Author: Nick Wasiliev

Friday’s Rugby News sees the matches for the weekend, club corner, Cheika confident in Folau and Gordon pushing for a win. If you haven’t already checked it out, take the time to have a read of Jamie Miller’s article “Australian Rugby: How to stop it Failing Upwards.” [one_half last=”no”] Squads out on the town And here we are friends. Once again, the rugby is back on this weekend, and we have plenty to talk about. It’s a pity there’s no Force match on this weekend to lift our spirits, so the boys in Super Rugby are going to have to put on…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees rugby’s private schools under threat, teams being included and omitted from the World Cup, Cheika on Folau’s comments and Gibson still feeling satisfied. [one_half last=”no”] AIC look to AFL, NRL League is on the march in Brisbane. Rugby Australia says it will welcome the challenge of Rugby League, with the Australian Independent Colleges (AIC) announcing they would offer league and AFL in a formal competition on a two-year trial basis during the winter season. Schools traditionally would only offer rugby union and soccer as their two winter sports. However, this move will see schools like St Laurence’s College, Iona College …

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees the Kiwis looking to the Pacific, Beale looking to Western Sydney, Fakaosiliea looking towards Centrelink and Samu potentially looking towards the Wallabies. If you haven’t already, take the chance to have a look at Jamie Miller’s piece where he examines every nook and cranny of Australian rugby. Whatever can be said, he says it. Read it, share it and support it. [one_half last=”no”] NZ looks to Pacific The Kiwis have decided to consider launching a Super Rugby side in the Pacific, but it’s for a reason that will surprise many of you. The Kiwi government wants to…

Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the weekends, more excuses from the coaches, more on Moody and the ref incident, and the Leinster picking up honours. [one_half last=”no”] Murphy’s Law You know, last week I asked myself: how much worse could it get? Well, this week we found out. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. No way were the Reds going to lose to the Sunwolves right? No way are we hitting that level of crap? Well, the Moon Doggies showed up and played some outstanding footy, sending the Reds home with 63-28 smack in the face and their tail…

Friday’s Rugby News sees the teams for the weekend, club corner, more on the two most disgruntled players in Aussie rugby right now and the Force picking up a big signing. [one_half last=”no”] The boys are back in town It’s Friday, the rugby is back on and all five of the Aussie teams are back in action this weekend. Three of them are against international opposition, so without further ado… The Reds are heading to Tokyo to play the Sunwolves as the first match this weekend. In what has been an interesting buildup, JP and Ruan Smith have been dropped from the squad…

Thursday’s Rugby News has Izzy walking the line, the Waratahs embracing the underdog, Castle having a plan, and more on Quade Cooper. [one_half last=”no”] Ya pushin’ me over the line It was an interesting night when Raelene Castle sat down for Kick & Chase on Fox Sports. It comes after the latest controversy involving Israel Folau, one that I really didn’t want to talk about yesterday. Izzy has recently got into hot water again for sharing a video from the late evangelist christian David Wilkerson. The video is intercut with the “need to get right with god”, with images of rainbow flags and burning clocks.…

Wednesday’s Rugby News has the Brumbies denying Cooper a lifeline, SANZAAR denying SA will bail, Nathan Charles talking his European stint, and Hamish Stewart officially out of the u20s squad. [one_half last=”no”] No lifeline for Cooper Over the last twenty four hours, it has been hoped that Quade Cooper would be jumping ship and potentially finding a home down in Canberra with the Brumbies. Joe Powell mentioned it. The media has talked about it. However, now the Ponies have confirmed that Cooper won’t make the trip down to the nation’s capital, not because they don’t want him, but because Cooper refused. Dan McKellar reportedly approached…

Monday’s Rugby News has the good and the bad from the weekend, more on the Tahs performance, Andy Friend losing faith, and more on World Series Rugby. [one_half last=”no”] Absolute Extremes That has got to have been one of the most fascinating weekends of rugby in this country for a long time. So I’m going to start with the positives. That Force-Fiji match. What. A. Game. Check out our review here.  On Saturday at 1pm I sat down to watch it on 7mate and was treated to something really special, a game played in fantastic spirit in front on 19,466…

Friday’s Rugby News sees the squads for the weekend, club corner, chewing the fat with Harry Johnson-Holmes and Super Rugby going stateside. [one_half last=”no”] The Game Goes National Well, look who’s back! It’s fantastic to see the return of the Western Force to Aussie rugby. After the year WA fans have had to go through, to come out the other side and see that they’ll be taking the field tonight against the Fiji Warriors will really be something special. On that, Nick H and I sat down and chatted to scrumhalf Ryan Louwrens ahead of tonight’s clash on our brand new podcast show ‘The…

Darkness rises from the Crash Ball. Now light rises to meet it.  With Matt and Reg on a break and Hugh hanging out with Alan Jones on the GAGR yacht,  it is up to two blokes called Nick to bring you the latest in rugby, straight from the horse’s mouth. The Dropped Kick-Off is the Michael Parkinson of Green and Gold Rugby Podcasts, an occasional personal chat show where we sit down to chew the fat with prominent figures in Aussie rugby. To kick off our first ever episode, we head west to celebrate the return of the Western Force. Ahead of their first game against…

When it comes to Waratah players, few wear their heart on their sleeve as much as Harry Johnson-Holmes. The young prop has experienced a rapid rise in Australia’s system over the last few years, having been part of the NSW and Australian U20s squads, the Sydney University Shute Shield team and the NSW Country Eagles in the National Rugby Championship. His successes led to him picking up a contract with the Waratahs this year.  Ahead of their crucial clash against the Blues, I sat down with him to talk about the Waratahs and his own progress in the game. Transitioning into…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees the Rebels finally have a logo, the Force eligible for the national team, the start of a new day in Western Sydney, and shots fired across the ditch. [one_half last=”no”] New Sponsor The Melbourne Rebels started this year off the back of a whirlwind of controversy, with a new squad, a new coach… and no sponsor. Well, now they finally have one. Rugby Victoria announced yesterday that they have teamed up with Legacy Property and Investment Group on a two year deal, and with that comes “a program of community initiatives designed to promote inclusion and…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees a new jersey unveiled, the Force creating new rules, Phipps owning up, and Kerevi happy for Cooper. [one_half last=”no”] Another Year, Another Jersey In an attempt to part fans from $159 of their hard-earned cash, the Wallabies unveiled their 2018 jersey yesterday. I don’t know why it is a thing that every year now we have a new jersey. Just pick one and bloody stick with it. Many fans (including myself) fell completely head over heels for the awesome indigenous jersey they played in at Suncorp last year, and for the life of me I wish…

Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the weekend, Kafe dishing out the shit, the latest from the Singapore Sevens and the loss of a Shute Shield club. [one_half last=”no”] What?! We won a game?! I was not looking forward to writing the news this weekend. I was fully expecting I’d have to trawl through yet another winless round. Yet, as Hoss astutely reminded me on Friday, you stick by the teams in good times and bad, and this weekend I was pleasantly surprised with (at least some) of the results. Starting over in a rainy Cape Town, the Rebels went…

Friday’s Rugby News has the teams of the week, club corner, George Smith on the Reds, and the Rebels looking desperate. [one_half last=”no”] The Weekend is Upon Us The weekend is upon us,  and we are into round eleven. I’m not exactly looking upon this weekend with optimism, but from that, I’m entering into a state where all I can say to all the Aussie Super Rugby teams is “come on! Prove me wrong!” Starting this week is the Rebels, who will play in South Africa against the Stormers in Cape Town. In their eight year history, the Stockade have never…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees two legends calling time, Fardy in line for accolades, and Parahi on the Singapore Sevens. [one_half last=”no”] Calling Time, Pt 1. Womens rugby has moved forward in leaps and bounds over the last ten months, and a lot of that has come off the back of the outstanding way female rugby players have conducted themselves as fantastic role models. Now, one of the greats of the Aussie Womens game has officially announced their retirement from international rugby. Ash Hewson, the veteran who guided NSW to the first ever Super W title and whose boot proved to be the only…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees a Bledisloe double, Hooper trying to win back fans, Brumbies talking about improving, and similarly tough times for the men from Auckland. [one_half last=”no”] Double Header The Bledisloe Cup double header will be back this year. After the success of the event in Auckland in 2016, the Wallabies and Wallaroos will be play two back-to-back matches for the first time ever in Sydney this year. This match will be extra special for the Wallaroos, who will play their first home game since 2008. Also, it’ll be the 50th test in their history. And it really says something that by comparison, many…

Monday’s Rugby News sees us having to go over what our Super Rugby teams dished up to us, an angry Thorn, other results from weekend, and Horne retiring. [one_half last=”no”] In Memorial We begin in Affectionate Remembrance of Australia’s Super Rugby teams, which died in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Pretoria over the weekend. Their loss was deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. Their competition points will be cremated and the ashes split evenly between South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand. Yeah, god this weekend was crap. But don’t worry, we can suffer together as we go through the results…

Friday’s Rugby News sees the squads for the weekend, club corner, the latest on Super Rugby’s ratings and the Super W potentially expanding. [one_half last=”no”] The Rugby Returns The rugby is back as we cross over the halfway point in the Super Rugby regular season, and it’s getting to crunch time for many of the teams. All four of the Aussie teams will be in action against overseas opposition, so without further ado, let’s begin: The Waratahs kick off festivities on Friday night when they host the Lions, and are opting for a massive pack to push back the current Saffa…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees the fallout from Stannard’s one punch attack, Spain learning their fate, the Rebels having a point to prove, and more on the Super W. [one_half last=”no”] Not guilty Sam Oliver, the British backpacker who was accused of assaulting Aussie Sevens captain James Stannard in Coogee was brought before Waverly Local Court yesterday. Oliver pleaded not guilty to the assault of Stannard, which reportedly took place at 3am outside a kebab shop on March 30. The injury meant that Stannard missed out on competing at the Commonwealth Games. According to police, Stannard was reportedly “seemingly having a nice conversation”…