Shane Richardson, the chief executive for South Sydney Rugby league said that the only way for the game of rugby to move forward is to have “true independence.”

Late last week, the coaches, captains, chairmen and chief executives of the league gathered in Sydney and unanimously voted to end the rule of the Australian Rugby League and News Limited in favor of an independent commission.

Richardson said that there are changes in the rules of the game that must be enacted quickly in order to serve what the fans want. He added that an agreement can be drafted faster between ARL and News Limited.

The chief executive stressed that the new independent commission can be set into place before this year’s season starts.

Richardson said that true independence means putting the public’s interest first rather than certain vested interests.

Greg Bird, a player for the Australian rugby league international, was cleared of charges for assaulting his girlfriend last Wednesday and can now continue playing for the team. The last time Bird played was last season. He was fired by Australian National Rugby League club Cronulla in January this year.

According to reports, Bird’s American girlfriend Katie Milligan incurred broken eye socket and eye cuts after an alleged fight that took place in August 2008. Bird was sentenced to eight months in jail with a maximum term of 16 months.

However, evidence surfaced that Milligan’s drug use caused the fight. Milligan allegedly attempted to attack Bird with a water glass and the rugby player was just attempting to defend himself.

The glass reportedly broke but it remained unclear why it did and why it ended up bruising Milligan.

Australian coach Robbie Deans warned his team that the highly-anticipated rugby match against Ireland at the Croke Park in Dublin this Sunday will serve as a test for the team’s development.
Australia defeated England last weekend but Deans said that the team should not be complacent in the upcoming match considered that Ireland is a Six Nations titlist and could provide a tougher match. He said that this will serve a test for the team to determine if they already have what it takes to dominate the sport.

He said that it’s “litmus test” for the team since aside from being Six Nations champions, Ireland has been European Cup champions for two years (2008 and this year) thus making Sunday’s match a lucrative one.

He added that the Irish team is always expected to win everytime which gives them more confidence when it comes to high profile matches.

The bidding action begins for the right to host the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup and as of now four countries have expressed strong interest to hold this prestigious sporting competition.

According to reports, Samoa, United States, Kazakhstan and New Zealand have expressed interest in hosting this rugby. This development was announced by the International Rugby Board officials on Monday.

The Rugby World Cup Limited will now go through the bids and will be coming up with recommendations at the IRB Council meeting by May next year.

IRB Women’s Development Manager Susan Carty said that they’re currently working hard to make the rugby event for 2010 become successful and added that they are happy to note that more people are expressing interest in the game. England will be hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year.

Former All Blacks rugby player Chris Jack is reportedly slated to make a grand return to the Canterbury Crusaders by 2010 after his two-year stint with Saracens, a London-based club.

This development came out after five New Zealand Super 14 rugby franchises announced their players for the next season earlier in the day. Jack caught everyone’s attention when he was chosen to become part of Crusaders, a team he was playing for prior to his transfer to Saracens in 2007. He played 84 matches for Crusaders.

Also making a return to the Crusaders team is All Blacks flyhalf Daniel Carter who took a year-long leave to play for Perignan, a French-based club. He was forced to rest for more than seven months after incurring injury on his Achilles tendon.

All Blacks winger Zac Guilford will be playing for Canterbury.

Coming up with a winning team for the 2011 Rugby World Cup is not going to be easy but it can be determined through the players’ performances in tournaments this early. As the All Blacks fly to Japan this weekend for a six-week tour and games, the coaches’ and players’ performances will be observed.

According to reports, the tour served as a great opportunity to determine which team should composed New Zealand in a bid to boost the team’s chances to win the prestigious title in home soil.

All Blacks coaches Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith admitted last weekend in a press conference that a massive shake-up is needed in the team. This is to boost the chances of New Zealand in making it as far as lifting the trophy once the 2011 Rugby World Cup is over.

England rugby team player Jonny Wilkinson seems to be at the right track for a much-needed comeback after several years of injury and so-called “soul-searching.”

In an interview, Wilkinson revealed that he’s no trying to get out of his comfort zone in a bid to make that much needed rebound and return to the sport that he’s identified to. He added that being at Toulon is a great gift for himself. He’s now gearing up with the team for the autumn internationals next month.

England will be facing Australia while New Zealand and Argentina will battle it out in the other matches. These rugby matches are expected to take place in a span of two weeks.

Being part of a team located in Southern France is a great opportunity for Wilkinson who needs this comeback to set his life in order.

Wales and England, world rugby champions, have reportedly welcomed the official decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday to include the sport at the 2016 Olympic Games, in which Rio de Janeiro will be hosting.
The last time rugby was played at the Olympics was in 1924 when Paris hosted the Games.

The IOC officials voted for the addition of rugby sevens and golf during a gathering in Copenhagen last week.

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) Head of Performance and Development Joe Lydon said that the decision is a big boost for the sport. He added that more people will become interested in the sport which would mean more revenues and sponsors for the sport.

Wales clinched the men’s title at the Rugby Sevens World Championship in March this year. The event was hosted by Dubai. The women’s title was won by Australia.

This time, Wales will compete with players from Scotland and England for a spot for the British Team in the 2016 Games.

Welsh rugby team Cardiff Blues had a heartbreaking loss last season when it missed the penalty shoot-out while other teams Scarlets, Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons are also dealing with their own woes.

The loss against Leicester meant that there won’t be a team coming from Welsh region that made it to the final of the European Cup for the first time.

Surprisingly, the Blues made a heroic run last season but missed the mark in the latter part of the competitions. Other teams also showed signs of a promising season but eventually faltered.

This year will serve as a big challenge for the Welsh rugby if they want to fare well in the Heineken Cup. This prestigious competition promises to be very competitive and exciting for rugby fans from all over the world.

Andrius Gedgaudas, a China-based architect, has been chosen as one of the five finalists to redevelop the Queens Wharf in time for the 2011 World Cup Rugby in which New Zealand will be hosting.

The selection committee chose the Shanghai-based architect among the many because the proposed design he submitted featured a strong public realm experience, not to mention that it is simple.

There were 237 entries chosen by the committee. Gedgaudas will be competing with the other four finalists, all based from Auckland.

The committee members stated that they are satisfied with the five finalists as they all managed to make the right balance between creating a great venue for spectators and celebrating the fact that the country is hosting a prestigious rugby tournament.

The final five designers were given until October 23 to finalize their designs. This ambitious project costs $74 million.