Author: Nick Wasiliev

Friday’s Rugby News sees the Wallabies squad for South Africa, NRC Corner, a call for changes in tackle laws and a call for Pacific Island Inclusion. [one_half last=”no”] Time to Shine International rugby resumes this weekend with the final two weeks of the Rugby Championship, and strangely, the competition is still up in the air. The wins to South Africa and Argentina a fortnight ago have thrown the ladder open somewhat, and with two weeks left, more upsets could be on the cards. The good news for the Wallabies is that Michael Cheika has finally listened to the legions of screaming…

In what was one of the best matches of the NRC this year, the Fiji Drua finally broke their away losing streak when they defeated a brave Sydney Rays outfit in front of a big crowd at Concord Oval.  The Rays were in control for most of the match, but a incredible fightback spearheaded by Apisalome Waqatabu in the final quarter saw the away team snatch victory in the final five minutes.  Starting with the visitors, the Drua were coming into this game as red hot favourites. With two big wins at home, they crashed out heavily the week before, getting smacked by…

Friday’s Rugby News sees Rugby Australia’s plan to fend off the poaching of talent, round four of the NRC Corner, the Uni 7s squads for round 3, and Kerevi re-signing with the Reds. [one_half last=”no”] RA have a plan Watch out guys! RA have a plan that is going to change the world. As reported in The Australian, the governing body announced yesterday that they will be introducing new tiers to its Super Rugby Academies, bringing in boys as young as 15 in an attempt head off poaching from the likes of AFL, the A-League and the NRL. This technique…

The NSW Country Eagles have notched up their first win of the season, out-muscling the Sydney Rays to win 19-33 in Sydney.  In a revisit to the classic city City-Country rivalry, both teams put on a bruising display of footy at Leichardt Oval on Wednesday night. In the end, it was a hat-trick to Jake Gordon and the Eagles scrum who proved the difference.  Both teams came into this fixture winless, with unimpressive previous performances and a aura of controversy following an explosive article that poked holes in the NSW NRC teams by a former player on the Roar. Everything that the unnamed…

Get ready to batten down the hatches. The lads are back, and they’re pissed. After an abhorrent weekend in Aussie rugby which saw a lacklustre performance by the Wallabies, ugly fan backlash, and yet more floggings dealt upon the NSW NRC teams, Rugby Reg, Hugh and Jamie (with a small warm-up cameo from Mr. Rowley) sat down to try and make sense of it all. Is the game you love hurting you right now? Come join us. Let the hate flow through you. Warning: occasional coarse language  The Five Burning Questions 1. What went wrong on Saturday night? 2. How should…

Friday’s Rugby News sees more Rugby Championship thoughts, Club/NRC Corner, a dire message from World Rugby and the Wallabies keen to take on their mentor. [one_half last=”no”] More Shock Selections The names are back! The Wallabies have made five changes to the side that beat the Springboks last weekend for their game this weekend against the Pumas. David Pocock, Adam Coleman, Sekope Kepu and Nick Phipps are among the big names returning to the squad. However the biggest shock is the return of Israel Folau… on the wing. Folau has started at Fullback for 61 straight tests, but with Dayne…

Nick & Nick are back once again to talk with the best minds in Australian rugby (and this week, worldwide). With all the talk on the state of Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship left right and centre, not much has reached Australian rugby fans as to the state of the game in Argentina (and the Americas in general). This weekend, as the Wallabies gear up to face the Pumas on the Gold Coast, Nick and Nick sat down with Americas Rugby News very own guru Paul Tait to talk the state of the game in the Americas, the development of the Pumas,…

Matt, Hugh and Jamie are back for another edition of the Green and Gold Rugby Show, examining the Wallabies win over the Springboks, the Rugby Championship structure, the NRC and more. This week also includes a full blown explanation of how Bernard Foley is the Dave Grohl of Australian rugby… The Five Burning Questions: 1. Was that an improved performance by the Wallabies? 2. Is the Beale – Toomua combo worth persevering with? 3. What will be the Wallabies have to do to beat the Pumas? 4. What’s wrong with the Rugby Championship? 5. What else happened around the grounds?

Monday’s Rugby News sees us finally back in the winners circle, the latest round of NRC, the results from the Aon Uni Sevens and mindsets turning to Argentina. [one_half last=”no”] Back in the Winners Circle Ahhh, the four match losing streak finally comes to an end. The Wallabies retained the Mandela Challenge Plate after a scrappy 23-18 win over the Springboks.  While the game was far from the flashiest effort, the players overcame a disrupted lead up that saw David Pocock, Israel Folau and Adam Coleman ruled out, and showed plenty of old-fashioned grit and determination in the dying stages to bring it…

Friday’s Rugby News sees the teams for the weekend, club/NRC corner, the teams for the AON Uni Sevens and the QRU unveiling a new competition. Also, apologies for there being no pods this week. On the GAGR front, two of us are overseas at the moment and we were unable to lock in a time to chat with Ben Darwin. We will have one next week for you though. [one_half last=”no”] Back up for the Boks After what was a really fun weekend of NRC action and the Shute Shield grand final, we are now thrust back into the roller coaster…

With the return of the NSW teams to the NRC in round two, it’s time to brush off the old akubra and talk about the last (and certainly best) team in all of the NRC, the mighty NSW Country Eagles! I make it no secret that I’m a big fan of the Country Eagles, but I will put aside my fandom and give an honest preview of what will be a tough season for the men from out bush. Background While many folks have been disappointed by the New South Wales teams lack of success at NRC level, the Country Eagles have…

After a fantastic first round of NRC action that saw bumper crowds in Fiji and Brisbane and quality games played throughout, all teams will finally enter the fray with the introduction of the two NSW teams.  First off, today we start with the team that has, in my opinion, the toughest task of all eight teams in the competition this year, the Sydney Rays. Why, you may ask? BACKGROUND There is a real sense, particularly over the last two or three seasons of this great little competition, that fans are really starting to come round to the teams, rugby and what…

Nick & Nick are back once again to talk with the best names in Aussie rugby, and with the Shute Shield Grand Final approaching on Saturday, sat down with the Sydney Rugby Union President David Begg. The lads talk all things about the 2018 Shute Shield season, the emergence of club rugby in general, the NRC and more. And it also comes with an exclusive prediction for Saturday’s Grand Final winner. You heard it all first here…

Friday’s Rugby News sees points to be proven, club corner, Haylett-Petty talking the talk and and bit of positive news out of Queensland. [one_half last=”no”] Point to Prove The chat has been growing over the past few weeks, and now finally, the National Rugby Championship is upon us. And if there is any indication of how valuable this tournament has become for Aussie rugby, it’s the fact that a lot of coaches and players are coming into this competition with a point to prove. No one has a point to prove more than Karmichael Hunt and Quade Cooper. With Coops…

We get it. Last weekend sucked at Eden Park. So much so that our producer Nick tried to escape watching the game. But we have a podcast for your ears to help you wash that disgusting taste out of your mouth. The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, getting you over the game line on all the hottest topics in Australian rugby. This week, Rugby Reg and Nick were joined by Brett McKay to talk about what went wrong with the Bledisloe II for the Wallabies and the progress of the Wallaroos, before diving head-first into previewing…

Friday’s Rugby News sees a less than enthusiastic Rugby Championship preview, club corner, the latest in the Wallaroos camp, Ashley-Cooper potentially coming home and the Stockman preparing to meet the best in the west. Still need the therapy after last week? We have two podcasts that can help you immensely. [one_half last=”no”] …Time and Time Again Well bollocks. This time last week I poured my heart out. Guess pride comes before a fall. It was a depressing weekend of footy last weekend. And now, it could be about to get worse. Michael Cheika and the entire squad has been absolutely slammed on…

It was a long, painful night for Wallaby fans on Saturday. Fortunately, we have a remedy for you in the form of ice-cold podcast,  which you should apply vigorously to help remove the pain. Best listened to in accompaniment with an ice-cold beer. Rugby Reg, Matt and Nick are on hand to try and make sense of what went wrong on in the Wallabies loss to the All Blacks, and delve into the latest questions around the where the team goes from here. The Five Burning Questions: 1) Should we be surprised by that result? 2) Were there any positives? 3)…

Friday’s Rugby News has the Bledisloe squads, the start of the club corner grand finals, the Womens Bledisloe Squads and the final match of World Series Rugby… yeah, this is a bumper edition. [one_half last=”no”] It’s Time… Normally I’d do a small preview for all the matches this weekend, but I’ve been feeling really strange in the lead up to this match. So I thought I’d get this off my chest, as a rugby fan. This is the best time of the year for rugby fans here in Australia. It’s that match. It’s that time again, for us to have a…

Friday’s Rugby News has more on Rugby Australia’s Women’s World Cup bid, the sum to keep Hooper in Australia, a deliciously crispy edition of club corner, what’s going on in the west this weekend and more NRC squads. [one_half last=”no”] RA Corner It’s time for some Rugby Australia goss, and we’ll start with the girls. In 2016, the women’s game was in dire straits when it was announced Buildcorp was pulling their support for the NRC due to a lack of progress to get more women playing. Now, Australia has a Aon Uni-Sevens competition, the Super W, and back-to-back Bledisloe tests between…

The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, here to chew the fat on all the hottest topics in Australian rugby. This week we have a rare event for you, as Hugh, Matt and Jamie broadcast live from Jamie’s apartment and come together to answer the following: The Five Burning Questions: 1. Did we learn anything from the Leichhardt trial? 2. Are there any surprises in the Wallabies squad? 3. What the hell is going on at the Reds? 4. Did Richie Mo’unga play his way into the All Blacks Number 10 jersey? 5. What is happening around the…