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The Olympic sevens campaign was a disappointing one for Australia, with both the men’s and women’s sides being knocked out in the quarter-finals. These…
With the T20 World Cup quickly approaching and the tour of the West Indies now complete, one position that remains up for grabs is…
The Wallabies sealed a memorable series victory over France in Queensland to start their 2021 season on a high. With this, we look at…
I did one of these six months ago so I thought it would be interesting to see how the Pool D sides have progressed…
The NRC is now three rounds down. With the short nature of the tournament these first few rounds were always going to be key…
The NRC was first started in 2007 with the Central Coast Rays taking out the trophy. The tournament provided a quality competition that aimed…
The Wallabies started the year positively with a win over Ireland in the first test in June, but since then it's been all downhill,…
The first Bledisloe Cup game did not go to plan for Michael Cheika and his men last night, with the All Blacks proving too…
It might only be an under-strength Wallabies side playing against a Super Rugby XV, but there are still plenty of reasons to be excited…
With international rugby being well and truly underway for the year, many teams and supporters alike are beginning to look towards Japan. With the…
The first weekend of international Tests for this June period produced many close encounters, with exciting series to come. Georgia (16) defeat Tonga (15)…
With the Ireland Test series just around the corner, excitement is building. As the build up to the 2019 World Cup begins, here's a…
As we progress further into Super Rugby season, here are a few questions for Michael Cheika and his staff concerning the Wallabies. Five-eighth While…
Michael Allaatoa another good example. I believe he was in that academy as well before being told he wasn’t good enough for the Waratahs. He then went to NZ and is now the in the Crusaders (arguably the best club team in the world) match day 23 every week.
Could also look at Angus Ta’avao. Although he isn’t an Australian product he was in the Waratah program for a few seasons and did nothing of note. He then does back to NZ and is now in the All Blacks squad.
In my opinion part of the problem is the powers at be believe playing at Shute shield during the year before giving the NRC a crack, is enough of a carrot to hold talented players in NSW but that is simply not enough. Good players will find their way to the top even if it means playing interstate or overseas.
The decline of the NSW NRC and the death of the second-tier player: Part Two
Travel is also important. The Drua, Force and QLD Country all play in places that are harder to get to than Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The Eagles are probably the outlier in that regard as they play in remote-ish locations but probably still won’t win many games this year.
Vikings and QLD Country firm as NSW struggle
I would argue that home losses have largely come from the weak teams of the competition (3 from NSW teams). While it may be closer than previous years I think the gap of home wins will widen in the coming rounds as the NSW sides begin to travel and the Perth and Melbourne sides head home. I dare say the finals series could be decided by home ground advantage, especially if it ends up in Fiji (not sure if they will get home finals) or Perth
Vikings and QLD Country firm as NSW struggle
*ERROR – Jordan Jackson-Hope (Not Jackson Garden-Hope)
Vikings and QLD Country firm as NSW struggle
Ok so 1 player who actually played for the Waratahs and 1 occasional bench player?? And 3 fringe Super Rugby players from other franchises
Can the NRC live up to its potential?
100% agree that he did a lot of tough stuff, just felt he wasn’t his usual damaging and physical self. Probably important to note Brumbies forward pack in Super Rugby tends to be a lot more dominant so he is usually carrying from front foot ball.
Winners and losers from the Wallabies-France Test series