Author: Nick Wasiliev

It has been a tough couple of days for Australian rugby. And tough times call for a big podcast. Reg, Hugh and Jamie are all on deck for a special edition of the Green and Gold Rugby Show. Focusing on the removal of the Western Force, and the impact it will have on the game nationally, they were lucky enough to speak with former ARU Board Member Geoff Stooke, who resigned from the ARU in protest of their management of the Super Rugby process. The lads also took time to chat about the Wallabies, Wallaroos and upcoming club rugby finals.

Friday’s Rugby News has more transfers, a tough opening for our ladies at the RWC, some very worried Japanese Rugby officials, and Kerevi keen for combinations. [one_half last=”no”] Faulkner heads home With the absolute basket case that Super Rugby is, it’s a miracle that in the last couple of days there’s been so many signings. The Melbourne Rebels have been particularly busy on the signing front. Following them getting Amanaki Mafi to re-sign yesterday, the men from Victoria have announced another big signing: Tetera Faulkner from the Western Force. Despite being Kiwi-born, Faulkner moved to Melbourne when he was 13. Growing up…

Thursday Rugby News has the Rebels re-signing, sassy kiwi police officers, the Wallaroos squad for Ireland, and Rona talking Wallabies. [one_half last=”no”] Mafi adds to Rebels arsenal The Melbourne Rebels have had a crazy couple of days, with the selling of their club back to the VRU for $1, and their defiance in being cut from Super Rugby. While the whole Super Rugby scenario is a dog’s breakfast, the re-signing of standout player Amanaki Mafi on an extended one year contract is certainly an encouraging sign for the Rebel Army. Mafi was a standout for the club in an absolute disaster…

Reg, Hugh and Jamie chatted Sevens Rugby with Australian Womens Sevens Coach Tim Walsh, exactly one year after they won gold at the Rio Olympics. Oh, and they also had a little bit to say on Super Rugby and the Wallabies ahead of the Bledisloe Test next week.

Yep, we missed the last two rounds. I was on holiday. But no matter! But we’re back to talk Intrust Super Shute Shield, and more specifically, the make up of the finals. Cause boy, do we have a finals series on our hands! The Table Round 17 Review Gordon 25 – 27 Sydney University West Harbour 32 – 29 Randwick Southern Districts 35 – 28 Warringah Manly 46 – 38 Penrith Eastwood 15 – 29 Northern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs 52 – 23 Parramatta Of the two rounds we saw, this penultimate one proved the most pivotal in setting up the final six.…

Expect plenty of fireworks this weekend in the Intrust Super Shute Shield. With only two rounds of the regular season left, many clubs seasons will be on the line this weekend. The Table The Previews FREE-TO-AIR BROADCAST MATCH: WARRINGAH VS. MANLY, PITTWATER RUGBY PARK, KICK OFF: SATURDAY 3:10PM, 22ND JULY 2017, LIVE ON 7TWO IN NSW AND THE ACT FROM 3:00PM, REPLAY IN QLD.  Yeah, with all due respect to the other matches on this weekend, let’s be frank: this is the match of the round, hands down. First vs second. Battle of the Beach. Potential top of the table finish on the line. This…

The weekend is nearly upon us. Friday’s Rugby News has some final comments on the Super Rugby before the knockouts, ‘official’ comments from the Pro 12, more talk of a Pacific Islands Super Rugby team, and Cheika keen for the match up against a boiled egg. [one_half last=”no”] Super Rugby Goss Yep, it’s time for the knockout finals. And, it may indeed be the case that, should Brumbies fail to pull off an upset tonight, it could be the last of Australian Super Rugby that we see this year. Will all due respect, maybe that isn’t actually a bad thing. But hey, if…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees Kiwis taking inspiration from the Brumbies, more talk on the Wallaby squad, Gibson once again trying to teach his Tahs a lesson, and more news from the NRC. [one_half last=”no”] Canes inspired by a Brumby Yep, never thought you’d hear that this year, but in fairness, this a pretty damn good thing to be inspired by. The Hurricanes have taken inspiration for Saturday’s game against the Brumbies by admiring the return of Christian Lealiifano. Surprisingly, when the Hurricanes last came to Canberra they were smashed 52-10 in the first round of the 2016 season, and that loss still…

Well this was an epic round! The Intrust Super Shute Shield served us some smashing games this weekend, so let’s dive into our review of the round that was. MANLY 25 – 27 SOUTHERN DISTRICTS, MANLY OVAL, 15TH JULY 2017 I’m still on a high after this one. The fact I got to watch it on 7TWO was even better. I knew it was going to be a close one: the last few weeks have been troubling for the Marlins, with some less than convincing wins. They knew that Southern Districts were in form, and to their credit, they played with plenty of…

This year has been an absolute shocker for Aussie rugby. With one exception. The massive improvement of the Western Force. They have embodied so much of what rugby should be about. Passion. Playing for your teammates. When I look back on any positive moments of this year, I’m going to think of the final minute of this game, when Matty Hodgson stepped to the tee to kick his first (and only) penalty of his career, and his dad Max being helped up from his seat to watch. We’ve been asking for passion all year. You want to see the difference…

Yep, we’ve come to the big one. The lads in the podcast have been talking about this match for a while. While this match means next to diddly squat for Super Rugby finals calculations, for the Western Force and the Waratahs, this match means a little more than that.  The Big Picture Need I say it? I hope to god it isn’t true, but this may be the Western Force’s last ever game. I seriously hope it isn’t, because they’ve been the only Aussie side even remotely worth watching this year, and have, through their efforts of the team and…

We’re about to hit crunch time as we head into the last few rounds of the Intrust Super Shute Shield. Here’s our preview for the upcoming weekend. The Table THE PREVIEWS FREE-TO-AIR BROADCAST MATCH: MANLY VS. SOUTHERN DISTRICTS, MANLY OVAL, KICK OFF: SATURDAY 3:10PM, 15th JULY 2017, LIVE ON 7TWO IN NSW AND THE ACT FROM 3:00PM, REPLAY IN QLD.  Yeah, this is probably going to be the match of the round. There are some fascinating matches coming up this round, but this is the one I’m most keen to see. And it’s great that it will be on 7TWO, so I can actually watch…

Friday’s Rugby News sees a bunch of past-and-present Rebels players blasting the ARU, Super Rugby squad announcements, another coach announcement for the upcoming NRC, and what the hell David Pocock has been up to. [one_half last=”no”] Mortlock blasts the ARU Stirling Mortlock is pissed. Quite pissed it seems, after he wrote an article for the Sydney Morning Herald labelling the damage done to Australian rugby as an ‘absolute tragedy.’ Morty’s article took aim at the ARU for their lack of direction and counter-intuitive plan for downsizing Australian rugby by removing a team. “I am in disbelief to think that the Melbourne Rebels may play their last game at AAMI Park on…

The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, as Super Rugby got back underway and the Lions series came to a dramatic end. Hugh, Matt and Jamie chew the fat on the weekend of rugby (including letting off some steam on the Waratahs performance of the weekend), and were joined again by JB of The Eggchaser’s Podcast to talk all things Lions. Warning – mild coarse language The Five Burning Questions: 1. The Draw – the right result or a hollow ending? (Featuring JB) 2. Did Romain get it right? (Featuring JB) 3. What lessons can the…

Well, that was a cracking weekend! It’s time to talk about the Intrust Super Shute Shield, and round fourteen served us some truly thrilling matches. Here is our review of the round. EASTWOOD 14 – 32 RANDWICK, T G MILLNER FIELD, 8TH JULY 2017 The broadcast match on 7TWO was a close one in the first half, and it was clear from the outset that the Woodies were determined as all hell to try and turn their form around. They held their own for more than half the game, but in the end, like so many weeks beforehand, they fell away off the back of…

It was a busy weekend of rugby. Monday’s rugby news has RUPA calling for a new competition, Force and Rebels standing together, a swinging axe in South Africa and yet more complaints about a certain French referee. [one_half last=”no”] A King and a Cheetah feel the axe The big news in regards to Super Rugby this weekend was the official announcement that SA Rugby will officially remove the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings from Super Rugby for next year. Many may be unsurprised by the decision, and also disappointed that the fact these teams are being cut. However, the Kings and…

Friday’s Rugby news has Lealiifano ruled out, the Force and the Rebels coming together, and all gossip about the final All Blacks-Lions test (squads included, of course). [one_half last=”no”] Lealiifano ruled out Of all the news pieces that grinds my gears the most this week, this was it. After close to a year of battling leukaemia and overcoming it, Christian Lealiifano has been ruled out of his long anticipated comeback for the Brumbies due to a hamstring strain. Lealiifano had been starting to regain his form of old, and certainly showed it after coming on the field for the Brumbies in…

Its that time of the week again! We’re heading towards the business end of the Intrust Super Shute Shield, and with a table as tight as this, there is everything to play for. Here’s our preview for round fourteen. The Table The Previews FREE-TO-AIR BROADCAST MATCH: Eastwood vs. Randwick, T G Millner Field, Kick Off: Saturday 3:10pm, LIVE ON 7TWO IN NSW AND THE ACT FROM 3:00PM, REPLAY IN QLD.  It’s great to see the Shute Shield on free-to-air TV. First of all, for many of us, it’s the only chance we get to see any regular rugby, but also it’s because we get to watch great…

Thursday rugby news has Horne being hopeful, Itoje being iconic, Coleman being captain and Magnay being missed. [one_half last=”no”] Horne being Hopeful He might be leaving the Waratahs at years end, but veteran centre Rob Horne believes that Australian rugby can find its groove again in time. Chatting to rugby.com.au, Horne conceded that while he admits that there is a general dissatisfaction in regards to Super Rugby, there is still an underpinning strength underlying the code in Australian rugby (i.e. everyone is going to watch club rugby instead). “I think you’ve seen in club rugby, just the turnout to club rugby’s been…

It’s a short and sweet but special edition of the Green and Gold Rugby Show this week, with all eyes on Eden Park for the decider of the All Blacks-Lions series. Reg, Hugh and Jamie were on hand to chat about the Lions tour, and even braved London’s public transport to hear from JB of The Eggchaser’s Podcast. The Five Burning Questions: 1. Did the Lions win the Test, or did the All Blacks lose it? 2. Did Garces get the big calls correct? 3. Who holds the key to victory at Eden Park? 4. Who are you cheering for…