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Heineken Cup 2008
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The 2007/8 Heineken Cup was an extremely competitive tourney, with the knockout rounds contested by both European heavyweights and newcomers. In the quarterfinals only Munster won on the road, as London Irish, Saracens, and Toulouse defended home turf. In the semifinals experience won out with Munster and Toulouse - winners of one and three titles, respectively - making it through to Cardiff. The Final was a tense affair that went down to the wire with Munster earning their second European crown.
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Super 14 2007
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The 2007 campaign began on a sour note with the World Cup All Blacks removed from action for the first half of the season. The South African sides took advantage of the situation to earn the top two places on the log which gave them the right to host both semifinals, which they duly won. The final produced a fantastic match between the Sharks and the Blue Bulls that was decided on the final play with the Blue Bulls becoming the first South African team to win the Super 14 title.
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June Tours 2007
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The 2007 June Tests featured nine internationals in the southern hemisphere as the All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies prepared for the Tri Nations. Australia squared off against Wales twice and Fiji once and won all three matches. New Zealand hosted an under strength France for two tests and then also played Canada, ringing up three easy victories. South Africa took on a depleted England twice and Samoa once, also finishing with a perfect 3-0 record.
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June Tours 2006
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The 2006 June Tests featured eight tests between the SANZAR countries and the top Six Nations teams. The All Blacks played two thrilling tests against Ireland with the visitors coming close to getting their first win ever against New Zealand. The Springboks had two matches against Scotland and won both by large scorelines but were upset by a rampant France team in their last match before the Tri Nations. The Wallabies crushed England twice before also handling Ireland easily.
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Tri Nations 2007
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The 2007 Tri Nations reverted to a six match series after expanding to nine games in 2006. The series was shortened because of the crowded fixture list in a World Cup year. New Zealand won the tournament by recording three victories against just one loss. Australia finished second with two wins and two losses, and South Africa ended up last by recording a single win and three defeats.
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Tri Nations 2006
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The 2006 Tri Nations expanded from its traditional six game format to become a nine test series, with all teams playing each other three times. NZ won the tournament by putting up a 5-1 record, with their only loss coming on the road in SA in Week Eight after they had already wrapped up the title. Australia finished second on the table thanks to their 3 bonus points which put them ahead of the Boks.
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Currie Cup 2007
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The 2007 Currie Cup featured the top eight South African provinces doing battle in the Premier Division from June to October. The Free State Cheetahs won all but one of their regular season games and finished on top of the log with sixty points. The Sharks finished second and hosted the other semifinal. The Cheetahs advanced by beating the Blue Bulls but the Sharks were upset by the Golden Lions. The Cheetahs won a pulsating Final in Bloemfontein.
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Currie Cup 2006
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The 2006 Currie Cup featured the top eight South African provinces doing battle from June to October. The Free State Cheetahs and the Blue Bulls both finished with fifty competition points and the two sides ended up playing each other for the third straight year in the Final after disposing of the Sharks and Western Province in the semis. The title game in Bloemfontein was tied after both regulation and extra time and the Currie Cup was shared for the first time since 1989.
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Lions Tour 2005
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The 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand was eagerly anticipated because for the first time the team contained Rugby World Cup champions after England won the crown in 2003. The squad was led by former England coach Clive Woodward and while it was a commercial success, the Lions were disappointing on the pitch losing all three tests by large margins. The most entertaining match of the tour was the Lions loss to the New Zealand Maori team at Waikato Stadium.
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Air New Zealand Cup 2007
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The 2007 Air New Zealand Cup featured significant changes from the 2006 edition, which was the first year that the tourney contained fourteen teams. Instead of playing in two pools followed by a second round of Top Six and Repechage matchups, the 2007 season was a 10-week round robin affair. The surprise team in 2007 was Hawke’s Bay, who finished in fourth place and eventually made it to the semifinals. Auckland won every match and were crowned champions after beating Wellington in the Final.
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