6 Nov 2008

7am sports heads

9:36 am on 6 November 2008

Ireland and Scotland have qualified for semi-final playoffs at the Rugby League World Cup after upset wins over Pacific nations.

Ireland beat Samoa 34-16 while Scotland pipped Fiji 18-16.

Fiji still won their pool and will play Ireland on Monday, while Scotland play Tonga on Sunday.

Asian teams dominate the quarter-final lineup for the FIFA Under-17 womens World Cup soccer tournament.

In Wellington on Saturday, North Korea play Denmark, followed by Germany against Canada.

And in Hamilton on Sunday, Japan play England, and South Korea play the United States.

The Australian cricketers are half expecting India to name their in-form batsman Gautam Gambhir in the team for the fourth and final test starting this afternoon in Nagpur, despite Gambhir's unsuccessful appeal against a one match ban....

And Brendon McCullum and Sara McGlashan have been named New Zealand Cricket's male and female Players of the Year.