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…
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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…
Great article Geoff. It’s an interesting question you pose, who takes the pay cuts if we scare away some sponsors?
I feel for rennie. However when you pick inconsistent players at SR level, why would you expect them to be less error prone under more pressure at international level. I’ve heard the error rate at wallaby training is much higher than across the ditch. Whilst we aren’t spoilt for choice talent-wise, rennie must do better with selections
The Wrap: Let's get the Wallabies and All Blacks on the plane before they run out of players
Yes. Fair point. Bugger
ANALYSIS: Dave Rennie is in the last-chance saloon - but a firing Will Skelton might help him get out alive
Thx. He’s a hybrid of hooper and Samu. Would love to see him in gold. He looks like he eats raw meat for breakfast
ANALYSIS: Dave Rennie is in the last-chance saloon - but a firing Will Skelton might help him get out alive
what position is sean mcmahon playing these days?
ANALYSIS: Dave Rennie is in the last-chance saloon - but a firing Will Skelton might help him get out alive
what about if you put Gleeson at 6? He’s fast and does a mountain of work. You wouldnt lose power with him
ANALYSIS: Dave Rennie is in the last-chance saloon - but a firing Will Skelton might help him get out alive
thx Nick, you’re prob right. However the devil’s advocate would say even with our best lineout, we prob will still lose a few throws. With big boppers, we can still blag a few short lineouts, front throws, overthrows and maybe the odd contested lineout. Have Arnold as your other 2nd row and he’s good for a few wins for and against the throw. We have to stack one area of our game as pound for pound we can’t win on an even spread. We can’t keep doing the same thing or the status quo remains. We’d just have to hope the reffing and gameplay favour power.
ANALYSIS: Dave Rennie is in the last-chance saloon - but a firing Will Skelton might help him get out alive
Great article Nick. I liked the comment about not hedging their bets. I feel Aus teams are worried about balance too much. They feared committing to a big power game provided a way to lose but being run around however it also provides a way to win. With so many stoppages in the game, you can get away with big power players. It’s somewhat self fulfilling as power players create their own positives stoppages by winning scrum penalties, creating tries, injuring opponents in powerful collisions, etc. Aus have already got plenty of ways to lose. Time to play an open hand, pick some big boppers and see if they’re good enough.
ANALYSIS: Dave Rennie is in the last-chance saloon - but a firing Will Skelton might help him get out alive
It’s almost as if refs are actively looking for penalties rather than facilitating the game. Finding marginal penalties that haven’t impacted play is like a parking inspector giving a ticket to a car 1min over time in an otherwise completely empty car park.
Super Rugby law tweaks will change the shape of the game. Eventually
Deano, you might be right. I’m hoping that World rugby may be more motivated with the burgeoning interest in US markets. Also, ultimately a strong global game should appeal to sponsors
Super Rugby law tweaks will change the shape of the game. Eventually
Great article NB…you make a very strong argument. Picking PS seemed like an overcompensation. Wallabies fans have been frustrated where we were losing without throwing any punches. This hurt esp given the game is struggling trying to attract sponsors and fans. Unfort operation Samu failed
ANALYSIS: The Pete Samu weakness that makes Hoops a must start when he's ready to reclaim Wallabies' No.7 jersey
A few ppl have thrown up Gleeson as a chance but I get the impression you aren’t that keen NB?
ANALYSIS: The Pete Samu weakness that makes Hoops a must start when he's ready to reclaim Wallabies' No.7 jersey
I’ve heard a few ppl say Gamble is eligible in April
ANALYSIS: The Pete Samu weakness that makes Hoops a must start when he's ready to reclaim Wallabies' No.7 jersey
NB, I’m worried the bloodbath is on. Pray for an AB red card early?
ANALYSIS: How Foley really handled recall, what it says about Aus rugby, and teammate he owes big time
Yes you’re spot on Nick. I’m thinking Aus guard against as best as you can (ie in set piece) and hope for the best in open play.
ANALYSIS: How Foley really handled recall, what it says about Aus rugby, and teammate he owes big time
Alternative- knowing NZ will target him, What about trying to recreate the RL turnover. BF defending in the frontline. Staying back a little so NZ ball carrier runs away from supports. Have FM and LF either side to jackal and turnover?
ANALYSIS: How Foley really handled recall, what it says about Aus rugby, and teammate he owes big time
Now that NZ def know BF will start, they’ll have a week to target him. They will run traffic at him when he’s in the front line and bomb it to him when he’s at fullback. This will be a massive challenge for Aus. However knowing NZ will do this could also be an advantage to Aus if we’re good enough
ANALYSIS: How Foley really handled recall, what it says about Aus rugby, and teammate he owes big time
Great article NB. With Ardie and co returning I’m expecting a bloodbath. Although I wonder if it’s close, how time wasting will be policed? The score line shouldn’t affect the reffing so even if it’s not close, how will it be policed?
ANALYSIS: How Foley really handled recall, what it says about Aus rugby, and teammate he owes big time
Great article NB. So in the Aus WC B/R of Samu, Valetini and Gamble, will there be enough jumpers?
ANALYSIS: How Wallabies' big body theory panned out at Marvel, and what to do with Pete Samu after stunner
Ps, I enjoyed your article. I wish BF all the best but I think the media have been generous to him
The Wrap on Friday: Call it all the time or not at all - crazy, ridiculous moment we should have seen coming
Geoff, Given the struggling state of the game in Aus, I try and look at whether decisions are good for the game. The game doesn’t need nit picking TMO’s to overrule 50:50 forward passes like BFs. The game needs tries. The game doesn’t need Ben O’Keefe last week pedantically penalising technical infringements that no other ref calls. Rugby reffing is becoming like Australian Idol where the judges are bigger than the contestants. Each week, coaches guessing which rules will be enforced is sad and frustrating for fans. Im sure we rightly won’t see Raynals call repeated but I am for speeding up the game and eliminating time wasting.
The Wrap on Friday: Call it all the time or not at all - crazy, ridiculous moment we should have seen coming
Hi Geoff, everyone has been singing BF’s praises. Whilst he did some good things, he was weak in defence and under the high ball. He is directly implicated in Mounga’s try. Now that the ABs know he’ll start next game, theyll have time to plan a game plan targeting him in D. They’ll run traffic at him next game.
The Wrap on Friday: Call it all the time or not at all - crazy, ridiculous moment we should have seen coming
The thing that gets me is the wallabies lack of game awareness. If BF senses the wallabies are tired, someone should go down requiring medical attention. If you simply want to chew up the clock, kick it out and walk to the lineout. What you don’t do is ignore multiple ref warnings and keep faffing about. It wasn’t the first stoppage l that match Raynal told BF to hurry up. Raynal got frustrated and his ego blew the penalty.
Having said that, I’m generally in favour of speeding the game up. If this rule isn’t now enforced consistently, it makes raynal look like a goose.
'Clear cut call', 'They've got to be better': Ruthless All Blacks back ref as Foley felt he 'let team down'
Great article NB. I wonder if dropping FM for a bigger 7 might herald a pivot toward C Gamble next year or even Jahrome Brown?
A lot of the talk in NZ media is about pressuring JG and BF. I think the key for Aus is actually to pressure AS and RM. If they ease into the game, Aus can’t stop them. However if Aus gets a big shot in early to rock RM and also hopefully force NZ to sub AS of early that would go a hellavu long way towards an Aus upset.
Im unsure about the RL recall at 6. He hasn’t impressed internationally. Why not give Gleeson a go? He was fantastic for Aus A and held his own against bigger Pacific bodies.
Final point, DR has interchanged his team regularly. He has tried so many players but why does Vunivalu only get 3min?! Aus invested heavily to lure him across and he can’t get a game? Eng and SA and even Arg were raining Garry Owens and we had the one of the best players under the bomb (SV) sidelined?
ANALYSIS: The biggest challenge facing Dave Rennie if he's to avoid another Bledisloe blow
Thanks Brett. Great poddy this week
Super Rugby Pacific Transfer Centre: EVERY squad CONFIRMED for 2023 season
Hi, yes could be nonsense. I heard it through friends in the wallabies but hard to know how it compares to NZ
The Wrap: Let's get the Wallabies and All Blacks on the plane before they run out of players