point. It was just unfortunate. We’ve all of us had some bad luck this year; it’s just a shame that mine seemed to come all at the end of it.
All along I said to myself that, whatever happens today, who would ever have thought that I would lead the world championship? It’s been a great feeling, having the possibility to win it. The team has done a fantastic job for me all season, and of course I wanted to win. But I guess it wasn’t our turn after all this year. But I will come back next year stronger, for sure. The start wasn’t that great and I got boxed in behind Kimi, then Fernando came past me and I locked up a bit behind him and lost some ground. But I knew that we had the pace to get that back. But then when I was downshifting for Turn Four the gearbox just went into neutral. And I coasted for an awful long time. I still don’t know how but I managed to coax it back into operation and get going again, but I had to be careful to manage the engine because the revs were very low. When that was happening, coming so soon after China, I just found myself thinking that for sure somebody didn’t want me to win the championship! Even after that, though, I refused to believe that it was over. The first time I thought that was when I saw the chequered flag. I never stopped thinking it was still possible. Our pace wasn’t bad today. Not quite the same as Ferrari’s, but we could have been a little bit quicker with more luck. At the end of the day I’m second in the world championship, and I beat my team mate who is a double world champion. That’s a great result. I said I would be a winner, whatever happened today. I think that, apart from the start, I drove one of my best ever races today, so that’s why I say I don’t think I was robbed.”

Who would have thought it after England’s poor start in the start of the Rugby World cup 2007, that they would have gone on to beat the hosts France 14-9 in the semi finals, but they did and it just goes to show that anything can happen in this great game.

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Johnny Wilkinson came through for England once again and kicked a late penalty and drop goal to take England to this fantastic Victory over France. Wilkinson’s four earlier misses looked set to cost England dear, but his efforts paid of in the last five minutes of the game and sent England sailing to Victory and France to their defeat.

England Coach, Brian Ashton said that the England players deserve a massive amount of credit and that they came through strongly in the end against the host country on their own pitch. At the start of the Rugby World Cup tournament, Aston’s team were 33-1 outsiders, and no one really thought that England would make it this far, but sport is a strange game and sometimes the underdogs rise and surprise everyone. England have been on great form for their last two games of this tournament against both Australia and France and they now go on to take on South Africa in the Final and they need to put behind the miserable defeat of 36-0 to them at the start of this fantastic tournament.

England Captain Phil Vickery told reporters that “Today was one of those special days when the underdog rises and that the South Africa game was a bitter pill to swallow and he also went on to say, We had to bounce back.

England and South Africa are now set to meet in the Final of the Rugby World Cup 2007 after they beat Argentina in their semi finals This is set to be a amazing Final, and their will be millions of people watching it form across the world, who do you think will win? It’s anybody’s guess, but won thing is for sure, England’s fans will be sitting on the edge of their seats right until the very end.

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After Lewis Hamilton’s unfortunate retirement from the Chinese Grand Prix, who do think will now win the Drivers Championship. There are three Drivers in the running, Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen, their current Driver standings are as follows –

01 Lewis Hamilton 107
02 Fernando Alonso 103
03 Kimi Räikkönen 100

As you can see it is very tight, and there are only 3 points in it, between Hamilton and Alonso, but the Drivers Championship is within the grasp of all three of them. Next weeks race at Brazil is going to be a show stopper and formula 1 fans are set to be on the edge of their sets until the very end.

Take a look at the Drivers quotes from the Chinese Grand Prix, who do you think will win the Drivers Championship? Can you decide!

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
“I am very happy! It is a really great result for me and the whole team, who have done a truly excellent job. We needed this win and we got it. At the start of the race, I had a lot of under steer but then the situation improved. I was one of the last to switch to dry tyres but this was a help as after a little while the rain began to fall again. Even after the second stop I had a bit of under steer, but as before, the situation improved in the final stages. I knew Alonso was very quick but I was in full control of the situation. The car overall was working well both in the wet and in the dry. Last week in Fuji, we were unlucky but today things went right for us. We have had yet another example that in this sport anything can happen. The situation in the drivers’ classification is still difficult, but I will try everything to win in Brazil, even if the final outcome does not just depend on what we do. It should be a great battle, very hard to predict and interesting.”

Fernando Alonso, McLaren
“Today was a very good result for me. I had a battle with Felipe at the start, but unfortunately I was not able to finish the first lap in front of him. As a result I lost a lot of time behind him in the first stint because there was a loss of down force when following him in the high speed corners. It was difficult towards the end on the wet Bridgestone tyres as they were practically slick, but we stayed out as long as possible to get through the final shower, which was the right decision as I was able to come out ahead of Felipe on my final stop. Although this result is a boost to my chances in the Championship it is still not going to be easy. However I will not be giving up until the chequered flag in two weeks time.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mclaren
“When I got out of the car I was obviously gutted for both myself and the team. I haven’t made a mistake all year but I am over it now. There is still one race to go, so I can still do it. I made a strong start to the race and my first stop went well. Prior to entering the pit lane for my last stop I was constantly talking to the team. Although my tyres were in poor condition we took a joint decision to get through the last rain shower before changing to dry tyres. I was trying to be very careful and as a result was not really fighting aggressively with Kimi. It would have worked out perfectly, but I then made a mistake coming into the pit lane and that was it. We made the right decision, and it was just unfortunate. I will now focus on attacking in Brazil where I will do everything I can to bounce back.”

With the Rugby World Cup, Quarter finals round the corner for England against Australia at Marseille, who should England watch out for in Australia’s squad.

The Danger Men for Australia –

Lote Tuqiri – Lote came onto the international scene as a wing, who could pierce through the oppositions defences with his huge power, speed and strength. Tuqiri has scored 19 try’s in as many tests, but lately he has been going trough a barren period and only getting 3 try’s all season while playing for the NSW Waratahs and Australia. Fill back Chris Latham and Tuqui are the only Australian players to play all 320 minutes at the Rugby world Cup 2007.

Chris Latham – Latham can turn any match around with his formidable running from the back and his powerful boot. Chris is extremely good at finding holes in the other teams defensive line, but it is his kicking that does make him a star and invaluable for Australia. His massive punts have bailed out his team, when they have been in trouble and his off the cuff type of play and his array of special skills make him a firm favourite with the fans. He is some might say arguably the best full back in world rugby and his achievements were recognised in 2006 when he became the first ever fall back to win the John Earls Medal, which is awarded to Australia’s player of the year.

George Smith – Smith is said to be a fearless flanker and has been a valuable part of the Wallabies team since 2000, when he made his first debut for them against France in Paris. Smith is definitely a workhorse and he frequently pilfers the ball for Australia and he can certainly rattle an opponent with his bone crunching tackles. The Wallabies have recognised his outstanding contribution to their squad and Smith was named Australia captain for the match against Canada on Saturday. Smith has now scored four Rugby World Cup try’s, which is more than any other Australian forward has ever done.

It’s Round 21 in the NRL premiership and we have all the NRL Betting Coverage for Round 21. It’s getting close to the end of the season and there is a massive logjam to make the Top 8. I don’t remember a closer comp down in those regions.

Here are the latest odds for Betting on NRL thanks to www.Lasseters.com.au:

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels
1.91 vs 1.91
The Bulldogs got out of jail last week against the Dragons and we feel they may rest on their performance a little. Expect there to be fireworks in this clash. The Eels to just scrape home.

Newcastle Knights vs St George Dragons
2.45 vs 1.57
The Dragons will be absolutely stinging from last weeks defeat while Newcastle will also be hurting from their big loss. The difference is that St George should have won - the Knights were never in the hunt. The Dragons to win in the bet of the week - in fact they will get up with -4.5 start too!

Gold Coast Titans vs Wests Tigers
2.30 vs 1.63
This is a tough one. It seems as though the Titans have close to a full strength team this week and will be very very keen to come away with a win at home. The Tigers are due to slow down a bit and could get a shock on the coast. The Titans to win.

North Queensland Cowboys vs Canberra Raiders
1.65 vs 2.28
Both of these teams are on the cusp of the Top 8. The Cowboys are not showing they have much this season - their forwards are letting them down. If Canberra can stop their attack, the game will be there for the taking for them. Expect this to be very close with perhaps the Raiders to win.

Penrith Panthers vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
2.10 vs 1.75
The Rabbits need to continue their winning forum and the Panthers really need a win. But all is not well within the Panthers club and one would expect Souths to get up here. But just when you least expect it, teams have been winning this season - Penrith to just get up.

Sydney Roosters vs NZ Warriors
2.65 vs 1.50
Rooster have been flying high but it’s time to drop back to earth. This will be a very closely fought match especially on the Roosters home turf. The Warriors are a better side, but will they turn up?

Brisbane Broncos vs Manly Sea Eagles
2.55 vs 1.53
The Broncos still have much to prove this season. They never looked like being beaten against the Sharks last week and so they still remain in the hunt to defend the title. But the Sea Eagles are a tough team to tackle this year and will probably get up here. Want to have a bet? Brisbane at +6 points is a chance.

Cronulla Sharks vs Melbourne Storm
4.05 vs 1.25
Melbourne will spank the Sharks. 1.25 is good going and even take them at -10.5 if you want. This is a laydown (we hope!)

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Western Bulldogs vs St Kilda
3.75 vs 1.27
The Bulldogs need a win, but it probably won’t be forthcoming against St Kilda. Nonetheless, expect this game to go down to the wire - maybe the Bulldogs at +22.5 is a goer?

Carlton vs Collingwood
6.50 vs 1.11
A blowout is expected here and that’s probably what will happen. Collingwood got their tails smacked last week and will want to (need to) fix the damage as quickly as possible. Carlton could be on the receiving end.

Geelong vs Richmond
1.04 vs 12.00
Both sides are on a roll, just the Richmond aren’t on a winning roll. The Tigers will probably need every point of the +52.5 start that bookies have given them!

Brisbane vs Kangaroos
1.62 vs 2.30
Lions back in form and have come together for a crack at finals glory. It certainly took them long enogh. But the Roos are playing well also and one teams impressive winning streak will come to and end here. Lions to get up.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide
2.60 vs 1.50
Local derby and Port have the form on the board. Expect this to be a close match and perhaps even Adelaide could get away with the win.

Melbourne vs Sydney
6.75 vs 1.11
The Swans are kicking into gear now and should give Melbourne a bit of a lesson this week.

Hawthorne vs Essendon
1.78 vs 2.04
In a patchy season for both teams, it’s getting to the pointy end and one of these will have to stand up to be counted. The Hawks to win thanks to their ground.

West Coast vs Fremantle
1.28 vs 3.70
West Coast have been cold and are now running hot again. They will dispose of Freo in a thriller!

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It’s ROUND 20 of the NRL.com.au season and hasn’t it gone fast! Here at Winning Margin, you can BET ON NRL like never before with the latest and greatest Australian sports bookmaker, Lasseters.com.au

Here is our Round 20 NRL Preview and odds:

Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm
4.40 vs 1.22
The Roosters have been on a roll since appointing their new high profile coach, but they should come back to earth under the might of the Storm this week. However, expect this to be closer that one might first think - the Roosters are riding high while the Storm might be lacking motivation and could need a loss to spark them at this end of the season. Close match expected.

Canberra Raiders vs Penrith Panthers
1.42 vs 2.90
This battle of the cellar dwellers is sure to send most of us to sleep on paper, but we expect this to be an entertaining match. The Panthers have lots to play for because the last thing they would want is the wooden spoon. But, Canberra has a chance to make the Top 8 and this week they can prove they should be there - Canberra to win.

NZ Warriors vs Newcastle Knights
1.20 vs 4.65
The Warriors are on fire right now and it won’t be changing this week. It’s tough for a team to come away from NZ with a win, and the likes of Newcastle will struggle to do that this week. The Warriors all the way!

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Gold Coast Titans
1.50 vs 2.65
This will be a tight match up - lucky for the Rabbits that they are at home. The Titans need to get their season back on track but injuries are preventing that. South Sydney to win and they will restrict the Titans to a low score.

St George Illawarra Dragons vs Bulldogs
2.15 vs 1.72
The Dragons are back in town and looking to make the finals. We think they will surprise the Bulldogs this week - who are the most overrated side in the comp?

Brisbane Boncos vs Cronulla Sharks
1.45 vs 2.75
The Broncos can still finish the season well and they proved last week against the Eels that they can still match it without their big names. This will be a close match but Brisbane will win.

Parramatta Eels vs Manly Sea Eagles
1.77 vs 2.08
The Eels weren’t THAT impressive in the 2nd half last week. The Sea Eagles will start fast and hold on to their lead with their good defense. Manly to win.

Wests Tigers vs North Queensland Cowboys
1.45 vs 2.80
The Tigers welcome back Marshall this week and expect him to fire against a NQ side that needs to pick up their game. Wests to win by 10.

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