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Joined December 2013
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Comedian, writer and sporting tragic. I once took 6 wickets in an over of indoor cricket but the opposition were drunk so it doesn't count.
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Clichés can be your friend. When I played rugby for the Griffith University Redbacks, what feels like a hundred years ago, we’d run through…
Is Australian Rugby going through another annus horribilis? I say another because 2017 was pretty darn bad. Sure, we had a win against the…
Like many other Wallabies supporters, I did a fair bit of swearing at the television on Saturday afternoon. This isn't an uncommon occurrence when…
The current Ashes series and subsequent hostile bowling from the Australian pacemen has evoked memories of the feared Australian fast bowlers of the late…
For the first time in a long time I’m really excited about this Wallaby team. They aren’t playing perfectly but, in the last couple of months, you can see they are learning from their mistakes and playing as a cohesive unit. They also look like they’re having fun which is, when you boil it all down, what playing the game is all about. I was a Hooper critic but he’s far and away the best rugby player this country has produced in the last 20 years. And he’s only getting better with age.
Hooper: A crucial 2023 World Cup lesson starts now for promising young Wallabies outfit
I said he’s instrumental to the ABs success not just winning the RC. And you don’t need to name your own team. Everyone knows it’ll just be AB players from 1-15. You’re an AB fan, not a fan of the game.
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
The author actually gave some good reasoning for including Smith despite not playing many games. To me, he’s instrumental to the AB success and they probably would have won both matches against the Boks if he had played. But still, which AB would you have liked in the team and why? I mean, you can’t just say that the team is rubbish because it doesn’t have the players you support in it.
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
Weird how World Rugby has a team of the tournament that also only has 5 ABs in the team. Almost like people seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Which selections do you have an issue with noting I also think Smith shouldn’t be in the team. Nic White should be there (taking the Kiwis down to only 4 in the team). 😛
From my point of view, the World Rugby team of the tournament was pretty close but I’d swap out Codie Taylor for Montoya. I think NZ players were crippled by playing out of their skins against Australia but then grinding to a halt against SA. Havili is one I would have had in there but he faded badly. As did Akira Ioane who looked completely nullified against the Boks. Australia and South Africa, on the other hand improved significantly as the tournament went on.
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
A team of the tournament is usually made up of players who excelled in that position regardless of who they played for. I know this is hard for a Kiwi to hear but sometimes players from other countries play individually better than their NZ counterparts during a tournament. As a team, the ABs were dominant. That doesn’t mean every single one of them automatically gets in someone’s team of the tournament.
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
It just cuts you guys deep when someone has the temerity to suggest an individual player is better than his NZ counterpart, doesn’t it?
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
Well, obviously they aren’t Jacko. But that doesn’t mean players from other teams weren’t better individually. There’s a reason the ABs aren’t just the Crusaders wearing black jerseys.
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
This is serious business to you guys, isn’t it? How dare someone think a player from SA or Australia is better than an All Black. 😁
Seven Wallabies, five All Blacks and three Boks in our Team of The Rugby Championship
I think it really does show how much of a great player Aaron Smith is. His passes are accurate and give the 10 just that extra time to make a decision.
Coach’s Corner Issue 28: Can the Wallabies get even bigger?
With regards to the scheduling, the AFL grand final is usually played in the early afternoon and is over by 5pm-ish. It was moved to Perth on August 31 and played at 4pm EST. There’s nothing the rugby championship organisers could do about that apart from cancelling two test matches.
'Trapped in this recurring nightmare': My new plan to resuscitate rugby
Totally agree with your second point (and the first, really). Was good seeing Kellaway being used as a first receiver. He’s just a solid, smart rugby player. And Lennie can have the 13 jersey for the next 5 years for all I care.
VOTE: Wallabies player ratings from first Test vs Argentina
Personally, I thought the Bok players looked horrifically unfit. Lots of hands on heads and hips at the 50 minute mark.
How the Springboks hit an English speed bump at Suncorp
To me it smacked of the same old finger pointing that the Springboks do after a loss. Australia are just doing what every team in the world does and what the ABs do better.
How the Springboks hit an English speed bump at Suncorp
Great article once again, Nick. I honestly can only see two outcomes from this weekend and both of them aren’t good from a South African perspective:
1: They stay with their current gameplan and get taken apart by the All Blacks who thrive on the kicks; or
2: They try and adapt to the fast ball and fail miserably, resulting in turnovers and 70m All Black tries.
It’s something my mates and I have noticed. The Boks literally look surprised when they get the ball in the backline. There’s no shape or running lines. My son’s U10 team does more with the ball than they do.
How the Springboks hit an English speed bump at Suncorp
The mitigating factor from the ref was Kerevi was low and he thought he had bound onto Kerevi before hitting him. I mean…WTF?
WATCH: Jasper Wiese cited for Kerevi clear out shocker
I agree but the same concepts can be applied. Just the simple things like not over complicating moves in the backline or trying to score a try every time you get the ball. It looked like the ABs knew every single thing the Wallabies were about to do 10 seconds before hand. They need to tighten up and somehow become more skillful across the board. In saying that, the ABs conceded 3 tries and were probably lucky that the two attempts by MK were called back. They aren’t exactly a black wall.
Wallabies need an urgent injection of composure ahead of Springboks and Pumas
If you watch matches that the ABs have lost in the past decade, the one thing in common in all of them is the team that beats them almost always plays conservatively. That is, playing a territory based game and taking every single point on offer. The great Wallaby team of the late 90s played conservatively. Sure, they had the firepower out wide but they played a possession based game, played for territory and always took the points. You can’t out All Black the All Blacks. They literally play that game in SRA and they know how to deal with it.
Wallabies need an urgent injection of composure ahead of Springboks and Pumas
He’s probably the fittest he’s ever been in his career, having been in the Olympics sevens squad. He’ll be fine.
Can Quade and Samu wind back the clock for the Wallabies?
Richie probably had the same involvement in lineouts as Hooper. He wasn’t a primary target. Same with Cane. And ease up on the old name calling, hey?
Where would the Wallabies be without Michael Hooper?
Foxtel no longer has rugby union (thank goodness). As you can imagine, News Corp haven’t taken this well…
Where would the Wallabies be without Michael Hooper?
Australia has never had an on-ball hard big abrasive lineout jumping scrum pushing 7. In fact, no other top teams do either. The greatest team in the last 2 decades never had one.
Where would the Wallabies be without Michael Hooper?
Can’t really blame the coach for missed tackles and dropped ball in contact though.
Reaction: Rennie to ring changes after emotional French end 31-year hoodoo
I felt that Paisami was trying to do too much because the guys inside him, including a guy with 47 test caps, were doing nothing. He isn’t the main playmaker and will be better if To’omua actually does something.
The rugby two-up: 'It's not rust, Australia lacks depth in every position'
Cracking down on head high tackles is virtue signalling now? I’d say the overwhelming evidence that a career of big hits and high shots in all contact sports leaves players with brains like congealed porridge by the time they are 50 speaks volumes. To call it virtue signalling makes me think you’ve had one too many hits to the noggin. As for Swinton, his main skill set is making angry faces and smashing blokes illegally. He shouldn’t be anywhere near a gold jersey until he fixes at least one of these issues.
Lachlan Swinton doesn't deserve his hot-headed reputation
You know he can’t hear you, right?
Hooper: A crucial 2023 World Cup lesson starts now for promising young Wallabies outfit