Well, Happy Monday my G&GR hombres. Limited rugby, plenty of things going on in the world of rugby union.
So let’s take a look at the Wallaroos game and other goings on. So log on, sit down at your desk, get comfortable, grab a big cup of you know what ☕, and let’s get it on.
Wallaroos get the job done
As covered at the Shouty site here, the Wallaroos have nailed the games in the women’s WXV2 tournament in Cape Town with talisman (taliswoman?) Ash Marsters snagging a meat pie that sealed the winner-takes-all triumph over Scotland. Marsters became the most capped Australian woman player in history as well as ensuring her side’s 31-22 victory over Scotland.
The Aussies put their first major trophy in the cabinet, which shows that the side is really on the up after a faltering start with coach Jo Yapp, and are looking uber competitive for the World Cup. The victory locks the Wallaroos in for a berth at the Women’s RWC next year, with the draw to be made on Friday morning Australian time.
“We had a challenging start, had very little time together to prepare early on and that time is now starting to show what we can do on the field,” Yapp said. “Ultimately, the way they played and conducted themselves, they really are inspiring and for me, seeing them over the last couple of weeks in South Africa going into schools and engaging with young people, that’s what it’s all about and as people I’m really proud to coach them.”
Australia surged into a 21-0 lead with tries from their wingers and with one from Cecilia Smith in the first 22 minutes. But the Haggis Eaters utilising their pack and Siokapesi Palu’s sin-binning for a high tackle, crawled back into the game putting the Scots 22-21 ahead with less than ten minutes on the clock. But poor discipline in the dying moments hurt the Scots, with Emma Orr initially receiving some 🧀 for a careless head-on-head hit, but it was later given a side serve of 🍷 which meant the Scots were down a player for the rest of the game. To make matters worse, Francesca McGhie was 🧀 for a deliberate knock-on as the Haggis Eaters were down to 13 players to see out the game.
Australia didn’t take their foot off the Scots throat and used the numerical advantage to earn themselves a penalty, grabbing the lead before Marsters’ last-minute coup de grace. “We’ve had a bit of a tough start to the year, but we’ve stuck in, we’ve kept building, and we’re going better every single week, so I’m really proud of them and the efforts they put in, and I can’t wait to see how much further it goes,” added the skipper.
Well done ladies!
Gaolball wants to launch ‘Poaching Raids!’
As RA and the Melbourne Rebels publicly kick each other and themselves in the nuts, and the likelihood of any potential new broadcast deal dies in the arse, gaolball is looking at a ‘poaching raid’ on the Wallabies to lure them over to league after the BIL tour. The legal case between RA and the Rebs is likely to be long, bloodthirsty, and really expensive. This is likely to leave RA borderline broke and unable to pay meaningful $$$$$$ to its players, leaving them vulnerable to poaching.
There are only a handful of Wallabies that are locked in with contracts beyond 2025. Angus Bell, Allan Alaalatoa, and league convert, Joseph Suaalii, are signed up til the end of the 2027 World Cup. Big Bobby V, Hunter Paisami, Max Jorgensen, Tate McDermott, Jeremy Williams, and Brandon Paenga-Amosa have contracts until the end of 2026. The following are off contract at the end of 2025: Fraser McReight, Len Ikitau, Noah Lolesio, Ben Donaldson, Liam Wright, Taniela Tupou, Tom Wright, Filipo Daugunu, Harry Wilson, Langi Gleeson, Billy Pollard and Luke Reimer. That my friends is a lot of uncontracted cattle.
The expansion of gaolball with new teams in PNG and potentially the Western Bears in Twiggy Land, the NRL will need some seriously new marquee cattle. The rugby realms are an easy poaching ground, looking recently at Marky Mark and Carter ‘Flash’ Gordon heading across. But with a weakened RA, the ability to poach has just been made that little bit easier. That combined with the NRL giving a salary cap dispensation of up to 30%, so paying good dollars for union cattle makes perfect sense.
RA locks in Under 18 players
Carefully noting the article above, RA has moved quickly (for once in its life) to stave off NRL poaching by locking in 23 of the 26 players who recently defeated the New Zealand under-18s rivals last weekend. However, rugby has lost Heamasi Makasini to NRL club Wests Tigers,
RA’s director of ‘medium’ performance, Peter Horne has stated that other than Makasini, Heinz Lemoto (Penrith Panthers), and Rex Bassingthwaighte (Sydney Roosters), the remaining squad members have been locked into God’s game until the end of 2025. But after that, the previous article may apply.
“Of the Australia under 18 squad that toured and defeated NZ Schools last weekend, 23 out of 26 players have committed to rugby for 2025,” Horne stated. “It’s normal to have some players with a choice between codes and, while rugby may not be successful in all cases, the game is united and committed to engaging with these players and their families to present the game’s best offering and inform them of what they can expect from rugby!” “Importantly, rugby must continue to identify and include rugby-committed talent in formalised high-performance programs and contract opportunities and not spend disproportionate time on a few players with code choice despite the attention this typically brings.”
“The rugby codes have coexisted for more than a century in Australia and players have moved between them since the beginning,” Horne said. “That movement continues in both directions in the handful of positions where the skills and athleticism are more transferable. In recent years we’ve seen more young league players entering rugby school and junior club competitions and playing both codes. “We understand that most of them will remain in league, but we think it’s a positive that they’re being exposed to rugby because some are opting to remain in our system. “Australian rugby continues to increase investment in youth talent development across national pathways system and the Super Rugby Academies and age grade teams.
“Like other codes, we need to continue to enhance our systems to identify, attract, recruit and retain, develop and graduate talent at all levels of the game.” “As a global and very competitive game at a professional club and international levels, we have a slightly different value proposition to other codes where the product and experience may be more localised,” he said.
“The opportunity and lure to play rugby on the biggest international stages at home and overseas such as British & Irish Lions tours, Rugby World Cups, and annual Test match series against South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, and France to name just a few are pinnacle events that attract elite players, commercial partners and passionate fans around the world.”
Anyway, with limited ‘spondoolies’, RA will have to make sure it spreads the love to maintain the core players, rather than wasting millions on just one fairy back.
Rocky Elsom in a spot of bother
Former Wallabies Captain Rocky Elsom has landed himself in hot water with an international arrest warrant being issued late last week against him. He was sentenced in his absence to five years in the big house by a French court for misuse of corporate assets, and other bad things.
The charges were brought following Elsom’s spell as president of the French club Narbonne during 2015 and 2016. Elsom, who was capped 75 times for the Wobs, was found guilty of forgery and ordered to pay back a tad over 705,000 euros. Elsom was accused of having paid 79,000 euros to a former coach when allegedly “nothing could justify it” and also of hiring, for 7,200 euros a month, an individual living in Australia who “never came to Narbonne” and “did not perform any service” for the club. The president of the court handed down a sentence higher than the prosecutor’s request of two years in prison.
With all things involving European clubs, nothing is as it first seems. So either Rocky is totally in the 💩, or he is being set to take the fall for the real culprit. Either way, going to be tough times ahead for Mr Elsom.
Anyway, enough of my dribble. Have at it G&GRs.
