![Fight on his hands: Stephen Moore.](/web/20160908220814im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/c/1/p/q/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.grc19d.png/1473320844001.jpg)
Cheika backs Moore but Polota-Nau closing in
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika insists captain Stephen Moore is not under pressure to keep his spot but says he's in an ongoing "competitive battle" with backup hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika insists captain Stephen Moore is not under pressure to keep his spot but says he's in an ongoing "competitive battle" with backup hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau.
Michael Cheika has opted for the lineout prowess of Dean Mumm ahead of Scott Fardy in the Wallabies back-row and injected in-form youngster Reece Hodge onto the wing in a bid to snap a six-game losing streak against the Springboks in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Lions have made the right decision in appointing Warren Gatland. As soon as Eddie Jones ruled himself out, he became pretty much the only choice.
Crusaders midfielder Ryan Crotty has been recalled to the All Blacks starting XV against Argentina after missing the side's second Bledisloe Test with concussion.
Francois Hougaard has been selected on the wing as one of three changes in a revamped South African backline for their Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Stade de France halfback is as feisty as ever, laughing off suggestions that returning players are adding little to the Wallaby cause.
With the Wallabies feeling the heat ahead of their must-win clash against the Springboks, Mitchell says it's up to the veterans to show the new faces how to deal with pressure and criticism.
The All Blacks have become untouchables and you wonder if protecting the economic brand is now more important than doing the right thing.
New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew would be surprised if Australian police were implying a listening device found in the All Blacks' Sydney hotel could have been planted by someone in the NZ camp.
Gordon Tietjens is stepping down after 23 years as New Zealand men's rugby sevens coach.
Drew Mitchell's involvement in Australia's crunch Rugby Championship clash with South Africa hinges on his ability to get through a tough training session on Tuesday.
NSW Police are still exploring a number of avenues as to who planted a listening device in the All Blacks team hotel in Sydney last month but have refused to rule out the possibility it was the work of someone from within the New Zealand camp.
Henry Speight played just his second 15-a-side game in almost six months for the Vikings on the weekend after travelling to Rio as part of the Australian sevens squad.
The Wallabies coach could be forced to play one of his stars from the bench as pressure builds on the Hooper-Pocock pairing ahead of Saturday's Test against the Springboks in Brisbane.
The Australians have assembled in Brisbane ahead of their must-win Test against South Africa, while Bernard Foley said he was eager to have another crack at No.12 should he run out next to Quade Cooper at Suncorp Stadium.
Rugby remains the only mainstream Australian sport that relies on schools rather than clubs to produce the mainstay of its elite talent. That system has to change of the Wallabies are to be consistently competitive.
All you ask for in a game is for an even playing field; a fair rub of the green so both teams can have a fair crack.
Michael Hooper has been voted the Waratahs' players' player for the fourth year running, again pipping to the post his provincial and Test team mate Israel Folau.
An Olympic gold for their Sevens team has made a Fijian side the prime target for Global Tens organisers, who are predicting a rapid expansion for the event after it makes its debut in Brisbane next year.
The Wallaby fullback says he has been struggling to freshen up mentally as the losing streak continues, while All Black Israel Dagg demolishes suggestions the trans-Tasman rivalry is on its last legs.
World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot has slammed the lack of consistency in Sanzaar's decision not to cite Owen Franks and called for a complete overhaul of the judicial system.
The same unions that agreed to the current 18-team Super Rugby model are ruing their decision one season in to it, while the surplus from a record new broadcast deal dries up at warp speed. How did we get here?
Cheika's Whingeing Wallabies project has to stop if the Springboks are to be defeated in Brisbane.
South Africa captain Adriaan Strauss has announced he will quit international rugby at the end of the 2016 season.
The Wallabies will stick together as they fight to regain winning form and ease pressure on coach Michael Cheika, five-eighth Quade Cooper says.
Fiji and other Pacific Island rugby nations have been pillaged for decades by schools, clubs and talent agents around the world in search of the next big thing. Now they're fighting back, and Australia loom as powerful new allies.
There comes a time when you have to put the broader problems facing Australian rugby in one compartment, close it, and open a separate one to scrutinise the performance of the current coaching set-up. After five tests this year it does not look good.
Wallabies five-eighth Quade Cooper has signed a three-year contract with the Australian Rugby Union and the Queensland Reds, confirming his return after a season with French club Toulon.
The 33-year-old, who has a relish for the fray and who is a popular comrade, has less need than most to be reminded of the need to seize the moment.
Eddie Jones, the England head coach, has labelled South Africa "bullies" ahead of the first Test of the -autumn series at Twickenham on Nov 12. Jones is bracing his men for a physical encounter with the Springboks, whom England have not beaten since 2006.