Author: Yowie

What’s better than test rugby being back? Cleaning up the Northern Hemisphere, that’s what. With that well covered on previous posts, today’s rugby news round-up sees an Indigenous & Pacific v Lions game in 2025, the latest rebel comp nonsense, the results of a league v union game that gave the advantage to league FFS, and some sad news for our further east brothers & sisters. Indigenous & Pacific team to play Lions According to the SMH, the British & Irish Lions could face a team with indigenous and Pacific heritage during their 2025 tour, according to Phil “Civil” Waugh.…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Samu Kerevi honest with Schmidt about his form, The Predator stalking a crack team, gastric mayhem again for New Zealand and some alternative coaching history. It’s not as mad as Billy Slater on horseback interviewing the Melbourne Cup winner. Kerevi knocked back Wallaby gig for time being The SMH reports that 108kg centre Samu Kerevi told the Wallabies coach he needed to get fitter and stronger before wearing the gold jersey again. “I spoke to him probably during the Olympics as the boys were about to come into camp,” Kerevi said. “Just about joining the Wallabies…

We all deal with grief in different ways. Hoss seems to be dealing with the loss of One Direction’s Liam Payne via a deep dive into conspiracy theories, according to his text messages to the writer: “Don’t just accept the ‘mainstream police’ explanation for it. There was a 5G mobile phone tower near that Buenos Aires hotel. Coincidence? Liam was too gorgeous so they killed him for it. I could be next!” As such, Hoss is unfit for Friday’s Rugby News duties until he feels better. Wallabies’ low fuss deployment Rugby365 reports that the Wallabies have quietly set off for…

Today’s Rugby News sees Poms bleating before the New Zealanders arrive, “My side of the story” by Rocky Elsom, recruitment chat and a union v league game from days of yore. Poms whinge about new laws for Northern Hemisphere series. stuff.bro.nz reports that England have called the whaaambulance to the effect that the All Blacks have been handed an unfair advantage for their opening test match of the northern series, after new laws were introduced at short notice (by soap-dodger standards it would seem). A 20-minute red card and countdown clocks for both scrums and lineouts have been introduced for…

On a Tuesday, what’s next? Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. Don’t worry, Reds and Wallabies Fan will be back tomorrow with live coverage from the G&GR helicopter reporting on Rocky Elsom’s freeway runner in a Ford Bronco. Kiwi mixed reactions to James O’Connor joining Crusaders In between provoking disputes between emotionally under-cooked narcissists on Love Island, Nine has found time to reproduce a Stuff article (which we now re-reproduce like massive hypocrites) on Kiwi reactions to the Crusaders signing James O’Connor. “I don’t like it,” were former prop Wyatt “Jim Bowie” Crockett’s words during an SENZ…

Hoss is still p!ssing about with essential oils and dream-catchers at the Byron Bay yoga and wellness retreat. He texted me this update: “Bussell Rand, the famous international yoga guru, is inviting participants one at a time to his special overnight tantric cabin. He seems to be starting with the most flexible yoga students, but I hope I get my turn before this thing wraps up on Sunday afternoon.” Wallaroos v Jockettes 12:50am Sunday 13 October 2024 RugbyPass reports that Wallaroo Ashley Marsters will create more history this weekend when the backrower becomes the most-capped women’s player in Australian rugby.…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees more Giteau Law flexibility, the imminent end of rugby union in New Zealand, today’s dose of Springbok schadenfreude and the Western Force turning Japanese. Rugby Australia boss ‘clarifies’ Giteau Law. PlanetRugby reports that Rugby Australia chairman Daniel Herbert has used the Old Jedi Mind Trick to clarify the criteria for overseas players to be selected for the Wallabies. In his first year as head coach, Joe Schmidt has selected just one overseas-based player in his squad (Marika Koroibete) who got called into the team ahead of the Rugby Championship campaign. Instead, Schmidt has opted to get…

Wednesday’s rugby news has 7As comments on the aftermath, England considering defence coach candidates, some inward migration to Ireland for a change and this week’s instalment of Grub Watch. 7As reflects on Wallabies’ defeat in Argentina. RugbyPass reports that prop Allan Alaalatoa has opened up on what it was like to be inside the Wallabies’ camp after the team’s record 67-27 loss to Los Pumas. In Sante Fe, Argentina ran in 50 points in the second half alone to hand Australia their heaviest defeat ever in Test match rugby. “Yeah, it was tough. There was certainly some disappointment post-game,” Alaalatoa…

The Springboks have reeled in then overtaken the All Blacks’ lead to win 31-27. Excuses This write-up is a bit rushed/brief/late on account of a swarm of bees needing to be dealt with for most of the morning (really). Thankfully they were just a swarm of worker bees on reconnaissance for a new nest location in one of the walls of the Yowie house. With no queen bee yet, the swarm will be lured into a newly-placed hive box over the next week or so. The nearest beekeeper to our place is a dead-set legend. First Half The white collar…

Wednesday’s Rugby News is brought to you by a short break in test rugby and Coopers 2024 Vintage Ale. Bad luck if you missed out on your carton, I had to drive 45 minutes north for a bottle shop that still had one. Lolesio chats about Schmidt’s short kicks plans Rugby365 reports that Noah Lolesio is fine-tuning his short kicking game as the Wallabies prepare to face Argentina in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning Australian time. In a touring party that includes Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson, the 24-year-old Brumby has emerged as the new coach’s first-choice playmaker after not…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Wallaby discipline under the microscope, Jake White bemoans the loss of Australia’s academy systems, Vermeulen tells us what we already knew and a special “Commie Watch” alert. 43 cards in 47 Tests: Wallabies could make it easier for maths fans Iain Payten of the SMH reports that the plainest tale of the Wallabies’ defeat in Brisbane for the Wallabies can be traced to the same place it is now always found: the column labelled “Discipline”. Be it via penalty counts or yellow and red cards, the Wallabies’ discipline has been intractably bad for around three years…

Today’s rugby news has women’s Sevens, Wallaby injuries, player movements to the Tahs (for a change) and a Welsh big unit. Superlatives run out for Aussie women’s Sevens You’ll know the results by Wednesday morning. I’m not maniac enough to stay up until midnight and 3:45am for the Aust v Snow Mexicans semi-final and the gold medal match respectively, so here’s an extract from Brittany Mitchell’s ESPN piece on Charlotte Caslick: Eight years ago, Charlotte Caslick created a moment that changed Australian rugby forever. Flying across the pitch in cover defence and smashing United States flyer Victoria Folayan into touch,…

It’s not Hoss. You’ll cope. Hoss is currently assisting Newcastle police with their enquiries after a spate of incidents where (allegedly) street performer mimes have been pushed to the ground and kicked a few times before the assailant ran off laughing. Hoss used his one phone call to update the writer and whinge about all the “salad-dodging fat b@stards” the cops had rounded up to stand near him in the identity parade. Hoss will be back next week if his GoFundMe page reaches its bail amount goal. Aussie men’s sevens top Pool B and into Olympic quarterfinals (5am Friday) The…

With so many games it’d be easy to forget that other rugby stuff goes on. Today’s news sees Victoria look at building the base, Australian women’s 15s needing an urgent boost, more recruitment traffic heading from the Tahs, a South African drug lab (the ok kind) and some Georgian scrummaging. Having eliminated all other options, Victorian Rugby turns to grassroots. The Guardian reports that the game in the latte-sipping, morally-and-artistically-superior State is shifting its focus. The closure of the Rebels this year alongside a sorry sequence of reported financial irregularities and political infighting has left local rugby in the doghouse.…

Today’s Rugby News has English line-up changes, more law-change chat, a Wallaby coach being useful and a good bloke to non-selected players just to mix things up, Dunedin ticket sales and some constructive feedback for SBW. Karl will be back next week after he generously agreed to swap weeks so I could attend the South-East Queensland Dolphin Waxer’s Association annual convention. Joe Marler and Will Stuart added to Pommy squad v NZ Pravda and AAP report that Props Joe Marler and Will Stuart are the only changes to Saturday’s side which beat genius-coached Japan 52-17 in Tokyo, replacing “Commodore” Bevan…

With the southern hemisphere test season and Olympic sevens about to start, there’s an abundance of rugby news on a Wednesday for a change. Here’s today’s selection. Slipper cleared to return Nathan “I can change my name to Nick if the podcast needs a gimmick” Williamson reports that Wallabies prop James Slipper has shrugged off any concerns around his calf injury as he begins his quest to break the record as the most-capped Wallaby. Slipper missed the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season with the strain picked up during the round 14 clash with the Rebels. “The calf is…

They can’t all be great tag lines. With the Reds out and therefore Super Rugby finished, Wednesday’s Rugby News looks at the Aus U20 and Wales squads named, plus some All Black doom and gloom (oh dear, how sad, never mind). Six debutants selected to Australian Under 20s Pravda reports that Australia Under 20 head coach Nathan Grey has named six fresh faces in his 30-man squad to contest the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa. Australia face Georgia, Ireland and Italy in Pool B and Grey has made sweeping changes in a bid to improve last year’s…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees talk of Sevens superstars moving to fifteens, Tupou cleared, NZ political fractures, a SA coach playing the technicality card and some cheap-shot footage. Caslick & chums consider moving to 15-player game Brittany Mitchell of ESPN reports that Australian women’s Sevens co-captain Charlotte Caslick as well as several of her teammates have expressed interest in moving into the 15-player game to bolster the Wallaroos for Rugby World Cup 2025 in England. Caslick has previously expressed her desire to switch formats when she re-signed with Rugby Australia in 2022, after she witnessed the Wallaroos’ performance at the 2021…

Wednesday’s Rugby News sees law changes, soft treatment for star players, NZ captaincy speculation and South America seen as the solution for both the injury-ravaged Tahs and certain types after VE Day 1945. Makes you think, doesn’t it. World Rugby law changes for faster game stir conspiracy theories The SMH reports that a range of fan friendly law changes, trials and studies were approved by the World Rugby executive this week. Following Super Rugby’s lead to eradicate kick-tennis, the Dupont law offside loophole has been shut, and the dangerous crocodile roll clean out has also been banned. The most significant…

Today’s rugby news has late big hits, Wallaroos named, RA finances, possible career moves and pain in Spain. Samipeni Finau – any later and he’d be pregnant As noted by Brisney Spears on Monday, on the weekend Tahs fly-half Tane Edmed was flattened by Chiefs flanker Samipeni Finau, continuing the latter’s run of borderline tackles on players just after they have passed the ball. Nine reports that Stephen Hoiles has eased back from his initial criticism. “I’m now sitting on the fence of, yeah, he got it right, but certainly he’ll get it wrong at some stage,” said Hoiles. Morgan…