:00:17. > :00:21.hello and welcome to the BBC's SportsCenter. I am Lizzie
:00:22. > :00:27.Greenwood-Hughes, here is what is coming up on today's programme. Can
:00:28. > :00:31.New Zealand win back-to-back Rugby World Cups? The Brownlee Brothers
:00:32. > :00:34.fit again and ready for Rio, and we meet England's rugby league team
:00:35. > :00:37.ahead of a tough few weeks that first let's have a look at some of
:00:38. > :00:43.the other sports stories around lunchtime. A mistake format 's
:00:44. > :00:48.Whitlock at the World Championships, had to settle for fifth in the
:00:49. > :00:54.all-round final. Japan took a record sixth gold. The Irish Paralympic
:00:55. > :00:57.star Michael McKillop clinched his sixth IPC World Championship gold
:00:58. > :01:02.medal after defending his 1500 metre title in Doha. South Africa finished
:01:03. > :01:07.third at the Rugby World Cup after beating Argentina 24-13 in the
:01:08. > :01:12.third-place play-off at the Olympic Stadium.
:01:13. > :01:16.So the Springboks were third but who will be crowned rugby World Cup
:01:17. > :01:21.champions at Twickenham later this afternoon? Will it be favourites New
:01:22. > :01:24.Zealand, bidding to become the first team ever to retain the trophy, or
:01:25. > :01:29.will it be archrivals Australia, also double World Cup winners? Our
:01:30. > :01:34.man in the know, Olly Foster, these two have got one of the biggest
:01:35. > :01:40.rivalries of any sport. Can we expect an absolute classic today? We
:01:41. > :01:45.certainly hope so. The weather is set fair so there should be some
:01:46. > :01:47.running rugby. Certainly the players are capable of scoring some
:01:48. > :01:52.fantastic tries. We have already seen them do that over the past six
:01:53. > :01:55.weeks, Adam Ashley-Cooper for Australia, Julian Savea, he could
:01:56. > :01:59.score a ninth try at this tournament this afternoon. That would be a
:02:00. > :02:02.record. You talk about record breakers. A lot of attention will be
:02:03. > :02:11.on the likes of Richie McCaw, the All Blacks talismanic captain. He
:02:12. > :02:13.will win his 148 and possibly last cap here. Dan Carter, their
:02:14. > :02:17.inspirational fly-half, no one has scored more points than him in the
:02:18. > :02:21.international game. It will be his first final. He was devastated when
:02:22. > :02:25.he missed out on the final on home soil for years ago that the All
:02:26. > :02:30.Blacks one. It is also going to be his last final before he retires
:02:31. > :02:35.from international rugby -- that the All Blacks won. It is not about me,
:02:36. > :02:41.the guys playing their last game, it is about this 2015 All Blacks side
:02:42. > :02:46.that having worked extremely hard all year, that is my motivating
:02:47. > :02:52.factor, just wanting to go out there and play the best I possibly can
:02:53. > :02:57.with my team-mates alongside me. We will give them Jewish spec. They
:02:58. > :03:08.have achieved a lot, not only in -- we will give them due respect. We
:03:09. > :03:10.will congratulate them for what they have achieved in their careers but
:03:11. > :03:16.there won't be any of that before the game. It is a fantastic rivalry
:03:17. > :03:20.between the All Blacks and the Wallabies. It is amazing to think,
:03:21. > :03:25.Lizzie, that this will be the first time they have faced each other at a
:03:26. > :03:28.World Cup final. That is why there is so much anticipation and
:03:29. > :03:34.excitement, and we do certainly hope it will be a classic as well. The
:03:35. > :03:38.Max kicks off at 4pm, we will be watching. It has been a tough year
:03:39. > :03:50.for Alister and Johnny Brownlee, with injury wiping out most of their
:03:51. > :03:55.year. But they have been making good use of their time. It has been very
:03:56. > :04:01.frustrating. This year has been a bit frustrating. For the first time
:04:02. > :04:08.in two years I am getting back to the top of my game. I started the
:04:09. > :04:13.season incredibly well. Gold Coast was the best triathlon form I had
:04:14. > :04:18.ever done. I have the ankle problem. It seemed to come round and bite
:04:19. > :04:24.me. I had a lateral ankle ligament construction. A stress fracture.
:04:25. > :04:28.With Rio just around the corner it makes it even worse. It has
:04:29. > :04:32.certainly been a tough year but time away from training has given the
:04:33. > :04:35.brothers a chance to inspire with a different way with the Brownlee
:04:36. > :04:40.foundation. It brings triathlon to schoolchildren and is playing an
:04:41. > :04:44.important role. I loved it, it was brilliant, so good. I was halfway
:04:45. > :04:48.through and I was like I have to do it for my school and my family, so I
:04:49. > :04:56.didn't stop. I would do loads of times again, it was really fun.
:04:57. > :05:00.Sporting and revealed in Olympic sport almost half of those were so
:05:01. > :05:03.at London 2012 have suffered decreased numbers. British triathlon
:05:04. > :05:08.seems to be bucking the trend, they are up by over 30% in terms of
:05:09. > :05:14.competing members since 2009, around the time that the Brownlee brothers
:05:15. > :05:17.began winning international medals. After London 2012, I have heard
:05:18. > :05:22.maybe some sports were going down but from what I have seen the sports
:05:23. > :05:25.that triathlon are involved in, the numbers have increased dramatically.
:05:26. > :05:30.20 years ago hardly anyone knew what triathlon was. Here we are in Leeds
:05:31. > :05:34.with 1300 kids doing one. That stage in my career in the last five or ten
:05:35. > :05:40.years has been incredible. And they are not finished yet. Both brothers
:05:41. > :05:43.are attending to add to their Olympic honours. If I get to the
:05:44. > :05:47.shape I was in Gold Coast and the Olympic there is any one person who
:05:48. > :05:50.can beat me and that is Alister and he is recovering as well. The last
:05:51. > :05:56.couple of years have been challenging. Whatever happened to
:05:57. > :06:00.joy this year is worrying because it could be a big positive for him.
:06:01. > :06:05.London was great getting a bronze but if I can get a gold it will be
:06:06. > :06:09.absolutely incredible. Good luck to them in Rio if they get there. I am
:06:10. > :06:13.sure every England rugby union fan was wishing it was their side lining
:06:14. > :06:16.up against New Zealand today but that is not rugby league fans can
:06:17. > :06:19.enjoy tomorrow as England take on New Zealand and the first of three
:06:20. > :06:23.tests. They will be without star player Sam Tomkins but still high
:06:24. > :06:31.hopes, as Adam Wilde found out when he saw them put through their paces
:06:32. > :06:33.at St Georges Park. Rugby league is a sports determined to break new
:06:34. > :06:35.ground. Away from its northern heartland, leafy Staffordshire is
:06:36. > :06:39.where England's elite have set up camp. This is preparation for the
:06:40. > :06:43.cutting edge, a squad now within touching distance of the world's
:06:44. > :06:47.best. Even those for whom injury means they will play no part are
:06:48. > :06:52.acutely aware of the importance of this limited chance to impress will
:06:53. > :06:56.stop we want the belief to grow in this rugby, for that, the national
:06:57. > :06:59.team needs to be successful, getting people to look at rugby league and
:07:00. > :07:04.admire what a great product we have got. International rugby league is
:07:05. > :07:07.something of a rare occurrence. Last Saturday's big win over France was
:07:08. > :07:12.England's first game in almost a year. To that that in context,
:07:13. > :07:18.England's football team in that period played ten times. England's
:07:19. > :07:22.rugby union team 16. It is something a lot of people are working hard on
:07:23. > :07:27.within the game, to try and increase the international opportunities. The
:07:28. > :07:31.two major domestic leagues in the world, the Super League and the NRL
:07:32. > :07:35.need to come together closely to create a calendar that facilitates
:07:36. > :07:39.more international sport. England's last serious test on these shores
:07:40. > :07:44.was 2013 in that now infamous World Cup semifinal against tomorrow's
:07:45. > :07:47.opposition, New Zealand. An agonising last-minute defeat that
:07:48. > :07:53.has left the squad both scarred and inspired. Obviously the heart ache
:07:54. > :07:59.of the World Cup with New Zealand, it would be great to go one step
:08:00. > :08:03.further. We want to win every game. It all starts this week for us. Now
:08:04. > :08:06.England have men on the inside. Six members of the squad are based in
:08:07. > :08:11.the southern hemisphere. That is as well the head coach. That for the
:08:12. > :08:15.English game, is that a weakness or a strength? It is a fine balance. If
:08:16. > :08:18.there are too many players going across it will affect our domestic
:08:19. > :08:23.opposition so much. It is not that the Super League is better or worse
:08:24. > :08:26.than the NRL, it is different. Going into those uncomfortable
:08:27. > :08:30.environments can improve you as a player and a person. That remains a
:08:31. > :08:35.discussion at the game's highest level, but only after this series
:08:36. > :08:41.can a side be built here at Saint Georges Park be judged. You can
:08:42. > :08:48.watch the first test on BBC Two tomorrow from 4:45pm. Just a quick
:08:49. > :08:52.update on the early Premier League football match between Chelsea and
:08:53. > :08:58.Liverpool, Chelsea 1-0 up, and early goal from them. From all of us, have
:08:59. > :09:00.a great weekend.