News

Cipriani to head Down Under

Author: John Harris
Date: 20/02/2010
Rugby Union betting

Wasps and England star Danny Cipriani has agreed to join the newly-formed Australian side Melbourne Rebels at the end of this season.

Cipriani's Wasps contract is due to expire in the summer and the fly-half has ended speculation about his future by agreeing a deal with the fledgling Super 15 outfit.

The 22-year-old has represented England on seven occasions but team manager Martin Johnson said recently that if Cipriani moved to the southern hemisphere he would have to settle for a place in the England Saxons squad.

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Winger Paul Sackey has confirmed that he will leave Wasps at the end of this season and join Super 14 side Toulon while the former Leicester Tigers and Saracens fly-half Andy Goode has agreed a short-term loan deal with South African side Sharks.

Goode has joined the Durban-based club ahead of their five-week tour of Australia and New Zealand after Argentina star Juan Hernandez's season ended prematurely because of injury.

In football, Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie believes his club have no choice to but to sell more players even though the transfer window closed more than a fortnight ago.

Pompey, the overwhelming online favourites to be relegated this season, have asked the Premier League, who in turn have made a request to world's governing body FIFA, to allow them to raise some money by offloading several of their stars.

The debt-ridden Premier League side face a winding-up order from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs although reports suggest a South African consortium are close to completing a takeover of the south coast club.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association have handed Hibernian manager John Hughes a six-match ban.

The former Falkirk boss was sent to the stands for a third time in three years during Wednesday's humiliating 5-1 defeat at St Johnstone.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has denied newspaper stories suggesting he had a blazing row with volatile forward Craig Bellamy on Thursday.

The much-travelled Welshman was reported to have shouted at Mancini after refusing to train with one of his backroom staff members.

Mancini was then said to have told Bellamy, who is continuing his recovery from a knee injury, not to return to the club for three months.

However, the former Internazionale manager has played down the stories and insisted that Bellamy could face Liverpool on Sunday.

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