The Rugby World Cup http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com The Absolutely Unofficial Rugby World Cup Blog Sat, 19 May 2012 18:47:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 en Review: Rebels beat Force in another heartbreaker http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/review-rebels-beat-force-in-another-heartbreaker/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/review-rebels-beat-force-in-another-heartbreaker/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 18:47:48 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/review-rebels-beat-force-in-another-heartbreaker/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
In a tight and at times scrappy contest, the Rebels outlasted the Force at NIB stadium this afternoon.
The Rebels rocketed out of the gate and score a couple of early tries and good ones they were too. The big boys punched it up in the middle of the paddock, leading to the first try from Cadeyrn Neville when they were getting consistently over the gain line. After that, the sublime skills of Kurtley Beale got the ball wide at pace and caught a slow moving Force defence out on at least two occasions. At this stage it looked like one way traffic and it took the Force a good while to get their hands on the pill in any meaningful sense and in decent field position.
Beale appeared to have the ball on a string in the first half and was a constant threat. The passing was fluid and the forwards did their part by securing quick ball at the breakdown to mount wave after wave on attack. Fortunately for the Force, they were able to steady the ship to a degree and run up some points, because they looked seriously under siege for almost all of the first 40 minutes. Some moments of individual brilliance kept them in the game, especially in the form of line breaks from Tupou, Seymour and Nalaga. Had they been able to move the ball in a sharper manner there may have been further opportunities as well. With that said, the Rebels looked capable of scoring with every possession for long periods of the game, especially in the first half.
Whatever Phil Blake said to the Force players at half time seemed to work for a time, as they not only kept the Rebels attack relatively quiet, they were able to score themselves. Once again, however, the third Force try came from a movement that fell apart in an almost comical fashion until Mafi took matters into his own hands and ran a great line against the grain and scored near the posts. It was typical of the one-out stuff in attack that the Force have relied upon for much of the season. The passing is going to have to get better than this next year if they are to be any hope of making it out of the cellar. The other aspect that is frustrating to watch is the amount of time that the ball is getting of ball being thrown to a stationary tight forward wide of the ruck. This, in almost every case, is suffocating the potential attack before it even gets started. By comparison, the Rebels seem to have a much better handle on getting their big guys running through these midfield channels and getting the defence backpedalling — something that they were able to do on numerous occasions today.
The breakdown was an interesting battle and one where I thought the Rebels did enough to at least break even, thus providing their backline with enough quick ball to ask questions of the […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/review-rebels-beat-force-in-another-heartbreaker/feed/ Waratahs go down to Stormers http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/waratahs-go-down-to-stormers/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/waratahs-go-down-to-stormers/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 12:00:56 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/waratahs-go-down-to-stormers/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
The Waratahs’ slim hopes of making the finals have been blown away by the Stormers in Cape Town.
In a less-than-clinical performance from both teams, the Stormers came away with a 19 points to 13 victory.

Kolisi had a great game for the Stormers

The Stormers completely dominated the first half, with two tries and 71 per cent possession in the opening 40 minutes.
Joe Pietersen scored their first try with a simple overlap coming from a lineout just outside the 22 and break from Gio Aplon.
The Tahs had almost no possession, and whenever they got their hands on the ball Berrick Barnes automatically kicked it away.
Some of the kicks were accurate and had a strong chase, particularly from Pakalani, but others were more of the same aimless, no-pressure up-and-unders that we’ve seen far too many of this season.
The Stormers kicked away their fair share of possession too, but looked much more dangerous when they ran the ball.
Tiaan Liebenberg dived over in the corner for the Stormers’ second try just moments after a second ball spilled out on the Tahs side of the breakdown.
It was definitely an unwelcome distraction as Brendan McKibbin and a few other Tahs defenders were under the pump from the relentless Stormers attack.
The Tahs defended well but by half time they had made almost three times more tackles than the Stormers, 67 to 24.
Despite going into the sheds down 13-6 the Tahs fired the first shots in the second half with Rob Horne scoring a try untouched.
His five-pointer came off a great break up the middle from Kane Douglas, and a phase or two later Gio Aplon rushed out of the line on Dave Dennis, creating enough space for Dennis to get around him and offload to Horne.
The Stormers immediately put the pressure back on, camping in the Waratahs 22 for 14 phases before Chris Alcock secured a very timely turnover.
McKibbin slotted a penalty not long after, which took the score to 13-16.
This was as close as the Tahs would get on the scoreboard, with Peter Grant kicking a penalty of his own three minutes later to give the Stormers a six-point buffer.
The Tahs came close to scoring a second try just minutes later but Sekope Kepu put down a pass from Pakalani five metres from the line.
Neither team put on much pressure or kept the ball in hand for long during the final quarter, with kicks raining down on both sides and not much in between.
As clichéd as it is, it was a game of two halves.
In the opening stanza, the Tahs looked completely rudderless and like they were waiting for the Stormers plays so they had something to react to.
The lack of possession didn’t help, but the kicking was obviously part of the game plan so once again it was the execution that was lacking.
In the second 40, there were periods of composure and patience, some good running lines and a couple of excellent kicks from Barnes.
The Tahs also made life at the breakdown much harder for the […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/waratahs-go-down-to-stormers/feed/ VIDEO: Michael Hooper versus The Canes http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-versus-the-canes/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-versus-the-canes/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 05:19:04 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-versus-the-canes/ Jack Norton wrote this article.
How good was Michael Hooper’s game against the Hurricanes last Friday? As a reminder we’ve put a little video together.
In this post last week, we talked about the stats behind the different games that the three top performing Aussie opensides are playing this year. The stats told us that Michael Hooper had the strongest running game of out them and his match on Friday perfectly illustrated it. He made 8 runs for 62 metres, being outrun only by hotshot winger Joe Tomane with 82 metres.
He had a cracker of a game; let’s hope his tackle on Victor Vito doesn’t force him out for a few weeks.
Click here to view the embedded video.

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-versus-the-canes/feed/ VIDEO: Michael Hooper vs The Canes http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-vs-the-canes/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-vs-the-canes/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 05:19:04 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-vs-the-canes/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
How good was Michael Hooper’s game against the Hurricanes last Friday? As a reminder we’ve put a little video together.
In this post last week, we talked about the stats behind the different games that the three top performing Aussie opensides are playing this year. The stats told us that Michael Hooper had the strongest running game of out them and his match on Friday perfectly illustrated it. He made 8 runs for 62 metres, only being outrun by hotshot winger Joe Tomane with 82 meters.
He had a cracker of a game, let’s hope his tackle on Victor Vito doesn’t force him out for a few weeks.
Click here to view the embedded video.

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/video-michael-hooper-vs-the-canes/feed/ Rugby: IRB ignores the little guys again http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugby-irb-ignores-the-little-guys-again/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugby-irb-ignores-the-little-guys-again/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugby-irb-ignores-the-little-guys-again/ admin wrote this article.
Rugby’s elite nations are celebrating their World Cup windfall just as the extent of the injustices being suffered by second tier countries is coming to light.The game’s richest nations have secured almost $20 million each in compensation…

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugby-irb-ignores-the-little-guys-again/feed/ Instant Review – Reds v. Lions http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions-2/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions-2/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 18:23:13 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions-2/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
This was a game many of the Reds faithful had marked out as one the team could probably do without them, but with the news that the prodigal son Quade,was back, they turned out.
As it happened
The Lions were staying true to form at the start of the match, running everything. The Reds had to do plenty of tackling. Eventually the gave a penalty away in a kickable position, and Elton Jantjies slotted it to take the Lions into the lead.
This continued and when the Lions kicked a midfield bomb, Kev had lined himself under the high ball. Just as the former Kenmore Bears AFC full-forward was about to take it, Quade’s enthusiasm got the better of him and he went for the speccy.
Quade was getting his confidence back, and though he didn’t jink, he did get around a defender. With the Lions on the back foot the Reds pressed on. They were nearly rewarded when Scott Higginbotham was prevented from crossing by the goal posts. They recycled the ball and Liam Gill crossed for the Reds’ first try. Mike Harris added the extras.
Gill earned another pilfer and with the quick ball Genia put up a box kick that nearly came off. The bounce was a bit hard to take for chasers Quade and Shipperley but it somehow ended up in Kev’s hands, though he was chased down before he could make the line. Shortly after the Lions gave away a penalty and Mike Harris added 3.
As the Reds’ possession stats grew, the Lions started to give away penalties. One 45 metres out was converted into 3 points by Mike Harris.
The Lions defended stolidly for the rest of the half and the Reds were unable to find a way through. Not even a late scrum could give them the same after the siren joy as last week, with the ball being held up over the line ending the half.
The Reds went to oranges leading 13–6 and still 3 tries short of their vital bonus point. Though the possession had righted itself (56% in the Reds’ favour compared to 29% at the 10 minute mark), if they keep their heads, the points will come.
The Reds took the field in the second half without Quade, but just kept on rolling. When Franco Van Der Merwe felt the need to have a crack from the side with his hands while the Reds were attacking hard on the line. While he spent 10 minutes freshening up, the Reds rumbled over for a try, Saia Faingaa coming up with it in his hands. Mike Harris added the extras.
Not long after, Ben Lucas left the field with a groin twinge, though we are told it is precautionary. This saw Chris F’Sautia come on. Validating all the people who have been talking him up, with he second touch he was on the end of a great break to score his first Super Rugby try. Mike Harris kept his 100% for the night intact by adding the extras.
Will Genia […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions-2/feed/ Instant Review – Reds v Lions http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 18:23:13 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
This was a game many of the Reds faithful had marked out as one the team could probably do without them, but with the news that the prodigal son, Quade, was back, they turned out.
As it happened
The Lions were staying true to form at the start of the match, running everything. The Reds had to do plenty of tackling. Eventually the gave a penalty away in a kickable position, and Elton Jantjies slotted it to take the Lions into the lead.
This continued and when the Lions kicked a midfield bomb, Kev had lined himself under the high ball, just as the former Kenmore Bears AFC Full Forward was about to take it, Quade’s enthusiasm got the better of him and he went for the speccy
Quade was getting his confidence back, and though he didn’t jink, he did get around a defender. With the Lions on the back foot the Reds pressed on. They were nearly rewarded when Scott Higginbotham was prevented from crossing by the goal posts. They recycled the ball and Liam Gill crossed for the Reds first try. Mike Harris added the extras.
Gill earned another pilfer, with the quick ball Genia put up a box kick that nearly came off. The bounce was a bit hard to take for chasers Quade and Shipperley but it somehow ended up in Kev’s hands though he was chased down before he could make the line. Shortly after the Lions gave away a penalty and Mike Harris added 3.
As the Reds possession stats grew, the Lions started to give away penalties. One 45 metres out was converted into 3 points by Mike Harris.
The Lions defended stolidly for the rest of the half and the Reds were unable to find a way through. Not even a late scrum could give them the same after the siren joy as last week, with the ball being held up over the line ending the half.
The Reds went to oranges leading 13 – 6 and still 3 tries short of their vital bonus point. Though the possession had righted itself (56% in the Reds favour compared to 29% at the 10 minute mark), if they keep their heads, the points will come.
The Reds took the field in the second half without Quade, but the Reds just kept on rolling. When Franco Van Der Merwe felt the need to have a crack from the side with his hands while the Reds were attacking hard on the line, while he spent 10 minutes freshening up, the Reds rumbled over for a try, Saia Faingaa coming up with it in his hands. Mike Harris added the extras.
Not long after, Ben Lucas left the field with a groin twinge, though we are told it is precautionary. This saw Chris F.Sautia come on. Validating all the people who have been talking him up, with he second touch he was on the end of a great break to score his first Super Rugby try. Mike Harris kept his 100% for the night intact […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/instant-review-%e2%80%93-reds-v-lions/feed/ Preview: Force v. Rebels http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-force-v-rebels/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-force-v-rebels/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 22:06:05 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-force-v-rebels/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
Sunday sees two two Aussie teams sitting in the bottom few at the bottom of the ladder. You’d think that both are having poor seasons and you’d be almost right, but looks are slightly deceiving in this case.
The Rebels look to be a team that might be heading in the right direction. They’ve had a couple of good performances in a row. Admittedly they lost to the Bulls, but they gave a great account of themselves. Against the Crusaders, on the other hand, they came up with possibly a franchise defining win. The Force, unfortunately, appear to be going in the opposite direction, coming off a pretty terrible result against the Sharks and with little to show for their trip to the Republic.
This game, then, will be an interesting test of the character and mettle of both sides. The questions will be numerous and mainly revolve around two things: can the Rebels keep the theme going and not mentally drift off after such a great win and can the Force raise themselves above the level of mediocre to snatch a win?
The Rebels play a pretty enterprising brand of footy and judging by the scores of the last couple of weeks, it’s pretty entertaining when they get going. Kurtley Beale, more through necessity than anything else, has been thrust into the position of chief playmaker rather than ghosting into the game from fullback. To his credit, though, he has really grasped the opportunity and handled the situation with considerable aplomb. The rest of the Rebels backs have similarly done a job, especially when you consider a couple of key players aren’t there at the moment or even for good in Cipriani’s case. This season has also seen the emergence of some exciting young forward talent, in the form of guys like Hugh Pyle. Their set pieces are still a bit of a worry, but there is clearly potential there and with the signing of Scott Higginbotham things look even brighter for the future.
The Force are looking the complete opposite this weekend, without a huge amount to look forward to, especially after being given a hiding last week. The forwards can be counted on to front up and scrap hard, as they do every week. They’ll attempt to disrupt the Rebels set piece and put pressure on at the breakdown. Nothing will change there. Cutting off the flow of quick ball will be pretty critical, as the sooner Beale gets the ball in his hands and going forward, the greater the damage he does. The Force will need to keep the ball out of their own half and use an astute kicking game, as the Rebels have pace out wide. They’ve selected Ben Seymour to run on at 10 and I think that’s a good idea. There’s nothing to be lost by seeing if he’s up to the job of starting in a playmaking position on a more full time basis.
For the Rebels, it will be all about transferring the ball from […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-force-v-rebels/feed/ Brumbies leave windy Wellington with a win http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win-2/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win-2/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 17:56:37 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win-2/ TBH wrote this article.
The Brumbies have produced a stunning second half to overcome the Hurricanes in Wellington to secure their first win in the windy city since 2003.
The Brumbies started the match the better of the sides as they used a simple but effective one out ruck option that paid dividends when Fotu Auelua dived over from close range.
However, the old mistake of poor kicking that has plagued the side this season reared its head again with some less than effective kicking putting themselves under pressure and allowed the home side to get back into the game.
Tries to TJ Perenara and Victor Vito saw the hosts head to the sheds with a slight lead and with Perenara’s second of the night just after the resumption of play and another five pointer to Toomaga-Allen, the Hurricanes could have run away with the match.
The boot of Zack Holmes kept the Brumbies in touch and just as they did against the Bulls in Pretoria, the Brumbies showed they can rack up the tries with three second half tries in a fifteen minute period.
Sam Carter got the ball rolling when he finished up on the end of a line break started by his lock partner Scott Fardy to bring the lead back to two points.
Their next try had a stroke of luck after a Hurricanes scrum inside their own 22m area went awry and after the Brumbies recovered the ball, flanker Michael Hooper dived over to put the Brumbies in front.
The night was topped off by new flyhalf Holmes who scored his own try to contribute a personal tally of 22 points in the victory. His goalkicking proved the difference in the end and had been the subject of much debate during the week over his starting role. He led the team well and will have answered the question marks over his ability to fill the boots of injured flyhalf Christian Lealiifano.
The Brumbies escaped from the game relatively unscathed, with head knocks to Auelua and Hooper the only injuries of note. The biggest story to come out of the game will the termination of Ian Prior’s modelling career after suffering a nasty facial wound.
The bonus point win sees the Brumbies remain top of the Australian conference and sets up a mouth watering clash with the Queensland Reds in Canberra next Saturday that will surely determine who represents Australia in the finals but they will need to work on a few things at training this week if they to ensure it is them who fills that place.
Brumbies 37 – Auelua, Carter, Hooper, Holmes tries; Holmes 4 cons, 3 pens def Hurricanes, Hurricanes 25 – Perenara 2, Vito, Toomaga-Allen tries; Taylor con, pen.

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win-2/feed/ Brumbies leave windy Wellington with a win. http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 17:56:37 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
The Brumbies have produced a stunning second half to overcome the Hurricanes in Wellington to secure their first win in the windy city since 2003.
The Brumbies started the match the better of the sides as they used a simple but effective one out ruck option that paid dividends when Fotu Auelua dived over from close range.
However, the old mistake of poor kicking that has plagued the side this season reared it’s head again with some less than effective kicking putting themselves under pressure and allowed the home side to get back into the game.
Tries to TJ Perenara and Victor Vito saw the hosts head to the sheds with a slight lead and with Perenara’s second of the night just after the resumption of play and another five pointer to Toomaga-Allen, the Hurricanes could have run away with the match.
The boot of Zack Holmes kept the Brumbies in touch and just as they did against the Bulls in Pretoria, the Brumbies showed they can rack up the tries with three second half tries in a fifteen minute period.
Sam Carter got the ball rolling when he finished up on the end of a line break started by his lock partner Scott Fardy to bring the lead back to two points.
Their next try had a stroke of luck after a Hurricanes scrum inside their own 22m area went awry and after the Brumbies recovered the ball, flanker Michael Hooper dived over to put the Brumbies in front.
The night was topped off by new flyhalf Holmes who scored his own try to contribute a personal tally of 22 points in the victory. His goalkicking proved the difference in the end and had been the subject of much debate during the week over his starting role. He led the team well and will have answered the question marks over his ability to fill the boots of injured flyhalf Christian Lealiifano.
The Brumbies escaped from the game relatively unscathed, with head knocks to Auelua and Hooper the only injuries of note. The biggest story to come out of the game will the termination of Ian Prior’s modelling career after suffering a nasty facial wound.
The bonus point win sees the Brumbies remain top of the Australian conference and sets up a mouth watering clash with the Queensland Reds in Canberra next Saturday that will surely determine who represents Australia in the finals but they will need to work on a few things at training this week if they to ensure it is them who fills that place.
Brumbies 37 – Auelua, Carter, Hooper, Holmes tries; Holmes 4 cons, 3 pens def Hurricanes, Hurricanes 25 – Perenara 2, Vito, Toomaga-Allen tries; Taylor con, pen.

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/brumbies-leave-windy-wellington-with-a-win/feed/ Rugby’s centurions continue to stand tall http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugbys-centurions-continue-to-stand-tall/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugbys-centurions-continue-to-stand-tall/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugbys-centurions-continue-to-stand-tall/ Planet Rugby | Rugby Union News wrote this article.
Martyn Williams is poised to become the 21st player to play 100 Tests for his country next month, but who will be the next to join the club?

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/rugbys-centurions-continue-to-stand-tall/feed/ WINNER: #3rdTier – Sanga, Drink and Rugby Competition http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/winner-3rdtier-%e2%80%93-sanga-drink-and-rugby-competition/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/winner-3rdtier-%e2%80%93-sanga-drink-and-rugby-competition/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 10:20:07 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/winner-3rdtier-%e2%80%93-sanga-drink-and-rugby-competition/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
Last week we announced a competition around our #3rdtier drive to get people out to watch some real rugby. Today I get to announce the winner. Congratulations to Gillian Maddigan (@gmaddigan) on Twitter. Not only did she get a great day out with sunshine, good food & drink and a good game of club rugby, she also gets the Beau Robinson signed apron to use as she sees fit.

Ticked all the boxes, Tucker, a drink and some #3rdtier rugby.

We will get your prize out to you…
Excitingly, we have also managed to organise a new and bigger prize as our #3rdtier campaign gathers steam. This is only going to get bigger and better, like the #3rdtier itself, so if you have any suggestions for our next comp let us know in the comment below.
If we come, they will build it!

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/winner-3rdtier-%e2%80%93-sanga-drink-and-rugby-competition/feed/ Preview: Brumbies v. Hurricanes http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-brumbies-v-hurricanes/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-brumbies-v-hurricanes/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 19:34:44 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-brumbies-v-hurricanes/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
The Brumbies have faced many tests in 2012 but their match against the Hurricanes in Wellington must be the toughest of the season so far. With the cruel injury that struck down in form flyhalf Christian Lealiifano in the final play of the Waratahs match, the call went out for a replacement flyhalf. There was talk that local hero and current backs coach Stephen Larkham could fill the void, but I suspect that was one giant smokescreen from coach Jake White to take the pressure of the two remaining candidates for the position – Robbie Coleman and Zack Holmes.
That question has been answered this week and Zack Holmes will take the reigns ahead of Robbie Coleman. To most, this could be another ‘who’s that?’ player but Holmes has plied his trade for Norths in the Shute Shield and has also been a member of the Australian 7′s team.
The Brumbies are coming off the bye and have had extra time to work on getting Holmes involved although he’s been learning the plays during pre-season training and even ran at 10 in some of the pre-season trial matches so isn’t totally foreign to the position. The other change in the halves sees Ian Prior get the nod over Nic White which seems to be part of Jake White’s rotation policy, possibly with an eye on next weeks game. The rest of the team is unchanged from the Waratahs match with White pretty much settled on his best XV.
The Hurricanes sprung somewhat of a surprise last week when they knocked off the Highlanders undercover in Dunedin so they will be full of confidence and find themselves on the edge of a finals position.
Both sides have found themselves in similar situations in 2012 after cleanouts of the playing roster leading to most expecting lean seasons. But they have proven that with a bit of self belief and confidence, they can match it and will be in with a shout come finals time.
Teams
Brumbies: 15. Jesse Mogg, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Andrew Smith, 12. Pat McCabe, 11. Joe Tomane, 10. Zack Holmes, 9. Ian Prior, 8. Fotu Auelua, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Ben Mowen (c), 5. Sam Carter, 4. Scott Fardy, 3. Dan Palmer, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander. Res: 16. Anthony Hegarty, 17. Ruaidhri Murphy, 18. Peter Kimlin, 19. Ita Vaea, 20. Nic White, 21. Robbie Coleman, 22. Tevita Kuridrani.
Hurricanes: 15. Andre Taylor, 14. Cory Jane, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Tim Bateman, 11. Julian Savea, 10. Tusi Pisi, 9. TJ Perenara, 8. Victor Vito, 7. Karl Lowe, 6. Brad Shields, 5. Jason Eaton 4. Jeremy Thrush, 3. Ben May, 2. Dane Coles, 1. Reggie Goodes. Res: 16. Motu Matu’u, 17. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18. James Broadhurst, 19. Jack Lam, 20. Chris Eaton, 21. Beauden Barrett, 22. Jayden Hayward.
Details
The game will kick off at 5:35pm on Friday at the Cake Tun in Wellington and can be seen on Fox Sports 3. The referee will be the better of the 2 Lawrence’s, with Mark taking the Whistle […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-brumbies-v-hurricanes/feed/ Preview: Reds v Lions – Will Quade’s Knee Pull Up Taute? http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-reds-v-lions-%e2%80%93-will-quade%e2%80%99s-knee-pull-up-taute/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-reds-v-lions-%e2%80%93-will-quade%e2%80%99s-knee-pull-up-taute/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 19:12:48 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-reds-v-lions-%e2%80%93-will-quade%e2%80%99s-knee-pull-up-taute/ Brumby Jack wrote this article.
Quade Cooper is starting at 10. Bang.
That is about how long it took to turn this Saturday’s (admittedly must win) encounter against the Lions into a big deal. If you are interested, here is the presser where his return is announced:
Click here to view the embedded video.

With that announcement, both the Lions match become one worth getting to and the news of Higgers departing was, not buried, but not really talked about. There has been much said about the Reds woes at 10 so it is good to hear that they are getting him back. The Biggest thing he will bring to the team is organisation. Sure, he may jink a little, throw a pass that isn’t on but sticks, Cut out three players with a 40 metre pin point pass to Digby, cross field kick to… Well, maybe he won’t actually do any of that. In fact I think the coaching staff will be hoping mainly for a god 40-60 minutes of solid rugby with no pain afterwards.
One thing that wont have taken a rest and will still be as sharp as ever, Quade’s Footy Brain, I know, stick with me… All the time Quade has spent off the field, watching from the sidelines or running the water, he has been watching. To him there are countless opportunities going to waste. Clear as day to him. This time he will be out there to put the ball at the right runner at the right time. And the players outside him will know that so watch the support runners running with intent, looking like it’s them the ball is going to. But, enough of the man love…
Believe it or not, there will be 29 others on the field (plus the Ref, but I do hope this is the last time he gets a mention). From the team that took the Chiefs apart last week, the only change in the backs sees Ben Lucas drop back to the full back made vacant by Luke Morahan moving to the bench.
Up front two thirds of the front row change, James slipper now joined by Saia Faingaa and Greg Holmes in a clean swap to the bench with James Hanson and Ben Daley. Rotation? Chibba could sure do with the rest.
On the bench we see the first 4:3 split from Ewen, obviously a nod to the fact that QC isn’t expected to see the match out with his first run. This give exciting young prospect Chris F’Sautia the opportunity to (hopefully) debut. Given the talk about this young fellow, I for one am excited to see what he has got toward the end of the match.
The Lions have named an unchanged team to the one that lost to the Blues last week. Quite frankly, any team that lets the disappointing Blues beat them are either the Bulls or just not that good. I do certainly think it is more the latter. Short of the most awesomely named centre in world rugby, Jaco Taute, and […]

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]]> http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/preview-reds-v-lions-%e2%80%93-will-quade%e2%80%99s-knee-pull-up-taute/feed/ The Boyos Down Under http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/the-boyos-down-under/ http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/the-boyos-down-under/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 18:56:43 +0000 http://www.the-rugby-world-cup.com/the-boyos-down-under/ Lee Coan wrote this article.
The locals at The Hen and Chickens in Abergavenny will have confidence that their boyos will perform good deeds Down Under when the Welsh arrive for the June Test Series.

Sam the Man

And why wouldn’t they? The last few times they’ve played the Wallabies, in the RWC quarter-final (21-18) and in the December 2011 Test (24-18), they’ve been a clear and present danger.
This mixture of hardened test players and young Taff talent stepped-up to take the Six Nations title earlier this year.
The WRU named the 38 man touring side this week and, apart from a few notable omissions due to unavailability and injury, this is a formidable unit.
The trouble with a lot of Welsh teams of the past is that they always perform better at home than they do on tour. I’m not sure that you could include this group in that category.
They have talent in some depth and are going to provide the Wallabies with a stern test, at least three of them anyway. The First Test is in Brisbane on 9 June.
Fullback Lee Byrne is missing due to his French club (Clermont Auvergne) Top 14 Final’s commitment but is on standby if needed later in the tour.
Unavailable due to injury are Cardiff Blues centre Jamie Roberts and Neath Swansea Ospreys hooker Huw Bennett.
Ian Evans and Alun Wyn Jones will both miss the First Test due to marriage and wedding (sister) commitments respectively.
The WRU has received permission from the French Rugby Union that allows Bayonne scrum-half Mike Phillips and utility back James Hook, who plays for Perpignan, a release to tour.
The 21 May (squad assembly) date falls outside the formal IRB date of release for players involved in international duty.
Openside Sam Warburton will continue as captain after leading the Welsh to Grand Slam victory in the Six Nations. He has just returned from a nerve related shoulder injury.
The twelve Ospreys contingent in the squad will join a week after the team officially meets up on 21 May as they play Leinster in the Rabodirect Pro 12 Final on 27 May.

Caretaker Coach Rob Howley has opted for four uncapped players, with Scarlet Liam Williams, his regional team-mate, prop, Rhodri Jones, Ospreys centre Ashley Beck and Blues wing Harry Robinson (promoted from the Wales U20 squad) all winning call-ups.
The likes of centre Andrew Bishop, Scarlets flanker Josh Turnbull and Dragons wings Aled Brew and Will Harries join Dan Biggar in winning recalls, while Blues flanker Martyn Williams was officially named in the squad as he prepares to win his 100th cap.
On Saturday, June 2, the Welsh play hosts to the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium. Seven days later, they face Australia in Brisbane.

The end result will be the creation of two completely different teams as realistically, there was no way the same group of players could start both matches.
Instead, the starting XV for the First Wallaby Test will head to Australia on 31 May, two days prior to the Baa-Baas game.
This is how the likely two squad’s are looking:

In the main, the team that beat France at the Millennium Stadium on 17 March will be the one that takes […]

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