Reigning A-League champions Newcastle’s season of woe continued after they were cruelly denied a much-needed win against Adelaide at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday.

Newcastle’s Australian striker, Mark Viduka, made an encouraging first appearance of the English Premier League season as the Magpies played out a 0-0 draw at neighbours Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Australian coach Ricky Stuart fears a match-hardened New Zealand could be in better shape than his Kangaroos heading into Saturday night’s World Cup final.

Arsenal’s title challenge suffered a hammer blow on Saturday as a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Aston Villa left them nine points adrift of the Premier League pacesetters Chelsea and Liverpool.

Fiji skipper Wes Naiqama admits his players won’t have the fitness to match it with Australia in Sunday’s World Cup semi-final, but says they do have what it takes “within”.

New Zealand prop Adam Blair says the Kiwis must avoid another slow start if they’re to topple England for the second time in as many weeks in the World Cup semi-final on Saturday.

Money may not be the motivation behind Fiji’s stunning Rugby League World Cup run - but it certainly weighed heavily on many of the players’ minds.

World Cup disappointments England are doing their best to get under New Zealand skins by taking a calculated shot at their haka.

Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond could be banished to the stands over his part in a melee after last night’s A-League game against Perth.

Chelsea gave Luiz Felipe Scolari the perfect birthday present as the Blues returned to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Blackburn on Sunday.

Tempers boiled over as Queensland Roar prepared to end their home-ground frustrations against joint A-League leaders Melbourne Victory tomorrow night.

Rugby League World Cup chairman Colin Love put on a brave face today as he defended the event’s credibility in light of Australia’s dominance and scheduling that threatens to further undermine the tournament.

Star Kiwis playmaker Benji Marshall has allayed fears about his hamstring injury, insisting he’ll be fit for Saturday’s World Cup rugby league pool match against England in Newcastle.

Fiji coach Joe Dakuitoga warns his team can cause more upsets in the rugby league World Cup after causing the biggest boilover of the tournament on Saturday night.

Queensland replaced Central Coast in fourth place in the A-League tonight after further damaging Newcastle’s title defence with another away win.

Fiji scored the biggest upset of the rugby league World Cup so far with a stunning 42-6 win over France at WIN Stadium.

Central Coast Mariners have been boosted on the eve of their A-League match against Sydney FC with skipper Alex Wilkinson agreeing a new two-year deal.

Central Coast are set to continue their successful all-out attack approach in Saturday’s A-League derby against Sydney FC at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Something has got to give when Queensland travels to Newcastle for Sunday’s A-League clash. Jets star Joel Griffiths can’t stop scoring goals against the Roar. And Queensland can’t stop winning away.

They are not your run-of-the-mill role models. Several members of the Samoan team named today to take on fierce rivals Tonga in their World Cup clash at Penrith on Friday night have been known to make headlines for the wrong reasons.