Roar Pro
Joined November 2011
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In recent weeks, reports have emerged that the Super Rugby franchises in South Africa have threatened to abandon the Super Rugby championship next season…
With the Australian rugby preparing for the grueling season of Super Rugby and the inaugural Rugby Championship, my appetite was satisfied by ESPN over…
The 2012 Six Nations starts today with France taking on Italy at the iconic Stade de France in Paris to kick-off the annual rugby…
Fifteen-year old Teeboy Kamara is on track to shatter the record of being the youngest ever A-League player making his first-team debut, ahead of…
Only three matches are left in the Olyroos' qualification campaign for the 2012 London Olympics, and only three points separate the Group B leaders…
Even watching the Wallabies - Barbarians clash from over sixteen thousand kilometres away, you could feel the immense sense of relief from the majority…
I’m pretty sure that was the game Andy Harper covered himself in glory with that commentary! Will never ever forget that!
Adelaide to face Carney in AFC quarters
Yeah that’s a good point, none of the grass-rolling antics I watch during WCQ against some Middle Eastern countries.
I absolutely loved Honda and Cahill going at each other for the whole ninety, IMO two of Asia’s most recognisable stars who never fail to deliver on the big stage and just simply play their hearts out.!
Socceroos vs Japan one of the games of the year
Again?
Tashkent is now Adelaide’s home away from home, confident they can get the result.
Adelaide to face Carney in AFC quarters
In a week where there were clashes between Polish and Russian fans at the Euros, it’s refreshing to see a rivalry built on mutual respect on the football pitch.
Being a JNT supporter, I can tell you that this rivalry is considered by the majority of Japanese as the biggest rivalry on Asia, it’s a lot healthier than the rivalry with China and Korea which can sometimes get ugly given the history with these nations.
I really hope the final WCQ at Sapporo isn’t a dead-rubber (Which it probably will be) because that would be a shame. Plus a half-decent ref would be nice 🙂
Socceroos vs Japan one of the games of the year
Peter Hewat played for London Irish, does that make him a better player than Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtlet Beale and the half a dozen other Wallaby wingers/fullbacks?
Give Samoan rugby some respect
A devastating result for the Wallabies, but to be honest not completely shocking. The lead-up to this match had ‘Samoa’ written all over it.
Weather can’t be used as an excuse, these are proffesional rugby players who get paid to play winning rugby in whatever condition mother nature calls upon. It’s not like it started pouring whenever the Wallabies received possession, we were clueless in the rain.
Full credit to Scotland, they don’t play breathtaking rugby but never fail to give 150% every match. Maybe they should quit the Six Nations, they’ve now won a test series in Argentina plus a prized scalp down under.
SPIRO: The wind and Scotland defeat the Wallabies
Great news to hear!
Hong Kong is by far my favourite Sevens destination, it was Sevens at it’s best.
Fiji down New Zealand in HK Sevens, Australia bundled out
Great news to hear, I hugely enjoyed RWC 2011, a feast of rugby on TV from lunch till dinner nearly every day!
Full credit to both international and local supporters, even the matches involving minnow nations were packed and had an electric atmosphere.
IRB hail financial success of World Cup
Unfortunately I don’t think enough money would be generated by PI Super Rugby teams, maybe create one or two slots in each SR rosters dedicated to a Polynesian player.
Also let PI nations get more exposure against tier one nations in the June test window, instead of playing the same old northern hemisphere nations (Three against Wales!).
My Pacific solution for Polynesian rugby
I reckon on their day the Wallabies can beat Wales, but any-slips and they’ll be punished.
Of course, all this depends on how our players fare this Super 15 season, who knows if Pocock and O’Connor get injured. Hopefully those two will get an early exit from the comp…
Welsh are capable of beating the Wallabies in Australia
Agree, what an awesome job!
MEXTED: I'm excited about the growth of rugby in smaller nations
“What makes you think HAL clubs take the ACL any more seriously than J-League clubs?”
Maybe since ACL makes headline news in Australian football and matches are broadcast live here? But in Japan, matches are usually delayed broadcast and barely make the national sporting news?
“By contrast – from afar – it appears that J-League, K-League & CSL fans take the ACL much more seriously than HAL fans.”
Of course! Judging by the huge crowds they get in Korea and Japan!
“It was good to see Aussie, Josh Kennedy, did not join his Japanese team mates in these cynical acts of cheating.”
It was good to see that last night, but again you’ve only watched Kennedy at Nagoya during the few ACL matches. Not during the 34 regular season games in Japan 😉
“Ernie Merrick often fielded 2nd team players in the ACL and made it clear in interviews that the HAL was his priority”
But Pixy bluntly told the national media ACL was always 2nd priority. Heck, last season the president at Kashima Antlers publicly admitted after the Cup final he was partly unhappy victory came the price of ACL qualification.
Escaping ACL group stage is the measure of success
Excellent article, one of the few people here who know the full story when it comes to understanding Asian football. It’s true that clashes against K-League sides will be the true tests, they tend to place ACL ahead of their domestic championship.
Anyway, good week for the A-League clubs, at this stage I reckon CCM and Adelaide have the best chances of progressing.
Escaping ACL group stage is the measure of success
This is sooooo funny!!!
Adelaide United vs Gamba Osaka: Asian Champions League live scores
And make him play in the forwards, then at least he’ll get some touches on the ball.
Fifteen players who should play Super Rugby
Fumiaki Tanaka is still 27 years of age, can’t wait to see him at the next RWC.
Fifteen players who should play Super Rugby
Sadly, most of the points you raise were what my rugby coach told me in high school. Maybe he should become the next coach.
How to fix the Waratahs
10,000 fans at a Spanish game! More impressive than the results on the pitch!
I’ve always wondered how the game is faring in Spain.
Georgia crushes Russia's rugby invasion
How I would fix the Waratahs:
1. Get rid of the starting XV and replace them with blokes from Shute Shield who are going to bust their guts for the whole eighty and know how to string five passes together.
2. Lock TPN in a cell with nothing but a rugby ball. Draw a mark high up on the wall and tell him to hit the mark non-stop until the Tri-Nations in a few months time.
3. Explain to the players the meaning of a ‘kick and CHASE’.
How to fix the Waratahs
This is getting off-topic.
The bottom line is like it or not the J-League clubs do not care about the ACL. This is due to a number of reasons, if people want me to elaborate it will be worth an article.
Like other Asian leagues, in recent years the J-League has gone from strength to strength. This is reflected in the success of the national team and the number of youngsters being snapped up by Europeans clubs.
End of story.
Brisbane Roar hit stumbling block in ACL debut
“I’ve been watching J-League clubs in the ACL and all I know for a fact is that they’re not performing as well as they have in the past.”
Exactly. You watch J-League clubs ONLY when they play in the ACL. They rarely field a full-strength team these days and most managers couldn’t care less about a loss.
Everyone in Japan knows that the clubs treat the ACL with indifference.
“Or the players don’t like flying in aeroplanes and playing outside Japan”
Errr…I don’t think that’s the reason, since Japan were the equal best Asian country at WC 2010, guaranteed qualification to London Olympics, 2011 Asian Games (U-23) champions, best Asian team at U-17 WC 2011 and 2011 Asian Cup champions.
Brisbane Roar hit stumbling block in ACL debut
“I’m honestly not interested in whether J-League clubs allegedly take the ACL seriously or not.”
Mate, that’s the critical issue here. J-League clubs, especially in recent years, do not take the competition as seriously as Australia or Korea. Even the managers and players admit this to the media. THAT is why they have performed so poorly.
They simply place the ACL as second priority. They know the ACL isn’t the UCL.
Do you even watch J-League matches?
J-League clubs are in very good health thank you very much. Also Japanese football is in even better health.
Japan were the equal best Asian country at WC 2010, guaranteed qualification to London Olympics, 2011 Asian Games (U-23) champions, best Asian team at U-17 WC 2011 and 2011 Asian Cup champions…..and J-League clubs produce the bulk of these players.
Brisbane Roar hit stumbling block in ACL debut
Performance in the ACL doesnt reflect the quality of J-League clubs, as I’ve already said before some managers in Japan dont consider the ACL as a glorious continental prize worth going after, usually ACL is second priority and the domestic league comes first. Guys like Pixy (Of Nagoya Grampus) publicly told media this week that he isn’t fussed about performing in the ACL.
The J-League clubs’ attitude is reflected by the minimal coverage back in Japan and low attendances for home fixtures.
Just because they’ve done poorly in recent years doesn’t mean the league is in some decline, it’s a matter of priority for the particular manager. Like A-League, J-League is getting stronger every year and producing more young talent than any other Asian league.
Brisbane Roar hit stumbling block in ACL debut
Mike is spot on there, Japanese footballers from a young age have to undergo strict (Sometimes a bit too extreme) training everyday of the year for endless hours. Other countries and cultures may see this as going over the top, but in Japan it’s the norm.
Also an advantage for these kids is that they can concentrate only on football, the only other sporting code is baseball and rugby. The sporting curriculum back there is very different to that of Australia.
Whereas here I’m generalising that young kids are exposed to a wide range of sports and majority take up a sport seriously at a later age.
Brisbane Roar hit stumbling block in ACL debut
Agreed, the RWC final last year only had two tries yet it was one of the most captivating matches I’ve ever seen.
More tries doesn’t necessarily mean more entertainment.
The running game has become a kicking game