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This post may have something of the scratched record about it but with Morne Steyn at 10 all they'll get is tackling and kick-chasing practise. Lambie and some of the other young gun 10's seem to know how to run and pass, it would be nice to see them promoted and given a chance in South African...

Except the referees leadership group.

Brother, I understand.

I will be sweating on how the second team plays even though I know that many of them are outside the 35 squad. I reckon Seilala Lam, Jonno Jenkins and Peter Betham are unlucky not to have contracts somewhere. I would love to have seen Taukeiaho get a run, but I guess they didn't think Tilse...

Two things concern me: Can a team still refer an incident to a citing commissioner? If not, I don't like the new system. If the full hearings conducted by video conference include a judicial officer from each of the three countries making the determination collectively then I would applaud...

Lee, I can see what you are doing. Building us up with stories of Randwick backline play and then easing us back to reality with reports of butterfingers. Good to hear that Douglas is showing some fire in the belly, this is his make or break year. Left me wishing I didn't live in Adelaide...

I can feel a Bruce Ross gem winging its way through the ether right now.

The key problem with this is that Deans, by his words and his actions, does not believe in rotation or resting. He has said often before that he likes his Wallabies to go back and play club rugby so that they don't neglect their roots, which is all well and good but does not take into...

If we can get through those trials without any major injury losses I'll feel a whole lot happier about our chances for a better injury season than last year.

If he does, the first beneficiary (I mean negative beneficiary), will be the Reds because they'll end up second in the conference and lose the home ground finals advantage. Rocky at his rampaging best (and Cliffy too for that matter) are a class above every other Australian backrower (excepting...

Perhaps these "no contact" sessions were what caused all the injuries last year? At this stage of the season, with raging testosterone abounding and no natural outlets, you'd sort of expect that. The first trials should settle the nervous energy, I think. Thanks for the report.

Lee, you seem to suggest that Deans will actually use his squad and his bench. This is something he often talks about but he almost never actually does.

Its a team selected solely from Reds and Force players. You'd guess that Slipper would start at LHP with Cowan on the bench and Fainga'a at 13 though.

This raises more questions than it provides information. If one of the franchises is to drop out then two years ago it would have been a toss up between the Cheetahs and the Lions and on performance you'd have scarcely been concerned who it was. But the Cheetahs resurgence of the last two...

Only the first session. You must have been pretty fit. I had generally got on top of it by the second half of the season.

The difficulty is that unless you look at the passing players hands and wrists its very hard to determine b). Yet another impossible task we allocate to referees who are supposed to be running at top speed , aligned in position to see every players hands in the movement while watching the...

Agreed. As was the opinion that Wayne Smith's contributions have been tirades. I did not say McQueen should have been appointed early. What is the difference between McQueen and Deans? I think I'll just pass on the 10,000 word dissertation because it still wouldn't cover it. Although the...

I'm not sure if this is a rev-up or not. If its legit then I want to put on record the following: Wayne Smith is the only mainstream rugby print journalist worth the name. His criticisms of JO'N have been measured, thoughtful and well argued. They have not been tirades. He was the only one...

If you think we need a good new Wallaby player at 13 then move Taps out one or maybe bring Morahan or Shipperly in one. But in my opinion Horne would be better at 12 for the Tahs with Carter going to 13, where he served with distinction in a number of games last year. Bringing Horne to 12 opens...

The pedant in me counts six Wallaby squad members but maybe Dennis doesn't have a cap yet. That team would give a good account of itself and win a lot of games. Missing from that team as first choice picks are: Robinson: Had a bad injury run last year but is usually pretty healthy. I'll back...