Autumn internationals 2010

Wales centre Jamie Roberts will miss his country's November internationals after being told he needs surgery to cure a wrist injury.

Cardiff Blues star Roberts will have the operation to cure a long-standing problem which first flared up on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2009.

The 23-year-old, who has 24 caps, is expected to be sidelined for the first half of the season, meaning he will miss the clashes with Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand in Cardiff in November.

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"I injured my wrist during the second Test in South Africa last summer," said Roberts, who should return in time for the Six Nations tournament early next year.

"It wasn't until the surgeon had a look with a camera into the joint at the end of the season that the full extent of the injury was diagnosed.

"I played all of last season with a lot of pain in my wrist and so it is logical to get it sorted as soon as possible.

"It's pretty disappointing to be missing more or less the first half of the season, but I'll use the time to rid my body of any niggles.

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The All Blacks have made four changes to their starting line-up to play South Africa in Auckland on Saturday as they chase a winning start to their Tri-Nations campaign.

Prop Owen Franks returns to the run-on side named Tuesday in the place of Neemia Tialata after being among the reserves in the 22-10 second Test victory against Wales on June 26.

Veteran winger Joe Rokocoko returns to the backline ahead of the dropped Zac Guildford, along with the centre pairing of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith, who have both recovered from injuries.

Nonu replaces Benson Stanley, while Smith takes over from Richard Kahui, who drops back to the reserves bench.


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Coach Graham Henry knows the opening Test will be vital as the All Blacks attempt to wrest the title back from South Africa, who won all three Tri-Nations Tests against their great rivals last year.

"The Springboks are the defending Tri-Nations champions and like us will be keen to kick off their campaign on a winning note," Henry said.

"However, our squad has prepared well and the players are excited by the first up challenge this weekend. It's going to be a massive kick-off to the competition."

On the All Blacks bench, hooker Corey Flynn and loose forward Liam Messam return for the first time this year alongside prop Ben Franks and lock Sam Whitelock.

Halfback Piri Weepu and flyhalf Aaron Cruden join Kahui in providing cover for the backline.

South African coach Pieter de Villiers delayed naming his team from Tuesday to Thursday because of fitness worries over locks Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw.

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Former England captain Steve Borthwick is expected to be the notable omission from Martin Johnson's elite squad when it is announced on Thursday afternoon.

Borthwick, 30, was Johnson's first choice as captain and he led England for 20 consecutive Tests over two years before being sidelined by a knee injury.

The Saracens lock missed England's final RBS 6 Nations game against France and the summer tour to Australia and New Zealand, with Lewis Moody successfully taking over as captain.

Moody became only the second man in history, after Johnson himself in 2003, to captain England to a Test win over the Wallabies in Australia.

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Borthwick has not only lost the captaincy but now appears to have paid the ultimate price by slipping out of England's senior squad at the start of a vital World Cup season.

Gloucester's uncapped lock Dave Attwood is line for a promotion as one of four locks in the 32-man party after impressing Johnson with his performances for England's midweek team on tour.

Tom Palmer and Courtney Lawes, who made an eye-catching full debut as England drew the series with the 21-20 victory in Sydney, are certainties while veteran Simon Shaw is set to retain his place.

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England used 46 players during their five-match tour and Johnson left New Zealand at the end of last week with a few other tough decisions to make.

It is conceivable that hooker Lee Mears and wing Ugo Monye, both of whom were British and Irish Lions Test players last summer, could also miss out on selection.

Mears has dropped behind George Chuter in the pecking order while Steve Thompson and Dylan Hartley are set to fill the other two hooking berths. Monye is more likely to get the nod but he is competing with Matt Banahan and David Strettle for two wing places. Mark Cueto and Chris Ashton are guaranteed selections.

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Anyone seeking answers as to how England's international fortunes can improve would be advised to take a look at events unfolding in Sydney this morning.


It is no secret. The fabled three-match State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland, pitching Australia's finest players against each other, gets underway again for a high-octane contest many believe holds greater intensity than any Test match.

It is the brutal arena which makes or breaks players, testing not only their skills but resolve, character and mentality.

Ultimately, it helps moulds them for the Australia jersey; if they can survive the pressure of Origin, they can thrive at the highest level.

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It begs the question why the English game has no similar alternative to offer its potential stars a crucial stepping stone, an imposing fixture which could help sculpt them into superior performers.

Incoming England coach Steve McNamara admits it is something he wants to explore as he searches for the missing ingredient as his players step up to face Australia and New Zealand.

The traditional War of the Roses clash between Yorkshire and Lancashire ended in 1989 after nearly a century of action.

They briefly re-started during the Super League era in 2001 but it disappeared again just two seasons later following a lukewarm response from clubs.

New South Wales selectors, preparing to face a Queensland side boasting such stellar performers as Darren Lockyer, Greg Inglis, Jonathan Thurston and Billy Slater, can afford to leave out Paul Gallen who was part of the Australia side that defeated the Kiwis a fortnight ago as well as last year's Four Nations internationals Robbie Farah, Nathan Hindmarsh, Michael Jennings and Josh Morris.

The English game simply does not have that depth of talent. The other possibility though is England tackling a squad made up of the best overseas imports currently playing in Super League.

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It is an idea backed by a number of Origin veterans who know the value of representative football.

"It's perfect prep for international footy and probably better in terms of intensity."

Menzies offered an insight into the camaraderie such camps create adding: "You're training every day but it's probably 40 per cent game plan and the other 60 is just wanting to play with your mates.

"The atmosphere is brilliant when it arrives. I never forget before a game at Lang Park up in Brisbane and we'd drive past the Caxton pub. All these Queenslanders would be there throwing tomatoes and beer cans hitting our windows. We could get in another way but the management purposely did it to rev the boys up.

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England see a good deal of value in these annual "hit-outs" against the world's most celebrated invitation team, coming as they do before testing end-of-season visits to the southern hemisphere. Unfortunately for this Australia-bound party, the latest Barbarian combination were all "out" and no "hit" for much of the proceedings at Twickenham yesterday evening. Not only did they miss tackles the average rugby-playing infant might have expected to make, they also showed a distinct lack of interest in trying to make them in the first place.

Between them, the uncapped South African lock Ross Skeate and the similarly undecorated Australian full-back Paul Warwick did everything in their power to present Martin Johnson's side with cheap points, as did two colleagues who know what it is to play Test rugby and should therefore have made a better fist of it: the French centre Florian Fritz (18 international appearances) and the World Cup-winning Leicester second-rower Ben Kay. By the time they had floundered around like four fillets of wet halibut, the soon-to-be tourists were 20 points up and out of sight.

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But they faded, along with everyone else. Amid half-hearted Mexican waves and desultory choruses of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", England proceeded to construct a sow's ear from a silk purse, conceding possession, territory and tries in the most alarming of manners. David Smith, an unusually strong wing from New Zealand, and Census Johnston, a ridiculously strong prop from Samoa, both crossed, transforming a 32-7 deficit into something much more intriguing.

When Sackey took advantage of some high-class work from Cedric Heymans to bag his second try late on, England found themselves praying for close of play. They were a sorry sight: disorganised, lumpen and depressingly short of ideas, they looked increasingly helpless against a ragbag a collection of demob-happy bar-room carousers. The final whistle saved them, which just about said it all.

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Leeds will be without their Samoan prop Kylie Leuluai for Sunday's Super League game at Warrington after he became the latest victim of a tackling technique that the Rhinos coach Brian McClennan describes as a growing concern.

Leuluai suffered ankle damage that could rule him out for several weeks as a result of the impact of a third defender going low during the champions' surprise home defeat by the Crusaders last Sunday.

"My understanding is that more and more players are getting injured by this tackle, down under as well," said McClennan, who claimed that the Rhinos forwards Jamie Peacock and Carl Ablett have also been victims this season.

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"It's a difficult one," the former New Zealand national coach told the Yorkshire Evening Post. "It's not illegal, but it causes injuries. If the third man comes in from the side, you're all right. If he comes in from the back, and you don't see him, your body goes forward, but your foot gets locked in the ground, it gets hyperextended and that causes injuries. We have had three of those this year and it's frustrating.

"I don't imagine anyone's purposefully gone out to do this, but it is frustrating when it happens to your players. We'll encourage players to tackle around the legs too, but you have to take a bit of care when you come right around the back."

Leeds are also likely to be without their former New Zealand full-back Brent Webb for the trip to Warrington after he suffered an ankle injury in training.

The game at Headingley also took its toll on the Crusaders, who were down to 14 players in training at the start of this week ahead of Sunday's home game against Wakefield Trinity. The Crusaders coach Brian Noble said that Gareth Thomas remains at least a fortnight away from recovery from a groin problem.

The second Hull derby of the season has also been rearranged and will now be played on a Thursday night, 15 July, at the KC Stadium to allow live coverage on Sky. Hull's gifted but fragile 22-year-old three-quarter Craig Hall is thought to be considering a move across the city to Hull KR, who are also close to agreeing a new one-year contract with their ball-playing Australian forward Ben Galea.

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