Author: Nick Wasiliev

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”…

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…