Author: Scott Bryant

Prior to this year’s Grand Slam tour, the ARU proclaimed that pin-up boy James O’Connor would be compiling a tour diary which could be viewed via the ARU web-site. Well, three weeks into the tour and nothing from the Wunderkind. Not to worry rugby tragics, G&GR has come into possession of what purports to be JO’C’s written tour diary. While we have no way of verifying the authenticity of these diaries, in true tabloid style we decided to publish them anyway.

The wait is finally over with Melbourne being named as the new Super 15 franchise that will enter the Super rugby competition in 2011. Just how the announcement will be greeted in Melbourne remains to be seen after the city was left standing at the altar some years ago when the fourth franchise went West. There has been more than enough written in recent months about the lack of interest shown in sports capital of Australia at the promise of a Super rugby team, so it appears as though the ARU Thought Police will have their work cut out trying…

If ever there was a ‘who-cares’ Bledisloe game then this it! With the ‘Auld Mug’ well and truly decided, both teams will have their eyes on the riches the un-plundered North offers. While there is more motivation for the Wallabies to win this encounter, the simple fact they have been unable to beat the AB’s in the last six games points to more of the same.

Under a typically blazing late spring Queensland afternoon sun, new Reds Coach Ewen McKenzie put his team through their paces. As the afternoon dragged the players started to show the strain of a day that started with a weights session under new conditioning Coach, Damian Marsh, and ended with Marsh barking out times from his stopwatch as the players did sprints. McKenzie didn’t break any records himself, but he did outline how he has been occupying his time since he took over the Reds.

With the spring racing carnival in full swing in Australia, and the spring Wallaby tour about to commence, I thought I would try and combine the two. It is surprising how transferable some of the descriptions from an equine form guide can be translated to our Wallaby runners. Below is my appraisal of how where our lads are up to in their preparations.

Finally some positive news out of Ballymore as Ewen McKenzie was today announced as Head Coach of the Reds for the next three seasons. After a year that started badly for the Reds, then got steadily worse, Queensland rugby followers at last have something to smile about. New QRU Chairman Rod McCall, and his advisory group of Dan Crowley, Tim Horan and Brett Robinson, have passed their first test in attracting a coach of the calibre of McKenzie to Ballymore and seem to have given him a mandate for change.

In a pulsating game, Brothers have broken a 22 year drought and won today’s Brisbane Premier Grade Grand Final downing a gallant Souths outfit 26-19. It was a game befitting a final in which both sides dominated at times but the greater control and experience of Brothers carried the day – just. On a classic Brisbane Sunday afternoon, Brothers opened the scoring after just 30 seconds with a penalty goal to man-of-the-match, Brendan McKibbbin after Souths were penalised for offside and then marched a further 10 metres for dissent.

Much has been made of the Wallabies ‘new dawn’ since beating the Bokkies two weeks ago. It is hard to believe the week before that they were being written off as ‘second raters’ who were not up to the test of international rugby. An objective observation leads to the conclusion the Wallabies were probably not as bad as people made out prior to their only win of this year’s Tri-nations, and by the same assessment, are probably not as good as some are claiming since that win.

Brothers weren’t pretty, but they were pretty effective and downed a resilient Easts outfit 22-10 to win through to next week’s Brisbane Premier rugby Grand Final to face South’s next Sunday. It was a game that Easts will look back on as one that could quite probably have gone their way as they dominated a ragged Brothers in the first half but did not make the most of their opportunities. The game didn’t start well for Easts, as they kicked out on the full from the opening whistle, and then gave away a penalty in the first two minutes to…

Here’s an edited recording of the press conference after last Saturday’s game. A couple of minutes in there’s what sounds like either a thermonuclear detonation, or Grumbles letting rip. The questions are also pretty quiet because my arms aren’t 10m long. Let me know how you get on with the Dingo Bingo Powered by Podbean.com

It is not surprising that Bob Skinstad would be backing his broers, what was surprising however were some of the insights he gave as to why he thinks the Wallabies might be struggling. Over the years it seems that Bob has never been short of an opinion, but it is a considered opinion that is based on reasoned thought. Speaking exclusively to G&GR Bob gave his views on the contentious Pocock v Waugh debate, the Wallaby scrum, Robbie Deans’ future, what the Wallabies must do to be successful and the outcome of Saturday’s test between the Wallabies and Springboks.

When a man turns 50, it is a time of reflection. It’s the sort of thing that gives an individual pause for thought. What is the higher meaning of life? How can the collective group that is mankind profit from one blokes endeavour? If there are no guarantees and nothing lasts forever – then what’s the fucking point? I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed I played myself in a game of squash.It was a great game, me testing myself against me in an individual’s ultimate challenge…themselves.

Maestro Deans has made sweeping changes to his team to face the Bokke this Saturday with the biggest changes being Will Genia and David Pocock getting their chance to start this week. After sniping at the heals of Burgo for a few weeks Genia takes over from the wayward incumbent while Bam Bam gets his chance to step out of the sizeable shadow cast by George Smith and Phil Waugh. Deans explained his overall reasoning for the changes in typically cryptic fashion and gave the followers of Dingo Bingo something to get excited about.

In a clear sign the Springboks are concerned about the dominance of the Wallaby scrum, Bok coach Peter de Villiers, has enlisted the help of the IRB to help solve his team’s woes. After the Wallabies got the better of the Boks in both Cape Town and Perth, de Villiers has written to IRB referees chief, Paddy O’Brien, in order to get some clarification, or leverage perhaps, in relation to why his team is getting penalised. “I did write to Paddy O’Brien so the ref on the weekend (Bryce Lawrence) can give me clarity on what we did wrong in…

Wednesday There’s something special about a Bledisloe week in Sydney, particularly if you don’t have to buy your own piss. A deserved perk of battling for our struggling players. Rang Kafe yesterday about how well we are going. He didn’t answer but I left him a message asking him to do a chalkboard on the issues surrounding the investigation we’re pursuant to. I’m sure he’ll think it over as usual. Said investigation is going really well. At this juncture in proceedings no-one has actually spoken to us as yet but I rang Mat Rogers knowing he never misses a chance…

The Wallabies are battered, bruised and winless – not a great combination. With no wins from three attempts the Wallabies face the very real prospect of not winning a single game in this year’s Tri-Nations as they confront an uncompromising South Africa over the next two weeks and then travel to Wellington a few weeks later. It would not be the first time the Wallabies have failed to win a single game of a Tri-nations tournament. Just four short years ago the Eddie Jones coached Wallabies didn’t get off the ducks-egg,

It’s not often G&GR agrees with Richie McCaw – but when the Uber-cheat said the loser of this game was finished for the year’s Tri-nations, it was hard to disagree. Both sides have been below their best thus far and for the team that comes second on Saturday night there is no salvation. What McCaw did not say however was that if the loser was the Wallabies they would also kiss good-bye any chance winning the Bledisloe Cup. Perhaps out of fondness for his former coach, Robbie Deans, McCaw also failed to mention that Deans faces the sternest test of…

One of the most noticeable changes about the Wallabies this year has been their ability to start games well and score early points. For many years the Wallabies were generally slow out of the blocks and would build momentum as the game progressed. What has also been noticeable is the Wallabies inability to capitalise on these quick-fire starts as they have struggled to keep scoring points throughout the game after the initial onslaught.

It has become clear from watching this year’s Tri-nations, the key to success is to kick more than your opposition. In every game thus far the team that has won is the team who has kicked the ball most often. As part of some downward spiral, in every game the amount of kicks per game has increased as teams search for an advantage and have effectively turned rugby into some sort of rough and tumble kicking duel. This increase in kicking reached its high point (low point maybe?) with the Bokke vs Wallaby game at Newlands where there was a…

The Boks have lost only one match this year, the last test of the Lions series. In the other two games of that series the Lions were well and truly in it until the end and probably should have won the first test but for some diabolical handling errors. By analysing the stats from those games that there is a clear pattern as to how to challenge the Boks, and maybe even beat them. Do the Wallabies have the troops to implement a similar game plan?