


Wallabies coach Robbie Deans rued Drew Mitchell’s send-off and inexplicable momentum-turning errors after feeling the pain of an eighth straight loss to the All Blacks.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says he is unsure whether the Magpies are better prepared to take on reigning premiers Geelong than they were earlier this season.

The Sydney Roosters have proved four playmakers are better than one, bursting Parramatta’s bubble in a red-hot 48-12 thrashing of the Eels at Parramatta Stadium.

Tonight, the Gabba will host the Round 18 clash between the Brisbane Lions and the Melbourne Demons. But it will also be a preview of what China can expect on October 17 when the two clubs meet again at the Jiangwan Sports Centre, for the Shanghai Showdown.

The red-hot All Blacks have rated the Wallabies a tougher opponent than world champions South Africa as both camps admitted they coveted the Bledisloe Cup more than the Tri-Nations trophy.

Melbourne Heart coach John van’t Schip says his new team can challenge for the A-League title provided it embraces the game he has in mind.





I just came back from the Melbourne Bledisloe Cup Test between Australia and New Zealand three hours ago. How am I feeling at 12:35am in the morning? Well I’m hurting big time! BIG TIME!

This years Four-Nations promises to be the best held in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, let’s put it out there and say ever.

In three years and 10 odd months, the 2014 World Cup Brazil will begin. Quite predictably, the conclusion of the widely acclaimed South Africa 2010 event has already driven a wave of pessimistic Brazil-focused journalism.



Join other Roar readers tonight from 7pm to discuss the Bledisloe Cup match between the All Blacks and the Wallabies. 2002 was the last time the Wallabies claimed the symbol of trans-Tasman rugby supremacy, but the current outfit is in danger of sinking to the worst Bledisloe losing streak in 63 years.

They’re doing it again. The All Blacks are peaking too soon before their home World Cup. Why? Well, simple really. New Zealand is a proud rugby nation, who prides itself on a successful rugby team.


New Zealand’s All Whites were the find of the 2010 World Cup. They achieved more in the tournament than anyone in their wildest dreams would have predicted with a team made up mainly of A-League players, one Premier League first team regular, a couple of bit-players from European leagues and a few semi-pros.

Put bluntly, the Wallabies won’t be able to handle the All Blacks’ physicality around the park, and that is the biggest reason why they will come short this weekend.


Last weekend, Port Adelaide pulled one out of the bag: a big win over a more fancied rival. And with their season almost spent, this win was akin to a finals victory. Why? It was Showdown XXIX.

Recently, the push for Sevens in Australia has reached a halt as the hosting rights for the Adelaide World Series has been challenged.

There is no doubt that Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is one of the fastest growing sports in the world today. For the untrained eye, it looks like a human cockfight. Blood, sweat, kicks and punches flying everywhere.

The main memories I have as a kid is of watching the All Blacks Vs Wallabies combating for the Bledisloe Cup. The rivalry was incredible as a kid, watching grown men and women screaming and yelling at the TV. It was very unusual behavior.


On the same day as the FFA formally lodged its bid book and application to host the 2015 Asian Cup, the Australian U19 Young Socceroos defeated Vietnam 4-1 to make the final of the Asian Football Federation’s U19 tournament.

While most of us, bar perhaps Springbok fans, have been lapping up the excitement of all the running rugby we’ve seen in the Tri-Nations so far this year, there still appears to be one element that is fundamentally wrong with the way the game is being officiated at the breakdown, due to a lack of backing from the written laws of the game.

Robbie Deans checked his watch and there were 1820 minutes left to go. He took a deep breath and fingered the letter from Suncorp stadium.