'We would like him back': Razor plotting to bring back Richie as NZR open up on eligiblity, Sio staying put
As two-time World Cup Wallaby Scott Sio put pen to paper to extend his stay at Exeter, New Zealand Rugby is trying to bring…
While the Wallabies eye a rare UK sweep, the starting centre pairing of Reece Hodge and Tevita Kuridrani are halfway towards matching the feats of all-time great Mark Ella’s own famous grand slam of tries.
The magnificent five-eighth scored in each of Australia’s victories over England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales on that famous 1984 tour to create his own slice of history.
No Wallaby has come close to repeating the feat on any of the subsequent grand slam attempts – until now.
Hodge is proving an impressive experiment at inside centre and crossed for dashing tries against Wales and Scotland, while Kuridrani has gone one better by also scoring a spectacular effort in last Saturday’s nailbiting win over France.
Despite being on the end of two of the tries of the tour so far, Hodge backed his revitalised teammate as favourite to emulate Ella.
“I know Tevita’s got three tries in his last three matches. He’ll be pushing for that feat I think,” Hodge said on Tuesday ahead of the showdown with Ireland at Aviva Stadium on Saturday (4:30 Sunday AEDT).
Michael Cheika has made an effort to avoid addressing the possibility of Australia breaking the 32-year grand slam drought – and rising star Hodge sang from the same hymn sheet as the wily coach on Tuesday.
“But you never do it for the tries, it’s just luck of the draw how it goes in the game. We’ll see what happens,” he explained.
In his maiden season of international rugby, Hodge is quickly settling into the No.12 jersey – despite the pressure from fellow rookie Kyle Godwin, who put in an impressive debut against France on Saturday.
“You never really feel settled in the team – everyone’s always pushing each other for spots … I don’t think my spot is secure at all,” Hodge said.
“Obviously Kyle played an awesome game on the weekend and there’s always healthy competition in the backline.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
As two-time World Cup Wallaby Scott Sio put pen to paper to extend his stay at Exeter, New Zealand Rugby is trying to bring…
Everything about the Wallabies in 2024 is new: new coach, new assistants, new expectations, but the same 23 matchday jerseys to fill. Form throughout…
Denied at first, the NSW Waratahs have managed to secure World Cup Wallaby Pone Fa’amausili, as well as Argentine international Enrique Pieretto, on loan…
Let’s not mince words here: many an Australian commentator and rugby fan was dreading Rounds Ten and 11 this year in Super Rugby Pacific.…
Kicking is such a big part of the game and doing it well, more than your opponent, correlates strongly with winning outcomes at an elite level.
If Michael Cheika is serious about becoming an NRL coach, he needs to pay his dues with a stint as an assistant or his…