My World XV for 2021: Hooper still super as Quade sneaks in
Another year of Test rugby has come to an end. 2021 started with a Six Nations tournament bereft of crowds, thanks to Covid-19. While…
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Armchair Halfback is the musings of a long time rugby tragic - a devotee and thinker about all things pertaining to the running game.
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Another year of Test rugby has come to an end. 2021 started with a Six Nations tournament bereft of crowds, thanks to Covid-19. While…
With almost a decade of Test rugby now under his belt, it’s easy to forget just how meteoric Conor Murray’s rise to Test rugby…
For the rugby romantic the Queensland Reds are the most beguiling team in Australian rugby. You might first think of brilliant sides of the…
It’s been a tough couple of years for the NSW Waratahs. The team performed poorly under coach Darryl Gibson, who left in 2019 after…
Jonathan Sexton. No name has been more synonymous with Irish rugby over the last ten years. There have been incredible milestones. Sexton has played…
The West Country is one of the prettiest parts of England. Devon - with its rolling green hills, the beauty of Dartmoor and Exmoor,…
Most Irish rugby legends are Munster legends. The great characters like the marauding Moss Keane or the mercurial Tom Kiernan. Most famously, Munster became…
A world team of the year? I’ve been engaging in this sort of international rugby star gazing for longer than I’d care to admit.…
This is my wrap of all the recent European rugby union action. France 36, Italy 5 An experimental France team scored a comfortable win…
With much of Europe still under restrictions due to COVID-19 and COVID-19 disrupting the southern hemisphere season, no spring tours have been undertaken by…
The Six Nations still has a little bit of rugby romance – its history, the noisy and colourful supporters, weekends in Rome, the packed…
While the new-world Rugby Championship may boast eight World Cup titles between its four participating teams, the Six Nations carries the old-world romance. All…
Eddie Jones is one of the great coaches and greatest rugby strategists of the last 20 years. Obsessive, ultra focussed, driven and demanding, Jones…
Attitude and tenacity all the way!
Joe Schmidt's search for a 'cold-hearted bastard' - and the issue he'll lose most sleep over
Did you give him one of your famous bear hugs? 😂
Joe Schmidt's search for a 'cold-hearted bastard' - and the issue he'll lose most sleep over
Nice work Harry, Sione Tuipulotu is another you could add to the list of exports excelling elsewhere. Will be interesting who gets the nod at 10, but some optimism growing from a competent Reds team doing well in Super Rugby. What about McReight as captain? He’s a determined competitor, perhaps just the man for the job. I’d like to see Darcy Swain & Nick Frost under the tutelage of Joe, they could become world class. Gordon at 12 is great idea, it’s not a position of strength atm and ball player there could be a real asset.
Joe Schmidt's search for a 'cold-hearted bastard' - and the issue he'll lose most sleep over
Tough times. No option is really palatable. If worst happens perhaps Brumbies & Rebels could merge? That takes care of Rebels debts and Brumbies poor crowds with 50:50 home game shared between Melbourne & Canberra. It’s a logistical nightmare no doubt. (Please don’t shoot, I’m friendly)
Rugby Australia is back where they hoped they would never return - and their next move could make or break the game
Rugby seems to have few friends in the public space atm with rugby derided and rubbished at every opportunity, often by league and for once we can’t blame them, it’s been all RA’s own doing. With Eddie in charge I think I changed my sports allegiance to something obscure like lacrosse. Who hates lacrosse fans after all? ????????
Nobody Goes For Pints with Joe: 'Cult-like figure' with an 'exhausting' style who might just restore pride to a rabble
Thanks MZ, last year was a tough one in rugby, even cancelled my Stan subscription in despair and disgust! 😂 but maybe Joe can stoke the embers of hope once again!
Nobody Goes For Pints with Joe: 'Cult-like figure' with an 'exhausting' style who might just restore pride to a rabble
Know Joe’s coaching well. Certainly Faz has the team that Joe built and Ireland holds him in much admiration. Could be a good fit for the Wallabies, the certainly won’t spent time talking rubbish about poaching players from other codes or igniting media controversy. He will back his players and be loyal to them too.
Nobody Goes For Pints with Joe: 'Cult-like figure' with an 'exhausting' style who might just restore pride to a rabble
Ok, thanks for the rugby lesson, I’ll head back to watching bash n’ barge on Ch.9
COMMENT: 'Australia is a tier-two nation' - Eddie must pick former All Blacks star for 'smash and grab' World Cup
Fair point French second rows tend to be monsters like Willemse, Skelton & Meafou so perhaps playing as an orthodox second row may have been unfamiliar. Selton certainly wasn’t in an environment most conducive to him, which is analogous for TKB, not knocking him…
COMMENT: 'Australia is a tier-two nation' - Eddie must pick former All Blacks star for 'smash and grab' World Cup
It’s an interesting and enticing prospect. TKB biggest challenge is lack of time to get into Wallabies camp prior to RWC to learn the culture, learn the playbook and forge connections. Particularly as a scrum half who touches the ball most often. If you can only have a handful of o/s players do you then trade TKB for a Richie Arnold or a Sean McMahon particularly when scrum half might not be an arena of glaring weakness? It’s an interesting debate, certainly when Skelton played on the last spring tour he looked undercooked and unfamiliar with some of the plays so time or the lack may be the biggest factor.
COMMENT: 'Australia is a tier-two nation' - Eddie must pick former All Blacks star for 'smash and grab' World Cup
Staying alive with the ball probably 😛
Waratahs continue second half season surge as 'forgotten man' helps put away Rebels
Agreed. Just not mentally in the zone, just too many unforced errors at scrum, line out (two Tahs tries directly from Rebels lineouts) and lots of handling errors…
Waratahs continue second half season surge as 'forgotten man' helps put away Rebels
Hi Harry – has Nick defected? Such an erudite man. Might be time to see if tugboat Kafer wants to join The Roar…. 😁
Killer instinct and precision: Which young star is poised to become Australia's long term No.10?
Lynagh looks like a real prospect, I think his heyday may be closer to the 2027 RWC.
Killer instinct and precision: Which young star is poised to become Australia's long term No.10?
I think there has to be tenacity and competitiveness. I was watch Munster play a few months ago Carbery and Crowley were together in the Munster backline faced with the same defensive set. Carbery makes an ineffective tackle, Crowley makes a hugely effective tackle holds up the ball player and gets a turnover. That’s why Faz has Jack Crowley ahead of Joey Carbery in the Ireland pecking order. Who then is the most tenacious and competitive Australian out half?
Killer instinct and precision: Which young star is poised to become Australia's long term No.10?
I don’t think that’s quite accurate in Finlay Bealham’s context – he played lower league amateur club rugby in Ireland before getting a pro contract. He was never in any Australia pro squads or academies.
Hansen held up by Dupont again, two Australian born players in Six Nations team of the tournament
Played for Belfast Harlequins I think, so lower leagues off the AIL. Similar story to former Ireland flanker Andy Ward.
Hansen held up by Dupont again, two Australian born players in Six Nations team of the tournament
Nice Harry – thanks for borrowing my comment about Blackrock College from your last article… 😂 😂
The Wallabies desperately need a template to help them rise through the rankings - so why not copy Ireland?
Wise words from Mr Doyle – the highlights of Wal v Irl 1985 is on Youtube – some wonderful tries. Paul Dean was a wonderful out half, soft hands and great game management along the three-quarter line.
'Ireland is the new New Zealand': Top dogs and proud of it, the emerald isle is locked in passionate embrace of rugby
Sounds from Mr Doyle that wisdom comes with age! I have a link below to the Wales v Ireland game from 1985 when lives in the memory, wonderful try from Crossan and others. Yes good time to be Irish, though I remember the terrible 90’s so not crowing too much. Here’s that Irl v Wal 1985 link: https://youtu.be/yP49MLs34jE
'Ireland is the new New Zealand': Top dogs and proud of it, the emerald isle is locked in passionate embrace of rugby
Reckon you’re an O’Donoghue’s man Henry 😂 😂
'Ireland is the new New Zealand': Top dogs and proud of it, the emerald isle is locked in passionate embrace of rugby
Hope you went to the Leinster Schools cup final! Gonzaga (crap at rugby when I was a lad) beat the great Blackrock College to win their their first cup. 😁
'Ireland is the new New Zealand': Top dogs and proud of it, the emerald isle is locked in passionate embrace of rugby
Hey MZ – when you come back ready my comment on Mick Doyle! Similarities between Doyle and Faz, only Doyle built his team around a dominant Ulster side rather than Faz & Leinster. Other random comment is that English full backs often have an awful time in Lansdowne Rd I think the 1985 England full back Chris Martin is still in therapy… 😂
'Ireland is the new New Zealand': Top dogs and proud of it, the emerald isle is locked in passionate embrace of rugby
Nice work Harry! A couple of comments. First: I wish you could have met former Irish test coach Mick Doyle on your visit. Mick Doyle’s Ireland has great success in the mid-1980’s playing free-flowing rugby based in the immutable principle of “give it a lash”. I suspect Doyler and Faz might be kindred spirits.
Second: in March 2016, former AB Francis Saili (then playing for Munster) boldly declared that Ireland would never beat the AB’s due to deficient skills and lousy Irish weather. However Ireland have one 5 out 8 against the the AB’s since Saili’s foolhardy prediction. Sadly no career as a pundit for bud Frankie. 😂
'Ireland is the new New Zealand': Top dogs and proud of it, the emerald isle is locked in passionate embrace of rugby
Going the other way, Joe wasn’t a fan of the wonderfully talented Simon Zebo, for Joe it’s all about reliability and sticking to systems.
Joe Schmidt's search for a 'cold-hearted bastard' - and the issue he'll lose most sleep over