Time to Get Healthy and Wealthy

Zander Fagerson becomes the second Scotland player to pull out of the British and Irish Lions side to face Japan at Murrayfield on Saturday. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57595699 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-v-japan-zander-fagerson-replaced-by-tadhg-furlong/

Wales flanker Justin Tipuric comes into the British and Irish Lions side to play Japan on Saturday after Scotland's Hamish Watson is ruled out by a training-ground concussion. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57582450 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-v-japan-justin-tipuric-replaces-hamish-watson-in-line-up/

Wallabies halfback Nic White is out of next month’s Test series against France, while fellow veterans Matt Toomua and James O’Connor are also battling injuries, potentially robbing the side of almost 150 Test caps. White has returned home to Canberra after suffering a MCL injury at training during their Gold Coast camp, and Toomua is already there with his injury being checked by Rugby Australia’s chief medical officer, Warren McDonald. Toomua is expected to rejoin the squad on Sunday with the Wallabies hopeful the playmaker will be available for the first Test on July 7. O’Connor, who has carried the injury from Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, is being managed through training but the five-eighth is expected to play. With White out, Queensland’s Tate McDermott is now set for his first Test start after two matches off the bench, while Brumbies No.9 Ryan Lonergan is likely to make his debut. Waratahs halfback Jake Gordon is in camp but is also recovering from a MCL injury and remains an ...

The British and Irish Lions will have eight debutants in their team to face Japan on Saturday. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57567198 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-eight-debutants-to-face-japan/

Any enigma about the physical preparation and the evolution of the Springboks’ game will be revealed when they face the British and Irish Lions. Given the Springboks have not participated in any competitions since the end of 2019, and with most of their key players playing abroad, it is difficult to analyze the medium-term prospects that would deposit them at the gates of the Rugby Championship 2021. In principle, one of the keys to dismantling the South African defensive game lies in avoiding or controlling the rapid pressure they exert through no’s. 6-8 and no. 9: fast and direct through the shortest channel until crashing into the opponent’s attack. Physicality on the occasion of contact is the central axis of the South African strategy, with almost 98 per cent effectiveness in ruck and 85 per cent in positive tackles. At the last Rugby World Cup in 2019, the Springboks left their qualifying group behind by playing good rugby but mostly focused on the potential to score points....

Tom Youngs accepts a charge of disrespecting a match official during Leicester's game with Bristol in June. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57554547 https://therugbystore.com.au/tom-youngs-leicester-hooker-accepts-two-week-ban-for-disrespecting-match-official/

What used to be one of the most anticipated moments of my life has now evolved into a modicum of enthusiasm. It may be because I am now a New Zealander living in Australia where the media attention for rugby is so much less than NZ, but I feel that the naming of the All Blacks squad is less of a big deal than previously. And no, I have not become an AFL fan, I have tried hard to like it and know enough to fake a conversation, but still do not get the enthusiasm for it. I remember the heated debates with mates and fellow workers as to who would make the team and there was always a “Pick the All Blacks” competition running somewhere. If the team named by the public could ever take the field who knows what the result would be. I would say that several Kiwis could pick a better team than what Ian Foster and co have just done. I believe I never ever managed to select the whole squad as named by selectors but did come close. There was always a bolter in there. Bolters usually do not wo...

The inaugural Super Rugby Trans-Tasman season is done and dusted, so we’re counting down the days until the international fixtures kick off in this week’s edition of Coach’s Corner. Every Friday, our rugby analyst here on The Roar , Nick Bishop, answers your questions about the goings-on across the rugby world Miss the latest issue of Coach’s Corner? Catch up right here! With the first Test against France now just a fortnight away, all eyes turn to the Wallabies as they prepare to try and stun France at the SCG. The European powerhouse won’t be at full strength, thanks to results in the Top 14; Toulouse’s semi-final win meaning stars Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, among others, won’t make it through Australia’s overseas quarantine in time for the first Test at least. Do the Aussies have a chance of getting the jump on Les Bleus? Or will their All Blacks-esque squad depth hold the visitors in good stead? In other Wallabies news, captain Michael Hooper has issued a warning that ...

Manu Tuilagi is included in Eddie Jones' updated 36-player England squad for their summer Tests against the USA and Canada. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57547865 https://therugbystore.com.au/manu-tuilagi-england-coach-eddie-jones-adds-sale-centre-to-squad-for-july-tests/

This article is in response to the recent article by Brett McKay highlighting calls by various coaches and personalities to bring back the NRC. Apart from the obvious fact Rugby Australia doesn’t have the money to reprise the NRC – or ARC, for that matter – I’ve always disputed its legitimacy on the grounds it duplicated unnecessary resources. Southern hemisphere rugby, including Australian rugby, took a wrong turn back in 1995. Everything they’ve done since has created extra expenses, required extra funds, which in turn meant seeking out extra, impractical revenue streams that were unnecessary. How for example, is it a victory for South African Super Rugby teams to move offshore to Europe, to be soon followed presumedly by the Springboks? Back in 1995 the southern hemisphere had a structural set-up that was close to perfect. What it required was fleshing out and building upon the solid footings and foundations already long established, not displacing them, as occurred when the gam...

Harlequins stage a thrilling fightback from 28-0 down to beat Bristol after extra time and reach the Premiership final. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57484199 https://therugbystore.com.au/premiership-semi-final-bristol-bears-36-43-harlequins-aet-quins-reach-twickenham-after-stunning-fightback/

Former British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton backs Warren Gatland to cement his legacy in South Africa. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57505885 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-2021-sam-warburton-backs-warren-gatland-to-make-history/

It’s the question that just won’t go away: should Australian rugby’s overseas contingent be eligible to play for the Wallabies? The argument fired up again this week with the announcement of the first Test squad for 2021. Feelings run hot on both sides. Those championing head coach Dave Rennie’s ‘local only’ approach fear a stampede for the exit if eligibility restrictions end. On the other hand, after a run of less-than-stellar results over the past couple of decades, others believe the Wallabies simply can’t afford to exclude our overseas elite – particularly with players increasingly making the move abroad in their peak years. Imagine what Rory Arnold, Tolu Latu and Sean McMahon would bring to the Wallabies, they argue. South Africa picked players from wherever and won a World Cup. Why can’t that be us? Making a choice: Then and now 30 years ago, Wallabies fans lived in fear of the next headline announcing that this rugby star or that emerging talent had signed to play league. ...

The Super Rugby trans-Tasman Final is upon us, and it’s a battle of the extremities, with the blue team from the top of the North Island against the blue team from the bottom of the South Island. North versus South. A real Yankee doodle dandy. I looked back at everyone’s prediction for the Finals a few weeks ago, and none of us picked the Blues and Highlanders getting through to the last weekend of Super Rugby. But neither did you guys! I scanned through all the comments, and I couldn’t see any Blues-Highlanders predictions there either. So at least we’re all in good company; none of us seem to know what we’re talking about. For the Final, we’ll offering up a tip and Sure Thing as usual, along with a winning margin and a first try-scorer. Feel free to throw in your suggestions down below. But the big question this week is whether Harry and Dan fall to opposite sides of this contest? Will we finish with an overall winner, or another tepid draw like last year? ...

Exeter boss Rob Baxter criticises the "frightening inconsistency" of how dangerous tackles are being interpreted after Sam Skinner and Dave Ewers are banned. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57494652 https://therugbystore.com.au/dave-ewers-and-sam-skinner-exeter-chiefs-forwards-banned-for-play-offs/

Australian supporters can sit back, relax and take a breath. The pain is over. When all is said and done, two teams from New Zealand – the Blues and Highlanders – will be contesting the first-ever Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final. The Kiwi sides have dominated the tournament, winning 23 out of 25 matches, and they have offered the Super Rugby AU competition a very dry dose of perspective in the process. They have held sway in most of the critical areas in the modern game: at the transitional phases in attack and counter-attack, and through their ability to cut corners in all of the contact situations. It has been an education. The coaching staffs at the other four Australian franchises might want to pause for a moment, and wonder just why it is that the Western Force have enjoyed the most consistent record against New Zealand opposition over the course of the five matches. Although the Force didn’t win a game, they did at least manage to participate fully in some tight contests, conc...

South Africa's four Super Rugby teams will join the Pro14, with the league renamed the United Rugby Championship. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57475511 https://therugbystore.com.au/pro14-becomes-united-rugby-championship-as-south-africa-sides-join-tournament/

It didn’t get much traction on the east coast, but comments from Western Force coach Tim Sampson in a Nick Taylor article in The West Australian last week added yet more weight to a growing sentiment in Australian rugby. “We had seen enough of Ollie over the last year or so to back him, but without a second-tier competition there is an element of risk for some players jumping from club rugby to Super Rugby with nothing in between,” Sampson said of young backrower Ollie Callan, who earned his first starts for the Force in the final games of Super Rugby trans-Tasman. “Certainly, there is a bit of the unknown and it’s a huge step for some players who might be thrown into the deep end when they might not be quite ready. “Without a two-tier competition there is a gaping hole. It is an extremely important stage in a player’s development,” Sampson said. It’s a pretty obvious statement based on plenty of evidence just this year alone. Callan has made a pretty good fist of Super Rugby so f...

Influential Exeter flanker Dave Ewers could miss the play-offs after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Sale full-back Simon Hammersley. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57470278 https://therugbystore.com.au/dave-ewers-exeter-flanker-cited-for-dangerous-tackle-after-sale-yellow-card/

Saracens take a huge step towards returning to the Premiership by thrashing Ealing 60-0 in the first leg of the Championship play-off final. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57443588 https://therugbystore.com.au/championship-play-off-final-ealing-trailfinders-0-60-saracens-ruthless-sarries-close-in-on-premiership-return/

And then there were two – and perhaps not the two we all expected. The final round of the trans-Tasman competition has been and gone, and the suffering of Aussie fans can finally stop – well until the Bledisloe at least. The results this weekend might have been expected – another clean sweep for the Kiwi sides – but there’s plenty to talk about, so let’s get stuck in. Brad Thorn will be ropeable You wouldn’t want to be around Brad Thorn much this weekend after Friday night’s game. Take your pick of reasons why. My best guess is that while he might want to rip the referee a new one for the two yellow card decisions – more on them later – it’ll be his own players that he’s most frustrated by. Forty-eight missed tackles – 48! Just think this through for a second – the Hurricanes had only 41 per cent of the possession. The ball is in play for roughly 35 minutes out of the game. The Canes therefore had the ball in hand for 15 minutes in the whole game. In those 15 minutes the Reds misse...

Fourteen-man Exeter produce a superb comeback to beat Sale and secure a home semi-final against the Sharks next Saturday. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57439127 https://therugbystore.com.au/premiership-exeter-chiefs-20-19-sale-sharks-14-man-chiefs-fight-back-to-seal-home-semi-final/

The NSW Waratahs have endured a winless Super Rugby season for the first time after falling 35-7 to the Chiefs in Sydney. Winger Sean Wainui bagged four tries as the Chiefs consigned the Waratahs to an unprecedented winless campaign with a record-extending 13th straight defeat on Saturday night. A dislocated shoulder to classy centre Izaia Perese only compounded the Tahs’ woes and provided a selection headache for Wallabies coach Dave Rennie in the process. Far and away the Waratahs’ best performer this year, Perese would almost certainly have been named in Rennie’s squad on Sunday for the looming three-Test series with France. But the powerhouse midfielder came off a sorry second-best after a late first-half tackle on Chiefs opposite number Alex Nankivell. “It (the tackle) didn’t have to be made,” former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said during commentary on Stan. “We saw it previously in some of the clips – Izzy Perese going in making tackles he doesn’t need to. “And if you ...

Leinster bring down the curtain on their season with an easy win over Dragons in front of 1,200 returning fans at the RDS. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57415681 https://therugbystore.com.au/leinster-38-7-dragons-fans-return-as-leinster-end-season-with-comfortable-win/

The Brumbies have failed to take a second Kiwi scalp, disappointingly falling to the Highlanders in their Friday night Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash in Canberra. The Australian heavyweights were hopeful of backing up last week’s win over the high-flying Hurricanes, but were outplayed 33-12. The bonus point win sent the men from Dunedin to the top of the ladder, with the two leading teams at the end of the round playing off in the final next Saturday. All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith orchestrated the victory with a try in each half while he also set up another for winger Sio Tomkinson and was delighted to finish the regular season without a loss. “I’m over the moon, a little bit shocked,” Smith told Stan Sport. “In that last six minutes we did everything to give the game away and I’m really proud of the boys to hang in there. “We’ve given it our best shot to make the final – we’ve won five in a row and I’m absolutely pumped.” (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images) The Brumbies we...