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Joined November 2014
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Fan of WA Cricket, WA and Australian hockey, the Wallabies, the Western Force, the Arsenal, rugby league, Gaelic football and old-school WAFL footy. I have an avid interest in the traditions and history of sport and it's administration. I also follow sports-related graphic design.
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Centralised or federal, does it really matter either way if the people involved are doing a less-than optimal job? If the States run the game well, let them do it. If the national body runs the game well, the let them do it. In Australia right now, is anyone running the game well? Which organisation is solvent? Which organisation is expanding the game? Which organisation is competent on-field? Which organisation is producing the players with the most skill and creativity? Which organisation is retaining players in the code? Which organisation is retaining schools and bringing new ones to the code? If we can find whomever’s doing the best job across the country, can we bring them together to steer the ship, regardless of the centralised-vs-federal argument?
States not RA the issue Australian rugby is facing as Wallabies great calls on reform measures to be backed
There was also that disallowed run-in by Will Hopoate on the hour, which I thought was telling, St Helens opened Penrith again for what could have been a match-clinching try. Would love to see footage of that from different angles
When the Saints came marching in: No one gave St Helens a chance to win the World Club Challenge - but they should have
Great game and a damn shame the pandemic didn’t give us more opportunities to see this dominant St Helens side lining up against our NRL Premiers over the last few years. Just to think, we could have had a Saints/Panthers like the Broncos/Wigan rivalry from the early 90s
'A seismic result': Panthers humbled in Penrith as the Saints march into history with World Club Challenge win
Wonder if Eddie would be looking at his old partner-in-crime Jake White? White is a good check-and-balance for Eddie’s quirks
Rugby News: 'Disappointed' Fisher first casualty of new regime, Eddie's Cheika sledge, Junior Wallabies squad named
Would have interesting to see these test matches throughout the 70s and 80s in particular. Would have also been some titanic battles on the soccer field also; I remember the WA side beating the Socceroos, Korea, Japan, Werder Bremen, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United back in the day; though I don’t know how many would have missed out with international eligibility.
The big one though, would have been hockey, I wonder how well WA would have faired on it’s own against the Pakistanis, Dutch, Germans, Indians and rest of Australia over that period?
The 1933 decision holding back WA cricket
All three major Australian Grand Finals have been memorable this year.
Was the NRC final the antithesis of Wallaby rugby?
That’s a great idea, send the team away on an Aussie Baa-Baas tour. Would be fantastic to play those nations.
I reckon they could also pick another team of NRC players who are non-regulars in Super Rugby, the players who are mainly the stars of club rugby, and have them tour Japan to play Teikyo University.and the fully professional Top League teams. Maybe a “test” against Korea and Hong Kong also.
Only problem is, do the ARU have any money to do that? I suppose at least they could a Japanese sponsor for the Asian tour.
An NRC dream-team could give the Wallabies a scare
I’d love to see Fiji pick him too.
I think these residency qualifications for test teams are an anachronism in the modern age of big-money contracts
Taqele Naiyaravoro signs Glasgow deal
Let’s get these Super League teams and some other non-NRL Australian and International teams into the Nines and get a bit more coverage of it onto free-to-air.
Could a new World Club Series concept help to improve the international rugby league scene?
The Matt Hodgson question is a toughie! I suppose if we had more “warm-up” tests and an Australia A programme, we could see what sort of effect he has compared to the Force. Having said that, the Force did have guys like Coleman, Cowan, Tessman, Steenkamp, Charles, Cottrell, Faulkner playing pretty well together, so maybe Hodgson really is that good. Certainly is a tough question that one.
A true Outsider's review of the Wallabies' 2014 season
I’m just curious, with the success of the Nines, could there be a middle ground found between the regular game and the abbreviated format?
What are the thoughts on reducing the amount of players on either side, and lessening the amount of tackles? Could this open the field more, and also encourage teams to shift the ball around in order to make the most of their shorter time in possession?
Maybe a further kicking allowance, similar to the 40/20 could be brought in to force defenders to think about standing back on earlier tackles, increasing the chance of attack out wide?
Would this bring out the little fellas more? And would it also increase the occurrence of length-of-the-field tries from a counter-attack?
How can we save the little man from rugby league extinction?
Well seeing as you asked, those are my reasons. I prefer to see all teams play each other and I would like to see the team I support match up against all of SANZAR and Super Rugby’s finest.
The Super Rugby changes are good for the game
I agree with most of your comments here, I think the major problem is when these players don’t actually return to their national teams. Some of them are withheld with club commitments, even from World Cups. While some of them never return at all, instead playing test rugby for the nations where they received their club contracts or rugby scholarships. I think that’s something the iRB/World Rugby needs to seriously look at. To me this is the only issue that needs resolving, and it can be fixed quite easily with making the residency qualification fall into line with the professional era, otherwise, I agree; professional rugby has benefited the individuals tremendously, now we just need the test teams to benefit too, and Pacific rugby would be in a good position again.
RL has an interesting system to bolster smaller nations and its boosted the image and relevance of the game in the region to great effect. A modified version of this system would be very interesting for rugby.
Tier 1 nations continue their Pacific neglect
It comes into my thoughts because I know that there are teams in the competition who won’t play each other. The best of the best won’t happen in the regular season. I also know that because of this, some teams will benefit from easier draws by playing certain weaker teams more than once and other stronger teams not at all.
The Super Rugby changes are good for the game
Isn’t residency qualification an anachronism in the era of over-seas scholarships and big-money professional club contracts?
Tier 1 nations continue their Pacific neglect
I gotta admit, it’s not the inclusion of Argentina and Japan that has me worried, it’s the convoluted format.
The Super Rugby changes are good for the game
I sometimes wonder why people pay attention to Stephen Jones or take him seriously?
This is the same guy who said he would rather watch top-class players play test matches in the mud and torrential rain than close the roof at Millennium Stadium.
In 2001, he claimed that the ARU was part of a “deliberate conspiracy” to use Summit balls instead of Gilberts during the Lions series, because they were totally alien to the Lions’ players, and could be “made favourable” to the Wallabies. (Whatever that meant)
I mean, come on; really now?
SPIRO's Rolling Maul: Fearless predictions on RWC 2015 from Stephen Jones
I’m surprised you didn’t mention England fielding 16 players against Samoa in 2003, Spiro.
SPIRO's Rolling Maul: Fearless predictions on RWC 2015 from Stephen Jones
Thanks Scott, you were the first rugby writer I bookmarked as an essential read
I wish you all the best in your coaching career, all the way to the Wallaby coaching job!
FAREWELL ROAR: Bickering a symptom of troubled times
That’s a good point, and I wonder whether having a more senior captain could help this cause, with regards to the Wallabies’ in-game match communication with the referee?
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
That’s interesting actually, while I like the idea of Laos being involved, I was struggling to find a place in the country with a large enough population to base the team. Would people from Khanthabouly for example, be interested in supporting a team from Vientiane? I didn’t know that soccer in the Philippines and Cambodia are mainly based out of Manila and Phnom Penh, if that’s the case, then maybe inclusion in this league would actually be a good idea, rather than a detriment to their own national competitions. I’m sure Manila could support more than one team in that case, similar to Hong Kong. It would be cool to have a couple of one-city derbies in this competition.
A-League may wander with Asian expansion
Personally I’d like to see a league exist in the region for countries too small to have their own major national competitions. So for me the above-mentioned teams of Singapore, Brunei and Macau could join two Hong Kong teams, let’s say one for the Peninsula and one for the Islanders, plus three from Taiwan’s major cities, Taipei, Kaohsiung-Tainan and Taichung. Eventually I think Laos or East Timor could join too.
The sad thing is, this is really just a fantasy idea, I can’t see politics allowing this league to happen, and I’m not sure whether Taiwan’s passion for baseball would get in the way of them making a serious contribution. I also don’t know if there really is that divide in Hong Kong to create a derby rivalry like that. But hey, while it’s in my head, it’s a fun idea nonetheless. 😉
A-League may wander with Asian expansion
I’m curious as to how the RL Championship (the 2nd Division) in England compares to the 2nd tiers in Australia? Seeing as the clubs in those competitions are independent entities trying advance to the top-flight, whereas the Aussie clubs are feeders; does that mean that they spend more money to retain better players at that level, with the intention of gaining promotion, than clubs do here?
If that is the case, could that mean that Super League may be weaker because a lot of good players who should be in it, are instead playing a division below on good pay? Does this happen in the English game?
Is Super League that bad?
Hear, hear! I reckon the mods should step in with some ground-rules on the cross-code slagging. They have guidelines against that on other fora, so why not here?
What does the future hold for international rugby league?
I grew up watching the Shield and the one-day cups at the WACA. Mum, Dad and me, plus a bunch of mates who’d all tumble into the back of the station-wagon. Good times back then. The convenience of free parking next to the Swan River and, on day/night fixtures, free entry into Gloucester Park for the last few races and a bit of grub from food stalls. Cherished memories watching sides that would be filled with test and ODI players in those days.
Absent Sheffield Shield Crowds: Quality players, quality cricket, potential future stars of the game...but where is everyone?