By Justin Chadwick
November 14th 2009 @ 2:58am
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Hauritz the man for the job, says Brad Hogg
Former Test spinner Brad Hogg has called on Australia’s selectors to give Nathan Hauritz an extended run in the Test side while the next generation of tweakers fine-tune their art.
Australia have struggled to find a replacement for spinner Shane Warne since the Test great retired in 2007, with Stuart MacGill, Beau Casson, Jason Krejza, Bryce [...]
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![As is his nature, the quiet and humble Stephen Larkham has been playing a significant role as one of the world class rugby players plying their skill and helping shape the future of Japanese rugby.
In this interview I did with him the other day, Stephen shares his insight into all things Japanese, including the [...] Todd Louden: A conversation with Stephen Larkham](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/larkham.jpg)
![Manchester City and Tottenham fans may disagree, but the English Premier League table already has a familiar look to it. Meanwhile there’s an altogether different outlook in what is, in my opinion, the most exciting league in Europe: the Bundesliga.
Traditionsverein Hamburger SV are locked in a dogged duel with the relatively unloved Bayer Leverkusen [...] Mike Tuckerman: Bundesliga is Europe’s most exciting league](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bundesliga-voronin-th.jpg)
![Forget for a moment the cause of Robbie Fowler’s tiff with North Queensland Fury coach Ian Ferguson – that type of disagreement can happen at any club in any league around the world. What’s been fascinating is the response from the public and media.
For the uninitiated, Fowler refused to play on Saturday night against [...] Adrian Musolino: Fowler ‘crisis’ shows A-League’s precarious state](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/fowler-smarts-th.jpg)
![The seven ODI series between Australia and India was considered as a test not only of who the top ODI nation is, but also of the health of Fifty50 cricket in general.
The series is currently locked at 2-all, Australia is three points ahead of challengers India in ODIs, and the spectator interest at a [...] Kersi Meher-Homji: Test cricket struggling, but Fifty50 thriving in India](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/test-cricket-struggling-fifty50-india-ponting-th.jpg)
![As feared, the 2008-09 Black Caps did not add to the Top 5 Kiwi Cricket Moments in the past fortnight. Their footballing counterparts more than made up for it, however, with a superb effort in the otherwise disregarded Rugby League World Cup.
Much to the delight of the Kiwis, the beaten Kangaroos coach then played [...] Andrew Jones: The Top 5 Sporting Dummy Spits](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dummy-spit.jpg)
![The AFL’s NAB Cup pre-season competition may provide nothing more than a chance to blow out the cobwebs for some teams, but for others it means more.
There may be no premiership points on the line, the best players may be taking a break, and the crowds may be small, but the competition is far from [...] Luke D'Anello: NAB Cup worth plenty to North Melbourne Kangaroos](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/north-melbourne-th.jpg)
![The long wait ends this Friday night when AFL footy returns with the NAB Cup kicking off in Perth. But after a dramatic off-season the new campaign will offer plenty of subplots to keep everybody interested and the pre-season competition presents us with our first insights into it all.
Indeed, this season’s Trade Week was one [...] Ben Somerford: Five things to look out for this AFL pre-season](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/grant-birchall-hawthorn-th.jpg)
![While the Australia 2018-2022 bid might have taken some succour from the withdrawal of Mexico from the race for hosting the World Cup, there looms a significant event on the horizon that will pose a whole new challenge: the official launch of the Russia 2018-2022 bid by the Russian Football Union before the October 10 [...] Jesse Fink: The Russian bear roars](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/the-russian-bear-roars-th.jpg)
![Rugby is a game defined by its lower levels, and in terms of basic hygiene, few bathroom facilities would rate lower than the gentlemen’s restroom under the Charles Wells stand at Goldington Road, the home of the Bedford Blues.
Airing an odour similar in my imagination to Anchorman’s notorious fragrance Sex Panther, these restrooms and [...] Garth Hamilton: The ARU should stop deriding English rugby](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/england-host-rugby-cup-phil-vickery-th.jpg)
![The Wellington Phoenix are kicking and screaming for their very existence, and doing a damn good job of it. A sell-out crowd of 32,792 watched them defeat Newcastle 3-1 in extra-time to book their place in the preliminary final against Sydney FC for the right to face Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final.
It was an [...] Adrian Musolino: Rise of the Phoenix gives us a true trans-Tasman rivalry](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wellington-phoenix-tim-brown-th.jpg)
![Earlier this year I attended a conference of sports historians talking about the history and future of rugby union.
The main speech was delivered by an English academic, Dr Tony Collins, an expert and passionate supporter of rugby league, and currently writing a history of rugby union in the 20th century.
Dr Collins’ main theme [...] Spiro Zavos: Does rugby league need a dose of the ELVs?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/eels-roosters-th.jpg)
![Make no mistake, we are currently witnessing one of the most intriguing and wide-reaching expansion phases in the history of Australian sport with codes venturing into uncharted waters like never before.
In the last week alone we’ve seen:
- The AFL’s Gold Coast FC launching their inaugural membership drive.
- An AFL NAB Cup match being held in [...] Adrian Musolino: Where will the codes look to next for further expansion?](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/sheedy-gws-th.jpg)



