Thanks for the Wrap, Geoff. It is a sad read this week. What Jimmy Orange has built, and is continuing to build in Melbourne is quite remarkable. I had not known much about him, or his business, but have educated myself more just now before writing this comment.
The power of sport to motivate young students is just enormous. It is life changing, leading in many cases to much more than just success in sport, and perhaps more importantly, enjoyment in participation. But it also, so often, leads to great success and satisfaction in life in general. In a career in business, professional fields, and relationships.
I have seen this in my own career as a teacher and rugby coach. Boys and girls who because of their sport, became highly motivated in the academic areas, lifted their levels of achievement, and are now retiring after very successful and rewarding careers. I think of two especially as I write. One really struggled academically, but had talent as a rugby player. With the input of very dedicated classroom teachers, he went onto occupy a high level position in one of the country’s leading banks. He also played Sevens rugby for Ireland.
The other was also not especially talented in the classroom, but again with skilled guidance made it through and became a teacher. He had a hard decision to make while at Uni. With one cap for Ireland, he was in line to tour South Africa, but had a exam resit to face at the end of summer. He made the academic choice, did not tour, and another player took his place, and went on to win 41 caps. He did win another five caps at the end of his playing days. He will retire at the end of this year, having taught and coached rugby at a smaller school for over 40 years. He has had an immeasurable impact on the lives of the boys and girls he has taught and coached.
If RA allow the Rebels to fold, all that Jimmy Orange, and no doubt many others too, have worked for over the time the Rebels have existed in Melbourne, will be lost. With no clear pathway through the Rebels existing, the academies will struggle. Everyone loses in that scenario. And it is must be made very clear that the losses go way beyond just people who would have played the game at a range of levels. Future coaches, mentors, administrators, and right down to people who merely spectate, will be lost to the wider Australian rugby family.
As always Geoff, you write so well, your arguments carry such force. This is an important issue, and one can only hope the bleak landscape faced now does not get worse

“Eddie saw the writing on the wall. Rugby in Australia was on a fast downward spiral and he realised it needed to collapse to rebuild.”

So are you saying Eddie really did a superb job, Osr ? He will be seen by historians of the game as a saviour of the game here. ?

Big hat, no cattle, as they say. Jones had the big hat, and pretty good cattle, so…..

“Well there was no ‘fanfare’ from this little brown duck for the folly”.

“Little brown duck”. Yes, guess I must be one of those too ! Good post, Ken. I still recall the morning my wife told me that she had heard on the radio ” Eddie Jones is the WB coach. Convinced it was April 1st, I checked my dairy. I was not….horror then set in ! But like when we left Zimbabwe in 1988, because of a falling dollar, I never saw just how bad things would get. It took another 13 years for Zimbabwe to descend into chaos. Jones achieved that with WB’s in months. He does not need years….heaven help Japan.

“You stick Geoff Parkes and I on a Bledisloe, I reckon we’d score!” Would be a dream team !

Great read, Harry. Thanks. I do worry about Ireland’s props though. The “best” two struggled against the French. The finisher lads did far better, with, from memory, one scrum against the “best” French props.

The “old Calcutta Cup” will be fun. The Scots will know they can win, not that they will win. That is a strength !

Thanks, Peter. Great read. I revered Meads as I grew up in Ireland as a young second row.

I never saw him in the flesh, but a lot on TV. he and Ireland’s illie John McBride had great mutual respect.

“If the Chiefs play DMac at 10 then they’ll fail – again”. I would agree there, In. He will always be targeted at 10 by opposition teams. And often very effectively, shutting him down. His tendency to run across the field makes him an easier target.

He is a great asset though in so many ways. For example, he is one of the best strikers of the ball off the tee in Australasia. A quick check gives him an accuracy level of as high as 85% in 2022, 80 % in 2021.

An All Black lock once played in Europe and called it ‘easy rugby’. Long time ago though, king. Lot has changed over the past 10 – 15 years.

“overestimated”. Not sure what you mean exactly….maybe over rated ? Do you mean the Irish URC teams, or the national team ?

Tupou also a liability at scrums to when he insists in turning/boring in. He could, even should, now be up with the best TH’s in the world. I hope for all the move to the Rebels sees him really shine.

“Playing in the lower grade URC (it is low level)”. You really serious about that, king ? I just don’t see sides like the top SA teams, Leinster, Munster, Benetton as being in any way inferior to the Super rugby teams down here. What you may have seen is games where teams like Leinster will field a sub full strength side one week, as they have a European Championship game the next week.

Thanks for the Wrap, Geoff. Plenty of players there I have to go and look up….but that is good. Always interesting to get insights into backgrounds. And who emerges from the shadows.

I watched some “frightening” highlights footage of the Munster v Crusaders game last week…….the speed and accuracy of the Crusaders at the breakdown was what was frightening. I don’t see that in the bits of pre season games here in Australia. Ofc, highlight reels can be misleading, as can trial games. I hope so anyway.

Thanks for the response, Peta. Interesting rugby career you have had. I do respect your right to your opinion, and I can see where you are coming from.

My career can’t match yours, as I never played to any high level. It was as a coach that I went higher, mainly at schools level in Ireland and Zimbabwe. Thirteen players I coached went on to wear an Irish jersey at various levels, five at full senior level. One remains a close contact, and lifelong friend.

Out of interest, where do you live ? NZ ? I now live in Qld…..have never done any serious coaching there

“Skelton’s been continually poor, except in overseas clubs…maybe he actually realised he can’t just dial it in over there as he did here.”

I am always astounded to read these types of comment. I don’t think there is any real understanding of the type of lock Skelton is, or how this type of player is used by the good coaches who have mentored and developed him.

I think it is best to look at these articles, and then perhaps rethink the commonly held views of some on Skelton, and the other giant locks now playing the game.

https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/why-the-wallabies-cannot-do-without-will-skelton-at-the-world-cup/

https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/the-bigger-the-behemoth-the-closer-to-silverware-you-get/

Also look at this try Skelton scored on debut.

https://www.facebook.com/Wallabies/videos/skelton-2014-debut-vs-france/344445084038139/

Great, TTN !

“well it’s evening here!” Where is “here”, TTN ? Always interested in travels ! Hope you are having a great time 😊

“huge forwards,” Not so sure about that. The WB’s had, as far as I know, the heaviest pack at RWC France. Ireland don’t have any really giant or exceptionally heavy players.

“For props there’s a particular issue with practise scrummaging, with the incredible statement of the English prop Steve Thompson that he would lose consciousness most days”

Steve Thompson was actually England’s hooker, King. But that is a small detail. I would ask if you have played in the front row yourself, or coached the scrum ? I ask, because in my experience, having played mainly as a lock, but with a few games in the front row, and having coached the scrum at elite schools 1st XV level, I have never seen a concussion from any scrum contact.

I would have thought, in the truly disturbing Steve Thompson case, the damage was done in head contacts as a ball carrier and tackler. Therefore it is probably the cumulative effect of sub concussive impacts, much more than direct concussive contacts, that have left Steve Thompson in his current condition.

Thanks for the Wrap, Geoff. An important topic to keep right front and central of any debates on where the game is headed. Your articles on this area raise awareness. It is something you have written a lot on over the past, what, 2/3 years ?

“….. the recent World Cup saw the addition of more backroom officials, employed to scour through vision, a few seconds behind play, to identify purveyors of foul play. Once they had their man, match officials then curiously seemed to switch sides, trying to find mitigating factors to apply against the prescribed foul play sanction.”

That is an astute comment. There was one incident in the Scotland /Wales 6N game on the weekend. I don’t recall names without rewatching the incident, but at a ruck the Scottish cleaning forward made clear head contact with a player already in the ruck.

To my eye it was a clear yellow card, no more, as the impact not severe, or the player coming in at speed from distance. But the TMO clearly, as you say, “switched sides”, and in the end decided it was not foul play. No card, and no penalty either. Not eeven a word to the offending player to take more care.

Nice NEAT nutshell.

Thanks for the article, Declan. A big factor in this 6 Nations is how teams will cover for key injured or absent players. Absentees of note, Farrell and Dupont. Injured players such as Jak Morgan and Mack Hanse will hurt Wales and Ireland.

“Jack Crowley and Harry Byrne. While both are good players, neither are in Sexton’s league.” I think if you look at Sexton’s final season, and esp. the qf defeat, these players are in Sexton’s league. But ofc nowhere near where Sexton was at his peak. Ronan O’Gara certainly rates Crowley, saying “……when I see a 10, I understand what’s involved and I can see it pretty much straight away. It was something that just jumped out at me, kind of: ‘Yeah, I like that guy. Get him.”
ROG tried to get Crowley to LAR. Crowley said no ! Rare that happens to ROG.

And it will be the first season that Ireland do not have a top fly-half in 30 years – Before Sexton there was Ronan O’Gara; before O’Gara there was David Humphreys; and before Humphreys there was Eric Elwood, who started in 1993! Yes, that is fair comment. I guess Paddy Jackson would have been the man now, had things not gone so wrong in his life.

“The 5N goes back to 2010,” Should ofc be 1910 !

“Lucu and Jalibert might be even better (as a combo, able to get it past 2nd receiver) than the incumbents. ”

I think this might be true of the Irish halves too. To be clear, what I am saying is “better than JGP and the Sexton combo that played in the RWC quarters.”

“The battle of the hookers will be a good one. Both are World Class.” I would even hazard “all three”, as I would include Ronan Kelleher as that good too.

“……..childhood did seem more fun than what it is nowadays.” You don’t see street games any longer….soccer, cricket, skipping. Rare to hear the sound of young voices. It is sad !