Author: Ben Marczyk
Ben Marczyk
Passionate about rugby from the grass roots up. Usually found at Brisbane club rugby games, or being involved in the junior and schools system. Love a chat, happy to admit when I'm wrong. I will watch any game of rugby regardless of who is playing, from juniors through to tests
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Week 6, Super Rugby Aotearoa, The Weekend Ahead in Club Land and Taniela Tupou Opens Up Green And Gold Rugby · Rugby Report Card 109 – The Superanos [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU WEEK SIX Allan Alaalatoa having a chat. As we start the second half of Super Rugby AU there has been some separation of the teams and the apparent cream has risen to the top. This week we have one real grudge match and another game where the Rebels will be keen to keep touch with the top two sides. First up we have the Brums taking on…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Week 5, Closing In on The Pointy End of Super Rugby Aotearoa, The Weekend Ahead in Club Land and Oz Super Rugby Players Begin to Re-Sign Green And Gold Rugby · Rugby Report Card 109 – The Superanos [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU WEEK FIVE This weekend marks the half way mark of the home and away portion of Super Rugby AU with two more games before we start the run to the end. Friday night sees the Force “host” the Rebels at Leichardt Stadium in Sydney (Friday 705PM EST, Fox Sports and Kayo), and with attrition starting…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Week 4, Super Rugby Aotearoa, The Weekend Ahead in Club rugby and World Rugby Sets International Window Green And Gold Rugby · Rugby Report Card 109 – The Superanos [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU WEEK FOUR Last week brought us two tight games, probably tighter than a lot expected on paper. While the results were what the odds-makers had predicted they certainly got the margins wrong, having used the goat entrails of prophecy to forsee large margins. Instead we got one cracking game (Reds v Force) and one game of a team playing on maybe five of their eight…
After last week’s not-so-splendid spectacle against the Rebels, the Reds return to Brisbane to face a Force team keen to do all sorts of damage to anyone and everyone they think wronged them. Can the Reds put on a more coherent, structured 80 minutes? Will the Force make the Reds the first victim of their redemption tour? Let’s find out. Embed from Getty Images THE MATCH Beautiful conditions greet us in Brisbane. calm and clear, a bit chilly by Brisbane standards. The Reds kick off and we are under way! Two early penalties while on attack killed any early momentum…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Week 3, Dan Carter’s return and un-return, Club Rugby kicks up a notch and SANZAAR Says Something Maybe Green And Gold Rugby · The Dropped Kick-Off 19 [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU WEEK THREE This week sees the next two instalments of Super Rugby AU, and after last weeks dismal Friday night game which wasn’t helped by funereal commentary, hopefully some drier weather and the return of the attack minded Brumbies can set up some more appealing encounters. First up on Friday (705PM EST Fox Sports and Kayo) sees the Reds hosting the team that used to be…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Week 2, Super Rugby Aotearoa Week Five, Dave Rennie’s Anti-Scarring Theory and Will COVID-19 Stop English Rugby? Green And Gold Rugby · The Dropped Kick-Off 19 – Hospital Passes (Q&A II with the GAGR News Team) [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU WEEK TWO The return of the exiled is upon us. After being unceremoniously booted from Super Rugy, the Western Force return to top level competition this weekend after cooling their heels in Week One of Super Rugby AU. With a vocal and fervent fan base made even more angry with their removal the plaything of Twiggy…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU kick off, Super Rugby Aotearoa Week Four, Japanese Comp Shake-Up and English Club Fallout Continues Green And Gold Rugby · GAGR Podcast 322 – Crisitunity [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU KICK OFF The moment we as rugby fans has finally arrived- Super Rugby AU kicks off this weekend. The cobbled together competition will see the four Super franchises rejoined by the Force in a move that will see 2 games a week over an 8 week competition, plus two weeks of finals. In a clever move, the games do not clash with Super Rugby Aotearoa with the Saturday…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby AU Draw revealed, Super Rugby Aotearoa kick off, English Pay Dispute Gets Nasty and Coaches Up For Rule Tweaks Green And Gold Rugby · GAGR Podcast 321 – Open Slather [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY AU DRAW RELEASED The draw for the brand spanking new domestic competition was released on Thursday, bringing us all a step closer to a return to elite rugby here in Australia. Our good friend Staff Writer has the details on Fox Rugby here and it seems the competition follow the same format as the Super W, with the exception of there being a true home and…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby Round Seven, Super W Week Five, Rapid Rugby and Six Nations and James Slipper’s Cure to Stop Aging [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY WEEK SEVEN Given the global uncertainty with the Covid-19 pandemic, this may well be the last round of Super Rugby we see for the foreseeable future, at least in it’s current format. Probably the best case scenario is closed door games, but as soon as a player contracts it, like the NBA did, then all bets are off. So let’s focus on this weeks games and in particular the Aussie teams. The Rebels get…
With most people expecting not much more than a loss, the Reds travel to Christchurch to take on the behemoth of the competition, the Crusaders. Changes aplenty, some via injury, some via choice look to leave the Reds ripe for the picking in NZ. Can they pull off a memorable upset? Let’s find out. Embed from Getty Images THE MATCH The usual vocal home crowd met the Reds as they ran out onto the field with a swirling breeze threatening to play havoc. A couple of early kick errors in their own 22 put the Reds under pressure and…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby Round Six, Super W Week Four, Six Nations Back Again and The Men’s Sevens Tour Stops in Canada eh [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY WEEK SIX Super Rugby is back with a rare Friday triple header to kick things off. After last week’s promising results (Queensland excepted), the Australian sides will be looking to maintain some of the momentum, with at least two of the Friday games looking winnable for the Aussies. First up is the Brumbies fresh off their bye, and facing the semi-homeless Sunwolves in the much more travel friendly (for the Brums) location of Woolongong.…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby Round Five, Coronavirus Mayhem, Super W Round Three and More Petrol on the Refereeing Fire [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY WEEK FIVE Super Rugby is back for week five with three of the top sides on a bye and the Waratahs back from their bye and looking to open their account in what will be a fierce contest with the Lions. (Friday 715pm AEDT). The Tahs have had their last presser overshadowed by the latest rabble rousing from NewsCorp with Michael Hooper forced to defend accusations that players were gagged in some way during last years…
The Queensland Reds are finally back for their first home game of the season in week four of the competition. After accruing Platinum Frequent Flyer status in the first three weeks, the get to play in front of a home audience. I know this word gets used too much, but this is a vital game, with any hope of staying in touch with the Brumbies and finals football already front of mind. Can the Sunwolves come and spoil the party? Will the jungle drums beat just that little bit louder for coach Brad Thorn? Let’s take a look… THE…
Friday’s Rugby News sees Super Rugby Round Four, Super W week two, Six Nations back on deck and Upheaval in English rugby funding [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY WEEK FOUR This weekend marks Round Four of the Super Rugby Season, and with it, the first home game for the now well-travelled Queensland Reds. They come home on Saturday night (605pm Brisbane time) on the back of three losses to face the Sunwolves who have performed better than expectations thus far. It really is crunch time already for the Reds, with certain quarters already questioning coach Brad Thorn and his methods. The always insightful guru…
We are at the third game of the Queensland Reds season, and the animal themed road trip through three continents is almost over. The last stop is a visit to Argentina, where the Jaguares are ready to pounce. Will the Reds be able to win, and provide something prior to the first home game of the season next week? Or will the season be nearly over before it really begins? Let’s find out… Embed from Getty Images THE MATCH We kick off with a typically noisy South American atmosphere with a rowdy, if not large crowd. The Reds showed…
Fridays Rugby News sees the World Seven Series caught up in the worldwide virus alert, Super Rugby Round Three, Super W kick off and Brumbies trying to draw a crowd [one_half last=”no”] WORLD SEVENS DISRUPTIONS In a move that will probably not surprise anyone given the state of play worldwide, World Rugby announced on Thursday that the iconic Hong Kong Sevens, along with the Singapore Sevens will be postponed until October in order to deal with the Coronavirus issue, ESPN reported. World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said in a statement, “The wellbeing of the rugby family and wider public is our priority…
The Lions have their first home game of the season following up from a mauling by the Jaguares away last week, while the Reds lost to a Brumbies outfit in a promising, if not inconsistent and at times frustrating performance in Canberra. So with both teams keen to open their account for 2020, it is on with the show. THE MATCH The game kicked off in conditions (and with a crowd) not dissimilar to those endured by the Waratahs a few hours earlier. A sodden Emirate Airlines Park greeted both teams as rain teemed down. Early phases saw the…
Fridays Rugby News sees Round 2 of Super Rugby, Six Nations, the Rebels keen to atone and an Australian in New York [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY ROUND TWO After last weeks opening round of Super Rugby, a few things were clear, others solved, and some just confused us. How on earth did the Rebels lose to a team that only fully assembled a week before their opener? Will the Blues ever break through and close a game? Will someone challenge the Crusaders this year? This week sees the Reds continue their round the world odyssey, this time against a Lions outfit…
Fridays Rugby News sees go time for Super Rugby, Sydney 7’s preview, Six Nations kick-off, and Dave Wessels reflection. [one_half last=”no”] SUPER RUGBY IS SUPER A new season of Super Rugby is upon us, and as is usually the case after a World Cup, there are more questions than there are answers. The Crusaders are back to defend yet another title, but just how will they and the other Kiwi teams fare in the transition year? Will the Australian teams get closer to becoming more consistently competitive? Can South Africa capitalise on their World Cup success? Round One won’t solve all these…
At the start of this I will confess something to you all. I absolutely love the NRC. I think it is a great concept, inclusive of the wider rugby community and when done well by the states, a great pathway to develop next level Super Rugby players. I absolutely admit that it struggles to tug at heartstrings given there is no sense of tribal loyalty to any of the teams (Force fans excluded), but team names aside there are reasons for that. One of the main ones is that in Queensland, the whole model of game hosting has been decentralised-…