Author: Hugh Cavill

When Robbie Deans and the Australian selectors meet to pick the Wallaby side for the domestic internationals and beyond, they won’t have to work too hard to pick the front-line XV. Let’s face it: most positions are already foregone conclusions, with the only debate being who are the bench players and wider squad members. However, there are three key positions where no one quite knows where Robbie and co. will go: Tight-head Prop The incumbent Ben Alexander: He has played a solid Super Rugby season largely free of injuries or dama. But has he been good enough? Although the Brumbies…

It was wet, it was windy, it was cold, and overall it was a shitty night for the Waratahs. They made a promising start, but the Blues established dominance in the second half and ran out 26-13 winners. An 18th minute try to TC (although there was a distinct lack of post-try monkey cloud) opened the scoring, and the Tahs looked good. They were stringing the phases together well, and their forwards were making good ground around the fringes. But the Blues hit back fairly quickly through a Lachie Munro try, and at half time were up 13-8. It all…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 24th June Blues v. Waratahs @ Eden Park, Auckland 5:35pm AEST Blues: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Benson Stanley, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Lachie Munro, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Anthony Boric, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Charlie Faumuina. Reserves: 16…

Well, we have finally come to the end of the regular season, and for three Aussie sides it finished on a distinct high. The Force, Tahs and Reds all recorded good wins to give their supporters some hope for the finals (in the case of the Reds and Tahs) or next season (in the case of the Force). Sadly, the Brumbies and Rebels came second yet again, and have a lot of work to do if they want to be competitive next season. Team of the Round: 15 Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14 David Smith – FORCE 13 Mark Gerrard…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 10th June Blues v. Highlanders @ Eden Park, Auckland 5:35pm AEST Blues: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Benson Stanley, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Lachie Munro, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Chris Smylie, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Anthony Boric, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Charlie Faumuina. Reserves: 16 Tom…

A pretty good week for Australian rugby on the whole, with the Brumbies and Reds getting up in entertaining derby fixtures and the Tahs knocking off the Highlanders to keep their finals hopes alive. Only one round remains, which will be crucial for teams to push for finals places and individuals to push for Wallaby squad spots. Team of the Week: 15. Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14. Nick Cummins – FORCE 13. Tom Carter – WARATAHS 12. Pat McCabe – BRUMBIES 11. Adam Ashley-Cooper – BRUMBIES 10. Quade Cooper – REDS 9. Will Genia – REDS 8. Radike Samo -…

With only one round to play this competition is finally heating up, and each of the seven teams in contention still have plenty to play for this coming weekend. Unlike previous years there is no clear favourite, with each of the top sides dropping games to lesser ranked opponents in recent weeks. So with that in mind let’s see how each side is travelling coming into Round 18: Reds Current Position: 1st, 12 wins, 3 losses, 62 points Injury list: Currently missing front-line players in Beau Robinson, Ben Lucas, Luke Morahan, Ant Faingaa, Mike Harris, Rod Davies and Digby Ioane.…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 10th June Chiefs v. Hurricanes @ Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 5:35pm AEST Chiefs: 15. Mils Muliaina (c), 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Richard Kahui, 12. Dwayne Sweeney, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Stephen Donald, 9. Brendon Leonard, 8. Fritz Lee, 7. Tanerau Latimer, 6. Liam Messam, 5. Craig Clarke, 4. Isaac Ross, 3. Nathan White, 2. Hika Elliot, 1. Ben May. Reserves: 16.…

It seems like a long time since I have been able to say it’s been a good round for the Aussie sides. And sadly this week I still cannot utter those words, as the Reds, Tahs and Rebels all went down. On the bright side the Brumbies and Force recorded long-awaited wins, and took obvious pleasure in showing up some of their critics. Team of the Week: 15. Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14. David Smith – FORCE 13. Anthony Faingaa – REDS 12. Matt Giteau – BRUMBIES 11. Digby Ioane – REDS 10. James Stannard – FORCE 9. Patrick Phibbs…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those crucial tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out selections for each fixture. Friday 3rd June Highlanders v. Force @ Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin 5:35pm AEST Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Kendrick Lynn, 12 Shaun Treeby, 11 Siale Piutau, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 John Hardie, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Chris King, 2 Mo Schwalger, 1 Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves:…

Yet another week where the Aussie teams finished 1-3, with the Reds restoring some much-needed Aussie pride after a couple of heartbreaking losses for the Force and Tahs. Nonetheless there were plenty of positives, which we will now have a look at. Team of the Week: 15. Cameron Shepherd – FORCE 14. David Smith – FORCE 13. Anthony Faingaa – REDS 12. Ben Tapuai – REDS 11. Digby Ioane – REDS 10. Quade Cooper – REDS 9. Will Genia – REDS 8. Radike Samo – REDS 7. Beau Robinson – REDS 6. Scott Higginbotham – REDS 5. Nathan Sharpe -…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 27th May Hurricanes v. Force @ FMG Stadium, Palmerston North 5:35pm AEST Hurricanes: 15. Cory Jane, 14. Andre Taylor, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Hosea Gear, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Chris Eaton, 8. Victor Vito (c), 7. Jack Lam, 6. Faifili Levave, 5. James Broadhurst, 4. Jeremy Thrush, 3. Neemia Tialata, 2. Dane Coles, 1. John Schwalger. Reserves:…

Other than the Waratahs it was a pretty shithouse week for Aussie rugby. It seems the bottom three teams just can’t get it together, even when they are playing one another. They have four more rounds to clean up their acts and restore some much-needed pride. Team of the Week: 15. Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14. David Smith – FORCE 13. Ryan Cross – WARATAHS 12. Mark Gerrard – REBELS 11. Sosene Anesi – WARATAHS 10. Matt Giteau – BRUMBIES 9. Nick Phipps – REBELS 8. Ben McCalman – FORCE 7. Chris Alcock – WARATAHS 6. Jarrod Saffy – REBELS…

It is no secret that the Waratahs are struggling to attract crowds. It was exposed on Saturday when the match against the Lions drew only 14,130, a record low. Average attendances are falling, as is community interest. And I think it will get worse next season. Sad to say, this is all comes down to the players. But not in the way that you might think. Sports teams thrive on unpredictability. People love seeing the new, the interesting and the unknown. That is why the cross-code conversion is almost the ultimate sports story: it takes an established personality and thrusts…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 20th May Blues v. Stormers @ Eden Park, Auckland 5:35pm AEST Blues: 15 Lachie Munro, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Sherwin Stowers, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Anthony Boric, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu (c), 1 Tom McCartney. Reserves: 16…

A week of highs and lows for Australian rugby. Well, one high anyway. But what a high it was: the Reds securing top spot on the ladder with a good victory over the Blues. Sadly the Brumbies and Rebels could not replicate the form of the Queenslanders, and find themselves languishing at the arse end of the table. Team of the Week: 15. Pat McCabe – BRUMBIES 14. Luke Morahan – REDS 13. Anthony Faingaa – REDS 12. Ben Tapuai – REDS 11. Digby Ioane – REDS 10. Quade Cooper – REDS 9. Will Genia – REDS 8. Radike Samo…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 13th May Highlanders v. Hurricanes @ Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin 5:35pm AEST Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Kendrick Lynn, 12 Matt Saunders, 11 Telusa Veainu, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Jarrad Hoeata, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Tom Donnelly, 3 Chris King, 2 Mo Schwalger, 1 Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves: 16…

Round 12 contained some pretty rubbish rugby, as injury-riddled teams applied desperation tactics to get the points. In the end the Reds and Waratahs walked away with victories, while yet again the Brumbies, Rebels and Force went down. Although it is a bit late, we have the team of the week to announce, which this round is: Team of the Round: 15 Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14 Digby Ioane – REDS 13 Ryan Cross – WARATAHS 12 Christian Lealiifano – BRUMBIES 11 Lachie Turner – WARATAHS 10 Quade Cooper – REDS 9 Will Genia – REDS 8 Ita Vaea –…

We are past the halfway mark for the 2011 Super Rugby season and it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a clipboard and put our selector hats on. Here is my Super Rugby XV so far: 15. Isaia Toeava (Blues) Injury has unfortunately ended the Iceman’s Super Rugby season, but for the previous 11 weeks he has been in sparkling form.  He is a powerful runner with pace to burn, and has an uncanny ability to beat the first tackler every time. He has certainly reaped the benefits of the Blues’ forward dominance, getting front foot ball more often…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips or fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 6th May Hurricanes v. Blues @ Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin 5:35pm AEST Hurricanes: 15. Andre Taylor, 14. Alapati Leiua, 13. Jayden Hayward, 12. Charlie Ngatai, 11. Hosea Gear, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Chris Eaton, 8. Victor Vito, 7. Jack Lam, 6. Faifili Levave, 5. James Broadhurst, 4. Jason Eaton, 3. Neemia Tialata, 2. Andrew Hore (c), 1. John Schwalger. Reserves: 16.…