Roscoe Tims June 8, 2011
Rugby
‘Schoolboy’ Force Turn Highlanders Green With Pain
The House of Pain on Friday was not kind to the Highlanders. A win would have given them a boost to their finals run and had them edging the Top 6, on equal points with the Bulls. It was the last ever Super Rugby game to be played at the famous Carisbrook...
Roscoe Tims June 5, 2011
Rugby
Force Fade Summarises Lost Season
The Western Force have been in a holding pattern this year after their near-wooden spoon experience of 2010. They’re in 12th position, five points above the bottom-placed Lions. It’s unlikely their remaining three matches will make too much of a difference to the final standings. And it could have been different. I...
Roscoe Tims June 2, 2011
Politics and Sport Just Don’t Mix Poey
David Pocock is rightly considered a potential candidate for the future captaincy of the Wallabies. Whether that happens sooner or later is in the lap of the Gods. There’s no doubting he’s a fine young bloke with leadership qualities and a sense of social justice. That’s obvious by the wonderful charity work...
Roscoe Tims May 31, 2011
Rugby
Force v. Hurricanes: A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
Now, I don’t want to be too negative (who, me?) but there is a bit of bad news with this Force v. Canes match-up. Yes, this Round 15 game is being played over in New Zealand on Friday night – Palmerston North to be precise. Have you ever been there? Palmy, as it’s...
Roscoe Tims May 25, 2011
ACT Brumbies
Rea Spray Sparks A Faint Heartbeat
Sitting in the stands at nib Stadium, Jake White would at least have been pleased that the Brumbies were showing some vital signs of life. ‘Stinger’ Rea’s effort at defibrillation last week has delivered, to some degree, the desired result. A faint pulse showed up in their 13-13 draw with the Western Force....
Roscoe Tims May 22, 2011
Roscoe Tims May 18, 2011
England
How do you solve a problem like Danny?
In the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, the Austrian Nonnberg Abbey nuns mused about how to pull effervescent young novice Maria into line. How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria they sang, eventually packing her off to the Von Trapps to see whether life outside the Abbey would...
Roscoe Tims May 10, 2011
NSW Waratahs
Waratahs v. Force: Que Será Será
Que será será – whatever will be, will be. I think that encapsulates what’s going to happen at the SFS on Saturday night, don’t you? It could be that sort of strange circumstance. Here we were four weeks ago and the Waratahs hammered the Force in Perth by 31 to 3. The...
Roscoe Tims May 5, 2011
Super Rugby
Western Force v. Canterbury Crusaders: The Big Mo’
In a US Presidential election it’s called the big mo’ and it’s about who has the momentum at various points in the campaign, and importantly, at the business end. Saturday night’s entertaining Western Force versus Canterbury Crusaders encounter was very much like that. The Crusaders came out of the blocks like Usain...
Roscoe Tims May 2, 2011
Rugby
Poey v. Richie & JO’C v. SBW = Oh, What a Lovely War!
David Pocock and Richie McCaw both return to action this weekend in a mouthwatering loose forward encounter. We’ve got Force Test players Poey, Richard Brown, Ben McCalman and bench man Matt Hodgson locking horns with No. 8 McCaw, George Whitelock (one Test) and Matt Todd, who is surely a Test player in...
Roscoe Tims April 29, 2011
ACT Brumbies
Bloem’s Brüssow back for bruised Brumbies bash
The Brumbies are the only Super Rugby team I’ve known who have had three coaches in one season, to wit Andy Friend, Tony Rea and now Jake White. It must be getting a bit crowded with Jake now in the business of hiring and firing while ‘Stinger’ is still ostensibly doing the...
Roscoe Tims April 27, 2011
Super Rugby
The Force bliksem tired Blou Bulle
The Bulls have had a disappointing Antipodean tour and will be pleased to voetsek back to South Africa after an upset 21–26 loss to the Western Force. They’ve never won their last tour match in Super Rugby and the record remains intact, much to the delight of Force fans. There could be...
Roscoe Tims April 24, 2011
Rugby
Bulls stake all on Rabbit Morné
I have a feeling that the Bulls might adjust their tactics this week against the Western Force. Well, if you were the coach, wouldn’t you? Their traditional strategy hasn’t really worked on this tour apart from that first-up win against a weak Hurricanes side. Putting up the box kick or bomb and...
Roscoe Tims April 22, 2011
Roscoe Tims April 18, 2011
Melbourne Rebels
James O’Connor to sign for the Melbourne Rebels?
UPDATE: The word is spreading like wildfire. In what could the second bombshell of the week, James O’Connor may be heading to the Melbourne Rebels to join fellow Wallaby Kurtley Beale. Although none of this is confirmed, media reports are suggesting he could be signed by Monday. If this is the case, the big...
Roscoe Tims April 15, 2011
Rugby
Join Gareth Delve for a Live G&GR Podcast: Tonight 8.00pm
Welsh international and Rebels vice-captain Gareth Delve will be joining us on Tuesday night at 8:00pm (AEST) as a Special Guest for a LIVE recording of the G&GR weekly podcast. Log on at our live page and participate in the wang-on. Ask Gareth some questions on the blog or Twitter? I can’t wait to find...
Roscoe Tims April 11, 2011
NSW Waratahs
Force Deflowered by Dominant Waratahs
Deflower: (tr. verb) to destroy the innocence, integrity, or beauty of; ravage; violate; despoil or force – amongst other things. Yep, the Waratahs did all of that at Fort Nib last night to a hapless Western Force. In the process, the Tahs consigned the Force to the dustbin of 2011 Super Rugby...
Roscoe Tims April 10, 2011
NSW Waratahs
Waratahs v. Force Preview: Free Willie
The moment has arrived when the Force’s marquee signing, Willie Ripia, is finally free from injury and making his long-awaited debut. Ripia is an exciting player with a bit of that ‘X-factor.’ He can manage a game, take the ball to the line and has a cultured boot, although there have been question marks about his consistency....
Roscoe Tims April 7, 2011
All Blacks
My money’s on the All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup
It’s that old head versus heart thing. What do you think our chances are of beating the All Blacks in the RWC Final? As an Australian I’d like to think we’re in with a chance of actually getting into the Final and competing against Sir Richie and the ABs (forget this choking...
Roscoe Tims April 6, 2011
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