Born Free (to play wherever).

Feb 25

Posted by Noddy
16 Comments

Whinging already? A future 'tah for sure.

With the Melbourne Rebels now in the player market place, not too long after the WA Force entered, a subset issue is now a subject of hot discussion. Who can lay claim to the player. It is a common cry out of NSWRU and the Sydney club land that they created the majority of all our professional players and now they are being ripped off because of it.

Another parallel discussion of late, particularly up here in Queensland, has been with regards the number of New Zealand born players seemingly making their way in elite rugby over here. It is particularly noticeable, it seems, in schoolboy rugby, but is apparent across the country in the Super 14 as well.

Well it’s time to look at the facts in a little more detail. Read more »

Feb 23

Back to Ballymore

Posted by Noddy
15 Comments

This Saturday night Super Rugby heads back to Ballymore for the first time since 2005. It shapes as a fascinating night for Queensland Rugby as ‘traditionalists’ have been calling for a return to Queensland Rugby HQ since we left five years ago. In the end its taken a soccer game at Suncorp to get us back there, which is somewhat ironic considering soccer is now a major tenant at Ballymore.

I was at Ballymore only a few weeks ago to watch Will Chambers run around for the QLD A team. Whilst the ground itself still looks superb – as good as any in Australia, even Suncorp, the rest of the facilities are substandard. Make no mistake about it, it will be a shit fight this weekend. And I’m not talking about the footy. Read more »

Feb 16

Video: G&GR Super 14 Round 1 Review

Posted by Noddy
39 Comments

Every week during the Super 14 season G&GR will take a look at the key plays and players of the week just had. We can be a myopic lot here at G&GR sometimes, so no point stopping now.

Let’s make it clear. Our focus is the Wallabies, so these reviews will focus on the Aussie teams and Aussie teams only. Not that we won’t cover the kiwi and saffa teams in our posts, but in this particular weekly wrap up it will be all about the Aussies. So let’s get to it. Read more »

Feb 11

Brumbies: the Real Force.

Posted by Brumby Jack
6 Comments

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!

Posted by Noddy
26 Comments

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 18

Wallaby Loose Head Prop of the Decade

Posted by Noddy
17 Comments

"I Dunno"

We finally reach the last position in the team, if only because of its numerical allocation. For mine, this will be one of the most interesting ‘battles’ of the series. Now I expect most people to jump on the current incumbent (tautology?), but I think that is unfair on the other options proposed.

Because, in the end, we’ve come up with three fairly decent candidates who were all highly regarded during their playing days. And actually there is some half decent talent amongst the none loose head props we’ve picked this decade. Promising too that four of them are still playing and young enough to be playing for a few more years yet. The Loose Head Props from 2000-2009 have been:

Bill Young (46), Benn Robinson (28), Matt Dunning (14), Nick Stiles (12), Greg Holmes (10), Richard Harry (7), Al Baxter (3), Ben Alexander (2), Pek Cowan (1).

We here at G&GR have come up with the following three has our top performers for the decade:

Dec 6

Baa Baas Habana sinks arrogant All Blacks

Posted by Lance Free
33 Comments

Line & length. Gladstone Small?

Barbarians 25 All Blacks 18

You get what you deserve when you treat a game like this as a ‘development’ match and turn up with your 2nd XV expecting to easily roll a scratch Baa Baas side.

It wasn’t always like this. The history of All Blacks v Barbarians end of tour matches goes back to 1954 and there have been many occasions since where prolific running rugby skills, commitment and elan were on display.

The match in 1973 and Gareth Edward’s ‘best ever’ try is the classic example. In the days when front rowers only scrummed, even England hooker John Pullin played his part and actually passed the ball in ‘that try’. Read more »

Dec 4

The winner: G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year

Posted by Noddy
13 Comments

Smith: overcome with emotion

What a tremendous end to the season, both for the Wallabies and for this competition. Those who have been following the points tally may well be aware that the competition came down to the very last test against Wales.

As a reminder, after every test of the season Green and Gold Rugby readers at the forum assigned 3-2-1 points to their top three Wallaby performers per game. These points were then tallied each game with an ultimate top three players, a Man of the Match and two runners up, being decided. This award is the accumulation of those points.

All in all there were fifteen different players who polled points, and we had three different players taking home the series awards. George Smith won the Domestic Test Series award, Benn Robinson claimed the Tri-Nations award whilst David Pocock snagged the Spring Tour award in a count back from Wycliff Palu. But in the end it was the most experienced man in the Wallaby camp, George Smith who took out the ultimate award.

Hear his acceptance speech when Gagger presented him with this prestigious and highly coveted award:

In a tight finish Smith held off loose head prop Benn Robinson Read more »

Dec 3

G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year: Spring Tour

Posted by Noddy
6 Comments

And so the year has drawn to a close. The Spring Tour has been a disapointing expedition for the Wallabies. As for the players? We have seen the emergence of some wonderful young players this tour. Quade Cooper, Digby Ioane, Dean Mumm, Benn Robinson, Will Genia, David Pocock and Ben Alexander all showed tremendous class.

How will they fair in the final component of our Green & Gold Rugby Wallaby Player of the Year? Let’s jump into it and see. Read more »

Nov 30

The G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year – Domestic Rugby Series

Posted by Noddy
3 Comments

The Wallabies started their 2009 test campaign against Italy in Canberra all the way back in June. Fourteen tests and about six months later the Wallabies won less than 50% of their games. As a whole the season was… disappointing. Bordering on disastrous. The continued failing in the Tri-Nations is a significant cause for concern. Our inability to back up good wins, such as against the Springboks in Brisbane, with another good performance is also worrying. The loss to Scotland, when you look at the rankings at least, was just unacceptable.

On the plus side, gees we looked good against the Boks in Brisbane. And the Welsh win was a cracker. And what about our young guns? Will Genia, David Pocock, Quade Cooper, Lachlan Turner, James O’Connor and Ben Alexander all proved their abilities at certain times this year.

Overall though, which player would come out on top? Who would win the coveted Green & Gold Rugby Wallaby Player of the Year award? Well stay tuned over the next few days and all will be revealed.

Nov 22

Wallabies vs Scotland – Bland Sham

Posted by Moses
84 Comments

This way up

I’ve written this post straight after the game while the pain is still raw and untempered, and I’m trying to work out if that’s the worst I’ve seen the Wallabies play. I suspect it is. We’ll post a more balanced review later.

That we still had a chance to win with the last kick is perhaps a measure of how “outclassed” these Scots were, completely lacking the ability to break our line with their only territory coming from the plethora of Wallaby mistakes.

Nov 3

Live Score: Gloucester vs Wallabies

Posted by Gagger
7 Comments

Final Score: Gloucester 5 – Wallabies 36

click below for Gagger’s full and exclusive coverage of this game.
Read more »

Oct 9

Rocky’s sterling effort

Posted by Lance Free
26 Comments

The Rock, The Man

Rocky Elsom has been named Wallaby captain for the upcoming Northern Hemisphere tour beginning later this month.

He has taken over from Stirling Mortlock who was also named in the side. Berrick Barnes is the Vice- Captain. This will no doubt increase speculation that Mortlock’s Wallaby career may be coming to a close on top of his recent visit to Japan to check-out future options.

Seven uncapped players have been included in the Wallabies squad announced today. The tour will incorporate Australia’s first attempt at a Grand Slam of the UK and Ireland in 25 years. The new caps are Kurtley Beale (NSW), Rob Horne (NSW), Dave Dennis Read more »

Sep 28

Rookies aplenty in Wallaby Training Squad

Posted by Noddy
30 Comments

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.

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).

Sep 19

Wobblies woefull in Wellington

Posted by Gagger
70 Comments

Too easy

So far this season the Wallabies have let themselves down in just one, sometimes two facets of the game. Tonight, they fucked every single one. The scrum, lineout, breakdown, kicking, discipline, running, passing; all sucked. It was only an average defensive performance that kept them anywhere near the match.

The heroics in Brisbane were catalysed by some towering leadership performances, where men went out to make the difference – like Polota-Nau with his tackling. This week they sat back and seemed to hope “the pattern” would do it all for them. It’s a simple lesson, when will they learn it? Read more »

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