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Mar 8

At my signal, unleash hell!

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So were the inspirational words spoken by Russel Crowe as Maximus, one of cinema’s greatest ‘Rebels’, in the Oscar winning movingGlad “Gladiator”.  Rod McQueen could hardly be confused for Crowe, nor a Gladiator, and it would be unfair to suggest that he had ever planned to ‘unleash hell’ on anything. However, in one week’s time, on Monday 15 March 2010, the Melbourne Rebels are free to do just that.  For that is the date the ARU have decreed is ‘Go Time’ for Rebels recruitment.  And the Australian Rugby world is holding their collective breath as to what goes down.

As it stands English fly half Danny Cipriani is currently the only player to have actually signed with the franchise.  But you get the impression that come next Monday there will be a number of signings announced.  Read more »

Feb 11

Brumbies: the Real Force.

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Val

Be my Valentine.

The ‘Super Star’ CA Brumbies take on the Western Force on Friday night at the new home ground of the Force, ME Bank Stadium, in what is shaping as an blockbuster match to start their respective 2010 Super 14 seasons. The return of Matt Giteau and Josh Valentine to their former stomping ground has lost some of the excitement due to Giteau’s quadricep injury, which will more than likely rule him out.

The Brumbies off season recruits have been well documented and most experts are tipping them to come close in winning the Super 14 in 2010, which would mean finals action for the first time since the Brumbies won the title in 2004. However, injuries to star recruits Rocky Elsom, Matt Giteau and a hand injury suffered by Ben Alexander have limited the teams time together on the training paddock, so instant success may not occur as easily as most expect. Read more »

Jan 14

High expectations for Brumbies in 2010!

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Chelsea

Alfi Mafi congratulates Adam Ashley-Cooper on another Brumby FC goal!

I have heard the Brumbies of 2010 described as the Chelsea Football Club of Australian Rugby.  Now, I don’t follow European football, but can hazard a guess that Chelsea is renowned for purchasing their highly successful team? For creating a winning team from the cheque book up? Personally I think this is damn hard on the Brumbies.

Unless there is something I don’t know about I figure the cheque book has rarely, if ever, been the inducement to get a player to the Brumbies.  We all know the story of how they began. How Rod McQueen built a team based on the same principals of the quote that adorns the Statue of Liberty: Read more »

Dec 12

Wallaby Number 8 of the Decade

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Hoile

Match winner!

Finally! On to the REAL men.  The pigs. The pack. The piano movers. The forwards! Starting at the back of the scrum we consider the top Number 8 of the decade, and I reckon it is a bit of a battle. There are, realistically, three stand out candidates and each have had moments of superb form. But each have also fallen off the pace and not been as consistent as we would have liked.

But to the list, in the 123 tests since 2000 to 2009 we have had the following ten players wear the Wallaby Number 8 jersey: Read more »

Sep 28

Rookies aplenty in Wallaby Training Squad

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Robbie Deans, and his selectors, have named a number of new faces in the 43 man Wallaby training squad in preparation for the Grand Slam tour later this year.  Perhaps the most notable rookie is scrumhalf Richard Kingi of the Queensland Reds who only last week signed an Academy contract with the QRU.

King

Kingi: LOVES his footy.

Other un-capped players are Kurtley Beale (flyhalf, Waratahs), Nick Cummins (wing, Force); Rob Horne  (Centre, Waratahs); Mitchell Chapman (backrow/lock, Brumbies); Ben McCalman (backrow/lock; unsigned); Dave Dennis (lock/backrow, Waratahs); Salesi Ma’afu (prop, Brumbies) and Damien Fitzpatrick (hooker, Waratahs).

The uncapped players are joined by returning Wallabies back in favour Digby Ione (outside back, Reds); Josh Valentine (scrumhalf, Brumbies); Stephen Hoiles (No 8, Brumbies); Matt Dunning (prop, Force); Sekope Kepu (prop, Waratahs).

Read more »

Sep 3

Wallaby Leadership Questions: Towards 2011!

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Aussie D asked the question, at the Green & Gold Rugby forum, as to who should be the Wallaby captain to take us to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.  It is a timely  question,  now just a little over 24 months until the big event, and a vital one.  If there is one thing that has typified all RWC Champions so far, it is strong leadership.  David Kirk (1987), Nick Farr-Jones (1991), Francois Pienaar (1995), John Eales (1999), Martin Johnson (2003) and John Smit (2007) were/are all very assured leaders and vital cogs to their teams’ success.

RWC Winners

Whilst I never want us to get to the stage whereby World Cup success takes priority over all other tests, we have reached a stage whereby Wallaby leadership must be questioned.  Our recent test failures have been characterised by rudderless play, devoid of any sense of purpose.  We can’t expect to win trophies with that form of rugby. Read more »

Jun 24

Friendy talks all things Brumbies with G&GR

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Andy Friend

Andy Friend

From the team’s inception, the Brumbies have always seemed to have a strong culture, perhaps not always positive, but a strong culture all the same. When you look back on teams of the past and the coaches that have lead the Brumbies, you can almost align a particular culture with each coach.

For the Macqueen era, it was based on innovation and challenge, Fast Eddie brought a hard-edged professionalism that delivered the first Super 12 title to the province. The Nucifora era was one of player power and independence, which not only saw another Super 12 title won by the team, but also cost the coach his job.

Read more »

May 26

Brumbies 2010: is their greed good for all?

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The pied piper

The pied piper

Should all the chips fall the right way, the Brumbies could be just about to pull off the most remarkable recruitment drive since the franchises inception.

Many would say that they already had one of the best squads in Australia, with World XV players like Mortlock, George Smith and Stephen Moore backed up by talents like Ashley-Cooper, Tyrone Smith, Ben Alexander, Mark Chisholm and Peter Kimlin to name but a few. A squad that only just fell short of the finals.

However, with the signing of Matt Giteau – Australia’s most talented back and perhaps the World’s form 10 – they have done far more than plug an experience hole at pivot, they have reached a tipping point of desirability that other players are finding hard to resist. Read more »

May 21

So who missed out? The Stats.

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While it is hard to argue with the majority of the Wallaby selections announced today, there are a few players that could feel a bit unlucky. The selection of Matt Hodgson in front of Ben Mowen and Mitchell Chapman was a bit of a surprise as was the inclusion of Quade Cooper and one wonders what Will Caldwell has to do to get a chance.

A big surprise for me was the fact a specialist fullback was not chosen, sure, O’Connor and AAC have spent a fair bit of time there this year, but someone like Cameron Shephard might feel a bit miffed – even Mungo McLinden might have been burning a candle. Read more »

May 15

Chiefs vs Brumbies preview & teams

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oh fuck, he's back

oh fuck, he's back

On the face of things the Chiefs are strong favourites for this game; they’ve won 6 out of their last 7 games, including the Canes just last week and are a try scoring machine.

However, if there’s any team to take the Chiefs, its the Brumbies.

There’s only one way for the Brumbies to do this I reckon, and that’s to choke the fuck out of the ball. Don’t let the Chiefs get a sniff. Frustrate the fuckers. Read more »

May 5

S14 stat attack: Aussie players

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Stat gimp - went fucken batshit

Stat gimp - went fucken batshit

We let our stat gimp loose on the teams and he couldn’t stop himself delving into the individual players as well. So here they all are.

For the most part they reinforce what you might already suspect, but there are a few surprises……..

Read more »

Apr 21

Australia’s best chance with wounded horses?

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will they do it again?

will they do it again?

NOW WITH SAMO TRY VIDEO BELOW!

The Brumbies line up to play the Hurricanes on Saturday night 5:30pm (EST) will be without: Guy Shepherdson (2 weeks, suspension),  Christian Lealiifano (3, Hamstring), Clyde Rathbone (1-3, Quad), Mark Gerrard(1, Hammy), Sitaleki Timani (atleast 3, knee), Mark Chisholm (season, wrist). They will also probably be missing Ben Hand and maybe Alfi Mafi, with both in a race against time to be fit.

If Hand doesn’t recover from his hamstring strain cause by knee hyper-extension the Brumbies will have to use Chaman with Kimlin in the 2nd row. Read more »

Apr 20

Wallaby Watch – Number 8!

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The incumbent(s):

broRichard Brown (WA): For a player that looks so made for test footy, it’s easy to forget he only made his debut in the last domestic test of last year. Brown has carried over his sterling 2008 form into 2009 and is one of the most important players for the Force. Industrious, robust and tough – qualities Australian rugby has cried out for in the Wallabies, perhaps since the days of Matt Cockbain and Phil Waugh (in his prime). Read more »

Apr 16

Brumbies vs Brutes preview and teams

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ciao fellas

ciao fellas

So we’re all thinking the Brumbies are destined for the finals now, with the memory of Macka to play for and karma catching up with Botha and Matfield; Bakkies getting 3 weeks, and Victor getting life (another sprog). Add captain Hoiles returning from injury for an extra bonus.

And then KAPOW.

A tight hammy from Mark Gerrard seems to have single handedly rooted the whole Brumbies backline. All of a sudden AAC is playing his first game at 15, Tyrone’s out of pozzy at 13, and no, I’m not joking, the almost 32 year old warhorse Stirling Mortlock is moved to wing – covering Bryan Habana. I wonder what happened the last time an Aussie centre was put out of position to mark him….. Read more »

Mar 12

Tahs V Brumbies Teams

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Last Canberra Game Larkham Ran Riot

Last Canberra Game Larkham Ran Riot

Friday March 13, Canberra Stadium. Match start: 07:40pm
Referee: Mark Lawrence (RSA)

Brumbies:

Nic Henderson, Stephen Moore, Guy Shepherdson, Ben Hand, Mark Chisholm, Peter Kimlin, George Smith, Stephen Hoiles, Josh Holmes, Christian Lealiifano, Francis Fainifo, Tyrone Smith, Stirling Mortlock, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Mark Gerrard.

Reserves:

Huia Edmonds, Ben Alexander, Sitaleki Timani, Julian Salvi, Patrick Phibbs, Matt Toomua, Clyde Rathbone.

Waratahs:

Benn Robinson, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Alastair Baxter, Chris Thomson, Will Caldwell, Dean Mumm, Phil Waugh, Wycliff Palu, Luke Burgess, Kurtley Beale, Lote Tuqiri, Timana Tahu, Robert Horne, Lachlan Turner, Sam Norton-Knight.

Reserves:

Adam Freier, Dan Palmer, Ben Mowen, David Dennis, Brett Sheehan, Daniel Halangahu, Tom Carter.

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