Greetings, G&GRs, and welcome to another Monday. It’ll be a quick one today with one piece of big news and some smaller articles from happenings around the world.
WORLD LEAGUE UNVEILED
According to rugby.com.au, a new rugby union competition between tier one nations from the northern and southern hemisphere will be played every alternate year from 2026 to add a competitive edge to the July and November international windows, officials have confirmed.
A ‘World League’ has been mooted for some time seeking to extract more revenue from the international windows and bring “context” to what have been friendly fixtures played traditionally in the southern hemisphere in July and in the north in November. Although no format has been confirmed by organisers for the new competition, reports suggest Six Nations sides England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales will be in one pool, and teams that make up the Rugby Championship – Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa – will be in the other along with two invited guests, one of which is likely to be Japan. Teams from the north would travel south for three Tests in July and then host three more games in November. The Six Nations will remain in its current February-March position on the calendar and the Rugby Championship will still be played in August-September.
To me, this seems like a load of complete bollocks. There is a World Cup for a reason, and this seems to be creating a pseudo-Bill every other year. Why is it rugby is the only major sport that thinks that ring-fencing any competition is a good idea? Apart from selfishness and the lure of the old dollarydoo, it is a complete and utter killer of development for emerging nations.
JUNIOR WALLABIES AT RWC u20 BILL
The team to face the SDs in a winner-takes-all match (well, for a shot at winning anyway) has been named:
Junior Wallabies vs. England U20
Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town, 2pm SAST (10pm AEST) Tuesday
1. Jack Barrett (NSW Waratahs, Randwick)
2. Max Craig (QLD Reds, Easts Tigers)
3. Nick Bloomfield (QLD Reds, Easts Tigers)
4. Toby Macpherson (ACT Brumbies, Uni-Norths Owls)
5. Daniel Maiava-Tapusoa (Melbourne Rebels, Wests Bulldogs)
6. Lachlan Hooper (ACT Brumbies, Vikings Rugby)
7. Nick Baker (QLD Reds, GPS Rugby Club)
8. Leafi Heka Talataina (Melbourne Rebels, Endeavour Hills)
9. Teddy Wilson (c) (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
10. Jack Bowen (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
11. Ronan Leahy (Western Force, Sydney University)
12. Taj Annan (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)
13. Henry O’Donnell (NSW Waratahs, Northern Suburbs)
14. Tim Ryan (QLD Reds, Brothers Rugby Club)
15. Mason Gordon (Melbourne Rebels, Wests Bulldogs)
Reserves
16. Liam Bowron (ACT Brumbies, Canberra Royals)
17. Harrison Usher (QLD Reds, Bond University)
18. Trevor King (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)
19. Ollie McCrea (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
20. John Bryant (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)
21. Klayton Thorn (ACT Brumbies, Gungahlin Eagles)
22. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips (QLD Reds, Souths Magpies)
23. David Vaihu (Melbourne Rebels, Wests Bulldogs)
In other news, Australia’s most inept professional coach, Nathan Grey, has had another meltdown.
RA’S INABILITY TO GET WITH THE TIMES EXPOSED YET AGAIN
Have a good look at the picture above, folks.
Yes, that’s right. You can see the Australian Men’s side enjoying their business class seats to South Africa. Conversely, you can see the Australian Women’s side hitting up Ottawa, Canada in their economy class seats.
Come on, RA. Get your shit together. A few less mungo ballers ought to cover the costs.
THAT’S ALL HE WROTE
Well, folks, I’m sure you’ve all noticed that I’m the only one left on these hallowed pages. The TL;DR version is that Juswal’s suspicions from last week were correct. “When this many producers leave, they’re starting their own venture”. Well, that’s mostly true. It is correct that you may find a new ‘Rugby Down Under’ page to get your weekday news. And it is correct that you’ll find most of your Monday to Friday writers on this new page instead of on G&GR.
A message in the group chat came as quite the surprise to me last week that the 2020 G&GR writing squad have unionised and will be forming their own site. Unfortunately for me, I have been given the craparazzi version of ‘The Vino’ and advised that I’m no longer wanted. There were reasons for their departure which aren’t mine to share, but nonetheless, their leaving me high and dry cut deep.
Ever since the clarion call was raised in May of 2021 for writers for G&GR, I’ve been fortunate enough to bring you Monday’s Rugby News. Like refereeing is to many, it was very much a case of ‘put up or shut up’. Two months later in July 2021, the writing for this site, as well as the engagement with you fine readers, was my saving grace from a three-month Covid lockdown in a city where I knew few people, had no rugby to referee, and had limited access to anything and everything else. What was built from that was, what I thought, a solid friendship, albeit via modern technology, with some rugby lovers from around the country and the hope that, little by little, we could be the positive light that rugby union needs desperately. That all came crashing down last week. The feelings of sadness, grief and utter devastation to match those of every Wallabies loss over the past decade plus some were, honestly, soul destroying. I loved writing the Monday News and being an active participant, in some way beyond refereeing, in the good will project of grassroots rugby in Australia.
So, with that said, this is likely the G&GR daily news site signing off for good.
Go Wallabies, go Brumbies, and go referees!
Charlie Mackay.
