The Qantas Men's Sevens will aim to secure a Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifying spot in front of a home crowd later this month, as North Sydney Oval plays host to the Oceania Sevens Championships. The draw for the Oceania Sevens Championships, which runs 25-26 August, was announced today, with Australia set to face Solomon Islands, American Samoa and Tonga in pool play.

The tournament features two pools, with Australia heading up Pool B, while Samoa heads up Pool A alongside Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands and Tahiti.

On 18 August 2012 rugby history will have an exciting new chapter added with the first matches in the inaugural year of The Rugby Championship, the evolution of a Tri-Nations tournament that was first contested in 1996. Over 16 years three nations that consistently remained in the top-three of the world, with combined six World Cups to their names, have battled it out in what was by virtue of the team's rankings the toughest rugby competition in the world.

In 2012, Argentina will become the fourth nation to participate in the Southern Hemisphere's preeminent international tournament. This adds a travel leg to South America, and in the past the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies teams have found how tough it is to play against the Pumas in their own backyard.

Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth should be fit to be considered for selection to face Argentina in the first Test of The Castle Rugby Championship in Cape Town next Saturday (August 18).

Etzebeth and Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts travelled to Johannesburg on Tuesday where the player was assessed by a hip specialist. Both the short and long term management of his current injury was discussed.

Following further discussions with the Western Province team doctor on Wednesday, it was decided that Etzebeth will undergo functional field testing on Monday to determine his ability to perform on the field.

The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nicholas Davidson QC has accepted a guilty plea from Ben Tameifuna of the Chiefs for contravening Law 10.4 (e) Dangerous Tackling, after he was Cited during a Super Rugby Match at the Weekend. Tameifuna tackled Ryan Kankowski of the Sharks, making contact with him above the line of the shoulders. Tameifuna has been suspended from all forms of the game up to and including the 18^th of August, 2012

The incident occurred in the 47^th minute of the match between the Chiefs and Sharks at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday 4^th August 2012.