Today’s Rugby News has English line-up changes, more law-change chat, a Wallaby coach being useful and a good bloke to non-selected players just to mix things up, Dunedin ticket sales and some constructive feedback for SBW.
Karl will be back next week after he generously agreed to swap weeks so I could attend the South-East Queensland Dolphin Waxer’s Association annual convention.
Joe Marler and Will Stuart added to Pommy squad v NZ
Pravda and AAP report that Props Joe Marler and Will Stuart are the only changes to Saturday’s side which beat genius-coached Japan 52-17 in Tokyo, replacing “Commodore” Bevan Rodd and Dan “fossil fuel” Cole.
Stuart scored two tries as England scored 19 unanswered points in the last 10 minutes to draw 25-25 draw at Twickenham in the sides’ last meeting in November 2022.
Cole drops to the bench and is in line to win his 114th cap to equal Jason Leonard as England’s second-most capped men’s player, while Fin Baxter and Ollie Sleightholme could win their first caps.
Alex Coles replaces the suspended Charlie Ewels among the substitutes with Ben Spencer coming onto the bench for Harry Randall.
“It doesn’t get more challenging than playing New Zealand at home.” according to England coach Steve Borthwick – who has clearly never given birth, according to Mrs Yowie.
NZ chief executive likes 20-minute red cards
The Guardian reports that New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson says the introduction of 20‑minute red cards at all levels of the game is an increasingly urgent necessity, presumably all the more so since the World Cup final against South Africa last October.
“We’re the only sport in the world that creates a mismatch like we do and still expects fans to turn up and pay for it,” Robinson said, despite basic research also pointing to similar red card mismatches in Soccer and Rugby League.
“I think it’ll be good to see the red card come down in terms of the amount [number] of minutes players spend off the field. We’ve got to keep driving hard at keeping the fan at the very forefront of what we’re doing.”
World Rugby has instigated a number of trials of 20-minute red cards, including at the World U20 Championship this year, whereby an offending player can be replaced by another player after 20 minutes to reduce the numerical advantage created.
Robinson has renewed calls for the red-card system to be reformed this year, urging World Rugby to extend its closed trials to the entire global game.
Joe Schmidt orders Tim “Junkyard Dog” Ryan to bulk-up and bide his time
Rugby365 and AAP report that, despite non-selection in the Wallabies for the time being, the breakout winger spent time with Joe Schmidt, with the coach giving Ryan something to aim for.
“I met with Tim for 20 minutes (to) half an hour” Schmidt said.
“I had a good conversation with [Reds coach] Les Kiss around Tim as well.”
“What’s probably best for Tim at the moment? Massive breakout season, but he’s a raw kid who is very lean.”
“I wouldn’t be averse to bringing him into a squad at all, if there is a window where we can get some physical development into him just so he’s better prepared.”
“We’re trying to make sure that we have got players who are prepared before they come in.”
“A lot of his game sense and a lot of his natural, instinctive play is fantastic to watch already.”
“He comes from long support lines to score. He goes up in the air over the top of other players to score, and he chases balls through to score.”
“I showed Tim all those things on Tuesday evening when we were chatting.”
“There’s a number of players that haven’t been named in the squad, but we’ve met with and chatted to – just given a little bit of feedback to for the future.”
Dunedin tucket sales a wee but shut hey bro
Paul Cully reports in New Zealand’s “The Post” that the All Blacks won’t sell out Scott “shaver” Robertson’s first test in charge without a late spike in demand for tickets at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
As of Monday morning “about 600 tickets” were still available for the first test against England.
The All Blacks’ two most recent tests in Dunedin, against the Wallabies in 2023 and against Ireland in 2022, were both sold out.
The second test against Ireland had sold out at the corresponding part of the week in 2022 but the ticketing section on the All Blacks’ website showed on Monday that there were still pockets of seats available in most parts of the ground for Saturday’s test.
The cost-of-living crisis is also affecting New Zealanders and price of test tickets is out of range for some families. Plus, Dunedin is a student town. Two-minute noodles and Tuesday night drinks won’t just pay for themselves this month.
Tickets range from $89 (A but stungy hey) to $245 (munt bro) for the Dunedin test, and the total cost for a family of four – two adults and two kuds – for the midrange (sweet-as) tickets would be $410 ($82 AuD).
A lack of local representation in the All Blacks could also make the last tickets harder to shift than normal. There are no Otago players in the All Blacks squad (prop George Bower is in as injury cover) and Southland’s Ethan de Groot is likely to be the only Highlander in the 23-man squad.
There has also been a palpable lack of buzz in the city, with both the All Blacks and England opting to spend the first part of their week in the North Island. Neither will do a media opportunity in Dunedin until Thursday, giving the test a ‘fly-in fly-out’ feel, but without high-vis or jetski ownership and with fewer tattoos.
Ray Hadley not President of SBW Fan Club
It’s “6th page of google results” and April news, but we can’t overlook this gem from Channel Seven, who went against their principles to have a shot at Nine.
Talkback radio host Ray Hadley declared the finite amount of his love for fellow Channel Nine employee Sonny Bill Williams.
“I don’t know how this bloke has continued to be employed by the network that employs me,” Hadley said.
“It’s embarrassing he’s employed by this organisation. I’m embarrassed to be in the same camp as him.”
“I’d say to the Nine board that employs me, you should be embarrassed, as well.“
“How he sustains his job given his monosyllabic efforts on TV, I’ll never know, let alone his dim-witted approach on social media.”
In particular, Hadley was fuming that Williams shared a post by controversial influencer Andrew Tate that had linked the Wakeley church stabbing to the war in Gaza.
“Be handy one day Sonny Bill if you picked up the paper and got somebody to read it to you or cleaned the wax out of your ears and listen to what’s been going on in Sydney over the past 48 hours,” Hadley blasted.
