Author: KARL

Today’s news is brought to you from the great Soap Dodger, Keith. Being both old and a Pom he has no idea of technology and so I’m posting this on his behalf. Note at the end is a list of G&GR rugby players. If you’d like to be included send your particulars to Keith in the comments section. The Good? The Bad? and The Farkin’ Awful? Desperate times call for desperate measures and I can’t think of anything more desperate than, in the absence of our famed weekly correspondents, calling on a Soap Dodger to fill a hole. Once more…

Sorry for the delay team. I woke very early to return from NZ and had an appointment that took longer than expected. I’m getting old, which while being infinitely better than not being able to, does mean I get tired quicker these days and last night I crashed before I could write this. It’s certainly been an interesting last 5 days and with everything leading into the game of revenge this weekend I thought I’d add an opinion piece just to settle things down. Now I know there are some here who will take this to the ultimate level but…

Not quite the half way mark for the next game but time for the anger and disappointment of the last game to sink down and for some hope to gently start rising again as we contemplate what changes are needed to move the Wallabies forward. ‘Give these guys a chance’: Ex-Wallaby’s World Cup message for next gen amid No.10 crisis If there’s a player who knows what the next generation of Australian rugby stars might be feeling like at present it’s Berrick Barnes. On the basis of one starring match in his first season, against the Highlanders, he was plucked…

Welcome to the week before what will be a major game for the Wallabies this season. Make no mistake about it, this week is a defining game for the Wallabies this year. Win and they are on track for a good season. Lose and their season is looking like going downhill. If they lose questions will be asked about the players, selections, coaching team and management. However, it’s Wednesday which means it’s the day we put the disappointment of the last game behind us and we start looking forward with hope to the game this weekend. Good luck for the…

Sorry for the delay today team. Been a busy week and I still haven’t managed to watch last weekend’s games yet – hopefully today. However, today we stop reminiscing about last week and start looking forward to this weekend. Can the Wallabies continue their good run? Will the ABs fall again, and if so what will this mean for Foster? Wallabies focused on backing up ‘special’ performanceWith a great start to the RC despite injuries, late withdrawals and a slow start the Wallabies are now concentrating on backing up this week and maintaining top spot in the RCLast week was…

Right team, as from 12 today it’s time to stop with the disappointment of the past and start looking forward to the next game. It’s been 10 days since we played England and it’s 10 days until we play Argentina. Let’s look forward not backwards. Not a lot of information on where teams are at for the upcoming games and so there isn’t a lot to say about them. About all I’ve got is that I think the Wallabies need to beat the FISMs and at least 1 game against both the DDF and the ABs to be setting things…

Welcome to Hump Day. That day where the disappointment of last week slowly gets overtaken with the anticipation of the weekend’s games. Being the middle of the week it’s also a time for reflection and so today I’ll also attempt to answer a couple of the more talked about issues that came out of the games last week. Spoiler Alert! I’m a biased referee and (mostly) on the side of the referee so if you’re wanting to get confirmation on how it’s the referee’s fault and the laws are killing the game go read that “other site” – or possibly…

Welcome to another edition of the GAGR. It’s been a quiet weekend allowing time for reflection as we build up to the 1st Internationals of the year. Like all of you I’m hanging out for this one and hoping that DR has got the boys ready to give the Soap Dodgers a good smashing.Injuries in the Wallaby CampIt is more than 8 English straight wins since Jones took over in 2016 and this is not something that sits well with Australian supporters. Soon enough all the amateur selecting that’s happened so far this year will give way to the real…

Welcome to Hump Day team. Weekend and finals rugby getting closer while we still manage to bask in the glory of the week just gone. Some big games last weekend and certainly my SuperBru competition had a couple of games where no points were scored by any of the participants as the results were way different to expected.Not mentioned below but congratulations to the Australian men’s 7s on their latest win. They fought a good fight and never gave up. Well done.Some quiet complaints against the Rebels not playing for the Force In a post that seems to be just…

Welcome fellow rugby lovers. That beautiful game that embodies so much of which is good in this world. Remember from 12:00pm today the week only gets better as the weekend and more rugby approaches.Nic White commits to Brumbies, Australian Rugby until 2023In news that will please most Wallaby fans as well as Brumbies fans Nic White has turned down a reported $1.0m deal from Japan to stay with Australia until after the next Rugby World Cup. With rumours swirling he would once again make the move overseas, White believes he still has plenty to achieve for club and country.”I’m really…

Happy Hump Day fellow rugby fanatics. That day of the week where from 12:00 it just gets better.Tupou out for remainder of Super Rugby PacificIn news that will devastate most Reds fans, and the remainder of Australia when the Reds play any NZ team, Taniela Tupou will miss the remainder of the Super Pacific season after suffering a calf injury in Saturday night’s loss to the Chiefs.Scans on Sunday confirmed a strain with the Reds releasing a statement “he will seek further medical opinion…..but it is expected he will miss the remainder of the season” . There is still hope…

Happy Hump Day team. Hope your week improves from 12:00 today as the weekend gets closer by the hourBarrett Receives 4 WeeksIn news that will please most of the readers of this site – being that most are Australian, Scott Barrett has been banned for four weeks for his dangerous hit in the weekend. With an initial entry point of six weeks the judiciary reduced his ban to four because of mitigating factors including Barrett’s acceptance of foul play, his expressed remorse and pleading guilty at the first available opportunity. In the same hearing Dickson and Aumua were both punished…

Morning team. Bit of a short one today as I had to travel to Canberra last night and then had to do a presentation for the boss when I got there. I also had to do my Smart Rugby and season ready referee training so not a lot of time. Remember from midday the weekend gets closer.World Rugby Boss says Red Cards are protecting playersWorld Rugby boss, Alan Gilpin, said that while he has sympathy for players being sanctioned for contact made in a split second decision, and that he is mindful of the need to preserve elements of the…

Morning team. Middle of the week! That day where the disappointment of the weekend is forgotten in the anticipation of the weekend games coming up. Judiciary showdown with the RedsThe Queensland Reds will fight Tupou’s retrospective charge of foul play. A bullocking Tupou shunted Jahrome Brown from the ruck in the first half of the Reds tight loss in Canberra, referee Damon Murphy reviewing and clearing him of any discretion at the time. However the incident was referred to SANZAAR’s Foul Play Review Committee after a post game inspection deemed it a Red Card for high contact.That opinion was upheld…

Welcome to Hump Day news. That wonderful day of the week where you spend the morning reminiscing about the games from last week and the afternoon looking forward to the games this weekend.Keeping it in the familyIn a feel good story the Campbells created history last weekend with both brother and Sister playing for the Reds and both members of the winning team so could sing the victory song together in the same dressing room.It wasn’t that long ago that the demarcation line between women and mens rugby was almost like they were two different sports. The women played for…

Welcome to the middle of the week. That day where we still bask in the glory of the previous game but also start to look forward to the game that is happening this weekend. Will our desires be met (not those ones Yowie) or will our dreams be dashed with a dose of reality?”Only responsible decision” Another setback as Moana Pasifika debut is delayed againThe debut of the Moana Pasifika team in this years Super Rugby Pacific is again on hold gain. The Auckland based team, who’s players comprise of mainly Tongan and Samoan heritage, were due to play last…

Welcome to another biassed report. It must be hard because I’m biassed both through being a Kiwi and a referee so two good reasons to hate me before you meet me. Let’s enjoy the news and remember once you read this after 12:00 the week is closer to finishing than starting. Wallabies to be paid more for a win than a lossThe ongoing COVID saga has seen RA invest in a new deal for the Wallabies and a talking point is the breakdown of payments where they get paid more for a win than a loss. They also get a…

Sorry Team, still not the Hoss and so you won’t get to read his witty statements yetJOC Relinquishes CaptaincyWallabies veteran James O’Connor has given up the Queensland captaincy as a big 18 months looms for test hopefuls. JOC wants to narrow his focus in the run-up to an inbound England tour and next year’s Rugby World Cup. JOC agreed to stand in for the injured Wright at the start of last season. He was extremely proud to do this but found that the extra responsibilities took their toll and adversely affected his game. While he was the Super AU top…

Not the Hoss starting this year. Thought I’d also add a Referee Corner piece so see how it goes.NZ Assigns Referees to Super TeamsA referee has been assigned to each of the five NZ franchises this year and will train alongside the team. The referee assigned to the team will not officiate any of the games they play and are there to provide expert advice on the law as part of the team training. Blues coach Leon MacDonald hailed it “a great initiative” and believes it will benefit the teams going forward. He further went on to say “Those referees…

The referee occupies a unique position on the field. Tasked with managing the game, and let’s be fair, without the referee no game would be played; by law he has the right to make any decision in accordance with the laws of the game. The law that gives him/her this right (6,5.a) also requires him/her to apply the laws fairly. The referee will make decisions based on what he/she sees at the time and will apply the laws as directed by World Rugby and sometimes with some particular country, state, region or even competition direction. The referee will have to deal…