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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

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.

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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

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.

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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

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.

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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

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.

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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

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.

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Rugby

Rugby Today’s Result: Western Force forced another close emphatic win this time against regular semi-finalists ACT Brumbies by 42-45 after Week 2 of the new 2025 Season

by Sports Benches

Week 2 of 16 in the 2025 Super Rugby Season capped off with another Western Force win this time away from home against the regular semi finalists ACT Brumbies team in Canberra’s GIO Stadium. Force fired off with a string of early tries despite their rash decisions going into half-time by 14-28 while Brumbies found themselves back on track at last to play catch-up as it goes on.

Even though the Force were in trouble again discipline wise with 14 or even 13 men with 15 minutes to go, it’s not doom and gloom though where Force regained the lead whenever they had the ball – and that allowed them to finish off in style by a mere three point difference, it’s 42-45.

Elsewhere, the Crusaders were harshly beaten last night by the runner-up Chiefs and so does the current champs Blues at the hands of Highlanders in Dunedin earlier this evening. But the best part about this weekend is that Australian Rugby is still on a roll so far in 2025 thanks to an all-Aussie top-seed Brumbies upset by the Force followed by a statement Queensland Reds win v Moana Pasifika also from last night in Brisbane.

Top 3 players report card

As said, congrats to the Western Force with their close win once again – they’ve got a fantastic group of players along with Kiwi Head Coach Simon Cron who knows how to give back with their own swagger of Running Rugby.

Guys like Darcy Swain on the second row at 5 do mean business having taken a huge leap of faith from Canberra to Perth and yet he did not disappoint at all in the way he breaks down thanks to the Force’s unreal start to the game while they continued to add more points as it goes despite their ill-discipline & yellow cards.

The same goes to Dylan Pietch on the left wing despite picking up a yellow at one stage earlier on but his work rate though shouldn’t be underestimated thanks to his undeniable pace that got the best out of Dylan both in attack & defense and it’s clear he wants more of this often as long as the Magic comes to him – you never know & he will fill you in with surprises.

And Charlie Cale never backs down with his No.8 Brumbies shirt on his sleeve such as his two-TRY haul in between two halves who unpacks excellent physical grit through his head planted down low. It’s just a shame their poor starts and decision making forced the Force’s hand as one big mistake under pressure can turn out costly & that was the name of the game tonight.

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Rugby

Rugby Today: Thoughts on the Western Force’s last-minute heroics v Moana Pasifika last night 45-44 led by Wallaby 10 Ben Donaldson and what does it mean for the Aussie teams after Week 1 of the new 2025 Super Rugby season

by Sports Benches

Comeback after comeback after comeback, it’s great to see our Australian teams each pick up wins on the first week of the 2025 Super Rugby season.

Looking back at how No.10 Ben Donaldson broke Moana Pasifika’s hearts right on full-time last night even with Ardie Savea at the other end – such a magician isn’t he? Goes to show they’ve improved some much-needed competition for the best of Australian Rugby (four at best, we’ll see) as well as the Green & Gold Wallabies.

Now it’s up to them to see out like this more often week in, week out – and maybe two Australian teams will go on to play in semis with one finally able to make it to a Grand Final for a shot at the silverware. 

Watch this space not just Super Rugby & v NZ in general but also the British & Irish Lions who will be on their way mid-year.

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Rugby

Rugby Today’s result: NSW Waratahs begin their Super Rugby 2025 with a last-gasp win over the Highlanders by one point 37-36 at Allianz Stadium after Round 1 out of 16

by Sports Benches

Oh what a game it was to start the new Super Rugby campaign of 2025 for the 30th year running with a NSW Waratahs last-minute win by just one point the difference (37-36) at Allianz Stadium v the Highlanders from Otago, New Zealand.

Where do we start, Highlanders got their first scoring touches but poor discipline  saw the Waratahs sneak back in contention ahead of half-time by 13-12.

The game did go down the wire when both teams continue to add more tries & extra kicking points as it goes in the 2nd term. 

At the end of the day, the Highlanders’ failure to secure this match under pressure while being punished yet again forced the Waratahs’ hand even though the clock was ticking towards full-time – and the rest everyone says is history.

Super Rugby will go on with three more games to finish off the first round tomorrow with the Waratahs taking next week off ahead of their second home clash v Fijian Drua at the end of this month also on Friday Night & Highlanders go back home in Dunedin next Saturday night v the reigning champions Blues.

Happening elsewhere

And shoutout to Wallabies and Reds veteran James O’Connor by the way whose new side Crusaders got away with a season-opening win over last year’s semi-finalists in the Hurricanes by 33-25 – the best part about him was that he came off the bench to help them win from behind.

I mean, how good was that in front of home supporters in Christchurch if you’re a Crusaders fan as still long way to go towards being at their very best again when it comes to competing in Finals & also winning championships.

If that shoutout wasn’t enough, the same goes to Wallabies and Waratahs legendary full-back Matt Burke who just joined Nine and Stan Sport, having spent the last decade reading the sports news for 10 News First’s Sydney bulletin led by Sandra Sully – and he has also provided his expertise when 10 previously had the rights to air Wallabies matches back in 2013-2020.

It’s been a huge change of scenery where he may no longer have to read off an autocue on what we need to know from the world of sport every weekday. But hey, at least he knows his stuff pretty well especially when giving back to all things Rugby – as happy to see him turn up on TV some place else albeit in an analyst role at Nine/Stan for their rugby union coverage.

Don’t forget he will also be part of the Monday and Tuesday weekly podcast that is also to do with everything Rugby where he can talk about it all hour long called Between Two Posts thanks to Stan with Sean Maloney and former team-mate Morgan Turinui, so that’s more than good enough to keep you updated every week on the loop.

Plus, even though Joe Schmidt has done an amazing job with the Wallabies last year when Rugby Australia undergone a huge high performance restructure, he is unable to stay through the 2027 World Cup as he needed to take care of his son back in New Zealand – we wish him good luck.

Top 3 players card

Everyone cheering for the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium has been raving about reserve prop Siosifa Amone, who has been a relevation with two second-half tries including that last-minute winning moment, since he came on in for the seasoned Wallaby Taniela Tupou. 

He came from a long way at the Western Force in Perth but he’s got all the resources he needs to kick on as a better player with more experience at home.

Looking at the Tahs, love how they were willing to take risks on the up while cashing in on a number of missed Highlanders opportunities – and good to see Max Jorgensen giving our rugby fans some memorable moments mainly on the wide left 11 like that game -winning TRY late last year v England at Twickenham. 

He has tremendous talent by his side at a good young age of only age 20 having ticked off a lot of boxes that the Highlanders couldn’t do from their own end as we see Max being more of a team player now which is things we love to see for the best of Australian rugby.

Last but not least, how good was Timoci Tavatavanawai on the inside Highlanders 12 & he is someone who loves playing at Allianz Stadium. He’s tough as nails every time he plays a pivotal role in attack that gets them moving as well as in defense – lots to come straight from the highlights reel. Yes, so unlucky to lose by just one point but it’s a shame they blew their chances while their reckless hits didn’t help either & that’s that sadly in the end.

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Other Sports

Tennis x Sports Crossover at the 2025 Australian Open: Super Rugby, All Blacks & Wallabies preview along with Netball in New Zealand and Jack Doohan under pressure for only the first six races in Formula 1 at Alpine-Renault

by Sports Benches

And last but not least, how about we give a shoutout to two Wallabies stars Harry Wilson (Queensland Reds) and Max Jorgensen (NSW Waratahs), who were both in attendance at Melbourne Park this weekend to cheer on Alex De Minaur.

Yet, the Demon did win after all to play in the 4th round for the 4th straight year of his AO men’s singles career.

It was also nice seeing Harry and Max lend over that Wallabies green and gold jersey to Alex and look at him go! – How good! 

Rugby Union

We first have a jam-pack year of Rugby ahead of us with the 11-team Super Rugby competition set to start in a month’s time before the British and Irish Lions arrive at our own backyard during winter. Plus, there’s Club Rugby at the same, the Rugby Championship & Bledisloe Cup in August-September, and we finish off the year in Europe v the North’s best sides on earth.

First of all, it’s been a bitter blow not seeing Melbourne field a Rugby team anymore in the Rebels when they are a big sporting city due to financial problems. But with lots of people playing AFL (Aussie Rules) and even NRL (Rugby League), it seems there’s no room for Rugby to succeed in that place unfortunately.

Now we are down to four teams with the Western Force still around & as we all know the ACT Brumbies would love to finally play in a Grand Final. However, we would need the Tahs, Reds or even Force to be playing in the semis either way in order for the Wallabies to succeed & that includes the Brumbies. It’s never been a better time to try taking that advantage now, especially with Joseph Suaalii onboard from the Sydney Roosters (NRL) to the Waratahs. 

Other than that, the NZ teams will still be dominating for the most part along with a new-look Crusaders, even though the All Blacks had their bad times last season when it comes to the Springboks and France.

Netball

If Rugby isn’t big enough for NZ, why not Netball when they also have a huge year ahead? 

The Silver Ferns will be stopping by in Sydney soon to spend nine days there as part of their training camp including a Practice Match v the NSW Swifts featuring the Ferns former star shooter (for now) Grace Nweke on Sunday, February 2.

They will also have a slightly different ANZ Premiership season amongst half of the six teams having brand new coaches (Mainland Tactix, Southern Steel and Northern Stars) between May-July including Finals with a two-round home-and-away format across 10-12 weeks rather than playing three times last year.

Yes, the Ferns haven’t organised any matches lined-up yet for the second half season but we are still expected to see the Taini Jamison Trophy series back regardless of opponent. Although England have won it last year but the good news is that they will be able to defend the Constellation Cup v the Aussie Diamonds following their 3-1 series win back in late October.

And shoutout to former Silver Fern and current GWS Giants (Western Sydney) player Gina Crampton who plays at Wing Attack and was also in attendance from the stands for Alex De Minaur’s game yesterday – sure she still has plenty to offer at age 33, especially playing against the best in Super Netball.

Formula 1

What else? Rugby & Netball isn’t the only sport who mix and matches well with Tennis.

I also wish Alpine-Renault’s Jack Doohan from Formula 1 was there to see Alex also because they do look like each other with both of them having a smiley face personality. Surely, Jack can get some tips on defying those odds from Alex when there’s a bunch of reverse drivers waiting in his wings under pressure including Franco Colapinto. Alex did beat another Argentine actually yesterday too in Francisco Cerundolo; hopefully, this will cheer Jack up in a bid to keep his seat over the first six odd races of the season.

Although I can understand Jack is more aligned with Ayrna Sabalenka because she visited his team’s garage in his unexpected F1 debut last month at Abu Dhabi & Jack came back in return for Ayrna when she played a match a few weeks ago at the Brisbane International.

Post-Notes

Can’t believe there’s a whole lot of other athletes watching for fun there rather than looking to go toe-to-toe with the pro Tennis players & see who’s better? 

Time will tell.

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Rugby

Thoughts on the English Premiership Rugby teams trying to kick Italy and South Africa out of the current United Rugby Championship & how it affects Super Rugby

by Sports Benches

Now we normally don’t look at the Northern Hemisphere side of Rugby, but there has been come chatter a few days ago about a British and Irish domestic competition featuring 10 teams from the English Premiership, 4 each across Ireland and Wales & 2 from Scotland that would leave two Italian and four South African teams out of the cold. 

As much as we’d liked to have South African teams coming back here & NZ in Super Rugby like it used to be, why kick them out from Europe when the current United Rugby Championship comp is working well for them that benefits a whole lot other European sides from a commercial and competition standpoint other than Wales  — despite the long travel of course to go back up & down between Europe and South Africa but still their European and African time zones are only 1-2 hours apart.

Speaking of Wales, yes, they barely had one team making the last 8 last season in the Ospreys & none at all the before that (2022-23). Don’t forget they’ve haven’t been good at all as seen a few months ago with still no win so far this year for the national team when they came down here for two Tests apart from the rare World Cups thanks to Head Coach Warren Gatland.

But would it be great if the Welsh teams be willing to try help out an ailing English comp like we see in English soccer when three of the comp’s recent teams unfortunately went bust last year? Maybe the lesser need of travel and the close build-up of rivalries to compete v the English teams may be work best for them while the URC can get a Georgian side & another SA side in the Cheetahs – even though it may end up being 14 teams instead of 16. That’s okay though as don’t see much changes for URC anytime soon when SA is playing at their No.1 best once again that won them 1 x URC title back in 21-22 for the Stormers from Cape Town while seeing at least one of their sides make the big dance every year and the Sharks from Durban recently won the European Challenge Cup title a few months ago v Gloucester; Plus, they won another World Cup triumph last year v All Blacks and now they get to beat the ABs twice on home turf with the cusp of winning the Rugby Championship.

Meanwhile going back home, there’s still some room of improvement when it comes to Super Rugby with the comp being more Trans-Tasman & across the Pacific rather than being the best of the Southern Hemisphere since its reboot three years ago. We’ve just lost a side a few months ago in the Melbourne Rebels (although we could continue to see some Melbourne games next season under the ACT Brumbies while always staying at traditional heartland in Canberra and Southern NSW) after 14 years due to financial problems as the 2025 season will now feature 11 teams (short-term) across 16 weeks, 2 byes and a new look three-week Finals featuring the Top 6. 

Since the European sides and countries benefitted SA competitively, why not we bring some Japanese players (I mean some best Top League and also Japanese aka Cherry blossoms Test players) coming over here with the help of Andrew Forrest by forming a partnership with Japan Rugby Football Union to revive the Sunwolves as the new Japanese/Western Australian side but have most of their home games in Perth with a few in Tokyo – doesn’t mean the Western Force should be disbanded since he’s the owner. He can continue to promote the Force differently like playing in a few post-season exhibition games that they’re doing right now over the next few weeks including a trip to South Africa, don’t forget a possible future National Club Comp is in the works & they can also enter in the Japanese Top League and even South Africa’s Currie Cup by having some home-grown talent in as a feeder team where all of this can be doable while retaining its junior presence (via U16/19 comps).

And to make up the 12th team, also like to see the Jaguares coming back and now this will be challenging with no direct flights now to Argentina since COVID at the start of this decade. But being based in Melbourne wouldn’t hurt for the most part with the regular season, although a few traditional long-haul trips would bring back some of the old days should they make the six-team Finals & they can truly play in Buenos Aires to bring the home crowd up and pumping on home turf.

At the end of the day, we all want Super Rugby to be competitive where things will take time without South Africa that will make New Zealand happy so they don’t really have to suffer on its own like we’ve seen in recent years, and also us Aussies happy too after barely winning any trophies other than some occasional winning matches to celebrate for a very long time.

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