Rugby Rule |
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| Sth Canty's Fine Heavily Reduced
South Canterbury has bowed its head before the New Zealand Rugby Union and received a much-needed dose of leniency over the $25,000 fine it was handed down for fielding an ineligible player in its Ranfurly Shield challenge. The South Canterbury union appealed the initial NZRU fine of $25,000 and today had that figure reduced to $7500 by the NZRU's Appeal Council. In effect the decision was one of leniency with the council being made aware of South Canterbury's struggle to pay the initial fine and their remorse at breaching the rule in the first place. The South Canterbury union was last month fined the initial figure of $25,000 for fielding an ineligible player in this year's Ranfurly Shield challenge against Canterbury. And though the council found that the sub-committee's finding was justified on the information that it had available, it was noted that broader financial information now to hand showed a substantially reduced ability to pay the fine.
Major sports to stay on analog television RUGBY league fans, cricket tragics and tennis fanatics can relax. The Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, moved yesterday to quash any fears that Australians would need to buy a digital set top box from next year to watch some of their beloved sporting events on television. She told parliament the free-to-air networks would not be able to show any major sporting event on their extra digital channel unless they had already shown it on their main channel. The Government is set to unveil its media reform package this week, including changes to ownership rules, the release of new digital services and extra channels for the free-to-air networks, which are aimed at improving the take-up of digital television. Last-minute lobbying from Seven to introduce an extra "standard definition" channel for the free-to-air networks before 2009 and allow them to show sport on it, had thrown the industry into a spin.
Call goes out to Waikato rookies Waikato will go into their biggest rugby game of the season so far on Saturday night with a rookie at first five-eighths and possibly another alongside him at halfback. The one-match suspension of first five Stephen Donald by the New Zealand Rugby Union judicial committee in Wellington yesterday ruled him out of the top-of-the-table clash with Auckland at Eden Park. Waikato coach Warren Gatland today confirmed Willie Ripia, who turned 21 last month, will start in the pivot position against Auckland in Donald's place with the experienced David Hill remaining at second five-eighths from where he will again be the goal-kicker. There is still a chance halfback Brendon Leonard, also 21 and a starter in all six Air New Zealand Cup games to date, will not be fit enough to play.
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