What a difference a week makes with more progress from a team coming off a good win the previous week. My observations were that we put an inferior team away on the day. How many times in the past ten years have we allowed the opposition set the tempo and subsequently played down to their level?
Scotland will be a step up in what could be the game of the year as both teams like to play. The weather could play a part with a 65% chance of rain on game day.
Samu Kerevi gets shafted by the judiciary
One of my favourite rugby pods always asks about head contact in a game of rugby: what is the teaching point for the player who is carded? In my view Samu was bent at the hip did not drive up into contact and the ball carrier made a late dip and change of direction.
An extract of the farce follows, and note Kerevi accepted he committed an act of foul play. Once found guilty he has to get the full six weeks.
A statement read: “Australia number 12 Samu Kerevi appeared before an independent disciplinary committee Tuesday evening via video link having received a 20-minute red card for an act of foul play contrary to law 9.13 in the match between Australia and Wales on Sunday.
“The independent disciplinary committee was chaired by Brenda Heather-Latu (Samoa), joined by former international referee Donal Courtney (Ireland) and former international player Becky Essex (England).
“The disciplinary committee has upheld the red card issued to the player and by applying World Rugby’s sanctioning provisions, have determined that the mid-range entry point of six weeks/matches was appropriate.
“In light of the player accepting he committed an act of foul play as well as other mitigating factors, such as his clean disciplinary record, his remorse and good conduct, they have applied the full 50 per cent reduction in sanction, thus reducing the final sanction to three weeks/matches.
“The suspension will cover the following matches:
24 November – Scotland v Australia, Autumn Nations Series,
30 November – Ireland v Australia, Autumn Nations Series,
22 December – Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars v Urayasu D-Rocks, Japan Rugby League One.
Just to show the incompetence of the process, he does not have a clean record having been sent off in another disgraceful decision in the RWC in Japan when a Welsh player went high on him and he fended him off.
Nic White reveals the reasons behind the Wallabies’ rapid revival
From the Offsideline
JUST a few weeks ago, we were supposedly witnessing the end of Australia as a serious rugby force. Concerns were expressed not only for the Wallabies themselves after they followed up last year’s failure to reach the World Cup quarter-finals with a dismal one win out of six in The Rugby Championship, but also for the commercial viability of next year’s Lions tour to Australia.
Things look different now, very different. Far from being dead on their feet, the Wallabies have enjoyed a rapid revival. They began their four-match tour of Great Britain and Ireland with a 42-37 win over England, and followed that up at the weekend with a 52-20 triumph over hapless Wales.
With the Wallabies play Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday, and then Ireland in Dublin six days later, the Home Nations Grand Slam – the traditional holy grail of Australian teams going back to the legendary 1984 success – is very much on.
It has been a remarkable resurrection, one achieved thanks to three main factors. First, Joe Schmidt has steadily restored structure and self-belief since succeeding Eddie Jones as head coach earlier this year. Second, new players have injected new vitality. And third, some of the older heads have rediscovered the form that appeared to have deserted them not so long ago.
At 34, Nic White is definitely one of those older heads. Speaking today (Tuesday) at the team’s Edinburgh headquarters, the scrum-half explained that, although outsiders might have been surprised by the speed of his team’s improvement, the feeling inside the squad was that positive change was definitely on the way.
“No, I think it’s not surprised us,” he said. “We were quite frustrated in the TRC (Rugby Championship) with a couple of results. We’ve been working hard and the results the last couple of weeks have been off the back of a lot of that hard work. But we fully understand we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us at where we want to be. We were a bee’s away from being on the wrong side of that result in England. We did some good things in the game (against Wales) on the weekend. There’s plenty we need to work on and we’ve been working at that. It’s good to see parts of our game starting to come together.
“We know we’re up against a different side this week. We’re going to have to be a lot better to come to Murrayfield and get a result against a Scottish side that’s really bloody good at the moment. We’re excited by that challenge, but like I said, we’re under no illusion as to the hard work that needs to go in to prepare ourselves to be able to put a performance out there that we’re happy with.
“Joe said it right from the start: you’ve got to earn it each week and that starts today. This belief has slowly been built off the back of trust.It was pretty grim last year. We’ve been slowly building away at a game plan that Joe wants to play, inching closer to the finished product that we’d like to be someday down the road. We may never get there – but aim towards it.
“With each week you see it work and you get a little bit more trust within each other, within your own abilities, within the team’s abilities, but mainly within each other around trusting each other to play the style. You’re seeing a lot of patience into our game off the back of that, looking after the ball. A lot of it’s come together and it’s taken time. Certainly we weren’t there through the TRC and we’re not there yet, but we’re steps closer. But Joe’s very good at reminding us we’ve still got a long way to go and will remind us again today in review.
“There’s some good things we did, but there’s still a long way to go to be at the pointy end. This is just the beginning of our journey. The weekend was a really good test for us. We got 19-0 up and they came back. It was going to really test our resolve and our trust to stick to the process of how we want to play the game. And we did.It certainly made it harder for ourselves going down to 14 (after Samu Kerevi‘s red card), but it kind of made us better. Those moments solidify that trust.It’s hard to earn and we’ve been earning it over a period of time. We’ve got to continue to earn it every single day and it can just as quickly go.”
Born in Scone – the New South Wales one – White played for Montpellier for two years from 2015 then three years with Exeter before moving home. Current Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu had left his native Australia for Japan by the time White was back Down Under, so their paths did not cross. But White has seen enough of the Glasgow centre to be well aware that he is one of Scotland’s danger men – along, of course, with Finn Russell.
“It’s bloody hard work stopping him (Tuipulotu), isn’t it?,” he continued. “He’s got a low centre of gravity, very powerful, slick hands and a good kicking game as well. “Unfortunately, we let him get away, but he’s going to have a point to prove this weekend. He’s playing some outstanding footy and there’ll be some boys in the group that are happy to see him doing really well. But we’ll do the best we can to limit a guy like that. You can’t stop a guy like that – he’s just a world-class footballer.
“They’ve got an absolute maverick of a ten that can throw the ball, whether it’s Finn Russell or (Adam) Hastings. But if it’s Finn Russell, he’s pretty special. Everyone in world rugby knows that. You don’t stop a guy like that. What you can do is try and limit his options and his impact on the game. It’s impossible to take world-class players like that out of a game. He’s just that classy.”
Emilee Barton to be inducted into World Rugby Hall of Fame
From Pravda
Rugby Sevens legend Emilee Barton (née Cherry) is set to receive the highest honour by being inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame at the annual awards ceremony in Monaco on Sunday evening.
Barton will become the 20th Australian to join the prestigious group and only the second Australian woman since Cheryl McAfee (2021) to officially be inducted. She is the second inductee in Australian history to come from the Rugby Sevens program. Barton will join the Hall of Fame as member #167, joining New Zealand pair DJ Forbes and Chris Laidlaw, Italian Sergio Parisse and Scotland’s Donna Kennedy to be inducted in 2024.
The 32-year-old retired from Australian rugby in 2020 following a successful career before recently finishing up as an assistant coach with the Women’s Sevens team. The foundation player was the first Australian to win World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2014, going on to play a crucial role in the historic Olympic campaign in Rio 2016.
Barton burst on the scene with a debut for Australia in Dubai in 2012 scoring seven tries, including a hat-trick against USA. In total, Barton scored 131 tries in 159 series matches, becoming only the second female to reach 100 series tries. She is a veteran of two Rugby World Cup Sevens and a Commonwealth Games silver, as well as that Olympic triumph. Barton has utilised her considerable experience and knowledge of the game being involved with both the RWC Sevens 2022 and Commonwealth Games successes as well as the Olympic Games Paris 2024 campaign.
World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Emilee Barton said: “It is an absolute honour to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. I grew up in Roma and played other sports but I found my niche in touch football and as luck would have it I was scouted to Rugby Sevens, a path which I didn’t see coming. I fell in love with this exhilarating sport, won an Olympic gold medal four years later and now have a life full of incredible friends and memories I will cherish.
“I feel very lucky to have been a part of the Aussie Women’s Sevens team for 12 years, as a player then on the coaching staff. I love the team and everything we have stood for. I feel lucky and privileged to have played my part in the fabric of Women’s Rugby Sevens and can’t wait to sit back now and watch the next generation of legends pave their own way. I would like to thank David Nucifora and Ant Eddy for the foresight to scout and introduce me to the game, Tim Walsh and Scott Bowen for their belief in me and their continued investment in the Aussie Women’s Sevens program, and of course to my Mum, husband and family for all their continued love and support.”
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “This Sunday, we will be welcoming five legends from four nationalities into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. These inductees, representing both Sevens and 15s, have graced our sport with their remarkable talent, enduring dedication, and performances at the highest level. On behalf of World Rugby, I extend heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to them for their incredible achievements and the inspiring legacy they have left, which continues to resonate throughout the game.”
Barton will be joined by Australian Rugby stars Maddison Levi, Maya Stewart and Caitlyn Halse, who have all received nominations at the World Rugby Awards. The trio will attend the ceremony on Monday morning (AEDT) in Europe following outstanding international seasons in Rugby Sevens and 15s respectively.
World Rugby Hall of Fame 2024 inductees
No.167 – Emilee Barton (Australia)
No.168 – DJ Forbes (New Zealand)
No.169 – Sergio Parisse (Italy)
No.170 – Donna Kennedy (Scotland)
No.171 – Chris Laidlaw (New Zealand)
Prop Injustice
World Player of the Year nominees are Caelan Doris, Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe and Peiter Steph du Toit. Which begs the question why a prop has never been nominated? Here’re some past props who have suffered the injustice of not making the list: Ben Tamiafuna, Carl Hayman and Andrew Sheridan. Does World Rugby have an unnatural love for the pretty boys?
Just to get you in the mood
Hoss Back tomorrow. Australia by 7 in an instant classic.
