Author: Ian Bright

The NSW Country Eagles lead the NRC after a bonus point victory in a bruising encounter with the Sydney Rays at Pittwater Park. THE GAME Both the Rays and the Eagles had an unbeaten record going into today’s game and the scene was set for a blockbuster at a sunny Pittwater Park in Sydney’s northern beaches. A healthy crowd turned up and they were repaid with a fantastic game of rugby. The Rays were boosted by the inclusion of Wallaby Scott Fardy in their starting line-up and were looking to remain top of the table. The Rays kicked off to…

Perth Spirit head back to WA with the points after keeping the Western Sydney Rams at bay to claim a deserved 30-24 victory. THE GAME As clear blue skies welcomed the boys from WA the Rams were looking to kick-start their season with a home win at Concord Oval. Near-perfect conditions set the scene for running rugby with Olympic Gold Medal winner Vatemo Ravouvou lining-up against Wallaby Luke Morahan. The Rams also featured big Will Skelton, the lock not being required by the Wallabies, but were missing Hugh Roach – the Waratahs hooker succumbing to stress fractures in his left…

The Sydney Rays made it two wins from two with an impressive second half performance. Maintaining an unbeaten start to this years NRC with a bonus point victory over an uninspiring Perth Spirit. THE GAME What a difference a week makes – I found myself returning to North Sydney Oval having experienced near-perfect conditions last Sunday, in the sort of conditions that make a Perthshire boy feel at home. Sydneysiders found themselves waking up to torrential rain and the prospect of watching a classic on the only Friday night game of this year’s NRC was slim. The rain did ease…

The NSW Country Eagles opened their NRC campaign with an impressive 22-12 victory over reigning champions Brisbane City. THE GAME The “new birthplace of rugby” witnessed a tough battle between two of the sides that will expect to be involved in the finals. Sydney Uni Oval No.2 was bathed in sunshine and the near-perfect conditions had the crowd expecting attacking rugby and plenty of points as they slowly filtered through the turnstiles. A relaxed Brisbane City were led out by ex-student Sam Talakai while the Eagles were skippered by Dave Horwitz. What followed was a bruising encounter with neither team…

Will it be another year of could’ve should’ve for the Horned Army or will the opposition “Get Rammed” in the coming weeks? LAST SEASON The Rams had a disappointing campaign last year, finishing in last place with only one win from a possible eight. However, there were positives to be taken from the season and with three of those losses by less than a converted try (two by a single point) the Horned Army could have seen their team finish higher on the table if it hadn’t been for costly missed kicks. The strong performances of Jed Holloway were particularly…