By NZPA
November 9th 2009 @ 7:12am
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NZ Super Rugby franchises for sale
New Zealand’s super rugby franchises are to be sold. The Sunday Star-Times reported today that a discussion paper which has been circulated among several of the game’s major stakeholders for comment, went before the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) board last month.
“This is the future,” NZRU chief executive Steve Tew told the newspaper.
“If the Australians [...]
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![With England due to face Australia for the 8th time in one-day internationals in the past few weeks – and the 15th time in all cricket in three months – it seems an approapriate time to pour petrol on the fire of debate that is surrounding the 50-over game.
The problem, certainly from where I’m sitting, [...] Alec Swann: One day cricket is a case of familiarity breeding contempt](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ecb-forces-one-day-cricket-james-hopes-th.jpg)
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Egypt is furious after Brazil was awarded a penalty on the basis of a video replay that was screened [...] David Wiseman: FIFA turns a blind eye when it comes to new technology](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/fife-turns-blind-eye-th.jpg)
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The Shizuoka derby is set to grind into gear, and as usual it’ll be handbags at six [...] Mike Tuckerman: Which is the best derby in world football?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/kenta-hasegawa-th.jpg)
![Over at Goal.com, my mate John Duerden has a fantastic piece up suggesting Australia and Indonesia combine their World Cup bids to have a shot at either 2018 or 2022.
With the Rio Olympics going to Brazil and the chastened Americans firming as a favourite for 2022 with 2018 inevitably going to Europe, the chances of [...] Jesse Fink: Time for Australia and Indonesia to unite](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/socceroos-2018-egypt-blatter-lowy-th.jpg)
![Saturday’s AFL Grand Final loss is a bitter pill to swallow for the St Kilda Footy Club after such a tight contest, but as reflected by Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt in his post-match captain’s speech, it’ll be the source of great motivation to go one better in 2010.
Speaking on Sunday, beyond the immediate emotion of [...] Ben Somerford: Can the Saints get their own redemption in 2010?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/can-saints-redemption-2010-Riewoldt-th.jpg)
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With News Ltd and the ARL set to make way for an independent commission to run rugby league, many supporters are praising the heavens that they [...] Steve Kaless: New league commission really just more of the same](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/david-gallop-th.jpg)
![Is it Let’s Bag Jesse Fink Week or something? First there was Les Murray at The World Game gently chiding me for defending Emmanuel Adebayor. Now Davidde Corran at The Roar has let out a very public groan at another one of my impassioned open letters to Pim Verbeek to play Richard Porta.
I’m a sensitive [...] Jesse Fink: Time for some A-League masala](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/gold-coast-expansion-mensink-bleiberg-buckley-th.jpg)
![Rudyard Kipling wrote memorably about ‘the muddied oafs’ of rugby football and the ‘flannelled fools’ of cricket. The cricket part of the description sums up the behaviour of Shane Watson and Sulieman Benn in the Perth Test between Australia and the West Indies.
I have played and watched cricket for more decades than I care [...] Spiro Zavos: Shane Watson and Sulieman Benn are modern ‘flannelled fools’](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/australian-cricket-watson-th.jpg)
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![Troy Taylor was one of the feel-good stories of the draft. Nabbed by Richmond at pick 51, the 188cm teen from the Northern Territory had made it to the AFL despite his troubled past. At the beginning of last year, it would have looked like an impossible dream.
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![The news that ONE HD’s new football show will kickoff in the coming weeks will be greeted with mixed feelings from fans of the game.
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Football fans [...] Adrian Musolino: Football must win over free-to-air television](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nq-fury-sydney-fc-th.jpg)



