Highlander's Roar Profile

After a somewhat wobbly beginning to the Bledisloe series, New Zealand coach Ian Foster and his new All Black coaching team have made some notable changes with positive outcomes.

Rugby

Some seriously good signs from the new All Blacks coaching team

Highlander

Roar Guru

Some seriously good signs from the new All Blacks coaching team

Rugby

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

What is the collective noun for a group of selfish Barbarian rugby players?

A ‘Bozo’? An Arrogant? A Vandal, perhaps? What descriptor should one use for the Barbarian XIII, the self-absorbed group of rugby players who caused the cancellation of the England versus Barbarians match last weekend?

Rugby

Highlander

Roar Guru

What is the collective noun for a group of selfish Barbarian rugby players?

Rugby

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Why is there such variability in the All Blacks' forward performances?

Shortly after receiving your first mouth guard, an orange and an explanation as to why you need to run in the other direction in the second half, young rugby union players are schooled in the need to win the gain line as the first order of business.

Rugby

Why is there such variability in the All Blacks' forward performances?

Highlander

Roar Guru

Why is there such variability in the All Blacks' forward performances?

Rugby

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Argentina, everybody’s new favorite team

One of the real successes of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand was how smaller population centres adopted the international sides that were based in their locale.

Rugby

Oct

Argentina, everybody’s new favorite team

Highlander

Roar Guru

Argentina, everybody’s new favorite team

Rugby

Oct

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Refereeing the breakdown: How the best international sides are affected

Without wishing to jinx anything at the last minute, it is starting to look like we will have some international rugby in both hemispheres before Santa does a socially distanced, gift-sanitised lap of the globe before year’s end.

Rugby

Oct

Refereeing the breakdown: How the best international sides are affected

Highlander

Roar Guru

Refereeing the breakdown: How the best international sides are affected

Rugby

Oct

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

The sky is falling, the sky is falling – oh hang on

Douglas Adams famously wrote “We have normality. Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem”.

Rugby

Jun

The sky is falling, the sky is falling – oh hang on

Highlander

Roar Guru

The sky is falling, the sky is falling – oh hang on

Rugby

Jun

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Is the penalty advantage call a contradiction in terms

Advantage: a condition or circumstance that puts one into a favourable or superior position.

Rugby

Jun

Is the penalty advantage call a contradiction in terms

Highlander

Roar Guru

Is the penalty advantage call a contradiction in terms

Rugby

Jun

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Faux rest periods are killing today’s game

The enforced lockdown thanks to the coronavirus has afforded an opportunity to wander down rugby union’s memory lane and review a few favourite games I have attended in the past.

Rugby

May

Faux rest periods are killing today’s game

Highlander

Roar Guru

Faux rest periods are killing today’s game

Rugby

May

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Maybe turkeys do vote for Christmas

Well, surprise surprise, Bill Beaumont has been re-elected as chair of World Rugby.

Rugby

101

May

Highlander

Roar Guru

Maybe turkeys do vote for Christmas

Rugby

101

May

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

SANZAAR, copyright and myopia

It was June 2017 that I wrote my first article for this site, a piece comparing the back three defensive systems of the All Blacks and the Wallabies and why one system encouraged counterattack and the other made it almost impossible.

Rugby

Mar

Highlander

Roar Guru

SANZAAR, copyright and myopia

Rugby

Mar

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Super Rugby’s waning interest levels in Dunedin

Well, I hate to say I told you so, but if that wasn’t the poorest home performance since the construction of Forsyth Barr Stadium, then somewhere in the past I missed a genuine horror show.

Rugby

Feb

Highlander

Roar Guru

Super Rugby’s waning interest levels in Dunedin

Rugby

Feb

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

It's going to be a long year for the Highlanders

There is something all sorts of wrong with lathering on the sunscreen for the golf course and afterwards wandering into town to watch your Super Rugby team play their last trial game, a week out from the start the season, with hats, sunglasses and shorts the order of the day as the mercury clicks over […]

Rugby

Jan

Highlander

Roar Guru

It's going to be a long year for the Highlanders

Rugby

Jan

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

How did a season of such good form slip quietly by?

If you are one of Australia’s four primary starting flyhalves and you racked up this set of stats (compared to the other three), then surely your name would be bandied around as a contender for a Wallabies jersey come the Rugby Championship.

Rugby

2019

How did a season of such good form slip quietly by?

Highlander

Roar Guru

How did a season of such good form slip quietly by?

Rugby

2019

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

The 2019 World Club Rugby XV selection

With the Europe club rugby finals all locked away a few weeks ago and Super Rugby about to plunge headlong into the knockout phases, it is time to select my favourite XV from club rugby.

Rugby

2019

Highlander

Roar Guru

The 2019 World Club Rugby XV selection

Rugby

2019

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

Can the Sharks bring attention to the Brumbies ‘interesting’ lineout tactics?

Folau Fainga’a hovers near the top of the Super Rugby try-scoring list this year, almost solely off the back of the Brumbies’ rolling maul formed from a lineout.

Rugby

2019

Can the Sharks bring attention to the Brumbies ‘interesting’ lineout tactics?

Highlander

Roar Guru

Can the Sharks bring attention to the Brumbies ‘interesting’ lineout tactics?

Rugby

2019

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

What I wonder about the Webels

Apologies to Elmer Fudd for the title, but even he could see that something changed at this club over the course of this season.

Rugby

2019

Highlander

Roar Guru

What I wonder about the Webels

Rugby

2019

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

The road to the Cook Cup runs straight through Owen Farrell

“Simplify, Simplify Yourself”. Okay, that is a real demolition of a Simple Minds iconic hit, but if there is a single message that this Wallaby coaching team needs to take on board, it is that the current game plan is way too convoluted for the players they insist on selecting.

Rugby

2018

The road to the Cook Cup runs straight through Owen Farrell

Highlander

Roar Guru

The road to the Cook Cup runs straight through Owen Farrell

Rugby

2018

Highlander

Roar Guru

Highlander

Roar Guru

The return of David Pocock, a solution or compounding the problem? Part II

I posted the first part of this article on the third of May this year, before a ball was kicked in Southern Hemisphere international rugby, having watched David Pocock play against the Highlanders in Dunedin and then the following week against Los Pumas.

Rugby

2018

The return of David Pocock, a solution or compounding the problem? Part II

Highlander

Roar Guru

The return of David Pocock, a solution or compounding the problem? Part II

Rugby

2018

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