Author: Steve Lenthall

The Brumbies head to downtown Invercargill in the deep south of New Zealand tomorrow afternoon to take on the Highlanders in a must-win match. The visitors are on a four-match losing streak that must be ended this week if they are to have any chance of appearing in the finals. Coach Tony Rea has made some changes to the starting team, in both the forwards and backs, trying to add some much-needed spark to their play. Salesi Ma’afu takes over from Dan Palmer at tight-head prop while Peter Kimlin comes in at blindside flanker to give the scrum some size…

Adam Ashley-Cooper has confirmed that he has signed for the NSW Waratahs for the next two years. Ashley-Cooper fronted a press conference this afternoon to outline his reason for the move. ”It’s a mixed bag — there’s  a family and a partner that  I want to be closer to in Sydney,” he said, without going into much detail. The Mr Fix-It of the backline, who has been at the Brumbies for eight years, said the decision was one of the toughest he’s ever had to make, but one that he was ultimately happy with. He went on to say the…

The NSW Waratahs snatched a late try to replacement forward Sitaleki Timani to defeat the Brumbies 29–22 in Canberra. Fullback Kurtley Beale starred for the visitors with a 19-point haul. In a game that was evenly contested but did not show much spark until the death, the Waratahs took their chances in the two tries-to-one victory to consign the Brumbies to their fourth consecutive loss. The loss leaves the Brumbies at 1–4 on the table and in grave danger of kissing their season goodbye. The Brumbies were their own worst enemy at times, with numerous dropped balls close to the…

The match between the Brumbies and Waratahs this Saturday night in Canberra will see what can be best described as the ‘dance of the desperates’. Both teams will be looking for a win after some less than impressive games in recent weeks. The Brumbies have had a week off to regather themselves after getting belted by the Crusaders, whilst the Waratahs were toothless against the Cheetahs in their most recent outing. The Brumbies have done some soul-searching in their week off and are keen to get their 2011 campaign back on track after a poor opening that sees them with…

With the Brumbies on the lookout for a new head coach for 2012, it’s time to run the eye over the possible candidates for the so-called ‘poisoned chalice’ of rugby coaching positions. The decision to appoint the next head coach will need to made shortly as player retention and recruitment needs to be finalised. One good example: where Adam Ashley-Cooper ends up in 2012 is partially dependent on the coaching appointment. There has been much said in the local and national press about the quality of candidates to take on this high-pressure role. Whoever gets the nod for the top job…

The Brumbies’ woes continued tonight after being thumped 52-10 by a rampant Crusaders outfit in Nelson. A scintillating display of running rugby from Crusaders winger Sean Maitland saw him collect four tries against the struggling Brumbies. The Brumbies got the scoring started against the run of play in the third minute when a Colby Faingaa tackle popped the ball out and Brumbies flyhalf Matt Giteau swooped on the loose ball to dive over. Replays suggested a knock-on from Faingaa but referee Garratt Wiliamson did not spot it and waved play on. At this point the Brumbies looked good, but it…

It may only be week 4 of the SupeRugby season, but the Brumbies face a year-defining game against the Crusaders in Nelson on Friday night. On the back of two disappointing losses to Melbourne and Queensland, the Brumbies face a huge task against a team that showed no mental scars of the recent events in the Canterbury region in disposing of the previously undefeated NSW Waratahs. Having enjoyed an avalanche of possession in their first three matches, the Brumbies have shown that they can hang onto the ball. Unfortunately, it’s what they do with that amount of ball that is…

The Queensland Reds have hung on to secure a 31–25 victory against the Brumbies and in the process end a 12-match losing streak against the Canberra side. Off the back of a superb kicking display by Quade Cooper the Reds dominated the breakdown area and took their chances, despite conceding four tries to their one. Cooper’s trusty boot netted 26 points, including a record 7 penalties, while his counterpart Matt Giteau had a wayward night off the tee. The Brumbies were guilty of ill-discipline, again costing them a possible win. Referee Mark Lawrence was making his mark with any infringements,…

After a turbulent week in the capital that saw the second boning of a leader in recent times, new Brumbies head coach Tony Rea has named the team to take on the Queensland Reds.  Ironically, the last leadership spill down this way involved a Queenslander getting dudded by a red head. Both teams are coming off disappointing games from last round with the Brumbies losing to the Rebels in Melbourne, while the Reds went down to the Waratahs.  For the Reds to win this one they have to overcome a hoodoo that is becoming quite imposing. In 16 previous meetings…

BREAKING NEWS News just in: Andy Friend has been sacked by the ACT board this morning after an emergency meeting. It is believed that the directors asked Friend for his resignation, which the coach declined to provide, leaving the board with no choice but to sack Friend. Brumbies CEO Andrew Fagan fronted the media today to explain the background behind today’s sensational news. Fagan said that this decision wasn’t easy for him, but was in the best interests of the members and supporters. “It had become clear that the current situation would not deliver the effectiveness to…

In an historic night for rugby in Melbourne, the Rebels have pulled off a shock by defeating the Brumbies 25-24. Rebels flyhalf Danny Cipriani was outstanding in the win and led his team around the field with an inspired performance. It was the second time this week he stole something, but this time for all the right reasons in the form of a win for his team with a penalty goal with only seconds remaining. The Rebels, who were coming off a 43-0 hiding in their opening game, looked like a new team this week and played with passion, something…

Attention Rugby fans! Are you excited that Super Rugby is back?? Are you excited that it’s a World Cup year? Are you looking for some new chants to shout out at Rugby matches? If you said yes to 1 or all 3 of those questions then watch the video below to get you pumped for the 2011 season! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4atzEiFJrfE[/youtube]

The Brumbies have held off a determined Chiefs side to record a 28-20 victory in Canberra. It was a result that was a little disappointing for the home fans as the failure to secure a bonus point left them frustrated in what seems to be a repeat of previous years. In what could be best described as a game of two halves, the Brumbies started off the game well and played the majority of the half at the Chiefs end of the field. Early pressure from the home team led to captain Matt Giteau opening the scoring with a penalty…

The Brumbies will kick off their 2011 Super rugby campaign against the Waikato Chiefs in Canberra on Saturday night. Both teams have sprung some surprises in their respective lineups with some lesser known players making their debut’s, and also sees the return of former All Black, and predator look a like, Tana Umaga to Super Rugby. Also making his comeback to Super Rugby after a stint with Bath in England will be Julian Salvi who will be playing in his 50th match for the Brumbies The injury curse has struck early for the Brumbies with Rocky Elsom and Christian Lealiifano…

The Wellington Hurricanes have snatched a late converted try well after the siren to draw 21-21 with the Brumbies in their trial match at Viking Park in Canberra. The game was played with typical trial intensity – 100 miles an hour initially before the quality fell away. Both teams limited their kicking and tried to play an expansive game that sometimes worked. Played in front of a vocal home crowd of around 3,000, the Brumbies fielded what will be close to their strongest team for the season opener and they showed plenty of promise. This would be the only trial…

The Brumbies head into 2011 looking to make the finals for the first time since 2004. This will be an intriguing year for the Canberra team and it could be the best chance for their assembled ‘dream team’  to win their third Super Rugby title before the lure of post World Cup Rugby sets in. COACHING Head coach Andy Friend has three new assistants to help him through this year, and in usual Brumbies style, they are either former players or locals. New backs/skills coach Stephen Larkham will be looking to restore the spark to the Brumbies backline and…

Australia has gone within a whisker of causing an upset over New Zealand in the Gold medal match at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Led superbly by James Stannard, the Aussies led the Gold Medal favorites with 4 minutes remaining until a late surge of Black saw New Zealand overrun the Aussies and claim a 24-17 win and secure their fourth Commonwealth Games Gold medal. Whatever the final result, Australia were going to claim their best ever 7’s finish at the Commonwealth Games and proved they were going to put up a fight. Australia had New Zealand on the back…

The Rugby 7’s at the Commonwealth Games kicked off in Delhi today with round robin action. Here’s a quick review of how our boys went in their pool matches against Uganda, Sri Lanka, and the arch enemy, England. Australia kicked off their campaign under sunny skies and circling bats against Uganda. Looking resplendent in the Canary yellow, the Aussies started in outstanding fashion with a try after just 28 seconds to Luke Morahan after a break down the left and a nice side step to finish off the play. With James Stannard’s conversion the score was 7-0. Within 90 seconds…

Canberra’s Tuggeranong Vikings have demolished Queensland University 79-28 in a 13 to 4 try display to take out game 1 of the Inter City Rugby Series. Queensland University fielded a vastly different team that won them the Grand Final and were missing key players Laurie Weeks, Mitchell Chapman and Luke Morahan but it didn’t look like it would cause them any problems as they started the game quite well. They dominated the possession and territory in the opening exchanges but their lack of execution and handling let them down badly in crucial areas on the field. The Vikings scored 2…

Following on from Lance’s news that Quade Cooper has signed on for another year, we bring you the reasons behind Quades decision at the announcement today. Speculation was brewing at ANZ Stadium today at the Wallabies Captain’s run when news came through of a special announcement to be made after the usual pre-match press conference. It must have been big news when word that John O’Neill would be present to announce the news in person. To the relief of all east and north of Parramatta, Quade Cooper put to bed the speculation of a move to Rugby League for at…