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Geoff is a Melbourne based sports fanatic and writer, who started contributing to The Roar in 2012, originally under the pen name Allanthus. His first book, A World in Conflict; the Global Battle For Rugby Supremacy was released in Dec 2017 to critical acclaim. For details on the book visit www.geoffparkes.com Meanwhile, his twin goals of achieving a single figure golf handicap and owning a fast racehorse remain tantalisingly out of reach.
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Last week, Justice Michael Lee dismissed the defamation action lodged by ex-public servant Bruce Lehrmann against Network Ten; a case that, for anyone living…
Now feels like a good time to bemoan Moana Pasifika upsetting my weekend footy tipping. Their 17-14 win against the Reds in Whangarei fell…
Super Rugby closing in on the mid-season point and entering a three-week phase of bye rounds is a reminder of how tenuous the competition…
Anyone who has played rugby for a club big enough to have two teams in the same competition or division knows how high the…
Friday night’s two Super Rugby matches were remarkably similar; the two losers, the Melbourne Rebels and Moana Pasifika, doing good things on attack, but…
Three losses became four as the Crusaders cemented their place on the lowest rung of the Super Rugby ladder, losing 14-10 to the table-topping…
After three losses, the Crusaders are not the powerhouse of previous seasons, while Rugby Australia is set for a new Chief Operations Officer to overcome financial issues.
Increasingly, we find ourselves barraged by spin masquerading as news and information. Sorting the wholesome from the devious, the truth from the fiction, has…
It seems that the more things change – and we are in the midst of a period of profound change for rugby in this…
One of the arguments regularly raised against the retention of a professional rugby presence in Victoria is that Melbourne is not a rugby city.…
With rugby’s off-season dominated by Eddie Jones’ shift to Japan, and the confirmation that Rugby Australia really doesn’t have any money, the start of…
Will players of the future – and their parents – feel confident that rugby is safe enough for them to continue playing?
On Monday 20th November, in the wake of the removal of Hamish McLennan, newly minted Rugby Australia chairman, Daniel Herbert, told reporters; “We keep…
Is there any Australian sport that does a letter quite like rugby does? After months of disquiet about the actions of Rugby Australia chairman…
It’s only mid-November, but given what a wild ride it’s been, now feels like a good time to wrap up the 2023 rugby year.…
In the wake of Australia’s shambolic pool stage exit at the World Cup, Rugby Australia announced last Thursday, the appointment of a three-person panel…
The 10th Rugby World Cup is over. After seven weeks, at times drawn out, at others exhilarating, South Africa has become the first nation…
It all began on the 13th August 1921. New Zealand versus South Africa may not be rugby’s oldest rivalry, but incorporating the two nations…
With rugby’s two greatest rivals, New Zealand and South Africa, set to square off in the World Cup final, fans everywhere should be relishing…
PARIS - On what was roundly hailed as one of rugby’s best ever weekends, the World Cup quarter-finals were conspicuous by Australia’s absence. Everyone…
As mentioned in last weeks’ thread numpty, I’m working on a project, due for release later in the year, that will hopefully give readers a sense of how the different roles at a professional franchise interrelate, and how the role of the head coach – whilst crucially important – is just one of many inputs and has less influence on week to week results than what most people think.
The Wrap: Why SANZAAR must hold Frank Lomani accountable for 'going back for his hat'
I wouldn’t be jumping to conclusions either way, Guess.
It’s important to restate that the incident with the fan had nothing to do with Lomani’s actions and his need to take responsibility for that.
But I’m not confident that the investigation was as rigorous and thorough as it should have been. Now under RA, the Rebels have nobody within their organisation left to conduct such an investigation. RA would have been very happy to leave this to SANZAAR. Which leaves us again asking the question, what kind of organisation is SANZAAR and do they have the personnel and expertise and commitment to transparency to conduct a thorough investigation?
I know that the Drua are unhappy with the way this was followed up and the level and manner of communication received from SANZAAR. It’s very important that the Drua and their fans, feel like the matter has been dealt with transparently and thoroughly – whatever the outcome.
The Wrap: Why SANZAAR must hold Frank Lomani accountable for 'going back for his hat'
Terrific post, thanks Sheek.
RIP, David Lord: Australian sports journalism icon was 'always thoughtful and thought-provoking'
Terrific, Zac. Thanks for the links.
RIP, David Lord: Australian sports journalism icon was 'always thoughtful and thought-provoking'
Great to hear from you Tristan, albeit under such sad circumstances.
My overwhelming memory of David relates to my weekly drive to golf, very early on Sunday mornings, and David presenting the sports news on ABC News Radio. He’d have a complete wrap of everything that had happened overnight, always with a little bit of editorial comment thrown in – it was always comprehensive, informative and entertaining, and the sort of thing the ABC is poorer now for not doing.
In his later years at The Roar he copped a fair bit of stick for his positions on various things, but I liked how he always stood up for himself and gave as good as he got. One of those rare people for whom a passion for sport truly meant all sport.
RIP, David Lord: Australian sports journalism icon was 'always thoughtful and thought-provoking'
You’re a tough marker, Mirt! 😂
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That was originally going to be the theme of this article, Carlin.
How poor teams have been this year at exiting well after scoring points.
Friday night was a prime example.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
I remember being frustrated after that 2000 match too, Colvin.
But not by Eales, he was entitled to step forward and kick the goal.
I was annoyed by the AB’s stuffing around and not executing at the final line-out, then Craig Dowd giving away a silly penalty.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
😂
I’m just not sure that this initiative has helped speed anything up or made any difference at all.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
One thing that confuses fans, which many of our posters are frustrated by, is why there is no mandatory HIA for players subject to head contact serious enough that the offender is sent off?
There are countless examples, and it really defies logic. Last week, after the Lomani incident, Josh Canham stayed on the field and wasn’t subjected to a HIA until after the match – which he failed, and he was then put into a RTP protocol which saw him miss this week’s game.
All of the medical staff Super Rugby – club and neutral – are well-meaning and professional, but that feels like a flaw in the process that could be tightened up.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Sean Moloney is consistently accurate, Lem.
Not a chance he does a Nisbo and starts calling everyone Mapimpi.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That’s what I was getting at Muglair, saying that if a try is scored at 78.30, by a side that is winning, as it stands now, if they want, their kicker sits on the ball, that is game over.
Why play 78 1/2 mins not 80 mins? When the rationale for the shot clock is to provide for more rugby?
Perhaps the better way to go is to stop the clock for any try in the final 90 seconds. So there is always a re-start (unless the try is scored post 80.00)
In fact, make it final 60 seconds, and reduce the conversion time from 90 secs to 60 secs. That’s too long.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Yes, not as crazy as it might initially sound, HiKa.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Not sure where “your friends” comes from, Scott! 😂 For the record, I’ve never met Leigh Clifford.
My understanding is that things are at the final stage with the DOCA and the administrator, and a creditors meeting will be called in the near future.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Thanks JDK, I get the point you’re making, but I really think that’s a recipe for more subjective inconsistency that the game doesn’t need.
For mine, leave it to the ref, or else have a shot clock but use it accurately. There was talk at the World Cup about adding to the fan experience by having this visible on the scoreboard and having the fans count it down.
But as it stands, it’s a bit of this and a bit of that, and everyone is in the dark. Including poor Reihana.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Not bad, CW.
The Tahs have a tough run. I think they’ll miss and the Crusaders will still make it.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That’s becoming a popular suggestion, cookie.
My view, having seen a lot of Carter at training, and his leadership in team meetings, is that he’s a natural playmaker/decision maker. He needs to be the guy running things.
I don’t doubt that he could make a good fist of 12. But I think, as he continues to develop, he’s going to be a very good 10 for the Wallabies. Having a 10 that can distribute as well as he can, and defend as well as he can is a real bonus.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Fair observation, goofy. The Rebels’ run in is far tougher than the first half.
We’ll know a lot more about where they really are in 6 week’s time.
Re the playoffs, 24 points was the mark last year for 8th place, 23 points the year before. The Rebels already have 24 points, so they’re basically there, even just one more bonus point should confirm it.
But clearly, that’s too low a bar now. If they lose all remaining matches and still make the finals, even though that would be better than ever before, nobody will be hailing that as a massive triumph. That’s what I was getting at in the article. Making finals is important, but from here, it’s more about playing to their full potential, whether they finish 8th or somewhere higher.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Well, he could have asked Berry himself to confirm if he could run the clock out or not, PP.
That’s what Carter Gordon did on Saturday night; he asked if he could use all the time up, and Paul Williams told him to kick it because whatever happened, there would be a restart.
I don’t mean to be too hard on Reihana – it’s a situation that is new, and he’s inexperienced at this level. But… this is the world’s most successful pro rugby franchise. It cost them a match they badly needed to win.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Agree Paul, this definitely wasn’t comparable to the one Kerevi got the YC for at the 2019 World Cup.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Yes, to be clear, my comment about this wasn’t aimed at the Stan guys. It’s endemic in Australian rugby.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Same response to you as to James above, Phil.
Instead of slinging innuendo about board members who give service and their own money to rugby far in excess of what anonymous snipers do, I suggest you wait and see what the administrator has to say about the DOCA, how the creditors vote, and then come and tell us what you see as the best path forward.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That was really messy all-round, wasn’t it, Wrecked ’em?
Maunder thought the ball was in the ruck because it was against his player’s calf, but it was on the ‘outside’ of his leg and not the ‘inside’, hence ref Williams calling play on.
From there, as you say de Groot seemed to fall short in a couple of areas, which the ref looked straight past. At the end of the day, it didn’t affect the result so we put it down to experience and move on.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Good post, Decoy.
This is a massive, sudden transition.
The organisation is strong enough to ride it out and recover quickly.
Imo, the knee-jerk ‘sack the coach’ reaction does not validly apply here.
The Wrap: Why SANZAAR must hold Frank Lomani accountable for 'going back for his hat'