As his jaded players go their separate ways nursing post grand slam hangovers, All Blacks coach Graham Henry happily heads home immune to one headache - adverse public reaction.

New Zealand will return home to their shores the best team in the world by some margin – and the conquered home nations should be better for it.

Lote Tuqiri has urged the Wallabies to leave their Welsh disappointment behind and finish their European tour with a bang in Wednesday night’s historic clash with the Barbarians at Wembley.

The inspired Welsh dealt the Wallabies a reality check at Millennium Stadium today, denying the spring tourists a rare northern hemisphere clean sweep with a gripping 21-18 Test victory.

Eyeing a small slice of rugby history, Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock says defeat in Saturday’s season-ending Test against Wales doesn’t bear thinking about.

The Wallabies will be out to end their 2008 Test program in style when they take on Wales indoors at Millennium Stadium on Saturday (Sunday 1.30am AEDT).

As Robbie Deans’ first season at the helm draws to a close, there is a firm belief that the Wallabies have at last broken the shackles of the Eddie Jones era and are headed for another special chapter in Australian rugby history.

This is the final international Test for both nations, where a win would cap off very successful years. We could claim it to be a litmus test for the teams, but the reality is that both nations have proven themselves already this season.

Graham Henry gave Wales the highest praise after the All Blacks defeated the Scarlets, going away in the second half after a tight opening forty minutes, by insisting that the Six Nations champions could easily be part of the Tri-Nations tournament with their expansive and skilful brand of rugby.

Returning No.8 Richard Brown says the Wallabies must outdo Wales in the enthusiasm stakes if they wish to complete an unbeaten spring tour of Europe on Saturday.

Phil Waugh has vowed to make up for lost time after being recalled for the Wallabies’ crunch match with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Wales coach Warren Gatland says Australia’s possession of Robbie Deans, Matt Giteau, supreme confidence and old-fashioned street smarts makes the Wallabies a very dangerous proposition for the Six Nations champions.

When Steve Roach, the assistant coach of the NSW State of Origin side, called referee Tony Archer “a fucking cheat” after the third match last year, it was suggested he should stand down. Ricky Stuart’s series of abusive outbursts, and his “conspiracy” rants following the defeat of his Kangaroos side in the World Cup final, [...]

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is backing Luke Burgess to not only rebound quickly from his Parisian nightmare, but also emerge as one the most dangerous halfbacks in world rugby. So long as he receives a little help from his teammates.

As they eye a rare spring tour clean sweep, the Wallabies have been placed on notice that Wales will be anything but pushovers in Saturday’s Test at Millennium Stadium.

I was ordering my usual coffee at the Centennial Park deli (the best coffee in the Eastern Suburbs) on Sunday morning when a cranky 30ish man, with the look of a banker under stress, came in and said, apparently to no one in particular: ‘The Wallabies were pathetic against France. At this rate anyone can [...]

Loving life in Paris, Mark Gasnier has categorically ruled out ever returning to the NRL but also laughed off the suggestion he may one day choose France over Australia to become a dual international.

In a January 2008 interview with the UK Telegraph newspaper, deluded referee Craig Joubert expanded generously on his philosophy of rugby refereeing for us mere mortals sitting in the stands who only think we know what we’re seeing. “The referee is a facilitator,” he lectures.

Ewen McKenzie believes the 2011 Rugby World Cup is shaping up as the most competitive on record, claiming as many as eight countries are capable of lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy in New Zealand.

A defining moment in the birth of Australia and New Zealand as nations has been been the Anzac spirit, which has seen many Australians and New Zealanders die together on foreign battlefields in wars where we have fought for the same cause.