Author: Reg Roberts

They say there’s no such thing as a dead rubber, and when I say “they” I mean the marketers entering a third test of the season two-nil down. In all honesty though, as a Wallaby fan who was dreading this match at the start of the season, this third Bledisloe Cup match still had the feels of somethings special.  Was it the somewhat improved performances over recent weeks? Maybe it was the special indigenous jersey? Who knows. Who cares. It’s Test match rugby and it’s worth getting excited about. A week of extremely wet weather was more likely to have…

Two rounds to go in the NRC so we are very much at the business end of the season. It’s fair to say things are still very much up in the air on any number of levels.  The whole important #1 and #2 spots are still up for someone to claim and is a pretty significant consideration when you think about the travel to and from Fiji.  For others there is still a battle just the make the top four with Brisbane, Perth and the Eagles battling it out for just the one spot. With the Vikings having the draw…

We saw three absolute blow outs in Round 7 this week with the Vikings putting 70 on the Rays while the two Queensland teams both put half centuries on their opponents. Meanwhile, in the Grand Final re-match, we had a nil-all first half before the Eagles battled hard to earn their 15-10 win. Talk about each end of the spectrum! It made it bloody tough to pick a Team of the Week this round, especially when you consider the different conditions each game was played in, particularly in Brisbane. There were other factors too such as quality of the opposition…

The Canberra Vikings have confirmed their status as 2017 NRC favourites on the back of a scary impressive win over the Sydney Rays in Canberra this afternoon.  The 71-14 win also put the Vikings back on top of the ladder having momentarily lost it on the back of Queensland Country’s big win over the Greater Sydney Rams yesterday. As if they needed it the Vikings were boosted by the return of Wallabies Joe Powell, Henry Speight and Sam Carter while the Rays were forced to make late changes to their side due to injury.  While the Rays were able to…

Before we get into looking ahead at Week 7 of the NRC, the fans have been jumping up and down about where the Round 6 Team of the Week article was. Well time just got away from me, so in the interests of completion, here’s the team I picked for the last round of the NRC. 15 Andrew Kellaway (NSW Country Eagles) 11 Apete Daveta (Fiji Drua) – 14 Henry Hutchison (Melbourne Rising) 12 James Dargaville (Canberra Vikings) – 13 John Stewart (Fiji Drua) 9 Nick Frisby (Brisbane City) – 10 Tayler Adams (NSW Country Eagles) 6 Rob Valetini (Canberra Vikings) -…

Big wins were the story of the weekend with the Vikings, QLD Country and the Spirit all piling on the points. The Eagles then produced their 2nd win of the season, in a tighter affair against the Rays.  In the wash up to it all we can see the competition remains the tightest it has ever been with the top four teams all equal on points. Round 6 this year is the annual Pacifika Round which celebrates the influence of the Pacific Islander community on Australian Rugby. As part of the weekend, the ARU is encouraging supporters to bring old…

No time for a big intro blurb this week just to say the TOTW is dominated by three teams who had massive wins on the weekend, with a single inclusion of one player from the other winning team and a sole ‘loser’. Here we go. [one_third last=”no”] 1 Faalelei Sione (Canberra Vikings) – 1st week in team Two tries to a front rower is always an eye-catching performance. Sione made his return to the Vikings on the weekend and his massive frame meant he was always going to stand out, one way or the other, against the Drua. His tries were perfect…

Both the Wallabies and Boks entered the match relieved they weren’t facing the All Blacks again.  It’s been a while since the Aussies have won in Bloemfontein and a win would take an improved performance from the last time these teams played a few weeks ago. In the end the teams would play out yet another draw, following their one in Perth. It was a fantastic test match with some heroic performances by both teams. The 1st Half: It was a strong start for the Boks has they held on to the ball for the first two mins and nine phases…

Given the short nature of the NRC season all teams are consistently on the precipice of sliding out of finals contention. While the Drua have created a bit of a gap at the top of the table, with an extra game up their sleeve the margin isn’t as significant as you may think.  In fact taking into consideration who has had byes and who hasn’t and you could make a case for everyone, except perhaps the Melbourne Rising, still being in contention. With the Rams having the bye this round, there’s a chance for a number of teams to make…

It was not that long ago that the Green and Gold Rugby podcast was getting a little clumsy and boring. I know, I know -it’s tough to believe, but it was. Then, at one of our regular high end corporate think tanks, Hugh Cavill came up with the brilliant concept of focusing in on a set number of key issues in the game of rugby at the time. He labelled it “five burning questions”. The concept was an instant hit and the podcast has never been better drawing international acclaim. Since Hugh invented this concept we have witnessed a proliferation…

In round 3 we saw some epic battles that really showed off the competitiveness of the NRC this year. This weekend gone we saw a few more, not quite blow outs but certainly one-sided affairs. Fiji continued to roll on with a big win over a weakened Perth Spirit team. Queensland Country turned it on in the second half against the Rays, while the Rising celebrated their first win with a big score against the Rams. Meanwhile in Armidale it was as tight was they come with NSW Country Eagles also recording their first win of the season, but waiting…

It was a delightful day in Armidale where a very healthy crowd descended on Bellevue Oval. The Eagles were running into a slight breeze and were able to put the highly fancied Vikings team under pressure from the start by regathering their own kick-off. NSW Country played patient footy and worked the ball up field and eventually the Vikings captain, Tom Cusack, was penalised for off-side play and the Eagles 10 Tayler Adams stood up and kicked the penalty. The Eagles then lost their own kick-off allowing the Vikings to set up for a scrum and their first go with…

As we enter Week Four of the NRC it seems like we’ve experiencing the tightest competition at the top we’ve ever had in the competition. That may not play out long term as I get the sense that some teams are only barely clinging on, while others are set to explode. Regardless, it’s looking pretty damn open at the moment with two points separating the top five, with the next two teams with a game in hand. With a top of the table clash and plenty of other meaningful match ups, let’s look at the games this round and how…

The NRC 3rd round threw up some results that just pose more questions than they answer. Both undefeated teams, the Rams and the Vikings, suffered their first losses of the season as they hit the road for the first time. Fiji had their first game at home, and lived up to their fans’ expectations, while the Sydney Rays made a statement of their own defeating a Melbourne team filled with Super Rugby players. As you’d expect, there were plenty of impressive individual performances which makes picking a Team of the Week bloody hard. But I gave it a go and…

THE BUILD-UP: What a day for rugby in in Perth today, a huge u11 & u12 7s tournament being played at Guildford Grammar School with 30 odd teams playing on the day, Golden Oldies Carnivals being held all on the same day and roughly same times as the Perth Spirit match and still 2000 plus people cheering the home team on. A beautiful cloudless afternoon! Rugby was on. Late announcements with withdrawals from both teams with Jed Holloway out with a hamstring and Peter Grant with illness, but with the Rams bringing 2 wins from 2 and topping the table…

The Canberra Vikings arrived in Brisbane ready to extend their undefeated season into the third round.  The hosts, Brisbane City, were just looking to show their fans that their last round thrashing to QLD Country was not cause for concern.  In a fantastic day for rugby in Brisbane, the University of Queensland was pumping as a massive three days of rugby drew to a close. Could the home team replicate the success of the U of Q women’s 7s team who earlier won the third leg of the AON Uni 7s? The match didn’t start well for Brisbane as the…

Last week’s weekend of NRC rugby saw everything we love about this competition. There were a lot of fantastic tries scored, we had historic wins, wonderful individual performances and, dare I say, some fantastic intent and physicality in defence. As it stands the current table looks like this: So there’s plenty to play for this weekend with the two leading teams both having their first true away games, while Fiji host their first home with a massive crowd expected.  Let’s look at this weekend’s games and some of the things to keep an eye out for. Sydney Rays v Melbourne…

While the second round of the NRC still produced some wonderful attacking rugby it is fair to say that defence was a lot better across all games. Brad Thorn’s impact on QLD Country was apparent as their tackling was a cornerstone of their first ever win over Brisbane City. Fiji Drua recorded their first ever win in the tournament and while there were some glorious tries scored, their defence was particularly scary to watch.  When the Perth Spirit played the Canberra Vikings on the road and the match was noted for the ferocious forward battle rather than the free running play…

The Perth Spirit, off the back of a strong win over the Melbourne Rising and a close loss to the ARU  last week, flew across the country to take on the Canberra Vikings. The Vikings had a solid win against Queensland Country in Round 1, despite losing the lead mid-way through the second half. The match kicked off in what appeared to be perfect conditions and the Vikings had all the possession early, although really had to rely on Spirit penalties to make serious metres. As is the Canberra way, their hooker Robbie Abel scored from a lineout drive in…

NRC Round 1 had it all. A new Fijian team; a 20 week suspension; upset wins; trophies changing hands; Club players starring; test players starring; 47 tries and, would you believe, five penalty goals! Round 2 provides the NSW Country Eagles a bye and a chance to lick their wounds following an upset loss to the Greater Sydney Rams. It was all very reminiscent to the loss they inflicted on Brisbane City in the first round last year. Another Sydney team, the Rays, will make their debut following a first round bye and host a mega day of rugby out…