Author: oztimmay

The Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies had wins whilst the Rebels lost but who made the Team of the Week?  1. James Slipper Helped Reds to dominate set pieces.  8 tackles and breakdown work  helped  build pressure that eventually forced turnovers.  Formidable scrum combination with Holmes that may see Wallaby time together. 2. James Hanson Hanson had a good all-round hooker’s game with solid lineout work and some handy carries. He also combined well with his Reds’ teammates to dominate the scrum in the in the second half. 3. Greg Holmes Was having a classic scrum tussle with Toby Smith before the latter succumbed to injury.  He…

Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round eleven. [one_third last=”no”] 1. James Slipper Gave Ben Franks a pasting at scrum time, made some handy runs and earned some pilfered ball – all in the first half!  James has the gold loose-head jersey sewn up. [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Tatafu Polata-Nau   Not only did Tatafu perform well at the set piece, he caused havoc with some blistering runs and bone-crunching defence in the first half. [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Sekope Kepu Played a strong props game, menacing both in the set piece and breakdown. …

Round 10 of the Super Rugby season sees the Brumbies host the Rebels in the national capital. The Rebels are yet to taste victory in Canberra, whilst the Brumbies look to consolidate top spot in the Australian conference. Last Week Last week the Rebels came off a torrid encounter against the bye, finding solace at the annual Club Ball. Prior to that, it was a relatively unconvincing but relieving win against a 14-man Reds outfit.  They will be happy to get the win, but not happy with their 20-minute contested warm-up, nor with not punishing the Horwill brain-fart with a bonus…

The Hurricanes have put on a second half master class in the second half to run away with a 36-12 bonus point win against the Melbourne Rebels. The Match The first half was a mixed affair with no side dominating the game.  The Rebels preferred to keep ball in hand and work up the field with one-off runs, but made limited ground.  The Hurricanes provided solid defense and looked more threatening with limited possession. The Hurricanes  exploited some poor outside defense when they raided out wide and TJ Perenara scored after the inside pass.  On the flip side, poor breakdown discipline…

Team of the Week Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 3. [one_third last=”no”] 1. Toby Smith Scrummaged well against a wallaby incumbent and contributed to a few team penalty wins at scrum time.  Pips Scott Sio for TOTW due to his higher work rate around the paddock.[/one_third][one_third last=”no”] 2. Stephen Moore A solid return for Squeaky.  Good service at scrum and lineout time and will get back to his best soon.  Outshone his opponent in all aspects of the game. [/one_third][one_third last=”yes”] 3. Sam Talakai Strong performance from the tight-head Prop.  Dominated his Highlanders…

Round Three of the Super Rugby season continues at AAMI this Saturday, when the Melbourne Rebels play host to the ACT Brumbies. Both teams are one from one and are looking to set the early pace in the highly-competitive Australian Conference. Last week In Round Two both teams were involved in close matches against quality opposition, only to falter in the last ten minutes of their matches. The Brumbies had a strong kicking game and used field position well to set up the forwards. The pack produced a decent set piece and mauled with good effect (including for Vaea’s try).…