Hoss is still p!ssing about with essential oils and dream-catchers at the Byron Bay yoga and wellness retreat. He texted me this update:
“Bussell Rand, the famous international yoga guru, is inviting participants one at a time to his special overnight tantric cabin. He seems to be starting with the most flexible yoga students, but I hope I get my turn before this thing wraps up on Sunday afternoon.”
Wallaroos v Jockettes 12:50am Sunday 13 October 2024
RugbyPass reports that Wallaroo Ashley Marsters will create more history this weekend when the backrower becomes the most-capped women’s player in Australian rugby. Marsters has been named at openside flanker ahead of this weekend’s WXV2 decider against Scotland.
Marsters will move ahead of former Wallaroos captain Liz Patu as the outright leader for Test appearances with cap number 34. The flanker is one appearance ahead of current vice-captain Trilleen Pomar and two caps ahead of skipper Michaela Leonard.
Australia are one victory away from securing the WXV2 title in South Africa. The Wallaroos were classy and clinical in their opening-round win over Wales before another impressive performance saw them secure a bonus point win over hosts, Springboks Women.
Wallaroos team to take on Scotland
Bridie O’Gorman (#180 – Sydney University) – 26 caps
Tania Naden (#197 – Uni-North Owls) – 18 caps
Eva Karpani (#171 – Onkaparinga) – 30 caps
Kaitlan Leaney (#179 – CSU Marlins) – 24 caps
Michaela Leonard (c) (#168 – Tuggeranong Vikings) – 31 caps
Siokapesi Palu (#194 – Rockdale Rangers) – 15 caps
Ashley Marsters (#117 – Booroondarra) – 33 caps
Tabua Tuinakauvadra (#200 – Tuggeranong Vikings) – 10 caps
Layne Morgan (#188 – Merewether Carlton) – 28 caps
Faitala Moleka (#199 – Blacktown Scorpions) – 14 caps
Desiree Miller (#204 – Eastern Suburbs) – 11 caps
Cecilia Smith (#190 – Leeton Dianas) – 17 caps
Georgina Friedrichs (#178 – Wests Bulldogs) – 28 caps
Maya Stewart (#196 – Nelson Bay Gropers) – 15 caps
Caitlyn Halse (#210 – Southern Districts) – 5 caps
Replacements
Tiarna Molloy (#191 – Inverell Highlanders) – 6 caps
Sally Fuesaina (#208 – Campbeltown Harlequins) – 3 caps
Alapeta Ngauamo (#215 – Wests Bulldogs) – 2 caps
Atasi Lafai (#161 – Campbelltown Harlequins) – 17 caps
Lucy Dinnen (#216 – Wanneroo) – 4 caps
Samantha Wood (# – Kalamunda District) – 4 caps
Trilleen Pomare (#155 – Wanneroo) – 32 caps
Lori Cramer (#172 – University of Queensland) – 26 caps
Nic White may return to Exeter Chiefs
RugbyPass reports that soap-dodging Gallagher Premiership team Exeter Chiefs are rumoured to be looking into a potential deal to bring Wallaby scrum-half Nic White back to Sandy Park for the remainder of the season.
The 34-year-old New South Wales-born White scored 14 tries in 61 games for Exeter and was a part of the sides that suffered back-to-back Premiership final defeats to Saracens in 2018 and 2019.
In May 2019, it was announced that he would leave the Chiefs midway through the 2019/20 season in order to become eligible for the Rugby World Cup in Japan and returned to the ACT Brumbies. White is now entering the final 12 months of a two-year contract with Western Force.
Super Rugby and international referees have set up a GoFundMe page to assist with Nic’s travel expenses.
World Rugby proposed law changes
Pravda reports that World Rugby on Tuesday proposed a series of changes to its laws “aimed at enhancing both fan and player experience.”
Under the proposed change, when a team loses a player to a red card, they can bring on a replacement after 20 minutes.
Mauls can only stop once before the team with the ball has to move it away.
Scrum-halves will receive what World Ruby called “enhanced protection… at scrums, rucks and mauls” but will be fair game in the carpark.
Other proposals are designed to speed up the game, with 30-second scrum and lineout put-in limits and timed conversions, with idiot-grinning during conversion attempts punishable by “stacks-on”.
At lineouts, if the ball is not thrown in straight but the opposition does (? “doesn’t“ surely) jump, play will continue.
Players can now mark the ball inside the 22-metre line from a restart, encouraging more contestable kick-offs.
World Rugby tested the rules in the recent Rugby Championship, Pacific Nations Cup and Women’s XV tournament.
It said that in the trial games, playing time was “up by more than two minutes and 30 seconds, reaching more than 33 minutes per match” while matches took up to five minutes less to finish (which would send some of us into some kind of “negative time” territory).
The World Rugby Council is due to vote on the changes on November 14.
Diplomatic immunity revoked for post-Bled pugilist
Speaking of top-shelf international representatives, The Guardian reports that the way has been cleared for an Australian diplomat’s partner to face charges over an alleged post-Bledisloe Cup street fight after Australia removed his immunity from prosecution. In late September, New Zealand police arrested and detained a man in the hours after the Wallabies lost to the All Blacks, only to release him later.
Video has since emerged of the incident, published by NZ outlet Stuff, where a man being arrested yells offensive slurs and “I’ve got diplomatic immunity!”. A 19-year-old provided the video and was involved in the alleged altercation, which occurred about 3.30am, when only good things happen.
The teen said the man approached his group of three people, becoming aggressive. “He just flupped a swutch and he got really aggrissuve and just started screaming at all of us ‘I’ll take on all three of you’,” the teenager alleged. “He screamed at us at the top of his lungs ‘I’m ready to die, I’ll take on all three of you’. Once the police arrived they barged him into a wall and he started screaming over and over ‘I’ve got duplometic ummunuty’.”
The man’s identity has not been released and police are yet to detail the charges they seek to press.
Diplomatic immunity is a right commonly afforded to overseas-based representatives, giving them freedom to conduct diplomatic business without being arrested or detained. Diplomats’ families are also given the same privilege during overseas postings. Given the seriousness of the alleged incident, NZ police initiated a request to have immunity stripped from the “duckhid” so he could be charged.
On Wednesday, a week after the alleged incident was first reported, a spokesperson from NZ’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and trade (“Mfat” – also a quote from Hoss’ GP) confirmed Australia had granted the request. In an equally shocking development the writer has been nudging this story (and the relevant Lethal Weapon 2 references) towards his writing colleagues since the original story broke, with no takers. There is only one thing to say.
