Greetings Gaggers and welcome to yet another Friday’s Rugby News in what has potentially been a pretty good news week for the game in Oz.
Today, let’s first follow the faint sniff of money in ‘Go West Young Rebs’. Catch up with the latest coaching appointments with ‘St Joe & Co.’ All hail an Australian rugby legend in ‘Golden Slipper’. Follow the trajectory of another Oz legend in ‘Hooper’s Honkers Hello!’. Address our falling rake stocks in ‘Someone Call a Hooker’. Preview round #4 of SRW in ‘Show Time’. And settle in for a ‘Friday’s Goss with Hoss’ currently ‘negotiating my brains out’ with Channel 7 for my memoirs: ’50 Shades of Lard’.
Go West Young Rebs?
Covered by Happster yesterday, but worth a quick revisit. Rumblings late this week about Leigh Clifford, both the former Qantas chairman and the former CEO of Rio Tinto. Mr Clifford tells the Australian Financial Review of working with private equity and other investors to raise $30m and plans for relocating the Rebels to western Melbourne’.
Now this really twigged my interest twofold:
- I had always thought western Melbourne was called South Australia.
- That there appeared a lifeline for the embattled club and the hope of some certainty for the players, coaches and their loved ones.
While the promise of a lifeline is great news to all, one must temper that excitement for now. The AFR story also states that Lieutenant Dan Herbert, Rugby Australia chair has said ‘no details or plans about the move had been discussed with the governing body, despite it holding the licence to run the Rebels.’
Let’s hope in this case that where there’s smoke, there turns out to be the burning embers from the fires of ambition and planning, not a dumpster full of the flames of broken dreams and busted contracts.
St Joe & Co.
The good news keeps coming for us long suffering and twitchy Wallaby fans. News this week that vaunted scrum guru and Kiwi (nobody’s perfect, well very few of us anyway) ‘Emmanuel’ Mike Cron has joined a burgeoning and star studded line up at Wallaby HQ as part of St Joe’s coaching outfit. Emmanuel joins St Joe (head and attack coach), Lord Laurie, Chris Thomson (team manager) and Eoin Toolan (head of analysis and skills coach).
Certainly Hamish Bidwell from rugbypass.com is a fan on the latest appointment and had this to say: ”Scrummaging is just a fraction of what Mike Cron will bring to the Wallabies. As hires go, this is a very astute one by Rugby Australia (RA) and head coach Joe Schmidt. Cron will be more than just an assistant to Schmidt and a technical resource for the players. Cron’s a life coach and mentor, a man who creates an environment and sense of collegiality that helps make other men better.”
Say what you want, but since the dog’s breakfast of the RWC very few could argue that RA haven’t made a number of mature and considered decisions. This seems to a great move, bRAvo.
Golden Slipper.
Tough, humble, resilient, gracious and deserving.
You never hear a bad word about Brumbies and Wallabies legend James Slipper, do you. Good team, poor team, good coach, poor coach, he simply rolls up the sleeves and gives it his best every time he dons the jersey and walks off the arena knowing he did what he could on the day. He prepared well, sacrificed, toiled and put in yet another first class shift.
Slips runs out for game #178 this Saturday when the Brumbies face the Tahs in Canberra to take the Australian record from the great Stephen ‘Squeak’ Moore. Currently sitting #5th on the all time record holders list (with ‘never packed square once’ Wyatt Crocket #1 on 202 games), Slipper added, when asked about possibly taking the overall record: “We’ll see what happens. I’m just looking at this year only at the moment. (The body) has its moments and days. After games like last week, it’s pulled up pretty sore but the games are the easy bit, it’s the training that’s hard.”
From all at G&GR and beyond these pages to the wider rugby cosmos, well done Slips, I personally couldn’t think of a more worthy and deserving Australian to own that achievement. Play well and play on.
Hooper’s Honkers Hello.
Well, this is going to be interesting.
After at least 6 months of training and preparation (first on his own and then with the team) Tahs and Wallaby legend, Michael Hooper, will make his debut in the full throttled aerobic assault of rugby 7s. And what a place to make your debut, the famed HSBC Hong Kong 7s.
Long feted in XVs for his fitness, work ethic and pace, Hoops looks to have shed muscle mass in return for a more streamlined physique, enhanced endurance and flat out speed as he takes the field this weekend.
With the Olympics due in July, Hooper will be pushing his case for more game time and a spot at the battle of the rings in Paris. Watching Hoops on STAN has been a revelation. He seems relaxed and at peace with is decision to swap over to the 7s game. Indeed if you have a spare 15 minutes I recommend you hear from the man himself about his switch, his motivations and the challenges he faced at ‘Going for Green and Gold’ and, yes, we paid plenty for that product naming and placement.
All match details (in HK time) at hksevens.com
Someone Call a Hooker.
Nope, not just a major television network tactic (allegedly) for securing a story, but instead round #7 of Super Rugby. With Aussie hookers dropping like flies, the call has gone out to rakes all across this wide brown land. This week also sees the first bye weekend. Players from the Reds, Crusaders, Hurricanes and Highlanders all enjoying some rest time and feet up somewhere, no doubt reading Friday’s Rugby News.
All team news from Happy’s Thursday News.
Friday 5 April 5:05 pm AEDT – Blues v Western Force at Eden Park, Auckland, ad-free, live on Stan Sport
Another week, another lot of mass changes to a Kiwi side, with the Blues making a total of 10 changes to their side to host the Force. I get that the Blues are a good outfit, you rule out Patrick Tuipolotu and bring in Dalton Papali’i, Mr Dalton Papali’i’ (I hear this song in my mind every time I type his name) but 10 changes is still 10 changes!
The Force are coming off a slogfest at Lake Lautoka in Fiji last week which no doubt will lead to some heavy legs for this one. Indeed one would hope that the Force flew from Fiji to NZ direct to save on travel and a few more precious days to recover for this match.
Anyhoo. There’s really no reason to pick the force for this one is there? Their form, while OK, has been a tad inconsistent. They beat the Communists in fine style, had a real heavy hit out last week in Fiji, but in appalling conditions. For all of that though they still sit at the bottom of the ladder. And to top it all off, this match is at the graveyard of Eden Park.
Nope, no reason at all to back the Force here.
Fearless prediction: Force by 2
Referee: Paul Williams Assistant Referees: Marcus Playle, Mike Winter
Friday 5 April 7:35 pm AEDT – Melbourne Rebels v Fijian Drua at AAMI Park, Melbourne ad-free, live on Stan Sport
A glimmer of good news for the Rebs franchise late this week and maybe, just maybe, that might lead to certainty and peace of mind as the uncertainty of it all is just plain cruel. It could prove to be false hope, like the dinosaurs did 65 million years ago: ‘I reckon that meteorite might just miss us you know’.
Let’s hope there’s real meat to the bones of these reports and that it translates to an on field lift as well. Sure they beat the Tahs last week and rightfully so. But they did so by sucking less (cue Yowie in 3,2,1…..). The skill, kicking, game plan and level of play was very poor, made to look better by the Tahs who were, quite simply, rancid.
The Drua, well they are better prepared, better funded and a more professional outfit than their previous campaigns, and they are on an ominous roll. Sure they can win at home, but I reckon they can more than win in Melbourne too. Reliable hooker, Tevita Ikanivere, returns, Mirai Mirai (on the wall) is a terrific loosie and he is also back in the run on side and in Frank Lomani they have, in my opinion, the SRP player of the year thus far.
Fearless Prediction: Murphy to take out Drua #10, but Drua to win by 16.
Referee: Damon Murphy Assistant Referees: Graham Cooper, Jeremy Markey
Saturday 6 April 5:05 pm AEDT – Chiefs v Moana Pasifika at FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, ad-free, live on Stan Sport
I’d like to find a positive to say about MP and their chances for this one, but I can’t.
Fearless Prediction: Chuffs by 25
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe Assistant Referees: Stu Curran, Jackson Henshaw
Saturday 6 April 7:35 pm AEDT – ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at GIO Stadium, Canberra, ad-free, live on Stan Sport and the Nine Network.
“80 per cent of coaching is in selection” Emmanuel: Mike Cron.
For the 38 of you to listen to this week’s ‘Talking Teams Podcast’, you will already know I went off reservation with my view on the Tahs outside backs this year. For the record, I thought the team looked well coached, but poorly selected and said as much.
This week, coach Coleman must follow Channel 7’s lead (allegedly) and have those in his charge pulled off quickly and deal with any fall out later on. The Tahs pack have been terrific. Jethro Holloway, Flanders Hanigan, Kenny Rogers, Mad Dog Swinton, Clubba Langi Gleeson, The Bull and co have aimed up each match, but the jerseys from #10 – #15? Not so much.
This week they face a Brumbies side that’s seemed to have gone from stuttering to steamrolling in the space of a few short weeks. Their forwards are back in their relentless groove. Their backs are electric and have flare, flash and finishing prowess. In Phil Collins at #10 they have Australia’s best goal kicker and out and out best flyhalf. In fact, I believe he is 100% from the tee for conversions for the season and in the high 80s for penalties.
As a rusted on Tahs fan even I cannot see a path past the Brumbies in this one. The Brumbies have seemingly now bedded down that ruthless forward play of the McKellar era, but sprinkled it with the verve and daring that made Bernie Larkham the best Wallaby #10 of all time. And any team that can marry those two traits is a team going places, and going straight past the Tahs.
Fearless prediction: Kills me to type this, Brumbies by 21.
Referee: Nic Berry Assistant Referees: Jordan Way, Matt Kellahan
Show Time.
Friday 5 April 5:05 pm AEDT – Melbourne Rebels v Queensland Reds at AAMI Park, Melbourne, on Stan Sport
Reds have been underwhelming this season and seem to lack size that leaves them open to exploitation via route 1 from other sides. The Rebs will look to exploit that and should get this one comfortably.
Fearless prediction: Rebs by 18
Saturday 6 April 5:05 pm AEDT – ACT Brumbies v Fijian Drua at GIO Stadium, Canberra, on Stan Sport
The Brumbies side look to be running into better form and the Fijian side doesn’t look fit to me. Add in travel and fatigue from the Drua’s last outing and I think the Brumbies are specials.
Fearless Prediction: Brumbies by 9
Saturday 6 April 6:05 pm AEDT – Western Force v NSW Waratahs at UWA Sports Park, Perth, on Stan Sport
The Force’s investment in their women’s program is bearing fruit this year. But the Tahs are the pace setters and look much fitter and better drilled than all other sides so far in 24.
Fearless Prediction: Tahs by 15.
Friday’s Goss with Hoss.
The Hooker’s Curse 2.0.
The #2 jersey at Daceyville is cursed. Porky Porecki is still around 4 weeks from returning and now news that in form rake Mahe Vailanu is out for the year after suffering a knee injury 28 minutes into the Tahs horror showing last week.
And to rub salt into this fan’s already gaping wound Vailanu injured his knee tearing downfield in support of Dylan Pietsch waiting for a pass that never bloody came. You just couldn’t script this stuff could ya? Blow a try and a knee in one fell swoop!
Harry Potter & the Surgeon’s Scalpel.
News Thursday that Force full back Harry Potter will go under the knife for syndesmosis surgery. Rotten luck for the Hogwarts alumni and likely to see him miss the remainder of this SRP season
Murphy’s Rules.
From my least favourite Oz ref to helping Wallabies Bledisloe chances in one foul swoop? Well maybe.
Last week Damon Murphy found himself, well not exactly poorly positioned, but at least in the way of a scurrying Cam Roigard during the Canes v Landers match. As a result Roigard was forced to pivot awkwardly, was then tackled mid-pivot and bing-bam-boom is now out for 6 months after undergoing knee surgery.
While horrible luck for Roigard, the Canes can call on a seemingly rejuvenated, refreshed and roaring TJ Paranoia as a more than useful backup. From all at G&GR, here’s wishing Cam Roigard a smooth and timely recovery. He is some player.
Siya Later!
Returning (?) head coach, and former Catholic water boy, Rassie ‘Jaco Johan’ Erasmus, has seemingly signalled the end of Siya Kolisi’s reign as El Capitan. Despite being a dual RWC winning skipper, Erasmus has stated he would ”prefer to have my captain locally based as that allows for more interaction.” Kolisi responded with his usual good grace and said he had assumed the captaincy would go elsewhere once he signed with Racing 92.
Wright Man, Wright Place.
Big fan of Liam Wright for a lot of the unsexy stuff he does so very well. Seems John Ferguson at rugypass.com feels the same way
Who’s who at Wallaroos.
New coaching appointments have been announced at the Wallaroos. rugby.com.au has more.
About Time.
Seems World Rugby does read G&GR on Fridays after all. planetrugby.com has more.
God Zammit!
The end of rugby as we know it? According to stuff.co.nz maybe.
Shute First.
Not only the creed for all American police, but also the start of the 2024 Charter Hall Shute Shield. The competition gets under way this weekend with 12 sides ready and roaring to go. rugby.com.au has more
Taking the puss.
I don’t pretend to be an expert, or much good at all, at some of the pronunciations of our PI fraternity in the rugby teams. Like most Aussies I read what’s written as one word, without all the dots, dashes, hyphens and such. But last week listening to the Kiwi coverage of the MP match, one of the commentators referred to MP as ‘Par-see-if-eee-ka’; I thought she was just ‘taking the puss’ a wee bit. So I thought substitute teacher Mr Garvy might be in order to help highlight the differences in the perception of names and that of their correct pronunciations.
Until next week. Go the Tahs women.
H’o’ss – out.
