Author: Nathan Williamson

The Fijian Drua have overcome an 11 point difference at halftime to defeat the Canberra Vikings 35-28 to advance to their first final in the NRC. In a reverse of their first encounter, it was the Vikings that came out of the blocks the stronger team in hot and wet conditions, dominating possession and territory to race out to an 18-7 halftime lead. But it would be the home side who would finish the better side on the back of strong performances from Alivereti Veitokani and their bench, to confirm their place in the NRC grand final. The Match In…

Wednesday’s Rugby News explores the return of key Wallabies and a beloved jersey, the Rebels and Reds tie down key players for Super Rugby season, Fiji’s Super Rugby bid stalls and the English injury list grows. [one_half last=”no”] Cheika’s squad boosted for Contiki tour With Michael Cheika set to name his squad for the Wallabies tour through Japan and Europe, he’s set to retain a similar squad to the Rugby Championship along with the timely inclusion of injured stars. Cheika is set to unveil the squad of around 30 on Thursday, with the players due to fly to Japan on…

Wednesday’s Rugby News explores Foley finding the key to unlock our attack, Hooper continuing to be a pain in the neck, the prop doctor goes under the knife and the Australian Schools team announced [one_half last=”no”] Foley finds the key for Aussie attack After their remarkable comeback against Argentina on the weekend, Bernard Foley believes that the Wallabies have figured out the key to unlocking their attacking potential. Foley believes that the key to the impressive second half performance was the side fixing their defence which gave the backline enough space to execute plays that were falling apart in the…

Monday’s Rugby News saw the Wallabies come back from the dead, the All Blacks pull their own comeback off, an exciting round of the NRC and a wrap up of rugby across the country [one_half last=”no”] Wallabies rise from the dead The Wallabies must’ve watched the Rumble in the Jungle on the flight over to Argentina as they did their best impression of Muhammad Ali throughout this match. The side employed the rugby equivalent of rope-a-dope to wear the Pumas down to win 45-34. At least that’s the only reasoning I can come to after watching this crazy match in…

As the Wallabies prepare for Argentina, Wednesday’s Rugby News sees rugby greats call for change, the “Izzy Law” is introduced, the Wallabies brush off any altitude worry and Fiji look to the Drua and the NRC as the catalyst for their World Cup campaign [one_half last=”no”] Papworth, Jones lead Clarion Call on the Castle Tony Kirwan once said, “We only have two choices – do something or do nothing.” With Australian rugby on the decline, it seems that a consortium of disgruntled Australian rugby greats is planning on choosing the first option. Former Wallaby Brett Papworth has been appointed as…

Monday’s Rugby News sees the Wallabies wobble, All Blacks cruise to victory and the championship, a wrap up of round 5 of the NRC and Forest’s project gets the green light. [one_half last=”no”] Different week, same disappointing result Another week another loss for the Wallabies who went down 23-12 to the Springboks in the early hours of Sunday morning. The match started out with a Kurtley Beale pass off his own goal line lead to an Aphiwe Dyantyi intercept try with 7-0 and the Springboks dominated the contest from there. The Wallabies showed some fight in the first half, with…

Wednesday’s Rugby News looks at Cheika’s attempt to buck recent trends, Hanigan looking towards the Springbok clash, the introduction of regular competition for the Wallaroos and calls for greater incentives out of the NRC. [one_half last=”no”] Cheika looks to Buck trend and bounce back As the crowds and forums continue to call for his head, Michael Cheika will stand his ground, won’t be turned around and won’t back down. After slipping to 7th in the world after the embarrassment that was last Saturday’s loss to Argentina, there had been reports that Rugby Australia are considering the appointment of an independent…

The Canberra Vikings have scored an 82nd minute try to come back from the dead to defeat NSW Country 24-17. In their 3rd game in 8 days, NSW Country was the stronger side for the first half off a dominant showing from Will Miller and their forward pack, leading 14-0 at halftime. However, the Vikings showed their class and fought back to level the scores at the 79th minute and Jordan Jackson-Hope scored with the last play of the game to keep the Vikings in touch with the top of the ladder. Despite the victory, there are concerns for no.8…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees some mid-week rugby, a Wallaby under an injury cloud, the RUPA ask for a ‘please explain’ over the Tui incident and Sonny Bill is set to fight again. [one_half last=”no”] NSW derby boosted by returning Wallabies Rugby fans have been treated with a rare mid-week fixture tonight with the Sydney Rays hosting NSW Country in an all NSW derby in the National Rugby Championship. The mid-week clash serves as a catch-up match for both sides as the late finish time of Sydney grade competition ensured that they both started a week later than fellow teams. Both…

Brisbane City has recorded their first win, outclassing Sydney Rays 61-40 on a hot and windy day at Woollahra Oval. Doubles for Lachlan Maranta, Sam Wallis and Matt Gordon secured the result for the team from Brisbane, who dominated the clash off the back of a strong showing from their forwards and slick backline moves. Their star-studded lineup was too much for a valiant Sydney Rays side, who showed their class and fight with a spirited second-half effort, despite losing captain Damien Fitzpatrick and number eight Patrick Sio to injury in the first half. The Match Brisbane City got off…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Larkham fire the first shots against Argentina and old mate Ledesma, Castle fire back at clubland critics, the World Cup set for expansion and Samu looking forward to his future in Gold [one_half last=”no”] Bernie’s got banter as Wallabies regain troops Ahead of the Wallabies vs Argentina clash on Saturday, assistant coach Stephen Larkham has fired off the first shots against former colleague and Argentinian head coach Mario Ledesma. The clash is the first time that Ledesma will come up against his old employed, having served as the scrum coach for nearly three years, and Larkham…

After their first-round loss against Queensland Country, the Canberra Vikings have bounced back with a 54-17 win against the Sydney Rays. In cold and wet conditions, the Vikings took control of the game in the first 20 minutes of the game off the back of a dominant display of scrummaging and mauling, with hooker Connal McInerney and Lausii Taliauli bagging a double. The Match The Vikings got off to a lightning start, winning a penalty in the 1st minute after great work at the ruck by Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin. The Vikings forwards made their mark on the match early, rumbling over…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Will Genia demand more effort from the Wallabies, the Springboks fire the first verbal shot, a pair of Wallaby Lock’s commit to their future and the NRC squads for NSW Country and Sydney Rays have been named. [one_half last=”no”] Good Will Hunting for greater effort Will Genia has blamed a lack of effort on the Wallabies lacklustre start to The Rugby Championship, believing that the Wallabies simply did not try hard enough. After losing the Bledisloe Cup series for the 16th consecutive year, Genia believes that blames for the side’s poor performances should rest on the…

Tuesday’s Rugby News sees Folau fight fitness and future, Tupou ready to step up and start, Slipper courted by the Brumbies and Crotty set to return from a concussion [one_half last=”no”] Folau 50/50 over fitness, future As we get set to recommence the Rugby Championship, Israel Folau has rated himself a 50-50 chance to line up against South Africa at Suncorp this Saturday. Folau has been plagued by an ankle injury that kept him out of the side’s second Bledisloe match a fortnight ago and he was optimistic about his progress. “It’s coming along well,” Folau said. “I’ve been doing…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Cheika receive full support from the board, a World Cup-winning captain backs the Wallabies for the 2019 World Cup, the launch of the National Rugby Championship and the Force question their future. [one_half last=”no”] Cheika maintains keys to the Castle Michael Cheika has received the full backing of the board and CEO despite less than stellar performances across the two Bledisloe test matches. CEO Raelene Castle has confirmed that Cheika will see out the rest of his contract with Rugby Australia, which is set to expire after the 2019 World Cup. “He’s contracted through to World…

Tuesday’s Rugby News establishes Pocock as the lead No 7, Cheika prepares for the World Cup, the retirement of a former Wallaby prop and the Springboks look to a win at all costs against the Wallabies. [one_half last=”no”] Pocock shakes off Hooper as the chosen (00)7 The Australian Super Rugby player’s choice team of the year has seen David Pocock overshadow his Wallaby captain, Michael Hooper as the country’s elite openside flanker. The team was organised in conjunction with the players association and had players vote for the stand out players from the Australian Super Rugby teams regardless of their…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Chieka receive support from his troops, Growden bump heads with an ex-Wallaby, the Springbok’s quest for a crisper performance and an NRL star’s ambition to play for New Zealand. [one_half last=”no”] Players stand by their man After receiving calls for his job and his head, Michael Cheika has receieved support from his players, who still believe that he is the right man for the job. This message was conveyed by Tatafu Polota-Nau who unreservedly stated that Cheika has the backing of the group and should stay despite the heavy backlash that he has received from all…

Tuesday’s Rugby News sees the Wallabies sail to Waiheke, Coleman looks to rectify broken lineout, timely return for the Wallaroos and the Force naming their NRC squad. [one_half last=”no”] Wounded Wallabies set sail for Waiheke After a less than satisfactory performance in the first Bledisloe test against New Zealand, Michael Cheika is banking on a sea change in order to change the Wallabies fortunes before their second test at fotress Eden Park. The coach has booked the side into Waikehe Island Resort, a 40 minutes ferry ride outside of Auckland, in an attempt to revitalise his wounded players and try…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees the Wallabies side become clearer, the All Blacks celebrate their centurion (sort of), the Springboks welcome a huge return and the impending loss of a sevens star to the AFLW. [one_half last=”no”] Hodge, Pocock look to hunt for Bledisloe blood Reece Hodge is set to be named as outside centre after Israel Folau emphatically ruled out any shock move to the position. It had been widely speculated that the Rebels centre would step up into the role after the omission of Curtis Rona, however there had been lingering talks about shifting Folau to the position, a point…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees the Brumbies and Wallabies poach a Chiefs flyer, South Africa and Argentina name their squads, the Steelers keep rolling on and World Rugby continues to grow [one_half last=”no”] Brumby signing enters Wallabies Pulu The Brumbies have signed exciting Chiefs flyer Toni Pulu on a two-year deal for the 2019 season. This news has been followed by the revelation that Pulu is immediately available for selection in the Wallabies after a dispensation by World Rugby. The former Chiefs flyer holds an Australian passport and has previously played sevens for Niue — his ancestral home. But a Rugby…