Author: Nick Wasiliev

This hurts to write. But a great game is a great game. The Canberra Vikings have secured a home semi-final with a dogged 27-19 over NSW Country Eagles in Canberra. In what was a bruising match that lived up to expectations, the Vikings lent on their youth to bring them home, the resulting loss proving fatal for NSW Country’s finals prospects.  THE MATCH One of the more surprising rivalries in the NRC, the homeside came into the match with four wins, two from their last two games at home. Outside of that, the Vikings currently boast an impressive record in Canberra, having…

Got the blues because two Rugby World Cup matches have been cancelled and there’s a big gaping rugby-shaped hole in your life? Fear not, it’s the final round of regular season NRC and it is currently so close to call that nearly every match this weekend could potentially have an impact on which four teams will be left standing in the dash for the Toast Rack. Currently, with only first place and the wooden spoon effectively the only positions guaranteed not to change (sorry Sydney fans), there is everything to play for. Currently, the table looks like this: The Force arguably…

Oh, by the way, did you know that the NRC is still on?! We’ve got you covered for this comp too. Producer Nick W returns for the latest episode of the Dropped Kick-Off, and chats with the busiest man in Australian sport, Brett McKay, about the last fortnight of National Rugby Championship, and predict who will be left standing in the battle for the Toast Rack come semi-finals time. (Also, mind the first thirty seconds of audio when the recording starts). The NRC Podcast Agenda: 1. The earlier kick off times, has it worked? 2. Are we convinced by the…

It was a heartbreaker as the Wallabies went down to Wales, and Matt, Hugh and Pfitzy had plenty to cover as they sat down to review week two of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, covering the Wallabies loss, selection headaches, and the many upsets that have already occurred. Warning – occasional coarse language Rugby World Cup Week Two Agenda: 1. What single word summarises that match? 2. Best on park 3. Which calls did the refs actually get wrong? 4. What selection lessons did we learn? 5. Who had the better win: Uruguay or Japan?

The preparation is over, the umming and ahhhing, chopping and changing, the hooting and hollaring, whatever you wanna call it, it’s over… it’s Rugby World Cup time. In the first of our special GAGR podcasts covering the World Cup, Matt, Hugh and podcast debutant Nick Pfitzner delve into the Wallabies victory over Fiji, what we need to do for the match up against Wales, and all the other games from around the first week of the World Cup. Comes with plenty of ranting about the refereeing. Rugby World Cup Week One Agenda: 1. Rate that performance out of 10 against…

A very different and slightly drunk take on the World Cup. Actual Warning: the lads had a few beverages before this one so it is a bit out there. Coarse language, themes, everything. Keep this podcast away from the kids.

It’s finally here! The original team is back in Matt, Hugh and Rugby Reg to preview the 2019 Rugby World Cup. It’s the best game in world’s biggest tournament, there ain’t much else to say. Warning – occasional coarse language The Five Burning Questions:  1. How will we go at the World Cup? 2. Who will win it? 3. Which underdog will surprise? 4. Which big gun will falter? 5. Who will be the player of the tournament?

Get ready, there’s a lot of podcasts coming your way! Kicking us off, The Dropped Kick-Off returns and will be covering all things NRC this year. For our first NRC-focused pod, Nick W sat down with rugby encyclopedia Brett McKay to for an in depth discussion on the first three rounds of the National Rugby Championship, including rule change reviews, off-the-field goss, and which teams and players are getting our attention. Go on, you know you want to.

The NSW Country Eagles and Fijian Drua have played out an enthralling match down in the Gong – so enthralling that they literally couldn’t be split.  The men from the bush came into this match sitting second on the ladder, having knocked aside Melbourne and Sydney in their first two games. The defending champions meanwhile, were sitting in sixth, following an nail-biting draw against Brisbane City followed by a disappointing loss at home to the Western Force, their first loss in Fiji since the final round of 2017. The Eagles desperately needed to maintain their winning streak to line up…

Now that’s how to kick off a tournament! On beautiful day at Apex Park in Dubbo, it was the Country Eagles who started their campaign with a win, but they had to work for it against a determined Sydney outfit, the 38-33 win having shades of the great City-Country matches of season’s past.  There was a lot riding on this game, in more ways than one. Last year, both these sides finished bottom of the ladder, with the only win coming from NSW Country beating Sydney in an uninspired match at Leichardt Oval. But more than that, this match would…

The Dropped Kick-Off is back for another week, and this time Nick W sat down with Wallaroos coach Dwayne Nestor to talk about the Japan and NZ series, the growth of Women’s Rugby, how the Super W and Uni Sevens is helping to build depth, and the long game he is playing to turn the Wallaroos into a powerhouse of Women’s rugby. Check out Rugby Reg’s article on his review of the Wallaroo’s season here too. 

Squads out! The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back for another week, and with the Bledisloe II result, the Wallabies Rugby World Cup Squad announcement and the launch of the NRC, there was a lot to cover this week. Hugh takes the reins as host of the show this week to cover the squads and silverware up for grabs around all these competitions, and was joined this week by producer Nick W and long time GAGR favourite, Brett McKay. The Five Burning Questions: 1. What’s the most surprising part about the World Cup squad? 2. What is Cheika’s starting…

Well that was awesome. The Green and Gold Rugby Show is back, as Matt, Hugh and Jamie dissect one of the greatest rugby nights in recent memory, as the Wallabies dealt a record demolition of the All Blacks.  Warning: Occasional Coarse Language The Five Burning Questions: 1. What was our favourite moment from that win? 2. Which player surprised you the most? 3. Would we have won without the Red Card? 4. What changes should we make, if any, for Eden Park? 5. What’s happening around the grounds?

The NRC is back in 2019, and has come with some interesting changes; from earlier games to rule changes and more. With the draw now out, the news team cobbled together some key thoughts how things are shaping up for NRC19! What’s the law again? (Words: Nick Wasiliev) New year, new laws. It was announced back in June of this year that the NRC would again be used as the guinea pig for a whole bunch of new law trials by World Rugby, and a few of those rules did see some eyebrows raised by both fans and coaches alike.…

Rugby Reg and Matt are back for another episode of the Green and Gold Rugby Show, and this week we were joined by one and only Sean Maloney as our third panellist to discuss the Wallabies progress in 2019 and their win over the Pumas, and what needs to happen going into their upcoming matches against the All Blacks. This pod also comes with a shout out to James O’Connor’s immaculate hair to an outstanding Manly Colts player by the name of Yool Yool, whom Sean reckons has the best name in world rugby. Who do you reckon has the best name? The…

The Dropped Kick-Off is back for another week, and this time Nick W sat down with Western Sydney Two Blues coach Joel Rivers to talk about the Kolia Cup, looking after players, and some of the unique challenges he’s faced this season, both on and off the field. Image Credit: OCPAA Overseas Chinese Photographers Australia Association Inc / Two Blues Rugby

Fridays Rugby News sees the power of our game, the Wallaroos building depth, Cooper and Genia going and the game doing better than ever (globally).  [one_half last=”no”] The Inaugural Kolia Cup We start today’s news with a small reminder of the power of rugby and how it brings people together. In Sydney, this weekend’s Western Sydney Two Blues fixture v Randwick will see the two teams compete for the inaugural Kolia Cup, named in honour of Two Blues Colts player Kolia Aigaga-Liko, who the club tragically lost to suicide last year. To honour the memory of Kolia, the winning team will be…

Matt and Hugh are back this week for a different episode of the Green and Gold Rugby Show. This week that sat down with GAIN LINE Analytics Co-Founder and GM of Sport, Simon Strachan, to discuss the dynamics of using data to analyse rugby and how this can be applied to the Wallabies squad, as well as understanding how teams can use data win consistently. Following that, they were then joined by our producer Nick W to discuss the named squad for South Africa, with a bit of the Super Rugby final thrown in for good measure. You can check out the…

New South Wales fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about since 2014, but following a semi-promising season last year which saw the Waratahs make it to the Super Rugby semi-final, there was a sense that, with new talent coming through and a game structure that looked to be finally coming good, 2019 might see the Waratahs go further. The season started promisingly with a close loss to competition heavyweights the Hurricanes, followed by wins against the Sunwolves, Reds and most notably, the Crusaders. And then, everything went to hell with a loss to the Sunwolves in Newcastle, a winless tour…

The Dropped Kick-Off is back for another week, and with the Super Rugby Final upon us, Nick W sat down with Paul Tait to talk about the Jaguares reaching their first ever Grand Final, what their success means for Los Pumas, and the state of Argentine rugby in general. Even comes with a plug for the 2027 World Cup.