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* Howlett blow for Munster - Munster will be without star winger Doug Howlett for this weekend's Heineken Cup clash with Scarlets...and probably a lot longer.

*Charteris set to join Perpignan - According to reports, Dragons lock Luke Charteris looks set to join Wales team-mate James Hook at Perpignan next season.

PR

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Kaino named New Zealand's best

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World Cup-winning All Blacks flanker Jerome Kaino has been named New Zealand's rugby player of the year.

Kaino, 28, played all but 55 seconds of New Zealand's seven World Cup matches, being substituted only once. He didn't attend Thursday's awards dinner in Auckland because he is on honeymoon in Samoa, but All Blacks captain Richie McCaw described the hardworking back-rower as "a rock."

McCaw said "he's a soldier. But more than that, he was the guy leading the way with his physicality." The All Blacks were predictably named the best team, outgoing All Blacks coach Graham Henry took out the coach award and Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett won the Super Rugby player of the year. Bryce Lawrence, who incensed South African fans with his control of the World Cup quarterfinal between the Springboks and Wallabies, was named referee of the year.

The full list of winners at the New Zealand rugby awards:

NZRU age grade Player of the Year: Sam Cane

Richard Crawshaw Memorial Sevens Player of the Year: Tim Mikkelson

NZRU Referee of the Year: Bryce Lawrence

NZRU Women's Player of the Year: Fiao'o Fa'amausili

Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year: Andy MacDonald

Super Rugby Player of the Year: Wyatt Crockett

Tom French Memorial Maori Player of the Year: Piri Weepu Whakatohea

Heartland Championship Player of the Year: Jon Smyth

NPC Player of the Year: Aaron Cruden

Team of the Year: All Blacks

NZRU Coach of the Year: Graham Henry

Steinlager Salver for an outstanding contribution to New Zealand rugby: Jock Hobbs

Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year: Jerome Kaino

* Double setback for Toulouse - Toulouse have been dealt a double blow with news that internationals Clément Poitrenaud and Gürthro Steenkamp are facing long spells on the sidelines. French international full-back Poitrenaud injured his ankle in Saturday's home win over Toulon and is expected to out for a month. Springbok prop Steenkamp - who has played just one game for Toulouse this season (against Stade Français) - has a fractured hip. It is not yet clear how long he will be sidelined.

* Bayonne axe coaching staff - Former Japan coach Jean-Pierre Elissalde will take over at Bayonne's helm after the Basque club's poor form in the Top 14 led to their coaching trio being shown the door. The club confirmed on Tuesday that Elissalde has been appointed "Sports Advisor to the President' while Director of Rugby Christian Gajan and his coaches, Thomas Lièvremont (forwards) and Frédéric Tauzin (backs), have all been "excused from work."

PR

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SBW to fight for NZ heavyweight title

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All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams has announced that he will fight for the New Zealand heavyweight boxing title in Hamilton in February.

The 26-year-old, who recently joined the Chiefs from the Crusaders, will face off with title-holder Richard Tutaki just 17 days before he is due to make his Super Rugby debut for his new team. Williams concedes that the bout, set to take place at the Claudelands Arena, will be his biggest challenge in the ring yet.

The fight will be the undefeated former league star's fourth, the third under his agreement with the New Zealand Rugby Union. Two of SBW's wins have come by knock out. 33-year-old Tutaki - a.k.a "the Tutaki Express Train" - is a 10-year professional and has won 19 of his 41 fights, nine by knockout, but has lost four of his last five contests.

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Ashton banned until January 4

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Northampton Saints right wing Chris Ashton has been suspended until the New Year by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel on Tuesday.

Ashton has been punished for pulling Alesana Tuilagi's hair during Saturday's loss at Leicester and will not be available to play until January 4. The England finisher will miss Saints' Heineken Cup double-header with Castres and Aviva Premiership clashes with Bath and Newcastle. RFU disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett, who chaired the three-man panel, explained the ruling. "We accepted that this started by accident but it became clear that at some stage Chris Ashton knew what he was doing," he said.

"If you pull somebody by the hair there is an element of denigration and this act was a catalyst for a mass brawl that resulted in two red cards and significantly affected the image of the game. "Without any laid-down guidance on sanction we have aligned the offence to that of spitting and reduced the entry level points to that of three, six and 10 weeks for low, mid-range and top end respectively. "This was a mid-range offence but we have reduced the sanction by two weeks based on the player's good record and conduct at the hearing."

24-year-old England international Ashton, who was also ordered to pay £500 in costs, has 48 hours to lodge an appeal once he has received the full judgement. Meanwhile, Northampton will also be without flanker Phil Dowson from this weekend after he was banned for both of December's European games following his high tackle on Saracens back Alex Goode on Saturday, November 26. In Tuesday's other hearings, Saints flanker Tom Wood escaped further punishment along with Tigers wing Tuilagi for their parts in the brawl at Welford Road. Their red cards in the fiery fixture were deemed sufficient punishment.

*Three-month blow strikes Moody - Bath have confirmed that former England captain Lewis Moody will be out for three months after undergoing shoulder surgery.

*SA return likely for Steyn - South African franchises are apparently on red alert after it emerged that Francois Steyn is weighing up a return to his homeland in June.

*The Stoop to host Challenge Cup Final - Twickenham Stoop will host this season's Amlin Challenge Cup Final on Friday, May 18.

*O'Gara on cusp of Cup 100 - Top tournament points scorer Ronan O'Gara will play his 100th Heineken Cup game when he tackles the Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday.

PR

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