Author: Roscoe Tims

Advance Australia Fair? You’ve got to be kidding! I’ll show you some passion Gordon. Here’s some real Rugby World Cup national anthems…. (Give the vision some time to download) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23dOKArlBc4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtIlaHIqrs&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY92uy-TkDs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBunJcr1DP8&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6_UsZtHiXU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoFPTSKIVrM&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyU9CS3c3fs&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIAzYiPHD78 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umop1Bjeq08 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJedEncMm3c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMVy9n2S5U&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnLd-8VvqF0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwS4KQi7HJ0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_AdfRYMWSI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETrr-XHBjE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAbKeKIHJaE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA6cnXFiE6I I love the Welsh – Bryn Terfel, Delme Thomas, Gareth Edwards, Shirley Bassey, Max Boyce, Gareth Delve (our Aussie boy), Tom Jones, Barry John… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMKsrjOqW6o

Petrus: Quo Vadis? Iēsous: Eo Romam iterum crucifigi. Peter: Whither goest thou? Jesus: I am going to Rome to be crucified again (John 13:36). Back to the future? There will be some trepidation in the Valleys as the Boyos wrestle with their bogey RWC teams, Manu Samoa and Fiji. Pool D is the so-called Pool of Death. Manu Samoa fired off a powerful shot over the bows when they defeated the Wallabies in Sydney recently. I suspect this result would have frightened the bejesus out of the Welsh. Oh no, not again! Island sides lift at the RWC because it’s only once every four years that they have most of…

Going back into the dim, dark past and reading what you wrote about two years ago can be a risky business. However, in this instance I feel totally justified and indeed, even a shade hubristric. In the post I’m referring to of late 2009, Short Arm, Short Shrift, Good Riddance , I said that the Experimental Law Variations introduced to Australian rugby were a load of old bollocks and applauded their demise. In particular, the ELV sanctions that turned the game into a touch rugbyfest and devalued the scrum. The reason I’ve turned back time and looked at this again…

The 2012 Super Rugby draw has just been released by SANZAR. Here is the schedule: It kicks off on the weekend of 24/25 February 2012 with local derbies Brumbies v. Force in Canberra, and Waratahs v. Reds in Sydney. Edit: Download your Super Rugby 2012 Schedule for Outlook / iCal / Google Calendar / Other Calendar Program here Click here: 2012 Vodacom Super Rugby Draw NSW Waratahs Draw: 1 Sat Feb 25 Reds ANZ Stadium, 7.40pm 2 Fri March 2 Rebels Melbourne, 7.40pm 3 Sat March 10 Highlanders Dunedin, 5.35pm 4 Sat March 17 Western Force SFS, 7.40pm 5…

Not only did we win the Trans Tasman Woodchopping title at a damp Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, with the legendary ‘Big Dave’ Foster and son Stephen (a chip off the old block) to the fore, but we also won the rugby. And this was a very important victory to boot. This Tri Nations tournament may have been diluted to some degree but there’s no doubting that both Wallaby v All Black encounters were contested by full strength teams with an overwhelming desire to win. As a precursor to the Rugby World Cup, the results were significant. In this instance…

The increasingly strident calls for more Queensland Reds input into the Wallaby test side have been answered with both Radike Samo and Anthony Faingaa recalled for duty. For Samo it’s more of a resurrection, but for Faingaa its as a substitute for a selfish and unprofessional James O’Connor, whose poor judgment has left the Wallabies’ outside backs exposed in what is adjudged to be the most important game of the year to date. His suspension has caused a dilemma as the third winger Drew Mitchell is clearly not yet ready for test rugby despite being named in the RWC squad.…

The big news out of left field is the demise of Rocky Elsom as Wallaby captain and the promotion of James Horwill to succeed him, effective as of today. There have been undercurrents of disatisfaction about Rocky’s performances over recent weeks, although a better display against the Springboks last weekend was thought to have quelled any lingering question marks about his form and leadership. Robbie Deans and John O’Neill have made the big call – taking the pressure of captaincy off him so he can concentrate on his game. I’m not sure the responsibility sat comfortably on Rocky’s shoulders, so it’s probably an opportunity for him…

Any win against the Springboks in the Republic is a good one. This match was the proverbial arm wrestle against their top selection, with a superb Wallabies defensive effort bringing home the biltong. However, it was spoilt to some degree by poor ball security and ill-discipline. Still, you’d have to be satisfied with a very much improved forward performance. They took on the Springbok pack and eventually gained the upper hand in a very physical battle. 10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books 9 – Outstanding performance: Man of the match shoo-in 8 – Excellent all round…

In the court of public opinion, Wallaby captain Rocky Elsom would be an ‘also-ran’. He would be dropped from the starting XV for this Test. By far the most popular choice to replace him at No. 6 is Scott Higginbotham, to combine with David Pocock and Radike Samo (8) as the loose forward troika. The likelihood of Rocky’s being dropped anytime soon is, of course, remote. Robbie Deans has nailed his colours to the mast with regard to Elsom’s captaincy so I think we all need to move on. Anyway, we should remember that Elsom has played only four games…

The Wallabies were like a rabbit in the headlights as they succumbed to searing All Black pressure in last night’s Bledisloe Cup Test. The Eden Park ‘hoodoo’ continues, marking a quarter of a century since a Wallaby team last gained any success at the venue. If this was a dry run for the Rugby World Cup Final then it’s done and dusted —  no contest. What it proved was that the All Blacks are, as usual, a cut above any other international side. This performance was unbelievably clinical in its execution. These blokes were like a machine and really took their…

Update 4/8/11: Final 22 announced — the two non-playing reserves are Timani and Hodgson. The 24-man Wallaby squad to travel to Auckland on Wednesday for this weekend’s All Blacks Tri Nations–Bledisloe blockbuster has been announced. Are there any surprises? Maybe one or two little ones… The additions from the Bokke test are the Waratahs quartet of halfback Luke Burgess, winger Lachie Turner and second rowers Dan Vickerman and Sitaleki Timani. The main casualties are Sharpie and Phipps. With Phipps you can understand, now that Burgo is back from his hand injury. Sharpie is an entirely different proposition. Unless he’s being ‘rested’ to allow Vickers…

The Gen-Y Wallaby BOCS (Beale O’Connor Cooper and Sanchez) sent the fake Springboks to the destination they deserved last night — the outhouse. Coach Clown fronted with a second-string Super Rugby team full of Bokke wannabes and ended up with the same result as Robbie Deans did last week. It might have been seen as a plus in 2007 but this time round there weren’t too many positives for the South Africans in getting spanked 39–20. The Wallabies dreadfully underestimated the Samoan juggernaut last weekend but I can’t see that the Boks would have done the same despite that result. They…

As expected, there have been a raft of changes made to the Wallaby team for this weekend’s Bokke clash after the Manu Samoan aituā (disaster). The big loser from Saturday is Matt Giteau. He’s been completely dropped from the 22. Sure, he didn’t have a great game last weekend, but he was by no means the only one and to some extent he’s a casualty of an insipid forward effort. I suspect a factor he’s not there is the 5/2 bench split. It’s a shame, as he had a solid Super Rugby season in a misfiring Brumbies team. The end of an era, perhaps? Surprisingly, his Brumbies compatriots…

Update Wedsnesday, 13/7/11: Wallaby team to play Samoa released   Mark Gerrard, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Pat McCabe, Digby Ioane, Matt Giteau, Nick Phipps, Ben McCalman, Matt Hodgson, Rocky Elsom (capt), Nathan Sharpe, Sitaleki Timani, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu. Reserves: James Hanson, TBA, Dan Vickerman, Scott Higginbotham, Beau Robinson, Will Genia, Kurtley Beale. Latest: In a major loss for the Wallabies, Benn Robinson is out for the season with a knee injury. The 40-man Wallaby squad for next week’s Test match against Samoa and the following Tri-Nations tournament has just been announced in Brisbane. The makeup of the squad is:…

The Canterbury Crusaders, of no fixed abode, showed last weekend what they’re really made of and you’d have to say it’s not too much different from previous years. They’re perennial Super Rugby finalists and in recent weeks have been performing a bit like my new Triumph Bonneville — firing on all cyclinders! Their win against the Stormers was one of the best matches I’ve seen this Super season. Not because of too many flashy plays, but it reminded me of the Wallabies’ win over the All Blacks in the 2003 RWC semi-final. What they did then was squeeze the life out of the ABs, and that’s what…

If I hear one more commentator mention that the latest signed marquee, development or Super Rugby player from New Zild is ‘Wallaby-eligible’ I think I’ll go spare. Does it actually mean something? A supposed grandparent or three years’ residency will turn you into a Wallaby? To me, it’s the cultural cringe all over again, except in a footy sense. The rugby cringe. A tug of the forelock to New Zealand rugby. Now, I know they have more depth than us and are generally a bit more successful but for some reason or other we’ve been conned by our journos. It…

The mighty ‘Waratah Warhorse’, Phil Waugh, has announced his retirement from all rugby at the end of 2011. At a press conference today, he said that he was retiring to go into a business career but would still be available for selection in the Wallabies Rugby World Cup squad. The news of his pending retirement comes on the back of Al Baxter’s similar announcement. This Friday’s Eden Park match-up with the Blues could be Waugh and Baxter’s final appearance in the sky-blue jumper. As with the Fuse, it’s probably long odds that Waugh is in Robbie Deans’s sights for a Wallabies recall, although you know he wouldn’t let anyone…

The skill level proffered by the Force and Rebels in their final Super Rugby round was more or less the equivalent to where they finished on the table — 12th and last. Some of us were expecting a bit more, from the Force in particular, given their efforts over the past few weeks but unfortunately they delivered a Dire Straits version of Industrial Disease — i.e. ‘dropsy’. Not to worry; at least they both played with passion and obviously wanted to finish the season with a bang, not a whimper. This was especially the case for guys like Yoda Somerville…

The news media have gone ape today with this James O’Connor business. Apparently he’s off to the Rebels, according to them — signed, sealed and delivered. Well, that’s not quite the case. He hasn’t actually signed with anyone and isn’t able to until his ARU contract is finalised. You’d reckon that the Rebels would be the hot favourite though, wouldn’t you? Or are there more twists and turns to this story yet to come? I’m glad that in the recent post about this subject on GAGR I said “looks ready to re-sign with the Force” and “pending its official confirmation”.…

The Reds needed to win last night to regain their final’s momentum, and win they did 24-21. However, it was only in the 78th minute that this hard-fought victory was achieved after a QC-engineered try to Dom Shipperley. The Reds would be disappointed with this effort. For the second time in two weeks they’ve struggled against a side near the bottom of the table. However, like their last minute win against the Crusaders recently they had the wherewithal and patience to build for the crucial and match-winning final play. The problem with the Reds lately is that they’ve been relying…