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Joined May 2014
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Fave Team: Wallabies, Reds Fave Quote: It's better to help people than garden gnomes.
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Picture the scene - you're intently following your team on attack in the final minutes of a crucial match, there's a ruck and tired…
A great summary of the options with some nice humour at the end (seriously though, I totally agree, anyone but Smith!)
I’d love to see Bancroft given the nod, but have him sit down with the bowling cartel and sort their crap out first – excellent opportunity for Captain Pat to show his leadership prowess.
Every Australian Test opener option, ranked: Why sending Smith up is a recipe for disaster
And just to plug your latest excellent book Dan, I received a copy for Christmas and am thoroughly enjoying this post-Boxing Day test pre Sydney 3rd test period by reading about great cricket comedy moments from yesteryear! Cricket truly is a glorious sport.
(Oh, and am listening to your Ridiculous Ashes podcast when I’m pottering about with various Christmas projects. It’s great stuff!)
'Shafique's willingness to drop Warner means he can never be an Australian selector': The Liebke Report Card
That is such a great point. The cricket political nonsense the Paki’s have to endure must be a nightmare.
'Cool': Captain Cummins dishes out perfect, one-word response to Pakistani's shock 'better team' claim
This article inspired me to check when the next Shield match was on in Brissie. Easy to find out using Google. The next home match starts Tuesday 28th Nov [sarcasm] awesome [/sarcasm]. Every day is on a work day. Oh well, maybe the next one? I work at a school so I’ve got some time over the holiday period. Nope, the next home match is in February. Sigh… at least it starts on a Saturday.
Absent Sheffield Shield Crowds: Quality players, quality cricket, potential future stars of the game...but where is everyone?
Many years ago they shifted all the Shield matches from the Gabba while it was being renovated, and they played at the Alan Border field. It was wonderful! They had activities for the kids (huge slide, bouncy castle, etc.) so I could sit in peace in the shade of a huge tree, enjoying a cold beer and watching excellent cricket, while my kids had an absolute ball. It was a great day out.
Absent Sheffield Shield Crowds: Quality players, quality cricket, potential future stars of the game...but where is everyone?
Dsat24 is that a Billy Bragg reference?
COMPLETE RWC finals teams: All Blacks' answer to Boks' bold 7-1 bench call, Smith returns for England
Matt Burke was one of those rare players that seemed to play better the higher the stakes and level. He always seemed so much better as a Wallaby than a Tah. Absolute legend.
Greatest XV: Matt Burke's balls of steel and how one word from John O'Neill sent the Wallabies 'nuts'
Nice one, great story. I was duty officer on exercise at Rocky during the 91 World Cup when Aust played Ireland in that nail biting match. For the semi against NZ about 30 of us watched it under canvas, most of the viewers were NZ Army and they were sooooo confident! Haha! Thankfully endex occurred before the final and I could watch it in comfort.
Greatest XV: Matt Burke's balls of steel and how one word from John O'Neill sent the Wallabies 'nuts'
Very well said, thank you!
If possession rugby is dead then bury me with it. And if you're going to lose at least do it with heart and audacity
Love seeing Stokes getting stroppy. I think this is a terrific move by Smith. I can’t wait for the test championship and then the Ashes, bring it on!
Stokes not happy about Smith's county stint but Aussie star relishing chance for Ashes warm-up on English soil
I bet you’re happy to get that prediction wrong! I’m still wondering how we’re going to stuff up this great start…
Aussie spinners rip through India, pitch 'not up to Test standard', umpire under fire for FIVE clangers - Talking Points
No need to make it personal mate, attacking the person you are arguing with is poor form and a classic blunder. Your first two comments are solid evidence to support your stance, which is implied as being it was a fair call. The third is just petty.
'Crime against all of us!' Fans rage at late penalty drama in Super Bowl classic, Aussie's 'horrible' moment
I feel that J Lo and Shakira set the bar too high a few years ago! Their show was truly spectacular whereas Rhianna was “only” really good.
'Rihanna wins': NFL world reacts to highly anticipated 'red-hot' Super Bowl halftime show, along with surprise bump
I thought it was a really tough call, the briefest of touches, had zero effect on the receiver’s route, and the pass was over thrown anyway. It looked like the defender was trying to simply stay aware of where the receiver was while keeping his eyes on the QB. It was something you see all the time without a flag. It diminished the game, and prevented the last 2 minutes from being something special.
'Crime against all of us!' Fans rage at late penalty drama in Super Bowl classic, Aussie's 'horrible' moment
Great article, thanks Flem. I can see this match going in every direction except a boring draw! Australia have the goods and they seem to have built stronger self belief and India seem slightly vulnerable so we could dominate this first test. On the other hand it could so easily go the other way, our bowlers lack penetration as the Indians go into their “super san” mode they’re capable of while our batters fall in a heap. Here’s hoping it’s the first scenario!
FLEM’S VERDICT: The two key factors Australia have to nail to have any hope of upsetting India on their turf
We’ve got two great teams clashing in the SB. For me, the key differences are the Eagles superior running game and Andy Reid’s superior coaching. The edge goes to the Walrus!
Super Bowl LVII: How Kansas City have become the Chief team in the AFC
Should be a great game. Leading up to the Conference games I thought the winner of Bengals v Chiefs would be the SB favourite. But the way the Eagles so effortlessly took care of the 49ers was very impressive. Admittedly the 9ers lost all their QBs but their excellent D couldn’t stop the Eagles, who seemed to be holding back!
I think we’re in for a great match!
Super Bowl LVII preview: How the Philadelphia Eagles have soared to new heights in 2022
That’s a great line up and unlike the “official” player of the series award, it seems fair and reasonable. Personally I’d want to get Green into the side but it’s tough to create room! Being biased I’d cut Verreynne.
One West Indian, two South Africans and a whole lotta Aussies: Who makes the Test team of the summer?
Thanks for the great write ups Flem, they’ve been really insightful and added a lot to the test experience. Your pieces and Dan Leibke’s daily report cards have been my must-reads every day! Please keep doing them.
As for a name for the trophy, Dan has already come up with a solution. Alas, it’s another pair of batters but one of Australia’s great players of the 80s and a SAfrican captain from the 90s, Kepler Wessells! The Wessells Wessells Vessel is a perfect name for the trophy!
FLEM’S VERDICT: Underwhelming end to red-hot summer but Aussies on track to conquer India, England and world
Aye but it’s a step in the right direction to try and minimise human error
The Wrap on Friday: Call it all the time or not at all - crazy, ridiculous moment we should have seen coming
Every sport has human refs/umps so they are therefore vulnerable to make mistakes. But I don’t believe any other professional sport is as prone to referee howlers that determine the outcome of the match. Other sports have taken mitigating steps, such as ball tracking in cricket, independent referrals to New York in NFL and minimising subjectivity in the rules in most (all?) pro sports. Union is so affected by the attitude of the ref. It’s really poor and not good enough for a professional international sport. And it doesn’t have to be that way.
Step 1 should be a mandatory stand down of Raynal from all professional rugby for 12 months while he undergoes retraining.
The Wrap on Friday: Call it all the time or not at all - crazy, ridiculous moment we should have seen coming
It was great to see such a good crowd and the atmosphere looked awesome!
'Nervous' Noah stays calm to overcome 'shaky weeks', win Rennie's support for Springboks rematch
Mate, I reckon it might have been Thorney back in the land of darkness. Not only does Tate get overlooked but so does Jock C, who’s a specialist fullback and been playing with great skills and form.
AUS vs. ARG: Wright boosted by key role, two debutants named, Rennie's bench gamble, Cheika's sweeping changes
Thanks Hugh, great write up. I love the Comm Games and it was heaps of fun watching the 7s. Our girls are bloody superb. So good to see Maddi Levi making such a successful transition from Aussie Rules.
One observation about the SAf men though. In the semi they twice received the kick off and held the catcher in the air for a prolonged period, ala Dirty Dancing style, seemingly to try and pull a penalty? The 2nd time the ill-disciplined Aussies obliged when they grabbed the ball carrier and quite gently brought him to ground so the game could continue. The ref immediately penalised us, they took a quick tap and ran directly at one of our retreating players who instinctively tackled him, bang, yellow card. It felt like cynical gamesmanship from the Saffers, and dopey by us to get sucked in.
Bittersweet Birmingham: Pleasure and pain for Aussie rugby sevens
Thanks for articulating your concerns Luke. I have long said that rugby Union is the best code in Australia but the worst run. AFL and NRL are incredibly professional while we remain mired with an old boys mindset. Even in little things like our TV commentary which is all about “what a bunch of lads we are” and contrasts completely with the quality you get from NZ commentators. We’ve got a great product but it’s controlled by numpties.
Rugby is losing the long-term battle: What World Rugby must learn from Australia before it's too late