Roar Guru
Joined December 2018
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Rugby fan and writer. Hit me up on Twitter: @jdunc0305
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Lachie Swinton’s days of playing in his homeland appear to be numbered, after The Roar revealed last week the burly breakaway will leave for…
After dropping five of their first six games, the Waratahs found their winning habit in Round 8 against the Western Force. Since then, they…
It is now less than nine weeks until the Wallabies play South Africa in their first Test match of the season. Intrigue about who…
Chill the beers and stock up on the salted nuts. Super Rugby Pacific is here for another eight rounds – plus the playoffs -…
With Round 7 of Super Rugby Pacific kicking off on Friday the 2023 season is about to reach its midway point. Much has stayed…
Many would argue that it’s much too early in the season for a must-win game. It’s only Week 3, settle down! But the Waratahs…
Understandably, with the Wallabies 35-man squad just announced for July’s England series, many are scratching their heads about those who missed out. THE OFFICIAL…
Good Aussie locks are always in high demand overseas. At least a half-dozen Wallabies second-rowers are currently doing their business for clubs based abroad.…
It’s been a tale of two careers for Tala Gray. Five years playing rugby in Australia and seven in France could barely have produced…
Southern Districts have been one of the surprise packets through six rounds of the Shute Shield. The Rebels have won four of their first…
Few, if any, Australian rugby personalities have been plying their trade overseas as long as Manny Edmonds. The former Waratah flyhalf left Aussie shores…
The Australia-Fiji pool game at last year’s Rugby World Cup had a rather interesting twist. Three of the Wallabies’ starters – Marika Koroibete, Samu…
Daniel Halangahu could scarcely be in a better place right now. The former Waratahs flyhalf is currently based in Auckland working for the Blues…
On paper Saturday night’s Super Rugby AU clash between the Western Force and the Brumbies appears to be a mismatch. The ACT side have…
Just like in everyday life, rugby players have their good days and their bad days. Seasons can be like that too – some are…
There were some tasty snippets in the Rebels vs Reds clash last Friday but a pair of moments – in terms of sheer excitement…
It’s a matter of counting hours rather than days now until Super Rugby returns to Australia. And what a way to bring it back…
The French Pro D2 competition is somewhat of a mystery for rugby fans in the southern hemisphere. Some diehards might stream games featuring Top…
How good was Chris Latham? The image of him back in his Super Rugby days was unmistakable: maroon shirt, a shock of blonde hair,…
March 1st, 1996. Friday night. First day of autumn in Sydney. Rugby history is about to be made. The New South Wales Waratahs are…
Will take the glass-is-half-full mindset on this one Eldon. I reckon Swinton’s got a few more shots to fire.
Lachie Swinton's new French connection can have a big payoff for him - and Australian rugby
Absolutely, Tommy!
Lachie Swinton's new French connection can have a big payoff for him - and Australian rugby
Hey Adsa, thanks for the comment. The list of this year’s departing players doesn’t seem as bad as previous years. The main ones are Fainga’a, Hosea, Philip, Hodge, Samu then Swinton next year.
Hosea is probably the most worrying on that list as he only just turned 24.
Lachie Swinton's new French connection can have a big payoff for him - and Australian rugby
Hi all…some of you may be interested in this article I wrote in 2020 after interviewing Kiss. Near the top of the article are some quotes about he views his role as a coach. Great development that he’s coming back to Oz!
'He'll be fantastic': Why Les Kiss is 'such a good appointment' to take the Queensland Reds forward
You may be right, Phil. We’ll see what happens. They have the option of resting players next week too. Worth keeping in mind that Porecki has missed three matches already this season. Gamble makes sense, plus he’ll be returning to his home city which should fire him up.
Can the kick-happy Waratahs’ success continue?
Hey Jez, the messages have been quite mixed this week. I am hopeful more than expectant of a result. There will be no Hooper, but they are going to have to get used to playing without him next year and beyond…
Can the kick-happy Waratahs’ success continue?
Wizz, not sure I follow you. Do you think they’ll revert to a more possession-based game moving forward?
Can the kick-happy Waratahs’ success continue?
Hey Bentnuc, thanks again! Yes, they’ve had to adapt after a terrible start. Plenty of talk about the bulked-up players. We’ll see how that pans out medium-long term.
Can the kick-happy Waratahs’ success continue?
G’day Peter, thanks for the comments. Yes, their results have been very similar this year. They are beating teams below them but not the ones above. The Saders were the only team above them that they beat last year. I’m not sure that history will repeat itself this weekend! Will keep an eye on the playing off the 10 vs playing off 9 factor. Thanks again.
Can the kick-happy Waratahs’ success continue?
Hey Cadfael, I saw those too. A couple did come with Canham in the bin, though. Holloway was all over them.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Wizz, it’s going to be really interesting to see what tweaks they make to the Giteau Law. Tough outing for Slipper today…
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hey BH101, Kaitu’u just hasn’t kicked on from his 2021 campaign has he? Seems to be third pick for Cron now behind FF and TH. Porecki’s concussions are definitely a worry. Another one could really be a problem for him.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hey James, BPA seems to have a lot of admirers here on the Roar. Maybe he comes into the picture at some point during the RC or later at the RWC.
Nasser has had no game time logged so far in SRP so it’ll be tough for him this year.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Two pop-pass turnovers in the second half versus the Saders a few weeks ago. Not safe as a house like many think.
ANALYSIS: Eddie's spoiled for choice with three distinct options at No. 15 - which way should he go?
Tom Wright to start. Is in excellent form and has been all season. Has added a good passing game this year and cut his mistakes. Kellaway is still in the picture, but not Jock.
ANALYSIS: Eddie's spoiled for choice with three distinct options at No. 15 - which way should he go?
Dunno, Bm…running without his guernsey last weekend was a bit cheeky! Nah, he’s going well. Very good defensively, and has some other valuable involvements.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hi Wig, I don’t know why Aussie teams don’t use the long one more often. It was interesting to see in the Chiefs versus Saders game a few weeks ago that when the Chiefs lineout was not functioning they repeatedly went long. It worked a treat. The Brums have worked the short one to good effect with Pollard, from memory. Could be used more.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Thanks again Peter. Hopefully IR makes his return sometime soon too. Cheers.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
I pick Rodda, if fit and ready, but I’m assuming that he’s not going to be.
I was thinking about this before…I’d go with Holloway over Frost at No. 6. Different players, each with their own strengths. Perhaps I’m not giving enough consideration to lineout calling, though.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hi cj, I left Pollard off as he’s got too many players above him at the moment. In future years, definitely. As for BPA, he doesn’t seem to be in EJ’s initial plans but that could change by the backend of the RC, then RWC.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
G’day Peter, many thanks for those comments.
The scrum is hugely important and the hooker, of course, plays a big part in that. A lot depends, as you say, on who is chosen at prop and also the locks. Personally, I would opt for Richie Arnold and WIll Skelton in the second row. Good around the park, and give the scrum some extra oomph.
But EJ might have other ideas. He might also still have limits on his o/s picks. Really hard to know at this stage.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hi C_M, I thought Latu would have had much more playing time this season. It’s not surprising to hear that he’s fielding offers from clubs based abroad. In saying that, it’s a credit to Porecki and Vailanu for keeping him out. The Tahs have their issues but I wouldn’t say that it’s at the hooker position.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hi Rocky, the idea for this story came to me because it’s such an open position, perhaps the most open for the WBs. It’s fair to say that none of the Aussie hookers are in the top five in the world atm. Most have not yet reached their potential, though. Maybe Eddie Jones can bring out the best in whoever he picks.
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hey Bentnuc, thanks for that. Yep, stats are hard to come by for SRP. I’ve got mine from the official website. The lineout stats can be found in the stats > teams stats section. For the individual stats, I’ve clicked on the fixtures from each round, found the individual stats then done some adding (totals) and dividing (averages). You can find these for every game by clicking on the arrow next to the score. Hope that makes sense!
Who is winning the battle for the Wallabies No.2 jersey?
Hi WB, yeah, it depends what team you’re talking about. Toulouse, La Rochelle, Toulon and Bordeaux would all fair well in SRP. Interesting to see Pau currently second on the ladder. Jack Maddocks the lone Aussie in the squad.
Lachie Swinton's new French connection can have a big payoff for him - and Australian rugby