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Brett McKay is one of The Roar's good news stories and has been a rugby and cricket expert for the site since July 2009. Brett is an international and Super Rugby commentator for ABC Grandstand radio, is the voice of ACT club rugby, has commentated on Under-20s Championships, Women's Uni Sevens and National Rugby Championship coverage, and has written for magazines and websites in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. He tweets from @BMcSport.
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Not too difficult, after all, was Round 4 of Super Rugby last weekend. Which of course is an easy thing to say after the event, but hey, what’s the point of reflection if you can’t be a little smug, too?
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson created headlines and discussion last week for doing something he did briefly last year and then forgot about or just ignored: he named Israel Folau on the right wing for the Waratahs return to the SCG against the Queensland Reds.
Who’d be a tipster, hey? One week you’re missing a perfect round by a whisker, the next your round is shot by Saturday afternoon.
The third week of Super Rugby has confirmed what plenty had already suspected: that teams won’t have to be that far off their best to get a touch-up from pretty much any opponent and in any given week.
It was the best Brumbies performance in some time.
Well, he promised to return to tipping glory, did our esteemed South African correspondent, and return to glory he did.
We won’t know until this weekend coming how well Queensland are placed without their exiled talent, but one thing’s for sure: the three other Australian teams are feeling pretty happy about the bargains they picked up and the Reds’ generosity that came with it.
When the old state Twenty20 Big Bash was revamped eight seasons ago to become the eight-team, six-city Big Bash League, there’s no doubt in my mind that among the goals for the new competition was for a final to be played by cross-town rivals.
Never mind team announcements and hype reels from host broadcasters in each country, the Super Rugby is now officially underway for 2019 for one very obvious reason: the tipping panel is back!
At around the halfway point of this summer’s Big Bash League mentioned that although I hadn’t published any top four predictions, I had loosely pushed the eight teams into three broad categories.
Well, it’s the second week of February, and like it or lump it, the 2019 Super Rugby season is upon us.
The Brisbane Heat have given their semi-final chances a major shot in the arm, with a ten-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars coming on the back of a brutal ten-over run chase from Ben Cutting and Max Bryant.
The Big Bash League is in its final stretch for the summer, with the final five games of the regular season to be played over the next four days.
If there’s a cricketing retort that grates me more than any other, it’s the one that has regularly been thrown up over the last fortnight as Australia marched to a convincing series win over Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Canberra, reclaiming the Warne-Muralitharan trophy along the way.
It’s been very easy for the average punter to get caught up in all the (mostly negative) talk about the Big Bash League this summer.
I’ve now lived in Canberra more than half my life; I’ve lived here more than I haven’t. And for the absolute majority of those years, I never really thought I’d ever see Test cricket played in this city.
It’s Australia Day in the nation’s capital. It’s 37 degrees at 6.30pm with a bit of storm brewing to the west that would later deliver one hell of a lightning show, and I’m standing on a metal platform inside a metal and canvas frame on top of a metal grandstand roof.
The Melbourne Stars, I was pretty sure before the Big Bash League started, weren’t going to get near the semi-finals this summer.
After last night’s late finish in Perth, the Big Bash League is now 41 games down as we enter into this funny little mid-tournament break, with the day-night Test Match in Brisbane on at the same time.
I thought I’d seen the worst of bad rounds this season. TM. What a shocker!!
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
“You bloody mug” might just be the best Bob Hawke story I’ve heard in this last day or so, Matt!
Ricky Stuart yesterday here in town regaled that after the ’89 GF win, Bob had the Raiders around for a BBQ at The Lodge, being the No.1 ticket holder for a long time. Ricky was having a beer and chat with the PM that afternoon, and Steve Walters entered the conversation, prompting Bob to introduce himself to the Raiders hooker.
Ricky was just about in tears as he explains to us that in very typical Steve Walters humour, he shook Bob’s hand and said, “thanks for having us, Hazel must have been up all night putting up a spread like this,” to which Hawkey erupted with laughter and pulled three more stubbies out of the esky…
This is every bit as good a yarn, thanks mate!
When Bob Hawke tipped me the Epsom
The Friday update:
Blues-Chiefs and Reds-Waratahs remain the closest games in terms of The Crowd’s picks.
Blues-Chiefs started out the closest but is blowing out – evidently The Crowd has made up his mind.
Reds-Waratahs has done the opposite; started out seemingly decided, but has now come in to less than 10% difference between them with the gap narrowing considerably.
Which way will The Crowd land… ??
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
I don’t think talent has ever been an issue for the Blues, RT, it’s been the application of and the ability to harness said talent that has often plagued the northerners.
Invariably, said talent remains poorly applied and unharnessed until it inevitably receives a better offer and leaves, unfulfilled…
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
As I’ve already had to tell Digger today, at least you’ve now more lyrics!!
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
I’ve got to say I found that interesting, too, Carlin!
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
can you clarify who’s the more miserable of the Blues and Chiefs, Nobody?
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
Editorial privilege, Digger!
I just think it’s important the truth come out properly… 😆
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
Yeah, he is picking the Crusaders, Hika, apologies. I initially thought he was picking the Stormers..
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
yep, only the Crusaders are doomed this weekend… 😆
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
He says he doesn’t like it…. but he likes it..
Super Rugby Round 14: What follows a good round?
Put it this way, then.
Last season, the final eight didn’t change for the best part of seven rounds. This season, with so many teams in such close proximity to each other – the South African conference has had three different leaders this year – the top eight is far from settled..
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Well you reckon it’s predictable Waxhead and have the Highlanders, Rebels and Brumbies either missing or “not deserving” to make the finals, yet all three almost certainly will.
I’d say that qualifies as twists and turns and unpredictability, if you can’t see happening something that is quite likely to happen… ?
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Haha!! Entirely accidental, Connor! 😆
My musical ability is limited to hitting a Play button…
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Yeah, well, that’s apparently all coming to an end in the better-by-fewer-again 2021 edition of Super Rugby, so enjoy your irks while they last, BBA..
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Indeed rebel…
If, after two teams have found themselves to be
– equal on competition points
– with the same number of wins
– who ended up with the same difference between points scored and conceded
– and also scored the same number of tries
– but then also conceded the same number of tries in order to come up with the same difference between number of tries scored and tries conceded…
..then a coin toss is probably quickest and cleanest and least-likely-to-cause-a-headache-doing-the-sums way of deciding between the two…
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Na, I think it’s a case of a new player playing every game at a new club, Matt. It could also be the case that given he didn’t play at Super Rugby level last year at all, he might not need to sit out games this year..
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Conversions could be one, Cookie, I’ll agree with that. But penalties and cards are the result of subjective interpretations, and therefore aren’t really even across the board.
Head to head results would certainly work if everyone played everyone.
But coin tosses as a last line of tie break aren’t uncommon. I’m sure they feature in World Cup reckonings somewhere, too.
(Also, good on you for actually suggesting options. It’s easy to say it’s ridiculous with no alternatives suggested..)
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Great memories, Dan. Gilchrist was batting with pure wild freedom on this day, and I’m with you, no specific shots ring out, but the greater carnage is unforgettable.
Of course the most ridiculous flow-on from this was discussion around whether squash balls in batting gloves should be banned – an idea clearly tossed up and debated by people who’ve never experienced just how bloody uncomfortable it is!!
The Roar's Cricket World Cup countdown: Adam Gilchrist's blistering final century