Tag:

Rugby

Rugby

2022 Super Rugby Pacific Preview

by Admin

2022 is a big shakeup for super rugby. The competition includes three new teams and is now exclusive to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Despite the changes, this season should still be incredibly exciting.

Australian Teams

The closest thing we have had to super rugby over the last three years was the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman series last year. It was a series in which the Australian teams struggled massively, only winning two games against the five New Zealand teams in the competition.

It looks likely to be another year where Aussie teams will struggle. The Brumbies once again look to be the pick of the Australian teams despite the Reds winning their first domestic title in Super Rugby Australia last season. The Queensland Reds will be looking to compete thanks to a variety of international players like Taniela Tupou and Tate McDermott.

The Waratahs, Force and Rebels will all be looking for spots in the knockout stages, but it will not be easy. The Waratahs do see captain Michael Hooper return for 2022, but they still look to be towards the bottom end of the table. Both the Force and Rebels have lost a lot of test experience over the last year and it will sadly hurt them this season.

New Zealand Teams

After dominating the Trans-Tasman series last year, it looks to be another Super Rugby season dominated by Kiwi teams.

Favourites for their fourth title, the Crusaders have a wealth of international talent led by two time reigning player of the year Richie Mo’unga. Their talent also includes Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, George Bridge as well as recent addition Pablo Matera. They may have some competition for their fourth title in a row.

The Blues are welcoming back Beauden Barrett, while still having internationals like Rieko Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papalii. They come into 2022 off the back of winning the Trans-Tasman series. The Chiefs could be a surprise this season despite the losses of Damain Mckenzie and Lachlan Boshier. The Chiefs have one of the most talented set of forwards in Super Rugby which could dominate any team on any day.

The Highlanders and Hurricanes both have a huge amount of talent on the squads. But the Highlanders will struggle having lost a third of their starting XV from the Trans-Tasman final. They have a brilliant leader in Aaron Smith, but will struggle to progress in the tournament. Similar situation for the Hurricanes with some major losses coming into the season. But the Hurricanes add Dom Bird and TJ Perenara and could surprise a few people this season.

Two New Pacific Teams

This season features two new teams, both based in the Pacific Islands. After many years of lobbying, the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika will join Super Rugby. Starting with the Fijian Drua. They have had a difficult preparation for Super Rugby due to COVID issues, meaning the squad is based on the NSW North Coast as they could not prepare in Fiji. It looks like the team will need some time to adapt to Super Rugby’s intensity. Their squad contains Olympic champions Napolioni Bolaca, Kalione Nasoko and Meli Derenalagi. Don’t be surprised if Fijian Drua make a push for the knockout stages this season.

The second new team is Moana Pasifika, made up of players from New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Australia, including 18 former or current internationals. Much like Fijian Drua, it will be a season of getting used to Super Rugby for Moana Pasifika. 110 capped Australian Sekope Kepu is captain for the 2022 season, bringing a huge amount of experience to the new team. Moana Pasifika will be very exciting in the upcoming season, but don’t expect them to be near the top of the table come the end of the season.

The Loss of South African Teams

The reshaped 2022 Super Rugby does not include any South African teams, after their Super Rugby licenses expired after the 2020 season. It does seem odd going into a Super Rugby season without the Bulls, Sharks, Lions or Stormers. Their exclusion opens the floor up a lot for either the New Zealand teams to take over or opportunities for the new teams or the Australian teams to step up.

Super Rugby is going to look very different this season. Losing the South African teams is big for the competition. Despite not competing with them domestically, South Africa is still playing against New Zealand, Argentina and Australia in the Rugby Championship. It does show some disjointed thinking when it comes to Super Rugby’s thinking. But the 2022 changes bring plenty of opportunities for Pacific Island teams who have been trying to get into Super Rugby for years.

Predictions

In this new look Super Rugby, it looks as if it will be a few years until the new teams or the Australian teams can compete with the talent of the New Zealand teams. 2022 looks to be a similar story.

Working from the bottom up, I think the four teams that are likely to miss out on the knockout stages are most likely to be the Rebels, Force, Waratahs and Moana Pasifika. These teams just don’t have the talent to move any higher. In terms of the teams to get stuck at the quarterfinals, I could easily see these teams being the Hurricanes, Highlanders, Fijian Drua and the Brumbies. The Brumbies could be the surprise package this year, with the talent their squad possesses.

But this season will be dominated by the New Zealand teams. The Reds will be the exception to this, looking likely to at least reach the semi-finals. In an emotional season, the Chiefs will also be targeting a semi-final push, but it may be slightly too difficult for them to get past either of the two teams left.

These two aren’t exactly surprising to anyone who has followed Super Rugby over the last five years. The Blues welcome back Beauden Barrett after his time in Japan, the team has talent in all areas. But the Blues don’t quite have the two time reigning Super Rugby Player of the year.

I think at the end of the season, the Crusaders will lift their fourth title in a row. A team with Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Sam Whitelock and Joe Moody is too much talent for any team to compete with when you reach the knockouts. The Crusaders will win their fourth title in a row.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Rugby News, Stephen Larkham announces return to the ACT Brumbies as head coach for a 2nd spell in the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Great to see Stephen Larkham announce his return back home as soon as the current United Rugby Championship wraps up in Europe mid next year at Irish provincial club, Munster, not only he’s doing that to prioritize his kids’s future but also will take up the Brumbies Head Coach role for the second time in 2023 by the time Dan McKellar fully commits to the Wallabies backroom setup especially during a World Cup year.

When Larkham first took the top job in Canberra, the Brumbies have been present to the Super Rugby Playoffs every year under his watch (2014-2017), although the round-robin ladder position has improved consistently when they finished 4th during his last two years but unable to get out of the Quarter Finals at the same time.

His highest Playoffs finish was the semi-final where the Brumbies was beaten twice by the eventual champions, Warataths in 2014 & Hurricanes in 2015 while at Munster as Senior Coach, Larkham continued to carry his strengths in the regular games having topped the Conference B group last season & gone one better to the final this time but only lost to Leinster.

Right now his Munster group has some work to do for the Irish Shield title where they sit 3rd behind Ulster and Leinster by 5 points (19) but that competition group is running hot in the same position when it comes to the overall ladder & have an extended shot towards the main trophy via knockout rounds.

If he can keep up the progress with Munster for the rest of the season and knick at least a silverware on their trophy cabinet, then there’s no doubt Larkham is going to come back as a better coach this time around that will send a huge warning signal to all other Super Rugby clubs.

He’s learned a lot from a variety of elite coaches both as a player and coach himself for a long time, now he’s ready to continue the hard work Dan McKellar set up & transfer all that European adventure into being the Brumbies’ own Crusaders-esque team in Australia.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Wales v Wallabies Game at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

by Sports Benches

Tomos Williams had a great game today as the starting half-back for Wales when he oversaw the Wallabies mistakes in the 1st half, from there he made quick and wise decisions with the ball including that short pass assist to Ryan Elias thanks to the five meter penalty line-out towards the touch zone.

And he’s such a great communicator that allows him to build ample time on how he wanted his Welsh side to attack which helped them accrue the maximum points possible when they invade the Wallabies half.

Next up is Ellis Jenkins who put a great shift as starter on the Welsh blindside where he knows how to keep the Wallabies quiet, this is reflected when he possesses great vision & physicality in defensive which is the same thing he found during the maul that saw him help Tomos Williams assist Ryan Elias with Wales’s opening TRY.

He went on to have a well-earned rest with 20 minutes left having utilised that time during the Wallabies’ lowest ebb via their ill-discipline & build some momentum when Wales leapfrogged the Wallabies for the lead under his watch.

Folau Faingaa made a instant impact off the bench not long after half-time when he came on for Tolu Latu at hooker, he was a brilliant support player in the Wallabies attack including that short ball assist to Filipo Daugunu who scored a TRY in the 70th minute plus he’s a handy tackler in defense based on his vision & physicality at the same time.

All of the skill sets he demonstrated help the Wallabies be on the same page was Wales until the very end, his side were just unlucky to hold off even though they played with 14 men for the majority off the back of ill-discipline.

#WALvAUS #Wallabies #Wales #MillenniumStadium #Rugby #RugbyUnion #AutumnNationsSeries #InternationalRugby #TomosWilliams #EllisJenkins #FolauFaingaa

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Wallabies finish their three week 2021 European tour without a win in a close loss v Wales at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

by Sports Benches

Well it’s gutting to see the Wallabies finish their three-week 2021 European Tour without a win even though they were so close v Scotland & Wales, they fired off well & always kept themselves in contention which is a good effort 100% but there’s plenty of ill-discipline especially when Rob Valetini received a red carded in the 1st half that hit them the most & it allowed Wales to fight back before it became difficult to stop in the end.

For Wales, love the way they respond when the ball was given to them which bossed the field of play having gone from a slow start to a narrow 1st half lead at half-time (16-13). Although the momentum began to be eaten up by the Wallabies later on but the home team never slipped out of contention when another TRY plus a few penalty goals including the 80th minute was enough to derail the Wallabies day at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The final score is a one point difference (29-28) with Wales gone wild in front of their home supporters as the 2021 Autumn Internationals have came to an end, Domestic rugby will resume next week in Europe & South Africa while we get watch Cricket & Tennis back home before Super Rugby returns in February next year.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Rugby News, Australia continue their 2021 European Tour with another defeat against England at Twickenham Stadium

by Sports Benches

The Wallabies lost yet again in Europe having fell short last week v Scotland in Murrayfield by 12 points at 15-13, however, they were beaten so easily by England especially in the 2nd half thanks to messy discipline that wasted a lot more time until its too late.

Yes, they have built some three-point penalty goals in a way to keep themselves in contention, but the execution such as the long throws through the wide areas is appalling and needs to regroup going into Wales next Saturday.

And England are on fire today at Twickenham where they responded well from the Wallabies early three-pointer thanks to full-back Freddie Steward, having taken advantage of their poor discipline with a four-point lead at half-time (16-12) before England continued to be blessed by more Wallaby mistakes left, right & centre that accrued two more penalty goals followed by a sensational finish to the game (Final Score: 32-15) by sub hooker Jamie Blamire, who scored six tries from his first four International games.

Next up the Wallabies will finish their 2021 European tour when they will meet Wales next Saturday at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while England face off the Springboks from South Africa at the same time.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Rugby News Australia, Top 3 players from England v Australia in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series at Twickenham Stadium

by Sports Benches

Like the way how Tom Curry smashed a couple of dummies into the Wallabies zone for England at Number 8 with has a lot of physicalities to knock them down like a bulldozer when building phases which also allowed him to make his best use defensively, and he never stops thanks to the opportunities being given with the ball from a series of Wallabies’ mistakes that allowed England ample time to crack through the channels whether it’s through a winning penalty kick for goal or a TRY.

Next up is Marcus Smith who is another key contributor for England at first five-eighth with excellent communication/playmaking ability especially when his side were patient that built some pressure back to the opposition, although England scored just two tries today but it allowed him to be flexible on how he wanted to execute thanks to the Wallabies missed chances that gave his side plenty of extended time in the final third which help extend their lead after half-time.

Nice to see him complete the kicking duties where Owen Farrell left off in the last ten minutes.

And Michael Hooper did well to stand in England’s way with some support from his fellow forwards which allowed him to make up extreme physical prowess, his contribution as skipper on the openside handed him a few winning penalties that saw James O’Connor punt four three-point goals but just not the night he wanted thanks to the Wallabies’ disjointed discipline and finishing.

#ENGvAUS #Wallabies #England #RedRoses #Twickenham #MichaelHooper #TomCurry #MarcusSmith #Rugby #RugbyUnion #InternationalRugby #AutumnNationsSeries

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Rugby News, Scotland vs Australia match report

by Admin

Australia came into the game with high hopes, they were favourites and having beaten World Champions South Africa twice this year, they had every right to be.

It was a slow first 20 minutes before Scotland’s Hamish Watson lunged in from a driving maul to put the first points on the board. Finn Russell made it 7 as he added the extras.

Another quiet 20 minutes went by before Australia were given a penalty in the Scottish half which James O’Connor converted for their 3 first points of the game.

The big talking point of the first half, however, was the controversy surrounding Australia’s number 3 Allan Alaalatoa for his questionable clear-out of Matt Fagerson at a ruck which resulted in a try being overturned and a yellow card for the Aussie.

Scotland’s first try also wasn’t without controversy as many claim that there was obstruction during the maul, however, the Television Match Official deemed it legal and the try stood.

Second Half

Australia started the second half as well as they ended the first with constant pressure in the Scottish 22 meant that Blindside Flanker Rob Leota was able to cross for an easy try and conversion by O’Connor to put the Southern Hemisphere side in front for the first time in the match.

Scotland’s debutant off the bench Ewan Ashman had a moment of glory in the 59th minute with an acrobatic lunge for the line to put the Scots back into the lead, however, Russell was unable to add the extras meaning we were in for a tight last 20 minutes at 12-10.

5 Minutes later, another James O’Connor penalty put Australia back into the lead before Russell had a penalty of his own just 3 minutes later.

Scotland were able to hang on with a driving maul in midfield helped the clock tick down before George Horne booted the ball into touch as Romain Poite blew the final whistle.

On the day Scotland were the far superior side. Their scrum was dominant and nearly won a penalty each time they packed down as their set pieces functioned well all around the field.

They made more clean breaks by playing better attacking rugby with more runs, more passes and lots of offloads to keep the game flowing which resulted in more meters made on the day.

Australia’s defending let them down as did their discipline with their 14 penalties conceded and a yellow card which could have resulted in a red card on a different day.

Players of the Match

Official man of the match Hamish Watson was by far the best player on the field on Sunday as he was a nuisance at every defensive ruck. The stats also back up his incredible performance with 1 try, 1 defender beaten, 11 tackles made with 0 missed tackles to cap off an all round impressive display.

Fullback Stuart Hogg was also instrumental for Scotland as he swept up well at the back, securing every high ball that Australia threw at him. His attacking potency was also on show as he was always a danger to the Australian defensive line whenever he was given an inch of space. He beat 3 defenders, made 1 clean break and made 61 meters from 9 runs.

Australia’s best player on the day was Fly-Half James O’Connor. He kicked a conversion and 2 penalties along with some impressive defensive figures making 6 tackles without missing a single one. He also made 31 meters by beating 1 defender and having 1 clean break to his name.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Japan v Wallabies Game in Oita

by Sports Benches

Great to see Folau Faingaa perform well in all areas for the Wallabies this afternoon who usually provides the throw-ins at hooker, he has a lot of physical presence on offer especially during the 2nd half where he contributed a lot that safeguarded the team’s win v Japan on their turf.

Not only he sought some help from Taniela Tupou with a brilliant finish but he also assisted again via on the far left & opened some space to Robert Leota, he deserves an early mark through hard work as a starter in the green and gold with plenty of rest & training ahead of November’s three-week European tour.

Next up is Faingaa’s provincial Brumbies team-mate Nic White down at half-back, he too controlled the game with patience who knows where to find someone that can process through the channels & contribute in there with some mobility.

It’s the same thing when he was given responsibilities with the scrum feed & maul, all he had to do is keep them square moving forward while the hooker keeps the ball intact before voila that job is done & he’s such an important part of the green and gold at age 31 having gained experience in Europe before White returned to Canberra last year.

And Ryoto Nakamura stood out for the Brave Blossoms in the inside midfield position who has lots of pace to burn even though they didn’t have enough time to strike an upset, Like how he read well earlier on when Nakamura stepped in to shove Andrew Kellaway having read it well with his lack of numbers which led to a winning penalty + three points via the goal.

Then we fast forward into the 2nd half as Quade Cooper mistimed that offload so wide with gaps in between support players, it’s Nakamara once again who read the situation well via the incercept before he bagged an unbelievable TRY that no one couldn’t stop him & he was a huge part of holding the Wallabies accountable at times today.

#JAPvAUS #Rugby #RugbyUnion #InternationalRugby #Wallabies #BraveBlossoms #RyotoNakamura #FolauFaingaa #NicWhite

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

Australian Rugby News, Wallabies continue their winning hoodoo at six consecutive games following their win v Japan in Oita

by Sports Benches

Great day out for the Wallabies in Japan with a brilliant fire off in the first half (14-17) via successful big scores off Tom Wright & Jordan Petaia, now their attacking line wasn’t perfect especially when they lacked numbers & long passes at times which is why Japan was still in the hunt until the very end.

However, they held off Japan to the finish line first where Taniela Tupou & Rob Leota scored their respective tries after half-time before Connal McInerney scored a consolation TRY on debut off the bench with two mins left towards full-time which sealed their win (23-32).

Then we look at the Brave Blossoms who started off slowly but found their ground via the penalty goal followed by a big score where Lomano Lomeki caught well up high from a wonder cross-kick on the wide right before he touched down as they were a few points away (14-17) from the Wallabies at half-time.

Although Japan did their best to stay in contention especially with that lovely intercept TRY from Ryoto Nakamura even though they were 14 men at the time, but they just couldn’t find the time to strike an upset towards the end (23-32) as wholesale changes off the bench didn’t help much either.

Final Score: Japan 23-32 Wallabies

The Wallabies now jet to Europe ahead of their three-week UK tour starting next month beginning with Scotland before they head to England & cap it off in Wales, while Japan will also be in the continent at the same time but will face Ireland, Portgual & Scotland.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Rugby

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.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail