The only professional league so far to feature regular long-haul travel is Super Rugby, which features teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

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The ELVs were partially trialled by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in this year's Super 14, but some northern hemisphere unions have expressed reservations.

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He said the crews, whose numbers have been swelled by relief teams from mainland Australia, were expecting to find "one or more" people who had perished in the fires.

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The event, which features 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, began as the Super 12 in 1996, expanding to Super 14 in 2005.

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Teams from only four nations have won it: the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore (India), Victoria (Australia) and Wayamba (Sri Lanka) are the only teams from 2009 to re-qualify for 2010, although the West Indian representative is yet to be determined.

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By 1974 , the World Cup was starting to resemble its modern incarnation, with teams such as Zaire -- the first from sub-Saharan Africa -- and Australia extending the competition's reach beyond its roots in Europe and South America.

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The teams travel to Indore for the second ODI on Monday with India, fresh from their Test series win against Australia, in scintillating form with both bat and ball.

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