McBryde confident of Wales success

Forwards coach Robin McBryde believes the current Wales team is good enough to beat Australia Down Under for the first time since 1969.

Indeed that is the 2012 Grand Slam winners’ only victory against the Wallabies in Australia, and despite the online gambling markets going against them once again, McBryde believes momentum will carry the current team to success.

Wales reached the semi-finals of the World Cup last year before sealing their third Six Nations Grand Slam in eight years and McBryde, who won 37 caps in the front row for his country, says confidence within the squad is high.

Rob Howley will lead Wales in the three Tests against Australia, due to coach Warren Gatland's injury absence, and McBryde said: "Momentum has been behind us since the World Cup, and we managed to keep that going through the Six Nations.

"The players have created their own little bit of history, and they are keen for more. I have seen reports in the papers about it being a long season, but that hasn't been raised by the players.

"If we win one of the games, it is something we haven't been able to down there for a number of years. We have got three bites of the cherry."

Wales’ only victory in Australia came 43 years ago when they edged to a 19-16 victory in Sydney but they have lost twice to the Wallabies in the last season, making it understandable that they are placed as outsiders in the betting.

They narrowly lost the bronze medal match at the World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland 21-18 before being beaten in Cardiff 24-18 in December.

Corbisiero ready for demanding tour

England loosehead Alex Corbisiero is refusing to get complacent ahead of this summer’s daunting trip to South Africa.

The 23-year-old London Irish star has become a regular in the England line-up and a favourite among those that bet on sports after making only one start and three substitute appearances at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

He started all five matches for Stuart Lancaster’s side at this year’s Six Nations Championship when he impressed, despite being forced to come up against the likes of Scotland’s Euan Murray, Adam Jones  of Wales, Italy‘s Martin Castrogiovanni, France’s Nicolas Mas and Ireland’s Mike Ross.

The prop has now won 15 caps and is hoping to add to his international experience on what is expected to be a tough tour of South Africa.

Corbisiero said: "The World Cup was a massive learning experience for me. At such a competitive level, it really opens your eyes to how big rugby is and the responsibility you have as a player.

“Obviously you’re aware of what you’ve achieved but you can’t take your foot off the pedal - it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get that result.

“To do it again against a team like South Africa is going to be a massive challenge but we’re just going to control what we can control, prepare as best we can and go out there and give them the best competition we can.”

England will play three Tests in South Africa as well as two midweek matches in the space of only 15 days in what is sure to be an extremely demanding tour. It should produce some unpredictable live scores.

O'neill talks up Aussie Super 15 clubs

The Super Rugby regular season is heading for "quite a tight finish", ARU boss John O'Neill has predicted in a rallying call for the Australian conference.

A cursory look at the league ladder and it would be fair to suggest O'Neill made his assessment through Green and Gold tinted glasses, given that the third-placed Brumbies - priced at 1/3 with bet365 to end Top Australian Team - are the only Australian side pitched in the top six.

However, the fact that there are five rounds remaining suggests he should be given the benefit of the doubt, despite many rugby previews contradicting O’Neill’s opinion

Certainly, defending champions Queensland, buoyed by the return of Quade Cooper, look to be ending the campaign with a rattle and have recorded successive bonus-point wins. The Reds (9/4 next best in the Top Australian Team betting) are up to eighth, five points off sixth spot and eight behind the Brumbies.

The two square off this weekend in Canberra in a mouth-watering all-Australia clash and defeat for Queensland would almost certainly seal the conference title for the ACT-based franchise.

"It (just one Australian finalist) is not a big blow, it's a tough competition," O'Neill told reporters. "I'd always prefer to see two Australian teams in the finals. Certainly the winner of the conference goes through automatically. It will be quite a tight finish, I think."

Melbourne Rebels, NSW Waratahs and Western Force have all seen their finals hopes diminish in recent weeks and their odds lengthen in several online bets, but O'Neill argued this was not a fair reflection on the Australian conference.

He added: "The people who have been arguing or saying that the Australian conference is weak, I don't think recent results, with Australian teams beating New Zealand and South African teams, really supports that notion."

Youngs ready to reclaim spot

Ben Youngs has made it clear he is determined to reclaim his place as England first-choice scrum-half despite being one of three in-form players vying for the number-nine jersey on this summer’s tour of South Africa.

Lee Dickson is the current man in possession of the scrum-half position, although it remains to be seen who will start this summer’s series against the Springboks with the number-nine shirt.

Leicester star Youngs had established himself as England’s scrum half under Martin Johnson, only to lose his place during the Six Nations campaign earlier this year under Stuart Lancaster.

Youngs’ club has enjoyed a successful season in 2011/12 and as a result have featured heavily in Aviva Premiership betting tips.

But Danny Care’s return to the national side has only made the battle for the scrum-half position tougher, with all three desperately wanting to be in that starting line-up against the Springboks on June 9.

Youngs has admitted he was hit hard by being dropped during the Six Nations, making it clear he would be doing all he could between now and the first Test in Durban to convince head coach Lancaster he is the man to start at nine.

The Leicester man also highlighted the quality of Care, who could be Youngs’ main rival this summer.

“I want to start the First Test. Stuart Lancaster will have to decide who he is going with but I want to give him a selection headache and something to think about.”

“Losing the shirt during the Six Nations wasn’t nice. I want to play every game and it was a relief to come on against Ireland.”

“Danny Care is a great player. He’s had a bit of a torrid time but everything that Quins do well comes through him.”

Lancaster is well aware of just what Care is capable of following the duo’s time together at Leeds, and the Quins star looks most likely to start the series at nine.

Youngs will still have time to change Lancaster’s mind, however, as will Dickson, who has slipped under the radar for much of the year on his way to the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, following Leinster’s victory over Ulster in this year’s final, the Betfair Heineken Cup tips  for next season’s competition have already begun to roll in.

Connor to miss Scots clash

James O'Connor will not be involved when Australia bid to avoid a repeat of their November 2009 horror show against Scotland next month.

The Melbourne Rebels utility back took to his official Twitter account to reveal he has a lacerated liver and will be unable to take part in contact training for about a month.

It means coach Robbie Deans faces the unenviable and unwanted scenario of asking the bulk of his squad to go again three times in the space of one week when the June internationals get underway, meaning the online bets are now swinging against them.

Deans had hoped to recruit fringe players and Test hopefuls to play Scotland in Newcastle on June 5 because it comes just days after a round of Super Rugby fixtures – and days before they face RBS 6 Nations champions Wales in a mouth-watering fixture the following Saturday in Brisbane.

Now it might mean representatives from the Rebels, the Brumbies and the Waratahs are asked to switch from club to Test jersey in matter of days.

Rugby previews are already casting people’s mind back to Murrayfield in November 2009 and arguably the lowest point of Deans' five-year tenure to date against the Scots when the Wallabies crashed 9-8 in a fixture to forget.

Test candidates who need no reminding of that debacle are Adam Ashley-Cooper, Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Will Genia, Robinson, Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Rocky Elsom, Wycliff Palu, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Sekope Kepu.

Fit-again Queensland Reds star Quade Cooper made his competitive return last weekend but Deans intimated recently the June internationals may come too soon for the talented 24-year-old.

Mealamu in fitness battle to face Irish

Keven Mealamu is facing a race against time as he looks to recover from a calf injury in time to take on the touring Ireland side in June’s test series. The experienced hooker has been struggling with the problem since the start of the Super Rugby season, featuring in just six matches for the Blues and only lasting the full 80 minutes in half of those games.

There had been optimism that the 92-test front-row would be back training in plenty of time to be considered for the Ireland matches; however, All Blacks chief Steve Hansen has confirmed Mealamu has suffered a setback in his recovery, now making it doubtful the 33-year old would be ready for the series.

Mealamu’s setback has left the All Blacks a little light in the hooker position, with Andrew Hore now left as the last remaining number two in the current training squad. Hansen admitted he would now have to decide whether or not to call up another hooker to replace the influential Mealamu or wait for the veteran to prove his fitness.

"Kevvie is a bit of a worry with that calf, there may be an issue arising there," Hansen said. "Clearly if things don't go well we will have to bring in another player."

“We have other options available to us in that position, so we’ll just have to see how things pan out over the next week or so.”

Hansen will be well aware of the capabilities of the other options at hooker that are available to him. Corey Flynn, Dane Coles and Hika Elliot have all been in and around the setup for a while now and will be looking to prove they are ready for action if Mealamu does indeed miss the series against the Irish.

Makes sure you head over to Betfair fall all the latest odds, news and previews as well as the latest Betfair Aviva Premiership Tips and Heineken Cup Betting Tips.

Away Win will Gain Respect – Halfpenny

Leigh Halfpenny has admitted Wales will need to start going away and beating southern hemisphere sides, if they are going to be considered a real powerhouse of world rugby.

Wales will travel to Australia, this summer, looking to win an away test match against the Wallabies for the first time in over 40 years, with many believing this to be the Welsh’s best chance of achieving that target.

“When the southern hemisphere sides go away, they win, and that is what we want to do”, said Halfpenny.

“We want sides to take us seriously wherever we play them. They will only start to respect us when we beat them in their own backyard.

“We want to send out a message to the whole world that we mean business and we want to be [the] best in [the] world”, added the winger.

Halfpenny will be hoping to re-establish himself in the starting line-up of the Wales side, this summer. Injury interrupted the winger’s Six Nations campaign, proving there is plenty of potential world class talent coming through the Welsh ranks.

The Aussies have already beaten the Welsh once, this year, and will be looking to inflict another three defeats, over the course of the upcoming series, against the tourists.

Australian head coach, Robbie Deans, will know that this Wales side will prove a difficult test, especially following their stunning Grand Slam success at the Six Nations, earlier this year.

The Australian side have hardly been the nation’s sweethearts since their World Cup disappointment, with many calling for head coach, Deans, to be relieved of his duties, and a fresh approach brought in.

Defeat against the tourists, this month, would only add more pressure to the under-fire coach, and give Wales the respect they deserve.

Visit the Betfair Aviva Premiership rugby betting website for more news and insights, ahead of the upcoming campaign, or cross codes with the Betfair Rugby League page.

Cooper finally back

Quade Cooper predicted a "red hot" showdown against the Brumbies next weekend after marking his return from a serious injury lay-off with an eye-catching 40-minute reappearance for Queensland Reds.

The 24-year-old showed glimpses of his brilliant best in an otherwise uneventful 34-20 first win over the Lions in the history of Super Rugby at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

The result – which was widely predicted in rugby previews means Queensland have now trimmed the lead by their Canberra rivals to just eight points but have the added incentive of shaving more off that deficit when the two sides square up in the Australian capital.

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie was disappointed with his players for switching off when 34-6 in front.

"We're not going to pretend we're happy with that last 20 minutes," McKenzie said. "I don't think we touched the ball in that period, not in a positive way at least."

The one highlight was fit-again forgotten man Cooper, playing his first match since rupturing knee ligaments in last year’s World Cup in New Zealand, providing the odd spark on his return.

The fly-half was delighted to blow the cobwebs off ahead the ACT clash and suggested next weekend could have a huge bearing on the outcome of the Australian conference.

For punters placing online bets, the Brumbies can be backed at 15/2 with bet365 to win the Super Rugby Grand Final (the Stormers 5/2 favourites) ahead of the Reds at 12/1.

"We're definitely confident in our ability and the way we're tracking," Cooper said. "The Brumbies have been going well all season and hopefully it will be a red-hot game. There will be a big build-up and we've got to concentrate on clawing back some of those points."

Robinson rings the changes

Scotland coach Andy Robinson is looking to the future after naming five new faces in his 28-man squad for the summer tour of Australia, Fiji and Samoa.

Dutch-born Tim Visser is one of the newcomers, although the 24-year-old will miss the game against the Wallabies on June 5th as he will not be eligible to play for Scotland until a week later.

June 12th will be the third anniversary of Visser’s move to Edinburgh, so it is expected that he will make his international debut against Fiji in Lautoka four days later.

Visser has attracted the attention of those that enjoy betting on sports and has been the leading try-scorer in the RaboDirect PRO12 for the last three seasons. He was also recently voted players’ player of the year.

He grabbed 13 tries in the recently-concluded domestic season and touched down four times in the Heineken Cup.

"I have been pretty good with pressure and I got top try-scorer over the past three seasons," said Visser.

"I just concentrate on being a better player. I am going to try to establish myself as an international player and put consistent game time together and hopefully the tries will come."

Nine of the 28 players included in the Scotland squad were uncapped at the start of the year while 12 of the 30 players that constituted last year’s World Cup squad have been omitted.

The other uncapped players included in the squad are Glasgow Warriors forwards Ryan Grant, Rob Harley and Tom Ryder as well as Edinburgh back Tom Brown.

And the latest odds ahead of Scotland’s Summer tests make interesting reading.

Visser hoping to take chance

While, thousands check out the latest Betfair Aviva Premiership odds ahead of next Saturday’s Grand Final, Edinburgh winger Tim Visser is plotting a potential debut on the international stage.

Visser has admitted he is determined maker his Scotland debut during this summer’s tour of Australasia.

The Dutch-born winger has long been clear of his hopes of representing Scotland when he qualifies through residency next month, three years after arriving in Edinburgh from Newcastle.

Scotland head coach Andy Robinson was the man who took the powerful winger to Edinburgh and Robinson has now handed Visser his chance to impress on the international stage.

The 24-year old certainly has the try-scoring pedigree to give him confidence of succeeding on the international stage.

Visser has scored 43 tries in his 74 appearances for Edinburgh, finishing last season’s Pro12 campaign as the league’s top scorer for the third successive season.

The winger also ended the year with the league’s Player of the Season award, which has added further hype to Visser’s already eagerly anticipated international bow.

Visser has admitted his delight at receiving the call-up for this summer’s internationals, but admits he must first prove himself to the management if he is going to break into the side.

“It was great to get the call. There has obviously been a bit of hype over me playing for the past couple of years however people have been very positive,” said the winger.

“A lot has been said about me scoring tries. At Test level it is about being clinical and that is something I have been working hard on at my club.”

“How I will adapt to Tests is the million dollar question but I guess I won't know until I get my chance,” admitted Visser.

Meanwhile, Leinster triumphed over Irish rivals Munster in Saturday’s Heineken Cup Final. The Blues are likely to be front-runners in the competition next season and it will be interesting to see if the bookies’ Heineken Cup odds recognise their potential to defend the title.