Author: Nick Wasiliev

Tuesday’s Rugby News sees Karmichael somehow getting off, the Reds in limbo, Walsh named as the new Sevens coach and Rugby Australia attempting to patch things up. [one_half last=”no”] The Hunt is called off Finally, Rugby Australia has handed down its verdict on Karmichael Hunt, and the result? Well, pretty much a $10,000 slap on the wrist. Hunt was found guilty of  a “low-level” breach of RA’s player code of conduct and received the fine, as well as a four match ban. However, seeing as he has already missed four matches, that doesn’t apply. So it pretty much makes the…

Monday’s Rugby News sees the action from all the weekend, Jones on the result, Super Rugby in Hawaii and the Brumbies taking one step at a time.  [one_half last=”no”] Super Results Aside from the Rebels, it was a pretty bloody awesome weekend for the Aussie teams in round five, with two wins against international opposition and a cracker of a derby match. We start off in Canberra. It was dull, it was scrappy and it was tedious, but a win is a win, and this one was certainly an important one for the Brumbies as they knocked over the Sharks 24-17.…

Friday’s Rugby News sees the Super squads for the weekend, the other big rugby matches, Hunt copping a fine and the Commonwealth Rugby squads announced. [one_half last=”no”] Super Squads There will be a slightly different format to Super Rugby this weekend, with only one match on Friday, and Australian festivities kicking off on Saturday night down in Canberra. The Brumbies are currently the lowest ranked Aussie team, sitting on only one win for the season. They are up against a similarly placed Sharks outfit, who themselves only grabbed their first win of the year against the Sunwolves at home last weekend. Dan…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees Rugby Australia phasing out foreign players, Folau not rushing himself, the Rebels reining themselves in, and the Brumbies naming their first Super W squad. [one_half last=”no”] Downsizing Over the last decade, Australian rugby grew with the inclusion of the Force and Rebels in Super Rugby, and with them came an influx of marquee players from overseas, here to get fans to games and to make the teams more competitive. Well, after years of having a foreign marquee player policy, Rugby Australia has announced plans to focus more on Australian players, with less player contracts up for grabs. With…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees a whole bunch of stats, the Waratahs preparing for the Dunlop clash, the Brumbies and Reds talking improvements, and a big achievement for New Zealand Womens Rugby. [one_half last=”no”] The Stats Don’t Lie Well, here’s a funny thing. Four rounds in, and we’re getting analysis reports. Analysis group Rugby Vision have released some pretty interesting stats about Super Rugby 2018. I don’t actually know how the hell they calculate these results (or that they might be jumping the gun on this whole thing), but they seem pretty accurate. And it’s pretty obvious who is dominating the…

The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, and for the first time in a long time Matt, Hugh and Jamie were all in the same room (literally) to talk about the most pressing topics in Australian rugby. The Five Burning Questions: 1. What was the best/worst performance of round 4? 2. Are the Rebels the real deal? 3. Which side should be more worried – the Brumbies or the Tahs? 4. Can we beat Ireland with one week to prepare? 5. What are our predictions for round 5?

Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the weekend just gone, the Super W off to a flyer, Higgers on the road and the latest from the Sevens. [one_half last=”no”] ICYMI It was a busy weekend of rugby, both on the domestic and international front. Starting in Super Rugby, the Highlanders made light work of the Stormers, winning 33-15 to heap more pain on the visitors tour. They will return to South Africa with no wins to face the Blues. The Rebels made light work of the Brumbies, winning 33-10 to go top of both the Australian conference and of the…

Friday’s Rugby News sees all of the squads for the weekend, other upcoming fixtures at home and overseas, Rugby Australia establishing a new national ID program, and Poey’s return date confirmed! [one_half last=”no”] Squad’s In Starting off in Super Rugby, the squads for three of the Aussie teams are out and there’s plenty to talk about. Beginning with the derby, the Rebels have had to make one big change, with skipper Adam Coleman out due to sternum soreness. However, they do have a solid replacement in Ross Haylett-Petty, who will join Matt Philip in the second row. Tom English has been handed the…

Sekope Kepu has used the last couple of months to reflect on life on the sideline and manage the frustration of not being part of the on field action. He is a free man this week after sitting out a three-match ban for a dangerous shoulder charge on Scotland’s Hamish Watson in the Wallabies’ loss to Scotland at Murrayfield last November. The suspension resulted in him missing the start of the NSW Waratahs’ 2018 campaign, including pre-season match against the Melbourne Rebels at Brookvale Oval and more importantly, the opening rounds of Super Rugby matches against the Stormers at home…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees changed up rules for Twiggy’s World Series, some big news out the Rebels and Brumbies, the Queensland Super W team naming their squad, and Giteau reflecting. [one_half last=”no”] Hybrid Rugby Twiggy brought a smile to the face of many a rugby fan with his announcement of the Force’s return on Tuesday. With it came a series of exhibition matches the team would play, which he dubbed ‘World Series Rugby,’ the new name for the IPRC. But outside of the fixtures and the plan for this year, not much is known about WSR. With plans to kick off…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees a whole lot of news out of the west, Tuttle keen to stay on at the Reds, and the Tahs focusing on Ledesma. [one_half last=”no”] Only two months to wait… Until yesterday, many rugby fans (especially those over in the West) had been wondering what would be happening with the Force in 2018. Will their competition get off the ground? Will it be supported by Rugby Australia? Will they even take the field again? The answer now is a resounding yes. In fact, the Force will be back in less than two months. In a monster…

The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, with Matt, Hugh and Brett McKay here to talk all the latest topics in Australian rugby. The Five Burning Questions: 1. What was the best and worst performance from round 3? 2. Three rounds in, are there are any Aussie contenders that could win Super Rugby? 3. Will the new Western Force squad be competitive in 2018? 4. Raelene’s Rugby Australia: has it been a step in the right direction or is it more of the same? 5. What are our predictions for round 4?

Tuesday’s Rugby News has a genius idea, the results from the Las Vegas Sevens, Sefo stepping up in Super W, and Thorn being Thorn. [one_half last=”no”] An Overseas Aussie club? We start todays news with something a little more left-field. Last week, New Zealand Rugby announced that it had entered into a partnership with English club heavyweights Harlequins, which is a big move for both parties. New Zealand Rugby has been pretty vague on the promises with the whole arrangement, but it seems clear that there will be what Guardian columnist Bret Harris calls a “mutually beneficial exchange of coaches, players and ideas.”…

Monday’s Rugby News sees the results from the past weekend,  where all the Super Rugby coaches see where their team is at, and a old friend returning to the fray. [one_half last=”no”] The Other Stuff… It was a busy weekend in Super Rugby, so we’ll start on the international front for the week. Starting in Auckland, the Chiefs made it 13 games without a loss over the Blues, when they knocked over their northern rivals 21-27. It was a particularly bitter loss for the hosts, as they led for a decent chunk of the match and were coming up against a…

The boys are all back together to discuss round 2 of the Super Rugby. WARNING: May contain swearing

Friday’s Rugby News sees more on the Super Rugby squads, other matches for the upcoming weekend, Maddocks aiming high and a whole lot of news out of (and about) Ballymore. [one_half last=”no”] Squads Out, Young Guns Out The rugby gets back underway again tonight, and all of the Aussie teams have unveiled their squads for what should be an interesting weekend of rugby. Last week Aussie teams went two from two against international opposition, while the Rebels made light work of the Reds. Starting out at Suncorp, the Reds will be looking to grab a much needed first win for the…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees the Reds turning to the future, the Brumbies not getting complacent, Staniforth keen to make his mark, and another Kiwi heading overseas. [one_half last=”no”] Look to the Future The Reds have unveiled their squad to take on the Brumbies on Friday night. I’ll definitely agree with Rugby Reg here when he says that it looks like a bloody young squad, particularly the bench. The big inclusions in this squad is rookie back rower Liam Wright, who has been drafted into the starting lineup following his debut last week against the Rebels. The other inclusion is a name…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees legends calling it quits, Tui heading for a timeout, the calming presence of Christian, and some good news for Washington rugby fans. [one_half last=”no”] Ready for Retirement Starting off today’s news, Irish No 8. Jamie Heaslip and All Black prop Wyatt Crocket have officially announced their retirement from the game this year. Heaslip was the the first to announce his retirement, effective immediately. With 95 Irish caps to his name, he toured twice with the British and Irish Lions while also enjoying incredible success with his club Leinster, winning three Heineken Cups, a Challenge Cup and three Pro12/Celtic…

The tin-foil hats have been dusted off, and the Green and Gold Rugby Show is finally back for another year. With Super Rugby kicking back off this weekend for the Aussie teams, Rugby Reg, Matt and Nick are all in the chair to talk about all the latest topics in Australian rugby. The Five Burning Questions – 1. What was the most impressive individual/team performance of the round? 2. What was the least impressive performance of the round? 3. Were the refs too influential on Round 2? 4. Has the English slide commenced? 5. What could we expect from Round 3?

Tuesday’s Rugby News sees more fallout from the Reds loss, more fallout from the referees, Sio out at the Brumbies and Wessels demanding more. [one_half last=”no”] Red Faced Last Friday was a tough night for Queensland fans, as the Reds were comprehensively outplayed by the Rebels down in Melbourne. But, as many angry viewers took to social media, it could be widely agreed that it wasn’t just the Rebels that made the loss so convincing. There was also the problem of ill-discipline, which seem to go together with the Reds at the moment like bacon and eggs. For the last few…