The News Review:
- Rugby provinces ditch staff – no cash
- Rugby champions come to town
- Top rugby referee faces hearing
- Rugby international in GBH charge
- n ‘toxic’ poinsettias holiday suicide ‘boom’
- Jim’ll fix it for away win
Rugby provinces ditch staff – no cash
Stuff.co.nz New Zealand
Provincial unions all over the country are shedding staff in desperate bids to balance their books. And if that wasn't bad enough large sponsors are starting to baulk at forking over large sums of money to align themselves with the Air New Zealand Cup. In one of several examples Counties Manukau Rugby Union expects to operate with about eight fewer staff than last year and several thousand dollars less sponsorship income than for previous years. Union chairman Matthew Newman said Counties would call on volunteers to plug gaps as it could not afford to replace anyone who left. It lost its chief executive to greener pastures earlier this year and its interim boss handed in his notice recently alongside several colleagues. "Cashflow is very tight – not dissimilar to the situation at several other unions" he said. "When your staff are slaving away working big hours as our people do for relatively modest income morale gets sapped when you have that sort of reality.
Rugby champions come to town
Southern Voice GA
comSeveral fit and sexy members of the 2008 Division 1 National Rugby Champion team will be at utwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse today to sign copies of their. rugbynationalchamps.
Top rugby referee faces hearing
Stuff.co.nz New Zealand
The Sunday Star-Times understands Walsh will front an NZRU disciplinary hearing after he allegedly misbehaved at the Sanzar meeting in Sydney two weeks ago. Refereeing sources including the International Rugby Union's boss of referees Paddy 'Brien confirmed they were waiting for the outcome of the hearing. But when approached by the Star-Times at his Auckland home last week Walsh said: "I don't want to comment" while a spokesman for the NZRU said it "never makes public comment on personal employment issues". 'Brien confirmed he had recently appointed Walsh to referee the final and possibly deciding match of the Six Nations between Wales and Ireland.
Rugby international in GBH charge
BBC News UK
A man in his 20s received head injuries in the incident on 26 ctober. He was later discharged from hospital. The 29-year-old winger from Cheltenham is due at Bath Magistrates’ Court on 2 January to face a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Nicknamed the Volcano he has won five England caps.
n ‘toxic’ poinsettias holiday suicide ‘boom’
San Francisco Chronicle USA
tmpl –>Contrary to popular belief poinsettias are not toxic to people or animals suicides do not increase over the Christmas holidays and sugar does not make kids hyperactive. Also Wales winning the rugby grand slam does not influence the death of popes and douching with Coca-Cola is not an effective contraceptive method.
Related from Medcylopaedia: Fact or fiction? We check out five holiday medical myths
Jim’ll fix it for away win
SkySports
Good run”We’re on a good run but we haven’t been getting the results in the Premiership so we need to keep the momentum and get something at Bath next week” he said. “We’re still learning lessons in the Premiership all the time. We’re playing some good rugby at home but we still need to be smarter on the road. “It’s a good start to this period of games. We were pleased with the scrum and how that went because it was vital that we slowed Harlequins down. “Dylan Hartley is competitive and aggressive and he’s learning to look after himself. He’s still young but you can see he’s a good player.