WELLINGTON, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand have been forced to make two changes to their rugby league World Cup squad after the loss of fullback Brent Webb and prop Jeff Lima through injury.

St George Illawarra winger-fullback Jason Nightingale and New Zealand Warriors front rower Evarn Tuimavave have been brought into the squad as replacements.

SYDNEY, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - Squads released on Wednesday by the Rugby League International Federation for the World Cup to be held in Australia from October 25-November 22:

LONDON, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - Scotland have named six Australia-based players in their 24-man World Cup squad, including Canberra forward Scott Logan, their only survivor from the last tournament eight years ago.

PARIS, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand's rugby league World Cup hopes suffered a setback on Wednesday when full-back Brent Webb was ruled out after undergoing spinal surgery.

The 27-year-old Leeds player needed an operation to resolve the back injury that ruled him out of Saturday's Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

SYDNEY, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - The 24-man Australian squad for the rugby league World Cup in Australia from October 25 to November 22:

WELLINGTON, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - New Zealand 24-member squad named Tuesday for the rugby league World Cup from October 25 to November 22:

SYDNEY, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - National Rugby League champions Manly Sea Eagles were rewarded on Tuesday with six players named in Australia's squad for this month's rugby league World Cup in Australia.

LONDON, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - Lee Smith's match-winning performance in Super League's Grand Final has secured him a place in England's 24-man World Cup squad but experienced Wigan prop Stuart Fielden has been left out of head coach Tony Smith's selection.

LONDON, Sept 22, 2008 (AFP) - Gareth Raynor's dream of playing for England in the Rugby League World Cup later this year ended Monday when he had to pull-out from a training squad because of a toe injury.

SYDNEY, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Papua New Guinea have included UK Super League utility Stanley Gene and National Rugby League forward Neville Costigan in a preliminary 49-man squad for this year's Rugby League World Cup in Australia.

SYDNEY, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Australia on Friday announced a preliminary 46-player squad for their defence of this year's Rugby League World Cup full of the game's biggest stars and 11 potential Test debutants.

SYDNEY, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Australia's preliminary squad named Friday for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup in Australia:

SYDNEY, July 31, 2008 (AFP) - Rugby League World Cup organisers restated player eligibility rules Thursday for the 10 nations taking part, which were preparing to submit interim squads this week ahead of the 2008 competition.

TOULOUSE, June 27, 2008 (AFP) - England beat France 56-8 here on Friday night, running in 10 tries in a superb second-half performance which augurs well for the World Cup Down Under later in the year.

TOULOUSE, June 27, 2008 (AFP) - Rugby League international match played here on Friday:

France: Try - Wynne (8), Conversion - Bosc (8), Penalty - Bosc (23)

England: Tries - Pryce (14), Gleeson (20, 57, 61), Fa'asavalu (35), Fox (49), Senior (52), Wilkin (67), McGuire (70), Wellens (74), Conversions - Sinfield (14, 35, 67, 70, 74), Burrow (52, 57, 61)

WELLINGTON, June 2, 2008 (AFP) - The draw made here for the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, played in New Zealand from October 28-November 16.

Qualifiers from CAF (two from Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria) and CONCACAF (three from Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, United States) are not yet established:

TOULOUSE, France, April 3, 2008 (AFP) - The French rugby league team will play England on June 27 in an international warm-up game ahead of the sport's World Cup later in the year.

The match at the Ernest-Wallon stadium in Toulouse will be the French team's last game before the October 25-November 22 World Cup in Australia, the French federation announced.

SYDNEY, March 8, 2008 (AFP) - Australia coach Pim Verbeek has attacked China's plan to play this month's World Cup qualifier at high altitude but said his team would respond to the challenge.

Verbeek said China were trying to make life difficult for Australia by playing the March 26 match in Kunming, 'a place nobody has heard of' 1,900 metres (6,233 feet) above sea-level.

SYDNEY, March 7, 2008 (AFP) - Coach Pim Verbeek says Harry Kewell is in his plans for Australia's testing World Cup qualifier against China later this month but Mark Viduka is not, reports said Friday.

NEW DELHI, March 3, 2008 (AFP) - India's cricket chiefs on Monday announced a cash award of 1.5 million rupees (37,500 US dollars) for each member of the under-19 World Cup-winning squad.

Virat Kohli's junior cricketers regained the Cup on Sunday with a 12-run victory over South Africa in the rain-hit final in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - Virat Kohli's India juniors won cricket's under-19 World Cup with a 12-run victory over unlucky South Africa in a rain-hit final here on Sunday.

The South Africans, who bowled India out for a modest 159, were left chasing a tricky 116 in 25 overs after heavy thunderstorms forced the players off the Kinrara Oval for two hours.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - India won cricket's under-19 World Cup with a 12-run victory over South Africa in a rain-hit final at the Kinrara Oval here on Sunday.

South Africa, set a revised target of 116 in 25 overs following a rain interruption of two hours, were restricted to 103-8 by the Indians.

India 159 all out in 45.4 overs; South Africa 103-8 in 25 overs

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - South Africa gave themselves a great chance of winning their first ever under-19 World Cup title after bowling India out for a modest 159 in the final here on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - First innings scoreboard of the under-19 World Cup day-night final between India and South Africa at the Kinrara Oval here on Sunday:

T. Kohli c Malan b Parnell 1

S. Goswami c Hendricks b Arnold 6

T. Srivastava c Engelbrecht b Adams 46

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - South African captain Wayne Parnell won the toss and sent India in to bat in the under-19 World Cup day-night final at the Kinrara Oval here on Sunday.

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Ravindra Jadeja, Tanmay Srivastava, Taruwar Kohli, Shreevats Goswami, Saurabh Tiwary, Manish Pandey, Iqbal Abdullah, Pradeep Sangwan, Ajitesh Argal, Siddharth Kaul.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - South Africa crushed defending champions Pakistan by 98 runs in a rain-hit semi-final on Saturday to set up a title clash with India in the under-19 World Cup here.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - Scoreboard of the under-19 World Cup day-night semi-final between Pakistan and South Africa at the Kinrara Oval here on Saturday:

P. Malan c Ali Asad b Adil Raza 15

J. Smuts c Usman b Shehzad 58

R. Rossouw c Akmal b Shehzad 53

J. Vandiar c Attari b Rameez 50

KUALA LUMPUR, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - South Africa defeated defending champions Pakistan by 98 runs in the semi-final of the under-19 World Cup on Saturday to set up a title clash with India.

Pakistan, set a revised target of 252 in 47 overs in the rain-hit match spread over two days, were bowled out for 153 in 39.3 overs at the Kinrara Oval.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29, 2008 (AFP) - Heavy rain brought play to an early end in the under-19 World Cup semi-final day-night clash between Pakistan and South Africa here on Friday.

The teams will return to the Kinrara Oval on Saturday to finish the match with Pakistan, chasing a revised target of 252 from 47 overs, on 86-2 after 18.5 overs.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29, 2008 (AFP) - Scoreboard for the under-19 World Cup day-night semi-final between Pakistan and South Africa at the Kinrara Oval here on Friday:

P. Malan c Ali Asad b Adil Raza 15

J. Smuts c Usman b Shehzad 58

R. Rossouw c Akmal b Shehzad 53

J. Vandiar c Attari b Rameez 50

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29, 2008 (AFP) - Heavy rain brought play to an early end in the under-19 World Cup semi-final day-night clash between Pakistan and South Africa here on Friday.

The teams will return to the Kinrara Oval to finish the match on Saturday, with Pakistan, chasing a revised target of 252 from 47 overs, on 86-2 after 18.5 overs.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) - India overcame a rain-reduced target and a brilliant display by New Zealand's Corey Anderson to enter the under-19 World Cup final here on Wednesday.

Left-handed Anderson smashed 70 off 68 and balls and took a stunning catch, but India held their nerves amid mounting tension to squeak home by three wickets in a rain-hit semi-final under lights.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) - Scoreboard of the under-19 World Cup day-night semi-final between India and New Zealand at the Kinrara Oval here on Wednesday:

G. Worker c Tiwary b Argal 3

K. Williamson st Goswami b V. Kohli 37

M. Guptill-Bunce b Jadeja 11

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) - India defeated New Zealand by three wickets in a rain-hit day-night match on Wednesday to enter the final of cricket's under-19 World Cup here.

India await the winners of Friday's second semi-final between defending champions Pakistan and South Africa in the title clash on Sunday.

New Zealand 205-8 in 50 overs; India 191-7 in 41.3 overs

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25, 2008 (AFP) - Defending champions Pakistan stayed on course for a hat-trick of under-19 World Cup titles with a six-wicket win over Australia on Monday to enter the semi-finals.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25, 2008 (AFP) - Scores from Monday's quarter-final matches in cricket's under-19 World Cup here:

Pakistan bt Australia by six wickets at Kinrara Oval

Australia 129 all out in 47.2 overs (Steven Smith 22, James Pattinson 34, Adil Raza 3-26, Azhar Attari 2-23, Imad Wasim 2-21, Umar Akmal 2-20)

STELLENBOSCH, South Africa, Feb 24, 2008 (AFP) - Opening bowler Alicia Smith took five wickets for seven runs as South Africa crushed Pakistan by eight wickets in the final of the Women's World Cup Qualifier tournament at the Stellenbosch University ground Sunday.

STELLENBOSCH, South Africa, Feb 24, 2008 (AFP) - Final scoreboard in the Women's World Cup Qualifier final between South Africa and Pakistan at the Stellenbosch University ground Sunday:

Tasqeen Qadeer c Chetty b Smith 12

Bismah Maroof lbw b Smith 0

Sajjida Shah lbw b Smith 0