Author: Denise Houlihan
There was excitement in the air in Newcastle last Saturday as the faithful arrived to see the Wallaroos take on Japan. The merchandise stand had already sold out of Wallaroos beanies and scarves, a testament to the level of support from the crowd, and perhaps also a nod to the pretty chilly weather conditions. The 4,000 fans filled the stadium and the anthems were sung with emotions, both teams clearly proud to be representing their countries. Grace Hamilton took on her role as captain with emotion, strength and pride and she delivered an incredibly performance which earned her player of…
As the Super W draws to a close this feels like the right time to start talking about Super W 2020 and beyond. The way it currently stands is an incredible leap from where we were ten years ago but there is a bit of work to be done to make it a competition that is going to attract elite athletes. I have touched on this before in a previous article but I think it’s a really important point so I’ll briefly talk about it again. People want to come and watch top quality athletes and in order to convince…
The scene has been set as we prepare for another QLD and NSW Final. These fierce rivals will meet on Sunday at 4:30pm at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney, it is going to be a sunny 25 degree day, perfect Rugby conditions. After an incredible week of sport for Australian women with Ash Barty’s win in the Miami Open and the record-breaking attendance for the AFLW final there is no doubt left in anyone’s mind that there is an audience for women’s sport. Australian’s want to see people play sport at their highest level regardless of if they are male or…
Finals time is upon us for the Super W. On Sunday, the Queensland Reds will take on the Brumbies to decide who will be the team to try and dethrone the seemingly unstoppable NSW Waratahs. The clash between Brumbies and WA was played with heart and determination as was expected and Brumbies ended up taking the match by a single try with a finishing score of WA 12 and Brumbies 17. WA started the game strong and dominated the possession in the few minutes with an early try from Claudia Nielson. It didn’t take long for the Brumbies to find…
Here we are, we have arrived at the last weekend of Super W Rugby before the finals begin. This Sunday the NSW Waratahs play host to the Melbourne Rebels and the WA Women host the Brumbies. Last weekend showcased the continued dominance of both the Waratahs and the Reds and both teams kept their opposition scoreless. On Saturday the Brumbies traveled up to Queensland and while they were kept scoreless by the Reds the Brumbies defense held strong and Queensland were unable to go on the high scoring spree we have seen them do in previous matches. Michelle Perry showcased…
The Super W season has provided us with plenty of tries, some absolute thrashings and, as always, plenty of interstate rivalries. We are now getting to the pointy end of the Super W series, and there have been no big surprises in the results so far. The Waratahs and the Reds have so far again asserted their dominance and proven far too strong for WA, The Brumbies and The winless Rebels. The Third Round was the most evenly matched and entertaining round so far. The Rebels and WA both scored their first tries of the season, Rebels by way of…
After the Rebels’ second crushing defeat in a row I reached out to Rebels manager, Annmarie Collins, to see how her and the team were feeling. As she relayed her obvious disappointment to me she remarked that these were ‘the highs and lows of sport’. My response was ‘it’s time like these it’s almost a good thing that there won’t be hundreds of articles analysing every wrong move the team made like the men’s team would’ in which she said ‘totally, but at least it’s their job’. This got me thinking about the highs and lows of being an amateur…
The Rebels and The Brumbies both have something to prove as these two teams meet in Canberra this Sunday. The Melbourne Rebels started the Super W season with a crushing defeat by the hands of the Queensland Reds. The Reds completely dominated the game from start to finish with a final score of Rebels 0 Reds 112. Simply put the Rebels were completely and utterly outclassed and out played in spectacular circumstances. They missed tackles, they threw terrible passes and were like deer’s in headlights under the pressure of a big game The Brumbies were also kept scoreless in their…
Women’s sport has evolved in many ways in the past decade. Initially, it was just small changes and we weren’t quite sure if they would amount to anything. Then, in the last two years, the transformation has been far more dramatic. The Wallaroos played their first international game in 1994 against, unsurprisingly, Australia’s traditional rivals, the Black Ferns. Fast forward a decade and a half, and the Super W emerged in last year amongst a flurry of women’s sport being played on a larger scale than ever before. All of a sudden the rules had truly changed. It was no longer just traditional women’s sports in the spotlight…
The best time of the year is nearly here, as the days get shorter and Autumn approaches the smell of Rugby is in the air and what a year 2019 is going to be for Women’s Rugby. The Brumbies, Rebels, WA Women, NSW Women and QLD Women are back again to show Australia this exciting brand of Rugby. All thoughts will be on the Rugby World Cup in 2021 with all the girls wanting to prove their worth over this season. Melbourne Rebels The Rebels struggled in 2018 to make their mark on the competition and didn’t manage to win…