Author: Oliver Conrad

[one_third last=”no”] 1. James Slipper Slipper won an early scrum penalty and generally pressured the All Blacks scrum all afternoon – one of the Wallabies best. 6.5 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa Did the job he was picked to do. Scrummaged well, went 12/13 at lineout time and had a couple of nice runs. His only blemish was a costly one; when he was pinged for playing the ball twice when attempting to score a try. 7 – GAGR MOM [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Taniela Tupou Again Tupou came out with strong intent, helping to set the tone early on. The Wallaby scrum was solid…

[one_third last=”no”] 1. James Slipper Scrums were solid whilst Slipper was on. A few tough carries from the 92 test veteran –  his experience amongst a relatively inexperienced pack is invaluable. 6 [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Folau Fainga’a A disappointing night for Fainga’a as the Wallabies lineout was exposed. Three not straight calls including one to the front of the lineout is almost unforgivable at test match level. Bad knock on off a set-piece move right on halftime that should have resulted in a try to the All Blacks. Looked good carrying the ball into contact. 4 [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Taniela Tupou His first…

A lot has changed in the 12 months since the Wallabies played their last test – a crushing World Cup Quarterfinal defeat to England in Oita, Japan. Words like “Social distancing.” And “Tik Tok” are now a part of our vocabularies, Carole Baskin is somehow a household name, and hand sanitiser has become a part of everyday life. 2020 has not been all bad, one bright spot has been the drought that crippled the East Coast of Australia for the best part of five years has broken, with bumper crops and green pastures now seen all the way  from Ballarat…

So the Wallabies weren’t involved but there was plenty to take from the two semi finals of RWC 2019.  Here are our five key observations England is the real deal Not many people saw that coming, England churned out one of the most exceptional performances in their history to end the All Blacks World Cup dynasty. It started up front with their front row of Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Kyle Sinclair holding their own at scrum time and carrying hard at the NZ defensive line. Courtney Lawes was sensational in proving the doubters wrong throwing his weight around superbly.…

It’s a battle of North vs South in the second semi-final in Yokohama which sees the winner of the Southern Hemisphere’s Rugby Championship – South Africa, up against the Northern Hemisphere’s Six Nations champions – Wales. Background  It is the men from Britain who have all the recent bragging between these powerhouses, having won the last 4 encounters. The most recent meeting was on last year’s end of season tour when the Welsh were victorious 20-11 which saw them complete a first-ever clean sweep of the Autumn internationals. 2019 started in much the same way for Wales as they claimed…

The pointy end of RWC2019 is upon us. With just four teams remaining Rugby’s showpiece event will return to Yokohama for the first of the two Semi-finals. Background The last time these two sides met was an absolute nail biter at Twickenham, The All Blacks coming from 15-0 to pinch a one-point win over England after a late Sam Underhill try was disallowed. Both sides have been in great form throughout Rugby World Cup 2019. New Zealand opened their campaign with an impressive win over a strong South African side, they followed this up with big wins over Canada and…

The Wallabies are back What a performance from the Wallabies at Optus stadium. They outplayed the All Blacks for the best part of 80 minutes delivering a win for the ages.  The confidence, the physicality, the skills was something we haven’t seen from this group for some time and helped to inflict the equal largest-ever defeat on their New Zealand counterparts. It was an outstanding team performance with everyone on the field contributing; however, some individuals stood out.  Micheal Hooper was frenetic, leading from the front in everything he did, while Samu Kerevi continues to be the most dominant ball carrier…

A win’s a win, but what else do we take away from that win by the Wallabies? Gritty performance enough to get the job done It was by no means the perfect display from the Wallabies, but the most important thing is they ground out the win and their World Cup campaign is back on track. It was a better performance from the men in gold than the slopping display they dished up at Ellis Park a week earlier, but they will need to step up again in a fortnights time if they are to knock off the All Blacks…

The Waratahs travel across to wet and windy Invercargill to face the Highlanders with the two rivals hopes of finals football all but dead and buried after disappointing losses in the penultimate regular season round. The Form The Waratahs and the Highlander both let golden opportunities slip last weekend in their quests for a semi-final spot. The Tahs were humbled at home by the conference-leading Brumbies while the Highlanders blew a late lead to draw with the Bulls in Dunedin. It left both sides sitting short of the top 8 and requiring a miracle if they were to kit up…

The Australian conference-leading ACT Brumbies will travel up the Hume Highway to meet arch-rivals the Waratahs, whose season is hanging by a thread. The Form The Waratahs rebounded from a string of disappointing losses to roll the Rebels in Melbourne last weekend, in what was perhaps their most impressive win since knocking off the Crusaders in March. Their forwards set a decent platform, and the backline was able to take full advantage putting together some damaging set-piece moves. They remain 3rd on the conference ladder 5 points adrift of the men from Melbourne who travel to Christchurch for Super Ruby’s…

The Waratahs return to BankWest stadium and will look to keep their season alive when they host the in-form Jaguares. The Form The Tahs bounced back from three consecutive losses in a thoroughly entertaining game in Brisbane last week. They sit 8 points behind the conference-leading Brumbies and 2 points adrift of the flailing Rebels. Fresh off a massive upset win over the Hurricanes in Wellington the Jaguares sit top of the African conference and look set to play finals for the second consecutive year. They left NZ midweek with one loss and one win after falling just short of…

The Waratahs African Safari continues late Saturday night when they travel to the scene of their 2018 Semi-Final exit, Ellis Park. With the Australian conference now a four-horse race following wins to the Brumbies and Reds last weekend, it is shaping as a must-win game for the New South Welshmen. The Form The Waratahs were unlucky to go down by 7 points last week against the Bulls in Pretoria, in what was a much-improved performance to the trash they served up at Home against the Stormers the week prior. Still, two consecutive losses to South African opposition has the Tahs…

The Waratahs will run out for the second ever professional game at the brand new BankWest stadium at Parramatta as they face the Sharks in the first match of their Australasian tour. The Form The Tahs bounced back after a couple of disappointing losses to defeat the Rebels at the SCG last week. It was a scrappy encounter, but NSW did just enough to claw back a 17-point halftime deficit and effectively keep their hopes of topping the Aussie conference alive. They remain 4 points behind the Rebels, but with the men from Melbourne having the bye this week a…

They don’t come much bigger than this! After spending their ‘rest’ week embroiled in the Israel Folau fiasco the Waratahs will be desperate to get back on the field and play some rugby, they take on the conference-leading Rebels in an Easter Saturday blockbuster. It’s a match that will not only have huge implications on the Australian conference ladder, but with so many intriguing match-ups across the park it’s one that is set to have significant implications on Wallabies selections. The form After a relatively positive start to the season, the Waratahs have fallen off the boil of late, with…

The 2nd match in a huge Super Saturday of Rugby sees the Blues host the Waratahs at the graveyard in Auckland, as the men from NSW look to bounce back from a shock loss to the last week in Newcastle. The form Two sides with contrasting form. The Waratahs are fresh off an embarrassing home defeat to the Sunwolves, whilst the Blues have won their last 3 on the trot for the first time in years. Much has been made of the Waratahs dismal performance last weekend and as poor as they were, we shouldn’t take anything away from the…

For the first time ever the NSW Waratahs will play a home Super Rugby game away from Sydney when they travel north to face the Sunwolves in Newcastle. The Form Fresh off ending the longest win streak in Super Rugby history last week and sitting pretty at the top of the Australian conference, confidence around the NSW base at Daceyville is through the roof. The Waratah’s defense which they have dubbed ‘The Blue Wall’ strangled the previously unbeaten Crusaders at the SCG forcing them into a very uncharacteristic error ridden performance. A lot of praise has been heaped on new Welsh…

The Crusaders travel to Sydney for their first match since the Mosque massacre in Christchurch which took the lives of 50 innocent people, the men in Red and Black will attempt to bring some temporary joy to their city by notching their 20th straight win and extend their lead at the top of the Super Rugby ladder. The Waratahs were left licking their wounds following their disappointing loss to the Brumbies last week, but back at the temporary home of the SCG and against the best in the business Daryl Gibson will know there will be no bigger opportunity to…

Its rivalry round in Sydney, as the two oldest of Australian foes meet at the picturesque Sydney Cricket Ground for the second time in as many years. The Tahs will be looking for a far more complete performance on Saturday night after failing to impress in the opening 2 rounds before enjoying the week off last round. They have rolled out one of the most star-studded backlines seen in Super Rugby in what coach Daryl Gibson described as his strongest side indicating they mean business. The Reds on the other hand will be desperate to notch their first win of…

It was a typical early season Waratahs performance to start the year last week, with good passages of play ultimately ruined by basic errors and poor discipline. The Tahs defence and goal kicking was what ultimately kept them in it before the Ice man turned to water and missed a sitter from in front. The Tahs have travelled from the northern peninsula to the land of the rising sun, with this weeks challenge seeing the men from New South Wales facing a depleted Sunwolves side. The Sunwolves always tend to play better in front of their passionate home crowd and…