I love Mancini: Balotelli

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Striker ... Mario Balotelli expresses his love for Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini. Source: Antonio Calanni / AP

Mario Balotelli has declared his love for his Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini but appears less impressed with others at the Barclays Premier League club.

The Italy forward, who was on target for the Azzurri against Denmark, revealed his relationship with his club manager remains strong despite reports he may leave England.

Balotelli told Rai Sport: "With Mancini all goes well, we have a good relationship even though someone always tries to put discord among us. We love each other."

"I am fine at Manchester City even though there are people who like to talk in the newspapers, instead of saying certain things to my face. I do not give a damn."
Mario Balotelli Quotes of the week

But the 22-year-old suggested he did not welcome the remarks of football administrator Brian Marwood who accused him of being a poor role-model.

Balotelli added: "I'm fine at Manchester City even though there are people who like to talk in the newspapers, instead of saying certain things to my face. I don't give a damn."

The former Inter man was in fine form for Cesare Prandelli's Italy side against the Danes on his return to San Siro, scoring one and setting up Riccardo Montolivo for another in a 3-1 win.

"I felt shivers returning to San Siro," he said. "This is the most beautiful stadium. If it was full it would have been even better.

"With the national team and with City I'm getting better in terms of work-rate and commitment. I always try to be humble."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11679/8172292/Manchester-City-forward-Mario-Balotelli-hails-relationship-with-Roberto-Mancini

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Clubs to get their TV cash

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Cash ... NRL clubs will soon receive the promised $500,000 TV rights bonus. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

NRL clubs will receive their sustainability grants from the ARL Commission on Thursday after a $30 million funding payment was negotiated with the Nine Network.

Clubs were each promised $500,000 before October 31, but were told this week to expect delays by the ARLC who were still waiting to be paid by Nine.

But after the network avoided administration on Wednesday when Nine Entertainment chief David Gyngell thrashed out a deal with lenders, the funds were transferred to the ARLC and will be in clubs' bank accounts by Thursday.

"From the moment we signed the heads of agreement with our broadcast partners we've been working towards providing this payment to the clubs,'' ARLC interim chief executive Shane Mattiske said.

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"This afternoon we reached a point where Nine was sufficiently comfortable to make the payment.

"This is just the start of the benefits the new broadcast rights deal will provide to the game's stakeholders over the term of the agreement but it's a significant step for the clubs.''

Given Nine's parlous financial state, the commission demanded an up-front $80m payment before signing off on the joint billion dollar broadcast deal with Fox Sports in August.

The news comes at a perfect time for Mattiske, who will host the monthly meeting with club CEOs on Thursday morning in Sydney.

However, he's certain to be grilled by club chiefs about the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement talks with the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA).

Clubs are desperate to discover how much they'll have to work with under the new salary cap, which cannot be locked in until the two parties reach a compromise.

The new billion dollar broadcast deal will facilitate an increase to the current $4.4m cap, but the two parties are believed to be some way away from signing off on a deal.

The RLPA want a dramatic increase for representative payments to players and to raise the minimum wage from $55,000 as part of the agreement.

"I was hoping to know more after the meeting, as it will make things a lot easier to budget for,'' Canberra CEO Don Furner said.

"The RLPA are working on a new EBA, but I know Steve Noyce was involved - he's now left the Roosters - and Richo (South Sydney CEO Shane Richardson) is overseas. So I am not too sure what the situation is.''

North Queensland CEO Peter Jourdain is also keen to find out so he can begin his task of keeping his big-name stars who are off-contract at the end of 2013.

Johnathan Thurston, Matt Bowen, Matt Scott, James Tamou, Dallas Johnson and Brent Tate are among the 20 Cowboys players who are chasing new deals.

"We've been given a fair indication of what the cap will be,'' Jourdain said.

"We have another year to go with most of this group and we're hopeful we can keep them.''

RLPA chairman David Garnsey said he's hopeful of rubber-stamping an agreement by October 31, but said the association would not be rushed.

"It's not like a football game, there's no halftime and fulltime,'' Garnsey said.

"We're working nominally to a October 31 deadline, makes sense as that's when the current agreement ends.

"We'll be resuming our talks in the near future.''

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Brits want sanctions for Serbia

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Not on ... Danny Rose (R) was left incensed after he was racially taunted by the Serbian crowd. Source:AP

The British government wrote to UEFA President Michel Platini on Wednesday demanding "tough sanctions" against Serbia following the racial abuse of England players by fans during an ill-tempered under-21 match.

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Abuse was hurled at the England players throughout Tuesday's game in the Serbian city of Krusevac, with monkey chants heard in the stadium.

After England's 1-0 victory, which secured qualification for the 2013 European Under-21 Championship, scuffles broke out between fans, players and coaching staff.

Serbia had previously been warned by Platini that ongoing crowd trouble at matches is risking its teams being banned from European competitions.

The English FA reported a "number of incidents of racism" to UEFA immediately after the match, and that was followed by sports minister Hugh Robertson writing to Platini on Wednesday "urging them to investigate immediately."

Downing Street said that British Prime Minister David Cameron was "appalled by the scenes" and wants UEFA to impose "tough sanctions" against Serbia's football body.

"We are determined to stamp out racism overseas and at home and we are giving full backing to the FA's complaint," said Cameron's spokesman, Steve Field.

"If we are going to stamp out racism from football then it is no good handing out derisory fines as has happened in the past."

In a reference to a much-criticised suggestion by FIFA President Sepp Blatter last year, Field said: "It is no good telling players to shake hands and forget about it."

England defender Danny Rose complained on Wednesday that trouble had been brewing throughout the evening.

He was sent off after the final whistle following apparent provocation, gesturing to the crowd that he was racially abused.

"The monkey chanting started long before I got sent off," Rose told British broadcaster Sky Sports.

"After 60 minutes my head wasn't really on the game. They have to be banned. I don't understand how else they can learn from it. They have to be banned."

Rose said he complained to assistant coach Steve Wigley about problems when the team went out to warm-up before the game.

"They started the monkey chanting straight away. I asked the lads if they could hear it and they said they could hear it," Rose said.

"Halfway through the warm-up I went to 'Wigs,' the assistant manager, and told him what was happening. He said I had to try my best to get through it and they would deal with it straight away after the game.

"In the first half I went down to get the ball for a throw-in and the fans started again with the monkey chants, but the first half was nowhere near as bad as the second half.

"In the second half I had two stones hit me on the head when I went to get the ball for a throw-in. Every time I touched the ball there was monkey chanting again."

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Lance steps down from charity

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Fraud ... Armstrong has stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong Foundation. Source:AP

UPDATE: Nike is severing ties with Lance Armstrong, citing insurmountable evidence the cyclist participated in doping and misled the company for more than a decade.

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The clothing and footwear company said on Wednesday it was ending Armstrong's contract "with great sadness''.

"Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him,'' the company said in a brief statement.

Nike said it would continue to support the initiatives of Livestrong, Armstrong's cancer charity.

Lance Armstrong says he is stepping down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer-fighting charity so the group can focus on its mission instead of the doping allegations surrounding the former cycling champion.

Armstrong decision to step down came a week after the US Anti-Doping Agency released a massive report detailing accusations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his teams when he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005.

The document's purpose was to show why USADA has banned him from cycling for life and ordered 14 years of his career results erased - including those Tour titles.

It contains sworn statements from 26 witnesses, including 11 former teammates.

Armstrong, who was not paid a salary as chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, will remain on its 15-member board.

His duties leading the board will be turned over to vice-chairman Jeff Garvey, who was founding chairman in 1997.

"This organisation, its mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart,'' Armstrong said in a statement.

"Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship.''

Foundation spokeswoman Katherine McLane said the decision turns over the foundation's big-picture strategic planning to Garvey.

Armstrong strongly denies doping, but did not fight USADA accusations through arbitration, saying he thinks the process is unfair.

Armstrong's inspiring story of not only recovering from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain but then winning the world's best-known bike race helped his foundation grow from a small operation in Texas into one of the most popular charities in the country.

Armstrong drew legions of fans - and donations - and insisted he was drug free at a time when doping was rampant in professional cycling.

In 2004, the foundation introduced the yellow "Livestrong'' bracelets, selling more than 80 million and creating a global symbol for cancer awareness and survivorship.

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"As my cancer treatment was drawing to an end, I created a foundation to serve people affected by cancer. It has been a great privilege to help grow it from a dream into an organisation that today has served 2.5 million people and helped spur a cultural shift in how the world views cancer survivors,'' Armstrong said.

As chairman, Armstrong did not run the foundation's day-to-day operations, which are handled by Livestrong president and chief executive Doug Ulman.

Armstrong's statement said he will remain a visible advocate for cancer issues, and he is expected to speak at Friday night's 15th anniversary gala for Livestrong in Austin.

"My family and I have devoted our lives to the work of the foundation and that will not change. We plan to continue our service to the foundation and the cancer community.

We will remain active advocates for cancer survivors and engaged supporters of the fight against cancer,'' Armstrong said.

The foundation reported a spike in contributions in late August in the days immediately after Armstrong announced he would no longer fight doping charges and officials moved to erase his Tour victories.

Daniel Borochoff of CharityWatch said last week it may take some time for donors to digest the allegations against Armstrong.

"Individuals that admire and support an individual who is later found out to be severely tarnished, don't want to admit it, don't want to admit that they've been duped,'' Borochoff said.

"People, though, do need to trust a charity to be able to support it.''

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Demons finally secure Dawes

Deal done ... Collingwood's Chris Dawes has been traded to Melbourne. Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Limited

Key AFL forward Chris Dawes will link with Melbourne Demons in 2013.

Collingwood on Tuesday night announced that Dawes would be traded to the Demons in exchange for a first round draft pick and a swap of later round selections.

Magpies and Demons officials met on Tuesday to lock in a deal, Collingwood confirming in a statement that the Demons would hand over picks 20 and 45 for Dawes and selection 58.
 

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The agreement is expected to be ratified by the AFL tomorrow.

Dawes played 71 matches for the Magpies in a career as a tall forward, having a key role in the Magpies' 2010 premiership win.

The 24 year-old played 23 matches in 2012 and kicked 16 goals but finished the campaign in difficult circumstances, playing the preliminary final against Sydney with a knee injury in a match that would turn out to be his last game for the club.

"Chris can be proud of his contribution to Collingwood. He played some good football for the club, where he has been a popular figure, and shared in the 2010 premiership,'' Collingwood director of football, Geoff Walsh, said in a statement.

"In his time with us, Chris always gave what he had and for that we thank him. We wish him well.''

The Demons' general manager of list management Tim Harrington said the club was delighted to gain the services of Dawes.

"We see Chris as a long-term player for the Melbourne Football Club," he said.

"He is a premiership player with plenty of finals experience and brings a much needed physical presence to our forward line.

"Chris fills a specific long term need for our club. At 24 years of age, he will grow with the rest of our group and will help build a potent forward line set-up for the Melbourne Football Club."

The deal was Collingwood's third of the trade period.

Former West Coast forward Quinten Lynch joined the Magpies as an unrestricted free agent two weeks ago and midfielder Sharrod Wellingham joined the Eagles in exchange for a first round national draft selection.

Melbourne has already secured Geelong premiership player Shannon Byrnes through free agency and lost Brent Moloney.

If the in-principle agreement is approved by the AFL, the Magpies will then hold picks 17, 18 and 20 in the first round of next month's national draft.

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Clarkie's Bledisloe III preview

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Flying fullback ... Israel Dagg has been one of the All Blacks' standout performers in 2012. Source:AAP

I think you all know by now that I don't like tipping against the Wallabies and that I spend a lot of time checking stats to see if I can spot any chinks in the opposition's armour.

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Well, I have to admit that there's not a lot wrong with this current All Blacks side.

Many thought they might have a Rugby World Cup hangover but apart from the fright the Irish gave them in Hamilton, it's been business as usual.

They had a clean sweep against Ireland. They've retained the Bledisloe Cup, won the inaugural Rugby Championship and they're still unbeaten this season.

If any Wallabies fans were hoping they might rest some stars and maybe take their mind off the job in Brisbane this weekend, they'd better think again. Motivation is not a problem.

They need just one more victory to equal the record shared with the Springboks for the most number of consecutive wins (17) by a tier one nation. They're closing in on the all time record of 18 wins on the trot by Lithuania (yes Lithuania!!!).

They'll also be determined to help Keven Mealamu celebrate his 100th Test cap with a victory. The hooker has been a great servant of New Zealand rugby and is a very popular member of the squad.

They'll be wearing black armbands in memory of coach Steve Hansen's dad, who passed away recently. Hansen has been with the All Blacks for the past nine seasons and has enjoyed a great working relationship with the players over that time.

Then there's the Suncorp Stadium factor. The All Blacks will be seeking revenge after losing to the Wallabies at the venue last year.

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That was the last time any team has beaten New Zealand and they'll be doing everything in their power to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The All Blacks have won the past three and 14 of the last 16 Tests against Australia. Three of their last four wins have been by 14 points or more. The Wallabies haven't been able to score a try in two of their last three games against them.

Scoring tries has not been a problem for Richie McCaw and his men in 2012. They've outscored their opponents by 33 tries to eight.

Seven of their nine wins have been by 10 points or more. And it goes on, but I think you've got the picture.

So what about the injury-plagued Aussies?

Well, firstly I just hope that they can compete and minimise the damage. They are, at least, playing at their favourite ground in Australia. They've won their last five Tests at Suncorp Stadium and 15 of the past 17.

They have a few experienced players returning from injury. Adam Ashley-Cooper replaces the injured Digby Ioane, Wycliff Palu replaces the rested Radike Samo and Drew Mitchell is on the bench for the injured Dom Shipperley.

15-1: Mike Harris (Queensland Reds), Nick Cummins (Western Force), Ben Tapuai (Reds), Pat McCabe (Brumbies), Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW Waratahs), Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps (Melbourne Rebels), Wycliff Palu (Waratahs), Michael Hooper (Brumbies), Scott Higginbotham (Reds), Nathan Sharpe (Force, captain), Sitaleki Timani (Waratahs), Ben Alexander (Brumbies), Tatafu Polota Nau, Benn Robinson (Waratahs).

Reserves: James Hanson, James Slipper (Reds), Kane Douglas, Dave Dennis (Waratahs), Liam Gill (Reds), Brett Sheehan (Force), Drew Mitchell (Waratahs).

So while it's great to have those players back in the squad, there's still so much talent on the injured list including James Horwill, David Pocock, Sekope Kepu, James O'Connor, Quade Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Stephen Moore, Will Genia, and Rob Horne.

Take three captains, your most experienced hooker and some of your best playmakers out of the All Blacks and they'd also struggle.

Nathan Sharpe has done a terrific job since taking over the captaincy and it's great that he's going on the spring tour next month.

He asked for more commitment from his team in Argentina and he got it. It might have been an ugly win but you couldn't fault the courage shown by the Wallabies in Rosario.

No one likes coming second but in the Wallabies case it wasn't a bad place to be at the end of The Rugby Championship.

At one stage it looked like they might finish last. So with so many players used in 2012, let's hope that the experience gained will be a blessing in what is shaping up as a huge season in 2013.

They just have to get through the remaining five Tests this year with their heads held high.

I think they will put up a spirited performance on Saturday. It'll be a full house in Brisbane and the players know they didn't play well against New Zealand in Sydney and Auckland, so they need to make amends.

It's going to take a huge effort to beat the classy All Blacks, but I just hope the Wallabies give it their best shot and show they learned some valuable lessons from earlier performances.

It's the final game in what has been a long and frustrating year at home. Let's hope it a good one.

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Watch the Wallabies take on the All Blacks LIVE from 8pm (EDT) on Saturday on Fox Sports 3HD.

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Pietersen talks will end rift: Broad

Exiled ... Pietersen (R) could return to the England set-up after the Champions League T20. Source: AP

England bowler Stuart Broad believes his international teammates are ready to end their rift with Kevin Pietersen after agreeing to peace talks with the controversial batsman.

Pietersen was sent into exile during the Test series against South Africa after sending provocative text messages to the opposition that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss.

The 32-year-old was dropped for the final Test and has since been left out of the one-day series against South Africa and then World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka, while Strauss retired from all forms of cricket during the controversy.

But Pietersen has now apologised for his behaviour and recently signed a new central contract with England after agreeing to enter a "re-integration" process.

The next step in bringing Pietersen in from the cold will be a meeting with his England teammates and coach Andy Flower.

Flower and several of England's senior stars were believed to be furious with Pietersen's actions in recent months, but there has been a softening of that attitude and Broad is hopeful the talks will aid the Surrey batsman's return in time for the forthcoming tours to India and New Zealand.

"It's in the management's hands. Of course (we'd welcome him back). We've had some amazing success with KP as a team," Broad told the BBC.

"I've been in the side six years, we've won two Ashes series and a Twenty20 World Cup, and we know that KP is a really dangerous player for us.

"There's not a better man in charge than Andy Flower to put the situation right and there's a lot of trust in him at the moment.

"Whether it's for (the tour of) India or New Zealand, the team will welcome him back.

"We pride ourselves on being an honest changing room and the only way to move forward is to talk about things.

"There will be a meeting with some of the hierarchy and we just need to lay some things out.

"I think that will be a really good meeting with most of the England players, and hopefully we can move forward and draw a line under the whole experience."

Watch every match of the Twenty20 Champions League live and exclusive in stunning HD on Fox Sports!

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Rooney's brother joins Barnsley

Family ... Wayne Rooney's brother, John, is set to join Barnsley. Source: Glyn Kirk / AFP

Wayne Rooney's younger brother has been offered a contract to play at nPower Championship club Barnsley.

John Rooney, a 21-year-old striker, has been playing for Orlando City, a third-tier club in the United States.

Rooney previously made seven appearances for the New York Red Bulls, but struggled to break into the team.

Barnsley manager Keith Hill says "he's worth taking a punt on and we can develop him.''

Because of paperwork, Rooney is unlikely to face Charlton on Saturday in the Championship but may be able to play against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Rooney will join Kelvin Etuhu at Barnsley. Etuhu's older brother Dickson has played more than 100 games in the Barclays Premier League for Sunderland and Fulham, and has made 17 appearances for Nigeria.

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Aussie cyclist admits doping

Stepping down ... Matt White has admitted to doping while with US Postal. Source: Matt White / AAP

Matt White, one of the most influential figures in Australian cycling, has confessed to doping during his time at Lance Armstrong's disgraced US Postal team.

White voluntarily stood down from his position as sports director at Orica-GreenEDGE and Cycling Australia men's road co-ordinator on Saturday, delivering a damaging blow to the sport's image in Australia.

The 38-year-old is the first Australian casualty from the US Anti-Doping Agency's damning 1000-page plus report on the US Postal team's doping regime.

The report claimed seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong's team conducted the "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen".

The document contained the sworn testimony of 11 of Armstrong's former teammates with disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd Landis stating he had shared testosterone and EPO with White in 2003.

"I am aware my name has been mentioned during talks that USADA has had with former team mates of mine in their investigation regarding doping activities at the US Postal Service team," White said in a statement.

"I am sad to say that I was part of a team where doping formed part of the team's strategy, and I too was involved in that strategy.

"My involvement is something I am not proud of and I sincerely apologise to my fans, media, family and friends who trusted me and also to other athletes in my era that consciously chose not to dope."

The admission is a major embarrassment for Orica-GreenEDGE and Cycling Australia.

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It came only hours after Orica-GreenEDGE's general manager Shayne Bannan said White had the team's full backing.

"We fully support Matthew White and trust his integrity as a sports director with us," Bannan said in a statement.

White, who rode for the US Postal team between 2001 and 2003, said he had not been involved in any doping in his roles at Cycling Australia and Orica-GreenEDGE.

"In my roles with Slipstream Sports, Cycling Australia and now at Orica-GreenEDGE, I have always acted within the ethos of clean sport and I am very proud to have worked with the new generation of clean superstars," he said.

"A lot has changed for the better, cycling is totally different now, and I have seen these changes as an athlete and also in management with my own eyes in the last decade.''

White stopped racing in 2007, his last team being Discovery Channel which was a continuation of the US Postal Service outfit.

He moved into management with Slipstream-Chipotle (now Garmin-Sharp) and said one of the main reasons he stopped racing was the desire to help change the sport with the team's founder Jonathan Vaughters and British rider David Millar.

"I stopped my racing career because I had the opportunity to be part of something that had the potential to actually change cycling," White said.

"The ideas about a clean team that Dave Millar and Jonathan Vaughters spoke to me about back then, were ones that the sport desperately needed."

White said he would not be making any further comment beyond his statement until Cycling Australia and Orica-GreenEDGE had decided on his case.

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Aussies fire at Gold Coast sevens

Pama Fou ... was a constant threat for Australia on day one. Source: AAP

Amidst the colour and carnival atmosphere of the Gold Coast international rugby sevens tournament, Australia are making a serious bid to win the event.

Australia haven't won a sevens tournament on home soil in a decade but they go into Sunday's finals day in a strong position to end that drought after winning all three of their pool matches on Saturday.

Top spot in Pool B and a quarter-final against Kenya was the prize for a thrilling 15-14 win over defending champions Fiji in the last match of the day.

Jordan Tuapou was the hero for Australia, diving over in the corner late in the second half to seal the stirring three tries to two victory.

Fiji scored in either half through Joji Baleviani Raqamate but a double to Allan Fa'alava'au and Tuapou's brave effort secured Australia's first sevens win over Fiji since May 2011.

"To finally finish it off was a great plus," Tuapou said.

"It was a team effort but obviously in the end I ended up getting the ball just to put it down.

"It's a great confidence boost for us ... it doesn't matter about the first day, it's what you put on the paddock the second day that counts."

Only Luke Morahan's knee injury less than a minute into the tournament dampened the party atmosphere among the 12,558 fans at Robina Stadium dressed in all sorts of fancy-dress outfits.

Morahan limped off the field with medial ligament damage to his knee in Australia's opening match against Tonga, a game the hosts won impressively 31-14 to get their sevens world series campaign off to a good start.

"It's not looking too good, I don't think he'll be back out tomorrow unfortunately," captain Ed Jenkins told reporters.

In fact, the injury is all but certain to end Morahan's hopes of going on the Wallabies end of season tour of Europe, after the Queensland Reds back rushed back from international duty in Argentina to be part of the sevens team.

His teammates didn't seem to miss the flier however, sealing a quarter-final berth with an emphatic 22-0 thrashing of Scotland in their second game in Morahan's absence before their epic win over the Fijians.

Jenkins has labelled South Africa as the competition favourites after they completed a trio of wins in Pool A by upsetting the fancied New Zealand 31-21 in the penultimate match.

South Africa now face France in the quarter-finals with the winner of that match to meet Pool C winners Samoa or Fiji in the semis.

Australia will face either Argentina or their great rivals New Zealand if they overcome Kenya.

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Watch all the day two action of the Gold Coast sevens LIVE from 11.25pm (EDT) Sunday on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports 2HD.

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