Author: Nick Wasiliev
Nick Wasiliev
Die-hard Brumbies/Country Eagles fan now based in Sydney. Author, anthropologist, musician, second rower. Still trying to make sense of the 21st century. Dropped a debut novel last year...
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”…
Wednesday’s Rugby News sees no sanctions on Izzy, a new addition to the Womens World Series leg, the Ireland series and the Super W grand final. [one_half last=”no”] A lucky escape Yesterday, Rugby Australia handed down it’s verdict on Izzy Folau’s gay comments, and have decided to not impose any sanctions. Izzy published an article on PlayersVoice yesterday, titled ‘I’m a Sinner Too’, where he aimed to set the records straight. However, in doing so he admitted that he was prepared to walk away from the sport if his position was considered to be untenable by RA and his sponsors. “I understand…
Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the weekend, the results from the Commonwealth Games, big news out of WA and the fallout from the Tahs-Reds derby. [one_half last=”no”] 2017 is back! Well, shit. It was a god-awful weekend of Super Rugby results for Aussie fans to stomach, unless you’re from Sydney. We’ll start down this rabbit hole of awfulness in Melbourne, where the Rebels lost a crucial match in their season against the Jaguares. Leading until the last five minutes of the game, the Rebels lost a player to the bin and couldn’t keep up with the fast finishing Argentineans. You can…
Friday’s Rugby News sees the squads for the weekend, club corner, the Super W final and more on the Commonwealth Games. [one_half last=”no”] God’s Game Returns We’re nearly at the halfway point of the Super Rugby season, with round nine upon us for this weekend. Starting with the Aussie matches, the Rebels will be kicking things off when they host the Jaguares in Melbourne. Coming off the bye, and the flogging from the Hurricanes, the Rebels are coming into the hardest period of their season, and a win here will be crucial to keeping first place in the Aussie conference. Among…
Thursday’s Rugby News sees Phipps returning, more on that fullback guy you may have heard about, the Brumbies not wanting to talk about it, and a Rebels outfit looking to make amends. [one_half last=”no”] Look who’s back? Clue: it’s Nick Phipps. Having sat out the first half of this year with a calf injury, Phipps came back last weekend for Sydney University in the Shute Shield. It was a good runout for the halfback, with him scoring a hat-trick against Parramatta. Now, he’s in line to make the return to Super Rugby. However, while I hear nearly half the Waratahs support…
Wednesday’s Rugby News sees the fallout from Folau, Rugby Australia nominating Waugh, our yearly Welsh test locked in, and the future looking bright for Women’s Rugby. [one_half last=”no”] Fallout Folau Well, Israel Folau had a chat with the Waratahs and Rugby Australia today about his Instagram comments. The result? Well, not much. At least not immediately. Raelene Castle fronted the media after the discussion, and said that the meeting was a very positive and considered one, and that Izzy acknowledged that maybe saying that gays will go to hell unless they repent their sins might have been, in retrospect, not a very…
The bye week is over, and the boys are back! Hugh, Matt and Nick are back in the chair for another week to get you all over the game line on the hottest topics of Australian rugby. The Five Burning Questions – 1. Rugby Australia’s $3m loss – what does it mean? 2. Should Rugby Australia punish Israel Folau? 3. What can we learn from last weekend’s games? 4. Commonwealth Games Sevens – can we win? 5. What’s happening this weekend?
Monday’s Rugby News sees results from the weekend, Thorn furious at his team, Hooper disappointed at discipline and the latest from the Sevens. [one_half last=”no”] The weekend that was All up, it was a pretty good weekend for Aussie rugby fans, with two of the better matches we’ve had so far this year played out in Canberra and Tokyo. First up, the Brumbies put a smile back on this news writers face against the Reds, coming from 0-15 inside the first fifteen minutes to run out 45-21 winners in front of the Canberra faithful. The second half was where shit went sideways for…
Friday’s Rugby News sees the teams for the weekend, the latest in clubland, Izzy getting called into the headmasters office and new record being set. [one_half last=”no”] That Time of the Week Again… The squads are up, the teams are ready, so let’s get into this weekend of Super Rugby. Starting off, the Waratahs will be heading off to Tokyo to play the Moon Dogs in what will look like a really interesting encounter. The Sunwolves haven’t won a match so far, but they have shown glimpses of potential, particularly when they nearly knocked off the Lions in Johannesburg. Alex Newsome…
Thursday’s Rugby News sees Miller and Newsome stepping up, Parahi becoming skipper, Fainga’a re-signing, and a legend retiring. [one_half last=”no”] Blooding the boys The Waratahs have named their squad for their upcoming match against the Moon Dogs, and there’s a couple of notable inclusions in the squad. One of the biggest ones is Will Miller. After debuting with the Rebels last year, Miller has continued to grow and mature through the Shute Shield and the NRC, and his inclusion in the Tahs starting lineup squad after five weeks of impressing on the bench seemed to be a case of not if, but…
Wednesday’s Rugby News Hutchy having high hopes, the Brums having a point to prove, Newsome in the hunt, and some opinions on the Trans-Tasman situation. Sorry guys, unfortunately there won’t be a new podcast this week. Reg won’t come on unless the Reds are playing. Rest assured, we’ll be back next week. [one_half last=”no”] Hopeful Hutchy Hong Kong seems to be the last place to go if you’re looking to earn a maiden Super Rugby berth. But for Henry Hutchison, it’s the perfect place. With the Dewar Shield not kicking off for another fortnight, Hutchison is hoping to use his…
Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the weekend, the latest from Izzy’s injury, the Rebels picking up the pieces, and Sio on the line. [one_half last=”no”] Back to Square One It was a weekend where we were brought back to earth, with everyone (bar the Waratahs) having a bit of a shocker. Friday night saw the much anticipated first Trans-Tasman derby between the Hurricanes and the Rebels in Melbourne. I wasn’t confident of the Stockade’s chances against a Hurricanes side this good, but at least if we could be competitive, and show that 2017 was far behind us, that would be…
Friday’s Rugby News sees the matches of the weekend, the club rugby corner, Debreczeni defying critics, and Con Foley captaining. [one_half last=”no”] Time to Dance The rugby is upon us once again, and this time it’s the moment of truth… can we finally beat the Kiwis and end this god-awful Super Rugby streak? Dave Wessels has made three changes to the Rebels, with Lopeti Timani, Matt Philip and Tom English coming in for Colby Fainga’a, Geoff Parling and Sefa Naivalu, respectively. “I can honestly say this week has been the toughest selection I’ve ever had to make,” Wessels said. “We are very fortunate to have…
Thursday’s Rugby News has Tupou cleared, Folau searching inside, Haylett-Petty ruled out and more on Pocock. [one_half last=”no”] Surviving the music Reds fans can breathe a sigh of relief: the Tongan Thor has escaped suspension. Tupou was potentially in line for a suspension under law 9.13: ‘A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously’ for a late tackle on winger Craig Barry during the Stormers match. Instead, he was found guilty of law 9.11: ‘Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others.’ However, after reviewing multiple angles of the hit and a statement from Barry and the…
Wednesday’s Rugby News see’s Tupou facing the music, Horwitz heading overseas, Cheika happy with Super Rugby, Rugby Australia appealing for unity, and the latest out of Europe. [one_half last=”no”] Facing the music The Tongan Thor had a disappointing end to his tour, after being being cited for a dangerous tackle in the Reds 25-19 loss to the Stormers in Cape Town. It could get a lot worse for Tupou, with him being pulled before a judiciary hearing on Tuesday night, charged with contravening law 9.13: ‘A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously’. Should he be found guilty, Tupou…
The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, with Hugh, Matt and Nick chewing the fat on the latest topics in Australian rugby. This week’s podcast features an exclusive interview with Waratahs Forwards Coach Simon Cron, ahead of their crucial derby match against the Brumbies this weekend. The Five Burning Questions – 1. What can rugby learn from the cricket scandal? 2. Should we be disappointed with that Reds loss? 3. What would be an acceptable result against all the Kiwi teams this year? 4. Who is Simon Cron and where did he come from? 5. What…
Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the weekend, Thorn being proud of the lads, the latest signings for the Force, and Dom saying goodbye. [one_half last=”no”] The results are in… It was another solid weekend for Aussie rugby, even though one team got up and another went down. Starting in Melbourne, the Rebels got back to winning ways by thumping the living daylights out of the Sharks, 46-14. It was an all-round attacking masterclass from the home side, particularly in the second half when they ran in four tries to earn the bonus point. It was fair to say…
Friday’s Rugby News sees squads named, games to be played, the start of a new segment, confidence building for the Kiwis, and other news. [one_half last=”no”] Squads Named… The rugby kicks off again this weekend in what will be a reduced round, with three teams having a bye. Unfortunately for Aussie rugby fans, two of those teams are the Tahs and the Brumbies, which leaves the Reds and the Rebels as the teams that will do battle this weekend. Starting in Melbourne on Friday night, the Rebels will be determined to get back to winning ways after getting blown off…