Author: Richard Edwards

Welcome to Round 8 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in this week’s non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 8 at a glance The Crusaders claimed a bonus point and their sixth win on the trot in a solid display against the Jaguares. The Cheetahs nearly racked up a ton in their 14 try win over the hapless Sunwolves. The Blues extended the Sharks losing streak to three in a row. The Lions proved they are the real deal by knocking off SA leaders the Stormers. Crusaders 32 – 15 Jaguares by…

Welcome to Round 7 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in this week’s non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 7 at a glance The Chiefs narrowly beat the Blues in a frantic match played at the pace expected from this Kiwi derby. The Stormers had way to much class for the still winless Sunwolves. The Hurricanes extended the Jaguares disappointing run off the back of a Savea hat trick. The Lions proved they are currently one of SAs best sides by accounting for the Sharks. The Bulls ran over the top of the…

Welcome to Round 6 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in this week’s non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 6 at a glance The Lions lost narrowly to the Crusaders in a try-fest. The Blues made more of their opportunities to account for a willing Jaquares. The Kings recorded their first victory for the season over the Sunwolves who are still winless. The Bulls grinded out a win over a more dynamic Cheetahs. Crusaders 43 – 37 Lions by Brent Craig aka ‘waiopehu oldboy’ The Crusaders beat the Lions in an entertaining display of running…

Welcome to Round 5 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in this week’s non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 5 at a glance The Hurricanes chalked up their third win in succession, with a strong display against the Kings at home. In a close tussle, the Bulls ensured the Sunwolves remain winless. The Crusaders handed the Sharks their first loss for the season. Strong defence from the Stormers extended the Jaguares losing streak to three in a row. Hurricanes 42 – 20 Kings by ‘ozee316’ A crowd of around 15,000 greeted the Kings for their…

King’s College Auckland seized victory over Sydney’s Riverview College in the final minutes to win the Pillinger Cup 24 – 22 at Scots College, Sydney. Key match results Pillinger Cup: Kings NZ 24 – Riverview 22 Rhino Shield: Lloyd McDermott 31 – Waverley 12 Midford Plate: Scots Hoops 17 – Hunter Valley 12 Pillinger Cup Touch (Girls): Kambala 5 – SCEGGS 0 Pillinger Cup Prep: St Therese 19 – Lloyd McDermott 12 Scroll to the bottom of this page for the results of all matches and photos from some of the pool matches, semis and finals. Pillinger Cup The Pillinger…

The Scots College, Sydney is hosting a schoolboys Rugby 7s tournament and family fun day this Saturday 26 March. It’s an all-day event that promises to be a great day out for 7s rugby enthusiasts and families alike. A host of off-field activities will keep the little ones and non-rugby nuts (if there is such a thing) entertained for hours. On the field, schools from all over Australia and New Zealand will compete for the Under 18 “Pillinger Cup” and the Under 12 “Pillinger Shield”. This year’s opens team list includes traditional Kiwi rugby powerhouses Kings College, Auckland and Palmerston…

Welcome to Round 4 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in this week’s non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 4 at a glance The Sharks winning streak came to an end with a draw with the Bulls. The Crusaders big win over the Kings would have boosted their confidence before hitting the road for their next three matches. The Lions beat the Cheetahs five tries to three in a free-flowing affair. Bulls 16 – Sharks 16 by Jack Colley The Sharks came in as slight favourites after three wins to begin the season,…

Welcome to Round 3 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in this week’s non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 3 at a glance The Hurricanes chalked up their first win for the season accounting for the Blues. The Highlanders put an end to the Lions impressive start to the season with a comprehensive home victory. The Cheetahs snuck past an eager but fatigued Sunwolves in the last ten minutes. The Chiefs racked up a big score on the road against the Kings. The Sharks put an end to the Stormers winning streak…

Welcome to Round 2 of FOREIGN EXCHANGES, the place to go for a run down on what happened in the non-Aussie Super Rugby matches. Round 2 at a glance Crusaders bounced back with a good win over Blues, but have plenty of room for improvement. Lions created history with first away win over Chiefs in Hamilton. Highlanders beat Hurricanes by 1 point in 2015 Grand Final rematch. Stormers too good for Cheetahs and join Lions, Sharks and Brumbies as undefeated teams. Sharks beat Jaquares at home, but only just, with poor discipline hurting the Argie team again. Crusaders…

So Super Rugby has started. We’ve got some new teams and a new conference system. Here’s something else new…FOREIGN EXCHANGES…a weekly segment that reviews all the Super Rugby games where an Australian team didn’t play. Blues 33 – Highlanders 31 by Lee Grant This was a fitting overture to the 2016 Super Rugby season as the match went down to the wire in a game of high skill before an ecstatic home crowd. In a first half that commentator Jeff Wilson said was “Super bang-bang” the defending champions, the Highlanders, scored three tries to two. Ben Smith registered the first…

Brian Smith  – former Wallaby and international coach – selects his RWC Team of the Tournament for Richard Edwards. Brian selected his team based on performance during the tournament, particularly in attack. He also picked the team with a strong eye on the future and expects most of the players will make a massive impact in 2019 and over the next four years. Not one player is from the Northern Hemisphere His team comprises 5 Wallabies, 7 All Blacks, 2 Springboks and 1 Puma. Wouldn’t it be great to see this team line up against the best from the North?…

Brian Smith shares his thoughts on the selection dilemma Michael Cheika faces in picking our starting fullback and various other finals-week issues with Richard Edwards from GAGR. Folau call Cheikas toughest yet On his day, Israel Folau is World XV material. But he has clearly struggled in each match he’s played in the tournament. Folau is an agility based athlete and his ankle injury is compromising his agility, along with his confidence and decisiveness. Michael Cheika would have to be having some sleepless nights wondering whether he will be able to continue with Folau or not. When you take a…

Brian Smith shares his thoughts on the Wallaby vs Argentina semi-final with Richard Edwards from GAGR. Henry has helped re-invent Argentina View image | gettyimages.com Argentina is a very different team to the one that played in previous World Cups. This is largely because of the time Graham Henry spent with them over the last three or so years. Henry convinced them that their game plan, which was based on their scrum, maul and kick-chase needed an overhaul if they wanted to make a big impression on the world stage. He got them to understand that, statistically, if you score…

So it’s been over 24 emotion-filled hours since full time in the thrilling quarter final between Scotland and Australia. It’s now time to consider whether Scotland really deserved to win and assess whether they showed enough to suggest they were a genuine threat in the penultimate and final rounds of the RWC? Ex-Wallaby and England attack coach, Brian Smith, shares his thoughts on these and other issues in this week’s catch up with Richard Edwards from GAGR. Wallabies played more rugby With Australia sealing victory in the last-minute, you have to feel for the Scottish players, coaches and supporters. Scotland…

The choke tackle and blitz defence used by Wales last Saturday nearly saw the Wallabies finish runners-up in Pool A, where they would have faced a potentially more challenging play-off path. Ex-Wallaby player and England attack coach, Brian Smith, lets GAGR’s Richard Edwards know what the Wallabies can learn from this encounter. On-track but still vulnerable “The Wallaby performances in the cup so far, whist very impressive, have not been perfect. One area that needs urgent attention is how they can avoid or counter the choke tackle and blitz defence. Wales executed both defensive tactics with great effect last weekend…

BRIAN SMITH (ex Wallaby and England attack coach) outlines his thoughts on the Wallabies vs Wales match for Richard Edwards from G&GR. Both teams provided a defensive master-class What an arm-wrestle of a match that was. That period of 10 minutes or so late in the second half, when Australia was down to 13 players, was one of the grittiest defensive efforts seen in ages. Hat’s off to the boys and the coaching staff. They did themselves and their country proud. But to be fair, both teams defended outstandingly, although in different ways. The defensive coach for Wales, Shaun Edwards, is…

BRIAN SMITH shares his thoughts on the Wallabies matches against England and Wales with Richard Edwards from G&GR. Wallabies were superb against England “The Australian display last weekend against the Old Dart was exceptional. Naturally, a lot of the credit has to go to Bernard Foley who pulled all the strings and the Australian forward pack, particularly the front row and Pocock at the breakdown. Beale’s entry into the game made Australia a more dynamic attacking threat and you can put that second try down to the role he played as the linkman. Also, the work done by Kepu in…

View image | gettyimages.com In a recent conversation with Brian Smith, I found out exactly what he thinks about the forthcoming Rugby World Cup Pool A match between Australia and England. Naturally the scrum battle and the balance between the tight and loose featured prominently. But so did England’s bench rotation policy and the ramifications for their coaching staff if they lose this one. Brian has played for the Wallabies and coached for England in previous World Cups. He brings a refreshing mix of candour and strategy to the pre-match analytics. Here’s what he had to say about some key…

The season wrap The NSW GPS 2015 rugby season  has come to a close and what a fantastic season it was. There were many highlights and moments that will forever be remembered by players, coaches and spectators. In this review, we hope to capture many of those moments in a celebration of what is without doubt, one of the most attractive brands of Rugby on this planet. We also want to ‘keep it real’ by respectfully addressing some of the lowlights as well. But more on that later. After ten rounds, Newington and Scots finished the season joint-premiers and winners of…

We have one round to go and the Premiership is still up for grabs. Since last Saturday, your panel of esteemed G&GR rugby experts has been busily preparing for the 2015 AAGPS Season Review. Who should we pick for the ‘team of the year’, MVP and ‘try of the season’? You’ll have to wait till next Tuesday to find out the answers to these and other questions. In this week’s previews Crackerjack takes a look at the possible Premiership scenarios and how he sees them unfolding, while Rich_E (yours truly) assesses the game more likely to split this year’s heavy-weights,…