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Rugby

Thoughts on Rugby Australia’s TV rights contract extension that is now finalised with Nine and Stan between 2026-2030

by Sports Benches April 9, 2025

The decision has already been made yesterday as Nine and Stan now confirmed to stay on with Rugby Australia for another five years when it comes to the next TV rights contact that is set to start from next season (2026) to at least the end of 2030.

Here’s what we know so far:

All Super Rugby games will be aired on Stan Sport.
All Wallabies and Wallaroos games including the Bledisloe Cup, Rugby Championship (Stan only everywhere else that isn’t Wallabies) and the proposed Nations Cup/Spring Tour to be on both Nine and Stan.
All Club Rugby games both NSW Shute Shield and QLD Hospital Cup will also stay on Stan for at least the next two seasons with one main weekly Saturday afternoon game back on free-to-air also on Nine through 9Gem including Finals.
All other content they’ve got will also stay on only through Stan from Super W to U-16 and U-19 National Championships as well as Six Nations, Currie Cup, NZ’s National Provincial Championship and many more including the full All Blacks v Springboks 2026 (to SA) & 2030 (back in NZ) tours.
The final cost would be around $215 million ($43 million per season) with up to $30 million add-ons depending on the Wallabies and Australian Super Rugby teams’ successes over time.

So what’s missing? No Saturday night free-to-air weekly Super Rugby games.

That contract obligation they’ve got at the moment has now been removed starting next season onwards to aid with RA’s retention of keeping their top players away from lucrative overseas playing and money opportunities as Nine chose to give them more cash instead by swapping Super Rugby with all Wallabies and Club Rugby games returning on free-to-air TV.

Nothing much to do with increased ratings or exposure really, although there’s still a possibility that Nine could still air some Super Rugby games after all albeit at different times during the season.

It could only be key matches or even a mix of both Friday nights plus some Sunday afternoon regular-season games on what they call it flexible scheduling including one weekly finals on Saturdays, I don’t know.

But I hope RA and Nine with their paid streaming subsidiary Stan will find a way soon enough to keep Super Rugby on free-to-air at least in some way, so we don’t have to feel disappointed & not like it was in the past when there were no live Super Rugby games at all other than replays & highlights until 2021 all thanks to Nine.

Regardless of that, sure we are moving onto the right direction for the betterment of Rugby Australia, when Super Rugby is going well at the moment at the expense of our four Aussie teams along with the front row potential of winning it all in the green & gold Wallabies when we take on the British and Irish Lions as well as another Trans-Tasman contest later this year.

April 9, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Season Week 8 of 16: Western Force out to make another statement in intent for their Finals hunt after win over Highlanders

by Sports Benches April 5, 2025

It’s been a game of two halves once again tonight by the Western Force at home at HBF Park and the visiting Highlanders from Otago where Highlanders know how to get the ball rolling but one too many mistakes here and there saw the Force reaped the rewards and they’ve made a huge statement with the 29-20 win in the end.

Looking at elsewhere, okay, the results may not have gone our way with the Reds and Waratahs both lost out to Chiefs and Moana Pasifika respectively over in NZ.

But still, we have four Aussie Super Rugby teams inside the Top 6 which is great for us rugby fans and also for the competition itself. Although there’s still a long way to go where things can change everything with another eight to go before the regular season becomes Finals Footy, especially with the Crusaders (2nd) are currently back to their former glory who were also too good for Fijian Drua (11th) earlier today while Blues hold out Hurricanes by 19-18.

Message sent to the British & Irish Lions

For now, happy to see some much needed quality being injected across our four Australian Super Rugby teams, as hopefully this can help us field at least two teams play in the semis & one fighting for the championship with the Grand Final.

So yes, Jordan King, watch out for our Wallabies by the time they take on the British & Irish Lions this July-August.

He’s the one I’ve spoken to recently about Formula 1 particularly with Jack Doohan and is currently part of his Alpine F1 squad as a development driver, even though he was Franco Colapinto’s driving coach a few years ago & Franco is also the reserve driver there. But all we want from Jack now is to be at his best when it comes to his race form tomorrow and as Jordan said, wait and see with surprises for sure.

No matter what people say, he can bounce back from out of nothing by turning into something as seen with a largely repaired A525 today.

Top 3 players pick

No Dylan Pietsch? No problem. There’s a Sydneysider via the students (Sydney Uni) in George Poolman tearing up the Highlanders like a wrecking ball all afternoon and early evening based on his tremendous finishing abilities with pace and his talents are there to see thanks to some brilliant team-work in the last third.

Same goes to Force’s main 15 Mac Grealy who knows his street smarts as if he’s the fastest man out there through peak traffic every time they were able to find those sweet spots right in front of their doorstep.

Hats off to Simon Cron whose running rugby is a Western Force they can be reckoned with as they are flying high right now in 4th out of 11th at the halfway mark.

And credit to Timoci Tavatavanawai btw with his mix and match top speed & defensive performances on the Highlanders inside 12 off the back of a brilliant start but it’s a shame they were being erratic in all areas for the most part – you cannot win games like that, period.

April 5, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Week 7 of 16: Queensland Reds v Western Force: Reds come out strong as the survivors over Force once again through the wet Suncorp Stadium pitch

by Sports Benches March 29, 2025

It was a game of competitive two-halves rugby that was held under wet weather between the Queensland Reds and Western Force tonight at Suncorp Stadium as we are nearly halfway (Week 7 of 16). Reds got themselves going before some ill-discipline and poor line-outs have marked a huge setback while Force played the Reds with Fire of the gold & black jersey so they can make every chance count that can keep their Top 6 Finals hopes alive.

There can be only be one winner having levelled 21-21 at half-time and in the end, it’s the mighty Queensland Reds who took home yet another win like it was a few weeks ago in their last own match on the Force’s own ground at HBF Park, 28-24.

From elsewhere

Here’s what you need to know prior to this game tonight:

Gotta feel for the Waratahs especially Max Jorgensen who picked up an unfortunate injury during their big loss to the Hurricanes early last night to begin Week 7’s matches at Wellington’s Sky Stadium by 57-12.
ACT Brumbies broke the Highlanders’ hearts that late to sign off their strong home ground front at GIO Stadium also last night in Canberra, 34-27.
Crusaders got battered & bruised this weekend in Christchurch thanks to Moana Pasifika who are back in business with a long way to go (from last spot to now 9th), 29-45.
And there’s only four games out of five since the Chiefs and Blues (both last year’s grand finalists) are having the week-long off the field.

Top 3 players

Filipo Daugunu belongs to the heart of Ballymore having made up some magic attacking metres while he was superb at locking up in defense – no wonder his goalkeeping & striking background from soccer helped him struck a good balance right at the middle of the Reds’ outside 13.

So does fellow Red Tate McDermott as the reverse 9 where his supercharged influences created shockwaves at the Force’s own doormat, especially in the last 10 mins thanks to his late TRY & that enough to get over the line in the end.

All in all, yes, there were some mistakes like poor line-outs and ill-discipline but hey, Queenslanders never back down!

And you can’t go past the Western Force’s own running rugby with Darcy Swain’s top-class input all on the second row 5 from line-out intercepts to building pressure both attack and defence which proved to be a huge difference so far.

Yes, unlucky there from Force who had the better ball than the Reds – they just struggled have the last say in the end.

March 29, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby 2025 Week 6 of 16: Waratahs def. Brumbies 28-23 on what has been a bittersweet night for Dan McKellar against his old club as coach coupled with Max Jorgensen’s individual show once again at Allianz Stadium

by Sports Benches March 22, 2025

It’s been a top physical battle between two of the Australian Super Rugby heavyweights in NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies at Allianz Stadium tonight as Dan McKellar walked away against his old club in the battle of our country’s head coaches helmed by former fly-half Stephen Larkham with the 28-23 win and things are looking likely on the up right now sitting 4th out of 11th as of Round 6.

Sure, no denying the Brumbies’ expansive passage of play especially after half-time when they were right back in the mix with not much time left to go. Their poor start coupled with ill-discipline and ball retention under pressure towards the end was a bit too much to ask there while the Waratahs have simply found the bigger fish to fry with big points after big points & that’s how they’ve set the bar tonight.

Here’s what happened elsewhere prior to this match:

Chiefs still holding out strong having fended off a late threat from 11th-placed Moana Pasifika by 35-50;
Good to see the Reds end their 12-year away ground drought in Dunedin with the 23-29 win over the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium;
And the Crusaders continues to be on red hot form even though it’s been a while with that away win after they were too good v defending champs Blues at Eden Park in Auckland, 19-42.

Now there’s one more game to go to finish off Round 6 when the Western Force are back home at HBF Park v Fijian Drua tomorrow afternoon at 5pm AEDT – should be a good one at the same time happening a bit later with the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix race from Shanghai (6-7.45pm).

Max Jorgensen is simply a class of his own off the back of his immense attacking and defensive contribution as always every now and then. Yes, some say he should be better off at full-back even with no Joseph Suaalii right now but he looks to be more suited on the wide left 11 especially you have top-class players around him – means a lot that makes his Rugby intel so great at all highest levels.

It’s just not the Tahs praising their own product of the Max, they are blessed to have one of the “Burn” boys in Rob Leota on the blindside 6. As a seasoned home grown Wallaby, he’s not just sound as part of the Tahs’ tough defense; he’s also destructive with his wrecking ball presence and with a Finals series already under his belt, he will wanna do that again this time with a semi or even a grand final.

Lastly, Len Ikitau has been cracking up Waratahs defenses all night long on the outside 13 where the Brumbies know how to light things up by building pressure in order to enable that explosive attacking creativity through the line that produced some brilliant moments via his guidance, especially in the last 40. It’s a shame their poor start plus the ill-discipline made their comeback bid so difficult unfortunately & that’s that.

March 22, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby 2025 Week 5 of 16: Queensland Reds retain the Bob Templeton Cup following their comprehensive win over the NSW Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium by 35-15

by Sports Benches March 15, 2025

The oldest rivalry between New South Wales and Queensland is back for another year and the Reds were just too good in front of their home fans with their retention of the Bob Templeton Cup that marked the Tahs first loss of 2025 after they began the new year with three straight wins on their home front by Dan McKellar as the final score at Suncorp Stadium was 35-15.

Yes, no doubt Waratahs got onboard so early before they built a solid defensive structure to frustrate the Reds along the way. However, their inability to convert into tries whilst leading saw the Reds pick up most of the pie instead and this is where they were blown away – not even a late TRY would help to make lost time when the game was already over & done.

Elsewhere, Crusaders kept on winning once again where they were also too good this time against the Western Force and the same goes with the ACT Brumbies as of late from last night v Fijian Drua. Plus, Hurricanes rebound over the Highlanders following their surprise loss last weekend v Moana Pasifika (who are taking the bye this week) and earlier tonight, reigning champs Blues fell just short by just a single point (32-31) to the No.1 side right now in none other than the Chiefs.

And shoutout to Eastern Suburbs by the way who just got away with the Australian Club Championship pre-season win over Queensland’s Hospital Cup reigning championship team Wests Brothers from Toowong at Crosby Park, Albion (also in Brisbane, QLD) – how good!! Especially when you follow Shute Shield in NSW where they had a blast last year with that Grand Final win over the Northern Suburbs following a long 55-year wait & now they just added another trophy in such short time.

Player Spotlight

Tom Lynagh lightens up the Queensland Reds fast-paced counter-attack with fireworks thanks to his own creative brilliance + his powerful kicking game and spotless conversion kicks all around much like his legendary dad Michael in the No.10 shirt. He’s been a strong performer on his own every week and sure the rewards will continue to go his way & who knows if he will right up there against the Lions for the Wallabies soon? Sure his dad knows all about that team’s group of intel so well based on his past punditry work in the UK.

Not only that, you can’t get past the Reds Great Wall of loose forwards such as No.8 Harry Wilson and re-committed home grown signing Fraser McReight on the openside 7. Yes, they may have battered a huge bruising over the course of 80 mins that is part & parcel of rugby where Fraser had to be taken off right away for his left shoulder after he scored a TRY; but still, their defense was as good as their attack – both at the breakdown & on open play.

And Triston Reilly did the best he can who was a useful utility asset on the Waratahs right wing 14 – such as that opening TRY not long after kick-off on his own short side while he offers that extra push with the maul at line-out time. Glad he took that opportunity especially with competition for outside backs getting robust as it goes, it’s a shame they failed grasp into conversions for the most part.

March 15, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby 2025 Week 4 of 16: Crusaders making a statement on home turf following a comprehensive win over the Queensland Reds in Christchurch by 43-19

by Sports Benches March 9, 2025

Looks like it’s been another statement match that puts them 4th now from the mighty Crusaders v Queensland Reds especially at home off the back of their fast start along with a sweet full-time finish.

Great to see former Wallaby & Red James O’Connor also with some game valuable time off the bench once again – could’ve been a bit more special if it wasn’t for that David Havili lost ball by the other Reds 10 Harry MP.

They sure do need JOC the most whose off field influence has been the beneficiary so far of Rob Penney’s 2nd year in charge on the right track + JOC’s younger in-house No.10 of Taha Kemara who wasn’t bad other than a few hit and miss two-point kicks but he will get better with time just like club legend Richie Mo’unga.

They’ve got another home game next Saturday also during the afternoon v the Western Force where Force are so good on paper & no doubt Crusaders would want to make good use of their ball retention that can change everything- just have a look of last night’s game by the Waratahs also against Force.

And on Reds, not their day today having gave Crusaders a hard time as if it was an arm wrestling match, but were way out of place when it comes to the scoreboard with their first loss of the new season.

March 9, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

2025 Super Rugby Season Week 4 of 16: Waratahs v Western Force – Tahs just too good off the back of some sensational outside backs display by Max Jorgensen and Darby Lancaster on the wings at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium

by Sports Benches March 8, 2025

One month into the new season along with the first of two byes, the NSW Waratahs are currently flying high under new coach Dan McKellar, especially when all three games were played so far at their home fortress of Allianz Stadium in Moore Park.

They were absolutely too good even though the first half was quiet at times where both Tahs and Western Force were having a huge arm wrestle when it comes to a tough physical challenge of rugby.

But again, Tahs reaped the rewards with so many tries across the board off the back of their expansive tactics and while Force weren’t bad on paper whenever they had the ball, they just didn’t have enough execution to pull off for the most part plus their discipline hasn’t helped them much either. All in all, Tahs led 15-5 at half-time before they were too good along with the extra bonus point by 34-10.

Happening Elsewhere

Elsewhere, we saw some unforgettable matches during Week 4 of 16 like the ACT Brumbies win last night on the Blues home turf at Eden Park along with back-to-back Saturday match results being led by the competition’s leading Pasifika teams from Fijian Drua’s continued dominance at their home front v Chiefs to Moana Pasiifka at last went with the distance v Hurricanes.

There’s still one more game to finish off tomorrow arvo as part of some Sunday Super Rugby feast and the Queensland Reds are currently in Christchurch ahead of their reunion with former playmaker James O’Connor who will be in the other side of the pitch for the Crusaders.

Top 3 players

You just couldn’t believe what the Waratahs outside backs got on offer with the likes of Max Jorgensen (No.14 right) and Darby Lancaster (No.11 left) were absolutely electric both with pace to rip defenses out in attack as well as the brawns to push & hold ground in defense.

Yes, Tahs thought injuries may have held back at one point earlier where there were some mistakes at times. But better still, Waratahs do have the depth to build pressure and cash in those chances towards the home front thanks to their better experienced group – and they managed to keep on winning once again tonight especially at their own Allianz Stadium.

Who knows what will happen between now and Week 16?

They will be after the Queensland Reds up next Saturday night away from home not just to win back bragging rights but also keep in check with the ladder and they’re currently sitting on top of 2nd.

Meanwhile, former Tah and WA born-and-bred Carlo Tizzano has been a wrecking ball at the Tahs defense on the openside Force 7 including a TRY for himself from the opening half. No wonder he’s sending a good message there to the Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt ahead of the home Lions tour in July-August, he just needs more support to help capitalise on those executions but Force hasn’t unfortunately where balls were lost/stolen for the most part on top of lost penalties along the way.

March 8, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Rugby today’s result: ACT Brumbies finally became the latest Australian Super Rugby team to win at Eden Park in a long time following a one-point ball game by 20-21 over the Auckland Blues

by Sports Benches March 7, 2025

Hats off to coach Stephen Larkham and the ACT Brumbies including Ryan Lonergan in particular (love his 2nd half performance btw) on what has been a close eyed thriller that saw an Australian Super Rugby team stand up tall on the grounds of Eden Park v the defending champs Blues from Auckland by 20-21.

It’s been a long time coming even though Brumbies may have lost recently against the Western Force at home & Chiefs last weekend in Hamilton when there’s a few out there in the treatment room like Rob Valetini. But they’re back in business now with lots more to tick off like climbing back towards Top 3-6 and staying there then a Grand Final appearance at last for a shot at the championship coming from an Australian Super Rugby team – watch this space!

Who knows what surprises will come out next between now and June but this is good for the Super Rugby competition and most certainly for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies squad as well.

March 7, 2025 0 comment

Rugby Other Sports

2025 Festival of NRL at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas: From a string of clear margins by few winning teams including a Super League UK first to one close thriller all across a Super Weekend of Rugby League for another year

by Sports Benches March 2, 2025

Yes, may not been into Rugby League when it’s always Rugby Union – sure we will see some top Rugby in the US when the All Blacks will take on Ireland this November at Soldier Field in Chicago.

However, the NRL did a great job selling their fastest game on earth to the US especially Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium for another year on what has been a brilliant weekend on show through the course of today and some of night locally.

It began with the arvo Super League US-first Wigan Warriors v the Sam Burgess-led Warrington Wolves as head coach and Wigan was simply too good 48-24, the same goes to the Canberra Raiders over NZ Warriors 30-8 (a free-to-air FOX US first btw) as well as the Jillaroos v England 90-4 in the women’s International match, and the 4-peat Penrith Panthers just staved off the threatening Cronulla Sharks that wraps up a festival of Rugby League in the US of America by 28-22.

There’s still a lot to play for having lost Jerome Luai recently to the Wests Tigers, who has club legend Brett Hodgson back onboard to help out Benji Marshall.

Didn’t know he was wearing a Wallabies hat when he stopped by at Netball Central the other day to see out a training session for the GWS Giants Super Netball team to share some of his intel with the other Giants head coaches across the men’s and women’s AFL (Aussie Rules) teams.

That’s because he was previously part of the Wallabies coaching staff as defensive coach two years ago under the management of Eddie Jones. We do understand his logic between RL & RU when it comes to Joseph Suaalii – he’s in Union now at senior level with the Wallabies and Tahs. However, Eddie’s second spell didn’t go so well sadly that only lasted just less than a year including the team’s first-ever early World Cup exit.

While the NRL will go back home to continue the opening round starting Thursday night, also didn’t know Nine’s NRL team stopped by at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the other day but on the infield road course rather than the oval where they’ve raced some fast cars for their pre-recorded post-game segments.

Thought there was a NASCAR race weekend happening at the same time as the Footy like it was last year but they are racing in between left and right turns at COTA in Austin, Texas instead. But they will back though for the first of two annual races in the middle of this month at the same time as the opening F1 race weekend at Albert Park in Melbourne.

One of the presenters there has just been named to read the sports news for Nine’s flagship breakfast show called Today effective immediately in none other than Danika Mason. We wish her the best of luck and she will still play a major role throughout the year too for the WWOS across the NRL & Australian Open Tennis – she could also be part of next year’s Winter Olympics now that Alex Cullen had to part ways unexpectedly a few weeks ago.

March 2, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby Week 3 of 16 in 2025: Queensland Reds hold back Western Force at the last minute by 24-28

by Sports Benches March 1, 2025

After back-to-back early wins on what has been a flying start to the new season from the Western Force, Queensland Reds has just hit back at the last minute that broke their hearts on home turf by a mere four point win (24-28) at Perth’s HBF Park.

Yes, there were lots of rampaging and expansive rugby from the home side that puts them on the board right from the word go. Although the Reds even though they’ve lost the plot a couple of times alongside their inability to build pressure and eventually knock down the Force’s scrambled defense, they know how to rebound thanks to their counter-attack under coach Les Kiss whenever they’re right on the money via break or penalties.

Hard to tell when both sides were battling so hard right through full-time that makes this contest so great but there can only be one winner and it turns out to be the Reds as said with their scrambled stronghold defense and counter-attacking display every time things do come their way.

Top 3 Players

Seru Uru is like Ballymore’s Great Wall of back rowers that broke the Western Force’s hearts on the blindside 6 Reds jersey thanks to his solid defence that mixes and matches along with his attacking muscle. It goes to show Les Kiss trusts him well all game long and so does Joe Schmidt who gave him a chance 1-2 times at the back end of last year with the green and gold at International level.

Josh Flook, meanwhile, has benefitted Les Kiss’s style of play on the counter-attack on the outside 13 with back-to-back tries while he can keep a great eye when being tested defensively of the Force’s running and expansive way of playing rugby. Hope he’s okay as not the same without him when the Reds blew their chances at times but at least his good work gave them a fighting chance though with the ugly win – special mention to the Filipo Daugunu also who scored the winner on the wide 11 left.

And former Red Mac Grealy does mean business at the top level on what’s lost every time QLD lost the ball and he’s there and everywhere to pick it up like his ability to kick out from the back at 15 as well pushing the Force’s passage of play further afield. The team’s good start after two wins as of Week 3 has just came to an unlucky end when they lacked discipline while being a touch isolated but interesting to see if they can carry on with their running rugby v the Waratahs next Saturday & the NZ teams after that.

March 1, 2025 0 comment