Now where was I before I rudely interrupted myself?
Oh yes, hello and welcome to Friday’s Rugby News on whatever site I am on this week (is ‘The Roar’ for sale?). Today let’s slip the straight jacket back on with ‘Sympathy for The Devils’. Look at the Wallabies first up game in ‘Georgia On My Mind’. Try not to gloat in ‘The Kiwis are Stuffed’. Then I invite to to exercise your upcoming votes thoughtfully in ‘You’re The Voice’. And wrap up the news week with ‘Friday’s Goss with Hoss’ now officially with more credibility than QANTAS!
Sympathy For The Devils?
Not so apparently, for if you’re looking for any ‘sympathy’ from the master coach, then you had best look between ‘Spit’ & ‘Syphilis’ in the dictionary, for it seems that’s the only place you will find it.
Just to prove a ‘grudge is not just where you pork your car’, coach Brian has stoked the fires of a quiet rugby week and doubling down on his ‘worst press conference ever’ claims from last week, but also admitting what many spotted at the time, that it may also have just been Eddie ‘flicking the switch to vaudeville’ telling planetrugby.com:
“It was a bit of fun, I wanted to protect the team,” said Jones. “We’ve got to look after our team, we’ve got a young group of players and we want them to feel like there’s people behind them. I never have any regrets… I try to just be as honest as I can, be honest with my feelings and emotions and that’s how I felt at that time.”
As for his thoughts on the Wallabies efforts v France last Monday AEST, he had this to say on his interview on 2GB: “Our best moments were better than France, but our worst moments are far worse than France. It’s all about consistency, about keep doing the simple things well and at the moment we don’t have the capacity to do that, but we’re slowly building. We’ve just got to be more consistent and that comes from a bit of mental toughness, it comes from the team fighting together in difficult situations and it comes from our capacity to repeat skill under pressure“.
Mr Jones might do well to remember that sympathy for the devil also cuts both ways.
Georgia On My Mind.
Numbers have a funny way of working don’t they.
On the surface, the Wallabies opening RWC match against Georgia wouldn’t, respectfully, give many Aussie rugby fans much cause for concern would it? But what when those numbers translate as ‘911’ or for the Seppo in us all as ‘nine-eleven’? For right now, in official World Rugby rankings, Australia sits at #9 and the Georgians only two places back in #11.
The SMH has a cracking read on the 2018 & 2019 ‘training’ camps that Georgia were ‘invited’ to by then Pommy Coach, one E.Jones. It seems that Georgia do not have an ‘off switch’ when it comes to scrummaging and completely ‘towelled up’ those averse to soap usage on the other side again, and again, and again. So much so that several handbags were allegedly thrown at short paces after one or two combative exchanges.
It is widely held that outside of the current 6N sides, the Georgians are the next best side in Europe & have legitimate claims of being next side in should, when, if the 6N opens its doors. But until then…..
Which leads me to the Wallabies. Traditionally the Wallabies have shown a lack of ‘rugby smarts’ against teams who sucker them in to playing the style of game they want. Think FISMs as a classic example. It always ends up a dockside brawl that suits no one other than Los Pumas and our lot fall for it like Cyndi Lauper, ‘time after time’.
The Wallabies challenge, especially with an inexperienced international #10 (don’t we have one of those somewhere?) will be playing to their own strategies, plans and strengths, by having quick taps, quick lineouts and drilling the ball into the corners and ask Georgia to find a way out. They’ll need to impose their game plan on the Georgians, be prepared for many a scrum and be patient, be smart and be clinical.
To do all that, our experienced players, our ‘onfield generals’ must all have ‘Georgia on their mind’ otherwise this really could end up being a 9/11 for our RWC chances.
The Kiwis Are Stuffed?
Very, very interesting read of stuff.co.nz (despite Yowie telling me all the time to try ‘stiff.co.nz’), regarding the state of rugby in the Poxy Isles.
A panel of respected & knowledgeable NZ rugby types, chaired by David Pilkington, have handed in their findings into the general governance and sustainability of rugby in the shaky isles and their findings are, well, as it all sits now, that the whole thing is basically stuffed cuzzy bro.
Rather than repeat the article verbatim here, you really should click the link (mine, not Yowie’s) and have a good read, it’s very inciteful. Now before we all start thumping our chests in celebration, I’d ask you instead to insert the word ‘Australia’ every time you see the words sheep rooters ‘New Zealand’, for the ‘challenges’, power structures, politics and rugby dynamic rings equally true on this side of the dutch also.
Interesting. Confronting, but interesting. Watch this space I reckon.
You’re The Voice.
That’s right Gaggers, you hold the power, it oozes forth from your finger tips and you have the chance to bestow greatness, honour, dignity and prizes worth well over $38 to the Wallabies best player of the Parisian Festival of the Gilbert, as voted by you.
Next week we will launch an exclusive ‘G&GR Player Poll’ with instructions so simple a Queenslander could have a South Australian explain it to them, through pictures provided by a Tasmanian.
At the end of each Australian game we will ‘open’ the voting for your Wallaby player voting for 48 hours (that’s two days for those in WA) and the player with the most votes will win an exclusive G&GR Award that we hope we can get to the player and maybe some photos to go with.
Look out for more next week & remember, you’re the voice, try and understand it.
Friday’s Goss With Hoss
I told yuzz.
I said last week on some site at the time that we should perhaps be a tad wary of whether we got ‘Aussie Steve’ or instead ‘Osama Bin Hansen’ after AB coaching great Steve Hansen, decided to ‘help’ Australia out for a few days in camp before the Frog match. Just what was the result again?
With ‘friends’ like this……………..
Proper Camp.
Not only the possible name for a rugby outside backs boy band, but also, according to Jacques Nienaber, the hand puppet of Jaco Johan, a last minute and vital opportunity to hone his side’s RWC preparation. planetrugby.com reports the large humans are currently ensconced on the French Island of Corsica preparing for ‘knockout rugby from the outset’.
I must admit, they were scary good against the Darkness last week and will take some stopping.
Rebel with a cause.
The Mexicans have secured the services of current Fiji ‘D’ coach, Brad Harris for SRP season ’24. Many may know Harris from his success with the Tuggeranong Vikings, including twin titles in 2013 & ’14. You can check out his impressive CV on rugby.com.au
G&GR Fantasy League
In case you missed it, check out the Wednesday G&GR article, instructions & invite to be on our RWC Fantasy League. It’ll be a hoot. At time of writing we already had over 1,250 hardy souls jump on the bandwagon. Top 3 positions only will receive exclusive, limited edition, money can’t buy (yet) G&GR merchandise: hats, stubby holders, pens and a calendar of writers in provocative poses (I am August and September) and more.
But wait, there’s more – so much more.
Starting next week we will have wall-to-wall coverage of the RWC. Every game will have its own review. More articles, more insights, more pod casts from the Dropped Kickoff legends. Mr ‘Golden Tonsils’ himself Nick Wasiliev, ably joined by the man from the Simpsons, Nick Hartman with some content from RA journalist ‘Supremo’ (contractual – I had too) and former car wash tycoon, Nathan-something.
All on your home of rugby fandom, ‘The Roar’. No wait, where am I again?
Only 8 more sleeps peoples. 13 if you’re in the West.
Hoss – out.
