New Zealand

The best rugby players from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa want to form a combined Southern Hemisphere team to play the British Lions during their tour of Australia this year.

Britain's foot-and-mouth crisis hit the Six Nations on Tuesday when the game between Wales and Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday was postponed in an effort to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Australia said it would allow New Zealand to host one of the two semi-finals at the 2003 World Cup to prevent a feud developing between the co-hosts.

The Australian Rugby Union is hoping to receive a war chest to finance its push into Sydney?s western suburbs when it meets with International Rugby Board chairman Vernon Pugh in Sydney this week.

An independent firm of consultants are to be appointed by the SANZAR unions (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) to examine the possibility of expanding the Super 12 competition to include more teams.

Six months ago, the news that Britain was to challenge for the 2003 America's Cup would have caused barely a ripple of interest in the nation.

The International Cricket Council has approved South Africa?s proposals for the format of the 2003 World Cup.

Two "shadow" teams could be added to the southern hemisphere's Super 12 this season, a leading South African official said on Tuesday.

Television rights for the next Rugby Union World Cup remain unsold with sole bidder BBC not rushing to meet rugby?s estimation of the worth of the event.

The Australian National Rugby League (NRL) have fined eight clubs a total of A$395,000 ($213,300) for breaching the 2000 salary cap.

World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis' U.S. promoter has denied a report that Johannesburg had been selected to host the fighter's next defence in April.

Sky Sports have won the rights to screen live broadcasts of the England cricket team?s tours of India and New Zealand next winter.

The Super 12 competition could be expanded to 16 teams and the playing seasons of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia could be synchronised, according to reports from South Africa.

Australian Rugby Union (ARU) managing director John O'Neill wants France and England to join Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in the Tri-Nations series, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Telecom said it would continue its sponsorship of Team New Zealand's defence of the America's Cup in 2003.

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRFU) is out to win a share of the money generated when its national team, the All Blacks, play overseas.