THERE was a corner of Canberra that was Canada last night - our hotel.

After the stirring performance in defeat by the Canadians against Italy the team was given a hero's welcome at the hotel we are sharing with them, though mercifully they left this morning, meaning the business room and internet are free again.

Every player was cheered into the bar by scores of fans and relatives, and pretty soon the queue for a drink was three or four deep.

There was no aloofness from any of the players, unlike a few nearer home I could mention, all of them mixing quite freely in a marvellous couple of hours.

The morning after and surprise, surprise the media were kept waiting for an hour by the Wales squad, but at least Max Boyce was on hand to keep us entertained in the hot sun.

Max missed the Canada-Italy game because he was filming, but he managed to watch some of it on TV when he found himself cheering loudly for Canada.

A Canadian fan alongside asked him where he was from and Max told us he replied, to his shame, 'I'm from Ottowa!'

When we eventually left it was on to an Italian Press conference for the latest news on their injury crisis.

Grave it was, with two players ruled out of the vital game against Wales, but comedy inevitably took over in the shape of the redoubtable Italian media officer Giacomo Mazzocchi, the man dubbed 'Faulty Towers' by the Aussie Press.

Here's a few examples of his inter-action with coach John Kirwan as he battled with the translation.

Mazzocchi (about an incident last night): 'The touchline ruled out the try.'

Kirwan: 'You mean the touchjudge.' Laughter.

Mazzocchi: 'We'll know tomorrow.'

Kirwan: 'Today.' Mazzocchi: 'Eh?' More laughter.

Then Mazzocchi gave an answer to a question put to Kirwan by an Italian journalist in English. Kirwan: 'In Italian.' Mazzocchi: 'Eh?' More laughter.

Kirwan, after being asked how he could name his team with all the injury problems, pointed to Mazzocchi and said, 'He's playing.'

And finally. Mazzocchi: 'Yes, the question was what was the question?' Press conference abandoned.

But Basil Fawlty was foiled last night after the Canada match when an absolutely brilliant Australian interpreter, clearly with an English background by her voice, gave every answer or question in Italian and English without a moment's hesitation. A true virtuoso performance which completely silenced Mazzocchi.

Away from the rugby, Canberra is alive with the arrival tonight of President George Bush, along with a 450-strong Australian federal police contingent in addition to the 650 US personnel.

It's being called the biggest security operation in Canberra's history.

The route the 20-vehicle motorcade takes is being kept secret.

The main photograph and feature on the front of all the papers today, however, was of stunning 18-year-old Aussie superstar Delta Goodrem from television's Neighbours fame winning seven awards in the annual ARIA awards ceremony last night.

Delta is undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer. She shrugged off her illness by saying, 'How good it is to be here. All of my dreams have come true.' Somehow it puts the World Cup into perspective.