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Daniel was The Roar's Editor from 2017 until mid-2021.
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Sport has an affinity for the four-year cycle. No matter the code or country, so many of the sports we love flow in eras…
The Queensland Reds are the 2021 Super Rugby champions, having defeated the Brumbies in a 19-16 thriller in the final at Suncorp Stadium. The…
The British and Irish Lions squad to tour South Africa has been announced. Warren Gatland and his coaching team have picked a 37-man squad…
The Brumbies and Reds have both named their line-ups for this weekend's Super Rugby AU final. The Canberrans have paid a heavy injury price…
Dave Wessels' tenure at the Melbourne Rebels has come to an end after he resigned as head coach of the franchise. Wessels' decision is…
The ACT Brumbies and Western Force have named their teams for Saturday night's Super Rugby AU qualifying final in Canberra. The Brumbies welcome back…
Cameron Green's dream summer has ended on a high note, the young all-rounder rewarded for his superb domestic form with a place on Cricket…
The line-ups for Round 10 of Super Rugby AU are in. The Western Force have been given a big boost with star fullback Rob…
The line-ups for Round 9 of Super Rugby AU have been announced. The Waratahs welcome back Wallabies blindside flanker Lachie Swinton to their side…
New Zealand Rugby has granted provisional licenses to two Pacific Island teams, allowing them to join Super Rugby in 2022. Moana Pasifika and the…
The Queensland Reds have been handed a big boost ahead of their top-of-the-table clash against the Brumbies with skipper Liam Wright to make his…
Tom Wright will make his first appearance of the Super Rugby AU season this week after being named in the Brumbies' team to take…
Did you hear the one about the rugby team who let veteran players go, spent well underneath the salary cap, and then sacked their…
The Queensland Reds have given Harry Wilson something of a breather for this week's clash with the Waratahs, choosing to start the young number…
If the AFL can introduce a new rule just one day before the season starts, without properly trialling them, then it's only fair we…
The teams for Round 5 of Super Rugby AU have been announced, with few major changes across the four sides in action this week.…
Australia have lost the second T20 against New Zealand by just four runs, some incredible late-order hitting from Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams not…
Beaten finalists last year, the Reds will be looking to go one step better when their 2021 Super Rugby AU campaign begins tonight. Having…
The Brumbies were both deserved and expected winners of the inaugural Super Rugby AU title. Now Dan McKellar's men are tasked with defending their…
The Melbourne Rebels snuck in for a maiden finals appearance last year by the barest of margins. Making it two in a row could…
Fair enough Jez, I think they’re alright backups but that there’s a decent gap between them and Harrison at the moment. If they get developed nicely as you suggest (and putting time and on-field minutes into backup tens hasn’t exactly been one of the Tahs’ strengths in years gone by) then they’ll have a nice cohort of playmakers to call on if needed.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
That’s it, Jez. Just because a couple of guys excelled in year one of their pro careers doesn’t mean that’s the norm – far from it. Mark has the tools to develop into a strong player, he just needs some time to make it happen.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
No, not no chance. I think 3-5 on the ladder will be fairly close, and you could make a decent enough argument that the Tahs will scrape through into third. I just think the argument that they’ll finish last is more compelling.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
That’s the thing, TLN. 1-15 they don’t look too bad, and if they stay fit they could surprise a few. If their depth gets tested though and the new second-rowers don’t work, it’s trouble.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
Locks clearly the big issue, but also their depth. I didn’t really go into it because Geoff’s covered it already today, but if they lose a key player or two, they’re in a real hole. If someone like Harrison or Gordon goes down, it’s a massive problem.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
Way too early to write off Nawaqanitawase, Bobby. He showed plenty at the start of last year, and as he gets further into his career I think he’ll develop nicely.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
Dempsey’s a loss – before that horrid hamstring injury he had the look of a guy who’d play 50+ Tests for the Wallabies. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s one of those Aussies who comes back from overseas a far more valuable player than he was when he left.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
It’s a fair point, JC, particularly when the Tahs are concerned. I still think, though, that you need at least a few seasoned heads around the place to have success – look at the impact guys like Cadeyrn Neville and Lachie McCaffrey had in the final last year.
And if things start going poorly – and they could well for NSW this year – having a few veterans around the place to help the playing group out off the field would come in handy.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: NSW Waratahs
That’s it, isn’t it? If Swinton learns to control his aggression he’s going to be a seriously good player.
Back-row opportunities in Australian rugby have never been greater
The Swinton-Tizzano combo could be well worth watching. One issue there could be discipline, though. Swinton already has form and Tizzano doesn’t have the reputation of a cool, calm head.
Back-row opportunities in Australian rugby have never been greater
G’day John. Last year was the first time there was an official team of the tournament. This was the official BBL09 TOTT:
Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell (c), Jono Wells, Mitch Marsh, Tom Curran, Rashid Khan, Daniel Sams, Peter Siddle, Haris Rauf
So Maxwell and Rashid the only two to make the best XI both years, with Stoinis and Sams picked in last year’s team and as the x-factor players this season.
The BBL team of the tournament has been announced, but it's missing some big names
The risk of injury I get, the others I just don’t consider to be particularly detrimental to captaincy claims. With regards to resting, do we really think someone like Cummins isn’t capable of both having a breather and thinking about the game tactically at the same time?
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Fair enough. It was still a case of opting for an inexperienced player over the bloke who’d been pretty much a mainstay at first drop for years.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
You’d hope so. Given how his name has fallen out of contention, you’d think he’ll need a good stack of Shield runs at the end of the season to get back in the mix.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Out of interest, Dave, what are your reasons for not having a fast bowler as captain?
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Yes, I’d have him stopping singles. If “he’d get tired out because he’d have to field at mid-on more” is the best argument going around for not picking a quick as skipper, I reckon it’s high time we make one captain.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Went into McDermott earlier in the comments, but that ton vs India was only his second first-class century of his career. Needs a greater weight of Shield runs before he’s in the “deserves an opportunity” camp.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
How do you know he’d under-bowl himself as captain when he’s never been captain before? How do you know he wouldn’t be able to give a player a talking-to when they need it?
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Yeah, you’d think he’d spend a lot of time at mid on and mid off instead of going down to fine leg.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Concur, it’d be excellent to see.
That said, I reckon he’ll end up going to NZ with the T20 squad, so that’ll deprive him of a few FC games.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Oh? Where is anyone saying selectors ignored Shield form?
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
From memory one of the main things Langer and the selectors saw in Labuschagne was his incredible work ethic, but even then he was dropped and didn’t become a regular member of the side until after his incredible 2019 County Cricket stint, when he scored 1114 runs with five centuries, five half-centuries, and an average of 62. It was still banging on the door with first-class form.
Could McDermott do that? Maybe. His technique’s solid, as you say. I’d like to see him ton up more against the red ball before putting him in the Test side though.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Yes it’s a good point about the Shield, Rabbitz. The depth of Australian batting needs to be built up, and that can only be done so through regular, high-intensity, first-class cricket.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Yes Rahane was outstanding.
McDermott’s been mentioned a lot recently, I’m not at all sold on the idea. Yes, he scored that century against India in a warm-up game, but that was only his second-ever first-class ton. His red-ball average of 34 doesn’t scream “Test player”, either. He’s a fantastic BBL bat for sure, that doesn’t mean he’s capable at Test level (his 12 games of making the jump from Big Bash to international T20 haven’t been good either – an average of 14 and strike-rate of 93).
As for those bowlers, give me any of that trio. I’d lean more towards Pattinson to start with, but Richardson’s the long-term prospect there.
No changing of the guard, but hard selection calls required for Australia
Cheers Oz. I remember TK having a pretty poor game late on in the season – maybe Round 9 or 10? But yeah, he wasn’t too bad in the final, and I think that only adds to the thinking that he’s still got some good seasons left in him.
The Roar's Super Rugby AU season preview: Western Force