Force, Reds playout thrilling draw

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Thrilling draw ... The Force hold the Reds to a draw. Source: Theron Kirkman / AAP

Star Queensland Reds five-eighth Quade Cooper missed a 75th-minute sideline conversion as the Western Force held on for a 11-11 Super Rugby draw in Perth on Saturday night.

1 Tries 1
Ben McCalman 52'	Chris Feauai-Sautia 73'
2 Penalties 2
Sias Ebersohn 22'	Quade Cooper 34'
Sias Ebersohn 26'	Quade Cooper 61'

The Reds appeared headed for their third straight defeat against the Force after slipping to an 11-3 deficit early in the second half.

Australia Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Brumbies	7	1	2	118	4	40
2	Reds	7	2	2	14	3	39
3	Waratahs	4	5	0	-44	1	25
4	Melbourne Rebels	2	8	0	-106	6	22
5	Western Force	2	8	1	-80	4	18
New Zealand Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Chiefs	7	3	0	85	8	40
2	Blues	5	4	0	49	8	36
3	Crusaders	5	4	0	56	6	30
4	Hurricanes	5	4	0	-5	4	28
5	Highlanders	1	8	0	-83	2	14
South Africa Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Cheetahs	7	3	0	12	3	35
2	Bulls	6	3	0	46	4	32
3	Sharks	5	5	0	40	5	29
4	Stormers	4	5	0	2	5	29
5	Southern Kings	2	6	1	-104	1	15

But a powerful 30 minutes from the Reds catapulted them back into the contest, with a Cooper penalty and a try to substitute Chris Feauai-Sautia locking up the scores at 11-11.

Cooper had the chance to put the Reds ahead with a tough conversion attempt, but the enigmatic Wallaby sprayed his shot to the left.

The Force tried to pinch the game as the clock wound down.

But a turnover just 22m out gave the Reds one last chance to win it, with scrumhalf Will Genia launching an audacious run down the touchline before being tackled into touch 40m short of the line.

The Reds entered Saturday's match having lost their previous two encounters to the Force, including a shock 19-12 defeat at Suncorp Stadium earlier this year.

Force winger Paddy Dellit further stoked the fire earlier this week when he claimed the Reds didn't show the Force enough respect before that round-five clash.

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The Reds dominated play early, and France-bound winger Digby Ioane thought he scored the opener when he touched down in the corner in the ninth minute.

However, the TMO ruled out the try after replays showed Ioane's boot grazed the paint of the touchline.

The Force struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities early, but were given a much-needed spark when returning winger Nick Cummins marked a box kick and made off on one of his trademark runs in the 17th minute.

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Although the fast break didn't result in a try, it gave the side great field position, with five-eighth Sias Ebersohn kicking a penalty shortly after to break the deadlock.

Force hooker Heath Tessmann was influential in the first half, unleashing a series of big tackles and forcing several turnovers at the breakdown.

The Force went into half-time with a 6-3 lead, but that became an 11-3 advantage in the 52nd minute when a brilliant break from Cummins set up flanker Ben McCalman for a try.

Ebersohn missed the easy conversion, and from there the Reds dominated possession as they powered their way back into the contest.

And as the Force penalty count rose, so did the pressure.

The Reds opted for line-outs instead of penalty points, and they eventually crossed the line when Feauai-Sautia barged over a glut of Force defenders to touch down in the 73rd minute.

But Cooper's miss meant the Reds' winless streak against the Force stretched to three games.

Reds skipper James Horwill was substituted at half-time after copping a heavy knock to the head.

"In the end we did well to get back and get two points out of the game,'' Reds director of coaching Ewen McKenzie said.

"They frustrated and harassed and kept us under pressure.''

Force coach Michael Foley was pleased with how his team rebounded from last week's 41-7 mauling at the hands of the Brumbies.

"I just think that was outstanding character,'' Foley said.

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Fremantle too good for Suns

Foot race ... Matt de Boer leads Harley Bennell to the ball at Metricon Stadium. Source: DAVE HUNT / AAP

A dominant first-half display has ensured a comfortable 45-point win for Fremantle over Gold Coast on Saturday.

0.2 (2)	Q1	3.3 (21)
2.5 (17)	Q2	6.5 (41)
5.8 (38)	Q3	10.6 (66)
7.12 (54)	Q4	15.9 (99)

Jaeger O'Meara 2	Michael Walters 4
Gary Ablett 1	Jonathon Griffin 3
Harley Bennell 1	Hayden Crozier 2
Jarrod Harbrow 1	Jack Hannath 1
Karmichael Hunt 1	Chris Mayne 1
Dion Prestia 1	Clancee Pearce 1
	Alex Silvagni 1
	Nick Suban 1
	Cameron Sutcliffe 1

The Dockers restricted the home team to just two goals in the first half to set up the 15.9 (99) to 7.12 (54) victory, which lifts Fremantle to a 4-2 record.

Michael Walters booted four goals for the undermanned Dockers, including three in the third quarter, as they made light of the absences of stars Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands and Nathan Fyfe.

A disappointing Gold Coast, coming off the back of their biggest win as a club last weekend against Greater Western Sydney, at least fought hard in the second half but couldn't close the margin enough to worry the Dockers.

The hosts kicked three goals in the third quarter but every time they threatened to come back the Dockers hit back.

Young gun Jaeger O'Meara's second of the match early in the fourth quarter sparked some hope but a dreadful error from defender Tom Murphy ended that surge as Hayden Crozier strolled in.

From there the Dockers weren't headed, Chris Mayne booting a final goal after the siren to seal the win with ruckman Jonathon Griffin (3) and Crozier (2) the other multiple goal-kickers for the visitors.

Ryan Crowley played a big role in the first half by restricting Suns captain Gary Ablett to just 12 disposals for the term.

Ablett vented his frustrations by wrestling Crowley to the ground off the ball early in the second term, the subsequent free-kick sparking an attack which ended in the Dockers' fourth goal of the game.

Jarrod Harbrow was one Sun to emerge from the game with credit, racking up a game-high 32 disposals but several Suns, including Aaron Hall and debutant Jesse Lonergan, failed to fire.

Last weekend's six-goal hero against the Giants, tall Charlie Dixon, was also subbed off in the third term with an ankle injury to add to Gold Coast's woes.

Click here to see all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

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Classy Cats too much for Tigers

Out of reach ... Mitch Duncan and the Cats held the Tigers at bay all night long. Source: JOE CASTRO / AAP

Geelong overwhelmed Richmond by 44 points to set up next Friday night's AFL blockbuster against Essendon.

4.1 (25)	Q1	3.3 (21)
8.4 (52)	Q2	9.3 (57)
11.7 (73)	Q3	15.7 (97)
13.9 (87)	Q4	20.11 (131)

Jake King 4	Allen Christensen 3
Jack Riewoldt 3	Jimmy Bartel 2
Dustin Martin 2	Mitchell Duncan 2
Brandon Ellis 1	Tom Hawkins 2
Shaun Grigg 1	Steve Johnson 2
Chris Knights 1	Billie Smedts 2
Luke McGuane 1	Mathew Stokes 2
	Mark Blicavs 1
	Corey Enright 1
	Jordan Murdoch 1
	Joel Selwood 1
	Trent West 1

The 20.11 (131) to 13.9 (87) win over the Tigers on Saturday night at the MCG leaves the Cats and the Bombers as the only two unbeaten teams after six rounds.

Richmond were impressive in the first half, but lost their composure in the third term.

The Cats kicked 11 goals to five in the second half.

It was a great night for Geelong's two milestone players, with Corey Enright (250 games) and Steve Johnson (200) having key roles in the win.

Cats players rushed to Enright late in the last term when he kicked a booming goal.

Mathew Stokes also starred for Geelong, while Shane Edwards 30 possessions for Richmond and Jake King kicked a career-best four goals.

Richmond, ranked last in the league for tackles before this match, were much better in that area against Geelong, especially in the first half.

But the Cats withstood their pressure, kicking the last four goals of the first half to turn a 19-point deficit into a five-point lead at the main break.

Geelong took full toll early in the third term as a succession of incidents rattled the Tigers.

First ruckman Ivan Maric limped off with a lower leg injury, although he was able to return to the field later in the term.

Moments later, back-up Richmond ruckman Tyrone Vickery was then knocked senseless at a centre bounce when he clashed heads with Johnson.

Vickery was subbed out of the game.

Tigers defender Chris Newman then reacted furiously when a free kick was paid against him, first clashing with Taylor Hunt and then Joel Selwood.

By this stage, the free kick count was 14-4 in Geelong's favour.

Allen Christensen's goal at six minutes was the sixth in a row for Geelong, giving them a 16-point lead.

By three-quarter time, the margin was four goals and another two to the Cats early in the final term put the result beyond doubt.

Cats coach Chris Scott had a beaming grin after Enright kicked his final-term goal.

"You need to be a bit careful about making outlandish statements this close to the finish of the game, but he (Enright) is probably the best small defender of our era,'' Scott said.

"When we were a bit average inside the contest, Johnson was the one keeping us in it.

"I loved his game tonight.

'''Boris' just did what he always does ... he's very reliable.''

Scott had concerns about aspects of their game in the first half, but was impressed with how his players steadied and took control.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick admitted his side became rattled in the third term when Maric and Vickery were injured.

They also lost Ricky Petterd late in the match with a leg injury and those three will have to prove their fitness for next Saturday's away match against Port Adelaide.

But Hardwick also conceded the Cats were superb in exploiting Richmond's problems.

"They're obviously 6-0 for a reason, they're outstanding,'' he said of Geelong.

He added it was "disappointing'' Richmond lost their discipline in the third term as they gave away a succession of frees and 50m penalties.

"The retaliator always gets caught,'' Hardwick said.

Click here to see all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

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Gambhir and Yuvraj axed

Axed ... Gambhir and Yuvraj not named in India's team for the Champions Trophy. Source: AAP

India's selectors drop opener Gautam Gambhir and all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for next month's Champions Trophy one-day tournament in England.

The duo were part of the side that beat England 3-2 in a home one-day series in January, with Gambhir scoring just 127 runs and Yuvraj 126 in five one-dayers.

Yuvraj, treated for a rare germ-cell cancer between his lungs in the United States last year, was named man of the tournament in India's 50-over World Cup triumph in 2011.

Gambhir has scored 5238 runs in 147 one-dayers with 11 centuries while Yuvraj has made 8211 runs in 282 matches with 13 hundreds.

India are drawn with South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies in group B of the Champions Trophy, from which the top two will qualify for the semi-finals. The other group comprises England, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

India, who shared the 2002 Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka following a rain-hit final in Colombo, will clash with South Africa in their first match at Cardiff on June 6.

Shikhar Dhawan, who played his last one-dayer against the West Indies in 2011, returned to bolster the batting. He is likely to open the innings with Murali Vijay, who also made a comeback.

Dhawan, who has so far scored 69 runs in five one-dayers, rose to fame after hammering a 174-ball 187 on his Test debut against Australia in Mohali in March.

With the conditions in England expected to favour seam bowling, India named five fast bowlers -- Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Vinay Kumar.

India picked three spinners -- Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja -- in the 15-man squad to be led by wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are the other specialist batsmen.

India are without experienced opener Virender Sehwag, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and seamer Zaheer Khan, who were not named in a 30-man preliminary squad last month.

Sehwag's 219 against the West Indies in December 2011 is the highest individual score in one-dayers and he is only the second batsman to score a double-century in the shorter format after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar.

But he was dropped due to recent poor form.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar.

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Rabbitohs too strong for Broncos

Nathan Merritt ... celebrates his try with Bryson Goodwin. Source: Darren England / News Limited

South Sydney sent another warning to their NRL rivals that the club's 42-year premiership wait could be over with an aggressive 26-12 win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

What made the 14-point win so impressive was it came just seven days after engaging in a brutal 80-minute battle with Manly.

2 Tries 4
Scott Prince 29'	Jason Clark 20'
Jack Reed 35'	Greg Inglis 45'
	Nathan Merritt 49'
	John Sutton 53'
2 Conversions 4
Scott Prince 31'	Adam Reynolds 21'
Scott Prince 37'	Adam Reynolds 46'
	Adam Reynolds 50'
	Adam Reynolds 54'
0 Penalties 1
	Adam Reynolds 4'

However to their credit, Brisbane refused to submit when the floodgates looked like opening early in the second half.

Souths led 8-0 early but trailed 12-8 at half-time after Brisbane hit back with late tries to five-eighth Scott Prince - his first since returning to the club - and centre Jack Reed.

An upset was on the cards in front of a bumper crowd of 39,111 but Souths roared out of the blocks in the second half, piling on 18 unanswered points in the space of 15 minutes.

Fullback Greg Inglis ignited the blitz in the 45th minute, hurtling onto the ball 10 metres out like a runaway freight train with Brisbane's last line of defence, fullback Corey Norman and big Dave Hala, powerless to stop him.

The accolades flowed from both sides for Inglis' dominant display.

"He goes alright back there," said a smiling Souths coach Michael Maguire, before Rabbitohs' captain John Sutton chipped in with "he's a freak".

Brisbane skipper Sam Thaiday said on form Inglis was the best player in the game.

"Greg has found a home at fullback, he punished us tonight," said Thaiday.

"Souths are a great side, particularly with him (Inglis) at the back."

Thaiday said Brisbane needed to get tougher and more ruthless to beat the top sides.

"They were tougher than we were, we weren't tough at all," he said.

"We need to get a bit of mongrel in us and fight to win games."

Four minutes later a poor last play chip option straight into Inglis's safe hands triggered a super try 95 metres down field to winger Nathan Merritt, who dumbfounded his rivals out of dummy half with a thief-in-the-night try.

The visitors final try was the softest, big John Sutton strolling through a yawning gap in the 53rd minute to make it 26-12.

To their credit, Brisbane stemmed the flood of points for the last 27 minutes while testing Souths defence several times.

But Souths' sheer size and power up front, their relentlessness and superior ruck speed and Inglis's class were the difference.

Brisbane missed the experience of centre Justin Hodges, especially when Souths came out so hard in the second half.

The win, their sixth of the season on the road, moved Souths into a share of the premiership lead with Melbourne and added further weight to predictions the club could win their first premiership since 1971. 

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Chiefs ruin Beale's Rebels return

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Thriller ... Chiefs' Gareth Anscombe scores a hat-trick, ruining Kurtley Beale's return. Source: Colleen Petch / News Limited

Wallaby star Kurtley Beale repaid the Rebels in his return from suspension but he couldn't help them secure an upset win over the Chiefs.

5 Tries 6
Scott Higginbotham 14'	Gareth Anscombe 2'
Hugh Pyle 36'	Bundee Aki 10'
Hugh Pyle 63'	Gareth Anscombe 20'
Nick Phipps 68'	Gareth Anscombe 26'
Kurtley Beale 75'	Sam Cane 50'
	Brodie Retallick 70'
4 Conversions 3
James O'Connor 15'	Gareth Anscombe 10'
James O'Connor 37'	Gareth Anscombe 21'
James O'Connor 65'	Gareth Anscombe 51'
James O'Connor 76'
0 Penalties 1
	Gareth Anscombe 67'

In a see-sawing encounter the Super Rugby defending champions held on for a 39-33 win at AAMI Park, holding off a late Rebels surge.

Australia Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Brumbies	7	1	2	118	4	40
2	Reds	7	2	1	14	3	37
3	Waratahs	4	5	0	-44	1	25
4	Melbourne Rebels	2	8	0	-106	6	22
5	Western Force	2	8	0	-80	4	16
New Zealand Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Chiefs	7	3	0	85	8	40
2	Blues	5	4	0	49	8	36
3	Crusaders	5	4	0	56	6	30
4	Hurricanes	5	4	0	-5	4	28
5	Highlanders	0	8	0	-86	2	10
South Africa Conference		W	L	D	PD	BP	Pts
1	Cheetahs	7	3	0	12	3	35
2	Bulls	6	3	0	46	4	32
3	Stormers	4	5	0	2	5	29
4	Sharks	5	4	0	43	4	28
5	Southern Kings	2	6	1	-104	1	15

It was the third narrow loss in a row and delivered more heartbreak for the young side.

The Chiefs scored four tries in the opening half - three by fullback Gareth Anscombe - to secure a bonus point at AAMI Park before the break and two in the second half.

Last round the Chiefs did the same against the Sharks before letting the South Africans back into the match and were forced to scramble to a late win.

Beale had missed the last six games; first through a broken hand and then suspension for a drunken altercation with two Rebels.

Rebels coach Damien Hill plans to put Beale straight back into the starting side next Saturday against the Blues in Auckland.

"He was electric, he added so much to our attack,'' Hill said.

"Two of those combinations he had with James (O'Connor); one led to a line-break and one led to a try so I hope Kurtley gets a lot of confidence out of that.''peChiefs coach Dave Rennie said his side wasn't finishing matches.

He returned to Melbourne this week with his teammates giving him the green light to play.

Beale came on at fullback in the 47th minute and made an inauspicious start; kicking the ball out on the full in the re-start.

But he showed he had lost none of his electric pace and skills as he helped set up a second try to lock Hugh Pyle.

He and fellow playmaker James O'Connor then combined to send Nick Phipps in under the posts before the 24-year-old split the defence and raced to the tryline himself in the 75th minute.

That made the scoreline 39-33 and put the Rebels right back in the hunt.

That appeared to be short-lived when Anscombe looked to have scored his fourth, only for the Television Match Official to declare an earlier knock-on.

Melbourne then took control of the ball and hammered the Chiefs tryline in the dying minutes but couldn't find a way through to get the points they needed.

Skipper Scott Higginbotham delivered another inspired performance, scoring a try in the first half along with Pyle's.

They were at one stage down 24-7, with Anscombe scoring twice within six minutes but fought back to 24-12 at the break.

With their three second half tries the Rebels finished with two bonus points, for scoring their five tries and finishing within seven points but it wasn't the win they desperately sought.

Hill was disappointed to be in the same position three weeks running.

"It doesn't get any easier,'' he said.

"The challenge for us now is that we don't lose heart and we continue the path that we're on.''

"We had the game under control a number of times and through a lack of rugby nouse and decision making, we gifted the ball back and gave up a couple of soft tries and put ourselves under pressure.

"We lack killer instinct at the moment.

"We get ourselves in a strong position and we should put the foot on the throat and finish it off but we put ourselves under stress.''

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Ryder back in gym after assault

All's tweet ... Jesse Ryder continues recovery from alleged assault. Source: Gurinder Osan / AAP

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder has made a significant step in his return to fitness since being allegedly assaulted in Christchurch five weeks ago.

Ryder said on Twitter on Friday that he had completed a gym workout in Wellington, although he was paying the price for it physically.

Back at gym 2day finally pity I almost died. GottaWork,'' he tweeted.

The 28-year-old has made a steady recovery from serious head and lung injuries since being allegedly assaulted outside a bar on March 28. He was placed in an induced coma in intensive care for three days.

Ryder's injuries ruled him out of playing in the current Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition.

Last month his manager Aaron Klee said it would be two to three months before Ryder was "ticking over properly''.

Name suppression continues for the two men charged with the assault. They will reappear in court on Tuesday next week.

A 37-year-old man has been charged with assault and reckless disregard for the safety of others, while a 20-year-old, the man's nephew, faces two charges of assault, one jointly with his uncle.

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Magpies do just enough

Relief ... Harry O'Brien celebrates a match-turning goal just before half time Source: JOE CASTRO / AAP

Three last-quarter goals from Travis Cloke have helped Collingwood down a tenacious St Kilda in a tight AFL clash at Etihad Stadium.

The Saints lost Lenny Hayes (calf) in the pre-game warm-up and Sam Gilbert to a suspected serious knee injury in the third term but fought hard before losing Friday night's clash 15.13 (103) to 11.11 (77).

3.4 (22)	Q1	3.2 (20)
5.7 (37)	Q2	5.5 (35)
10.10 (70)	Q3	8.9 (57)
15.13 (103)	Q4	11.11 (77)

Travis Cloke 4	Nick Riewoldt 4
Darren Jolly 2	Arryn Siposs 2
Scott Pendlebury 2	David Armitage 1
Paul Seedsman 2	Sam Gilbert 1
Jarryd Blair 1	Justin Koschitzke 1
Martin Clarke 1	Stephen Milne 1
Sam Dwyer 1	Dylan Roberton 1
Andrew Krakouer 1
Harry O'Brien 1

Saints coach Scott Watters said it was hoped Gilbert's injury was no more than a hyperextended knee but he didn't want to speculate.

"We don't think so at this stage, but we've had some examples even in recent weeks where people are saying it's not an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and all of a sudden it is. You've just got to wait for the scan,'' Watters said.

He said Hayes' injury was minor and the midfielder was unlikely to miss more than one more game.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said after a week spent focusing on the defensive elements of their game, the Magpies had failed to move the ball swiftly enough in the first half.

"It's a very natural reaction to take the focus off other areas of the game that you need to do well,'' he said.

"We probably just got too careful with our ball use in the second quarter but we opened that up a bit and got the balance right in the second half."

The win lifted Collingwood to a 4-2 record, while the Saints are stuck at 1-5 despite pushing quality opponents in Sydney and now the Magpies hard in their past two games.

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Essendon	5	5	0	0	176.70	20
2	Port Adelaide	5	5	0	0	148.45	20
3	Geelong	5	5	0	0	114.20	20
4	Hawthorn	5	4	0	1	131.57	16
5	Sydney	5	4	0	1	124.53	16
6	Collingwood	6	4	0	2	98.69	16
7	Richmond	5	3	0	2	112.13	12
8	Fremantle	5	3	0	2	102.57	12
9	Carlton	5	2	0	3	103.67	8
10	Adelaide	5	2	0	3	98.90	8
11	Gold Coast	5	2	0	3	95.13	8
12	Brisbane	5	2	0	3	77.53	8
13	North Melbourne	5	1	0	4	100.20	4
14	West Coast	5	1	0	4	97.46	4
15	St Kilda	6	1	0	5	93.47	4
16	Bulldogs	5	1	0	4	79.47	4
17	Melbourne	5	1	0	4	57.16	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	5	0	0	5	63.84	0

The Magpies were warm favourites, even more so after St Kilda lost midfield stalwart Hayes.

But St Kilda showed great defensive intensity across the ground to stifle Collingwood's run and keep the game an arm wrestle in the first half.

After the two sides kicked three goals each in the first term, the Saints kicked the only two goals in the first 18 minutes of the second quarter to at one stage lead by 11 points.

Late goals to Darren Jolly and Harry O'Brien gave Collingwood a two-point halftime lead.

The Magpies' midfield class showed out in the third quarter, as stars Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Dale Thomas had 27 disposals between them for the term and their side finally found some run and broke the Saints' defensive shackles.

Pendlebury was enormously influential, breaking free of opponent Clinton Jones to kick the first goal of the quarter and set up the next for Andrew Krakouer.

It helped the Magpies to a five-goal quarter.

Collingwood looked to have broken the game wide open when they opened the last quarter with two quick goals - the second from a brilliant Cloke snap - and opened a 26-point lead.

But Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt kicked two goals in two minutes to quickly narrow the gap to 14 points.

Riewoldt (four goals) took his 10th mark of the night six minutes later and could have cut the margin to eight, but missed his set shot.

Soon after, Cloke kicked his third of the night, from a free kick, and another early in time-on to give the Magpies a 25-point lead and seal victory.

Midfielders Leigh Montagna, Jack Steven and David Armitage all battled hard for the Saints.

But as well as their injury problems, they could lose Justin Koschitzke to suspension, over an incident late in the first half.

Click here to view all of the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

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Is Inglis to blame for spear?

Target ... South Sydney star fullback Greg Inglis. Source: Renee McKay / AAP

Matt Russell, Christian Jantzen and Topher Sutton discuss the week's big issues heading into round eight in the NRL.

Is Greg Inglis to blame for being spear tackled? Are Melbourne unbeatable? Can anyone stop Sonny Bill Williams?

Matt Russell helps you out with a few pronunciations and the boys give some tips for your tipping.

Plus how good can Jesse Williams be in the NFL?

To hear the full discussion, subscribe free to the weekly rugby league podcast – There's Always Next Week – which you'll find on iTunes: http://bit.ly/11QaDoE 

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Ioane off to Stade Francais: report

Au revoir ... Ioane has reportedly decided to join Stade Francais. Source: AAP

Wallabies winger Digby Ioane will leave Queensland Reds and Australian rugby later this year after signing a massive two-year contract with French glamour club Stade Francais.

It's understood Ioane will reap almost $2.5 million but the deal will severely endanger his chances of playing in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael on Thursday night confirmed French radio reports the world-class back would link with the Parisian club at the end of the year.

Ioane is regarded among the best wingers in the game and his loss is a major blow to both the Wallabies and the Reds.

One of the country's highest-paid rugby players, earning a reported $800,00 per season, the 34-Test flyer had another year to run on his Reds contract but his ARU deal expired at the end of 2013.

Despite a stand-off between the Reds and Ioane's management last week over alleged third-party payments he felt were owed to him, Carmichael stressed it was an amicable departure.

The pair met face-to-face this week and Carmichael said there were no hard feelings about Ioane taking the chance to provide long-term financial security for his family.

"He goes with our absolute blessing,'' Carmichael told AAP.

"I'm reassured about his feelings toward the Reds and his teammates and he'll always be a part of the Reds family.

"If he chooses to come back to Australian rugby after a couple of years I hope he picks up the phone and we'll welcome him back with open arms.''

While the French season starts in September, the ARU would be unlikely to release him from his current contract until after the spring tour of Europe in late November.

Ioane would still be regarded among the half-dozen certain selections in Robbie Deans' Wallabies starting 15 to play the British and Irish Lions next month.

Ioane's deal looks set to end his chances of playing a second World Cup, kicking off in September 2015 in England, as ARU guidelines stipulate that players must be involved in Super Rugby to be eligible.

The addition of the New Zealand-born, Melbourne-raised 27-year-old is a huge coup for Stade Francais - formerly coached by Australians Michael Cheika, Ewen McKenzie and John Connolly - as they are currently struggling in ninth on the Top 14 ladder.

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