Author: Scott Bryant

Acting Melbourne Rebels CEO, Pat Wilson, has declared the Melbourne Rebels will have the players necessary to compete for a finals spot in the expanded Super 15 when it kicks off in 2011. Speaking to G&GR Wilson was upbeat despite the sizeable bucket of shit dumped on the fledgling club by former Wallaby hooker, and budding media tart, Brendan Cannon. Wilson seemed unfazed when asked about the comments “I haven’t seen them actually, but everyone is entitled to their opinion” he straight batted.

Looking at Ben Alexander’s attacking stats from the Super 14 it is pretty clear he had a fantastic season – plenty of ball carries, plenty of metres gained, plenty of line breaks and to cap it off 7 tries, the second highest of the Aussie players behind Shmoo who bagged 9. It’s not those stats that really interest me as I reckon a prop’s first job should be to hold up a scrum and not play like a 4th loose forward. We’ve been down that road with Eddie Jones, and it’s a dead end. It hasn’t rated much of…

It might not be a title they wanted but the Reds have stormed home to be the yellow card champions of the Super 14 with a total of 8 for the season. Perhaps it’s not surprising that one of the youngest teams in the Super 14 should rack up their fair share of sanctions but the cumulative effect is that the Reds played 80 minutes of rugby, or an entire game, with only 14 men. The impact this had on their season is hard to quantify and it must be noted that out of the five games they lost, it…

With perhaps the exception of the Bulls, the Reds’ team to take on the Clan this Saturday is almost unrecognisable from the team’s last outing. Through injury and an eye to the future, Link has made six changes from the infamy that was Wellington. Ben Lucas comes in at the unfamiliar fullback position due to Rocket’s injury with Marcia moving to the wing, while Ben Tapuai replaces the injured Anthony Faingaa. Jake Schatz gets the gig ahead of the punted Andrew Shaw with Sean Hardman replacing the other Faingaa and James Slipper taking over from the winged Ben Daley.

Finals rugby has come early for the Reds as this weeks game against a resurgent ‘Canes is a must win if they are to have any hope of featuring in the semi’s. A loss will see them bounced from the top 4 and on very shaky ground to make their way back. Wellington on the other hand are starting to look like the trouble makers of the comp and are playing some really fucking good rugby…just ask Ma’a! The Reds have been forced into making 7 changes from last Saturday’s debacle with Van Humphries, Radike Samo, Rocket Rod, Andrew Shaw,…

Through the wonders of modern technology, the G&GR spies have been able to intercept a phone call that could well be between last Saturday’s two protagonists – Steve’s Walsh and Hoiles. We aren’t sure if it is really them so you can make up your own mind. Read the transcript below to see how two seasoned professionals settle their differences….no wonder Steve Walsh got boned this weekend.

During the week it was reported that Lord John is on his way to the IRB armed with a DVD of the Reds v Bulls game as proof SANZAR’s new law interpretations (NLI’s) are the best thing to happen to rugby since Webb-Ellis got the shits with soccer and picked up the ball. It will be an interesting discussion particularly if JO’N is ambushed with the DVD of another game to refute his assertions. Which game you ask? The Tahs v Brumbies game from last night dumb arse.

Well I guess we can now stop speculating whether the Reds are the real thing  – they are. Their uncompromising win over the Stormers last night confirmed this point and it is worth noting they have beaten the other three teams that sit above them on the table at the moment. The Reds win against the Stormers was about as close to “winning-ugly” they have come to all year. In all their games there have been enough flourishes of attack for them to be called the entertainers. Such a statement misses the point that most victories this season have been…

Going to Lang Park last night there was a feeling that something special was on. The pubs were busier, the ticket queues were longer and the punters didn’t have the same forlorn looks that have been around for the last few years. There was a feeling of belief and that hasn’t been around for years either! With the win over the Bulls the Reds have shown they are a genuine finals chance in a performance that mixed sparkling attack with blue collar defence. They controlled the game and never let the Bulls get into their stride.

Lang Park becomes a mini Pamplona this Saturday when the white-hot Reds take on the Super 14’s Bully-boys. The Bulls are rocking along in first place and looking to confirm their place with a win while the Reds will be aiming for a win to skip clear of the chasing pack. Link has again gone for size on the bench with a 5 forward 2 back split which isn’t a surprise as a similar tactic went within two points of succeeding against the other behemoths, the Sharks.

Gone are the days when the Reds were the misery of the competition. That title well and truly belongs to the Lions now. The Reds are fifth and have their tails up while the Lions are last and have theirs between their legs. Anything other than a Reds win is hard to tip however there are a few pointers to suggest this game could be a potential banana-skin for the banana benders.

It’s probably the closest you could come to being happy with a loss and you’d suspect that’s how the Reds may be feeling after playing some top shelf rugger, missing the out on the win by a whisker, and snagging two bonus points along the way. Yep, things could be far worse. The Reds are still afloat in the race for the finals having taken 6 points from two games in South Africa and with the prospect of facing the bottom placed team next week, there is reason for optimism. On the negative side however it is the second time…

The Sharks don’t often lose at Durbs, not often that is, unless they are playing the Reds. Since the inception of Super rugby, the Reds have beaten the Sharks at home 4 times from seven attempts and this week things are pointing to the Reds making it 5 out of 8. Conventional wisdom suggests you don’t change a winning team but that is what Link has done by naming a revamped starting line-up and again challenging convention by adding extra muscle to the bench with a 5 forwards, 2 backs split. This move is a direct acknowledgement of the…

Don’t look now, but the Reds have had the best start to a season since 1999 when they also won 4 out of the first 6 games. The Reds went on that year to top the Super 12 table and while that might be out of reach for the 2010 vintage, a spot in the finals certainly beckons. The Reds have notched a number of milestones already this season – tick ‘em off. Back to back wins since 2006, three wins in a row since 2004, setting straight a seven game losing streak in South Africa, ending an eleven game…

After a week off for good behaviour, the Reds begin their African safari with a trip to Bloem to face the injury ravaged Cheetahs where a win would confirm their growing reputation as a genuine finals contender. Not only do the Reds have wins on their minds, but tries also. The team is taking part in an Oxfam charity drive that will see them donate a goat for every try they score and a “bonus goat” should the team earn a four try bonus point. This cause will no doubt be helped by the fact the Cheetahs missing key…

Watching the Force this season hasn’t been easy. Not only have they somehow managed to injure the bulk of their international representatives, but they have also played some truly shithouse rugby as well. Not that they haven’t been putting in effort mind, they have, and chief among those trying the hardest is James O’Connor. Young Rabbits has been pitch-forked into an un-accustomed role of being a senior player, despite still only being 20 years of age. Let’s not forget that this time last year JO’C was being used off the bench by Mitch in an effort not to put too…

Brothers have overpowered a resilient Sydney Uni side to be crowned this year’s Australian Club Champions in Brisbane. In what was an end-to-end affair and a great advertisement of the need for a third tier competition, Brothers greater combinations in key areas proved the difference between the two teams. While you can argue about the merits of playing such a game in early March instead of late September, the fact remains that Queensland teams have now won the club champs for two years running. The game was barely 5 minutes old when Brothers half-back, Sam Grasso, fielded a poor…

It is interesting to see how the on-field fortunes for these two have panned out after the first quarter of the season. After playing along side each other for the past couple of years, each is now responsible as being the go to man in their respective backlines. But just as Berrick went south for the new season, so has his form. Which ever way you want to slice these stats, it is clear Cooper is having the more influence on his team’s performance, and having a better season in general. Where Barnes looks erratic and distracted, Cooper looks assured…

In a week when there was nothing but bad news for the Reds, a very sizeable rainbow has appeared with their unlikely win over the Chiefs. To say this is the end of the storm clouds for the Reds is an over-statement but it would seem the worst of the foul weather (on-field at least) might now be a thing of the past. The Reds displayed the kind of resolve reserved only for the best teams and fought their way back from the abyss as the Chiefs skipped merrily to a 15-0 lead after only 20-odd minutes. In fact,…

It’s hard to imagine a scenario that could be worse for the Reds. Travelling to the town that time forgot, Hamilton, having to play the all conquering Chiefs, whom they have not beaten since 2006 and being without 5 backs from last weekend’s match day squad. This has the potential to be a bigger fuck up than Kevin Rudd’s thought bubble of insulating every home in Australia with Chinese al-foil. The Chiefs have had their best start to a Super rugby season this year and watching their games it is not hard to see why. They are a team that…