Author: Guest Writer

This is a guest piece from G&GR regular Mike D. Take it away and thank you, Mike.This is an opinion piece, so no doubt others will disagree. They’re fully entitled to their opinions, even though they’re wrong. I’ll start with some facts that are as watertight as I can make them without going to the effort of looking stuff up, i.e. I’m going off my memory of what relevant people have explicitly stated or is somewhere out there available on the public record. For example, referees talking about their experience and ambitions is considered fact; I have assumed they’re not…

This from rugbu.com.au Wallabies squad for 2025 Autumn Nations Series tour (Wallaby number, first Australian rugby club, Super Rugby Pacific club, Test caps)Forwards:Allan Alaalatoa (#896, West Harbour Juniors, ACT Brumbies, 85)Angus Bell (#940, Hunters Hill Rugby Club, NSW Waratahs, 44)Josh Canham (#987, Harlequin Junior Rugby Club, Queensland Reds, 1)*Nick Champion de Crespigny (#991, Canberra Grammar School, Western Force, 2)Matt Faessler (#969, USQ Saints, Queensland Reds, 15)*Nick Frost (#953, Hornsby Lions, ACT Brumbies, 34)Fraser McReight (#937, Albany Creek Brumbies, Queensland Reds, 35)Josh Nasser (#979, Easts Rugby (Brisbane), Queensland Reds, 8)Zane Nonggorr (#966, Gold Coast Eagles, Queensland Reds, 16)Billy Pollard (#958, Lindfield…

A big G&GR thankyou to long time regular Patrick for this guest contribution. And remember, you can submit a rugby story to G&GR via the contact us tab at the bottom of the page.Take it away Patrick:Australians in FranceIn light of the reporting about an injury crisis at the Wallabies as we flew back from South Africa, I thought it would be interesting to have a quick look at our ‘foreign legion’, or a part of it, being players in France. Life being what it is, and my changing work and not having a laptop for a while, meant that…

Welcome to the guest writing ranks of G&GR and a huge thank you to Dat Mavis:Last Friday saw the Pacific Nations Cup kick off and International rugby made its way back to Calgary for the first time since 2017. 11587 people came out on a beautiful late summer afternoon to see the 25th ranked Canadian men’s team in a test match against the 16th ranked USA Eagles.Canada has a proud history as a rugby nation having having enjoyed a period of sustained success in the early 1990s where they beat nations such as France, Wales and Argentina, hosted tours of…

Listen up heathens, it’s about time you all got some refinement in your lives. To that end, G&GR are happy to support long time reader & contributor Mike D and his endeavours. Over to you Mike.G’day, I’m Mike Darvall. No, I’m not here to ask you to vote for someone, I’m here to talk theatre. I wouldn’t dare ask on any other sports related forum, but I’ve seen the breadth and depth of discussion on this page and you’re clearly erudite and thoughtful enough to consider my proposal.Pushing Up (pushingup.com.au) is a local grassroots theatre company based in Toowoomba that’s…

Today we welcome back John Tynan to the pages of G&GR. Take it away JT.It’s been a hectic few weeks at the brewery with a number of off-site events and the joys of being an active owner in a small business. I’m really appreciating the efforts of the guys who put regular articles in every week, so a golf clap/hat tip to you all.Anyway, that’s enough soft landing for the Hoss, time to strap yourself in for another version of The Pub Test, where rugby opinions flow as freely as the beer and everyone’s an expert by their third schooner.…

It’s a big welcome back to the pages of G&GR to Mr Charlie Mackay. Take it away Charlie.The highly anticipated 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia is rapidly approaching, and with it the inevitable debate surrounding refereeing appointments. While the Wallabies and Lions squads are still taking shape, behind the scenes it could shape as an intriguing selection with the whistle.Based on current and/or historic form and established trends two names seem to be pencilled in for the prestigious appointments: New Zealand’s Ben O’Keeffe and Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli. However, the third slot remains a tantalising point of speculation,…

Wednesday, 12 March 2025Welcome back guest writer, John Tynan, for his second instalment of The Pub Test. Take it away JT.Welcome to The Pub Test, where rugby opinions flow as freely as the beer and everyone’s an expert by their third schooner. Each episode I’ll be sharing what’s been bouncing around the bar at our little brewpub in SE Queensland, where the Reds reign supreme and every patron’s got a take hotter than a summer Sunday session.As your publican, I’ll be adjudicating on what passes and fails the pub test – that great Aussie tradition of deciding if something makes…

Today we welcome new contributor, Joe McKay, to the pages of G&GR and thank him for his opinion piece. Take it away, Joe.For 20 years, Sydney’s rugby crowds have been mute when it matters most. It’s already cost us a World Cup and a Lions series, and history will repeat this year if we don’t fix it. This sad hoodoo dates back to the 2003 World Cup final—rugby’s night of nights, in our own backyard. My enduring memory of that game wasn’t Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal, but the haunting, relentless chorus of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ echoing through the stands.…

Today G&GR welcomes long time member and first time contributor, John Tynan, to the writing ranks. Take it away JT:Welcome to The Pub Test, where rugby opinions flow as freely as the beer and everyone’s an expert by their third schooner. Each week, I’ll be sharing what’s been bouncing around the bar at our little brewpub in SE Queensland where the Reds reign supreme and every patron’s got a ‘take’ hotter than a Sunday summer session.As your publican, I’ll be adjudicating on what passes (or fails) the pub test, that great Aussie tradition of deciding if something makes sense over…

The votes are in and the message is clear. When it comes to the next Wallaby Coach G&GR readers clearly hate Australians!While Les Kiss was the clear favourite among the four Australian candidates, the overwhelming majority of voters chose ”Other’ as their candidate.RA are expected to announce the next Wallaby coach within the next two weeks, possibly even by the end of February. Watch this space.

This from https://reds.rugby/news/reds-name-first-trial-team-for-super-rugby-womens-liftoff-202526 The Queensland Reds have named their first women’s team of 2025 after sharpening up with two training hitouts against teenage men’s teams.The Reds face the ACT Brumbies at 11am (Qld time) at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday in the first of three trials before the kick-off to the Super Rugby Women’s season.Just $20 Gets You A Seat At 3 Reds’ Super Rugby Women’s MatchesIt’s an exciting next stage for a motivated group which has been training, rehearsing and organising structures since the first pre-season training squad assembly in October.Head coach Andrew Fraser is opening the trials with a…

Today we welcome guest writer and long term G&GR member, Mike D, to the ranks of author. Take it away Mike.We’re into the silly season, and as Christ’s Mass approaches I threw together a team based on the Bible for a fill in article. As a devout atheist I’ve, hopefully, hit the right balance of humour without disparagement, out of respect for those genuine Christians among us. Now, without further ado, here is:Starting XV.1. Peter. He’s an absolute rock in anchoring the scrum, so Peter gets the nod for loosehead starter. He’s generally good in a tight spot and will…

It’s time to welcome back that prolific contributor to the pages of G&GR, Mr AllyOz. Over to you Oz.We’ve heard plenty of calls to get rid of the Giteau Law. Our stocks at home are thin, we are losing our best players to the cashed up French and Japanese teams, or so the story goes. But a comment from Keith below the excellent Wednesday news from Yowie prompted me to review just who we might be missing out on. I’ve tried to prepare as comprehensive list as possible, but I’m likely to have missed a few. I’d love to hear…

Another guest article from South Australia’s own, Mr Craig Basford. If you’d like to support your local club, drop us a line by clicking ‘submit story’ below. Over to you Craig, and thanks again to Bobbi Devine Rugby for the images in this story.The thing about overnight success is that it’s usually anything but. From players and teams that achieved sustained success to the those who took their one chance when it came, they all have many moments that led to that one chance, many people who sacrificed for that chance. When the Woodville women took the field in Saturday’s…

Another week, another guest writer. Thanks for the article from Craig Basford and brilliant images from Bobby Devine Rugby Pics (find on Instagram)Science tells us that the flow of time is not constant. Science tells us that time can speed up and slow down relative to the object experiencing it. Just thinking about it can hurt our brains, but on occasion we see in action what science can sometimes struggle to explain to the layman.On Sunday, all who were at the U16 grand final between minor premiers Woodville and the 3rd placed Brighton witnessed time slow down as our collective…

Big thank you to regular contributor AllyOz for his article below. Take it away Oz.Many of you have probably already seen this but I have started watching the first season of Chasing the Sun on Rugby Pass TV. (This is a little like when I discovered Radiohead in 2011 about 15 years after everyone else did….putting me in the same boat (pun intended) as Captain James Cook who discovered Australia 60K years after the first inhabitants and a couple of hundred years after a few Dutchies.Anyway, the first couple of episodes have been fantastic and if anyone hasn’t watched it…

It had to happen folks, G&GR has gone global. Great piece for your consideration by guest author and ling time lurker ‘Duke’ from the good ol’ US of A. It gets better after the first sentence. Take it away Duke.The Reds are the best Australian rugby team. Because I said so. Of course there are other opinions, but we don’t really have a way to settle it. Sure we could look at the end of season ladder, but that doesn’t really account for how a team performs in the cauldron of finals footy.If only there were an Australian championship to…

By guest writer Corbyn Holznagel.There are few places in Australia that can be described as rugby strongholds, but if there was such a thing, surely the Darling Downs would be podium finishers. They love their rugby on the Downs, so much so that these true believers in all things Australian rugby (well mostly) are celebrating their 60 years anniversary in 2024, and it’s sure to be another great year of footy.In 1964, a courageous group of rugby lovers got together, sharing stories of wool prices, header machines, too much rain, not enough rain, and a rugby comp for the locals.…

Good morning Gaggerlanders, and welcome to the first of many contributions from our new Hospital Cup and Queensland Country Rugby contributor, Colin Holznagel. Big shout out to Stephen Tremain for some great photos as well.The SettingFifty years since Brothers and Randwick first met in an Australian Rugby Club Championship, the two heavyweights of Australian club rugby were back at it again at the famed Crosby Park to do battle for the silverware and state-based boasting rights for another 12 months. The hill at the old ground was packed, steakburger aromas filled the air, and rugby supporters of all ages waited…