Author: Shane Sullivan

Make Australian Rugby Great Again

A Rebels outfit missing Kurtley Beale faced a Reds team on a 2 game winning streak. Could the Rebels recover from the loss of one of their playmakers or will Queensland extend their 4-0 winning streak? The only thing certain was that the next 80 minutes would give us the answer. The Match The first ten minutes looked like most Australian derbies with the sides probing to see any weakness in the opposition. The scores were even with a penalty each. The Reds dominated possession for the first 30 minutes of the game and converted it into points with a…

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There’s a lot to get excited about when the Hurricanes come to Brisbane. As a Reds supporter you know that this is a team that knows how to beat us. They play fast exciting rugby that’s great to watch. When they’re not playing the Reds! When they do play the Reds it’s edge of my seat stuff with a touch of “oh please let us win this time” muttered under my breath over and over again. So I thought I’d look at 5 things that’s got me excited about Friday night. The 13’s: Chris Feauia-Sautia V. Conrad Smith To me…

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Week 3 of Super Rugby sees the Brumbies , Highlanders , Kings taking the free 4 points. Super Rugby Friday  starts the weekend with 3 games back to back. There’s only one game on Saturday due to the Waratahs boys frocking up for some parade. And that leaves us with the South African home games in the wee small hours of Sunday morning.

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The first full round of Super Rugby is under way. The Crusaders start their season with a bye but everyone else is on deck. This is how the super rugby teams lists will look. VENUE & TIME: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, Friday, 22 February at 17.35 (AEDT). REFEREE: Steve Walsh VENUE & TIME: AAMI Park, Melbourne REFEREE: VENUE & TIME: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, 04.10 (AEDT) REFEREE: Jaco Peyper VENUE & TIME: Westpac Stadium, Wellington, Saturday, 23 February at 19.35 REFEREE: Glen Jackson VENUE & TIME: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane REFEREE: VENUE & TIME: REFEREE: VENUE & TIME: REFEREE:

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Rarely has the opening game of a season excited the supporters as much as this Brumbies vs Reds game has. Reds fans were flocking to Canberra to watch their team reassert their dominance of the Australian conference, while Brumbies supporters were not-so-quietly talking their sides chances up. Could the Reds climb to the top of the Super Rugby ladder again? Could the Brumbies improve and make the finals?  The Match The Brumbies have started the year with a two-try win in Canberra, defeating the Queensland Reds 24-6. From the opening moments it was clear that both teams wanted this one badly.…

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Here’s what I know about France: French Onion soup is delicious. Chocolate croissants are awesome. John Eales doesn’t like it when the French massage his groin. We beat them by a cricket score last game. And they play rugby. Lots of rugby. A shitload of rugby. In fact, they play a 124-game season every year!* So I’m the obvious choice to preview the State de France Test this weekend, right? Yeah right. Luckily there have been four great articles on French rugby by four guys who do know something about it this week on our website. Check them out here,…

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Let me start by saying that I like Rugby League. I’m from Queensland. I watched and played Rugby League for most of my younger life. But my first love has always been Rugby Union. And Rugby loved me back in a way League never did. Frankly, I don’t care what your favourite football code is as much as you don’t care what mine is. I’ll keep supporting the sports I love, and I’m more than happy for you do the same with the occasional bit of banter when we run into each other. Unhelpful suggestions But I’ve been moved to…

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Australia have travelled to New Zealand for their second game of The Rugby Championship. They walk into one of the toughest arenas in world sport. New Zealand’s record at Eden Park is an amazing tribute to the power of a crowd’s support and a team’s belief in it. The Wallabies have six changes to the team that look lost in Sydney last week. Only time will tell if the changes will improve or damage the team’s chances of breaking their 28-year losing streak. New Zealand start the game but the first five minutes are very scrappy. The Australians look more dangerous and focussed in…

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Brisbane put on a beautiful afternoon for Ladies day and the East v Sunnybank match at David Wilson Field. The strong easterly wind blew the length of the field all game had me wishing I had bought a heavier jumper but the kids playing footy on the training field never felt a thing. Easts started with the wind and the first 30 minutes we saw lots of enterprising play but little scoring with only a penalty each to show for the players efforts. But the last 10 minutes of the half was another story. Easts break down their left wing…

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Jake White has attracted quite a lot of praise in  local rugby circles for his work with the Brumbies. His support for local club rugby in Canberra should also be applauded, with Brumbies players taking the field with local players, bringing a touch of class for spectators and competitors alike to enjoy. Thank you, Jake and Brumbies. On to the matches. Wests 52 def Easts 7 By Ben Doyle (Empire) This match saw five Brumbies players take to the field, with Peter Kimlin, Jesse Mogg and Fotu Auelua for Wests. Jerry Yanuyanutawa and Andrew Smith donned the red, white and…

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If You Come, They Will Build It. As we walked into Albert Park on a beautiful Winter’s afternoon, the talk was not on who would win but on by how much. The consensus was Easts, by a lot! We bought some of the great burgers that Surfers Paradise Rugby make, found a spot and settled in to watch a walkover. But that’s not what we got! It was clear from the opening seconds that this was not the Breakers side we have seen for the last few weeks. These players were fired up, talking to each other, yelling for holes…

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The Reds take on the Highlanders in round 17 of Super Rugby action at Suncorp Stadium tonight. These teams, along with the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Sharks, are in a desperate battle for the last two finals spots. For the loser of  this game it’s curtains for the season. The players and management of both franchises know what’s at stake and will be doing everything in their power to walk away with the win tonight. The Reds welcome back Ben Tapuai but have lost the hard-running Digby Ioane to a chest infection and boom openside Liam Gill to a hamstring injury.…

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This match report of the East versus Uni match comes straight off the forum by regular contributor Tigerland12. Tigerland12 loves Qeensland Premier Rugby and his beloved Easts, and goes to most matches. Easts v. University Bottomely Park Strange but pleasant conditions created a healthy crowd for Round 9’s match of the round between two of the form heavy weights of the competition this year. Leading into the Premier game, University were looking for a clean sweep of the Tigers, given they had won all games that day. The size of the crowd watching, given the Wallabies game, was quite impressive,…

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If You Come, They Will Build It Round 12 of the John I Dent cup saw plenty of action and a couple of upsets. Although the Vikings still sit atop the ladder the gap to the chasing teams has shortened. On to the games. Easts V Uni-North Owls By Ben Doyle On a cold but sunny day at Griffith oval, Eastern Suburbs hosted the Uni-Norths Owls. Uni had started the season on fire, with three wins in a row, and the luckless Easts still unable to chalk up a win in first grade. The first halve started well for the…

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