Author: Zeb Holmes
Monday’s rugby news has Folau’s injury concern, Mathewson cited for stamping, Queensland seeing red after an unprecedented penalty count and Wilkinson possibly hanging up the boots. [one_half last=”no”] Folau to see specialist The Waratahs will be sweating the results of Isreal Folau’s visit to a specialist after the Wallabies fullback sustained a knock to the throat in Friday’s 32-8 win over the Rebels. The persistent swelling is threatening to keep Folau from joining his team-mates on their trip to South Africa to face the table-topping Sharks. Even before the results, Micheal Cheika was playing up the underdog card. ‘Obviously as…
Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 6. With three wins, including a memorable Force victory, who makes the team this week? [one_third last=”no”]1. James Slipper Great game by Slipper, the most hit-ups of any Red. Showing his athleticism and footwork by consistently getting over the advantage line. [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Nathan Charles All over the park in d, threw well, a solid performance. [/one_third][one_third last=”yes”] 3. Ben Alexander Anchored the scrum, earning a game-ending pushover penalty try. Was also more involved in attack, taking 7 hit-ups. [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 4. Sam Wykes Strong…
Friday’s rugby news has more gaps in the Brumbies, Tapuai to be more assertive, the Tahs in a must-win and reports of sleeping pill abuse from the 2011 RWC All Blacks. [one_half last=”no”] Kuridrani out of Stormers clash Wallabies centre Tevita Kuridrani has announced that he will be unavailable for this weekend’s match against the Stormers as he will be flying back to Fiji for a family funeral. ‘There’s no choice [when family comes first], Tevita’s going home to attend a funeral and that’s what family does,’ Brumbies director of rugby Laurie Fisher said. Fisher also emphasised that there was no temptation…
Thursday’s rugby news has the Reds suffering some key injuries while worrying about South African sharpshooters, Pocock aiming for RWC 2015 and Warburton to undergo shoulder surgery. [one_half last=”no”] Reds suffer setback Reds outside centre Chris Feauai-Sautia has been sent home from the team’s tour of South Africa after complaining of hamstring soreness. Although coach Richard Graham has emphasised that CFS returning to Brisbane to undergo scans is merely a precautionary measure, the two-test Wallaby has had a history of hamstring issues, prompting concern that he may need an extended stint on the sideline. Queensland are in a relatively good…
Wednesday’s rugby news has McCalman let off lightly, Cheika shifting his starters, Larkham worried about Schalk and a European Cup deal finally reached. [one_half last=”no”] McCalman suspended In-form Western Force no.8 Ben McCalman will only miss one match for his dangerous tackle on prop Kane Hames over the weekend. SANZAR judicial officer Nicholas Davidson QC handed down a two week ban in response to McCalman’s guilty plea, but with the team allocated a bye in round seven, the Western Force will only be without their star backrower for this week’s match against the Chiefs. The loss of McCalman makes the…
Tuesday’s rugby news has the Brumbies’ injuries, the Tahs’ weaknesses, the new Shute Shield sponsor and Robbie Fruean injured again. [one_half last=”no”] ACT injury curse worsens The Brumbies injury crisis is even worse than originally thought with coach Stephen Larkham now ruling out prop Scott Sio against the Stormers, with scans to his ankle proving inconclusive. Second-rower Leon Power will also watch the game from the bench after last week’s knee injury. Powerful winger Henry Speight has undergone surgery to repair a double fracture in his jaw and is expected to miss six weeks. Prop J.P. Smith and flanker Jordan Smiler are…
Monday’s rugby news has Cheika blowing up, the Brumbies soldiering on, McCalman in trouble and O’Driscoll with a fitting send-off. [one_half last=”no”] Cheika fuming over refereeing The Brumbies have confirmed that they will be passing on a bill from Canberra Stadium management after Waratahs coach Michael Cheika shattered the glass door of the coaching box. Cheika conceded post-match that the damage was done when he stormed out at full-time, livid with referee Jaco Peyper’s rulings on scrums in the decisive final minutes. “I was very disappointed, first of all with the amount of time its taking to scrum. It’s just…
Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 5. With a down week for Aussie sides after 3 losses and 2 wins, who makes the team this week? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Scott Sio Not a factor in attack but put on some big shots and disrupted the Tahs scrum all game.[/one_third][one_third last=”no”] 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau Despite going down to Moore’s Brumbies, TPN was definitely the more involved of the Wallaby contenders. [/one_third][one_third last=”yes”] 3. Ben Alexander Would have been heart-broken not to get a runaway try, set up the subsequent score nonetheless and outmuscled the…
Friday’s rugby news has some team changes to the Aussie Super Rugby sides, an O’Connor rumour and Benji to make his first start. [one_half last=”no”] Reds remodel lineup The Reds have bolstered their starting side to face the Sharks in Durban, adding prop James Slipper, hooker Saia Faingaa and winger Lachie Turner. Despite strong performances in the team’s 43-33 victory over the Cheetahs last Friday, prop Ben Daley and hooker James Hanson will be relegated to the bench. After a particularly impressive game, winger Rod Davies will retain his position, with Dom Shipperley dropped to the bench. Flanker Liam Gill…
Wednesday’s rugby news has the ARU’s post-Dublin guidelines, hard truths for the Rebels, the Tahs playing underdog and Mealamu sent home after injury. [one_half last=”no”] New standards for Wallabies The ARU are in the process of developing a uniform set of team protocols that will apply to both Super Rugby teams and the Wallabies as a result of the controversy from last year’s spring tour and the mass punishments handed out. This agreement will bring an end to a lengthy dispute between RUPA and ARU concerning the handling of the manner. RUPA officials have criticised the public shaming of the…
Tuesday’s rugby news has some gossip from the Dublin suspensions, Dennis healthy, Butler ready for sevens battle and Ireland trying to close out the Six nations. [one_half last=”no”] Mowen fending off rumours Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has emphatically denied the rumours that Ben Mowen dobbed in his teammates over the drinking session in Dublin. 15 Wallabies were reprimanded for drinking and breaking curfew during last November’s tour but Link has emphasised, ‘No player dobbed in any other play in Dublin or anywhere else, I can’t make it any more clear than that.’ But players have apparently expressed their anger privately…
Monday’s rugby news has the inspirational comebacks of McCabe and Hoiles, Cooper chasing Lynagh and BOD’s home swan song. [one_half last=”no”] McCabe’s career revived Despite staying positive throughout the process of recovering from two broken necks, Brumbies inside centre pat McCabe has admitted that he believed his career was over after injuring himself again against the Force. ‘It wasn’t a massive knock but there were strong symptoms I had which were very similar to the times I had broken my neck,’ said McCabe The former international waited two hours before receiving news that his injury was only to a muscle…
Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 4. With three good wins and a tipper’s nightmare of a loss, who makes the team this week? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Pek Cowan Scrummaged well and busy around the ground. A few good touches to add to his strong ruck-work.[/one_third][one_third last=”no”] 2. Stephen Moore A ‘Stephen Moore’ type game as it’s coming to be known. Amazingly led the ACT forwards in carries, so effective in turning mediocre situations into fast ball. [/one_third][one_third last=”yes”] 3. Ben Alexander Took on the hard task of Hurricane loose-head Ben Franks this…
Friday’s rugby news has the Brumbies trying to fill Pocock’s absence, the Reds quashing the controversial merger, sweeping changes for the Rebels and Sexton back for Ireland. [one_half last=”no”] Brumbies reshuffle The Brumbies have decided to counter the absence of star openside David Pocock by reshuffling the back-row and bringing Leon Power off the bench to start in the second row alongside Sam Carter. Jarrad Butler will fill the vacant openside slot, moving captain Ben Mowen to no. 8 and Scott Fardy to blindside flanker. Mowen displayed great faith in Butler, saying, ‘He’s strong over the ball, he can carry…
Thursday’s rugby news has Pocock’s devastating injury, the Wallabies halfback battle, Beale trying for 12 and the lions recalled for the 6 Nations. [one_half last=”no”] Pocock out for season David Pocock has undergone his second knee reconstruction in 12 months, ending his Super Rugby season after just two games. The former Wallaby captain had a full knee reconstruction on Wednesday night, a year on from his initial ACL tear last year. ‘Having worked so hard to get himself back to peak physical condition over the last 12 months it’s impossible not to feel for David,’ Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher said.…
Wednesday’s rugby news has the Reds not panicking, the Brumbies considering an SOS, a brutal loss for the Aussie Sevens and changes to the Scottish team to face France. [one_half last=”no”] Reds stay positive Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham believes that, despite last weekend’s devastating 32-5 loss to the Waratahs, the team does not need an overhaul. ‘You have a loss, [but] it’s not time to panic and throw everything out,’ he said. Graham insisted that the team will not change tactics for their upcoming match against the Cheetahs. Unfortunately the team will have to make five changes to the…
Tuesday’s rugby news has the Brumbies trying to cover for Pocock, NSW line-out concerns, McCaw to miss two months and two English reinforcements. [one_half last=”no”] Brumbies ok without Pocock ACT coach Stephen Larkham has assured fans that his team will be able to cover for the loss of flanker David Pocok if scans reveal any further knee damage. While Pat McCabe’s neck was cleared of serious injury, allowing him to play this week, Pocock is awaiting the results of scans on his knee this morning, hoping that there is no aggravation of last year’s ACL tear. ‘The guys that we’ve…
Monday’s rugby news has some good news for injured Brumbies, a fit Palu, a resurgent Burgess and a troubling injury study out of England. [one_half last=”no”] Positive signs for Brumbies The Brumbies have received some much-needed positive injury news after returning former Wallabies Pat McCabe and David Pocock both went down over the weekend. Initial scans have cleared McCabe of a recurrence of his broken neck and Laurie Fisher has indicated that his playing status is ‘normal’ leading into Friday’s game against the Hurricanes. It was just the inside centre’s second Super Rugby game back from breaking his neck twice…
Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 3. With three wins and two losses in the Australian conference, who makes the team this week? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Ben Robinson Always reliable at scrum-time, added some good touches and was influential in the dominant NSW defense in tight.[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Pat Leafa Strong all-round game in regular season debut, showed his effective leg drive in contact and big motor. [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Paddy Ryan The Waratahs displayed a dominant scrum so Paddy gets the nod again this week for his efforts.[/one_third] [one_third last=”no”]…
Friday’s rugby news has the Tahs without their captain, some adjustments for the Brumbies, some advice for possible union convert Fifita and the IRB’s plan of attack for Japan. [one_half last=”no”] Dennis out for the Tahs Waratahs captain Dave Dennis has been ruled out of Saturday’s rivalry match with the Reds after a knee injury sustained against the Force failed to recover in time. His place in the back-row will be taken by Stephen Hoiles, who last started for NSW on May 19, 2006. The absence of Dennis also sees Michael Hooper step up to the captaincy role for the…