Author: Reg Roberts

The conference leading Jaguares arrived in Brisbane on a high following an impressive win over the Tahs in Sydney last weekend.  The underpowered Reds team fought hard against the Chiefs however the loss effectively put an and to their season’s unlikely finals hopes. However there would still be plenty to play for given the love the team has for their Indigenous round activity and, in particular, their jersey.  Then there was the fact their much loved Number 8, Scott Higginbotham, would be playing his 100th game for his state. Whether it would be enough to get them over the line…

After dropping season defining games against the Rebels and the Waratahs in the last two weeks, games that could have propelled them into the finals, the Reds now face a much tougher opponent. The Chiefs in Hamilton.  With this being the match that had been identified for some time as Samu Kerevi’s rostered game off, a victory was always going to be unlikely.  Throw in an injury to Chris Feauai-Sautia on the back of Jordan Petaia, Jack Hardy, Filipo Daugunu and Hamish Stewart, on top of the unavailability of Isaac Lucas, then things are looking rough this Friday night. TEAM…

The announcement of the Queensland Schoolboys teams (1 & 2) this week raised some eye-brows and questions.  Other than five players from St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, there were no GPS Schools representatives at all. Let’s put that in perspective. The GPS Rugby Competition is considered the leading schoolboy rugby program in Queensland, arguably Australia, and has produced Wallabies (and other internationals) for decades. Even now, across Super Rugby, you’ll find a glut of talent that has come through the system.  The Rebels have the likes of Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Matt Toomua, Campbell Magnay, Semisi Tupou and Trevor Leota.…

The Australian U20s have defeated New Zealand U20s 24-0 in a dominant performance to finish the 2019 Oceania Rugby Championships undefeated.  The win is a huge boost for the confidence of the team as they prepare for the Junior World Cup to be held in Argentina in June. Let me start by saying two things.  I acknowledge this is ‘just’ Under 20s rugby and we can’t get too carried away with the result.  Secondly, it’s worth noting that I (nor anyone from GAGR as far as I can tell) had plans to do a post-match review for this game.  I…

These are unusual times in Queensland as Reds fans, somewhat discretely, are starting to feel a little positive about where their team is at.  Yeah, ok, so they are still sitting second bottom on the conference ladder but they are just six points away from the Rebels on top. With some tough games coming up for the other Aussie sides this weekend, who knows where the conference ladder will land come Sunday morning. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves and focus on this Friday night when the Reds host the bottom of the ladder Sunwolves. OPTA STATS…

The Reds were really disappointed with their loss last week against the Bulls. REALLY disappointed.  But apparently, they trained really well and really wanted to win this week. Really! They did! The First Half Synopsis Well, perhaps they were right. There was immediate improvement for the Reds and immediate results with Bryce Hegarty first to score, following a great charge by Alex Mafi after he recovered a loose Sharks lineout through. The Reds attach looked a lot more varied and sharp and was notably improved on last week. We saw some actual backline moves and different lines run. As a result…

Given the Rebels’ loss to the Stormers and uncertainty around Israel Folau’s playing future, the significance of this match was heightened for where it could leave the Reds on the conference ladder. With Samu Kerevi expected to miss the next match for a rest, Queensland were doubling down on this game for an rare South Africa win. The First Half Synopsis It was all the Bulls in the first half as they played some beautiful rugby, the likes I’ve not seen from Bulls team for numerous years. They played with width predominatly and it troubled the Reds who, you felt, were…

On the back of the 2nd Super W season, which culminated in another premiership to NSW, Buildcord Wallaroo coach Dwayne Nestor has announced his first squad of the season and it features a host of new and exciting talent.  Ahead of an expanded international season, Nestor has called up a Cheika-like 46 players who will prepare for upcoming tests against Japan and New Zealand. Boom Queensland centre Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea gets her first call up to the national squad and is joined by team mates Lori Cramer, Alana Elisaia and Averyl Mitchell.  The Waratahs Maya Stewart is joined by South Australian (but…

After an uninspiring performance against an impressive Rebels outfit last weekend, the Reds hosted the Stormers at Suncorp Stadium. It would be their first taste of a South African side and serve a vital entree to their impending two match tour to the Republic to take on the Bulls and the Sharks.  For the Stormers the match would be the penultimate match on a tour that has seen them suffer losses to the Hurricanes and the Blues. With both teams sitting second bottom in their respective pools, the Stormers with an extra win up their sleeve, a win was vital…

With temperatures nudging 35 degrees at kick-off this match was always going to be a battle of attrition between the two teams. The Reds made a late, strategic change with Wallaby Izack Rodda starting at lock ahead of Harry Hockings with the youngster taking a seat on the bench. Following the Waratah’s upset win over the Crusaders and the Rebels dropping another game in South Africa, a win here would be significant for both sides.  Victory would give the Brumbies the #1 spot in the Aussie conference, while a home team win would remain within spitting distance of the remaining…

The Western Force kick off their 2019 season with a hastily arranged match up against an invitational World XV outfit.  Billed as a Rapid Rugby Showcase, the match will act as a prelude to the recently announced 2019 Global Rapid Rugby Showcase which commences Friday week in Perth. The Teams: Force coach, Tim Sampson, has named a familiar line-up with the starting team filled with players who featured for the Force through last year’s World Series Rugby as well as the National Rugby Championship.   The team is again built around their backrow workhorses in Chris Alcock and Brynard Stander and…

Its rivalry round in Tokyo, as two of the oldest of Australian Conference foes meet at the picturesque Prince Chichibu Stadium for the second time in as many years. The Sunwolves will be looking forward to getting home  on Saturday afternoon after impressing in the last three rounds of Super Rugby. The Reds on the other hand will be desperate to notch their first win of the season but, perhaps more importantly, break their longest losing streak against the Sunwolves in Japan in their history. FORM Neither team would have looked at their draw and been particularly enamored at what the scheduled held…

The Force’s season effectively takes part in two components, the first being an Asian Showcase Series including the South China Tigers and Asia Pacific Dragons in a home and away format.  The Dragons will play out of Singapore and the Tigers from Hong Kong. Following that, the Force will move into a Pacific Showcase Series with the Fijian Latui and Kagifa Samoa. Fiji’s home games will be in Fiji, while Samoa will play theirs at Navigation Home Stadium in Auckland, and at Ballymore in Brisbane, while Samoa’s home venue is being constructed. The series are book-ended by more boutique games with…

Rugby Australia have announced that the Buildcorp Wallaroos will play at least two extra test matches this year, with a two-test series against Japan just announced. The series, to take place in July in NSW, will double the number of test matches our National Women’s team will play, and serve as valuable match practice prior to taking on the kiwis in August. Australia have never played Japan outside of a Rugby World Cup, making the series extra significant and further evidence of the expanding relationship Australian Rugby has with Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSKlV0J9cig Raelene Castle, Rugby Australia’s CEO, was adamant an expanded test…

If there’s a more clichéd article in on-line blogging than a top ten list, it could only be the traditional January dross about “hopes for the year” as some sort of New Year’s resolution tie-in. So here we have it – my top ten hopes for Australian Rugby in 2019. 0. A Wallaby win at the Rugby World Cup I have to chuck it in don’t I? But I don’t really want to ‘waste’ a hope on it nor run with the ungainly ‘top 11’ list. Look, of course we all want the Wallabies to win the Web Ellis Trophy…

History was made on the weekend with the Fiji Drua becoming the first non-Australian team to win the National Rugby Champion. Impressively they achieved this in just their second year. Unimpressively they are the only non-Australian team, so the odds were in their favour. Putting that all to one side it was a fitting end to the season and it was a fantastic cap on a wonderful season to see the best team, playing the best rugby, defeat last year’s champions in front of a large and loud home crowd. I was on the verge to suggest it was the…

The fifth iteration of the NRC culminates this weekend with an enticing match up between two of the most entertaining teams of the competition. It’s remarkable how far this tournament has come and if you had told me way back in 2014 that in just a few years time the Grand Final would be held in Fiji and feature QLD Country I would have nodded politely and scoffed at your behind your back. No team, over that first three years, were worse than QLD Country. In fact their win record was twice as bad as the next worst team, the Greater Sydney (and indeed Western…

It’s been a big couple of days for Quade Cooper.  Yesterday it was announced that he would be kick-starting his Super Rugby career by signing with the Melbourne Rebels. Today, as if to justify the Rebel’s decision, Cooper was named the National Rugby Championship Player of the Year for 2018. To further add to the intrigue of the award, and indeed this last 24 hours, the man most likely to fill the Reds #10 jersey next year, Hamish Stewart, finished in second spot just a couple of points adrift. Such was the quality of talent on show this season, there…

I may have mentioned once or twice or pretty much every week how quick this NRC season is. It leaves absolutely no margin for error nor for teams trying to work their way into the tournament, as Brisbane City found out. So here we sit, on Semi-Final eve once again. And it’s a little déjà vu – or at least déjà vu-adjacent.  Last year we had the Vikings hosting the Perth Spirit (ie the Western Force) while Queensland Country hosted the Drua.  Twelve months (ish) down the track and those same four teams have finished atop the ladder albeit with…

Here we go. It’s all our nothing this weekend. The final round of the this lighting NRC season is upon us and it’s as if things were scripted by Steven Spielberg with three of the four games set to have a significant impact on next week’s finals. So take a glance at the table as it stands now and let’s get stuck into this last round of what has arguably been the best NRC season to date. NSW COUNTRY EAGLES v QUEENSLAND COUNTRY (LIVE STREAMED ON FOX SPORTS) SATURDAY 13 OCTOBER AT SCULLY PARK, (TAMWORTH). KICK-OFF 4:00PM LOCAL TIME REASONS NOT…