Roar Guru
Joined August 2010
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So the news is out there that Benji Marshall will be leaving Wests Tigers and also the NRL, as he looks likely to stand…
Let's rewind back to the 55th minute of the third Test. George Smith makes a half break around the fringes of the ruck, bringing…
On Friday night, Ulster and Munster played out a riveting Inter provincial league match, which the Northerners won by a singe point. Earlier in…
The 2012 Rugby Championship begins this Saturday with new team Argentina joining traditional rivals Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. As the newbies, the…
On Saturday night, Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their Ligue 1 campaign for the 2012/13 season. PSG, who just missed out on the league title…
For five or six years, the IRB has been trying to fix faults in the game of rugby with band-aid solutions. These have over…
As an Irishman studying at a university in the UK, how have I managed to come to the conclusion that the National Rugby League…
I remember some time ago one of the featured writers naming a team of union players for the 13-man code. It was interesting but…
The contenders aside, we look at some of the players from the other minnow nations who could capture the imagination of the fans at…
Just an interesting way of seeing how the Wallabies fare is by following Quade Cooper throughout the 80 minutes of the Test match against…
This Saturday sees the first games involving northern hemisphere sides in the build up to the IRB Rugby World Cup in September. England take…
The United States may not be the first country you think of when it comes to rugby union, but they will be sending a…
In 2007, there probably was no greater shock than Fiji beating Wales in one of the all-time classic World Cup games. A close second…
David Duerson played in the NFL at safety for 10 seasons with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Phoenix Cardinals. With no tangible…
After the first four rounds of the Six Nations, if any Australian was keeping note of what are perceived to be their main opposition…
The iRB have been very pro-active in their attempts to expand our game to new areas throughout the world and this has mostly been…
As the Super 15 Rugby tournament draws closer in a World Cup year, the New Zealanders have a wealth of talent looking to impress…
The former All Blacks captain and current Counties Manukau player/coach Tana Umaga has confirmed that if approached by a New Zealand franchise, he would…
A lot of talk in the rundown to the World Cup will invariably fall around the three Tri-Nations sides and France and England, as…
This November, the Wallabies will play six games in Europe. Four of those are Tests and two are midweek Tour matches. Add in Bledisloe…
Thanks for the response to the article and also for reminding me about some players I really did mean to mention.
Australian rugby has plenty of reasons for optimism
A bit late here in North West England for me to go into much depth, but some players who I did want to mention but forgot, thanks Ric.
Hugh Pyle and Caerdyn Neville for the Rebels. Offer different strengths, both useful options in the squad. Fotu Auleua is a possible bench impact player, but is that a luxury Australia can afford? Kimlin looks good now he is finally having a good run injury free, but alas, like Palmer, is off to Grenoble in France. And how did I forget Godwin? Meant to write quite a bit on him, well anyway, he is a very exciting prospect for the Aussie midfield.
Australian rugby has plenty of reasons for optimism
Brett,
I am wondering how do you think the 10-12 combo for Australia is going to handle having Jamie Roberts and Sean O’Brien pound into it for 60 minutes and then most likely be joined by Tuilagi?
Wallabies v Lions: Third Test Q&A
Ryan, for the purposes of this article, I can understand why you have complimented Folau’s performances so highly from the first two Tests, but to say he has been the been the best player with daylight second is somewhat deceptive. I am a Lions’ fan, and I think I can say with assurance the player that causes us the most issues is Will Genia, who has been the player of the series so far. He really is moving into the elite levels of the game at the moment.
NRL can’t afford to lose Benji, Sonny, and Izzy to rugby
I haven’t read any of the other comments but I think you will find what they are doing with the scrum is in fact making it more of a contest in a variety of ways. Over the past 10 years, it has become all about who could win the hit.
This has not always been the case. In fact, they used to engage quite quickly and it was about scrummaging technique, not who had more weight and power on the initial engagement. The problem with scrums, in the NH especially is it now becoming who can win the penalty from it, not it being a base for set piece plays.
Secondly, this will also allow for a greater opportunity for the referees to adjudicate the scrum feed, making sure it is fed straight which might make there be more of a contest for balls won against the head, a now very rare occurrence at the professional level.
IRB's new laws geared for entertainment, not rugby
A couple of questions:
How much more exciting would Folau be if Cooper was at 10?
If Joubert is more lenient at the breakdown, will that negate the impact of Genia?
Wallabies v Lions: second Test Q&A from 12:30pm
Kyle Godwin, another player lost to Zimbabwean rugby. Only joking, but imagine if all those guys eligible to play for Zimbabwe did, they’d certainly be getting in ahead of Namibia for that African spot to the World Cup, Tendai Mtwawira, Brian Mujati, David Pocock, David Denton, Kyle Godwin, Tonderai Chavhanga, Takudzwa Ngwenya.
But back to the topic at hand. What I find incredible is how strong the fan base is, even considering how poorly the Force have done over the past 3-4 years. I can imagine if they started faring better, they could be filling out the NIB for every game and could warrant moving to the Subiaco Oval for the big matches.
Player wise, an emphasis on Australian players must always be the case, as their main purview is to help the national team, but if they are looking to supplement that, then I would agree with looking to Argentina, so say someone like Manuel Montero, the big Las Pampas and international wing, but the other place they should be looking is the Pacific Islands. There are a lot of very talented individuals on those islands, who, if put into a decent infrastructure, have the potential to really thrive.
Kyle Godwin and the future of the Force
Looking at the comments made after the squad announcement and even choices like Vunipola and Stevens, you’d have to think that Gatland put a lot of trust in Rowntree’s selections.
SPIRO's Lions Tour diary: Losing Hartley strengthens Lions
Yeah, I think it is worth 12 weeks (was reduced for some unfathomable reason to 11 because of good conduct at the hearing but he pleaded not guilty so they are saying by lying, he behaved well?). This is a way of rugby saying we will stick to our guns when it comes to respecting the authority in the game. It is part of our history and tradition and one that we are not willing to see go away.
SPIRO's Lions Tour diary: Losing Hartley strengthens Lions
I’m really happy for this. I thought Rowntree had far too much say in the selection of the front row stocks and the best hooker available was left out. Rowntree cited Hartley’s aggressive side as the reason he was picked, well look where that has gotten him.
It’ll be interesting to see how much of a chance Best gets. Best is an 80 minute forward, an increasingly rare occurrence in modern day rugby. My preference would be to start him in the Tests and have Youngs come off the bench, I think that gives a strong 60 or so minutes but also real impact from the bench, while giving the option of keeping Best on if a change might be detrimental to the side.
SPIRO's Lions Tour diary: Losing Hartley strengthens Lions
Timani offers the power ball carrier, that is so useful at Super Rugby and is something that would add a different bow to the Rebels that they have not had yet up to this point.
Rebels sign Lopeti Timani to rugby deal
So the player lied yet the blame is being laid at someone elses feet? I’m sorry, but the liar is the one who needs to take the blame here.
If it wasn’t for the fact it is three in the morning over here in the UK, I would write a proper answer going through pain and injury in sport and how players are coerced into playing through those both directly and indirectly by many different actors.
Are our top sports medical staff competent?
Do people know of what players may be brought into this Reds College thing?
Reds bypass ARU's national academy
I don’t know if you’d class him as an openside as he didn’t wear the 7 jersey but French teams seem more often to play left and right flankers, so I’ll put him in, but Serge Betsen was an absolutely brilliant flanker for France from the early part of the last decade up until his retirement in 2007. I just remember him making one tackle and then the next one and the one after that, always near the ball.
To be honest, Thierry Dusautoir might just be a player that will go down as one of the greats. One of the hardest tackling players there is and a determination that drives him and his often flaky French side on will make him one of the greats.
The Magnificent Seven: the best openside flankers ever
Because if Ireland are playing Australia every year, it’s going to become dull. They lose their mystique and novelty. You can see that happening with the All Blacks now to an extent up here and they are rugby’s most sellable brand!
How about a Grand Slam tour every year?
If he goes against the judiciary, surely he takes away all respect for it?
A critical two days coming up for Grant
Leuluai might just be what the Warriors have been missing. He has got the hard edge in defence and is a good play maker if not maybe in the elite class.
The two attributes that make him truly important to the Warriors next season is his calm, cool and assertive nature on the ball but also his never-say-die attitude, which the Warriors had a real dearth of in more than a few games last season.
Long distance Thomas Leuluai returns
I think he is the best man for the job. But basing my assessment on his time at Leinster, he isn’t going to be bringing total rugby to the Waratahs. He’ll make them a damn fine side, no doubt, but expecting to see an expansive game, might be a bit far reaching. It is only since Joe Schmidt took over Leinster that they have taken their rugby to a wholly different level.
It's Michael Cheika and try time for the Waratahs
This article seems to have come out of nowhere. For once, we haven’t heard coaches bemoaning the referee’s decisions and they have been in the background.
I think you will also find that during the Six Nations, a lot of the Tests will be refereed by Southern Hemisphere referees. It helps with the neutrality of the official.
Sack the IRB over Rugby Championship referees
I think you’ll find there really aren’t very many rich unions. Maybe only the RFU.
Is there room for a second division Rugby Championship?
That’s going to be a heck of a lot of travel for Unions struggling for money!
Is there room for a second division Rugby Championship?
I actually think the Pacific Nations Cup is good and helps the nations at the level they are at. The most important thing for them at the moment is to keep getting high quality opposition during the touring windows.
Having it on during the same window Rugby Championship won’t work unless the majority of the players are playing for Super Rugby sides.
Is there room for a second division Rugby Championship?
They were but they have no choice and I think this will be the kick up the arse they need.
New season, new laws and a new row
I only saw the Edinburgh-Munster match (did see the two ITM Cup matches this morning, which were brilliant) and this new 5 second rule could just be the catalyst for Munster to re-emerge. It led to a really good game of rugby from both sides.
The scrum seems a little better but I still don’t believe it is enough.
New season, new laws and a new row
Would you attribute the lack of objectivity to me being brought up in mid-west Ireland? Or maybe because I now live in north-west England? Oh, no, I think I have it now, I think it’s because I have never even set foot on Aussie soil! 😉
Australian rugby has plenty of reasons for optimism