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Joined October 2014
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Rugby Fan, from NZ, living in Australia.. I support the Wallbies (except when they play against the ABs)
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Also, very easily confused with this Brett Mckay …
Tweets by brettmckay
Wallabies do the job; #ScrumStraightJoe might have worked
Ken Gray was from Porirua, just down the road from me.
He refused to selection for the ’71 South Africa in protest at its policy of apartheid and retired from the game completely. A pretty hutsy move in NZ at the time.
The thing I remember most about his playing was that when he moved to Prop, he could play loosehead or tighthead .
Picking the greatest 15 All Blacks in Test history
Speaking as an AB supporter, history tells me to only back them in the WC at home 🙂
In fact, only using history as a guide, you wouldn’t even back them to get a place in the final in the northern hemisphere !!
27 days to go: The Roar counts down to the Rugby World Cup
At the time of Cheika’s selection as coach, it was a poisoned chalice. Did Cheika use that to get an advantage over other applicants ? maybe. The NSW RU made sure they didn’t loose their coach for this year, and that was (I think) vindicated by their results.
Having said that, there were legitimate questions about Cheika’s ability to coach at international level, and more importantly about his personal attributes. I think the former has been answered, given the results this year. The pitiful response by the NSW RU (and Cheika himself) to his approaching the referee during the Round 7 match against the Blues has (for me anyway) left the door open on the second.
Whether Cheika is good enough to coach a world cup winning side is just as dependent on the players he can choose from on match day, as it is on his ability as a coach. One of the reasons Cheika is coach of the Wallabies is because there was no one else with similar or better credentials available at the time. He’s off to the WRC for the same reason Skelton is; compared to countries like England, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia has no depth in either playing or coaching ranks.
As for the political machinations, well, Queenslanders can always nominate Richard Graham for Wallaby Coach if the Wallabies don’t get out their pool 🙂
The Wrap: Why are Wallabies fans so angry?
The problem with giving Hooper (not just him, but anyone) a 10 is that you are saying he played the game of his life. More to the point, now you can’t rate Hooper any higher if he plays the next 80 minutes like played the last 40. For example, what happens if he scores a double in a winning game against the ABs ?
HTH
DIY Wallabies player ratings for Springboks Test: The results
having tests in the islands V playing away is an old argument; I know that for many years the argument from the unions involved (both well, NZRFU and the Pacific unions), was that having the games in NZ meant more fans meant more money for the pacific teams.
The Wrap: Isn’t it great to have Test rugby back?
That used to be the QANTAS theme song, sung by some youth choir – maybe we need to get them in again 🙂
The Wrap: Isn’t it great to have Test rugby back?
Hooper plays in the forwards, in the scrum.
Hooper is all heart, plays his guts out all over the field, but at the scrum (he is still a forward isn’t he ?) he was consistently not putting his weight in.
We'll review it like a loss: Pocock
Don’t get carried – but he is the best i#7 in Australia (by a country mile)
We'll review it like a loss: Pocock
The only contention was the timing; As a neutral (I’ll admit a bias against most Australian commentary teams, but not the Wallabies themselves), it was a fair try, on the top of a ‘refuse to loose’ comeback. That attitude has been missing from the Wallabies since the Eales days. I criticized some aspects of Hooper’s play above, but his commitment on the day couldn’t be faulted, nor that of the team in general, especially in the last 10 or 15 minutes.
Wallabies come from behind to beat the Boks
Well, I saw Hooper meerkatting a few times when the Aussie scrum was going backwards. My concern is in the timing; i.e. Was the scrum going backwards, so he’s popping up for a look, or did his lack of scrummaging effort contribute to the scrum going backwards ?
More to the point, he needs to fulfill both roles – first to the break down PLUS scrummaging.
Wallabies come from behind to beat the Boks
Massive deFence from Argentina, but ABs had a nice line out move To score that try.
All Blacks vs Argentina highlights: Rugby Championship results, scores
There’s a fine example of Beck’s defensive qualities from (i believe) the 2010 Rugby World Cup
http://youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9r2gKV_v30
I have to check with my son, but she was teaching at his high school for a while. The video will show why they use “played like a girl” as a compliment 🙂
Determination is the key for sevens star, Nicole Beck
Some interesting feedback on the story at http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/dont-be-fooled-grantland-as-you-know-it-will-die-soon/
Grantland will not die, but it will not be the Simmons version of Grantland. The good writers will follow Simmons 🙂
Bill Simmons and ESPN part ways
I hope Murray Mexted turns up in the commentary box, even if it’s only a cameo.
Some highlights, for those missed them first hand http://www.rugbydump.com/2008/04/453/friday-funnies-murray-mexteds-classic-commentary
House of pain (Part 2): The realisation
About to read part II. If George Greagan or Richie McCaw were on the field, we wouldn’t need a ref 🙂
House of pain (Part 1) - A scene
By the way, Carlos Spencer played 2 seasons (93 and 94) for Horowhenua before he played for the Auckland Blues. Don’t be suprised if you never heard of them, they lost their last Ranfurly Shield challenge 99-6.
But they did win the NPC 3RD Division in ’93 🙂
The Carlos Cup: The trophy you've never heard of
This Milner-Skudder kiddie is pretty good 🙂
[VIDEO] Hurricanes vs Waratahs highlights: Super Rugby scores, blog
Rugbyman says youse wuz robbed by the ref !!!
RATHBONE: Refs, rattling bones and the riddle of the Rugby Man
“No I smell something else – fear Australia has finally found a mongrel coach that will select and transform the Wallaby forwards into a bunch of pipe hitting n#^%@s, watch what happens next (and it may not be this year given timelines).”
Given that the best NSW Forward this year is actually South African, I love this comment 🙂
Plus the cute little caveat at the end. One day, if you really really believe, ….
Half-time referee rendezvous has Michael Cheika in hot water
don’t care if they scrape into the finals from here.
Well, I do. I’d prefer them to have a home final if they got that far.
[VIDEO] Hurricanes vs Stormers highlights: Super Rugby scores, blog
I can only hope Pup is forgetful enough to order it 6 times; 1nb each time 🙂
Size of the fight in the dog: Beware the Black Caps
David,
Australia, England, Fiji, Wales.
Only two of these teams will go through to the knockout round. Just as importantly, of the remaining two, only the third place getter automatically qualifies for the 2019 RWC.
Given the depth of talent in Australian Rugby (the best foward in the WAR v BRU game was a South African) and the possibility of injury their first two matches, the Wallabies could be fighting for qualification, against an equally motivated opponent, fielding a second string side.
hth
Is Michael Cheika blinking at the Welsh and English try-fest?
I’d be careful about campaigning for “that” number 7 to be penalised too much. I still remember how he celebrated his second ever yellow card http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/newzealand/11052726/New-Zealand-51-Australia-20-Ritchie-McCaw-scores-two-tries-as-All-Blacks-beat-Wallabies-in-Rugby-Championship.html
There’s an interesting article from a Kiwi paper showing how McCaw has been receiving more penalties per game as the years go on; See http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/72255714/richie-mccaw-is-illdisciplined–the-stats-prove-it
The money quote is
“In his 40 test starts since winning the World Cup, McCaw has averaged 1.48 penalties per match. In his last 20, the rate has increased to 1.7 and in his last ten, to 2 penalties per match.”
Add to that, 2 thirds (!!) of his yellow cards have come since the 2011 RWC win 🙂
Is he getting older, slower, or are the refs harder on him than they used to be ?
Wallabies do the job; #ScrumStraightJoe might have worked