The Bledisloe #2 is on in Perth this weekend after the loss at Eden Park. Anyone can theoretically still win the Rugby Championship, so let’s get into it. The Super Rugby AUS final is also on in Perth and there’s some news about R360 and the Newcastle Red Bulls takeover.
Were the Australians robbed on the weekend?
Short answer is yes, long answer is they have to look at their performance because only a perfect game will take the undoubtedly biggest home field advantage away. I was amused by SBW on Between Two Posts this week when he said that every team gets a home field advantage, I refer the him to the second BIL test as an example. I wish they had’ve put Morgan T up for this show as I would’ve loved to see him double down on his comments during the game.
Here are a couple of examples of the Eden Park Home field advantage. Piardi had a shocker but to be clear the most egregious interventions were by everyone’s favourite, TMO Marius Jonker. He’s been screwing up international rugby for years and I have no idea why he’s still in the gig.
Ardie Savea crawling along the ground. What are you looking at sir he lays the ball back after two metres and New Zealand scores next phase.
Harry Wilson no arms penalty reversal. In this case it is a bit hard to see why the penalty was reversed given his arm protection is clearly visable. I cannot possibly fathom why it’s a no arms tackle. And New Zealand scored from the next passage.
Mr Jonker must have been smoking his crack pipe for this one. Perhaps James O’Connor should’ve not put his arm down and been crippled for this to have been a penalty. Again, Mr Piardi was right there, he said he thought it was a dominant tackle so some support from his TMO would’ve been useful.
In my opinion the referees got small when the moment got big.
Congratulations James Slipper
They say it’s better for a sportsman to retire a year early rather than a year late. From everyone who follows the green and gold, congratulations on a stellar career. I think he could’ve made the RWC as he’s in some form.
From a Super Rugby Debut in 2010 to now he’s been a tremendous contributor to every team he’s been involved with. A testament to his longevity is that he’s Wallaby #843. Ryan Lonergan, who made his debut on the weekend, is Wallaby #993.
As one of only three Wallabies who have played at four Rugby World Cups, Slipper will go down in history as one of the all-time greats. Slipper’s last dance in the Test arena will be Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks for one last Test in Wallaby gold.
“Representing the Wallabies has been the single proudest achievement of my rugby career and a privilege I have never taken for granted,” Slipper said. “As a young kid on the Gold Coast playing backyard footy with my brothers, it was a dream to pull on the gold jersey, and to be able to say I’ve lived my dream for what’s coming on 16 years is more than I could ever have asked for.
Also, he’s played both sides of the scrum, any front rower at any level will tell you that’s no joke.
Super Rugby AUS 2025 Grand Final
I like the Force by 10 at home, they had their one and only bad game against the Reds last week.
Sunday, 1:00 pm AWST – Western Force v NSW Waratahs at Kingsway Regional Sporting Complex, Wanneroo,
FORCE (1-15): Marley Pearce, Albert Alcock, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Mitch Watts, Darcy Swain (c), Will Harris, Kane Koteka, Vaiolini Ekuasi; Henry Robertson, Ben Donaldson, Mac Grealy, Kurtley Beale, George Poolman, Viliami Fine, Max Burey
Replacements: Wes Thomas, Max Sawers, Sean Paranihi, Reed Prinsep, Titi Nofoagatotoa, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Justin Landman, Boston Fakafanua
WARATAHS (1-15): Tom Lambert, Ethan Dobbins, Daniel Botha, Ben Grant, Miles Amatosero, Clem Halaholo, Jamie Adamson, Leafi Talataina, Michael McDonald, Joey Fowler, Sid Harvey, Lawson Creighton, Jackson Ropata, Leo Jacques, James Hendren
Replacements: Bruce Kauika-Petersen, Isaac Kailea, Apolosi Ranawai, Matt Philip, Austin Durbidge, Teddy Wilson, Joey Walton, Otto Serfontein
RA set to block Wallabies if they switch to R360 as rebel competition sets launch date
Rugby Australia is preparing to blacklist potential Wallabies if they join the rebel rugby R360 competition, which has informed player agents that it has secured financial backing for the next three years. Multiple player managers have confirmed R360 powerbrokers had been in contact on Tuesday night, advising of plans for a competition kick-off on 2 October, 2026.
It’s still not confirmed but it seems the following is in train:
- The inaugural season will launch on 2 October, 2026, and include six men’s and four women’s teams.
- In 2027 (a Rugby World Cup year), the 12-event competition will run from April to September and include semi-finals and a final. The men’s competition will expand to eight teams.
- In 2028, the competition will include 16 events running from April to September.
- The franchise locations are expected to be based in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon and Madrid.
- The teams will be registered to the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation.
- Players will be granted full releases to play international rugby.
- The players will own their IP and not be owned by their team or R360, maximising their off-field earning capacity.
- A player draft will be held in July of next year, when players will be assigned to teams.
- All players will be able to choose their country of residence and won’t be asked to reside in their franchise location.
Contract templates were presented to agents for review last week with organisers saying they’ve secured funding for an initial three-year competition across 2026, 2027, and 2028. Organisers said they want to finalise long-form contracts in the next month.
R360 recruiters have spent the year targeting rugby players and multiple NRL stars. Informed sources say several current Wallabies – along with former Wallabies and Australian Sevens players – are among the 160 players who have signed heads of agreement to negotiate with the rebel competition in the next month.
But despite contract offers of up to $1.4m a season, the chance of Wallabies players taking the leap appears slim with RA set to overlook players from R360 for Wallabies selection. RA is understood to be unconvinced about the lack of information about the high-performance environments of R360 and the longer-term viability of the competition, based on changing business models and financing arrangements.
The Red Bull effect – what next for Newcastle?
This will be interesting, Red Bull has a history of buying sporting assets low and doing very well with them.
This from the BBC
Arriving at Kingston Park on Friday, it was hard not to miss the imprint of the new owners on proceedings. From the DJ playing in a special booth outside the ground to cars emblazoned with the sponsor’s name and free products handed out to spectators walking up to the ground. What was generated was a palpable buzz with the ground packed to the rafters. Fireworks greeted the home players’ arrival while lulls in play were met with music over the tannoy.
And despite the name change, it didn’t take long for cries of ‘Red Bulls’ to echo round the terraces. Over 9,000 were present for the Prem Rugby Cup against Harlequins a fortnight before, while 10,210 fans were there for the Saracens game, the highest in the league since 2018. A large number present were in the 18 to 30 demographic and many younger, a good sign for rugby union in general. In comparison last season, their average crowd in the league was 5,908.
Hossman back tomorrow
