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Rugby

2024 All Blacks v Italy at Juventus FC’s Allianz Stadium: A brilliant end to their 2024 tour with the win by 18 points

by Sports Benches

After a long five weeks, the All Blacks have now finished their away tour campaign earlier today at Juventus FC’s Allianz Stadium in Torino v Italy. Yes, it has been somewhat scrappy and quiet at times by both teams, but the ABs know what they’re doing to get themselves over the line including their 11 point lead at half-time (6-17) — as a win is a win after all at the end of the day by 18 points, 11-29.

All in all, there is still some room for improvement going into 2025 with some key players moving on like Sam Cane & TJ Perenara. We saw that coming last weekend when they lost to France while they almost to the Wallabies in the 1st Test here and also lost twice to the Springboks all from 2-3 months ago. But not to worry, there should still be more good days ahead for the Men in Black under head coach Scott Robertson after his first year.

It’s been great seeing Cam Roigard back on the field lately in the AB’s away tour after a long six months out from his knee injury. He’s made some terrific moments that a classic half-back could do including a few of his own like the one Cam scored earlier in the first half v the Azzurri as if he scored a goal in soccer for Juventus at their Allianz Stadium. Looks like the Canes need him to stay fit all of next year including another ABs campaign that could hopefully win the Canes a Super Rugby Grand Final – something they haven’t done in a long time since 2016.

We also saw the best of Beauden Barrett who has been doing all sorts of tricks as always on top of his excellent conversion kicks before he managed to finish off the ABs 2024 term in style. He’s at the right place at the right time when he will be back for the championship-winning Blues in Auckland & same again for the ABs next year, so he can play for the 2027 World Cup. Going to miss one of his long-time team-mates in Sam Cane though who made the openside 7 of his own over the last decade. Yes, the ABs made some mistakes too but they should be fine as long as it’s the right replacement for Sam.

And despite the loss, great to see some Italian attacking finesse on top of their good start from their outside backs, particularly in the 2nd half from super sub Marco Zanon. He’s the guy who can create all sorts of moments like how he ran off Mark Talea from the high ball thanks to Tommaso Menacello before he found Menacello again for their one & only TRY. If they had more ball & if it wasn’t for their poor discipline, then they would be right on the money with a more robust backline to make them spin out in circles like in Mario Kart.

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Rugby

Rugby Union Today: Wallabies break away from Georgia’s 2nd half improvements with the eleven-point win at Allianz Stadium

by Sports Benches

It’s been an excellent contest of International Rugby throughout the afternoon at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park between the Wallabies v the emerging Georgia team as we now turn our attention to the Rugby 7s over in Paris for the Olympics next week followed by another year of the Rugby Championship campaign that will begin early next month. 

Georgia opened the scoring first off the back of the three-point penalty goal but it was the Wallabies at home who dominated the first 40 including another set of tries right on half-time, 26-10.Second half saw Georgia improving their game at the restart where we witnessed two quick sensational tries that puts them back on track to the Wallabies radar at one point.

At the end of the day though, the Wallabies have held their lead baton through full-time with the 11-point win, 40-29. They benefitted a series of opposition handling errors & ill-discipline with no disrespect to Georgia, who gave them a hard time all along, as Wallabies now has three wins now so far in 2024 under the tutelage of coach Joe Schmidt. 

The Wallabies long-term back rowers are safe with Fraser McReight on the openside 7 following his A-game performance this afternoon v Georgia. He’s the go-to man who can lock up defenses every time the opposition lack numbers. Not only that, he has power of physical steel that makes a big difference with a few tries off the back of Georgia’s silly mistakes/handling errors, especially in attack having ensured the win for the Wallabies at the end of the day.

Then we have another Wallabies main man at the back in Tom Wright at 15. He knows how to make that attack flow as seen regularly with the Brumbies where he never stops running while Tom can smash the opposition blocks – all of this has been created so they can get the job done with both hands. That’s without saying this contest was a practice match v Georgia which wasn’t easy & he’ll make sure the Wallabies continues with the Rugby Championship set to begin next month.

And shoutout to Aka Tabutsadze following his sensational 2nd half display on the Georgian right wing at 14. You can’t underestimate his abundance on pace who can win these 1 v 1 battles from out of nowhere as if he’s competing in the 100m sprint Final – Georgia should get him on their Track & Field team now to Stade De France for the Olympics next month!!

Yes, he had some mistakes including the ill-discipline that forced the Wallabies hand at times but he won’t be short of suitors as better competition v the top teams more often including domestic level as they hope will make him & his country reach new levels – such as getting Tier 1 status so Georgia can look to crack the Top 10 rankings as well as the chance to play in the Europe’s elite United Rugby Championship competition in the long run. We’ll keep a good track on them as time goes by.

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Rugby

Wallabies are back in business that gave Joe Schmidt his first win on the job in Game 1 of 2 v Wales by nine points at Allianz Stadium 

by Sports Benches

What a night it has been for the Green & Good to walk away with the win v Wales at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park as they now retained the James Bevan Trophy ahead of their 2nd and final Test next Saturday at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

The first half kinda scrappy where Wales opened the scoring account first via the three-point penalty goal including a penalty TRY, but the Wallabies had a narrow three-point advantage off the back of their first TRY by Taniela Tupou in between two successful penalty goals from Noah Lolesio going into the break 13-10. Nothing much happened into the second half despite some glimpses of promise from the Welsh when they were not far away from the Wallabies radar for the lead. However, a series of missed opportunities in open play including an observation that denied them the TRY forced the Wallabies hand later on where it ultimately came back to bite them as Wales still yet to taste victory this year off the back of a poor Six Nations campaign. Meanwhile, Wallabies continued to maintain their dominant ball off the back of a receiving Wales kick & their poor conversion play where they found the gaps well with pace of nowhere that surprised everyone including the opposition team.

They went on to touch down decent tries through the wide channels courtesy of Filipo Daugunu and Tom Wright before the Wallabies won in the end for the first time in a while off the back of a painful 40-7 Wales loss at the World Cup in France last year that consigned to their first-ever pool stage elimination. The final score was 25-16 with the Wallabies win by 9 points.

Tom Wright kickstarted the new Wallabies year with the bang from the back at 15. He had a really great night in the way he supported his wingers that got the best out of him and his team with thanks to the dominant possession while Tom had excellent recovery ball including from up high to kick his way out of trouble as being tested defensively. But what made him so special is his explosive pace that wowed everyone from out of nowhere. He read that gap well where no one was Wales was able to stop him before Tom got the job done that finally got the Wallabies talking following their worst ever campaign throughout last year as he hopes to give them better days more often like he does to the Brumbies every week of the season.

Although yet to commit to a club next season after good year for the one & only good Rebels season, but Taniela Tupou did well to keep the Welsh quiet on the front row at tighthead. Every time the Welsh couldn’t the best out of their counter-attack in open play or bottled the ball down, Taniela’s there to turn things around thanks to his excellent read and brute physicality that turned out to be his side’s way for the majority. Plus, he never put a foot wrong with great patience thanks to the dominant possession before he left the field in great hands for the Wallabies to get the job done with the win. He made Wallabies supporters in Sydney had a good night, why not do that more often if he goes to the Waratahs? We shall see…

And Wales No.8 Aaron Rainwright did the best he can to keep the Wallabies in check. He’s the man who never stopped working hard while being brave to smash the Wallabies defense that opened up plenty of opportunities for his Welsh side to get over the line. But unfortunately, Wales just couldn’t cut it that frustrated their fans every time when balls go out into the full/touch – despite winning a few penalties. Plus, they had less ball on top of poor line-outs, discipline & defense which was very disappointing. Wales still needs get the job done in order to build on their 2023 World Cup run to the Quarter-Finals & not blow it out like it was before where constant chopping & changing isn’t enough to make them win matches more often.

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Rugby

NSW Waratahs stunning 2nd half comeback from 19-0 down just not enough to stop the Queensland Reds by a single point 26-27

by Sports Benches

Wow!! What a game we have witnessed at Allianz Stadium where one team in the Reds got away with a really good start going into half-time 19-0. Then another team in the form of the underwhelming Waratahs began to pick up plenty of unanswered points where they were oh so close, having closed in at 24-24 all before successful two point conversion puts them in front at 26-24 for a short time. However, a late penalty goal from halfway by Tom Lynagh for the Reds fortunately gave their away fans a huge sigh of relief with the one point win in Moore Park by 26-27. Reds clearly booked in 5th where they will most likely take on the Chiefs once again in Hamilton next weekend while the Waratahs ended up last following a very difficult 2024 season.

Fraser McReight once again outstanding that puts the Reds on the map for a couple of winning occasions throughout the year on the openside 7. Not only he’s so dangerous smashing the opposition while backing up with the backline via his pace and superior passing but also brilliant to break down defensively too including the latter stages needed to stop the Waratahs from slipping away come full-time. There’s unfinished business ahead in the hope he can be the best 7 for both club and country going forward & next weekend’s last eight v the Chiefs away in Hamilton is the perfect time to do it & play semi-finals.

Josh Flook is another important Reds player who we should keep an eye on after an excellent display last night in the midfield outside 13. He’s the man that never stops running & also loves to score tries off the back of a great first half performance with one TRY to himself thanks to some excellent communication in the attacking third. Yes, we could’ve seen him score his 2nd when things didn’t go their way while seeing the Waratahs 2nd half comeback that almost came back to bite his team. But he was happy to accept the win & Josh needs his full support, so he can unleash his attacking abilities in the hope of going one better by beating the Chiefs again next weekend.

Finally, Jack Bowen has been exceptional when being given the keys to start in the Waratahs 10 position, particularly when he played a key role in his team’s resurgence after half-time of one TRY & three successful conversion kicks. Okay, he might have missed the very last penalty kick which was so unlucky. But Jack knows where to hack it when looking to expand into the wide areas on the counter attack with the numbers he’s got around him and voila! Let’s hope he will benefit from good competition that will make him a better player under a new coach going into next season. For now, he will look to help his 4th placed Easts side have a solid run in the Shute Shield show soon enough.

And shoutout with thanks to Darren Coleman on getting the Waratahs get back on track such as back to back 6th places including two Crusaders wins this year as if it’s 2014 again but sadly injuries hit him the most & we wish him good luck.

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Rugby

The Chiefs explosive counter-attack derails the Waratahs good start with an easy win to close it out tonight at Allianz Stadium, 22-38

by Sports Benches

Round 10 of 15 in the 2024 Super Rugby Season during the Anzac weekend saw all 12 teams back in full swing after taking their respective byes over the last three weeks and fortunately, I was able to see it on-site tonight at Allianz Stadium (awesome modern venue btw) in Moore Park where the NSW Waratahs welcome last year’s runner-up team the Chiefs from Waikato, NZ.

The first half saw the Waratahs off to a flying start following the Chiefs early ill-disciplines that saw two of their players having to sit out on the naughty chair (yellow card) for a while. Despite this, the Chiefs were able to move on and level the scoreboard with the Waratahs going into half-time at 12-12. Then the Chiefs were able to extend their lead with another set of tries while the Waratahs began to fall behind. Yes, the Waratahs might have not lost all of hope just yet when a successful penalty conversion and a 3rd TRY might have spark a bit of an outside revival. However, as the clock ticks away towards full-time, the Chiefs proved too strong for them whilst having the last laugh with one more TRY to close it out for the win once again 22-38.

Emoni Narawa has been lightning quick on the Chiefs right wing, having been blessed with the support needed to get things done on the counter-attack that made him so great. He can make things so difficult with his trickery pace for the opposition defenders to try and stop him in his tracks where he punished them not once but twice that puts his side in cruise control.

Here’s another experienced young talent Kaylum Boshier on the Chiefs openside back row at 7 after he kept a good eye on the Waratahs at his own end, so he can turn the ball over, muscle it up & cash it in on return as the rewards have paid off. He’s a multi-talented player with a background in both rugby and cricket who’s got tremendous mobility that reflects his natural game-changing abilities and that is how Kaylum made the Waratahs suffer towards the end with a big win away from home.

Both of them may not had much International experience but they can certainly compete v the best of the rest and that includes the unbeaten Hurricanes in the hope they can translate success in all fronts of New Zealand Rugby. The road to go one better continues as they will be back at home (FMG Stadium in Waikato) next Saturday night v Perth’s Western Force.

And Julian Heaven has converted a couple of the line-in throws into tries for the Waratahs tonight including one for himself thanks to these winning penalties. He’s still young at 23 who might not have gone through the traditional route but his hard work handed his side a huge early headstart off the back of the Chiefs ill-discipline that saw two players sat 10 minutes at each time on the naughty chair. But what’s even naughty is the way his side failed to get the job done at times through open play despite having good possession as the Chiefs explosive counter attack really punished them in the end that handed them yet another loss. It doesn’t look any good from here with the Hurricanes next up & it’s even going to be a long trip to get to Wellington in NZ for next Friday on what is going to be a really tough run-in to finish off this term.

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Rugby

Super Rugby, Late NSW Waratahs fightback not enough to derail the Blues night with another two point loss at Allianz Stadium

by Sports Benches

It was a scrappy & close match-up to watch tonight at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park with the Waratahs having the first points off the penalty goal conversion after a scoreless first half hour but it was the Blues who led the way with the one and only TRY not long ahead of half-time 3-7. Then nothing much changed at all where the Blues added another TRY and despite seeing the Waratahs dominate possession in the last 10-15 mins thanks to a late TRY, it still wasn’t enough to upsurp the Blues with less than 60 seconds left on the clock with the final scoreline, 10-12. Waratahs will now fly to Suva, Fiji ahead of their next game v the Fijian Drua next Saturday while the Blues will travel to Christchurch v the Crusaders later on the same day.

Caleb Clarke has been a very important player tonight on the Blues left wing where he never stopped running back and forth as being tested defensively while he worked his magic with the ball on hand such as making a few quick kicks as well as displaying excellent physicality every time he smashes through the Waratahs defense. It goes to show how valuable he is to the side in order to keep the Blues winning trajectory with the eye of lifting the championship having fired off really well so far this season apart from their defeat last week to the Hurricanes, although there’s still a long way to go especially when going up against a completely new Crusaders team next Saturday night who so far hasn’t won any games yet. Meanwhile, Ofa Tuʻungafasi had a great first half performance where he kept the Waratahs quiet while helping his side get off the mark on the front row at loosehead. He too is also incredibly physically strong in all areas such at scrum time, line-out time, attack when adding pressure to the opposition and also in defense to try & turn things over his way for his Blues team. Yes, things might not be the same later on when he had to come off the bench when the Waratahs dominated the last 10-15 mins alone but his contribution has been key to the Blues staying ahead above the Waratahs tonight. And how about a special shoutout to Jay  Fonokalafi who scored a late TRY on his Super Rugby debut with 1-2 mins left off the Waratahs bench as the reserve hooker thanks to a winning penalty line-out. He is someone who plays for the Western Sydney Two Blues in Shute Shield and also has a day job in concreting which is an unreal story for him to get his chance to showcase himself at the highest level and sure there’s more to come from the 27-year-old. But for now, the team just couldn’t make the most of their attack for the majority with a mix of ill-discipline despite a late fightback where it’s been too little, too late to get over the line under pressure.

No.7 and No.8, Perese with Reilly Waratahs Jay reserve hooker

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Rugby

Springboks wrap up their 2022 Australian tour with the win as visitors at the brand new Allianz Stadium in Sydney v Wallabies

by Admin

By Daniel Cullinane

Twitter: @dcullinane02

After an impressive performance against the South Africans in the first test, the Australians will have been confident going into the second match. The final score didn’t reflect the dominance of the Wallabies. The Springboks are all about getting the ‘W’. Their brand of rugby isn’t pretty, but it is physical and highly effective. Last week’s result will have hurt.

The game kicked off in a rainy Sydney at the Allianz Stadium. Right from the start, the Wallabies were looking to take the pace from the first test into this game. The South Africans looked sharp and were bringing their expected physicality. The Australians were struggling to handle the Bok’s powerful drives into their defensive line. This culminated in Damian De Allende crashing over the Aussie line in the eighth minute. The try was converted making it 0-7 to the Boks.

To add to the Wallabies’ pain, Matt Philip went to the bin for infringing in the build-up to the try. After a quiet game in Adelaide last week, South African captain Siya Kolisi, was putting in a much-improved performance. His steal at the breakdown stopped the Wallabies deep in the Boks half. Nic White was doing his best to get the ball away from the ruck with speed and was getting plenty of attention from the Boks and their fans. Possibly for his Oscar-winning performance in the previous test.

The Boks continued to go through their bullying tactics upfront but were creating little in the backs. They continually tested Reece Hodge in the first half under the high ball, but he dealt with everything that came his way. The Australians were building nicely in the Boks half and putting pressure on the South African’s defence. This eventually led to a penalty and three easy points for Wallaby fly half, Noah Lolesio.

As halftime approached the Australians would have been pleased with the 3-7 scoreline. The Boks had produced little in the way of creativity and were still there for the taking. Then, from a South African box kick, a moment of brilliance from their debut wing, Canan Moodie. He leapt high above Aussie wing Marika Koroibete, and raced away with the ball to score his first try for the Springboks. The half ended 3-12 to the South Africans.

After the break, both teams appeared nervy, and a kicking battle ensued. Two minutes into the half, and the Boks were starting to string together some passes leading to a try for lock Franco Mostert. A missed conversion by Boks fly-half Damian Williamse made the score 3-17.

The South Africans were taking control of the game. The Australians were desperate to get hold of the ball and keep it. Nic White made a timely intervention to intercept a pass to Mpimpi on the wing. Australia went on the attack and made their way up the field. They put the Boks under huge pressure forcing them to persistently infringe, however no cards were shown to any of the South African team. The Australians kicked to touch, but then let the Boks off by committing a penalty and allowing them to clear their lines.

It was clear to see that the Wallabies were starting to lose their shape and the Springboks were in full control. Wave after wave of Springbok attack lead to Damian De Allende being driven over the Australian line, but he was held up. Shortly after, a sweeping move by the South Africans saw Makazole Mapimpi score in the corner.

His celebration was not welcomed by Koroibete and sparked a huge brawl. Mapimpi was yellow carded, but expect more sanctions when the citing officer has reviewed the incident. A final flourish from the Wallabies saw Pete Samu score leaving the end result, 8-24. The Springboks were deserved winners of a niggly contest, and Siya Kolisi was immense.

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