Author: Nick Wasiliev

Finally! It’s that time again! The NSW Country Eagles came so close in 2016. Is 2017 the year the Country finally takes home the Toast Rack? There is a real fierceness about rugby support in the country. Last year it was particularly notable that fans travelled a long way to see the Eagles play. I got to see them in their rescheduled game against Perth Spirit at Concord Oval, after Endeavour Oval in Orange was deemed unfit to play due to the rains, and when they played a few weeks later against the Rams during the Pacifika Round. I myself…

It was such an unbelievable performance by the Wallabies in Dunedin that Reg, Hugh and Jamie were still on a high from it when they sat down to do this weeks Green and Gold Rugby Show. The Five Burning Questions – 1. Are we happy with Saturday’s performance? 2. Who were your Wallaby standouts? 3. Will this be the start of a Wallaby resurgence? 4. What are we most looking forward to about the NRC this year? 5. What else caught our eyes around the grounds?

It was a day of rugby celebration down at North Sydney Oval, and the sight of an unbelievable contest as Warringah and Northern Suburbs made it a grand final for the ages to round off the Shute Shield.  The writing was on the cards for this to be a special grand final. The vibe was there. From the moment people started coming through the gates, there was something to it. Eventually, when something close to 20,000 were in the gates (honestly, I think it might’ve even been more), the Shield was delivered via chopper, and the Rats and Shoreman came on the field.…

[one_third last=”no”] 1. Scott Sio It was a bit of a mixed bag from Sio. The scrum did come under some pressure in the first half, but he more than made up for it with some good carries and being part of a better defensive effort. Solid all round 5  [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Stephen Moore  Played a much better game than last week. The lineout was solid, and in general play looked much more focused this time round, but his performance in the scrum left much to be desired. Was replaced at the 38th minute.  5  [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Allan Alaalatoa Like Moore, was…

Friday’s Rugby News sees more talk about the Wallaby squad, the latest gossip from the All Blacks camp, the Uni7s launches in Launceston, and the Wallaroos giving back. [one_half last=”no”] Diddly Squad! The Wallabies will be out to try and regain some pride when they face the All Blacks in Dunedin this coming Saturday for the second Bledisloe Cup match. After the performance last week, many have called for a major shake up of the squad, the coaching, and pretty much everything else to do with the national side. So Michael Cheika decided to pretty much go with three changes,…

It’s the biggest day in NSW club rugby: the Intrust Super Shute Shield grand final! So it’s time for us to crack open and talk about our preview, while also taking the time to review the action from the Semi-Final weekend.  Semi-Finals Review WARRINGAH 27 – 17 MANLY, PITTWATER RUGBY PARK, 19TH AUGUST 2017 The servings up that these two fierce rivals have delivered this year have been some of the best matches of the Shute Shield! And what’s also been great has been the crowds. There was something close to 12,000 that packed into Rat Park for this decider. If you want…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees the Force win the right to an appeal in the Supreme Court, Hooper calling for a warm-up match, a very bewildered RUPA and the Wallaroos serving revenge upon the Irish. [one_half last=”no”] Force granted leave to appeal axing Man, this entire Force-ARU court case has got more thrills, spills and drama than Game of Thrones! After the Force were announced as being the team to be axed following the arbitration meeting, RugbyWA were granted leave to appeal against the ARU’s decision by New South Wales Supreme Court judge David Hammerschlag, who has now begun to hear their case.…

Yep, we’ve reached it. After the woeful performance at the Bledisloe Cup by the Wallabies, Matt, Hugh and Jamie stepped up to the mike to give their thoughts for this weeks Green and Gold Rugby Show. And with this podcast comes a return of the burning questions: Warning- moderate coarse language (can you blame them?) The Five Burning Questions-  1. Is this an all-time low for the Wallabies? 2. Who takes the blame – Cheika, Grey or everyone else? 3. Can we take any positives out for this week? 4. Was the Force rally good or bad for Aussie rugby? 5. Around…

It’s nearly time for the Bledisloe! Friday’s Rugby News is here to talk all the latest in the Wallabies and the Wallaroos, high hopes for the Uni Sevens series, and the Reds, Tahs and Brums all coming together for a chat. [one_half last=”no”] Bring back the Bledisloe! It’s that time of year again. The Wallabies will be set to do battle tomorrow night when they take on the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. It has certainly been an different build-up compared to previous years for the Wallabies, training out at Cessnock and Penrith and away from prying public eyes.…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees the launching of the new Fijian NRC Franchise, concerns about the Perth Pigs,  the Rebels searching for a new coach, and more goss on the Wallabies and Wallaroos. [one_half last=”no”] The Fijian Drua launches And here I was thinking all this time that we would just be playing the Fiji Warriors. Nope. But it is still exciting times for the NRC this year. The Fijian team was officially unveiled on Wednesday as the Fijian Drua, named after the historic double canoe that comes from the Pacific Island Nation. In addition to the unveiling of the name,…

Well I’ll be damned. There were plenty of upsets to be had during the qualifying finals, and it has caused a right shakeup going into the semi-finals. Here’s our thoughts on the latest Intrust Super Shute Shield action.  QUALIFYING FINALS REVIEW Manly 34 – 40 Eastwood, MANLY OVAL, 12TH August 2017 Yeah, I did not see this one coming. The Woodies had been so inconsistent the last few weeks I thought it would play heavily into the result of this match. The Marlins were going to turn it on and push their way into the finals. How wrong we all were?! Eastwood came with…

It has been a tough couple of days for Australian rugby. And tough times call for a big podcast. Reg, Hugh and Jamie are all on deck for a special edition of the Green and Gold Rugby Show. Focusing on the removal of the Western Force, and the impact it will have on the game nationally, they were lucky enough to speak with former ARU Board Member Geoff Stooke, who resigned from the ARU in protest of their management of the Super Rugby process. The lads also took time to chat about the Wallabies, Wallaroos and upcoming club rugby finals.

Friday’s Rugby News has more transfers, a tough opening for our ladies at the RWC, some very worried Japanese Rugby officials, and Kerevi keen for combinations. [one_half last=”no”] Faulkner heads home With the absolute basket case that Super Rugby is, it’s a miracle that in the last couple of days there’s been so many signings. The Melbourne Rebels have been particularly busy on the signing front. Following them getting Amanaki Mafi to re-sign yesterday, the men from Victoria have announced another big signing: Tetera Faulkner from the Western Force. Despite being Kiwi-born, Faulkner moved to Melbourne when he was 13. Growing up…

Thursday Rugby News has the Rebels re-signing, sassy kiwi police officers, the Wallaroos squad for Ireland, and Rona talking Wallabies. [one_half last=”no”] Mafi adds to Rebels arsenal The Melbourne Rebels have had a crazy couple of days, with the selling of their club back to the VRU for $1, and their defiance in being cut from Super Rugby. While the whole Super Rugby scenario is a dog’s breakfast, the re-signing of standout player Amanaki Mafi on an extended one year contract is certainly an encouraging sign for the Rebel Army. Mafi was a standout for the club in an absolute disaster…

Reg, Hugh and Jamie chatted Sevens Rugby with Australian Womens Sevens Coach Tim Walsh, exactly one year after they won gold at the Rio Olympics. Oh, and they also had a little bit to say on Super Rugby and the Wallabies ahead of the Bledisloe Test next week.

Yep, we missed the last two rounds. I was on holiday. But no matter! But we’re back to talk Intrust Super Shute Shield, and more specifically, the make up of the finals. Cause boy, do we have a finals series on our hands! The Table Round 17 Review Gordon 25 – 27 Sydney University West Harbour 32 – 29 Randwick Southern Districts 35 – 28 Warringah Manly 46 – 38 Penrith Eastwood 15 – 29 Northern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs 52 – 23 Parramatta Of the two rounds we saw, this penultimate one proved the most pivotal in setting up the final six.…

Expect plenty of fireworks this weekend in the Intrust Super Shute Shield. With only two rounds of the regular season left, many clubs seasons will be on the line this weekend. The Table The Previews FREE-TO-AIR BROADCAST MATCH: WARRINGAH VS. MANLY, PITTWATER RUGBY PARK, KICK OFF: SATURDAY 3:10PM, 22ND JULY 2017, LIVE ON 7TWO IN NSW AND THE ACT FROM 3:00PM, REPLAY IN QLD.  Yeah, with all due respect to the other matches on this weekend, let’s be frank: this is the match of the round, hands down. First vs second. Battle of the Beach. Potential top of the table finish on the line. This…

The weekend is nearly upon us. Friday’s Rugby News has some final comments on the Super Rugby before the knockouts, ‘official’ comments from the Pro 12, more talk of a Pacific Islands Super Rugby team, and Cheika keen for the match up against a boiled egg. [one_half last=”no”] Super Rugby Goss Yep, it’s time for the knockout finals. And, it may indeed be the case that, should Brumbies fail to pull off an upset tonight, it could be the last of Australian Super Rugby that we see this year. Will all due respect, maybe that isn’t actually a bad thing. But hey, if…

Thursday’s Rugby News sees Kiwis taking inspiration from the Brumbies, more talk on the Wallaby squad, Gibson once again trying to teach his Tahs a lesson, and more news from the NRC. [one_half last=”no”] Canes inspired by a Brumby Yep, never thought you’d hear that this year, but in fairness, this a pretty damn good thing to be inspired by. The Hurricanes have taken inspiration for Saturday’s game against the Brumbies by admiring the return of Christian Lealiifano. Surprisingly, when the Hurricanes last came to Canberra they were smashed 52-10 in the first round of the 2016 season, and that loss still…

Well this was an epic round! The Intrust Super Shute Shield served us some smashing games this weekend, so let’s dive into our review of the round that was. MANLY 25 – 27 SOUTHERN DISTRICTS, MANLY OVAL, 15TH JULY 2017 I’m still on a high after this one. The fact I got to watch it on 7TWO was even better. I knew it was going to be a close one: the last few weeks have been troubling for the Marlins, with some less than convincing wins. They knew that Southern Districts were in form, and to their credit, they played with plenty of…