Israel Folau's rugby career could be over
By Michael Cowley and Brad Walte @ smh BY 9.20pm tonight, the rugby league career of Israel Folau could be over.Unless the planets somehow align and miraculously save Brisbane from missing the finals for the first time since 1991, Folau will play his 91st and last NRL match – for at least four years – at Suncorp Stadium against the in-form Canberra Raiders.After ruling out a stint in French rugby union and abandoning plans to represent Tonga in the Pacific Cup, the 21-year-old's new life in the...
NZ have the Haka, let's find our Aussie boys a traditional ritual
Does the "Haka" boost the confidence of NZ's All Blacks rugby squad & terrify any opponent who dares stand in the way?Or do they just look like a bunch of pansies putting on a show trying to look tougher than they really are?It is not as if it's sacred for traditional Maori's only, there are some light skin brothers mixed in throughout All Blacks team and nowadays the only reason anybody knows and remembers the Haka is thanks to the two respective Rugby codes of league and union.I'd like to...
Springboks the last hurdle for All-Blacks
The Tri Nations resumes on Saturday and there's a lot at stake when the Springboks host the All Blacks. History will be made when the Springboks face the All Blacks in an epic Tri-Nations encounter at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday at 17:00. It will be the arch-rivals’ first meeting at the iconic stadium, which hosted the FIFA World Cup final last month, in front of potentially the largest crowd for a home Springbok Test in 55 years since an estimated 95 000 people attended the South Africa-...
Springboks tour key to keeping Cooper in Rugby
By AFP from abc.net.au Quade Cooper's time with the Australian team in South Africa over the next few weeks will help the playmaker decide to stay in rugby union, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said. The in-demand Wallaby fly-half is in the midst of delicate contract negotiations with the Australian Rugby Union, which is trying to head off huge bids to coax him into the NRL. Cooper, 22, is not expected to make a decision on his playing career before flying out with the Wallabies for South Africa...
Wallabies name Turner for Springboks tour
From abc.net.au Wallabies coach Robbie Dean called in outside backs Lachie Turner, Nick Cummins and Pat McCabe as he finalised his squad for the two-Test tour of South Africa. The Australian side will take a full complement of 28 players but injured trio Peter Hynes, Cameron Shepherd and Michael Hodgson will not be among them. Winger Hynes is considered too big a risk as he continues his recovery from a long-term knee injury, while winger Shepherd and flanker Hodgson have groin injuries. "It's...
Springboks make mass changes to squad
By David Legge in Johannesburg from foxsports.com.au South Africa sprang a surprise by naming lock Flip van der Merwe among seven changes for the Tri Nations championship clash against New Zealand at Soccer City. While injuries, suspensions and form meant the forward was assured of a place in the match squad, provincial team-mate Danie Rossouw was expected to wear the No. 4 jersey. However, the Springboks opted to give the 25-year-old from the north-west university town of Potchefstroom his...
Eels legend says no to Cooper switch
By AAP from abc.net.au Parramatta co-captain Nathan Hindmarsh does not want Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper at the Eels. Despite claiming he still has unfinished business in rugby union - most notably next year's World Cup in New Zealand - Cooper continues to be linked to a big-money cross-code switch to the Eels in 2011. Hindmarsh says he is unaware of any negotiations between Cooper and Parramatta but, regardless, the veteran back rower made it clear he could do without the classy fly half...
Wallaby star not switching to NRL
By Reuters from abc.net.au Australia Rugby Union boss John O'Neill has scoffed at reports Quade Cooper may be set for a code switch, after the Wallabies fly half met with the Parramatta Eels last week amid tortuous contract negotiations. An official from the NRL club confirmed local media reports that Cooper and his manager had met to discuss the player's future, but O'Neill said the timing was suspicious given their ongoing negotiations with the ARU. "We woke up this morning to read the news...
All Black period coming to an end for Wallabies
The Wallabies have just lost their past nine matches against the All Blacks. They have failed to win the Bledisloe Cup for the past eight years and are yet again facing the prospect of finishing in last position on the Tri Nations ladder for the second year running. The present time suggests that this is a pretty bleak period for Australian Rugby, but make no mistake, last night’s valiant showing by the Wallabies in Christchurch proves the dawn is fast approaching. Sure, the result ended up...
Test of character awaits Wallabies
By John Eales from smh.com.au Imagine facing a 1980s four- pronged West Indian pace attack on a WACA greentop. Or bowling to an enraged Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge on a flat track with short boundaries. That's what Saturday night resembled at Etihad Stadium for the Wallabies as they were completely outclassed and out-muscled by a rampant All Black outfit by 49 points to 28. It was brutality at its most beautiful if you supported the All Blacks. You know it's been a bad night when you...
