Behind the Ruck

Penney perseveres with Tahs but expects a derby response

NSW Waratahs head coach Rob Penney has resisted the urge for wholesale changes to his side, after last weekend’s unedifying 51-14 defeat at the hands of the Chiefs. But he has called for a response from his playing group when they take on the high-flying Brumbies in the derby in Canberra on Sunday.
Read more »
Six Nations: Scotland stun France as tournament hit by coronavirus

Round four of the 2020 Six Nations saw sport play second fiddle to health and safety, as the Ireland v Italy match due to be played in Dublin fell victim to the coronavirus, with the rest of the competition also likely to be put on hold for the foreseeable future.
Read more »
Brumbies dispatched as NSW Women throw down the gauntlet

And on they go. The NSW Waratahs Women have maintained their unbeaten run in Super W, with a dominant 41-8 victory over Brumbies Women at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta last night.
Read more »
Six Nations: Vive le France, England find form, and Scots off the mark

If the games that made up week two of the tournament had fallen foul of the weather and largely been occasions for the purists, dry decks and a bit of sunshine provided a welcome platform for some wonderful rugby in week three, with France’s hugely exciting 27-23 win over Wales a clash for the ages.
Read more »
Stars ready to shine as Super W 3.0 gets underway

Season three of the Super W competition kicks-off this evening, with reigning champions NSW Waratahs Women travelling down to Victoria to take on the Melbourne Rebels Women, in the first part of a double-header ahead of the Super Rugby clash between the Rebels and Waratahs.
Read more »
Six Nations: Weather the winner as France and Ireland lead the way

Week two of the 2020 Six Nations was more a story of the conditions the three games were played in, than the wins for Ireland, England and France that eventuated.
Read more »
Sydney Sevens: Mixed bag for Aussie Men as they finish 6th

It was a tale of two contrasting days for the Australian Men’s Sevens team at the Sydney Sevens last weekend. Saturday saw them show plenty of promise as they stood unbeaten after two pool matches against Japan and Scotland, with a combined tally of 64pts and ten tries. But Sunday was a painful reminder of how much improvement is still required if they are going to become genuine contenders in this year’s World Series, and at the Tokyo Olympics.
Read more »
Six Nations: Sloppy England undone by French resistance

Any suspicions that England may suffer a World Cup hangover bore some pretty ripe fruit in Paris at the weekend, with a rejuvenated and youthful French side downing the tournament runners-up 24-17 as the 2020 Six Nations kicked-off – having led 17-0 at the break.
Read more »
Sydney Sevens: Aussie Women claim bronze on home soil

It wasn’t the colour they wanted but the Australian Women’s Sevens team had to content themselves with a bronze medal in Sydney on Sunday, downing France for the second time of the day after going down heavily to an impressive Canada in the semi-final.
Read more »
Sydney Sevens: Unbeaten Aussie girls top pool to reach semis

The Australian Women’s Sevens team have sailed into the semi-finals at their home event in Sydney, after topping their pool with three wins from three.
Read more »

RWC 2019 Pool Game 21: Flying Fijians back on song to demolish Lelos

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Paul Cook Leave a comment

Fiji have made some amends for their shock loss to Uruguay, seeing off a brave first half effort from Georgia to run in seven tries in a 45-10 victory in rain-soaked Osaka.

World Game

RWC 2019 Pool Game 20: All Blacks tick over nicely against Canada

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Paul Cook One comment

Not only did three brothers start for New Zealand for the first time ever in a Rugby World Cup match, but all three scored as well, as the All Blacks put away Canada 63-0 with the minimum of fuss in Oita yesterday, racking up nine tries in the process.

World Game

RWC 2019 Pool Game 19: Much-improved USA push Les Bleus all the way

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Paul Cook One comment

A heroic effort from the USA Eagles has pushed a spluttering France all the way in Fukoaka, Les Bleus eventually running out 33-9 victors after leading by just three with 15 minutes to play.

World Game

Vale Jeff Sayle: Randwick legend remembered

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Paul Cook Leave a comment

Australian rugby and Sydney club rugby in particular, has lost one of it’s legendary characters with the sad passing of Jeff Sayle, after a lengthy and courageous health battle. He was 77-years-old.

Club Rugby

Waratahs announce Rob Penney as new head coach

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Paul Cook Leave a comment

The NSW Waratahs have finally revealed their new head coach, with kiwi Rob Penney putting pen to paper on a three-year deal that will take him up to the end of the 2022 Super Rugby season.

Super Rugby

RWC 2019 Pool Game 18: Scotland bounce back to smash off-key Samoa

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Paul Cook Leave a comment

Scotland needed something tangible to cling to after the listless effort against Ireland in their opening pool game, and they got exactly what they were looking for with a 34-0 bonus-point win over Samoa in hot and sticky Kobe last night to get their World Cup campaign back on track.

World Game

RWC 2019 Pool Game 14: Japan shock again as Ireland left stunned

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Paul Cook 2 comments

They’ve only gone and done it again. Four years after the ‘Brighton Miracle’, Japan have set their home tournament alight with a sensational 19-12 defeat of highly-fancied Ireland in Shizuoka.

World Game

« Older Entries Recent Entries »