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Joined June 2020
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Expat Aussie living in London who enjoys union and league in equal measure. Rabbitohs supporter for much of my life aside from my brief stint with the consistently finals-bound yet cash-strapped North Sydney Bears of the 90's. Glad to see the Chieka coached Wallaby era is over.
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The NRL may be emerging from a self-imposed bubble, but there is a condition not even the strictest safety measures can protect against. I…
Great article W Evans! Many of your points echo my thoughts. If SA was to win the WC it would be a blight on the game. This current Springboks team seems full of arrogant, self-entitled whingers who are the kings of gamesmanship (with the exception of a few, e.g. captain Kolisi). Springboks seem to have developed a cloak of invincibility around them from the referees ever since Rassie had his rant.
They are the experts of playing the game on their terms, which is not in the spirit of how traditional rugby is played. ABs on the other hand are a joy to watch and I can only wish the Wallabies would play with as much confidence and cohesion in attack. I’ll be donning my black on Saturday!!!
Rugby’s descent into cynical play: Why neutral fans should back the All Blacks for the good of the game
Good one BB! 😂
The Wallabies' World Cup campaign was a disaster from start to finish - but sacking Eddie Jones isn't the answer
Sadly, I think you might be right Rugbytrylover. Looks like we might sitting through another four years of wallaby mediocrity and listening to a head coach who always thinks he is the smartest in the room.
The Wallabies' World Cup campaign was a disaster from start to finish - but sacking Eddie Jones isn't the answer
Hypothetically speaking, if EJ was to go, who are some genuine contenders to take over? I was hoping Scott Robertson would get the gig, but that clearly won’t happen.
The Wallabies' World Cup campaign was a disaster from start to finish - but sacking Eddie Jones isn't the answer
I know I’ll cop a lot of heat for this but I’ll share it anyway. Although history shows tier two nations getting the rough end of the stick, I felt the opposite was true in the Fiji v wallabies game. The referee and TMO were hot on everything the wallabies did. Some might say it was in response to the poor refereeing Fiji received in their previous game vs wales. That conspiracy aside, I think Jonker should lead the precession of TMO’s out of this WC.
The Wrap: Wallabies are on their way home - can they please take the TMOs with them?
Something doesn’t add up. Players and coaches have nothing but positive things to say about Eddie, yet the players seemed disinterested and disorganised in every game of the WC. There are so many questions. Are the tactics too complicated? Are the players not capable of executing? Has there been too much outside noise? Has the occasion of the WC overwhelmed the young squad? Perhaps it’s all of the above.
'F--king works so hard, bro': Wallaby star's message to angry fans after World Cup calamity
I really feel for these players. Their body language suggests they are struggling mentally. They have been put through the ringer this year. Starting with the sudden departure of Rennie (who by all accounts was well liked among the squad), moving on to the stupid decisions from their admin (i.e. offering big money contracts to NRL players) and trying to adapt to a new game plan from a completely new coaching team. Also, having a toxic head coach who still denies interviewing for the Japan job. Is it any wonder we are on the verge of exiting the WC?
Wallabies' RWC hopes still alive after wild win over Portugal - but it will take a miracle to avoid historic first flop
And most of their points were scored with one man up.
Wallabies' RWC hopes still alive after wild win over Portugal - but it will take a miracle to avoid historic first flop
More short sighted thinking that is only going to piss off the current playing group even more so than they already are (referencing Porecki’s face during the latest post match presser). I think deep down some of these players are filthy about the treatment Rennie received. Has the RA stopped to think about the impact of their actions on the psyche of these young players?
Besieged Wallabies throw lucrative deal at Crichton in bid to lure Roosters star back to rugby - with a Super twist
Where can I find this ‘thesis’? I’ll happily read it and send the summary notes to the RA administration. Can’t believe the guy who had a stake in Ireland becoming the no.1 team in world is denied an interview for the RA high performance position.
'Semi pro sport at best': Ex-Ireland HP manager's scathing critique of Aussie rugby, and dire warning for its future
My biggest fear is that administration and coach won’t change.
World View: 'Dictator' Jones smashed for 'abject surrender' as furious SBW slams coach for tainting careers of youngsters
Hika, I’m glad you mentioned this as I felt there were a few 50/50 calls in the game and they mostly favoured Fiji. Although our discipline is poor under Jones, we were no where near conceding 18 penalties in a game until last weekend.
ANALYSIS: Why the Wallabies' breakdown woes could be helped from outside their own camp
Yes Adam, I am not denying the fundamental importance of a maul in rugby. The maul, similar to a ruck and scrum is designed to create space out wide, but the Wallabies aren’t exploiting the spaces out wide. Instead, it seems they are trying to match the power game of other nations and develop a reputation in areas of the game that I feel are UN-Australian. I do agree with you on one point… our forwards don’t want to do the boring work for 80mins. We were beaten many times at the breakdown against Fiji cause our forwards went missing.
Five Things: Eddie's mad scientist coaching group exposed - but Wallabies won't fear Wales like Fiji
Hang on Christy! You mentioned the half-back and outside centre missing their assignment at the breakdown for the Wallabies. What about the forwards?! Where were the forwards?! Also, this talk about previously having a world class maul is exactly whats wrong with rugby in Australia. We are focusing on the wrong things. What about developing confidence in our back-line to score tries. We could benefit from Campo’s knowledge and experience right now. Ironically, the Wallabies will have to play rugby to stand any chance of progressing to the QFs.
Five Things: Eddie's mad scientist coaching group exposed - but Wallabies won't fear Wales like Fiji
So true Muttley. I left out breakdown penalties in my comment above.
'Eddie got found out': Jones in spotlight as 'ferocious' Fiji leave Wallabies RWC hopes hanging by thread in 69 year first
Can’t see us making the QFs. We will need to beat Wales (preferably with a 4-try bp) and prevent them from getting any bps. However, that would require us keeping ball in hand.
'Eddie got found out': Jones in spotlight as 'ferocious' Fiji leave Wallabies RWC hopes hanging by thread in 69 year first
I have seen enough from this team under Jones to suggest they can be quality. If they can capitalise on their opportunities they will win the Georgia game easily. This means kicking “kickable” goals and converting pressure inside attacking 22 to points. This sounds obvious but it has been the achilles heal of the Wallabies so far under Jones. I guess converting pressure to points is what seperates the best from the rest.
Comment: Eddie Jones has taken risks by naming his big three for Wallabies opener - but he had to
This game was won at the selection table. Too many passengers in the NSW side that didn’t warrant selection based on limited footy or poor form. It showed in their clunky attack. Well done QLD.
Battered Maroons pull off stunning comeback on 'really poor' Blues to put Fittler's future in jeopardy
This couldn’t have happened to a better trio. One player is off to Japan at season end, another is a fringe Wallaby at best and the last one was never in danger of cracking the matchday 23.
UPDATED: Rennie on Wallabies' reaction as trio, including Marika Koroibete, stood down for drinking
No worries Geoff, I appreciate your response and enjoyed your article. I agree with your comments about the difficulties of reaching an accurate decision in the heat of the moment as well as the pressure on players to be accurate in the tackle due to a reduced margin of error. I can accept the fact that referees get it wrong sometimes. However, Kolbe’s tackle was blatant foul play and the fact that nothing came of it sends the wrong message to the rugby community and only serves to muddy the waters further.
The Wrap: Springboks victory surge vindicates Erasmus, but at what cost?
I 100% agree with everything you said. I am a strong advocate for running rugby over the set piece power game SA employs and I applaud any team who is game enough to implement it. No doubt the wallabies and pumas will work hard to have the game played on their terms which is a more free flowing style (it is how the game was meant to be played). My only concern is that based on recent history both these teams demonstrate a combination of brain farts and poor basic skills that kills any momentum they establish. Whereas the ABs punish mistakes through scoring tries the Springboks do so in threes. SA could quiet easily win a game by 20pts off the boot of Pollard.
The Wrap: Springboks victory surge vindicates Erasmus, but at what cost?
Guest, unfortunately I only see one of those three teams doing it successfully. The other two will be penalty-kicked out of the game with their ill discipline.
The Wrap: Springboks victory surge vindicates Erasmus, but at what cost?
Sorry Ex force fan my beef is with the little men. However, I do agree you with about Vd Merwe.
The Wrap: Springboks victory surge vindicates Erasmus, but at what cost?
Geoff, to be clear I am referring to the head-on-head contact Kolbe made with Curry not his careless attempt at challenging for the high ball (which we all know he received a yellow for). He made direct head-on-head contact which is clearly stated as foul play according to the WR Head Contact Process dated March 2021. IMO that document is neither straightforward in its framework or its interpretation.
As for De Klerk his tackle attempt on Murray is less clear but it appears first contact was made around the neck area. Unfortunately, despite a request from O’Keefe to get a second look Jonker didn’t deem it necessary.
Compare both these tackles to Koroibete’s attempt v France. The referees spent a good 5mins or so analysing multiple angles and decided on a red card only for it to be thrown out by WR afterwards.
My issue is with consistency not the specific tackles. If WR is fair dinkum about player safety then we need to see more consistency around how dangerous tackles are interpreted and penalised. Sadly I see this trend continuing.
The Wrap: Springboks victory surge vindicates Erasmus, but at what cost?
What a crock! If player safety was paramount then the Etzebeth tackle on Ritchie should’ve been at least checked and a card should’ve been issued to the player who led a stray arm to the nose of De Groot. The focus on player safety was one sided. Unfortunately, I agree with the Cane red card though.
THE GREATEST! Boks beat All Blacks in instant classic to claim record FOURTH RWC in controversial, dramatic final