Author: Ross Wright

The Reds horror draw to start the season is behind them now and they are back home to start the road to redemption against the Bulls from Pretoria, South Africa.  Fortune typically favours the home team in this match up but both teams are absolutely desperate for a win so this may be the match where it actually favours the brave.  Who has the edge leading into this game?  Read on to find out… Form: Both teams are sitting on just one win for the season.  The Reds with 5 losses and the Bulls, having already enjoyed a bye, only…

I was thinking that a hoodoo busting win in Durban, followed by a bye was the perfect preparation for the St George Queensland Reds coming into this season defining match against the Sunwolves.  As they’ve shown a few times this season though, it’s the one’s they should win that seem to trouble the Reds the most. As I watched the pregame coverage on Fox Sports I had an uneasy feeling with all of the finals talk for the Reds.  Yes, the results last week while the Reds were on a bye really opened a door and put their fate back…

The St George Queensland Reds will kick of their South African Tour by travelling to Pretoria to take on the Bulls.  Both teams have had a similar start to the season and both will be hungry for a win to begin to consolidate a patchy start to the season.  So who has got the edge? Form The Reds started the season full of vim and vigor but failed to notch any early wins from the first 3 matches.  Since then though, they have gone on to win 3 of their last 4 matches and head to South Africa with their…

The St George Queensland Reds will be happy to be back home for just the second time this season off the back of a win in Tokyo.  The Brumbies will be hoping to nab the top spot in the Australian conference (at least for a short while) and will be aiming for a big win over the Queenslanders.  So how do they line up? Form The Reds pulled out a surprising final quarter to grab their first win of the season against the traditional whipping boys of the competition, the Sunwolves.  Their draw has been hellish so far but there…

The St George Queensland Reds return to Suncorp Stadium for their first home game of the season after a very impressive first up effort in Dunedin.  The Crusaders will be looking to extend their record win streak but will be wary of this resurgent team that is hungry to win. Form With it only being the second match of the Reds season and the changes they made in the off season, there’s not a lot to go on to gauge their “form”.  Certainly, looking at last week, they are a team on a definite upward trajectory.  They played exceptionally well…

After the drubbing against the Sunwolves last week, the Reds had been written off by all and sundry coming into the away fixture against the ‘Canes.  Thankfully though, there were a few young blokes and a couple of older fellas at Ballymore that still believed the Reds could get up. First Half The Reds started well and after an early penalty were scoring a point a minute up until the 3rd minute before settling into their groove.  From the restart though they found them selves immediately under pressure inside their 22 when a horrendously slow ruck clearance from Ben Lucas…

The St George Queensland Reds travel to Tokyo for the first time to play the Sunwolves.  Both teams are coming off a bye and are desperate for a win.  Will the Sunwolves jag their first win of the season or will the Reds go back to back? Whilst it may not have the appeal of a NZ derby this weekends match between the Reds and the Sunwolves is shaping to be a really intriguing contest.  The home team are yet to register a win this season and are languishing on the bottom of the ladder.  The Reds have been up…

The Reds may be just ahead of them on the overall ladder but having completed their Australasian Tour and playing 3 of the 5 New Zealand teams already, the Stormers won’t be too concerned with their position on the log.  Make no mistake, this trip to Cape Town will be the Reds toughest test yet.  Who will come out on top? The Queenslanders travelled to Sao Paulo, no wait, London…. erm,…. Johannesburg?  No?  Cape Town!  Actually all of the above.  In a diabolical week of travel the Reds finally landed in Cape Town on Tuesday, a day later than planned…

I’m supposed to be working right now and if not working I really should be doing some study.  I work full time, I’m studying a degree part time and have a young and growing family.  I’ve never been so time poor but somehow I can’t focus on any of those things. You see, I love Rugby.  I love Rugby like a much younger and much chubbier Ross loved cake.  Nah actually I love it more than that.  As much as chubby Ross probably wouldn’t have admitted back then, he could have lived without cake; he possibly would’ve been better off without…

Preseason – check. Global Rugby 10’s – check. Trials – check…… Like the kid who’s been lying awake watching each minute tick by since a bit before 4am on Christmas day, I’m excited. Round 1 of the 2017 Super Rugby season is upon us. It’s the Reds vs the Sharks. As a Reds fan and a Rugby fan in general, there’s a lot to be excited about this weekend. Super Rugby is back on, Thursday night footy and mouth-watering matches like Highlanders vs Chiefs to name but one. But by a long shot, seeing what I hope will be the…

It’s one of my favourite fixtures of the year, the Reds v Highlanders, the matches are generally entertaining, close and played with reasonably good intent.  They are also my two favourite teams.  I’m hoping this years fixture will be more of the same but I’m not so sure. In years gone by, these two teams were very similar.  They loved to play with ball in hand and their game plans were centred around an attacking philosophy.  Both capable of attacking from anywhere on the field and with genuine threats across the back line.  The 2016 versions of these two teams…

Winning the Rugby World Cup ain’t easy.  Since the tournament began in 1987 there have only been 4 winning nations.  Have a look at the squads of each winning team and you will see a team of greats, but what you will also see is a perfect combination of youth and experience.  So who has the balance right leading into this RWC?  What do the numbers say? Before the 2011 World Cup I remember reading a lot about how hot Australia and Wales were at the time but how both teams were ‘too young’ and couldn’t win the RWC.  Sure they…

For months, Reds fans have been waiting the outcome of the High Performance review with one expectation; that the Head Coach, Richard Graham, would finally be shown the door.  Then out of the blue, on an idle Tuesday in August the QLD Reds announce that the very man they thought was dead and walking was the man to take them forward into 2016. It was the scenario that seemed more likely with every day of non-action that ticked by.  There were rumours that seemingly quality candidates were interested and the platitudes from Jim Carmichael et al. gave us, the fans, enough hope…

Two teams struggling for form and underachieving compared to the expectations of previous years. Two teams with team sheets littered with Wallabies desperately wanting to press claims for a World Cup squad position and everything to play for. The Match The game started in fairly ominous fashion. The Force gained the early ascendency in the much anticipated forwards battle with a penalty at scrum time only for the Reds to make a statement of their own on the next scrum. Both teams opting to turn down kickable penalties at times and instead favouring a lineout or quick tap. The .…

In a dramatic turnaround of form, the Reds bagged a good win on the weekend.  For the full match review click here.  To help ease you into your week at work, here’s a few of my pictures of the game.  Big thanks to Sully for the loan of his gear! JUST CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE THEN USE YOUR ARROW KEYS TO NAVIGATE.

Its the Grand Final rematch that all Rugby fans note down in their calendars at the start of each Super Rugby season. As in 2011 and as always, the ruthless Reds will pump the Crusaders. Here’s my top 5 reasons why….. 1. Historical Dominance The Reds have been dominating the Cantabrians for bloody ages! If you don’t count the last three games, the Crusaders haven’t beaten the Reds since 2009. 2009!?!? Are you kidding? That’s ages ago!!

It will go down in the history books as reasonably heavy defeat but the Reds will know that this was one big scalp that got away. The Match The Reds were up for this one, you could just tell.  The ‘Canes were too, don’t get me wrong but this is nothing new from the lads from Wellington. It was undeniable though, there was something different in the home team.  They looked focused, they looked hungry, hell they looked ready for once.  So by the end of the first minute as I watched Barrett slot his first 3 pointer for the…

Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 8. With the Tahs and the Force sitting out this week, the door was opened for a few of the players from the Australian conference’s poorer performing teams to step up and stake a claim for the coveted GaGR Team of the Week jersey.  So who made the cut? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Scott Sio Was a rock in the scrum and ran like a man possessed. One GAGR writer had him as Aussie player of the round![/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Pat Leafa Ran the ball…

It might have been the battle for the bottom of the table played between the two sides with the lowest try scoring rates, but right from the kick off, both teams showed clear intent to attack.  Sadly, you need more than intent, but we should give them points for trying… Right? The Match In a refreshing change for Reds fans everywhere the home side looked mostly a different team to the one that they were used to watching. It’s amazing the difference having a flyhalf makes.  The addition of Cooper, Kerevi, O’Connor and Turner into the backline made a world…

Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 4. Some sharp play, but who makes the team this week? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Benn Robinson The veteran gave young Sam Talakai a few lessons in the dark arts. Industrious around the paddock also.[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Stephen Moore Scrummaged well, tackled well, threw into the lineout well. Very Stephen Moore-esque game all around![/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Ben Alexander Was solid at scrum time and good around the park. Even bagged himself a meat pie! Mmmm pies……[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 4. Steve Mafi A couple of line breaks, an…