Author: Hugh Cavill

Bernard Foley kicked a penalty goal after the siren to deliver the Waratahs a much-needed home victory over the Blues

Who is in the box seat to take the Wallaby 10 jersey? How about those Brumbies? Is there life beyond the solar system? Hugh answers these questions, and so much more.

We’re back again, and it’s like we never left. Here are five servings of rugby wisdom for your consideration: 5. Do we have to talk about the Tahs? Yes, yes we do. As much as Tahs fans (such as myself) would probably prefer to shy away from the events of Saturday night, I feel like I need to now show a degree of maturity that has previously eluded me. And I also need to break my rule about not discussing Waratah conquerors, only two weeks after I created it. You can moan about lack of Tah creativity or skill…

It’s that time again… 5. The Poor Old Force They played 60 minutes of good rugby sandwiched by 10 shockers on either side. I suppose you can call them ‘encouraging signs’, but in reality the Force should have won that game. Leading by 7 with 10 to play, they had the measure of the home side. But then they went into their shells and tried to ‘hold out’ instead of remaining on the front foot. You see it time and time again in every sport. As usual they have quality back-rowers coming out the yin-yang, but can’t buy a…

This is the Tuesday Top 5, my patented pentagram of piercing

The first round of the Festival of Hate is coming up on Saturday night, and as usual it has divided the nation (excluding Victoria, WA, ACT, NT, SA and Tassie). What better way to get the festival started than with a G&GR Face-off, where two opposing sides are debated in the one article and you, the devoted reader, get to be the judge? This week I sat down with leader of the G&GR Reds Cheerleading Brigade, Sully, to go toe-to-toe in a good old-fashioned donnybrook. Have a look at our arguments and judge for yourself: [one_half last=”no”] NSW are going…

Welcome to the Tuesday Top 5 — the weekly segment where we go in, all guns blazing, and hope not to emerge with our tails between our legs. Here are the five things I learnt from the weekend’s activities: 5. The Brumbies are the real deal They put the Reds back under the bed on Saturday, and did so fairly comfortably. Their defence was rock solid, which is what you want to see from your team in the first week. Attack will come in the next few games, as confidence picks up and players get back in the swing of…

The 2013 season is almost upon us, which means that it’s once again time to sink your teeth into fantasy rugby. With $10,000 on the line it’s worth doing your research, and the good people at G&GR are here to help. Daryl Johnson took out the whole shebang last year, the third time the winner has come from the G&GR league in the last four years. Here are Daryl’s top tips to dominate fantasy rugby in 2013: Tip 1. FIXTURES and WILDCARD Fantasy coaches must think ahead of next week’s game as they plan which players to bring in or…

So it’s late January, which in the Aussie rugby world means one thing: time to talk Tahs. Specifically, it’s time for every man and his rugby-playing dog to talk about how this year, 2013, will be different. Say goodbye to the bland, uninspired rugby of Waratahs past. Say goodbye to the uninterested, dwindling crowds and the so-close-but-so-far losses to quality sides. Say goodbye to injuries, illness, suspension and painful press conferences. This will be our year. Because this year is different. We have a new coach and new star player. But most importantly we have a new attitude. We’ve got…

Here is the announcement the whole nation had been waiting for. Crowds gathered in town squares and pubs, or huddled around office TVs. Workplaces got into the spirit of the day, with sweeps and fancy dress activities (I drew Jim Carmichael, and thought I was on a good thing). And so it came to 2pm and ARU Chairman Michael Hawker said the words a nation was dying to hear…. Bill Pulver is the new Chief Executive Officer of the ARU. He has an extensive background in internet business, currently working as the CEO of Appin Butler Hill, a company that provides…

A while ago we brought you an exclusive extract of Richie McCaw’s autobiography, which detailed the quite extraordinary regard in which he is held over there. Well today Green and Gold Rugby can reveal Richie is currently writing his second book, which focuses more on his childhood and family. We have actually managed to get our hands on an early draft of the first chapter, which tells the incredible story of Richie’s birth. I can’t really describe it myself, so see what you think. Like the last book he has split up the chapters into numbered verses, so they can…

As 2012 draws to a close, it’s time for us to look back on the year of rugby in Australia. There were both dizzying highs and nauseating lows, but for the most part the year was dominated by mediocrity. However, now is not the time for negatives (that will come in a few days). Today is the positives — the moments of the year I look back on with a smile. Here are my top five rugby moments of 2012, in a rough chronological order: The rise of the Brumbies Their roster looked average at best. They had finished…

Since the Wallabies didn’t provide me with any material for another ‘things I liked’ article I thought I’d discuss something that has been nagging me for a while. As I post this article I have my hard hat on, protective face-mask and Kevlar vest, fully aware of the comments onslaught that will undoubtedly come. Because I am going to talk about a few players who get a bad rap and don’t deserve it. These five guys have all played for the Wallabies. They have all been very good at Super level at one point or another. And yet for some…

With all this Quade Cooper shit breaking, I decided to think back to a simpler, better time in Australian rugby. Remember when we beat England at Twickers? What a glorious day that was…. I’ve cracked the shits with all these ‘experts’ and their ‘rational analysis’ that tell me that there were flaws in the Wallabies’ game on Sunday. From where I was sitting I didn’t see any. All I saw was 15 blokes in gold giving it to the Poms at Twickers with both barrels. And winning. Is there anything better? Here are the five things I enjoyed most: The…

What a shithouse effort. I am the poor bastard that has to front up and dish out the scores, and it wasn’t a very pleasant exercise. We were mediocre all over the park, with only a few commendable efforts. The scrum was a shambles and the backline play impotent. So with that in mind here are my thoughts…   The patented G&GR ratings guide: 10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books 9 – Outstanding performance: Man of the match shoo-in 8 – Excellent all-round game 7 – Good game with a few sparkles 6 –…

This week the rugby world has been abuzz after Richie McCaw released

In the wake of the last month or so I want to lift the tone a bit, amp up the positivity and rock the rugby Casbah, so to speak. Whilst the weekend’s game wasn’t the prettiest, there was a lot to like. Here are a few of the positives that I found: Kurtley Beale is the long term answer at 10 While he plays a similar style of game to Quade Cooper the last few games have shown a few key differences that suggest KB is head and shoulders above QC at test level. First and foremost among these…

Here is an interesting tidbit that has been the subject of some amusement with our friends across the dutch. Berrick Barnes has punctured his lung and hence can’t travel home. Since the Wallabies had to continue on to Argentina, they were in a bit of a bind. Who could keep an eye on him while he recovered? Well it turns out he has been taken in by some unlikely carers — the All Blacks. Their team doctor has been monitoring his recovery. But it doesn’t end there — he has also been staying at the team hotel, going to training…

Well, that was ugly. Normally I try and rewatch the game before doing player ratings. However, it’s the long weekend and I am trying to maintain a cheerful, relaxed vibe. Thus I am going nowhere near that abomination again. In short, we were out-muscled, out-enthused, out-thought. The scoreline was probably generous to us. So with that in mind I have dished out a few hard scores, despite the fact that no one had an absolute shocker. Have a look and see what you think: G&GR Patented Player ratings scale 10 – A legendary performance to go down in…

It’s Friday and with no international rugby this weekend to talk about I thought I’d take a chance to discuss a subject that is often raised on the forum — the state of the rugby print media. I have spent the past two seasons covering the Waratahs from the press box. It has been a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the job works. I have come to know a few journos and see things from their perspective. So when someone on the forum starts talking about the ‘horrible state of our rugby media’, and how there is ‘no meaningful analysis’…