Roar Guru
Joined August 2016
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A sports fanatic. A pommie living Down Under. If it uses a ball then I like watching it. Crystal Palace fan for my sins but don\\\'t make you judgements based on that.
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The final round of matches before teams have some of their international players back. With the league heading into the cold winter months, players…
After a couple of weeks off for the Anglo-Welsh cup and with teams missing their front line international players, the Aviva Premiership returned this…
The Wallabies have just finished their Rugby Championship campaign on a high, beating Argentina away from home, and therefore finishing second on the table,…
This was the final round of Premiership action before clubs head into Europe. A few club's will be heading there brimming with confidence while…
Week 5 is in the bag and while there were surprises at the top, at the bottom it is already starting to take shape.…
Week 4 of the Aviva Premiership is in the bag. There was some superb rugby and questionable refereeing. Here is a wrap of the…
Round 3 of the Aviva Premiership saw the competition go global. All teams have now brought back in their Lions as players start to…
Week 2 of the Aviva Premiership didn’t disappoint. Teams brought back in a couple more of their Lions contingent as a couple of heavyweights…
After a summer Lions tour and many fringe players getting their chance to impress on the International stage the Aviva Premiership is back and…
This week is the final week of Super Rugby action for a while. The Northern Hemisphere teams embark on their Southern Hemisphere tours and…
At the moment, no teams can live with the Kiwis – they are sweeping all in front of them. So the ladder-leading, unbeaten Crusaders…
The premiership season is drawing to a close. Teams are fighting to make it into the playoffs and then a home final. Here is…
The Six Nations returns this coming weekend, so players made their last bids to prove fitness or form, while teams tried to take advantage…
No Six Nations Rugby this week ensured that domestic rugby was once again the main focus, and with key matches affecting both the top…
The start of the Super Rugby season is drawing ever closer. Teams are well into their pre-season preparations as they look to their first…
After a break for European competition and the start of the Six Nations, the Aviva Premiership returned this week. With teams shorn of their…
For the final preview for the upcoming Super Rugby season, I take a look at the New Zealand conference. With the last three winners…
After the disappointment of 2016 when only one team made it through to the quarter-finals, the Australian teams will look for a vast improvement…
This week we will take a look at the Africa 2 Conference, arguably the more competitive of the African conferences. Here is Rob's take…
The 2016 Super Rugby season saw new teams, fantastic rugby and no shortage of surprises. With the 2017 season fast approaching, we all hope…
I think they would have learnt from last season and seen the importance of the plan B. I think that the coaches saw a team that had a lot of International players and thought that they would be able to adapt on the field to what was happening and that clearly didn’t happen. This year they would have to, you would think, come up with other options/playing styles to combat certain teams.
Super Rugby 2017 preview - Africa 2 conference
Akari, I feel exactly the same way about Los Jaguares, my only concern which team will turn up on those two extended trips to S.A They are a bit like the French national team, they can be unbeatable or they can lose to anyone – see Sunwolves last season
Super Rugby 2017 preview - Africa 2 conference
Lowlander, whilst I was in SA a lot of the so called ‘bigger teams’ didn’t take the Currie Cup too seriously. Their star names were rested and only played in the big games and even then not all played. With the Boks touring during the Currie Cup season and a lot of the clubs not wanting to risk players getting injured and resting them for Super Rugby I would be interested to see how many of the Lions players that made it to the SR final played in the Currie Cup, same with Bulls, Sharks and WP. I hope the Cheetahs use the momentum would be great to see them challenge but I have my doubts.
Super Rugby 2017 preview - African 1 Conference
Not much will change in this conference but I think there may be a switch around in the Africa 2 conference
Super Rugby 2017 preview - African 1 Conference
True but the difference with the Aviva Prem, Top 14 and Super Rugby is that there is promotion and relegation. There have been some big teams relegated in recent times, Harlequins were relegated a few years ago and came back up, Biarritz and Perpignan are both now in the second tier in France. Super Rugby really needs to look at a 2 tiered comp
Aviva Premiership Week 10 wrap
They are one of those teams that are flying under the radar a bit and have recruited well. They will be in the mix for sure
Aviva Premiership Week 10 wrap
Hi Colm,
There is a distinct gap between the top and bottom of the league. With regards to the Wasps v Worcester game Wasps had out a very much second 15 with the injuries and International call ups and still won relatively comfortably. Watching games between the top 5 will give you a much better experience, Bath, Leicester, Exeter, Wasps and Saracens.
The European Cup can be an enigma, it very much is a case of who can be bothered with it at times and that all depends on how teams are fairing in their respective domestic leagues.
Aviva Premiership Week 10 wrap
He sure is, having a good knack of being in the right place at the right time. I expect Thomas Waldrom to be up there at the end of the season as he always is though.
Aviva Premiership Week 6 wrap
You can’t look much further than Wasps as the main challengers at the moment. Saracens stifled them extremely well and the power they have upfront is scary at times. With Beale and Willie Le Roux still to come in the backs and James Haskell to return from injury too, those 2 teams do look a cut above the rest at the moment.
Aviva Premiership Week 6 wrap
You would have initially thought that Timbo but Gopperth has been in great form this season and looked very dangerous with ball in hand. He made a great break for Bassett’s try on the weekend and ran Leicester ragged a coupl of weeks ago. With Eliot Daly very highly rated it will be interesting to see what Dai Young does with Gopperth when Beale is fit but at the moment he has the shirt on merit
Aviva Premiership Week 4 wrap
CUW, Majid B is probably one of the most outspoken people involved in rugby. He pretty much believes he can and should be allowed to do what he wants when he wants. Whether what he did is legal or not he would challenge the authorities to sanction him. I am pretty sure he ha had a stadium ban against him before for something so things like that don’t bother him.
Aviva Premiership Week 4 wrap
He’s still a little way away yet. At the moment though, the way Wasps are playing will be interesting to see where they play him.
Aviva Premiership Week 4 wrap
Hi What! I will be doing a weekly wrap from the Prem. Agree with you, it is a great competition, the calibre of players it is no attracting is only increasing the level of rugby. Will be a very exciting season.
Aviva Premiership Week 3 wrap
A superb article, the million dollar question in rugby, how to beat the All Blacks. At the moment, you simply don’t not with Barrett playing the way he is. THey can out muscle teams then just stretch it out, it simply isn’t fair. I am taking my ball and going home.
Beating Shag's All Blacks: How to give yourself the best chance (without bugging)
That stat is fairly damning. I just feel that Cheika has chopped and changed so much this year that a bit of stability will bring with it a bit of confidence. Perhaps Douglas isn’t the right man to partner Coleman but I haven’t seen many others stick their hand up
A positive-ish spin on the Wallabies' win vs South Africa
The stats are most certainly not great but as someone has pointed out, he is playing with a new partner weekly. Get someone in there that can provide a consistent partner and they can start to play off each other. Coleman is clearly more of a workhorse. Higher number of tackles and a better LO percentage but I think that Douglas will develop with a steady partner. at 27 and 24 Douglas and Coleman can play their best rugby together as long as they can grow together.
The stat about the penalties conceded does suggest that he is doing a lot more work at the breakdown (obviously need to cut that down)
A positive-ish spin on the Wallabies' win vs South Africa
Miln, 100% agree with you RE crowd numbers. I think this is down to a number of different issues. 1) it is NRL finals week and the day before the Broncos had played at home in the same stadium, 2 Aussie Rugby isn’t exactly hitting the high notes with regards to playing style and results and 3 this is a poorish South Africa team. With regards to your Rugby League comment, personally my view is that this would be the worst idea possible. The message you would be sending out to players is that they are not good enough so we have to look to another sport to bring in the players.
What needs to happen is talent needs to be spotted at an early age. The NRL are doing just that, if you look at the number of teams Grammar schools are putting out now it is significantly down on 15 years ago. The most talented kids are being sent to top League playing schools and coming up through their system thus being lost to Union. This has to be reversed ASAP.
A positive-ish spin on the Wallabies' win vs South Africa
Thank you Ruck, much appreciated. This isn’t as black and white as people are making it out to be. I think people have made their mind up about Cooper a while ago and are happy to write him off, let’s see how he goes if trusted to be the ‘man’
Is Quade Cooper the unlikely savior?
Mania, you make some good points but I think Cheika has to be brave and bold in the upcoming matches. Your ‘we have the cattle’ comment raises come concerns for me. What do Australia have the cattle for? They certainly haven’t got them to beat NZ (no one has though), they do have the cattle to beat most teams at home but I would suggest they will struggle against teams like England away, South Africa and Argentina away will also offer huge tests.
It is time for Cheika to stop shoehorning players in. Play the best players in their best positions. Folau has to come into 13, DHP to full back, Foley in my opinion has to be dropped along with Moore and you certainly have to take a look at the Pooper combination, have teams worked it out?
Why Cheika is still the right man, but shouldn't be given excuses
Brisbane Boys, I hear what you are saying about the sense of entitlement, I think there is definitely complacency amongst certain players in certain positions that they are a shoe in and this has shown, but I couldn’t agree less with your point that uncontracted QPR or Shute Shield players would give either the Reds or the Tah’s a run for their money. Those players are being watched weekly by people that are involved in both set ups and if they were good enough they would be in the squads, look at Holloway, Kellaway and Horwitz, last season stand out players in Shute Shield, this season Tah’s players
Is Quade Cooper the unlikely savior?
Hey Rob,
Whilst I agree, WBs and Reds are different they are both in a very similar situation. The point I am making is if they both have the same guy playing 10 and build a game plan around him, it could benefit all parties a lot quicker than trying loads of other ‘quick fix’ schemes that the WBs are trying at the moment
Is Quade Cooper the unlikely savior?
Not what I am saying at all. What I am saying is that bringing the same players back (AAC, Giteau,) from France and persisting with Moore, who was picked on the basis of his captaincy (which is being criticised all over the place) and his set piece ability (which was picked apart by both England and New Zealand amongst others.
He burst onto the scene as an 18 year old with all the flashy skills then started to believe his own hype. After a couple of seasons out in the wilderness and not being picked for Rio and now being 28 I think he will be mature enough to be a leader. Get a coach who believes in him, puts his arm around him and backs him then we could see what we have been wanting to see from him. Foley has given his best, it has proven to be decent but not at the level to push Australia along, Cooper has that ability.
Is Quade Cooper the unlikely savior?
The problem is there is no-one capable of playing 10 at International that can tackle.
Is Quade Cooper the unlikely savior?
A win it was but if they finish higher than 11th I think that would be a successful campaign for them this season.
Premier League Week 3: Winners and losers
Bold prediction there.
Super Rugby 2017 preview - Africa 2 conference