Monday’s Rugby News sees us having to go over what our Super Rugby teams dished up to us, an angry Thorn, other results from weekend, and Horne retiring.
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In Memorial
We begin in Affectionate Remembrance of Australia’s Super Rugby teams, which died in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Pretoria over the weekend.
Their loss was deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. Their competition points will be cremated and the ashes split evenly between South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand.
Yeah, god this weekend was crap.
But don’t worry, we can suffer together as we go through the results one by one.
The Waratahs got us off to a great start, being beaten 0-29 by the Lions. Yep, the Tahs scored zip. Zilch. Zero. Nothing. That’s the first time that’s ever happened in Tahs history. On top of that, they also missed 29 tackles in that game.
You can read the match report here.
Next up, we venture further north to Brisbane, where the Reds came up against a Chiefs side that was coming off a loss. And, true to form, we continued losing 12-36.
The Reds were comprehensively outplayed this match, and arguably had the toughest assignment of all our teams this week.
You can read the match report here.
Next up, the Rebels at least made a game of it when they took on a resurgent Bulls side. They were behind the whole game, but at least came back in the second half. They eventually went down 28-10, with the hosts being the third team to pick up a bonus point against Australian opposition this weekend.
You can read the Rebels report here.
And finally, the Brumbies were well and truly humbled by the Jaguares at home, losing 20-25. Sanchez’s boot was absolutely lethal, and made the Ponies pay. At least they got a losing bonus point.
Check out the Brums report here.
The other results of the round saw the Blues continue their equally lean run against Kiwi sides, being beaten 16-34 at home by the Highlanders. At least Blues fans can relate somewhat to how awful things are in Australia right now.
The Crusaders got the fright of their lives when they played against a Moon Dogs outfit that turned up to play, and for a lot of the match, looked like they were going to steal it. They Kiwis eventually ran away with it 33-11, but that scoreline wasn’t reflective of the game.
And finally, the Sharks got back to winning ways with a 24-17 win over the Stormers.
Some serious questions have got to be asked about this weekend’s results. It was a clueless display by all sides, and it felt like we were back in 2017 all over again.
But I’m not going to leave you all depressed. In the midst of this gloomy weekend of rugby, there was one little slimmer of light that poked through the clouds, and it came from the absolute ultimate battlers of Australian rugby, the Penrith Emus.
Times are still bloody tough for the men from the west, but this weekend they got their second entire-club win of the season, with their fourth grade defeating Gordon 0-5 in Chatswood.
Their other win came from their third colts side in round one, who put on an impressive 33-17 display over Southern Districts. The win this weekend sees the club already improve on their overall 2017 results, and we’re only three rounds in. Baby steps, but I’ll take that any day of the week. Keep it up #EmuNation!
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Déjà Vu
It’s good for a coach to be open about their mistakes and where to improve, but watching Brad Thorn‘s post match conference almost had an aura of déjà vu.
Thorn was quick to acknowledge how disappointed he was in the skills and ball handling of the Reds, which cost the team consistency and the ability to match the Chiefs’ high paced game.
“That many errors – what can you do – it’s just highly disappointing,” Thorn said to rugby.com.au.
“It was similar to the Waratahs game but we have to fight back.
“It was good that the fight came and in the second half it continued and we show that when we do look after the footy and build some stuff, we can do some stuff.
“But it was highly frustrating and the first 30 was just tough to watch.”
“I felt it was similar against the Waratahs and at this level in the first 10, 20, 30 minutes, you can’t go into your shell.
“You can’t stop talking – it’s just not a choice that you have.
“If you’re under the pump you have to be hard minded about it, force yourself to talk.”
Thorn however did have praise for the long suffering Reds fans, who stayed till the end of the game and showed their support even though the match was lost.
“The crowd stayed to the end, even though the game was over,” Thorn added.
“There’s a real want… even the league people I know, want the Reds to do well.
“But if you want to win games of football you can’t start like that.
“At least they showed the people that came to support them something in that second half.”
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Other results
The other results of the weekend were a lot more positive for Australian rugby, and we will start with the absolute classic final of the Super W.
Holy shit, this match was unbelievable. If you don’t believe me, check out the highlights here.
The Queensland girls turned up to play and had favourites NSW on the ropes for much of the match. So much so, it went into extra time. In the end, after over 95 minutes of rugby, NSW skipper Ash Hewson kicking a penalty proved to be the only thing that could separate the sides, with the final score 16-13.
It capped off what has been a fantastic tournament, and according to Queensland coach Michael Hayes, this match should signify a catalyst for change and growth in Aussie Womens rugby.
“The brand of rugby they’re playing is as attractive as I’ve seen,’ he said.
“I’ve coached a lot of men’s teams, this is my first sojourn into women’s coaching and I think the brand of rugby they’re playing is just as good from a female athletic perspective.
“They’re working just as hard and they drive in the rucks and they pick and go and their hands are silky and their knowledge of the game is getting better and better and better and that’s what also makes them good athletes as well.
“It’s on the record that I think the sooner these girls get rewarded for the amount of effort and time and sacrifices they make the better it will be.”
The girls also continued the form over in Japan, with the Aussie Womens team picking up the Bronze Medal at the third leg of the Womens Sevens series.
They went down in the semis to eventual champions New Zealand, but brushed aside Spain 19-5 in the third-place playoff to take home the chocolates.
Check out all their results from the Sevens series here.
And finally, we head over to Riverview College in Sydney for the results of the Oceania U18 Sevens Championships, which proved to be a happy hunting ground.
The Aussies took top honours in the Boys U18 championship, knocking over Samoa in the final with a convincing 32-7 win.
The Girls U18 team also made it to their final, however they fell to the New Zealand girls 21-7, and took the runner up position.
Check out all the results from the U18 championships here.
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Horne Retires
In heartbreaking news, Rob Horne has been forced to end his career prematurely due to injury.
Horne is currently in the middle of the first of a three year contract with Aviva Premiership side the Northampton Saints, and in their derby match against arch-rivals the Leicester Tigers last weekend, the 28 year old suffered significant nerve damage in his arm.
He spent all of last week in hospital, and doctors concluded that the nerve damage was too severe for him to play rugby ever again.
It is a sad end to what has been an unbelievable career for Horne. During his time, he represented the Australian Schoolboys, the Australian Mens Sevens team and Australian U20s side, before being selected by the Waratahs.
He went on to earn 101 caps for the Tahs, 21 caps with the Northampton Saints, and of course, 34 caps for the Wallabies.
The Saints released a statement confirming his forced retirement on Saturday night.
“This is absolutely tragic news, and has been devastating for every member of the squad and staff here,” Saints Interim coach Alan Dickens said to the UK media.
“All our thoughts are of course with Rob and his family at this time.
“Rob is not only a world-class rugby player, but he’s an exceptional man. He is a hugely respected and popular member of the dressing room and this will be an enormous loss to Saints – both from a rugby and a personal perspective.
“Even though he had only been here for one season, I am sure he was destined to become a club legend and, like everyone, I am deeply saddened that his career has been prematurely ended in this way.”
Thanks so much for the memories mate, and we wish you a speedy and pain-free recovery.
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