• 19 mins ago

Michael Cheika has responded to ex-Wallaby Clyde Rathbone's criticism saying it is "very easy for people to jump on and put the boot in".

• 19 mins ago

They are easily the best-performing rugby team in Australia but their base salaries languish well below their male counterparts. On Friday, ARU boss Bill Pulver signalled a pay rise for the gold medal-winning Pearls.

• 51 mins ago

The Wallabies cannot overemphasise how much they are hurting and how desperate they are to keep the Bledisloe Cup alive even though history and form suggests they need a miracle to break a painful 14-year drought.

Australia's Olympic champion women's team will play alongside their male counterparts for the first time on home soil in an expanded Sydney Sevens event in 2017.

Richie McCaw hopes the Bledisloe Cup rematch is closer for the better health of southern hemisphere and world rugby.

Former Australian wing Clyde Rathbone has challenged the Wallabies to admit they can't beat the All Blacks under normal circumstances.

• EXCLUSIVE

The Western Force and Melbourne Rebels would be in the firing line if a proposal for a new format in 2018 is adopted by SANZAAR.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has made eight adjustments to the team that was smashed in game one by the All Blacks.

• COMMENT

Of course, the French brigade aren't the future - no one is kidding themselves about the fact they are in the later years of the career - but that doesn't mean that they have no role to play in and around the Wallabies squad in the shorter term.

Recalled Wallabies five-eighth Quade Cooper says he can't promise he'll be more consistent than last time he faced the All Blacks and has stressed he doesn't want the spotlight all on him as he attempts to be Australia's Bledisloe Cup saviour.

He spends his days fixing houses while his teammates lift weights, but anyone at Canberra Vikings headquarters will tell you Sione Taula isn't out of place next to 14 Super Rugby players.

Quade Cooper is a shock selection at five-eighth for the Wallabies in the second Test against the All Blacks, with Michael Cheika showing faith in him despite an unhappy time there last year in the Bledisloe Cup decider.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has backed uncapped 21-year-old Anton Lienert-Brown to fill Ryan Crotty's shoes in New Zealand's midfield for a game in which he believes the Wallabies will "throw the kitchen sink" at his side.

Wallabies playmaker Kurtley Beale says a date has not been set for his Wasps debut as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.

Cillian Willis has become the first professional rugby player to sue an English club for clinical negligence over concussion in a landmark case for the sport, his solicitor said on Wednesday.

Adam Ashley-Cooper says he might not be available for the Wallabies' entire Rugby Championship campaign because of contract complications with his French Top 14 side Bordeaux. 

Fertilise and water those grassroots. Steer by the star of what grows the game at the bottom will be ultimately good for the game at the top.

Canberra Times sport podcast August 24: Canberra Raiders clap goes wild, but can they make the NRL's top two?

Pulver