Author: Nic Darveniza

The Reds are not Super Rugby champions nor favourites for the Australian Super Rugby conference, but if they can muster the same spirit they did on Friday night’s 28-26 win over the visiting Sharks, they deserve to be in the conversation – at least for the latter. Two tries to Samu Kerevi and a mental toughness not seen for years were just enough to edge the Sharks, buoyed by a near-perfect night from the tee from Springbok Pat Lambie and some help from the referee. Two yellow cards, one served to Kane Douglas in the 56th and the other to Karmichael Hunt…

Any mug could point out that Israel Folau, Beauden Barrett and Dane Coles will be three of Super Rugby’s leading performers by the end of season 2017. The problem is that producers of Fantasy Rugby games know it too – and they make you pay to acquire talent like that. The real trick to beating your mates week-in, week-out, is to maximise value on the little guys. That’s where we come in. Psst – join the Green & Gold Rugby pool of the FoxSports Fantasy Super Rugby comp  -> HERE! <- Props https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ6-4ZVPRhY Blue Chippers – Toby Smith, Rebels ($247k); Reggie Goodes,…

The talent produced by Queensland’s great rugby nurseries has long overflowed into rival teams interstate and overseas, but never before has so much of it been recalled home at once. This week Brisbane rolls out the red carpet for a host of domestic and international rugby teams for the inaugural Brisbane Global Rugby 10s tournament – but for a certain group, the welcome mat extends just that little bit further. 65 South-East Queenslanders will make their return to the Sunshine State this weekend to play in front of friends, families and fans. Great to have family + friends to last nights game #REDvCHE A…

HONG KONG – Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, captain Stephen Moore, and star rookie Dane Haylett-Petty believe Australian Rugby still needs the Western Force. Rumours that the struggling franchise’s position in Super Rugby is on the chopping block at the next TV rights negotiation have long been circulating in the press. Quoting poor financial performance, which required an ARU takeover in 2016, and poorer on-field performance, the Force are favourites for the axe if one should fall on a fifth Australian Super Rugby team. According to the three who spoke to media after the Wallabies 37-21 loss to England, that wouldn’t sit…

LONDON – Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was upbeat in post-match media commitments on Saturday night, praising England and rival coach Eddie Jones as well as his own side for enduring a year full of growing pains. Claiming this 37-21 loss, Australia’s second-largest margin of defeat against England of all time, was no more bitter a pill to swallow than any other loss this year, Cheika was instead reflective on the year that was. “This year has been about teaching ourselves a few things, what it takes to try and win matches,” he said. “We’ve played the top two teams seven…

LONDON – The Wallabies have flopped to their second-largest defeat to England of all time in a  second half capitulation at Twickenham, 37-21 Ahead 10-13 at the halftime break, second half tries to Man of the Match scrumhalf Ben Youngs, Marland Yarde and Jonathan Joseph proved the torpedos that sunk Wallaby dreams of avenging a 3-0 series loss in June. An electric opening performance from a clinical Wallabies side was quickly forgotten as the side limped to a resounding defeat in front of 81,787. The surgical kicking game of Youngs and extreme pace of the English outside backs transformed Twickenham into the site…

LONDON – The Wallabies have made four changes to their starting XV ahead of the weekend’s final test against England. Halfback Nick Phipps and winger Sefanaia Naivalu have been drafted into the backline while lock Kane Douglas and utility back row Lopeti Timani bolster the forwards in what will be a key battleground at Twickenham. The much-maligned Dean Mumm has been dropped from the starting team despite escaping suspension for a dumping clean-out last week. His replacement, a powerful specimen cut from the same cloth as Waratah Wycliff Palu, was himself unceremoniously dumped from the matchday 23 despite impressing against…

LONDON – Wallabies coach Michael Cheika did not front the media on Tuesday morning UK time after fanning the flames in a provocative press conference, Monday. Bernard Foley took the lead instead, demonstrating why his ‘Iceman’ nickname has proven so hard to shake, while GAGR favourite Rob Simmons shed some light on Cheika behind the closed doors. A cool, calm and collected Foley addressed the monkey on the Wallabies’ backs following the 3-nil whitewash at home. “Test footy is a matter of margins,” Foley said, discussing the biggest lessons he learned in June. “In a lot of those games we weren’t that…

LONDON – Verbal barbs have continued to fly back and forth between Wallaby and English camps as the countdown to a heated Ashes showdown on Sunday morning AEDT continues. Referees, scrums, European Rugby and the conduct of England coach Eddie Jones were all in the firing line for Michael Cheika as the two former team-mates jostled to influence the pre-match narrative in the media. Getting formalities like the status of halfback Will Genia and flanker Dean Mumm out of the way early, it didn’t take long for Cheika begin in earnest. Embed from Getty Images Eddie Jones “In June I gave the…

LONDON – Wallabies halfback Will Genia has been summoned back to the realm of French Club Rugby once again, leaving Australia without their halfback ace for the final test of 2016. On Monday morning UK time coach Michael Cheika informed the media that a formal request had been made to Genia’s Stade Francais side to release the halfback back for the England test. “Right now, from the conversations we’ve had with Paris, they’re not releasing him,” Cheika said. “The French place more importance on their game for Will than our International but that’s the way the rules are and we’ll…

DUBLIN – The Wallabies’ dreams of a Home Nations Grand Slam have been crushed in a heartbreaking defeat to Ireland, 27-24. A number of key injuries to Ireland made the Wallabies strong favourites heading in to the Lansdowne Road clash, but nobody told the Irish on Captain Rory Best’s 100th test match in Irish Green. Lion-hearted in defence but held toothless in attack in the first half, the Wallabies took 39 minutes to trouble the scorer on a typically hostile night in Dublin Though the Wallabies fought back to hold a narrow lead in the 60th minute, Ireland landed the…

The Wallabies have survived a French comeback attempt to continue an undefeated Spring Tour campaign, 23-25, in Paris. Despite threatening to run away with the match in the second half, the Wallabies allowed the French back into the match on several occasions and if not for a missed drop goal would have returned to the UK with yet another blot on the 2016 season. With several players auditioning for more regular places in the Wallabies starting XV, David Pocock impressed with the captaincy and with the #7 jersey on his back, while debutant winger Sefanaia Naivalu demonstrated why his arrival…

The Queensland GPS Team of the Season selections have finally drawn to a conclusion. 1237 fans, 56 First XV players, three GAGR Rugby Writers and 8/9 GPS Rugby Coaches have voted – and here is the official Team of the Season. 2016 Premiers Brisbane State High School were rewarded for a successful year with five players selected, including three in the starting team. Co-runners up Gregory Terrace had four selected, as did Nudgee College. Ipswich Grammar School, Toowoomba Grammar School and Brisbane Boys’ College each contributed two players to the team of the season, while The Southport School and Brisbane Grammar School contributed…

As 2016’s Queensland GPS First XV Rugby season draws to a close, we fondly remember the season that was. Brisbane State High School were triumphant in 2016, tasting Premiership success for the first time since 2010 with a win over The Southport School in Round Nine. Similarly, Gregory Terrace threw off the shackles of a major hoodoo with a first victory over heated rivals Nudgee College since their 2004 Premiership, securing second place in 2016. Ipswich Grammar School avenged 2015’s Round Nine loss to Brisbane Boys’ College with a win, while Toowoomba Grammar School ended a tumultuous season on a…

2016’s Queensland GPS First XV Rugby season will all boil down to this. Four teams have a fighting chance to win the Premiership with a Round Nine win. Brisbane State High School (#1st) vs The Southport School (#2) For State High, their name has already been sent to the engravers. With 12-points, their lead on the competition is unassailable, though matchable. Though their Premiership is assured, State High must win their Round Nine clash if they hope to go undefeated for the first time since the 2009 Dream Team. The Southport School stand in their way, requiring a win themselves to…

Green and Gold Rugby is pleased to present another round of coverage for Queensland GPS First XV Rugby. Across the grounds, Brisbane State High have hit an unassailable lead in the Premiership race following a terse one-point win over Nudgee College in Green and Gold Rugby’s Match of the Round. While they cannot be overtaken, State High will need to beat The Southport School at Fursden Road if they hope to stave off a dreaded shared premiership. That may prove not so easy a task as they might have hoped – Southport are fresh off a 52-14 spanking of defending champions…

With Round Seven officially in the books, South East Queensland’s Rugby community mulls over the multitude of scenarios that would result in their team sneaking home with a hand on the trophy. Nudgee College and Brisbane State High School are in the most commanding positions following wins over The Southport School (22-17) and Brisbane Grammar School (33-21) respectively in Round Six. Nic Darveniza reports on Nudgee’s win in Green and Gold Rugby’s Match of the Round. Gregory Terrace’s 24-28 banana-peel slip up against Toowoomba Grammar School may have just cost them their shot at the Premiership. New contributor, WBR, files his report from…

Another round of GPS Rugby has rolled by, and with it, another Premiership contender has fallen. Brisbane Boys’ College were confronted with a must-win away trip to Brisbane State High School, but fell short by a single point in Green and Gold Rugby’s Game of the Round. ChekMate casts an analytical eye over proceedings below. Holly Hope Photography provides the excellent photography. In another must-win game, Toowoomba threw everything they had to usurp Ipswich Grammar’s position in the mid-table. Likewise, a last minute field goal attempt and then a missed penalty denied Toowoomba their chance. Nic Darveniza was in attendance and photographer Billy Harsant made his debut behind…

And just like that, all bets are off for the title of 2016 GPS Rugby Champions. Green and Gold Rugby are pleased to bring you three of the weekend’s four Queensland GPS First XV matches – and boy, were they incredible. BBC hosted the undefeated Nudgee College and sent the butcher stripes packing with their first loss of the season. ChekMate revels in BBC’s glory below. Meanwhile, Ipswich Grammar School dished out an ambush of their own against the heavily favoured Brisbane State High School. Nic Darveniza covers that match below. To round out our coverage, Unpaid Intern reviews the annual TSS-BGS smackdown.…

Green and Gold Rugby is pleased to present three of the four heavyweight match-ups from Round Three of the Queensland GPS 1st XV Rugby season. With Nudgee College out of action courtesy of the bye, every team in the competition had at worst a 50/50 chance of defeating their opponents on a brilliantly sunny July weekend. Two of the competition’s four undefeated teams clashed on the Gold Coast as The Southport School hosted Brisbane Boys’ College in an Old Boys Day thriller, winning G&GR’s Game of the Round 20-17. ChekMate provides his excellent sophomore match report below. Gregory Terrace announced their candidacy for the Premiership…