Search results

Some cracking Gallagher Premiership Matches y/s - Bristol / Saracens and Bath / Harlequins both ended 2 point games, with the former in the 30s scoreline.

I tend to agree - I think no shock that ACT beat NSW (ACT beat NSW U19s twice last year) - my surprise is the margin of victory. I like NSW #15 Harvey a lot going forward - but defence exposed somewhat today. Don't need to kneejerk and drop him, just an area to work on. NSW may not make the...

Agreed - the opportunity to display ones skills is the key - add some extra spice of course vs the team that didn't want you, never hurts though ;-) .

Agreed - good competition between him and Harvey going forward at #15.

Very disappointed for NSW - sadly also happened last year for U19s where some better players weren't included. It is great though for the system overall, that ACT managed to scoop him up and provide a platform for his skills.

Very simple - if the Super Rugby players moved to Club Rugby it would be identical. And btw Club Academies in England are brutal - no cronyism - meritocracy; if you don't meet your KPIs you are out and replaced - Super Rugby Academies (NSW) choose players based on Gen Blue but never jettison the poor ones. At...

Yes - quite small and 2/3s full average is impressive - but once again, this is Club Rugby and there is tribalism (that word again) in the support. They have Pros, Journeymen, U20s Players, and workhorses (who'll never player international) all mixed up in that league playing against each other...

Interesting - Exeter doing well, considering the small ground the have.

France plays over 30 Domestic and Europe Cup Competitive Games (add international on top) - twice as many as Super Rugby; makes sense some need a rest.

Interested to know the Gallagher Premiership and Top 14 Crowd numbers. But for URC agreed they are disappointing.

Australia A is also a good (cynical) way of 'capturing' players who have multiple 'passports' to different countries - once played for A you are blocked from representing any other country (subject to the usual time lapse rules). It used to be U20s that 'captured' but was changed in the last...

Hopefully Nathan Grey has finished his tenure as JWBs coach and selector. JWBs last in the inaugural U20 TRC this year and have ended up in the 5th to 8th section at each of the U20s WC since being coach. The benchmark for U20s WC is making into the top four (only top 4 can win the tournament...

In this proposed format (sorry if I missed it) they play your competition after Shute Shield / Hospital Cup etc. as opposed to instead of?

The problem is I doubt the Super Rugby Franchises would relinquish their control of the Academies - IMO Super Rugby should be focusing on the Elite Contracted players (i.e. those not on full pro contracts) rather than the wider academy which the Clubs have a way better handle on given the players are Colts...

Haven't had a chance to see the U19s NSW Game - but that said, Sid Harvey is pure class. Watched him play many times for Easts Colts and he is cool as a cucumber - time seems to stand still when he has the ball. IMO, we need a big dynamic #8 and a real grunt of a #6 to emerge from these games...

Agreed on your defence of the Clubs - they provide one of the few pathways for U20s to play 25+ games a year, with Coaching and S&C, against their age group piers. Those U20s either stay in Colts Sides or play Grade if they are good enough. If that (U20s Club) pathway was removed, where would...

We should steal/copy the UK approach in my opinion - support / align our Clubs and put academies in / on top of each of the Clubs. Exactly what England does (not putting them on a pedestal, but they have just won the U20s World Cup). That allows for more players in the academy system, and...

Not sure about the 23-25 games? Sydney AAGPS play 10 games each season (home and away for 6 teams). Couple of trial games, and a couple of rep games. 15 games if you are lucky? Or has the season expanded to more than home/away now?

It is a good idea - but I think you need to raise the age to maybe U23, as there are limited showcase opportunities after U20s as a group (some play Grade, some give up, some go to NRL etc.)

It's true - opposition will need to counter his pilfer skills - the flip side is he spends so much time hunting and waiting for the pilfer opportunity, that he is not tackling or counter rucking, which means other players need to do that work for him, and the knock-on effects are tangible. It...