Author: Nick Wasiliev

Die-hard Brumbies/Country Eagles fan now based in Sydney. Author, anthropologist, musician, second rower. Still trying to make sense of the 21st century. Dropped a debut novel last year...

Friday’s Rugby New sees a new Wallaby squad, the latest on the home front, Ireland being upset and the Kangaroos playing the All Blacks (Yep, that’s actually not a joke). [one_half last=”no”] Hodging your bets… As the Wales match approaches, the Wallabies will be looking to build on the progress set during the Rugby Championship and the test in Japan. One part of that test, having Reece Hodge at flyhalf, could play dividends as Michael Cheika looks to increase the depth in the flyhalf position. Hodge will be starting on the wing for the match against the Scarlets, but Mick Byrne admitted to…

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Thursday’s Rugby News sees Coleman chatting, some troubles in Samoa, some talk from James Tuttle and some surprisingly worried Kiwis. [one_half last=”no”] Lions are a-waitin’ With the Wallabies landing in Wales earlier this week, thoughts now turn to the upcoming competition against the men in red. And Adam Coleman believes that it will be a different side to the one the Wallabies romped last year in Cardiff, with the end result of the Lions series feeding on to some good Wales form. “They’ve spent more time playing together (because of the Lions series),” he said to rugby.com.au. “I’m not sure…

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We promised a special NRC podcast. And we keep our promises. Ahead of the grand final down in Canberra this week, Rugby Reg, Brett McKay and Nick our producer sat down to talk about the upcoming final, but also to shed light on this season of the NRC and on the competition as a whole as it nears the end of it’s fourth season. The Five Burning Questions: 1. Who starts as favourites this weekend? 2. Are the Drua a positive inclusion? 3. How do we rate the Sydney teams? 4. Standout, surprise and disappointment for each team? 5. Where to for the NRC going forward?

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It’s NRC Grand Final week, and as a result the boys of the Green and Gold Rugby Show will be bringing you not one, but two podcasts. First up is Matt and Hugh, who got to talk about all the latest on the international level following the Wallabies victory over Japan, with a bit of NRC and Twiggyball thrown in for good measure. The Five Burning Questions: 1.What did we get out of the Japan test? 2. What do we expect from the Wales test? 3. Two years out from Rugby World Cup Grand Final, what positions are you worried about? 4.…

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Friday’s Rugby News sees the announcement of the RWC fixtures, chat on the Wallaby squad, SBS to the rescue and playing the Game of Thorn. [one_half last=”no”] Fixtures In Well, it’s only two years out from the World Cup, and yesterday we got the fixture list for the event, which you can view in it’s entirety here. The Wallabies are located in Group D, against the likes of Wales, Georgia, Fiji and one Americas team (once it is picked). They will play four matches at four different venues, travelling up and down the length of Japan during the group stages. They…

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Thursday’s Rugby News see’s big news out of World Rugby, big news out of the Tahs and Brumbies, big news out of New Zealand and big chat on the NRC semi-finals. [one_half last=”no”] WC Selection The Rugby World Cup Council is set to meet on November 15th to decide the official host of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and all eyes are on South Africa to take the crown after the most comprehensive host-selection process in World Cup history. The Rainbow Republic looks set to be the front runners to host Bill in six years time, after the RWC Ltd Board, with…

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With the aftermath of the Wallabies-Baabaas match, the announcement of the Spring Tour squad and the NRC heading into the finals, we needed a solid edition of The Green and Gold Rugby Show this week to meet your rugby needs. Rugby Reg, Hugh and the one-and-only Brett McKay were in the chair to chew the fat and serve up their media expertise. The Five Burning Questions: 1. Did we gain anything from the Barbarians match? 2. What were the big surprises from the Wallaby squad selection? 3. What are our expectations for the Wallaby tour? 4. What were the standouts from the…

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The Rams had nothing to play for but pride. The Vikings – a potential chance to finish top of the table. Regardless, it was a fascinating match that finished off what has been an incredible regular season of the NRC.  If they were only playing for pride, no one had told the Greater Sydney Rams. After an encouraging start to the season, the men from Sydney’s west came crashing back to earth in the middle half of the season. However, last week they pulled off an outstanding victory against Brisbane City, and as this game approached, everyone was expecting that,…

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Friday’s Rugby News see’s Izzy taking the John Eales medal, squad announcements for the weekend, and Gunn looking up to George Smith. [one_half last=”no”] Izzy wins John Eales medal It was Australian rugby’s night of nights, and with many players putting their hand up this year it was always going to be a tough choice to pick the John Eales medalist. In the end, it went to our leading try scorer: Israel Folau, for a record third time. Izzy had to face off some stiff competition, including from Kurtley Beale, Bernard Foley and Michael Hooper, but it was clear that Izzy…

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Thursday’s Rugby News sees Baabaas squad changes, players considering futures, the NRC finals makeup, and a big plan by English rugby. [one_half last=”no”] Potgeit-nah Sorry Baabaa and Tahs fans, but unfortunately we won’t get to see Tahs legend Jacques Potgieter on the field against the Wallabies this weekend. The big Saffa is almost regarded as a cult figure to many Tahs fans, and rightly so: he was an important part of the team that went on to win their first Super Rugby title. However, Potgeiter has now been ruled out for Saturday’s clash with injury. Don’t worry though, his expected replacement is…

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Reg, Hugh and Matt are back this week to chew the fat on all things rugby. After the awesome win on Saturday by the Wallabies, they had plenty to be cheerful about (until we got to talking about the Baabaas match). Warning – mild coarse language The Five Burning Questions –  1. Where did the Wallabies win the match? 2. Who was our best on-field, and what position do we think needs improvement? 3. What’s the point of the Baabaas game? 4. Should the indigenous jersey be our fulltime jersey? 5. Izzy Folau having the November tour off: a big loss or an opportunity?

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Yes, sorry about the delay of this match review. But this game was totally worth it.  In what was one of the most outstanding matches in NRC history, Queensland Country went over to Fiji to take on the might of the Drua. Already, the home side had developed a reputation for being almost unbeatable at home, as no Australian side had even come close to knocking them off. But Queensland Country are a different beast this year. In front of a very healthy Lautoka crowd of around 6,000 (my guesstimate), the match got off to an absolute flyer, with both…

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Friday’s Rugby News sees the ARU looking to change their name, the latest on the Wallabies squad, Gatland open to being the Kiwi coach and the squads of the NRC being announced. [one_half last=”no”] Goodbye ARU (the name) Guess what guys! The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) will cease to exist in the coming weeks. Well, only it’s name. But it’s a start, I guess. Instead, they’re going to be going under another name, for some reason: Rugby Australia. So I guess we call them RA now? I honestly don’t know what the point of changing the brand name. Because if…

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Thursday’s Rugby News sees the ARU chasing money, Ioane calling time, the latest on the IPRC/NRC and a examination of the Wallabies jersey. [one_half last=”no”] FFS So I was really hoping this piece of news isn’t true when I came across it on Wednesday night, as there’s a lot of hearsay that rattles around the internet these days. Because if it is true, it would be a case of really rubbing WA rugby fans faces in it. For all Force fans, this is not for pretty reading. And yes, that includes the context of all the crap you guys have…

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Wednesday’s rugby news has the latest news from the Wallabies camp, the Irish coming over next year and some folks demanding people turn up to the Bledisloe test. [one_half last=”no”] Holy Foley Keep the faith. The amount of times we’ve heard that beyond bewilders many of us. However, the term this time comes from Bernard Foley, and for the first time in a long, there actually might be some merit behind it. Ever since they trudged off trailing 40-6 at halftime in the first match in Sydney, the Wallabies have been starting to play more consistently, with two wins against…

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It was a try-scoring bonanza at TG Millner Field on a dreary Saturday afternoon in Sydney, but it was Queensland Country who ran away with the chocolates to effectively end the Rams play off hopes for 2017. A crowd of around 500 turned out to TG Millner for an exciting day, and while Country were hot favourites to win, the Rams have proven to be far from easybeats this year, with many players including Wallaby halfback Nick Phipps and Super rugby stars Jed Holloway, Mack Mason, John Grant and Taqele Naiyaravoro returning for the men from the west. Things got off to…

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Friday’s rugby news sees the WA inquiry examining that $1, the Brums and Rebels organising trials, Wessels talking up next year, and the goss for the next round of the NRC. [one_half last=”no”] That One Angry Dollar The Senate inquiry in WA has seen everything, from CEOs refusing to answer any questions to verbal boxing matches between different members. However, the inquiry today focused on one particular event: the ARU selling the Melbourne Rebels to Andrew Cox, and Cox selling  the Melbourne Rebels back to the VRU for $1. And what a controversial dollar it has turned out to be.…

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Today marks the 200th edition of the Thursday Rugby News. Fancy that? Today’s news sees Clarke getting fiery, Ledesma going home, Kafer doing his job and the Wallabies climbing up the ladder. [one_half last=”no”] Clarke vs. Sinderberry Well, what a direction the senate inquiry has taken. So tense were the events in the west, that it closely resembled a boxing match between Mark Sinderberry and Rob Clarke. So, with that in mind, lets do this…. On my left, in the west corner, is the former Force CEO Mark Sinderberry. As first to the stand several weeks ago, Sinderberry had claimed (in a…

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We’re back early this week for a special edition of the Green and Gold Rugby Show. Hugh, Matt and our producer Nick are all in the chair to chat the latest in all things Australian rugby. This week they were incredibly lucky to be joined by someone who we are huge fans of here at GAGR HQ: former Western Force coach and new Melbourne Rebels coach Dave Wessels.  The Five Burning Questions – 1. What is the Dave Wessels coaching philosophy and why did it work so well at the Force this year? (feat. Dave Wessels) 2. How are the Melbourne Rebels shaping…

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There was movement in rugby clubland, For the word had passed around, The Fijian Drua were in town Here to play the Rams –  In front of a raucous TG Millner crowd. There was a vibe to this match that was really special. Driving up to TG Millner, the surrounding streets were filled with cars that made it difficult to get a park. Despite my frustrations, I was also elated: the NRC is really coming along this year in terms of crowds! The Rams management had done a wonderful job organising an incredible event with the schools rugby event, with a crowd…

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