DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF MIDDAY WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. THE WORLD IS EXPECTING. KATE AND WILLIAM ARE SET TO PRODUCE A FUTURE KING OR QUEEN FOR THE BRITISH THRONE. PROTESTORS WIN THEIR FIGHT AS OIL GIANT PETROBRAS SCRAPS PLANS TO DRILL FOR OIL OFF THE EAST CAPE. THE US WARNS THAT SYRIA'S PRESIDENT MAY RESORT TO USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST HIS PEOPLE. AND AWARDS ARE SHOWERED ON THE ALL BLACKS AS THEY GET A RELATIVELY EASY DRAW IN POOL PLAY FOR THE NEXT WORLD CUP. ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EAGERLY AWAITED PREGNANCIES HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. PRINCE WILLIAM AND HIS WIFE, KATE, ARE EXPECTING A BABY. THE BOY OR GIRL WILL BE THIRD IN LINE TO THE THRONE. THE ROYAL COUPLE WERE FORCED TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT EARLY BECAUSE KATE HAS BEEN ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL SUFFERING FROM EXTREME MORNING SICKNESS. SHE'S BEING TREATED FOR DEHYDRATION. THE BBC'S NICHOLAS WITCHELL REPORTS. DEPARTING FROM HOSPITAL THIS EVENING, THE FATHER-TO-BE. WILLIAM HAD SPENT SEVERAL HOURS WITH HIS WIFE. THEY'D DRIVEN TO LONDON TOGETHER EARLIER TODAY FROM KATE'S PARENTS' HOME IN BERKSHIRE. IT WAS THERE OVER THE WEEKEND THAT THE SICKNESS HAD STARTED. THERE'D CERTAINLY BEEN NO SIGN OF ANYTHING UNTOWARD LAST FRIDAY, WHEN KATE HAD BEEN PLAYING HOCKEY IN HIGH HEELS AT HER OLD PREP SCHOOL IN BERKSHIRE. NOR HAD THERE BEEN ANY HINT OF WHAT WAS TO COME A COUPLE OF DAYS EARLIER WHEN WILLIAM AND KATE HAD BEEN IN CAMBRIDGE. WILLIAM WAS PRESENTED WITH A BABYGRO. NO WONDER HE TOOK SUCH AN INTEREST. (LAUGHS) I LOVE THAT. I UNDERSTAND THE DUCHESS IS ROUGHLY TWO MONTHS PREGNANT. DOCTORS SAY SEVERE SICKNESS AT SUCH AN EARLY STAGE SHOULD NOT BE A CAUSE FOR SERIOUS CONCERN. THESE DAYS, HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM IS USUALLY VERY TREATABLE. BOTH THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE AND HER BABY SHOULDN'T COME TO ANY HARM AS A RESULT OF THIS. BUT IT'S A DIFFICULT TIME FOR THEM TO BE GOING THROUGH. THAT WILLIAM AND KATE HAVE WANTED TO START A FAMILY HAS BEEN APPARENT SINCE THEIR ENGAGEMENT. THIS WAS WHAT THEY SAID IN THEIR ENGAGEMENT INTERVIEW. I THINK WE'LL TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME. WE'LL SORT OF GET OVER THE MARRIAGE THING FIRST, AND THEN MAYBE LOOK AT THE KIDS. BUT, UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT A FAMILY, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT THAT. SCARCELY HAD THE WEDDING TAKEN PLACE AND THE COUPLE APPEARED ON THE PALACE BALCONY, THEN THE SPECULATION ABOUT A BABY BEGAN. EVERY TIME KATE HAD A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A SMALL BUNDLE IN A BLANKET,... HE'S THREE WEEKS OLD? YEP. THREE WEEKS OLD TODAY. ...PEOPLE WONDERED WHEN SHE WOULD HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS OF HER OWN. THERE WAS A FLURRY OF SPECULATION WHEN SHE DECLINED TO EAT SOMETHING WHICH SOME EXPERTS HAD SAID WAS BAD FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS. MORE SPECULATION WHEN, ON THEIR TOUR OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC IN SEPTEMBER, SHE DRANK WATER RATHER THAN WINE DURING A TOAST. FOR PRINCE CHARLES, VISITING FLOOD VICTIMS IN WALES TODAY, THIS WILL BE A FIRST GRANDCHILD. HE AND OTHER CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS, INCLUDING THE QUEEN, ARE SAID TO BE DELIGHTED BY THE NEWS. BAGPIPES PLAY SIGNIFICANTLY, THE CHILD WILL BE THIRD IN LINE TO THE THRONE, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER IT'S A BOY OR A GIRL. THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED A YEAR AGO THAT A FIRST-BORN DAUGHTER WILL NO LONGER BE OVERTAKEN IN THE LINE OF SUCCESSION BY A YOUNGER BROTHER. TODAY'S NEWS WILL PUT PRESSURE ON WILLIAM, WHO'S WRESTLING WITH DECISIONS ABOUT HIS IMMEDIATE FUTURE. WILL HE REMAIN AN RAF SEARCH AND RESCUE PILOT, TRANSFER TO ANOTHER MILITARY ROLE, OR LEAVE THE MILITARY TO CONCENTRATE ON HIS ROYAL AND NOW FAMILY ROLES? OYEZ! OYEZ! 30 YEARS AGO, IT WAS WILLIAM'S BIRTH WHICH PROMPTED THE CELEBRATIONS WHICH ACCOMPANIED THE ARRIVAL OF A CHILD IN SUCH PROXIMITY TO THE THRONE. TODAY, IN THE FINAL MONTHS OF 2012, WILLIAM AND CATHERINE HAVE PROVIDED THE QUEEN IN THIS, HER DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR, WITH THE NEWS THAT WILL NO DOUBT GIVE RISE TO RENEWED CELEBRATIONS THAT A FUTURE KING OR QUEEN IS ON THE WAY. KATE'S EXPECTED TO STAY IN HOSPITAL FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND IS LIKELY TO HAVE A LONG PERIOD OF REST AFTERWARDS. ROBERT JOBSON, THE ROYAL CORRESPONDENT FOR BRITAIN'S EVENING STANDARD NEWSPAPER, SAYS SHE MAY MISS THE LONDON PREMIERE OF THE HOBBIT. WILLIAM WILL CARRY ON IN THE SHORT TERM DOING HIS ROYAL DUTIES FOR BOTH OF THEM. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE LONDON PREMIERE OF THE HOBBIT. OF COURSE, CLOSE TO HOME, VERY CLOSE TO HOME WITH YOU, BUT OBVIOUSLY I WOULD THINK THAT SHE WON'T BE GOING TO THAT NOW. BUT HE, OF COURSE, WILL BE THERE REPRESENTING HER. I THINK THAT HE'LL BE MAKING COMMENTS IN PUBLIC ABOUT IT, AND THE WHOLE HAPPY STORY WILL START TO DEVELOP. AND IT CAN ONLY BE A GOOD-NEWS STORY IN THE QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR. ROBERT JOBSON FROM BRITAIN'S EVENING STANDARD. BACK HERE, PRIME MINISTER JOHN KEY HAS CONGRATULATED THE ROYAL COUPLE ON THEIR NEWS. IN BREAKING NEWS, INTERNATIONAL OIL GIANT PETROBRAS HAS SCRAPPED PLANS TO EXPLORE FOR OIL IN THE EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND. THE BRAZILIAN COMPANY WON PERMISSION FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO START UNDERWATER EXPLORATIONS IN THE RAUKUMARA BASIN TWO YEARS AGO, SPARKING PROTESTS FROM AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS. NOW FINANCE MINISTER BILL ENGLISH HAS CONFIRMED THOSE PLANS WON'T GO AHEAD. THE GOVERNMENT HAS INVESTED A BIT OF TIME AND MONEY IN MAKING SURE IT'S ATTRACTIVE; THAT OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION IS ATTRACTIVE. THE COMPANY IS MAKING THEIR DECISION IN THE CONTEXT OF SOME QUITE BIG SHIFTS IN WORLD ENERGY MARKETS. ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IS A KEY PART OF THE GOVERNMENT'S STRATEGY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, BUT MR ENGLISH SAYS THERE ARE OTHER OIL AND GAS COMPANIES STILL COMMITTED TO EXPLORATION. MORE GRAPHIC EVIDENCE ABOUT THE DEATH OF A WELLINGTON RADIO JOURNALIST HAS BEEN HEARD TODAY AT THE TRIAL OF TWO MEN CHARGED WITH HIS MURDER. ONE NEWS REPORTER JAMES RANSLEY JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM OUTSIDE THE HIGH COURT AT WELLINGTON. DAY TWO OF TRIAL HAS GOT UNDERWAY, WHERE NICHO WAIPUKA (20) AND MANUEL ROBINSON (18) HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF RADIO NZ JOURNALIST PHILLIP COTTRELL IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR. DEFENCE COUNSEL FOR THE TWO ACCUSED HAVE JUST BEGUN CROSS-EXAMINING THIS MORNING'S FIRST WITNESS. THIS WITNESS IS THE POLICE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF COLLECTING CCTV FOOTAGE TRACING THE MOVEMENTS OF THE TWO ACCUSED ON THE MORNING LEADING UP TO THE ATTACK ON MR COTTRELL. FOOTAGE SHOWS THE TWO ACCUSED ENTERING AN APARTMENT AT AROUND 5.45 ` A QUARTER OF AN HOUR AFTER POLICE SAY THE ATTACK TOOK PLACE. THE FOOTAGE THEN REVEALS THE TWO MEN AT WELLINGTON RAILWAY STATION, WAIPUKA TRYING TO WITHDRAW MONEY FROM AN ATM. MR COTTRELL'S CREDIT CARD WAS LATER FOUND BY A STAFF MEMBER IN THE STATION'S PUBLIC TOILET. BOTH MEN DENY COMMITTING MURDER. WAIPUKA ADMITS PUNCHING COTTRELL, BUT DIDN'T KICK HIM, WHILE ROBINSON SAYS HE WAS ACROSS THE ROAD WHEN THE ATTACK OCCURRED. THE TRIAL IS SET DOWN FOR TWO WEEKS. THANKS, JAMES RANSLEY, LIVE FROM WELLINGTON. A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY ON A BODY FOUND INSIDE A BURNT-OUT CAR IN NORTH CANTERBURY. POLICE ARE TREATING THE DEATH AS SUSPICIOUS. THEY ARE APPEALING TO THE PUBLIC FOR ANY INFORMATION ON THE MOVEMENTS OF THE 1989 SILVER SUBARU STATION WAGON EARLIER IN THE WEEK. THE BURNT-OUT CAR WAS FOUND IN AN OFF-ROAD AREA OFTEN USED BY FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE ENTHUSIASTS. AN URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM MEMBER WHO WORKED ON THE COLLAPSED CTV BUILDING HAS QUESTIONED THE ACCURACY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE SUBMITTED TO THE CORONER. THE INQUEST IS INVESTIGATING THE DEATHS OF EIGHT PEOPLE WHO ARE KNOWN TO HAVE SURVIVED THE FEBRUARY 22ND COLLAPSE BUT DIED WAITING TO BE RESCUED. UNDER CROSS EXAMINATION, USAR WORKER IAN PENN RESPONDED DEFIANTLY TO QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN AN ESCAPE HOLE WAS CREATED. I KNOW THAT WE WERE AT THE SITE APPROXIMATELY 12.30 TO 1 IN THE MORNING. SO ARE YOU STATING THAT WE HAVE DONE LITERALLY NOTHING FOR THE NEXT FOUR TO FIVE HOURS OR...? I AM CERTAINLY NOT STATING THAT, MR PENN. > I DON'T STATE ANYTHING. I WASN'T THERE. > IAN PENN ALSO GAVE CONTRARY EVIDENCE TO MANY OF HIS COLLEAGUES, STATING THAT THE LACK OF TOOLS DID NOT IMPEDE HIS RESCUE TEAM FROM CARRYING OUT THE TASK THEY HAD BEEN ASSIGNED. OVERSEAS, AMERICA FEARS SYRIA'S PRESIDENT, BASHAR AL ASSAD, MAY RESORT TO USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST HIS PEOPLE. US PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS GIVEN A CLEAR WARNING. THE WORLD IS WATCHING. THE USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IS, AND WOULD BE, TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. AND IF YOU MAKE THE TRAGIC MISTAKE OF USING THESE WEAPONS, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES, AND YOU WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. MEANWHILE, FIERCE FIGHTING IS CONTINUING IN SYRIA AS BLEAGUERED FORCES LOYAL TO PRESIDENT BASHAR AL ASSAD ATTACK REBEL FIGHTERS. ACTIVISTS CLAIM THESE EXPLOSIONS IN HOMS ARE THE RESULT OF CLUSTER BOMBS DROPPED BY GOVERNMENT TROOPS. THIS FOOTAGE FROM THE CAPITAL, DAMASCUS, SHOWS PEOPLE FLEEING LARGE EXPLOSIONS THERE. THE UNITED NATIONS SAYS THE CONTINUED CLASHES ARE FORCING IT TO PULL ALL NON-ESSENTIAL STAFF OUT OF THE COUNTRY. IT'S NEARLY 25 YEARS SINCE SADDAM HUSSEIN UNLEASHED CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON A KURDISH TOWN IN IRAQ. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIED INSTANTLY AND MANY OTHERS SUFFERED MEDICALLY FOR YEARS. NOW THE KURDISH AUTHORITIES ARE PUSHING FOR THE ATTACK TO BE RECOGNISED AS GENOCIDE. THE BBC'S JOHN SIMPSON HAS RETURNED TO HALABJA FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE ATTACK. FOR 45 MINUTES SADDAM HUSSEIN'S PLANES BOMBARDED HALABJA WITH SOME OF THE MOST TOXIC AGENTS KNOWN TO SCIENCE ` NERVE GASES AND OLD-FASHIONED MUSTARD GAS. WHEN I ARRIVED, THERE WERE STILL DEAD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. I WENT ROUND COUNTING. THERE WERE ABOUT 5000. THE BODIES WHICH LITTER THIS TOWN WERE THOSE OF PEOPLE WHO RAN OUT OF THEIR HOUSES TO TRY AND ESCAPE THE GAS AND THEN WERE KILLED OUT IN THE OPEN. SINCE THAT MOMENT, THIS WOMAN HAS BEEN ALONE IN THE WORLD. SHE WAS ONLY A TEENAGER THEN. SHE LOST 17 RELATIVES, INCLUDING HER MOTHER, HER TWO BROTHERS, HER SISTER. NO ONE HAS EVER CLEANED OUT THE CELLAR WHERE HER FAMILY WAS GASSED. EVEN 25 YEARS LATER, THE STENCH OF MUSTARD GAS IS STILL STRONG ` STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL SMALL CREATURES. IT MAKES OUR EYES WEEP AND OUR HEADS ACHE. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, THINGS THAT COME DOWN HERE, LIKE THE CAT, THE RATS, AND SO ON, SEEM TO DIE AS A RESULT. IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA NOT TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME DOWN HERE. THE KURDISTAN GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DEMONSTRATE FINALLY THAT THIS WAS GENOCIDE. WHEN MY FATHER TALKED ABOUT MY UNCLE, ALWAYS START TO CRY. TO THIS DAY IT'S PART OF EVERYONE'S LIFE HERE ` PUPILS... AND THEIR TEACHER. IT'S NOT JUST HISTORY. LIKE SADDAM HUSSEIN, SYRIA HAS CHEMICAL WEAPONS NOW, AND IT'S NOT THAT FAR AWAY. FOR PEOPLE HERE, GAS WARFARE SEEMS A VERY REAL DANGER. THERE'S MOUNTING PRESSURE ON ISRAEL OVER ITS PLANS TO BUILD 3000 HOMES FOR SETTLERS IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY. THE WHITE HOUSE IS URGING ISRAEL TO RECONSIDER, AND SAYS THE PLAN WILL MAKE IT HARDER TO ACHIEVE A TWO-STATE SOLUTION. ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER DOESN'T SHIRK CONTROVERSY AND ISN'T AFRAID OF UPSETTING HIS FRIENDS. BUT BENJAMIN NETANYAHU MIGHT SUDDENLY BE FEELING RATHER ISOLATED. BRITAIN'S AMONG A NUMBER OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WHO GAVE A DRESSING-DOWN TODAY TO THEIR RESPECTIVE ISRAELI AMBASSADORS OVER THE THORNY ISSUE OF SETTLEMENTS. FOR YEARS ISRAEL'S BEEN WARNED BY ITS ALLIES THAT THE CONTINUED EXPANSION OF JEWISH SETTLEMENTS ON OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN LAND IS DETRIMENTAL TO A TWO-STATE SOLUTION: ISRAEL AND PALESTINE EXISTING SIDE BY SIDE. BUT IT WAS WHEN ISRAEL SIGNALLED ITS INTENTION TO DEVELOP THIS STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT AREA KNOWN AS E1 THAT THE ROW INTENSIFIED. WITH DOZENS OF JEWISH SETTLEMENTS ALREADY IN THE AREA, IT'S ARGUED THAT DEVELOPING E1 AND THE SEPARATION BARRIER AROUND IT WOULD CUT OFF EAST JERUSALEM AND OTHER PARTS OF PALESTINIAN TERRITORY FROM EACH OTHER. THAT ELICITED AN UNUSUALLY STRONG RESPONSE FROM ISRAEL'S BIGGEST ALLY. WE URGE ISRAELI LEADERS TO RECONSIDER THESE UNILATERAL DECISIONS AND EXERCISE RESTRAINT, AS THESE ACTIONS ARE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. THANKS TO THE UN, THE PALESTINIANS MAY HAVE GREATER SELF-CONFIDENCE. BUT MORE ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS HURT THEIR AMBITIONS FOR FULL STATEHOOD, AND THEY WANT EUROPE TO ACT. IF THESE SETTLEMENTS CONTINUE TO GROW, BRITAIN AND FRANCE HAVE HINTED AT STERNER ACTION, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE UNLIKELY TO EVER GO AS FAR AS WITHDRAWING THEIR AMBASSADORS. AND TONIGHT ISRAEL HAS SAID IT WON'T BACK DOWN. ROAD TUNNELS ACROSS JAPAN ARE BEING INSPECTED AFTER THE DEATHS OF NINE PEOPLE IN A TUNNEL ROOF COLLAPSE WEST OF TOKYO. CONCRETE PANELS FELL ON CARS INSIDE A TUNNEL, SPARKING A FIRE. OFFICIALS ARE SUGGESTING THAT METAL RODS HOLDING THE CONCRETE IN PLACE GAVE WAY. THEY'RE NOW WORRIED THAT OTHER TUNNELS MAY BE AFFECTED BY SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE TUNNEL WAS INSPECTED JUST TWO MONTHS AGO. BUT IT'S BELIEVED IT WAS ONLY A VISUAL INSPECTION AND DIDN'T INVOLVE BANGING ON THE STEEL SUPPORTS TO CHECK THEIR INTEGRITY. 49 OTHER ROAD TUNNELS ARE NOW BEING CHECKED MORE THOROUGHLY. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY, THE SHAREMARKET AND BUSINESS NEWS. THE ALL BLACKS' DRAW FOR THE NEXT RUGBY WORLD CUP. AND RICKY PONTING'S LAST DAY IN TEST CRICKET. VOICEOVER: Like these walls, your tooth enamel can decay, causing cavities in 7 out of 10 people. Try new Listerine Total Care Enamel Defence. It protects, strengthens and repairs your weakened enamel by replacing lost minerals to fight the threat of cavities. (BOOM!) (EXHALES) Build your wall of defence against decay with new Listerine Total Care Enamel Defence. 1 WITH ME NOW IS ROGER COULTER FROM CRAIGS INVESTMENT PARTNERS. THIS ITEM WILL BE CAPTIONED LIVE. FOR MORE, GO TO ONENEWS.CO.NZ AND CLICK ON 'BUSINESS'. CHORUS GOT HAMMERED YESTERDAY AFTER THE COMMERCE COMMISSION'S DRAFT RULING ON BROADBAND PRICING. IT'S UNDER PRESSURE FROM A RATINGS AGENCY TODAY? YEAH. CHORUS REMAINS THE FOCUS OF THE MARKET. THEY MAY HAVE A REVIEW FOR A CREDIT RATING DOWNGRADE. PEOPLE TEND TO BUY CHORUS FOR THE DIVIDEND, BUT THERE IS PRESSURE. SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT FROM HERE - NONE OF THIS IS SET IN STONE IT IS ALL OPEN TO CONSULTATIONL MOODY'S CREDIT REVIEW MAY ADD AMMUNITION. OCEANA GOLD IN A TRADING HALT TODAY. WHAT'S THE COMPANY UP TO ? OCEANA GOLD ANNOUNCED QUITE A BIG CAPITAL RAISING - $115M. THEY'VE INVESTED A LOT OF MONEY INTO THE PHILIPPINES OPERATIONL THIS SHOULD GIVE US SOME FLEXIBILITY. THANK YOU, ROGER COULTER FROM CRAIGS INVESTMENT PARTNERS. MIDDAY SPORT. ALL BLACKS STAR FIRST FIVE-EIGHTH DAN CARTER HAS WON THE IRB PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR THE SECOND TIME. HE WON THE AWARD AHEAD OF RICHIE MCCAW, FRANCE'S FREDERIC MICHALAK AND ENGLAND'S OWEN FARRELL. STEVE HANSEN WON COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD, AND THE ALL BLACKS WON THE INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD. AND THE 2012 IRB TEAM OF THE YEAR IS NZ. APPLAUSE RICHIE MCCAW, CAPTAIN, TO COME UP AND ACCEPT THE TROPHY FROM BERNARD. AN OUTSTANDING YEAR. JUST ONE BLIP. AND ALL BLACK CAPTAIN RICHIE MCCAW IS NOW ON A SABBATICAL FROM RUGBY FOR SIX MONTHS. MEANWHILE, THE ALL BLACKS HAVE BEEN GIVEN WHAT SEEMS LIKE A RELATIVELY EASY DRAW IN POOL PLAY IN THE 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP IN ENGLAND. NZ HAS BEEN GROUPED IN POOL C ALONGSIDE ARGENTINA AND TONGA, WITH QUALIFIERS FROM EUROPE AND AFRICA TO MAKE UP THE POOL. ALL BLACKS COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYS HE'S PLEASED WITH THE DRAW, BUT THE TEAM'LL STILL HAVE SOME TOUGH GAMES AHEAD OF THEM. YOU GO TO THE TOURNAMENT, YOU'VE GOTTA PLAY EVERYBODY AND YOU'VE GOTTA PLAY WELL FOR SEVEN WEEKS TO GET THE JOB DONE. SO IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT POOL YOU'RE IN. SOONER OR LATER, YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY IN THE POOL PLAY TO FINISH FIRST OR SECOND. FROM THERE, IT'S ABOUT A KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION. AND WHOEVER YOU GET, IF YOU DON'T BEAT THEM, YOU'RE GOING HOME. CAPTAIN RICHIE MCCAW SAYS WHILE THEY GOT OFF LIGHTER THAN SOME TEAMS, TONGA AND ARGENTINA WILL STILL BE A CHALLENGE. WE'VE HAD EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING BOTH TONGA AND ARGENTINA AT THE WORLD CUP AND THOSE GAMES AREN'T STRAIGHTFORWARD, I TELL YOU THAT. SO IT'LL BE WHAT IT IS, AND YOU'VE GOTTA WIN THEM ALL TO WIN, SO IT'S ALL GOOD. AFTER THE RESURGENCE BY ENGLAND, THEY WERE THE TEAM MOST FEARED, BUT THEY'LL BE IN POOL A WITH WALES AND AUSTRALIA. POOL B HAS SCOTLAND, SAMOA AND SOUTH AFRICA, AND POOL D HAS ITALY, FRANCE AND IRELAND. THAT MEANS THE ALL BLACKS WOULD LIKELY FACE FRANCE OR IRELAND IN THE QUARTER-FINALS. SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKET CAPTAIN GRAEME SMITH SAYS HE HOPES THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC CAN RESPECT WHAT THEY'VE DONE AFTER A SECOND SUCCESSIVE TEST SERIES WIN IN AUSTRALIA. THAT'S EVEN THOUGH THEIR EMPHATIC 309-RUN WIN IN PERTH SPOILT THE SEND-OFF FOR ONE OF CRICKET'S ALL-TIME GREATS. HERE'S CRAIG STANAWAY. THAT IS VICTORY IN THE SERIES, SOUTH AFRICA. CONSIDERED COCKY WHEN HANDED THE CAPTAINCY AT JUST 22, NINE YEARS ON, SOUTH AFRICA'S GRAEME SMITH IS UNDENIABLY THE MOST CLASSY CAPTAIN IN THE GAME. HIS FIFTH CATCH IN AUSTRALIA'S SECOND INNINGS SEALED A SERIES VICTORY AGAINST THE AUSSIES FOLLOWING THEIR AWAY-SERIES WIN AGAINST ENGLAND EARLIER THIS YEAR. THERE'S NO DISPUTE UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP ` THE PROTEAS ARE THE BEST TEST TEAM IN THE WORLD. AUSTRALIA WERE CHASING A MASSIVE TOTAL TO WIN, AND THEY DIDN'T GET ANYWHERE NEAR IT. SOUTH AFRICA'S MAGNIFICENT 309-RUN VICTORY WILL BE FORGOTTEN IN TIME; SMITH'S GESTURE TO RICKY PONTING IN HIS FINAL TEST INNINGS CERTAINLY WON'T. ONE OF THE FINEST CRICKETERS TO EVER PAD UP WAS GIVEN THE ULTIMATE ACCOLADE FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN CAPTAIN, A MAN HE CONSIDERS THE MOST COMPETITIVE HE'S EVER PLAYED AGAINST. FOR A PLAYER WHO'S DOMINATED TEST CRICKET FOR 16 YEARS, 168 TESTS, THE END WAS UGLY. PONTING ON STRIDE. OH! HE'S EDGED IT. OUT FOR EIGHT. STILL, BOWING OUT OF THE GAME WITH A TEST AVERAGE IN EXCESS OF 50. IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING JOURNEY OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, I GUESS. PROBABLY NOT THE, UH, THE WAY I WANTED TO FINISH, WITH THAT RESULT AND MY OWN PERFORMANCE, BUT IT WAS ALWAYS GONNA END AT SOME STAGE, I GUESS. SO PONTING'S CAREER ENDS AS SOUTH AFRICA'S ERA OF DOMINANCE BEGINS. IF THEY CAN DO THIS TO AUSTRALIA IN AUSTRALIA, WHAT WILL THEY DO TO THE BLACKCAPS LATER THIS MONTH? CRAIG STANAWAY, ONE NEWS. STILL ACROSS THE TASMAN, ISRAEL FOLAU HAS CONFIRMED HE'S SWITCHING TO HIS THIRD FOOTBALL CODE, SIGNING A ONE-YEAR DEAL TO PLAY SUPER RUGBY WITH THE WARATAHS. THE 23-YEAR-OLD WAS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO RUGBY LEAGUE AFTER HE CUT SHORT HIS FOUR-YEAR DEAL WITH AUSTRALIAN RULES CLUB GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY. BUT THE FORMER BRONCOS CENTRE TURNED DOWN A DEAL WITH THE PARRAMATTA EELS TO SWITCH TO RUGBY UNION WITH THE WARATAHS. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` I'LL BE BACK WITH THE AFTERNOON WEATHER. NOW TO THE WEATHER. A MOIST NORTH-WEST FLOW GRADUALLY SPREADS OVER THE COUNTRY TODAY AND STRENGTHENS BEFORE A COMPLEX TROUGH MOVES IN FROM THE TASMAN SEA LATER TONIGHT. FOR WEATHER, SEE ONENEWS.CO.NZ THANKS FOR JOINING US. OUR NEXT NEWS IS AT 4.30PM, AND THE ONE NEWS HOUR WILL BE HERE AT 6. GOOD AFTERNOON. Captions by June Yeow and Tracey Dawson. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012