Author: Hugh Adams

34,000 fans came to Suncorp Stadium on Sunday to watch their previously great team be slaughtered at the hands of the Crusaders.  The Reds are now set for their worst finish in Super Rugby since 2009.   In early 2012, then Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie made it clear that there would be a suitable succession plan put in place so that when the time came for him to move on, the successful, winning culture of the Reds would continue. In 2013, Richard Graham joined the Reds as Head Coach and McKenzie’s role was changed to Director of Coaching.  Whilst…

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie, Fox Sports commentator Rod Kafer, former test referee Wayne Erickson and former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer will make up the NRC experimental law panel which will look at opportunities for innovation and what constitutes the best game for the upcoming National Rugby Championship.   Experimental laws were used previously in the Australian Rugby Championship back in 2007 and several of the laws that were trialled have been adopted in the game today.  South Africa’s Varsity Cup has also had success using experimental laws. Matt Rowley and myself sat down with McKenzie, Kafer and Ben Whitaker yesterday after their first meeting as…

Earlier this week Phil Blake was appointed as head coach of the North Harbour Rays on a  two year contract for the upcoming National Rugby Championship.   Blake (photo below) will be joined by a highly qualified who have all coached or played at Super Rugby or International level.  The coaching staff includes Scott Fava (Forwards coach, pic bottom), Haig Sare (backs coach) and Geoff Townsend (skills coach and will oversee defence). #115086899 / gettyimages.com North Harbour Rays chairman Gary Flowers was excited about the appointment of Blake as head coach. “We’ve come a long way in a short space…

We have a look at the numbers from Round 12 of Super Rugby. Hot on Attack Jason Woodward continues to make a case as to why he should be a Wallaby by topping the attacking stats this week. Jason Woodward – 12 runs for 104 metres Robbie Coleman – 10 runs for 86 metres Tamati Ellison – 19 runs for 84 metres Pat McCabe – 10 runs for 83 metres Bryce Hegarty – 10 runs for 70 metres Brick Walls 17 tackles contributed to Michael Hooper’s man of the match performance against the Hurricanes. Michael Hooper – 17 tackles…

The Waratahs have defeated the Hurricanes 39-30 in an eight try thriller at Allianz Stadium.   The Match The Waratahs won the coin toss and decided to kick off and it came off for them as Israel Folau won the ball and Adam Ashley-Cooper made a break in just the second minute of the game to set up Rob Horne for a try in the corner.  The Waratahs took the early lead, 7-0.  Just 10 minutes later the Hurricanes hit back through a pick and drive from Jeremy Toomaga-Allen to equal the scores at 7-7. A penalty right in front in the 23rd…

We have a look at the numbers from Round 11 of Super Rugby. Hot on Attack The Waratahs dominated the attacking stats but only managed one try against the Blues. 1. Kurtley Beale – 19 runs for 97 metres and 2 offloads. 2. Israel Folau – 14 runs for 85 metres, 2 offloads and 3 line breaks. 3. Chris Feauai-Sautia – 11 runs for 84 metres 4. Bernard Foley – 11 runs for 66 metres, 1 offload and 1 line break. 5. Jayden Hayward – 7 runs for 63 metres Brick Walls Beau Robinson continues his strong form in super…

The Waratahs head to Auckland to take on the Blues this week and are looking for their second away win of the season.  All eyes have been on the Blues this week after they announced that Benji Marshall will be parting ways with the club. The Form The Waratahs are currently sitting in 4th position on the Super Rugby ladder whilst the Blues are sitting in 10th position.  Head to head in the last five matches they have played against each other, the Blues have won three and the Waratahs have won two.  This season the Blues have had five…

The Waratahs have beaten the Bulls 19-12 in a close, low scoring encounter at Allianz Stadium. Photos by Keith McInnes The Match The Waratahs got off to a flying start after they won the ball off the kick off.  Then, it was straight out the backline and Israel Folau was under the posts within the first 30 seconds.  Bernard Foley made the conversion from right in front and the Waratahs were up 7-0 after 2 minutes. The Waratahs dominated the possession early on and the attack was looking dangerous with Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley creating plenty of opportunities. However,…

The aussie conference is closer than it has ever been before. We want to know who you think will finish on top. Anything Lists on Ranker

The Australian Rugby Union today announced the dates for the Wallabies 2014 Spring Tour at the end of this year. The tour will include matches against the Barbarians, Wales, France, Ireland and England throughout November. Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie is looking forward to the challenge which lies ahead. “The Spring Tour last year was the most successful in five years for the Qantas Wallabies and we’ll be looking to improve on that come November. “With the Rugby World Cup just a year away in England, we have scheduled five games against five teams that will bring a different style to…

We have a look at the numbers from Round 8 of Super Rugby. Hot on Attack Scott Higginbotham led from the front with a strong attacking performance in the Rebels loss to the Highlanders. 1. Scott Higginbotham – 7 runs for 75 metres, 1 offload and 2 line breaks 2.  Quade Cooper – 12 runs for 73 metres and 4 offloads 3. Jesse Mogg – 11 runs for 68 metres, 2 offloads and 2 line breaks 4. Nick Cummins – 7 runs for 68 metres and 1 offload 5. Jamie-Jerry Taulagi – 6 runs for 66 metres Brick Walls Beau…

The Australian Under 20’s squad has been announced following the National Under 20’s Championship last weekend. New South Wales dominate the selection after the NSW Colts won the National Under 20’s Championship. The squad is scheduled to play Samoa and Fiji. The IRB Junior World Cup will take place on the 30th May – 21st of June later this year. Australian Under 20’s Squad Allan Ala’alatoa (ACT) Tom Banks (Qld) Luke Burton (WA) Sam Croke (NSW) Andrew Deegan (NSW) Jack Dempsey (NSW)          Lalakai Foketi (Vic) Scott Gale (Qld) Michael Gunn (Qld) Ross Haylett-Petty (WA) David Horwitz (NSW)           Alifeliti Kaitu’u (Qld)…

We have a look at the numbers from Round 7 of Super Rugby. Hot on Attack James Hansen almost takes top spot this week proving that front rowers can be attacking aces as well. 1. Jesse Mogg – 10 runs for 113 metres and 1 line break 2. James Hansen – 8 runs for 98 metres 3. Tom English – 6 runs for 84 metres, 1 offload and 2 line breaks 4. Adam Ashley-Cooper – 7 runs for 83 metres and 1 line break 5. Jason Woodward – 10 runs for 79 metres and 1 offload Brick Walls Jarrad…

The Waratahs have been defeated by the Sharks 32-10 in Durban overnight. In the first half the Waratahs were making big hits but lots of mistakes and turnover ball gave the Sharks a lot of counter attacking opportunity. The game was filled with big collisions and physicality from both teams. The two sides traded penalties early on whilst the Sharks enjoyed the first large period of possession.  Rob Horne was then penalised for a dangerous tackle. Sharks flyhalf Fred Zeilinga was able to convert the penalty from right in front to bring the score to 6-3. The Sharks then furthered…

We have a look at the numbers from Round 5 of Super Rugby. Hot on Attack Israel Folau was dominant in attack on the weekend as usual.  Robbie Coleman was also impressive for the Brumbies, scoring a double. 1. Israel Folau – 14 runs for 96 metres, 6 offloads, 2 line breaks and 2 tries 2. Jesse Mogg – 11 runs for 84 metres. 3. Bernard Foley – 8 runs for 60 metres and 2 line breaks 4. Lachie Turner – 8 runs for 54 metres and 1 offload. 5. Robbie Coleman – 9 runs for 21 metres, 1 offload…

We have a look at the numbers from Round 5 of Super Rugby. Hot on Attack Solomoni Rasolea tops this week after a strong performance against the Highlanders. 1. Solomoni Rasolea – 6 runs for 120 metres 2. Sias Ebersohn – 7 runs for 80 metres 3. Jesse Mogg – 10 runs for 77 metres 4. Aidan Toua – 9 runs for 73 metres 5.  Israel Folau – 7 runs for 73 metres Brick Walls The Brumbies and the Western Force dominate the brick walls this week. 1. Sam Carter – 16 tackles 2. Matt Hodgson – 14 tackles…

We have a look at some of the impressing player stats from the weekend.  Hot on Attack Rocket Rod Davies topped this week with most run metres in the Australian conference. 1.Rod Davies – 10 runs for 87 metres and two line breaks. 2. Aidan Toua – 11 runs for 84 metres and one line break. 3. Pat McCabe – 11 runs for 70 metres and two line breaks. 4. Jason Woodward – 10 runs for 67 metres 5. Luke Morahan – 9 runs for 54 metres and one line break Brick Walls Matt Hodgson proved once again…

Former Brumbies CEO Andrew Fagan has been appointed the position of General Manager – National Teams and Competitions.   The ARU stated that Fagan’s role will be to maximise the commercial opportunities of Australian Rugby’s existing assets including the Wallabies, Wallarpps, Men’s and Women’s Sevens and to drive opportunities for the new National Rugby Championship. Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said Mr Fagan’s experience will be a great asset to Australian Rugby. “Andrew Fagan has extensive experience in sports administration, including 12 years leading the Brumbies and will bring a strong commercial focus to ensure our national teams, Sevens…

We have a look at which players dominated on the Aussie super rugby stats sheet for Round 3.   Hot on attack We’re used to seeing Izzy dominate, but who put down the biggest numbers by far? 1. Tom English – 9 runs for 124 metres and 4 line breaks. 2. Israel Folau – 9 runs for 106 metres and 2 line breaks. 3. Luke Morahan – 12 runs for 82 metres and 1 line break. 4. Jayden Hayward – 6 runs for 69 metres and 2 line breaks. 5. Henry Speight – 7 runs for 68 metres and 1…

Not everyone has the time to watch social media all day so here are some of our recent posts from our Facebook page. TRUE STORY FROM GAGR FORUM: I bought my 4 year old son a size 6 Tahs jersey at the game on Sunday. Problem with it was that the collar is so small you can barely fit it over the child’s head. I took it to a tailor near my work and asked if she could loosen the collar. When I took out the jersey she smiled and said, this is our team and asked if I went to game…