The International Rugby Board has announced its appointment of referees for the forthcoming Tests and other international matches up to and including July.
Former New Zealand Under-21 Assistant Coach Milton Haig has been appointed assistant coach of the New Zealand Maori team for 2008.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) Pacific Nations Cup returns in June with the inclusion of a new team and heightened interest generated by the impressive performance of the Pacific Island Unions and Japan at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Churchill Cup-winning coach Donny Stevenson has been appointed to take charge of the New Zealand Maori team for a third consecutive season.
The highly anticipated Pool B clash against Wales in Nantes on Saturday is the final frontier for coach Ilivasi Tabua's Fiji.
Tane Tu'ipulotu and Stephen Brett scored tries early in the second half Sunday as New Zealand's Junior All Blacks defeated Japan 51-3 in the final match of the Pacific Nations Cup.
Samoa legend Brian Lima said farewell to his home crowd in winning style in Apia on Saturday as his side thrashed Tonga 50-3 in a Pacific Nations Cup match.
Wing Lachlan Turner scored a late try to salvage a draw for Australia A in Fiji, in their final Pacific Nations Cup match in Suva on Saturday.
Young Reds back Berrick Barnes has been given a late chance to stake his World Cup selection claims, after being selected at fly-half for Australia 'A', and Fiji will field a new captain when the two teams go head-to-head in their final hit-out in the International Rugby Board (IRB) Pacific Nations Cup tournament in Suva on Saturday.
Samoa fought back after being behind at the break to record a 13-3 victory over Japan in Sendai on Saturday, with Lome Fa'atau putting the Pacific Nations Cup game beyond the locals by scoring the only try of the game.
Tonga notched up their first win of the Pacific Nations Cup on Saturday, coming from behind to regisitering a tense 21-15 victory over Fiji at Churchill Park in Fiji.
The Junior All Blacks inflicted Australia A's first defeat in the IRB Pacific Nations Cup with a comprehensive 50-0 victory at Carisbrook Park in Dunedin on Saturday.
Tonga travel to Lautoka to face Fiji still looking for a first win in the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup, buoyed by a promising first half performance that saw them leading the Junior All Blacks 13-10 at half time.
It isn¿t only the battle for the IRB Pacific Nations Cup title that catches the eye in the fourth round of fixtures; another interesting element is the meeting of former All Black team-mates and World Cup winners in Sendai as Japan host Manu Samoa.
The Junior All Blacks continued their 100 per cent win record with a 39-13 win over Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup on Saturday, but it was a hard-earned win, coming back from a half-time deficit.