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Rugby

Rugby News Australia, 2024 Super Rugby Season Preview

by Sports Benches

We are about to enter the 28th year of Super Rugby & yet things are still not the same as it once was back in the glorious 1990s-early 2000s when Australia (Wallabies) benefited so much success right until the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Yes, they won just three Super Rugby championships ever since but that doesn’t mean they are on the same standard as their Tasman neighbours, New Zealand. There has been so many changes through the off-season with regards to musical chairs at players and coaching staff amongst multiple teams. Waratahs handed over control to Rugby Australia recently while the Reds got a new head coach. Plus, Brumbies staying strong as the leading Super Rugby team here, as well as Western Force who are looking to return to the finals with the recruitment of some experienced players. And this week, the Melbourne Rebels entered voluntary administration even though they will continue to play just for this season, despite some star hirings of their own.

Over in New Zealand, most of the five teams (Blues, Hurricanes & of course Crusaders) except Chiefs & Highlanders will now have new head coaches where most of them from last year have joined Scott Robertson at the All Blacks as the Crusaders will begin a brand new era in 2024 without him. He was the one who delivered so many Super Rugby championships including last year’s final v Chiefs & it remains to be seen if the Crusaders can keep on winning including delivering another championship under former Waratahs coach Rob Penney. And for the Highlanders, they are under a big rebuilding phase with Jamie Joseph back onboard to try & return to its former glory as the head of rugby after they missed the Top 8 finals bubble in 9th last year.

We also don’t forget the two Pasifika teams to round off the line-up with Fijian Drua coming off from a great second season before they were elminated by the Crusaders in the last 8 as winning away from home would be the great next step to stay in the Top 8 & Moana Pasifika needs more time so they can really win games after they finished last over the last two seasons.

This year could be a great opportunity to see an even/level playing field where it’s Australia’s time at last to catch up to NZ but despite there will be some really close games, the outcome won’t change much where we will see a New Zealand winner once again whether it’s going to be the Crusaders or Blues or Chiefs by surprise whereas the Brumbies will continue being the best Australian Super Rugby team. Likewise in previous seasons though, the Brumbies will unfortunately still be nowhere near the Grand Final radar either in the quarter or semi finals. Yes, Rugby Australia is going with the high performance centralisation system alongside Joe Schmidt as their new head coach in the hope of also winning games again following a disastrous group stage campaign for the first time ever at last year’s World Cup in France. But the question remains to be seen whether or not if they can support five teams, having seen the Rebels fall into trouble off the field this week? While there will always going to be some Victorian/Melbourne born talent, there’s no guarantee that the Rebels will continue to play at AAMI Park going into 2025 and beyond. For now, the new season will start on Friday 23rd February right until mid-June where every game is live and Ad-Free on Stan Sport while there’s always a Saturday night game being simulcast via free-to-air on 9Gem.

Predicting ladder 2024

  1. Crusaders (champions)
  2. Chiefs (then semi-finalists)
  3. Blues (runners-up)
  4. ACT Brumbies (then semi-finalists)
  5. Hurricanes
  6. NSW Waratahs
  7. Queensland Reds
  8. Highlanders
  9. Fijian Drua
  10. Western Force
  11. Melbourne Rebels
  12. Moana Pasifika
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Rugby

2023 Rugby World Cup Final Review from the weekend: Springboks hold out the All Blacks by just one point en route towards being the first four-time Webb Ellis Cup holders in Paris

by Sports Benches

Wow!! How dramatic and thrilling it was to close out the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final in the 47th & final match of the six-week tournament at Paris’s Stade De France where one of the two almighty nations will become the first 4 x Webb Ellis Cup winners – All Blacks & the Springboks. The first half has been full of penalty kicks where the Boks led the way from the beginning & while the ABs have caught them up at times, but then they lost skipper Sam Cane for the rest of this match due to a high jaw tackle on Jesse Kriel – which was initially seen as a yellow card before being upgraded to red by the referee Wayne Barnes. Half-time: 6-12. Although the ABs may have scored the one & only TRY by closing in on the Boks by just a single point later during the 2nd half. Unfortunately, not only they struggled to get away these kicks between the sticks from a difficult & long range, but they also couldn’t find a way to get past a scrambled Boks defense before it was too late. Despite no 2nd half score & seeing both skipper Siya Kolisi & Cheslin Kolbe sitting in the naughty chair, the Boks held on their one-point buffer really well en route towards their 4th World Championship title after full-time, 11-12.

Pieter-Steph Du Toit is one of the Boks’ most important players out there thanks to an all-round display in the Openside role at No.7. He’s extremely tall who did well to limit the All Blacks’s attacking play while he puts his body on the line through their wall every time the Boks have the ball on hand, which shows how much they need him so badly as the longer they hold on, the better it will be to see light at the end of the tunnel that saw the ABs struggle under pressure. Next up Handre Pollard ends up as the No.1 kicker and No.10 player for the World Championship winning Boks team. He’s an excellent team member who can give them everything as his kicking conversion accuracy was spot on as always thanks to these winning penalties, even though all the points his side has accrued has been three-point kicks. Both of them have been stronger as ever that reflects the Bokke’s rebuild from the top since 2018-19 whereas nearly all of their four original Super Rugby franchises now ply in Europe – congrats on being the first team to lift 4 x Webb Ellis Cup trophies now in Rugby World Cup history.

And Mark Telea rounds off the Top 3, having done the best he can to try and get the All Blacks over the line on the wide right at No.14. He’s an excellent communicator who backs up really well as being tested both in attack & defense before Mark was able to make good use of the ball such as the pace including these 1 v 1 battles against defenders that saw him found the quick ball assist to fellow Blues player Beauden Barrett with the team’s only big score. Sadly, ill-discipline has hit them very hard where the ABs were so behind before they couldn’t get it done under pressure in the end as runners-up.

After 47 games over the last six weeks, the 2023 Rugby World Cup has come to a close as we look forward to the next World Cup edition in four years time at our own backyard in Australia. It’s been great seeing the Southern Hemisphere teams dominate once again despite some early round defeats against 1-2 best Northern sides out there including some first-time moments from the Tier 2 nations, such as Portugal’s win v Fiji 23-24 in Pool C & Uruguay def. Namibia 36-26 in Pool A respectively. Now we’re going to swap the Gilbert rugby ball with a cricket bat and ball for the summer as always following a long season this year before we go back all again beginning with a brand new season of Super Rugby in February 2024 followed by the Wallabies & Club Rugby (Shute Shield & QLD Hospital Cup) campaigns during the 2nd half of the year.

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2023 Rugby World Cup, the best of two Southern Hemisphere teams all set for the Final after the All Blacks too good for Los Pumas while Springboks hold off England by one point off the winning penalty goal

by Sports Benches

The 2023 Rugby World Cup Final is all set through the best of the two Southern Hemisphere teams & also both 3 x champions, whom they’ve shared a lot of history together as rivals that happens every year via The Rugby Championship & also the Freedom Cup Series trophy. It’s the All Blacks v Springboks for the Webb Ellis Trophy next Sunday AM at 6am AEDT at Stade De France in Paris (You can watch that big final match-up live & free on 9Gem). Plus, Los Pumas will take on England the day beforehand (also 6am Saturday AM AEDT) when it comes to the best of 3rd place in the Bronze Medal Final.

Los Pumas might have opened the scoresheet first via the penalty goal (and also collected the 2nd three-pointer later during the first half), but the ABs were too good fair & square all along from 6-20 at half-time to 6-44 in the end off the back from the Will Jordan hat-trick brace on his wide right role. Meanwhile, the 2nd semi game was a close one where the first half was full of three-point kicks with England leading the way v the Boks 12-6. Later on the Boks responded to Owen Farell’s drop goal with the one & only big score of their own before a successful scrum penalty saw their own No.10 Handre Pollard kick that winning three-point conversion from such a long distance with four minutes left towards the end by a one-point win 15-16.

Not the day the Pumas was hoping for where the first points were there off the back of the winning penalties, even though it’s just through a penalty kick conversion. But their open play performances wasn’t the same where the Pumas unfortunately didn’t score any big points as the ABs were simply too good for them. Speaking of ABs, they were outstanding from start to finish. They’ve  been patient with the ball on hand that dominated easy possession v the Pumas, while the passage of play & execution with the safety of their numbers has been effective in order to get the job done.

Looking at England now, they weren’t bad for a start in the way they use their winning penalties towards a shot between the sticks. I don’t blame them for that strategy one bit but it would’ve been better if they took a bit more risk by dismantling a robust Boks defense when it comes to the big points where holding on such a small lead was sadly backfired towards the end there. And the Boks are on their way on what is going to be another World Cup final at the same place they’ve last won back in 2007 also against England. They did so well to keep up with the English initially with the winning penalties before the Boks finally found a way to split their territory while dominating the rest of the match in all areas with the match-winning penalty goal to savour as a fourth title awaits to whichever winning team comes out first alongside fellow 3 x World Champs the ABs.

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Rugby

2023 Rugby World Cup, Southern Hemisphere teams dominated the first two Quarter-Finals as All Blacks & Los Pumas are through while Ireland & Wales are eliminated

by Sports Benches

Wow!! Couldn’t believe what a Saturday it has been to kickstart the first two Quarter-Final matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. The day belongs to two Southern Hemisphere teams who will now be on its way for next weekend’s semi-final match (6am Saturday AM AEDT) against each other – All Blacks (New Zealand) & Los Pumas (Argentina).

Final score: Wales 17-29 Los Pumas & Ireland 24-28 All Blacks

ABs did well to not just get the ball rolling but respond well to Ireland’s fight both in defense and attack, which is brilliant to watch as they’re still alive in the hope of winning a fourth World Cup title. Plus, the Pumas may have only collected just the 1st-half penalty goal, but made a remarkable turnaround by spotting the isolated Welsh attack under pressure before the rewards are there quick smart as the clock ticks down. Credit to Michael Cheika for that tactical masterclass where he could be in a shot for another World Cup final but this time with the Pumas. And for the other two losing Northern Hemisphere sides, Wales fired off well but looked lost as the game goes on to the Pumas & World No.1 Ireland did their best to stay in the fight all along before they just couldn’t get past the ABs under pressure in the end. Wales will now look to stay on the up since Warren Gatland is back for another spell at the top job (Head Coach) while Ireland would want to come back better & win for it next time – having still not yet won a Quarter-Final match in the World Cup knockout stages before.

The tables will now turn to the remaining two Quarter-Final games tomorrow that will set up the 2nd semi-final next Sunday AM AEDT – England v Fiji followed by the Host Nation France v Defending champions Springboks (South Africa). Could we see a 2019 Final rematch between England v Boks? Will the Flying Fijians wow the English with pace en route towards their first ever semi in RWC history? or is it going to be France’s year still in the search of their first World Cup title after entering the tournament as one of the favourites for the Webb Ellis Cup? It all remains to be seen going into the 2nd week of Finals.

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All Blacks too good tonight in Game 2 of the 2022 Bledisloe Cup that extends another year of the Wallabies’ losing hoodoo for the 36th straight time at Eden Park

by Admin

By Daniel Cullinane

Twitter: @dcullinane02

It was a feisty build-up to this second test between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park. All the talk had been about the controversial decision for time-wasting that ended the Wallabies chances of winning the Bledisloe cup in the first test. The reckless action of lock Darcy Swain, and the claims that the Wallabies had disrespected the haka. The potential for a heated contest was high.

Australia got the game under way and quickly put pressure on New Zealand with a break by Jed Holloway, who charged into the All Blacks 22. He quickly undid his good work by dumping Dalton Papali’i at the ruck. He was yellow-carded, and so began the rollercoaster of indiscipline that appears to be blighting the Australian game.

New Zealand on the other hand, were lifting their game and showing early dominance. A strong scrum saw All Black number 8 Ardie Savea break. The ball went wide to Beauden Barrett, who turned on the after burners and then chipped, to pile the pressure on the Wallabies. The All Blacks were awarded a 5 metre scrum but Savea was unable to control the ball at the base. Australia cleared their lines.

Then a moment of magic from Wallaby wing, Marika Koroibete. A break down the midfield followed by a chip, catch, and grubber to put huge pressure on the New Zealanders in their own 22. Again, the Wallabies infringed, leading to a kickable penalty for Richie Mo’unga. 3-0 to the All Blacks. Wing; Will Jordan soon built on the score with a fine break and subsequent try. Mo’unga made it 10-0.

Australia was creaking badly and the pressure was clearly affecting their thinking. Tom Wright confirmed this by taking a quick tap penalty from an eminently kickable position and an almost guaranteed 3 points. Another penalty by Wallaby skipper James Slipper led to a New Zealand lineout in the Aussie 22. Afterwards, a powerful maul forced a penalty try and yet another yellow card for Australia. David Porecki left the field for 10 minutes. Half time arrived and the score was 17-0; New Zealand were flying.

In the second half, the All Blacks carried on where they had left off. Within 2 minutes, they scored through captain Sam Whitelock. Mo’unga converted to make the score 24-0. The All Blacks had by now recognised that the Wallabies couldn’t live with them in the set piece. Again, they went to the lineout. Again they formed a driving maul and powered over the Aussie line. This time it was Codie Taylor on the scoresheet. The conversion was missed. 32-0 to the All Blacks.

At last the Australians fired a shot when Nick Frost charged down a New Zealand kick in their 22. Pete Samu collected the ball and surged forwards. Support came from replacement hooker Folau Fainga’a, who charged over the line. Bernard Foley kicked the conversion; Points on the boards. 32-7.

The All Blacks responded almost immediately with another pushover try from the lineout. Samisoni Taukei’aho the scorer.

In the 76th minute, Richie Mo’unga had another shot at goal to make it 40-7. The Aussies would have the final word in a very one-sided game when a determined Jordan Petaia forced his way over. The try was converted. The final score 40-14 to New Zealand. It was a dominant display from the men in black. Probably their best performance in the tournament.

The All Blacks were sharp, their set piece was outstanding, and they were clinical when they needed to be. Australia has some big issues to deal with. Their discipline has been woeful since their test series defeat to England back in July. They have spent large parts of the Rugby Championship playing with less than fifteen men on the field. Going forward, the lack of leadership is clearly a problem they must address if they are to be successful.

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Jordie Barrett’s last minute TRY for the All Blacks has all but ended the Wallabies’ bid to take home the Bledisloe Cup series for the 20th year in Game 1 of 2 at Marvel Stadium

by Admin

By Daniel Cullinane

Twitter: @dcullinane02

Even after the defeat by the Springboks in the last round of the Rugby Championship, the Wallabies would go into this match with quiet confidence. With home advantage against an All Blacks team who have looked shaky in this competition and beyond, they would have felt that they could get on top of their old rivals.

New Zealand would be in a better place after a resounding win against the Pumas, but there is still a sense that they are unsure of themselves. The Wallabies would seek to test the All Blacks alleged fragile state. The Wallabies set the tone for the game by advancing on the All Blacks during the Haka, signalling that they were really up for this one. However, as the game got under way it was the New Zealanders who took the initiative.

After just 3 minutes, All Blacks hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho powered over the Wallabies try line to open the scoring. Following a successful conversion from fly half Richie Mo’unga the score was 0-7. The men in blacks dominance continued and was rewarded with another 3 points from the boot of Mo’unga. They were building nicely. The Wallabies were yet to turn up.

After 17 minutes, some good work by the Australians from a lineout lead to a kickable penalty. Veteran Aussie fly half, Bernard Foley who was exemplary all evening opened his account with three points. Some slick handling saw Wallaby full back Andrew Kellaway score in the corner. But on closer inspection it was clear that he had been unable to ground the ball.

The Australian team were growing in confidence and starting to impose themselves on the All Blacks. They kicked to the corner after being awarded a penalty at the scrum. There was a short drive from the ensuing lineout and then a pick and go to score by Aussie No8 Rob Valetini. Foley made it 10-10.

With an All Black going to the bin, the momentum was firmly with the Australians. Marika Koroibete charged up the field and smashed into New Zealand wing Caleb Clarke. The Wallaby forwards then dismantled the All Blacks at the resulting scrum. Although the scoreboard didn’t reflect it, Australia were on top. But then, everything changed. The Aussies hit self destruct. A superb and powerful break by Clarke ended with a pile-up near the Australian try line. Indiscipline meant that Tom Wright and Darcy Swain were sent to the bin. The tables turned almost instantly, with the All Blacks being held up over the line. Half time came, the score 10 all.

The men in Black had clearly been told to take advantage of the 13-man Australia, and did so in spectacular fashion. A testing kick in behind and then some rapid passing saw Samisoni Taukei’aho score his second try of the match. Soon the Wallabies were back to a full compliment and picked up another kickable penalty. Foley rarely misses, making the score 13-17.

More indiscipline led to Wallaby scrum half Jake Gordon going to the bin. New Zealand soon took advantage with Richie Mo’unga dissecting the Aussie backline to touch down near the posts. He converted his own try, making the score 13-24 to New Zealand.

Beauden Barrett then reminded everyone what a world-class player he is with a superbly weighted chip over the gold defence that was collected by wing Will Jordan, who raced away to score. The All Blacks were in cruise control. Australia then fired a shot of their own down the other end with Andrew Kellaway running on to a flat pass from Foley to grab a much needed score. Foley converted. Minutes later, Kellaway was at it again. Some long passes stretch the New Zealand defence allowing the full-back to score in the corner. 27-31 to Australia.

New Zealand then extended their lead through a Mo’unga penalty, but Australia weren’t finished yet. A brilliant one-two between Koroibete and Pete Samu saw the back row forward score. Foley then drew the teams level at 34 all. A remarkable comeback by Australia.

When Australia were awarded a penalty in front of the posts, the replacement scrum-half Nic White stepped up and kicked the points for Australia to take them into the lead. As expected, the All Blacks fought back but then gave away a penalty 2 metres from the Aussie try line. Then a moment of controversy saw referee Mathieu Raynal award a scrum to New Zealand for Bernhard Foley allegedly time wasting.

The All Blacks saw their chance. They won the ball, and then moved it wide, allowing Jordie Barrett to score in the corner in the 80th minute. The kick was missed, but it didn’t matter. The men in black had done enough to win the match and retain the Bledisloe cup. Australia will say they were on the wrong end of a refereeing decision, and that cost them the game. Their discipline needs to be fixed before the return fixture. Final score 37-39. Great game.

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Rugby News, Wallabies complete their 2021 Rugby Championship campaign with four straight wins in their last four games against both Springboks & Pumas

by Sports Benches

Great start from the Wallabies in the first half after seeing a series of kicking contests v Los Pumas during the first 20 minutes, they used the ball well when given the chance, called their players up to support through the channels & successfully executed two tries along the way from Folau Faingaa & Andrew Kellaway.

Pumas meanwhile have done well defensively at times as seen that held the Wallabies back & win penalties, but they need to improve their discipline as seen with Tomas Lavinini’s yellow card just a few minutes before half-time which is going to give them time to get past the Wallabies’ own territory or else it’s too late.

HALF-TIME: Pumas 3-15 Wallabies

And the Wallabies continued to thrive after the break with more tries on the board including Andrew Kellaway’s double brace that summed up his hat-trick TRY tonight on the Gold Coast, although they began to falter towards the final siren but a win is a win after all.

Pumas may have turned around in the last 20 minutes thanks to a number of fresh faces off the bench such as Thomas Gallo who touched down twice on the front row, but it doesn’t detract their overall performance when they weren’t up to speed for the majority thanks to ill-discipline before it’s too late to nail down.

FULL-TIME: Pumas 15-32 Wallabies

Wallabies finish 2nd in this year’s Rugby Championship behind champions All Blacks after six games while Los Pumas came home last without registering a win, they will now spend a month and a half in the northern side of the world with Japan later this October before a British visit in November v Scotland, England & Wales.

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Rugby News, Wallabies regain the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate with back to back wins v reigning World Champions the Springboks

by Sports Benches

Brilliant first-half performance from both the Wallabies and Springboks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane with a three-point difference at the half-time break 15-12.

Wallabies fired off very well courtesy of a double score from Len Ikitau in the midfield but need to improve their discipline especially when Lachie Swinton was slapped with a yellow card in the 33rd min if they want to leave this battle v Boks undefeated 2-0.

Boks, on the other hand, has won a few penalties where Handre Pollard at fly-half successfully converted a couple of penalty goals into the post but South Africa needs to be patient through the executions & cut the ill-discipline/lost penalties that would ultimately dictate this match.

In the end, the Wallabies had a complete performance when they may have lost the lead at one point just after the break but turned around thanks to a few fresh faces off the bench as well as Taniela Tupou’s all-round play & Marika Koroibete’s double TRY.

And the Boks may have stolen the lead at one point just after the break courtesy of Faf De Klerk’s little cross-kick to Lukhanyo Am but unable to kick on when their attack continues to lack the consistent execution as well as more ill-discipline that prevented them from closing in the Wallabies.

Full-Time: Wallabies 30-17 Springboks

Wallabies ended their two-match meeting this year with the Boks as undefeated alongside the series win which saw them regain the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate as they have two more games left v Los Pumas from Argentina over the next two weeks.

The Springboks have two tough weeks to prepare v All Blacks going into the closing stages of this tournament, they are just five points behind them right now pending on the All Blacks’ result v Argentina later on but should the men in black lose then the Boks are not out of the running just yet.

Watch this space going into the last two weeks of the 2021 Rugby Championship.

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Rugby News Australia, 2021 Bledisloe Cup Game 3 Review: Wallabies v All Blacks

by Sports Benches

A fantastic start from New Zealand in the first 40 who scored two tries at 0-18 despite seeing Jordie Barrett receive the red card. 

They were fantastic as always due to the patience and support play unpacked that flows into a sensational finish as seen with the mix of short passes, physicality & pace.

Meanwhile, The home team created some chances especially with the link-up play earlier from Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete but they still haven’t learned a thing or two when it comes to executions which ultimately haunted them in return.

Although the Wallabies finally got going after the break when they scored three tries, it’s just too late to rebound by the time All Blacks   continue dominating the pitch with four more tries including a David Havili 2nd half double before the final siren (80th minute).

FULL-TIME: Wallabies 21-38 All Blacks

All Blacks already confirmed their Bledisloe Cup defense for the 19th straight year with a clean sweep series win 3-0 while they continue to lead The Rugby Championship going into a double meeting v Argentina over the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Wallabies are still looking for their first Rugby Championship win of 2021 when they will face The Springboks from South Africa also at the same time.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from 2021 Bledisloe Cup Game 3: Wallabies v All Blacks in Perth

by Sports Benches

David Havili was fantastic in the All Blacks midfield on the inside throughout this afternoon.

He did well to protect his defense every time the Wallabies struggled to execute that won turnovers/penalties/intercepts, then the real work begins when Havili became so destructive after half-time with two tries that wowed the All Blacks supporters watching him.

Next up is Akira Ioane who also played a huge role on the blindside back row that distance his All Blacks team further away from the Wallabies.

Not only he spotted the Wallabies attacking struggles through the final third defensively but gave a helping hand when contributing the attack that made his backline a lot easier to score which is excellent communication & support play that reflected their big win today.

And Samu Kerevi learned a lot during the Tokyo Olympics while playing rugby sevens for Australia when he ran through the break with transferrable skills prepared at 15s level.

Look at the link-up play when he was side by side with team-mate Marika Koroibete earlier in the 1st half & he may have continued to create these chances throughout today but Kerevi lacks support regarding the executions and that’s lost points stolen which was scored by the All Blacks.

#BledisloeCup #AUSvNZL #RugbyChampionship #Wallabies #AllBlacks #Rugby #InternationalRugby #RugbyUnion #SamuKerevi #AkiraIoane #David Havili

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