Rugby Union Round-Up: Wallabies' wet

ENGLISH soccer managers whinge whenthey lose; Australian rugby coaches go one better and whinge when they win. After his side had defeated regional side Aquitaine 30-15 in a rain-drenched opening to their tour of France, Bob Dwyer criticised his hosts' choice of equipment. 'It's impossible to play enterprising rugby', the Wallabies' damp supremo declared, 'with a piece of chamois disguised as a ball'. The tourists' tries came from Alistair Murdoch, Jason Little and Scott Bowen. Marty Roebuck converted all the tries and added three penalties.

Richmond won the day's Jana Novotna Award for throwing away a useful lead. They led Blackheath 18-3 at half-time intheir Pilkington Cup match; Blackheath responded with 20 points in the next 25 minutes and held on doggedly until the final whistle. Richmond's stand-off Martin Livesey kicked five penalties and two dropped goals; Sam Howard and Matt Griffiths scored Blackheath's tries. In other Cup matches, Rosslyn Park defeated Redruth 30-6, with man-of-the-match Gary Abrahams kicking two conversions and two penalties; and a tight Liverpool derby finished New Brighton 17, Liverpool St Helens 12 - Lee Hodges scored New Brighton's try, and Ian Cropper contributed three penalties.

Two high-scoring victories stand out among the club matches: Swansea defeated Leicester 45-19, and Wasps blew away London Scottish 44- 6 with tries from Richard Kinsey, Chris Braithwaite, Ian Dunston, Chris Wilkins, John Abadom and Nick Robinson.