Planet Sport

Gloucester completed a Guinness Premiership double over Saracens at Kingsholm, clinching a hard-fought 22-16 win.

The visitors held a slender 16-13 lead at the break thanks to a try from Richard Haughton and 11 points from the boot of Glen Jackson. Full-back Olly Morgan touched down for Gloucester, with Olly Barkley kicking eight points.

However, three more Barkley penalties after the break put Dean Ryan's side ahead and they held on for a vital victory.

Bristol remain rooted to the bottom of the Guinness Premiership after they were well beaten 30-8 by Northampton.

A try from wing Paul Diggin and eight points from the boot of Stephen Myler helped the hosts to a 13-0 lead at the half-time interval.

Ben Foden, playing at full-back, and Jon Clarke added further tries for Saints before wing David Lemi got a late consolation for Bristol.

Matt Giteau has dismissed speculation that sought to terminate his Western Force deal before its expiration.

Matt Giteau has dismissed speculation that sought to terminate his Western Force deal early after confirming he would stay with the Perth-based club for the remaining year of his contract.

Giteau established himself as one of the leading stars in world rugby following a stellar 2008 with club and country. However, his Force future has been in question during the past two months after he turned down a new long-term deal at the start of November.

Following that decision Giteau had been reported to be seeking a move away from the club before the new Super 14 season, with the apparent source of his discontent lost earnings from a third-party deal with failed company Firepower.

A group of Perth businessmen had hastily arranged the November offer in an attempt to recompense Giteau for those lost earnings, with his rejection of that deal seen as an indication of a desire to leave the franchise.

And while Giteau refuted those claims in his column in Perth newspaper The Sunday Times, he admitted he will reconsider his future at the end of the season.

"Why am I staying? It's easy. I have a year to go at the Western Force and I want to honour that," Giteau wrote.

"There's been a lot of talk about my future at the Force while I have been away with the Wallabies and on holiday, none of it from me.

"I can say now that I'm committed to the Force for next year and I won't be making a decision on my future until next season is over.

"I never tried to get out of my contract legally because things get ugly when you start doing that and I didn't want to go there.

"If an offer comes through that suits everyone of course I would stay but to be honest it's not something I've thought much about."

Speculation the 26-year-old was looking for a new club intensified during the Wallabies' tour of Europe when the star fly-half was offered a lucrative short-term deal to join French club Bayonne.

The fly-half admitted during the tour he would like to consider the deal, but his hopes were scuppered by the Australian Rugby Union's refusal to grant him a short-term release from his contract with them.

His desire to take up that deal, at the expense of his ARU contract, and his rejection of the Force's third-party offer has led to some accusations the player's motives are money driven.

They are accusations he denies, adding: "All I can say about why I didn't accept the new third-party offer is that both parties wanted different things.

"There was nothing personal about it, I just wanted to see this year out first. It wasn't all about money.

"Everyone knows you have a short life span in sport and have to make the most of your opportunities, but my decision wasn't just about the money.

"I have been happy and I've enjoyed the two years at the Force and making a decision in the future will be difficult because I know I can still enjoy it in Perth. But as I said, before I decide anything I want to honour my contract.

The Arizona Cardinals took advantage of some costly mistakes by quarterback Matt Ryan to beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24.

Kurt Warner threw a pair of long touchdown passes and the Arizona Cardinals took advantage of some costly mistakes by Ryan to end the Atlanta Falcons' fairy-tale season with a 30-24 victory Saturday in the NFC wild card playoffs.

Warner threw scoring passes of 42 yards to Larry Fitzgerald and 71 to Anquan Boldin as the Cardinals (10-7) advanced to next weekend's divisional round at either the Carolina Panthers or the top-seeded New York Giants.

Running back Edgerrin James, who had been benched earlier in the season, contributed 73 yards on 16 carries for Arizona, which is in the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

Appearing in their first postseason home game since 1947, when the franchise was located in Chicago, the NFC West champion Cardinals seized control of the game in the third quarter against Ryan and the mistake-prone Falcons (11-6).

Antrel Rolle returned a fumbled snap 27 yards for a touchdown in the opening minute of the second half to put Arizona ahead for good, 21-17.

Rookie Tim Hightower capped a long scoring drive with a 4-yard run to make it 28-17 with 2:48 to go in the third quarter.

Ryan then compounded the troubles on the next play from scrimmage, when his long pass down the right sideline was intercepted by rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

In the third quarter, four Atlanta possessions resulted in a fumble, a pair of three-and-outs and the interception.

And it only got worse early in the fourth quarter, when defensive end Antonio Smith sacked Ryan in the end zone for a safety that padded the margin to 30-17 with 12:37 to play.