Author: Matt Rowley

You’ve got to cop it sweet, and so on this podcast special a sorry Matt and Hugh join JB and a triumphant Tim from the Eggchasers to discuss just what went down in Melbourne between the Wallabies and England. WARNING – CONTAINS STRONG GLOATING Sponsored by Sporple.com

Qantas Wallabies Head Coach Michael Cheika has made four changes to his starting side ahead of the second Test against England at AAMI Park in Melbourne (Saturday 18 June, 8.05pm AEST kick off). Sekope Kepu and James Slipper join Captain Stephen Moore in a new-look front row while Sam Carter will pull on the gold jersey for the first time since Australia’s 47-10 win over the United States in Chicago last year. Melbourne Rebels flanker Sean McMahon will start his first Test in Australia at his home ground after earning selection as Number 8 following the injury to David Pocock…

In the lead up to this first Wallabies versus England test in Brisbane, Dan Cole the England tight head spoke about how his side had completely re-built their scrum from the ground up. England undoubtedly came out on top of the refereeing points decision in Brisbane, winning three penalties to one with a Yellow Card on Scott Sio to boot. Joe Marler wasn’t there, but just how different was the England scrum? Let’s have a look at the scrum analysis leading up to and including Sio’s card to see. 35:00 England THP Cole penalised for hinging It takes an age…

Where did it go so wrong for the Wallabies, so right for the Poms and what happens next weekend in Melbourne with the likes of David Pocock out? GAGRs Matt and Reg catch up with Tim and Phil from the Egg Chasers to pick over the bones of England’s win in the first test of the series in Brisbane.

In this podcast special, G&GR’s Matt and Hugh join together with Egg Chaser podcasters Tim and JB from the UK to discuss what they most fear and welcome from their respective oppositions.

With this ten try belter, it would be a shame if we didn’t pull in some video analysis of the Waratahs versus the Chiefs from Friday night

The initial 39 man Wallabies squad for the England series has been announced and there’s a few eye-brow raisers in it. Cheika has called on four internationally-based players for the initial camp, including former Qantas Wallabies skipper James Horwill (Harlequins, UK), Queensland Reds signee Leroy Houston (Bath, UK), France-based prop Sekope Kepu (Bordeaux) and newly re-signed NSW Waratahs flyer Taqele Naiyaravoro (Glasgow). The 39-man squad also includes 10 players uncapped at Test level, including Reds backs Nick Frisby, Karmichael Hunt, Eto Nabuli and Samu Kerevi, Western Force fullback Dane Haylett-Petty and lock Adam Coleman, Brumbies scrumhalf Joe Powell and forwards Allan Ala’alatoa and Rory Arnold, as well as Reds flanker Leroy Houston. Qantas Wallabies 39-man training squad for the 2016 England Series…

For whatever reason, Australia produces more quality opensides than any other nation – FACT. Witness that our retired flanker – George Smith – can still waltz in and pick up Player of the Season in England while cruising on a Contiki Tour. This is because he is the best 7 the world has ever seen – another FACT. So unsurprisingly there’s more competition than a series finale of Masterchef when it comes to selecting this sought after Wallabies openside jersey. Let’s see if the stats (from the first 11 rounds) can help us make this impossible choice. For shits ‘n…

This week’s Green and Gold Rugby Podcast sponsored by Sporple.com is a bumper harvest. We hit the burning questions: The Force victory in Japan- something or nothing? Is this season of Super Rugby getting boring? Was the Quade Cooper 7s experiment doomed from the start? Here we talk to Aussie 7s coach Andy Friend for a masterclass in a Rugby Sevens team makeup as well as hearing about the varying strategies of the top teams, including Australia Which departed player have we missed the most this year so far? Who should be the Wallaby 8? There’s also an appearance from Matt’s famous…

If you don’t follow GAGR on Facebook you might not have seen this video analysis of the Nigel Ah Wong try for the Brumbies against the Bulls on Friday night. It was a cracking piece of skill so we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it! If you’re on mobile and the video above isn’t playing, try here. And no, there’s no sound – sight is all you need!

Over half way through Super Rugby and international selections loom – it’s time for 2016’s WALLABIES BY THE NUMBERS. This week we look at 8. Candidate selection for this one was a little tricky – the loss of Ita Vaea for the Brumbies and a lot of rotation at the Rebels in the back row thinning out the field. But lets get stuck in. (Thanks to John Randerson for compiling the stats). Attack Of the back row, 8 is traditionally the big bopper there to make some yards. Internationally look at Vermuelen for the Boks, Read for the All Blacks…

In this week’s rugby podcast sponsored by Sporple.com, Matt Rowley, Reg Roberts and a special guest blast from the past slam into these burning questions: The Zas red card  – should it have been? Can the Reds survive without Samu Kerevi? Are the board dramas over in Canberra yet (we get a call in with Blocka Dutton to find out) and what’s going on with the coaching around the country? Aussie super teams defence – WTF? Who should be the Wallaby locks as of now? Tune in to get your questions answered!

Who busted a nut for the Aussie super teams over the weekend? Checkout our BEAST OF THE WEEK candidates for round 10 and see if you agree. You may be surprised by the number of Tahs….. This segment came from our inaugural Facebook Live broadcast last night. For more of it’s rambling goodness (and lack of any ability to edit), then get the video below into your eyeholes.

This week on the Green and Gold Rugby podcast sponsored by SPORPLE.COM, we ask: Are the Brumbies cooked, both on and off the field? (Journo Chris Blocka Dutton gives us an update from the Berra) Can the Rebels really win the Aussie Conference? Who should the Wallaby midfield be? Some stats may surprise you Is the Bledisloe in the UK/US idea a kick in the nuts to Wallaby fans? What’s your favourite England test memories? If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to tell a mate or leave a review on iTunes!

The battle between the Shute Shield clubs and the ARU is about more than money

OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME The GAGR podcast has been going for 5 years and for almost 200 episodes. We’ve had guests ranging from Michael Cheika to Brand O’Connor to Brett Gosper. Now, we need someone to give us a hand and help take our wanging-on to the next level. We’re looking for a podcast producer, someone who can corral the team and co-write the agenda/run-sheet, tee up the guest (when we have them) sit in on the convo, feed in info and comments from listeners etc make the recording of the Skype conversation edit that into something listenable, post it…

There are more than a few – like my good mate Brian Moore –  who are claiming 2015 as the greatest rugby year so far. I think they might be right. The World Cup From a global perspective we had the most successful Rugby World Cup to date. I don’t just judge that by the numbers – 2.4 million people attending with stadiums 95% full, 120 million watching the final on TV – but by the quality and justice within the rugby. Quality because we saw ‘minnows’ produce excellence, with teams like Japan and Georgia re-setting expectations. Justice, because teams like…

What a year – we might not have brought back Bill, but we certainly gave it a good shake. Let’s get together to grab a drink and celebrate. Sydney Brisbane Melbourne

Here they are, video highlights of the Australian Barbarians 38-32 victory over New Zealand Heartland XV. Credit: Andrew Ball

The Australian Barbarians side has taken a 38-32 win in the first of two games against the New Zealand Heartland XV at Levin Domain in Levin this afternoon. The Barbarians were strong all match, with the Heartland pushing hard until the final whistle, but the Aussies were too good and took the bragging rights. The Barbarians started with a bang straight from the kick-off with Greater Sydney Rams winger Larry Hermens applying great pressure to force the ball out of play just outside the 22. In the tenth minute, it was Hermens who turned defence into attack after a strong…