Rugby World Cup
Tuqiri ponders return to rugby league

Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri is keen to follow Mat Rogers back to rugby league, the flyer declaring he'd like to play the 13-man game again.

Rogers on Wednesday confirmed a move to the nascent Gold Coast Titans after the 2007 Rugby World Cup and former Brisbane Bronco Tuqiri was quick to make it known rugby league was also on his mind.

"I'm not going to say, 'no I wouldn't like to play it again'," Tuqiri told Channel Nine.

"League has always been in my blood and it was the first game I played so there'll always be a passion there ... the answer is probably `yes, I would like to play it again'."

While the Australian Rugby Union is prepared to wait until next year to lock in the 26-year-old beyond 2007, NSW Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie wants contract negotiations with Tuqiri accelerated.

Women's Rugby World Cup sees a flurry of tries

Three first-half tries by fullback Amiria Marsh propelled defending champion New Zealand to a 50-0 victory over Samoa at the Women's Rugby World Cup on Monday.

Also, France brought Australia to earth with a 24-10 win, England overwhelmed South Africa 74-8, Scotland outlasted Kazakhstan 32-17, the US rebounded from an opening loss to England by defeating Ireland 24-11, and Canada spanked Spain 79-0.

Only New Zealand, France, England and Scotland remain unbeaten after two rounds. With semi-final berths at stake in Friday's last preliminary round, key matches include England vs. France and Australia vs. US, with points difference likely to be needed.

Most of Samoa's squad play in New Zealand but its knowledge was no help as the Black Ferns posted eight tries following a 10-try rout of host Canada last Friday.

New Zealand thumps Canada at women's rugby World Cup

Winger Claire Richardson scored three of New Zealand's 10 tries Thursday as the two-time defending champions sliced open the Canadian defence to kick off the Women's Rugby World Cup with a commanding 66-7 win in Edmonton.

"It's a great score to come out in the first game, especially against Canada," Richardson told The Score TV network after the game. "It's awesome."

The Black Ferns led 24-0 late in the first half before Julia Suguwara scored for the home team on a glorious solo effort after a Canadian lineout win and ensuing ruck.

The Vancouver scrum half ran at the New Zealand defence, before chipping the ball and gathering it in the try area.

Richardson and Stephanie Mortimer opened the scoring for New Zealand with incisive runs down the flank.

Ambush marketing in sport – the issues

Legislation will go some way towards solving the problem of ambush marketing in sport, says Department of Marketing researcher Professor Janet Hoek.

However, she warns that it is only one part of a complicated equation that includes the rights of individual players.

The Minister for the Rugby World Cup Trevor Mallard has said the government hopes to introduce legislation to provide greater protection to sponsors of major sporting events from ambush marketing – in which a company engages in promotions that may encroach on a rival's sponsorship.

The Minister says such legislation is in line with international moves: Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the West Indies are all moving to protect the commercial interests of sponsors of events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup and the Cricket World Cup.

Scottish Rugby World cup ticket sales dissapointing

Last week the IRB announced that they had sold their 1 millionth ticket for the Rugby World cup in France next year and sales are going well for France.

However if you look north of England ticket sales in Scotland are very poor with less than a quarter of the Rugby World cup match tickets having been sold for Murrayfield.

According to the Herald only 15,300 tickets have been sold and the ground holds 67,500. Murrayfield will host Scotland's two matches one against The All Blacks and another against a European qualifier.

"The organising committee made a conscious decision to concentrate Allez au Contact in France for the first six months of its operation, as this is where the bulk of the two million-plus tickets will be sold," a RWC spokesman explained to the Herald.