Roar Rookie
Joined July 2018
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My wife and I are recently married. We just bought our first house. We arbitrarily divided up the household jobs. I’ve ended up with…
Sometimes I have this dream where after you die, you go to heaven. When you arrive they have edited together your life’s highlights. They’ve…
Richard Harris was the Australian anaesthetist who helped save the Thai children who were stuck in a flooded cave. During a recent podcast he…
Legend has it that the expression 'to mind one's p’s and q’s' possibly dates back to a time when local taverns served their drinks…
This is my new plan to revive rugby union in Australia. Cost Rugby needs to reduce ticket costs. When I was growing up, junior…
I was reared on a diet of Jonah Lomu Rugby. It was the hit PlayStation game of the '90s. As you progress through the…
Barack Obama famously wore grey or blue suits almost every day of his presidency – with so many big decisions to make each day,…
Like resuscitating a patient in a hospital, it's important to remember that survival isn’t the only KPI. We must consider quality of life. Rugby…
I am an unapologetic fan of the Big Bash, which has been my pre-vaccine vaccine to this winter of discontentment. I love that it…
In the 1993 film Groundhog Day Bill Murray became trapped in a time loop and was forced to relive the same day over and…
Earlier this year, Australian rugby looked terminal. The knives were out. The media were piling on. The public laughed as the previous administration scored…
David and Goliath is perhaps the most celebrated and well known story of winning against all odds. Goliath is gigantic, ruthless, used to winning…
As a developmental paediatric doctor, I am frequently faced with children on stimulant medication struggling with their sleep. There are limited safe sedative medication…
The autopsy of Australian rugby union has been done to death. If RA was a patient, this is the time I’d be having a…
Christy, do you miss Eddie Jones? 😛
Predicted Wallabies team in 2024: Eddie's outcasts back as halves, back-row battles heat up
Love this article Geoff. Stakeholders forget that rugby is competing in the entertainment industry. At the cost of all else, refs prioritise correct decisions with endless, slow interventions. At the cost of all else, players/coaches prioritise winning. They will slow the game down, play boring rugby and even risk high shots (to slow the play down) in order to improve their chances of winning. This selfish approach of all parties leaves us with a boring, unattractive spectacle. When you’re winning, some fans will forgive you. When you’re the Wallabies and therefore losing, there are no redeeming features and therefore no fans or sponsors or broadcast interest.
The Wrap: Wallabies are on their way home - can they please take the TMOs with them?
Thx Brett, do you think your favoured model of SR Au would interest fans post SR pacific? I still can’t decide my preferred option
RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers
James, I don’t expect either of those 2 to be starting…
Wallabies winners and losers: Eddie's ruthless RWC squad is full of double standards - but we had been warned
Agree LuckyPhil. RE Ikitau, the physical healing (callous formation etc) takes 6-8weeks plus there’s the time it takes to build confidence in D.
Im frustrated about Lonners. He will be captain of the Wallabies one day. I suspect he is a victim of the game-style shift in the last few weeks.
Im a little surprised by Suli and Donno however EJ commented in several interviews that when selecting reserves he prioritises personality traits (ie team players) over anything else. Maybe EJ thinks these guys offer that? Either way, it won’t be these players that cost us this RWC.
Wallabies winners and losers: Eddie's ruthless RWC squad is full of double standards - but we had been warned
Totally agree with this article. I dont mind that Eddie’s picked a big team, but if you go big, you cant afford to lose 2 men to the bin. The team fatigued badly and ceded 4/6 tries whilst down a man. AB’s cashed in at the end with the Wallabies fatigued.
When the Wallabies lose a man, you must retain possession to offset the fatigue of being a man down. They always kick away possession and get punished. The AB’s do this way better. Whenever they are either a man up or down, they hang onto the ball. This is essential and we always get this wrong.
Where there’s life there’s hope - and there's plenty of life left in this Wallabies side
Loved this article. Totally agree. If you were to bring super rugby to Tas, presumably it would be a Rebels game?
The solutions to Australian rugby's problems are right in front of us
Agree. If it’s a reserve grade style comp running parallel to SR, you could play the games on the same day before the super match. Curtin raisers should keep venue costs down, give them a built in following, better value for fans attending…and hopefully improve crowd attendance as well as more content for Stan
COMMENT: ‘Making a choice’ - what are the REAL options available for Australia's third tier?
I like your idea LuckyPhil. Alternative is if you want a club comp but worry about losing the local derbies, why don’t you have a champions league style format where you still play the Hospital Cup, Shute Shields and John Dent (+WA and Vic winners) and the top teams from each play a champions comp that year. It’s an expanded more inclusive model of what Waugh is already doing. Scheduling could be an issue.
COMMENT: ‘Making a choice’ - what are the REAL options available for Australia's third tier?
Nice article. If you want a club comp but worry about losing the local derbies, why don’t you have a champions league style format where you still play the Hospital Cup, Shute Shields and John Dent (+WA and Vic winners) and the top teams from each play a champions comp that year. It’s an expanded more inclusive model of what Waugh is already doing. Scheduling could be an issue.
COMMENT: ‘Making a choice’ - what are the REAL options available for Australia's third tier?
Initially quite concerned pairing Gordon with TM. I was worried the less reliable service would set him for failure. However it’s growing on me as TM’s strong running game will force the ABs to guard the ruck and mitigate their ability to put Gordon under pressure
Exclusive: Carter's meteoric rise continues with young gun replacing Quade at No.10, Tate set to start
Nice article. 6 and 15 are open. We all want a dynamic 6 like NZ have. One that can win lineouts, clean and be a strong defender but we don’t have an obvious option. I worry Aus will pine for this like the cricket team longing for an all-rounder after Flintoff destroyed us. Aus must accept we dont have a like for like replacement for NZ’s Frizell. Instead, we pick the best of what we have and try and maximise their output. RE 15, without a clear standout option like a Jordan or Barrett, I wonder if we do a Daryl Halligan style approach and pick Rhys Hodge at 15. He has a different skillset adn if you’re trying to play a territory kick-heavy game, he may be your best bet?
'Unbearable to watch': Superstar's struggles sum up woes - but Eddie just 10 percent away from a breakthrough
EJ said it himself. This new gen of Wallabies are Pacifika power players yet he’s asking them to chase many kicks and defend long periods. They’re running out of petrol. This creates vulnerabilities in your defence
The two-week observation: The Wallabies can play low possession rugby OR find the Australian way – but not both
To continue EJ’s analogy, you can keep replacing broken parts…a new exhaust, a new carburettor, etc…but at the end of the day the car’s still a spluttering, Frankenstein monster that wont win any races let alone a RWC. Time to cut our losses, write off this RWC and target RWC 2027 much like the French did last RWC. Dispose of the old broken parts. The class deficits in 2, 6 and 15 are insurmountable. Invest in youth and the future.
'Look out': Eddie puts All Blacks on notice despite 'broken car' Wallabies' loss to Argentina
Guess, I’m a little confused by your question
Are these green shoots or weeds in Eddie's garden?
Thx Kai, dominance at the first scrum of the game is crucial. That team gets bulk penalties thereafter. All 50:50 calls will go their way. Agree the advantage is way out of control.
Are these green shoots or weeds in Eddie's garden?
Thx James. SA was still a world class team. Esterhuizen is a jet. I hope this much anticipated duel with cheika is promoted well. It annoys me when Stan and RA don’t adequately market these games…most casual fans didn’t even know the wallabies played last week. I worry about EJ’s territory style game plan. He has Pacifica power plays that ran out of petrol doing 60min of defence
Are these green shoots or weeds in Eddie's garden?
Eddie’s never gonna change. Leopard spots. Eddie gets journalists and coaches offside. All’s forgiven when you’re winning but when SA pumps you…
Are these green shoots or weeds in Eddie's garden?
Great points Brett. I expect a raft of changes to key positions for the next match. If the structures rather than personelle are the problem, we can expect this issues to recur against Argentina.
Making players defend out of position reminds me of cheika’s style. Players were exhausted by the extra territory they had to cover esp with rapid turnover ball. I don’t like musical chairs defence.
'What was with that defensive set up?': Jones-Hodgson combo must get up to speed fast with Fisher absence clear to see
Thx McMasher. Yes, I wonder about the cohesion thing. You’re less likely to make changes if you’re team is winning so there’s an inherent bias there. Sometimes I feel coaching the ABs is like coaching the Aus cricket team in the late 90’s…it’s pretty hard to go wrong. Eddie’s captains call pick SV has backfired.
Are these green shoots or weeds in Eddie's garden?
HI Geoff, great article. FOr me the combinations were all wrong. QC/CG need a big 12 to offload to, not RH. Why would EJ try and establish 10/12 and 12/13 cohesion with RH when he is leaving after the RWC and we’d have to start again with cohesion building?
The biggest issue the Wallabies have always had is the inability to adapt (eg weather, refereeing, etc). They’ve always struggled when plan A hasn’t worked. SA were taking advantage of passive defence and making huge metres. We stayed passive and kicked away any possession.
Wright, Vunivalu and Uelese are all capable of brilliance but for all their brilliance, they are slightly more error prone. When under pressure and fatigue at test level, it hardly surprising that all 3 made a number of errors. These will only be compounded at a RWC esp if their confidence falls. EJ needs to re-think some selections.
The Wrap: Like Hillary at Everest Base Camp, Eddie Jones has a mountain ahead of him
I hope NL goes to Europe, kills it and makes bulk cash. I don’t think he’s developing in Aus and he will be a better player following time in Europe.
I’m a little confused as EJ was a Giteau fan. Both MG and NL have similar qualities- fast, elusive small 10/12 men from the Brums.
Exclusive: Lolesio set to sign World Cup joker deal in France after Wallabies shunning
They’d target those back 3. Error prone
Back to where it all began for Eddie: My Wallabies team to take on Boks in Pretoria
Nice article Phil. I like a SR reserve grade style comp. Make it domestic to save money. The winner can play the winner of the NPC? I like the idea of competing for August on the calendar however i worry about the disinterest fans may have when there’s test rugby on simultaneously AND it would be a step down in quality from SR….fans may find that step down hard to stay interested in. That said, it’s too hard to do this comp as a pre-cursor in summer. I don’t have any interest in club rugby but perhaps an FA cup style domestic club comp? Each comp stays as is but the top 2 from each competition qualify for this FA cup? To entice fans to attend SR there needs to be a warm up game like in the old days when reserve grade was on before the main game…its good to see the up and coming young players.
How to rebuild Australian rugby's depth - without breaking the bank