Author: Reg Roberts

Forgive me for getting all maudlin on you, it is my birthday after all.

Where were we in 94: Even though the IRB rankings didn’t really come into effect until somewhere around 2003, if you apply the same formula historically, as Pick and Go does so well, you will find something rather surprising.  Australia was ranked the #1 team in the world in June of 1994.   I guess I shouldn’t find this too shocking. After all we were the reigning World Champions and followed that up quickly with Bledisloe Cup win in 92 and a series win over the Boks in 93. I am sure we were helped as well by the Froggies doing…

Where were we in 90: With the World Cup not long away a number of debutants were brought in, and there were some future big names amongst them. Teenagers Tim Horan and Jason Little being the biggest, as they made their debuts at the end of 1989. Phil Kearns, Tony Daly, Rod McCall and Ewen McKenzie were all rookies too come the start of 1990.

Twelve months out from the inaugural Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand and Australia during the winter of 1987 and things were pretty bloody good for the Wallabies. After a somewhat demoralising period in the 70s, the Wallabies were finally considered  a rugby force in the 80s. Our achievement of winning the Bledisloe Cup in 1986, the first time doing so in New Zealand, was as significant as our Grand Slam win two years prior. The fact we had unearthed some young stars to replace some of the older ones who had moved on since 84 was…

Coach Robbie Deans has stayed loyal to his team in naming his squad to take on the Irish in Brisbane this Saturday night.  Injuries to local boys Will Genia and Digby Ioane have forced two new players to come into the side, but the rest of the starting team is the same that went down to the Poms last week in Sydney.  Luke Burgess gets another chance to show his stellar form of two weeks ago wasn’t a one-off, whilst Adam Ashley-Cooper returns to the wing for Diggers.

Yeah ok, so I was dealt the short straw this week and I had to do the player ratings. I watched the game at home with a few mates and in the end it was bloody hard to assign points. Players did some things well, and work rates were ok. But for me there was a distinct lack of intensity. We didn’t play like it was a test match. Like we expected the Poms come in and take it to us. Me? I’m blaming the pack. Perhaps we spent too much time on the scrum (which improved, well done Pato!)…

They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.  If that’s the case then Robbie should be looking over his shoulder for the men in white coats.  In the end, the Aussie selectors have been left with little choice but to stick with the same front row as last week for Saturday’s 2nd test against England. Ben Daley and Saia Faingaa, from the Reds, will once again team up with Salesi Ma’afu, from the Brumbies, as they attempt the impossible – preventing the Wallaby scrum form being steam…

The English Rugby team heads to Gosford in search of their first win of their Australian tour as they prepare to take on the Australian Barbarians again. Both teams have made a number of changes from the sides that took the field in Perth last week. For the Poms winger David Strettle and out centre Dominic Waldouck are the new faces in the backline whilst, the pack has been almost completely re-shaped. Jon Golding and Paul Doran-Jones are two more props we get to observe destroy our inexperienced front row, whilst Dan Ward-Smith joins the stomper Dave Attwood at lock. …

Robbie Deans has sprung a selection surprise in calling up rookie Reds props Ben Daley and James Slipper into the test team for this weekend’s test against England. Whilst Daley played the full season for the Reds this year, Slipper only made his starting debut (and 2nd match) in the last game of the year against the Highlanders. Daley comes in for the injured Ben Alexander whilst Saia Faingaa and Huia Edmonds swap roles as hookers. James O’Connor’s brilliant display against the English mid-week has seen him elevated to the starting side as well. Drew Mitchell replaces the injured Adam…

The Australian selectors have named the Australian Barbarians team (basically Aussie A) to take on the English touring side this Tuesday over in Perth. The side features a smattering of Wallabies who played in the first test v Fiji, as well as other former test players and many international rookies. The team is highlighted by a strong local flavour with five Force players in the starting team. The game will be live streamed on foxsports.com.au

With the test season now upon us, the timing is perfect for us to come up with our Green and Gold Rugby Australian Super 14 Player of the Year Award. Now that’s a difficult task. Four teams each with about 30 odd players used. So that’s about 120 players you need to consider!! But no. We here at G&GR want to make it easy on you….or do we??? If you’ve been following the site over the last week or so you will know that we’ve named our S14 Player of the Year from each of the Australian sides.

Robbie Deans has named his first test team of the season as the Wallabies prepare to take on the Flying Fijians in Canberra on Saturday night. Rocky Elsom will continue to skipper the side in what will be his 50th test cap whilst the test team will feature three test rookies in the starting side with a potential further two in the reserves. If the rookies on the bench get a run, then it will be the most test debutants in a single Wallaby test since the Wallabies played New Zealand in Christchurch in 1982.

At the end of each game throughout the 2010 Super 14 season over at the forum, readers have submitted their 3-2-1’s for each Australian team. All of these votes will accumulated and an overall 3-2-1 assigned for each match to the three leading point getters for each Aussie team. This is a throw back to the old fashioned best and fairest type voting that various media organisations, and indeed players, would do at the end of the match. We think so much of the posters on this site that last year we introduced the G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year…

At the end of each game throughout the 2010 Super 14 season over at the forum, readers have submitted their 3-2-1’s for each Australian team. All of these votes will accumulated and an overall 3-2-1 assigned for each match to the three leading point getters for each Aussie team. This is a throw back to the old fashioned best and fairest type voting that various media organisations, and indeed players, would do at the end of the match. We think so much of the posters on this site that last year we introduced the G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year…

About 12 months ago the esteemed Juan Cote put together a few stats from the 2009 Super 14.  Great idea I reckon. So I stole it.  Now the first Wallaby squad of has been named as of yesterday. As with any team announcement there are always surprise selections and omissions. So this now gives us a chance to review some of the key stats of the season and make some of our own observations. As they say ‘98% of stats are made up’. As they (no, the other ones) also say ‘statistics are like bikinis – what they reveal is…

Coach Robbie Deans has named his first Wallaby squad of the season with a number of new faces featured.  Deans today announced a squad of 30 players to take on Fiji, England and Ireland in upcoming tests across the country. A further 10 players have been named as part of an Australian Barbarians (the fancy dan name for Aussie A) team that will play two mid week games against the touring English side. Deans had to contend with a number of injuries to key players including lock James Horwill, loose head prop Benn Robinson, hooker Stephen Moore and former captain…

At the end of each game throughout the 2010 Super 14 season over at the forum, readers have submitted their 3-2-1’s for each Australian team. All of these votes will accumulated and an overall 3-2-1 assigned for each match to the three leading point getters for each Aussie team. This is a throw back to the old fashioned best and fairest type voting that various media organisations, and indeed players, would do at the end of the match. We think so much of the posters on this site that last year we introduced the G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year…

At the end of each game throughout the 2010 Super 14 season over at the forum, readers have submitted their 3-2-1’s for each Australian team. All of these votes will accumulated and an overall 3-2-1 assigned for each match to the three leading point getters for each Aussie team. This is a throw back to the old fashioned best and fairest type voting that various media organisations, and indeed players, would do at the end of the match. We think so much of the posters on this site that last year we introduced the G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year…

Being selectors of elite teams is no easy task.  No, I take that back. Andrew Slack wrote an article for The Courier Mail the other day saying it was piss easy. All he had to do was keep picking blokes like Eales, Horan, Kefu, Gregan and Larkham. It’s nice for some. But in reality, discounting those freaks of nature, picking a team is hard work. There’s an old saying that a team of champions will never beat a champion team. Except, that is, when it comes to the team of champions that make up Green & Gold Rugby.  So highly…

Yesterday we had the highs, today we look at the lows. Ten of my most meaniful failings for the season 2010 from an Aussie rugby perspective. As for the Best Ten list, our first point of call should be fairly obvious: 1)      Real Madrid Disappointments. When I wrote the preview for the Brumbies season I drank the Kool-Aid. I couldn’t see them not making the finals and I thought the championship was theirs to lose. Well, the lost it. Sure there were glimmers of good. Pat McCabe had a great rookie year. Ben Alexander finished near the top of the…