Author: Hugh Cavill

This week was a bit of a shocker for the Aussie teams, with the Reds, Brumbies and Force losing games that they each had within their grasp at some point. The Tahs were our only winner, in a dour contest with the Rebels in Sydney. A few big names returned with a bang, and a couple have popped up in this week’s GAGR Aussie XV — which is: Team of the Week: 15. Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14. Lachie Turner – WARATAHS 13. Mark Gerrard – REBELS 12. James O’Connor – FORCE 11. Luke Morahan – REDS 10. Berrick…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those all-important tips and fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 29th April Highlanders v. Blues @ Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin 5:35pm AEST Highlanders: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Kendrick Lynn, 12 Ben Smith, 11 Siale Piutau, 10 Tony Brown, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Chris King, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves: 16 Mo…

A couple of months ago we unveiled the G&GR Nostradamus Competition, a chance for everyone to display their rugby prediction skills for all events in the year. Well, the responses are in and I can reveal what everybody picked. Overall there is an astounding sense of optimism around Australian rugby coming into the World Cup. First, you can view the entries at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0An3jnXDdmxm4dDVYbzg4RVRvM05waTdhRnRZR0hKVHc&hl=en#gid=0 Here are a few graphs to give you an overall view of where the mood is at. Let’s start with the big one — the World Cup: World Cup Winner New Zealand 66 29%…

Round 10 was bittersweet for Australian rugby, with gutsy wins by the Reds and Force tempered with hard-fought losses to the Rebels and Waratahs. The Reds have established themselves as genuine contenders, while the Waratahs have shown they are worlds away from the side that swept all before them in the early rounds. The Force, Rebels and Brumbies have settled down to fight it out for the bronze. Team of the Round: 15 Cameron Shepherd – FORCE 14 Paddy Dellit – FORCE 13 Anthony Faingaa – REDS 12 James O’Connor – FORCE 11 Digby Ioane – REDS 10 Quade…

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 22nd April Blues v. Rebels @ Eden Park, Auckland 5:35pm AEST Blues: 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Rene Ranger, 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 Tony Woodcock. Reserves: 16…

Round 9 featured the sublime, the ridiculous and most things in between. In the end the Reds and Force emerged victorious, while the Waratahs, Brumbies and Rebels were defeated in crucial games. The next few weeks will be critical in determining the conference ladder as we begin the second series of games. But back to this week: the 15 much-coveted places in the G&GR team of the round go to… Team of the Round: 15 Luke Morahan – REDS 14 Drew Mitchell – WARATAHS 13 Anthony Faingaa – REDS 12 Mike Harris – REDS 11 Digby Ioane – REDS 10 Quade Cooper…

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 15th April Chiefs v. Crusaders @ Baypark Stadium, Tauranga 5:35pm AEST Chiefs: 15. Mils Muliaina (c), 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Richard Kahui, 12. Dwayne Sweeney, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Mike Delany, 9. Brendon Leonard, 8. Fritz Lee, 7. Tanerau Latimer, 6. Liam Messam , 5. Isaac Ross, 4. Romana Graham, 3. Ben Afeaki, 2. Hika Elliot, 1. Toby Smith. Reserves:…

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 8th April Highlanders v. Cheetahs @ Carisbrook, Dunedin 5:35pm AEST Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Kendrick Lynn, 12 Shaun Treeby, 11 Siale Piutau, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Jarrad Hoeata, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Chris King, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves: 16 Mahonri Schwalger, 17…

Round 7 was a great round of close rugby, with the Australian teams chalking up some crucial wins. The Brumbies and the Force just couldn’t get the job done in the second halves of their games, and are now languishing at the bottom of the Australian conference. But there were plenty of positives nonetheless. Let’s have a closer look: Team of the Round: 15 Mark Gerrard – REBELS 14 Drew Mitchell – WARATAHS 13 Digby Ioane – REDS 12 Gene Fairbanks – FORCE 11 Luke Morahan – REDS 10 Quade Cooper – REDS 9 Will Genia – REDS 8  Ben…

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 1st April Highlanders v. Brumbies @ Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill 5:35pm AEDT Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Kendrick Lynn, 12 Shaun Treeby, 11 Siale Piutau, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Jarrad Hoeata, 4 Tom Donnelly, 3 Chris King, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves: 16…

The aftermath of the Waratahs v. Cheetahs debacle has been very interesting to watch, as a few brave souls waded into the avalanche of criticism to try and stick up for the Tahs players. The issue of booing players has divided the rugby community, but some of the opinions expressed by a few in the media have provided a revealing insight into the way the rugby public is viewed in certain quarters. One of the most impassioned responses came from former Wallaby and now Waratah kicking coach Matt Burke. His defence had a logical foundation — namely, that the players…

Round 6 was a pretty good week for the Australian sides, with the Rebels and Reds both winning in fine style. The Tahs had a grafting win over the Brumbies and the Force went down to a rampaging Stormers outfit. Slowly the puzzle is starting to come together, both for the Super Rugby season and the World Cup beyond it. Team of the Round: 15 Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS 14 Cooper Vuna – REBELS 13 Nick Cummins – FORCE 12 Stirling Mortlock – REBELS 11 Digby Ioane – REDS 10 Quade Cooper – REDS 9 Nick Phipps – REBELS 8…

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 25th March Rebels v. Hurricanes @ AAMI Stadium, Melbourne 7:40pm EDST Rebels: 15 Richard Kingi, 14 Luke Rooney, 13 Lachlan Mitchell, 12 Stirling Mortlock (c), 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve (vc), 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Jarrod Saffy, 5 Alister Campbell, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Rodney Blake. Reserves:…

Yesterday Moses posted a video highlighting the great aspects of the Cheetahs’ play, of which there were plenty. I feel it would be remiss of us not to show the other side of the story. I thought about doing an in-depth Austin-style video analysis, with lines and numbers and arrows and authoritative voiceovers. But I decided the Tahs didn’t deserve that. In the end I came up with the short tribute video I think the NSW boys deserve after Saturday night’s effort. Have a look: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOgivJTqoE8[/youtube] A fitting tribute?

Round 5 is all done and dusted, and you could say ‘up and down’ is an apt description of the weekend’s games. The Force and Reds were certainly up, with good wins against the Lions and Rebels respectively. Going down were the Waratahs and Rebels, who both suffered humiliating losses where they only banked a solitary penalty goal in 80 minutes of effort. Team of the Round: 15 Cameron Shepherd – FORCE 14 Alfie Mafi – FORCE 13 Nick Cummins – FORCE 12 Anthony Fainga’a – REDS 11 Digby Ioane – REDS 10 James O’Connor – FORCE 9 Brett Sheehan – FORCE 8 Leroy Houston – REDS 7 Matt Hodgson…

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 18th March Chiefs v. Sharks @ Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, 5:35pm EDST Chiefs: 15. Tim Nanai-Williams, 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Richard Kahui, 12. Tana Umaga, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Stephen Donald, 9. Brendon Leonard, 8. Liam Messam (c), 7. Tanerau Latimer, 6. Scott Waldrom , 5. Isaac Ross, 4. Craig Clarke, 3. Nathan White, 2. Hika Elliot, 1. Ben May .…

Round 4 was yet another tough round for Aussie rugby fans, with only a solitary draw to show for three sides’ work. That said, there were still a number of positives from the weekend — chiefly, the form of the two predicted Aussie cellar-dwellers, the Force and Rebels. Both played with skill and determination against far more fancied opposition, and both had the game taken from them at the death. Sadly, the same could not be said for the boys from the ACT, who now resemble Spanish fourth division cellar-dwellers Unión Criptanese far more than they do Real Madrid. Team…

This is the Super Rugby Ultimate Preview, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for those crucial tips and fantasy transfers. As always the Brown Hornet is on board, providing his well thought-out tips for each fixture. Friday 11 March Crusaders v. Brumbies @ Trafalgar Park, Nelson, 5:35pm EDST Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Adam Whitelock, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read [c], 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: 16…

There is no doubt that the Tahs were well beaten by the Crusaders on Friday. They were blown away in the twenty-minute period around half-time, as the Cantabrians dominated most aspects of the game. Predictably, there has been a lot of doom and gloom in the Premier State over this result, with the most common opinion being that the abilities of this Waratah side were vastly overestimated after two demolition jobs on poor opposition. But I am not so pessimistic about the prospects of the Tahs based on Friday’s performance. Here are five reasons why: 1. The preparation. The Tahs…

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 4th March Crusaders v. Waratahs @ Trafalgar Park, Nelson, 5:35pm EDST Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Adam Whitelock, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read [c], 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett. Reserves:…