ARU to fight match-fixing

Melbourne - The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has inked a deal with global monitor Sportradar to track betting patterns involving Super Rugby and international test matches within Australia.

Sportradar, who helped uncover an international match-fixing ring involving a second-tier soccer team based in Melbourne last year, would help the ARU's anti-corruption efforts in a three-year deal.

"Integrity is one of rugby's core values and we want to ensure our sport operates in a way that aligns with our values," ARU CEO Bill Pulver said in a statement on the ARU's website (rugby.com.au) on Friday.

Sports-related corruption cases are rare in top-flight Australian leagues, but the country's peak crime commission warned last year that international betting syndicates were targeting local athletes.

Asian sports have regularly been tainted by graft in recent years, with athletes, officials and administrators implicated.

The Asian Football Confederation Cup was targeted by fixers last year and a Singapore court jailed a referee and his assistants after they were found guilty of accepting sexual favours to rig a match.