• Home
  • Forum
  • Shop
  • Super Rugby
    • ACT Brumbies
    • Melbourne Rebels
    • NSW Waratahs
    • Queensland Reds
    • Western Force
  • Wallabies
    • All Blacks
    • Argentina
    • Barbarians
    • British & Irish Lions
    • England
    • Fiji
    • France
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Samoa
    • Scotland
    • Wales
  • Women’s
  • World Cup
    • 2023 Rugby World Cup Fantasy League
  • Sevens
  • Schoolboy
  • Podcast

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA

December 1, 2023

Can we all play together?

November 30, 2023

Moneyball.

November 29, 2023
Facebook Instagram YouTube X (Twitter)
Green & Gold Rugby
0 Shopping Cart
Facebook Instagram YouTube X (Twitter)
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Shop
  • Super Rugby
    1. ACT Brumbies
    2. Melbourne Rebels
    3. NSW Waratahs
    4. Queensland Reds
    5. Western Force
    6. View All

    Friday’s Rugby News – 23/6/23

    June 22, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 12/6/23

    June 11, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News – 9/6/23

    June 9, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 5/6/23

    June 4, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 5/6/23

    June 4, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 29/5/23

    May 28, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 15/5/23

    May 14, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 8/5/23

    May 7, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 5/6/23

    June 4, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 29/5/23

    May 28, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 15/5/23

    May 14, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 8/5/23

    May 7, 2023

    The Reds narrowly defeat the Wild Knights

    November 5, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 5/6/23

    June 4, 2023

    Thursdays Rugby News 1/6/23

    June 1, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 29/5/23

    May 28, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 5/6/23

    June 4, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 29/5/23

    May 28, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 15/5/23

    May 14, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 8/5/23

    May 7, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday’s Rugby News – A New Dawn

    November 23, 2023

    The Chewsday Chew – anything on LinkedIn?

    November 21, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #16: Roll Up, Roll Up.

    November 20, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #15: Who Dares Wins, unless you’re Rugby Australia.

    November 13, 2023
  • Wallabies
    1. All Blacks
    2. Argentina
    3. Barbarians
    4. British & Irish Lions
    5. England
    6. Fiji
    7. France
    8. Ireland
    9. Italy
    10. Japan
    11. Samoa
    12. Scotland
    13. Wales
    14. View All

    In from the side – one Kiwi’s view of the final and some musings (opinion) on where the game’s at.

    November 2, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #14: There can only be one.

    October 30, 2023

    Final Live Review: New Zealand v South Africa -Saturday 28 October

    October 28, 2023

    The Chewsday Chew – Brotherhood

    October 24, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: Love thy Neighbour?

    October 19, 2023

    Happy and Crescent’s Thursday Rugby News – Broken Faith

    October 19, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #13: RWC Quarter Finals and Australian Coaching Shenanigans!

    October 16, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: ‘Banzai’

    October 12, 2023

    Thursday’s Rugby News 25/5/23

    May 25, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 15/11/21

    November 15, 2021

    Monday’s Rugby News – 20/09/21

    September 20, 2021

    Five observations from the Barbarian match

    November 4, 2014

    Thursdays Rugby News 1/6/23

    June 1, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 13/3/23

    March 12, 2023

    Monday’s Rugby News – 20/09/21

    September 20, 2021

    Thursdays Rugby News

    August 19, 2021

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #13: And then there were Two!

    October 23, 2023

    Game Review: England v South Africa – Semi-Final 2 – Saturday 21 October

    October 22, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: Love thy Neighbour?

    October 19, 2023

    Happy and Crescent’s Thursday Rugby News – Broken Faith

    October 19, 2023

    Happy and Crescent’s Thursday Rugby News – Broken Faith

    October 19, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: ‘Banzai’

    October 12, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – Anti Wallaby XV (XXIII)

    October 5, 2023

    Game Review: Fiji v Georgia – Pool C – Saturday 30th September

    October 1, 2023

    Happy and Crescent’s Thursday Rugby News – Broken Faith

    October 19, 2023

    Game Pre/Review: France v South Africa – Quarter-Final 4 – Sunday 15 October

    October 15, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: ‘Banzai’

    October 12, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #12: And so the Pool Games come to a close!

    October 9, 2023

    Happy Thursday Rugby News – The RWC Myth

    October 26, 2023

    Happy and Crescent’s Thursday Rugby News – Broken Faith

    October 19, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #13: RWC Quarter Finals and Australian Coaching Shenanigans!

    October 16, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: ‘Banzai’

    October 12, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – The Best of the Rest

    October 12, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #12: And so the Pool Games come to a close!

    October 9, 2023

    Review: France v Italy – Pool A – 6 October 2023

    October 7, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #10: Did we just see the Final?

    September 25, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #15: Who Dares Wins, unless you’re Rugby Australia.

    November 13, 2023

    The Reds narrowly defeat the Wild Knights

    November 5, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – The Best of the Rest

    October 12, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #12: And so the Pool Games come to a close!

    October 9, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #12: And so the Pool Games come to a close!

    October 9, 2023

    Game Pre/Review: Japan v Samoa – Pool D – Thursday 28 September

    September 28, 2023

    Game Review: Argentina v Samoa – Pool D – Friday 22 September

    September 22, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #9: David v Goliath

    September 18, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – Changing the Narrative

    November 9, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – The Best of the Rest

    October 12, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #12: And so the Pool Games come to a close!

    October 9, 2023

    Ireland v Scotland: Live Chat

    October 8, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday’s Rugby News – A New Dawn

    November 23, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #13: RWC Quarter Finals and Australian Coaching Shenanigans!

    October 16, 2023

    Friday’s Rugby News: ‘Banzai’

    October 12, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #12: And so the Pool Games come to a close!

    October 9, 2023

    The Chewsday Chew – anything on LinkedIn?

    November 21, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #16: Roll Up, Roll Up.

    November 20, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #15: Who Dares Wins, unless you’re Rugby Australia.

    November 13, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – Schadenfreude

    November 2, 2023
  • Women’s

    A personal view

    November 27, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday’s Rugby News – A New Dawn

    November 23, 2023

    WXV 2023 Weekend 3 results

    October 30, 2023

    WXV 2023 Weekend 2 results

    October 22, 2023

    WXV Weekend One Results

    October 17, 2023
  • World Cup
    1. 2023 Rugby World Cup Fantasy League
    2. View All

    Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA

    December 1, 2023

    Can we all play together?

    November 30, 2023

    Moneyball.

    November 29, 2023

    The Chewsday Chew – here’s to the ‘grassrooters’.

    November 28, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #16: Roll Up, Roll Up.

    November 20, 2023

    Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #15: Who Dares Wins, unless you’re Rugby Australia.

    November 13, 2023

    2023 RWC Team Ratings

    November 8, 2023

    The Chewsday Chew – RWC23 Team of the Tourney

    November 7, 2023
  • Sevens

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – Changing the Narrative

    November 9, 2023

    Australia’s Iona College brave but beaten in Rugby Heritage Cup Final

    September 7, 2023

    Brisbane’s Iona College through to the world semi-finals of Rugby Heritage Cup

    September 6, 2023

    Happy Thursdays Rugby News 27/7/23

    July 27, 2023

    Thursday’s Rugby News 20/3/23

    April 20, 2023
  • Schoolboy

    Nudgee College win 44th QLD GPS Rugby Premiership

    September 14, 2023

    Thursday’s Rugby News 24/3/22

    March 23, 2022

    Rugbycology report -Super Rugby AU Round 6

    August 10, 2020

    It all starts with ambition: A schools rugby analysis piece

    August 4, 2019

    Australian Schools Championships – the tradition continues

    July 4, 2019
  • Podcast

    The Dropped Kick-Off 103 – McLennan falls in Coup de Tah

    November 20, 2023

    The Dropped Kick-Off 102 – Upsetting Municipal Councils (+ RWC 2023 GF) w Yowie

    October 24, 2023

    The Dropped Kick-Off 101 – A Little Bit Of Chaos w Happyman

    October 12, 2023

    Happy’s Thursday Rugby News – The Best of the Rest

    October 12, 2023

    The Dropped Kick-Off 100 – Here Comes The Fozz w KARL (World Cup Bites II)

    October 6, 2023
Green & Gold Rugby
Home»National Rugby Championship»High-flying Eagles snatch top spot at Rat Park
National Rugby Championship

High-flying Eagles snatch top spot at Rat Park

Ian BrightBy Ian BrightSeptember 17, 20163 Comments0 Views
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp VKontakte Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
The NSW Country Eagles lead the NRC after a bonus point victory in a bruising encounter with the Sydney Rays at Pittwater Park.

THE GAME

Both the Rays and the Eagles had an unbeaten record going into today’s game and the scene was set for a blockbuster at a sunny Pittwater Park in Sydney’s northern beaches. A healthy crowd turned up and they were repaid with a fantastic game of rugby.

The Rays were boosted by the inclusion of Wallaby Scott Fardy in their starting line-up and were looking to remain top of the table.

The Rays kicked off to start proceedings and immediately took charge, fullback Johnathan Malo broke through the Eagles defense resulting in the Rays winning a scrum deep inside the Eagles half and Northern Suburbs lock Connor Vest powered over the line for the opening try a couple of phases later. Matt Lucas kicked the straightforward conversion and the Rays led 8-0 after just 4 minutes.

The Rays were looking the better side with Fardy having an impressive debut for the Sydney side, however the Eagles were winning the battle at scrum time and were defending strongly.
Both sides were giving away penalties at the breakdown and midway through the first half Fardy was penalised for interfering with the scrumhalf. The Eagles kicked for touch and Sam Ward won the resultant lineout. This allowed his fellow forwards to charge at the Rays from close range and Tolu Latu burrowed over, Andrew Deegan got the extras and the game was tied at 8 each with a quarter of the game played.

The game was flowing from end to end and both teams were displaying great defensive work with some big hits entertaining the crowd.

Lucas almost made a breakthrough for the Rays on 34 minutes after some good work by the lively Irae Simone but fell just short and it looked like the sides would be even at half time. However, after a penalty for the Rays being offside, the Eagles found themselves within touching distance of the Rays’ line and after a scrappy lineout win they worked it wide for Reece Robinson to score in the right-hand corner as the bell went. Deegan missed the conversion but the Eagles went into the break with a handy 14-8 lead.

The second half started as the first finished and both sides were looking to play attacking rugby, yet it was once more good defensive work that created the next score. Alex Newsome intercepted a pass allowing Sam Figg to make a fantastic line break and send Robinson away for his second try of the game. Deegan converted from the sideline and the Eagles led 22-8 with 30 minutes left to play.

Eagles number 8 Ward was looking especially dangerous with some powerful running and hooker Latu was impressive at the breakdown winning his side a number of penalties and turnovers. However he took his aggression too far and on 55 minutes he was shown a yellow card. With a man advantage the Rays attacked the Eagles line and after another infringement referee Rohan Hoffmann awarded them a penalty try. Lucas made the easy conversion and they were down by 16-22 with just over 20 minutes to go.

The next 15 minutes saw a series of substitutions and another yellow card for the Eagles, replacement hooker Folau Fainga’a being penalised for another penalty at the breakdown.
It was one of the replacements that sparked the match back into life, on 78 minutes Tayler Adams created space with a nice run and passed to fellow reserve Tom Cusack who scored his sides 4th try of the day. Adams made sure of the conversion and the Eagles led 30-16.

Adams was clearly enjoying his stint off the bench and on 80 minutes he made another break this time offloading to Jake Gordon, the Sydney Uni scrumhalf strolled through a tired defence to score under the posts making the final score 36 – 16 to the Eagles and giving them a bonus point win.


 

[one_third last=”no”]

The game changer

With the game tied at 8-8 and just a few minutes to go till halftime, the momentum took a mighty swing in the favour of the Eagles when Waratahs flyer Reece Robinson scored in the corner. Taking the lead right at the end of the half looked to deflate some of the Rays and the Eagles never looked back. [/one_third]

[one_third last=”no”]

The G&GR MOTM

There were a lot of great performances today from both teams. The forwards in particular impressed with some bruising hits and solid runs.  It was a local Rat that impressed me the most, Sam Ward was at his robust best, solid in defense and giving the Eagles an excellent platform with some impressive carries. Tolu Latu was also at his solid best but was lucky that his time on the naughty chair didn’t cost his side more. For the Rays, Scott Fardy was very impressive and the Wallaby number 6 won’t be far off a recall if he continues this kind of form..[/one_third]

[one_third last=”yes”]

Oz Baabaa watch

This game featured a lot of contracted players but there were some Baabaa eligible names that showed some class.  For the Eagles, other than the standout Ward, winger Alex Newsome looks like a real danger and has pace to burn. Tayler Adams was a real threat running at a tired defense and created two tries in an impressive cameo off the bench.  Another player that impressed off the bench was Rays prop Ezra Luxton, always looking to be involved and providing a bit of stability to the set piece. Fullback Johnathan Malo looked very dangerous early on and was at the heart of the Rays attacking play..[/one_third]


 

The Details

[one_half last="no"]

Sydney: 16


Tries: 2
Vest 4'
Penalty Try 57'



Conv: 2
Lucas (1/1) 5'
Sinclair (1/1) 57'

Cards:
n/a

[/one_half][one_half last="yes"]

NSW Country: 36


Tries: 5
Robinson (2) 40', 49'
Latu 20'
Cusack 80'
Gordon 81'

Conv: 3
Deegan (2/3) 21', 51'
Adams (1/2) 80'

Cards:
Latu 55' – YC
Fainga'a 67' – YC
[/one_half]Referee: Rohan Hoffmann

Attendance: 1500


Sydney Rays: 1. Rory O’Connor, 2. Damien Fitzpatrick, 3. Lawrance Hunting, 4. Connor Vest, 5. Nick Palmer, 6.* Scott Fardy, 7. Will Miller, 8. Michael Wells; 9. Matt Lucas (c), 10. Angus Sinclair, 11. Johnathan Malo, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Con Foley, 14. Seb Wileman, 15. Cameron Clark. Replacements: 16. James Hilterbrand, 17. Ezra Luxton, 18. Mitch Lewis, 19. James Brown, 20.* Michael Smith, 21. Dewet Roos, 22. Sam Lane, 23.* Dennis Pili-Gaitau. Coach: Simon Cron.

New South Wales Country Eagles: 1. Paddy Ryan (c), 2. Tolu Latu, 3. Sam Needs, 4. Ned Hanigan, 5. Tim Buchanan, 6. Sam Figg, 7. Rowan Perry, 8. Sam Ward; 9. Jake Gordon, 10. Andrew Deegan, 11. Alex Newsome, 12. Kyle Godwin, 13. David Horwitz, 14. Reece Robinson, 15. Angus Roberts. Replacements: 16. Folau Fa’ainga, 17. Jed Gillespie, 18. Cam Beetham, 19. Ryan McCauley, 20. Tom Cusack, 21. Sam Croke, 22. Tom Hill, 23. Tayler Adams. Coach: Darren Coleman.

* Lineup changes

 

News NRC
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Previous ArticleFriday’s Rugby News
Next Article Melbourne Rising too good for Brisbane City
Ian Bright

Related Posts

Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA

December 1, 2023

Can we all play together?

November 30, 2023

Moneyball.

November 29, 2023

The Chewsday Chew – here’s to the ‘grassrooters’.

November 28, 2023
GAGR Podcast
Our Picks

A personal view

November 27, 2023

Moneyball.

November 29, 2023

Can we all play together?

November 30, 2023

The Chewsday Chew – here’s to the ‘grassrooters’.

November 28, 2023
Follow Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Don't Miss
Australia

Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA

By NuttaDecember 1, 202340

Hello all. In my inbox this morning: “…the tackle height will be lowered to below…

Can we all play together?

November 30, 2023

Moneyball.

November 29, 2023

The Chewsday Chew – here’s to the ‘grassrooters’.

November 28, 2023

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from Green & Gold Rugby.

About Us
About Us

greenandgoldrugby.com is your one stop shop for all things Rugby Union - news, podcasts, opinions, fixtures, events & everything in between.

greenandgoldrugby.com - created by fans of rugby, for fans of rugby.

About
Submit a Story
Authors
Contact
Privacy

Our Picks

A personal view

November 27, 2023

Moneyball.

November 29, 2023

Can we all play together?

November 30, 2023
New Comments
  • Patrick on Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA
  • Eloise Pasteur on Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA
  • Red Block on Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA
  • Rod Finnegan on Nutta on the loose: tackling and an open letter from RA
  • Walt White on Mad Monday with Brisneyland Local #15: Who Dares Wins, unless you’re Rugby Australia.
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Super Rugby
  • Wallabies
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy (2023)
© 2023 Ponderosa Publishing Pty Ltd | ABN 76 668 430 386.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.