A few weeks ago, I was on the 8/9 Podcast and made the point that the Rugby Championship doesn’t have the same passion as the Six Nations due to a lack of travelling fans. While I think that comment is largely true the multicultural nature of Australia means that travelling teams always have decent support and South African fans certainly showed it for the recent two tests here. My call to them is to also attend Super games. The following shows why so many South Africans live in Australia. Link Here
Ellis Park has a fearsome reputation as an intimidating stadium in a hostile environment. And that’s just for the spectators, given that the 94-year-old venue sits in the middle of a city synonymous with crime. The Doornfontein suburb where Ellis Park sits is no exception to the challenges the city faces. It’s why games there kick off in the afternoon, rather than at night, so fans don’t have to leave the area once it’s dark.
However, things are changing in Johannesburg. A new rail link connects Ellis Park (known officially as Emirates Airlines Stadium for sponsorship purposes) with the rest of the city, with two local train services joining forces to ensure fans can go to and from the game safely. On Sunday those services organised a trip for media on the link, which ended with a walk on the famous stadium’s pristine playing surface.
“The city of Johannesburg has grappled with the issues of safety for the longest of times,” former mayor and local government representative Kabelo Gwamanda said. “Safety is our main concern, so that our patrons can enjoy the game without having any other worries. We have ensured with local law enforcement that we will mitigate any form of threats that will be associated with the game. Having a game of this magnitude, we can expect it will attract the wrong kinds of element. So in our state of readiness those are some of the critical issues we needed to address…so that our patrons can enjoy the game without the worry of being mugged.”
GPS flanker Matt Gicquel has today been named the 2024 Alec Evans Medallist while Sunnybank’s Ana Afuie has won back-to-back Selena Worsley Medals.
Pravda Link Here
The high achievers were honoured with the major awards at the annual Queensland Premier Rugby grand final breakfast staged at the Jubilee Hotel. Gicquel’s outstanding season for GPS was recognised by regular nods from referees who awarded votes on a 3-2-1 basis for each game in the StoreLocal Hospital Cup competition.
He was proficient at winning turnovers, averaged 11 tackles a game, was adept at beating defenders with his zest for running and scored nine tries. He was a runaway winner on 24 points by snaring six three-point votes, including three in a row towards the end of the season against Bond University, Wests and Norths. He displayed all the skills sharpened by two seasons in French rugby with Valence Romans Drome Rugby. He was also as durable as ever, playing 15 of GPS’ 16 games.
Afuie again showed her matchwinning knack from halfback in the Sunnybank side which claimed the minor premiership in the StoreLocal Premier Women’s competition. A Samoan international and former Queensland Reds player, Afuie backed up her 2023 success with a second Selena Worsley Medal.
“We did a lot of good things at Sunnybank this season and I see women’s rugby on the way up in many ways since I first played at the club in 2015,” Afuie said. “The game is a lot quicker and more skilful. It’s a thrill to win this medal and contribute this season.”
2024 Queensland Premier Rugby Award Winners
Hospital Cup Top Try Scorer: Jake Tierney (University) – 16 tries
Hospital Cup Top Point Scorer: Hamish Roberts (Bond University) – 157 points
Premier Women’s Top Try Scorer: Tess Littleton (University) – 15 tries
Premier Women’s Top Point Scorer: Mel Wilks (Bond University) – 101 points
Horsley Trophy – Minor Premiership – Brothers
Welsby Cup – Winner of Teams 1st and 2nd from Round 1 – Brothers
Doughty Shield – Club Championship – Brothers
Geoff “Bunter” Shaw Challenge Cup (Bunter Bowl) – Wests
Under-20s Player of the Year – Dre Pakeho (Brothers)
Andrew Cole Medal – Referees’ award – Aaron Pook
Selena Worsley Medal (Premier Women’s Best and Fairest) – Ana Afuie (Sunnybank)
Alec Evans Medal (Hospital Cup Best and Fairest) – Matt Gicquel (GPS)
Rees-Zammit misses out on Chiefs’ 53-man squad
Former rugby union star Louis Rees-Zammit has not been selected in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man squad for the 2024 season.
The former Wales winger, who quit rugby in January to pursue a career in the NFL, has been training with the Chiefs throughout the off season. The 23-year-old played in all three of their pre-season games, but missed out on the NFL’s ‘cutdown day’. Teams have an off season training squad of 90 players and must select 53 for the start of the season, for which the deadline was Tuesday.
Rees-Zammit’s hopes of playing during the regular season are not over, though. He will now be placed on waivers, meaning another team can sign him, but he is expected to continue training with the Chiefs as part of their practice squad. That would give him more time to adapt to the sport, and the NFL champions can promote him to their active roster up to three times during the season. NFL teams can promote two players from their practice squad each game.
Rees-Zammit’s NFL journey began with a 10-week training camp as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP). He was then signed by the Chiefs, who have won the past two Super Bowls, and although he was earmarked as a running back, he played in a variety of positions during pre-season as the Chiefs tried to find his most suitable role.
IRFU announce 37 central contracts for women’s game
The Irish Rugby Football Union has announced 37 central contracts across the Women’s High Performance Programme as the Ireland women’s XVs and Sevens squads build towards the 2024-25 season.
The Ireland women’s XV will be back in action when they host Australia at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 14 September as part of Irish Rugby’s 150th Year celebrations. Scott Bemand’s squad then travel to Vancouver for their WXV1 campaign in the autumn, before they turn their attention to next season’s Women’s Six Nations and Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.
After making their debut at the Olympics in Paris, the Ireland Women’s Sevens side will return to training in mid-September as preparations for a new HSBC SVNS Series campaign kicks off in Dubai in November.
“It is an important year ahead for the women’s programme, with our XVs squad building towards our return to the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage, and our Sevens squad bidding to build on the positive momentum from their appearance at the recent Paris Olympics, so developing depth in our playing resources is a key focus,” explained Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways Gillian McDarby.
“With this in mind, the alignment between our squads is an important strength as we face into a busy schedule and the consistent conversations between Scott and Allan [Temple-Jones, Sevens coach], as well as our High Performance Staff across both XVs and Sevens, ensures we will give both our Ireland teams the best chance of success on the international stage.”
