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Rugby News Australia, Top 3 players in the 2021 Rugby Championship: Wallabies v Springboks

by Sports Benches

Taniela Tupou played 78 minutes tonight on the tighthead role for the Wallabies where he was so impressive all-around in front of his Queensland Reds home ground at Suncorp Stadium.

He read well with so much physicality to hold back the Springboks’ attacking opportunities before Taniela lend his hand to his backline especially when he communicates & links up the support play that saw Marika Koroibete safeguard this match.

Next up within the Wallabies camp is Marika Koroibete who was electric on the wide left as he made some great runs into the Boks territory when starting up the attack & managed to execute very well with the help of his decoy runners which is reflected in his 2nd half-performance.

It’s so important to know what his strengths are based on his Rugby League & Super Rugby experience where he’s blessed to wear the green the gold for a few years now, Marika will continue to control the entire pitch going into age 30 next year as long as the players come in to help him like we’ve seen with Taniela Tupou having been born & raised in Fiji.

And Handre Pollard had a great first-half performance with his kicking prowess into the goal for the Springboks at No.10 that kept them in contention thanks to a couple of successful three-point penalties.

However, the Boks weren’t able to kick on despite leading at one point just after half-time when they just can’t find their rhythm such as the executions being disjointed as well as more ill-discipline that saw Pollard being isolated which reflects the away team’s regress in the end.

#AUSvRSA #Rugby #RugbyUnion #RugbyChampionship #MarikaKoroibete #HandrePollard #TanielaTupou #Wallabies #Springboks

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the 2021 Rugby Championship: Springboks v Wallabies

by Sports Benches

What a night it has been for the returning Quade Cooper in the No.10 Wallabies shirt at fly-half!!

His kicking was spotless eight times into the goalposts including the game-winning brace that smiled at the Wallabies fans to cheer after full-time.

It gives much-needed experience especially when Noah Lolesio wasn’t performing well at International level recently & now is the time for Quade to nail down the starting No.10 role going into next year and the crucial World Cup year in 2023.

Next up is another returning Wallaby who made an immediate impact at the same time after the Olympics which is Samu Kerevi in the inside midfield position.

He performed really well last week in a losing side v All Blacks and kept his form tonight for a winning team when Samu bursted through the Springboks brick wall, his physicality in the attack helps find another support player or two which is reflected in the 1st half off Andrew Kellaway’s TRY.

Like Quade, the Wallabies need experienced and senior leaders such as Samu Kerevi who has played in Japan over the past two seasons & to come back here shows he can handle at International level.

And Faf De Klerk rounds off as the best Springbok player of the night at half-back.

He communicated very well behind their robust scrummaging and maul feed that knocked the Wallabies over at times especially when they won a few penalties & gained three tries the maul itself.

Unfortunately, the Boks were held back due to ill-discipline and a lack of finishing in open play which saw them being impatient as seen just before full-time when they lost the ball before Quade Cooper became the hero for the Wallabies.

RSAvAUS #QuadeCooper #SamuKerevi #FafDeKlerk #Springboks #Wallabies #Rugby #RugbyUnion #InternationalRugby

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Rugby News, Quade Cooper’s return to the Wallabies is perfect timing thanks to his last-minute penalty goal heroics v Springboks

by Sports Benches

Wallabies started very well in the first half when Quade Cooper’s return to the No.10 jersey was superb with his kicking through the posts as well as Andrew Kellaway’s first try of the night off the assist from Samu Kerevi, so great to have some added experience in the line-up.

Meanwhile, Springboks were good defensively which led to some penalties that converted into some three-point kicks and a TRY late in the 1st half from Bongi Mbonambi but they need to watch their discipline which caused them to hold back & the same goes for the Wallabies if they don’t want to lose after the break.

HALF-TIME: Springboks 11-19 Wallabies

Although the Wallabies may not have scored a TRY after the break but they continued to rack up successful three-point goals, even though they escaped the Springboks powerful scrum/maul feed towards full-time thanks to Quade Cooper’s penalty heroics into the post.

And the Boks as said a bit earlier have turned a corner with their robust driving feed that puts down two tries from substitute Malcolm Marx which puts them back in the game that threatened the Wallabies, they just still unable to find the finishing in other areas of the attack as well as the continued ill-discipline where it fell short.

FULL-TIME: Springboks 26-28 Wallabies

Wallabies registered their first win of 2021 in the Rugby Championship and third overall if you count the other two games v France back in July as they face the Boks again next Saturday at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Meanwhile, Springboks hopes to make up revenge v the Wallabies at the same time while they look to close in top spot as long as the Argentine Pumas upset All Blacks which falls also on next Saturday.

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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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Australian Rugby News, Top 3 players from Game 2 of the 2021 Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park

by Sports Benches

Sam Whitelock stood out on his own All Blacks territory who exposed the Wallabies’ poor executions both as a leader where he guided the Crusaders to many Super Rugby titles & a brilliant contributor in defense.

He read it well when the opposition lacked support numbers going forward that saw so many gaps before Sam filled it up with the Wallabies lost opportunities via the turnover/penalty.

It sums up his side’s attacking dominance in return with some help when building the attack which saved him so much workload & uses his natural game that puts off the Wallabies at Eden Park.

Codie Taylor comes in next who helped stabilize the All Blacks’ extended lead after the HT break at hooker; he has so much to offer when it comes to the line-outs/throw-in as well as the physicality on all fronts.

He credits the direct passage of play where Dane communicated very well that helped ease their workload, especially to his team-mates at the backline who built the groundwork before he processed two tries off his own.

Brilliant run tonight alongside an early mark to the bench so he can rest up towards the All Blacks’ upcoming Rugby Championship campaign later this month.

And Andrew Kellaway is the last of the Top 3 bunch when his Wallabies side looked really sore once again, but he did well individually on the wide right backline position.

He has the finishing instincts to explode any opposing half even though it’s his 2nd game at International level, you got to credit some winning penalty restarts that helped the Wallabies were organised for a couple of occasions.

Unfortunately, his side lacked patience when it comes to executing through open play with no talk up & direct attacking structure which frustrated him as Andrew needs help next time in order to earn the tries his side desperately need that is match-winning quality.

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Rugby News, All Blacks’ dominance in the 2nd half sums up their winning Bledisloe Cup run & Wallabies long running losing hoodoo in Game 2 at Eden Park

by Sports Benches

Really exceptional play in the first 40 from the All Blacks who demonstrated so much patience and support play that got them well ahead on the scoresheet, while the Wallabies benefitted from some winning penalties & used the resets well to stay in contention but needs time to execute better if they are to keep the Bledisloe Cup series alive.

HALF-TIME: All Blacks 21-15 Wallabies

Unfortunately, Wallabies didn’t change/learn much after the break especially with the passage of play being too wide that sums up their poor processing, while the All Blacks have taken advantage when given the ball & they bossed the game in return.

You see the forwards and backline working together alongside the quick & narrow passes before the home side racked up a few big scores that is too easy for them to win games.

FULL-TIME: All Blacks 57-22 Wallabies

Such an entertainment of attacking football to watch from the Men in Black who retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 19th consecutive season as the Wallabies turn their attention to the Rugby Championship now for a fresh start & go from there.

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Australian Rugby News, Wallabies consolation turnaround not enough to dent All Blacks’ dominant 2nd half performance at Eden Park on 2021 Bledisloe Cup I

by Sports Benches

Such a close first half from the All Blacks and Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland, having seen both teams make up an early sequence of tight defense & three-point penalty goals.

But it’s the All Blacks who lead 16-8 at the break where they were patient on all fronts, while Wallabies did find a way past the opposition thanks to Hunter Paisami on the midfield who helped Andrew Kellaway score a debut TRY.

It’s just the slow starts and their lack of execution so far held the Wallabies back as they need to stop the All Blacks from scoring before looking to be patient when given the ball.

Although, the Wallabies did score a couple of consolation scores thanks to a Tom Banks double & Jordan Uelese brace towards the final siren.

Unfortunately, they didn’t improve much despite creating chances & winning penalties that led to more limited time against the ball, as the All Blacks cap off a brilliant start to the 2021 Bledisloe Cup Series 1-0 by 8 points (33-25).

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Rugby Union News, Top 3 players from 2021 Bledisloe Cup Game 1 at Eden Park, All Blacks v Wallabies

by Sports Benches

Richie Mo’unga has to be the first men in black player that helped distance themselves away from the Wallabies tonight at No.10/first five-eighth.

His kicking has been superb in contrast to Noah Lolesio whose long kicks into the goal didn’t work out while creating plenty of chances going forward.

And Mo’unga was able to turn this magic around into a series of complete executions in front of the Wallabies danger zone, there’s credit coming from their poor communication before cashing themselves in alongside the support runners that made the All Blacks so dominant in attack mightily after half-time.

Ardie Savea also played well in the All Blacks back three at Number 8, having read & tackled the Wallabies poor attacking executions/patience.

It helped protect his side’s defense that made the All Blacks a whole lot easier to dominate when given the turnover/intercept/winning penalties, especially for the majority after half-time.

Throw in Ardie and his other fowards who can give a helping hand with the backline being patient through the channels, which is excellent tactics that the Wallabies couldn’t catch up in terms of attacking football.

And Tate McDermott puts in a great shift at half-back for the Wallabies who possess so much passing & physicality all game long combined with pace.

The build up momentum is there for a start in the defense that helped his side win the ball through winning penalties, it’s something how the Wallabies remained close to the All Blacks in the first 30-35 mins.

Although, McDermott created chances along the way just like the start of a attacking production line when given the ball but the decoy runners around him let him down due to a lack of finishing mightily, even though the late consolation turnaround alone wasn’t enough to upset on their home turf.

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Waratahs bound head coach Darren Coleman guides LA Giltinis to a Major League Rugby Championship in its inaugural campaign

by Sports Benches

Congratulations to incoming Waratahs coach Darren Coleman who just guided the LA Giltinis to an Major League Rugby Championship on their first ever season.

This is a massive achievement through a group of star-studded characters that can pass on these hometown players & learn a thing or two from them at this club.

It’s something Darren would do to bring this vibe when he returns home from Los Angeles later this year, as we haven’t seen much of this kind of structure since Michael Chieka left after 2015.

As it stands you got Jake Gordon, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Lalakai Foketi, Ben Donaldson, Alex Newsome & Angus Bell staying on, while a number of key players are coming back too such as Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway & Ned Hedigan.

And some of the new players he’d like to see at Daceyville would be the best produced & proven at club rugby level, having coached in the Shute Shield for many years including Warringah & Gordon with two titles in 2017 & 2020 respectively.

These two important characteristics shows why a three year contract is enough time for Darren to rebuild this franchise.

We’ll also see if Adam Freier and Stephen Hoiles follows Darren as well or stay in LA.

Up to the board now to back Darren with inside knowledge of the NSW rugby system & get the Tahs back to winning ways from next year regardless of the Super Rugby format.

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