Roar Guru
Joined August 2011
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In the words of General Melchett's school song in Blackadder, the Springboks handed out a full on ‘belts off, trousers down’ hiding at Twickenham.…
The lead up to the Freedom Cup Test on Saturday was dominated by the South African mainstream press and much of social media declaring…
In Christchurch, the Crusaders took on the volatile Moana Pasifika with all eyes on Richie Mo’unga as he brought up his 100th for the…
There was a saying that if a rugby Test was 60 minutes long Ireland would have already been world champions (presuming of course they…
Last week I closed with a concern on the refereeing of the breakdown, and thought best to lead with it this time. It is…
The application of the new laws around enforcing the shot clocks and increasing fatigue is placing the onus on loose forwards to stop momentum…
Back in 2020 I wrote this Roar article questioning the value of the advantage law - in short, positing that playing advantage from penalties…
The enforcement of a shot clock on kicks for goal and from hand, together with focusing on restarts, has begun to make inroads into…
There was plenty of interest in the new law variations in the opening week of Super Rugby Pacific as to how sides would tactically handle…
Much of the 2023 Super Rugby season is going to have a dual purpose - deciding the competition itself and settling on players and…
After a week of more excess frothing than a bad trainee day at a pils bar, its worth examining if Eddie Jones' recent record…
Its impossible to assign a single rating to this year's All Blacks as there were so many significant changes across the course of 2022.…
While World Ruby has already given away the official awards for 2022, I think we can do a little better. These are the alternative…
With the 2022 season all but behind us, we are left with the run to the 2023 Rugby World Cup once everyone reports back…
One wonders how many times we will hear the expression 'a game of two halves' this week. New Zealand had total dominance at the…
Just when it looked like the perfect opportunity to put the All Blacks' first XV out on the park, you know like they have…
In the early hours of Sunday watching the France-Wallabies game I was struck by the number of times the French side, seemingly without rhyme…
If the Welsh national anthem doesn’t get you fired up then nothing will, and the reverberations around the stadium with a closed roof certainly…
Was it revenge for a senior home series defeat, a desire to show the selectors that the All Blacks full squad had been poorly…
There was always going to be an element risk going up against a rapidly improving Japan with a less than full-strength side, as France…
Let not forget Pollard came in when Marx went out injured
The Wrap: There's a reason Boks and All Blacks are at the big boys' table - the rest have to earn their way onto it
Made them too robotic…….hmmm,
SPIRO ZAVOS: The moment I knew Irish curse would continue, and why Southern giants still rule the Cup
Gday Henry, I’ll see your Breakdown-and raise you an OTB.
We are not well served by many of our mainstream media but OTB by far the worst for mine.
SPIRO ZAVOS: The moment I knew Irish curse would continue, and why Southern giants still rule the Cup
BIL is covered by the current Stan deal, no?
Forget Eddie's Coogee circus, the biggest questions Australian rugby must answer were revealed in Paris
Thanks for that Geoff
When you have senior people declining to lead important reviews you have reached a bad place.
I listened to a replay of a radio interview with Phil Waugh yesterday. He basically got attacked about Japan and lack of results and overall the whole thing was a bit of train wreck. But, I think at its core Waugh showed himself to be an honest bloke in an uncomfortable place although his level of junior banker corporate speak need to go.
RA jus t might have someone to start building around was the impression I was left with.
Forget Eddie's Coogee circus, the biggest questions Australian rugby must answer were revealed in Paris
This is a confident newspaper
COMMENT: RA wanted a Pitbull to bring back some snarl to the Wallabies - Eddie rolled over for a tummy tickle
Spot on HKR, it’s a complete smoke screen
Add back in Alan AAAs if he’s fit and the age goes up again
His big changes were Gordon/Donaldson instead of Qc, tough to call that successful
McReight over Hooper, well that failed as T Hooper was drafted in to 7
Introduced Tom Hooper, semi success we would call that, looks a good longer term project, but on his Super rugby form, hardly an inspired or left field selection.
Pretty much all else was Rennie team, but more poorly directed
COMMENT: RA wanted a Pitbull to bring back some snarl to the Wallabies - Eddie rolled over for a tummy tickle
Over 54pc of his games against the top 4 and yeah, lots of AB games.
Liked your interview with martin devlin, he can be a bit of a drama queen, you managed it well
COMMENT: RA wanted a Pitbull to bring back some snarl to the Wallabies - Eddie rolled over for a tummy tickle
Lets not get into the habit of comparing those two numbers.
Rennie did not play a side outside the top 10.
The correct comparison is 38% to 0
COMMENT: RA wanted a Pitbull to bring back some snarl to the Wallabies - Eddie rolled over for a tummy tickle
No one remembers anyone other than World Cup winners.
Well this line of apologist nonsense is largely why Australian rugby is where it is right now.
Lets see who will remember other than the winner of the RWC
1. Every aussie supporter who got up at stupid o’clock with their kids to watch Australia go out of the RWC without firing a shot in the worst year for Australian rugby of all time. Out in the pool stages and zero wins against a tier 1 team all year.
This level of performance has nothing to do with systems and pathways. This is selection and coaching.
2. All those Wallaby fans who travelled to France to support their team, special mention to those who went to the Wales game which must be the single poorest Wallabies performance in living memory, leaderless, rudderless, and no discernible game plan.
3. All those Australians spent huge coin who purchased travel packages through the Wallaby Travel, used up their annual holidays, and who rocked up in Marseille while their team was already flying home.
4. Every Corporate supporter who bought a box and had to ring around their customers to see if they still wanted to attend if the wallabies weren’t playing in the knockout stages.
5. The staff back at Wallaby HQ who are wondering how the sponsorship revenues for the next years are going to look.
6. The RA treasurer who is ringing the CEO to point out the 2 millions difference between the prize money for making the semis and not getting out of the pools.
7,. The merch staff who have not chance of hitting their targets this year – Santa wont want Wallaby jerseys.
8. The Primary Shirt sponsor who wants to know why their brand isn’t going to be on worldwide television at the knock out stages of the worlds third biggest sports event when the stated KPI was a semi final
9. The broadcaster who is wondering why the team that was going to ‘smash and grab’ the RWC wont be on their screens.
This is an absolute trainwreck and your massively misguided comment on only remembering winners is what happens when you trade access for objectivity.
Wonder what that previously forecast 90 mil debt number is now.
COMMENT: RA wanted a Pitbull to bring back some snarl to the Wallabies - Eddie rolled over for a tummy tickle
And all those who have confirmed via their own sources, Sponichi (huge japanese sport outlet) UK Telegraph, ABC, Tim Horan amongst others, as well as Frans Ludeke who is a candidate confirming the dates.
COMMENT: RA wanted a Pitbull to bring back some snarl to the Wallabies - Eddie rolled over for a tummy tickle
The difference in prize money for the pool stage vs the semi final is almost two million aussie dollars. That’s gonna have to come out of the RA cash flow forecast.
Eddie Jones says he needs to 'give myself an uppercut' but '100 percent' committed to coaching Wallabies
Chris Jones, Rugby Journo for the BBC had an expression for Jones in his last year with England – always promising ‘jam tomorrow’
Eddie Jones says he needs to 'give myself an uppercut' but '100 percent' committed to coaching Wallabies
Excellent point Brett
But perhaps the best examples of finding who you are and playing to it are Wales and England.
Wales have been a train wreck administratively, got no cash, have a restricted offshore policy, tried to transition quickly to a young side then ditched it, had some serious senior retirements, but Gats found a way to make them competitive on the biggest stage. They look like they know who they are without any hyperbole.
England came back from being an absolute mess to still being in the cup with 2 weeks to go and they did it but by being pragmatic and diligent.
Australia in recent years look thier best by being combative but by playing with a level of control that has disappeared in 2023.
Really good observations today, thanks. Lets hope those first steps can begin later today.
'Be Australian': How the RWC QF classics showed we must urgently define and deliver our own style
The big difference oz is in the execution.
Just watch how they went v Ire and Fra on the EOYT, organised, tight within a plan and then any game this year, but for most effect watch the Wales game again if you dare, leaderless, rudderless and if anyone can explain to me what they were trying to do that day I will happily listen.
The difference in under 12 months is enormous and in the wrong direction
'Heartbroken': Springboks knock France out of RWC in dramatic, controversial QF as 'key moment' highlighted
Now I know that’s not very nice……
'Heartbroken': Springboks knock France out of RWC in dramatic, controversial QF as 'key moment' highlighted
oops – sorry riccardo
Five things: RWC quarters deliver rugby's greatest weekend, Cheika's timely Wallabies reminder, officiating wild west
We are going to need 6 for the Nations Cup
Five things: RWC quarters deliver rugby's greatest weekend, Cheika's timely Wallabies reminder, officiating wild west
nice Gats
Cheika's hilariously laconic reaction, Gatland's cheeky Eddie dig, as Argies shock Wales
Christy, Is it just an Eddie presser , or is with RA
No matter what, doesn’t look like the Japanese process is over so hard to see him walking now, more of the same from him to come.
The three contenders to take over the Wallabies if Eddie Jones walks
ABs have not handled getting cards v well in recent years
'Burdens that everyone carries': All Blacks star stood down for World Cup QF, Foster turns up heat on Ireland
Mounga been under a niggle cloud this whole time, they cant take that risk
Parkes Life: The joke's on us - could it be that World Rugby knew what they were doing all along?
We have a great weekend of code ahead, and the sport/travelogue tone is working here.
All you need now is a general transportation strike and a cheval sandwich for the french experience to be complate
Parkes Life: The joke's on us - could it be that World Rugby knew what they were doing all along?
Just clarifying
Eddie digs in as he flies home - AGAIN denying he wants to quit to coach Japan, while revealing next step
It would almost be worth letting England win another world cup to have the likes of Barnes, Woodward, Dawson and Dallaglio be replaced in the media.
England coach's classy response as Ben O'Keeffe suffers ultimate insult from World Cup winner