Highlanders vs Western Force: Super Rugby live scores, blog

http://ift.tt/1qlPJj7

The opener of Super Rugby Round 6 sees the Highlanders host the Western Force from under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. Join The Roar for all the action from 5:35pm (AEDT). The Highlanders want to further cement their standing as one of the form teams of 2016, after an impressive start to […]

2016 Super Rugby: Full teams for Round 6

http://ift.tt/1pPyxC0

We’ve got all the info – teams, times, refs, venues – for Round 6 of the Super Rugby. Highlanders v Force Dunedin, 5.35pm Friday AEDT Highlanders (15-1): Ben Smith (co-captain), Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa, Rob Thompson, Patrick Osborne, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith, Liam Squire, Dan Pryor, Elliot Dixon, Tom Franklin, Alex Ainley, Siosiua Halanukonuka, Liam […]

Waratahs’ Beale injury fears eased, but he’ll still miss this weekend

http://ift.tt/1RQhyfO

Fears that Wallabies and NSW Waratahs star Kurtley Beale could be sidelined for up to six weeks have been allayed by an encouraging update on his elbow injury. Beale has been ruled of Sunday’s Super Rugby derby with the Melbourne Rebels at Allianz Stadium but coach Daryl Gibson is hopeful the star back will return […]

Friday Funnies: Abbott’s hardline surfing policy

http://ift.tt/1Sq0V4Q

You’re 17 years old. You’re surfing at Noosa Heads. It’s Easter. The last thing on your mind is politics. And then some dude drops in on your wave, the cardinal sin of surfing. He’s wet-suited like a seal, also marginal behaviour in these balmy Autumn waters. It’s your former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. The former […]

CRUNCHING DEFECTION: Ray Warren announces shock code switch to rugby union

http://ift.tt/1RNYmZE

Legendary commentator Ray Warren will make a surprise switch to rugby union commentary, with the voice of Nine’s NRL coverage to call Wallabies and Super Rugby matches in 2017. ‘Rabbits’ has been behind the microphone for Channel Nine for almost three decades, having also spent many years at Network Ten calling rugby league, and has […]

Five tricky teasers for Super Rugby Round 6

http://ift.tt/1TlnGMd

Round 6 could be something of a moving week in Super Rugby, with all but one game pitting teams in close table proximity against each other. The eighth-placed Lions host seventh-placed Crusaders. The Blues in 13th host the 12th-placed Jaguares. The third-placed Brumbies host the competition-leading Chiefs. The two cellar-dwellers meet in Port Elizabeth, and […]

Does size really matter in the NRL?

http://ift.tt/1RNAPrS

Cutting the interchange down to eight a match from ten was meant to increase fatigue, and through that increase scoring. It follows that as fatigue grows throughout the games then so would the scoring, especially for the younger, lighter teams and against the older, heavier sides. I have painstakingly put together each teams’ scoring and […]

Back-room drama has ‘galvanised’ Brumbies

http://ift.tt/22SdP6y The ongoing management saga at the Brumbies has only brought the players closer together ahead of what co-captain Stephen Moore has labelled their biggest test of the Super Rugby season. The Canberra-based club returned home late on Monday after three weeks on the road in Perth and South Africa. They managed to miss most of […]

Super Rugby Round 6 preview panel

http://ift.tt/1MCNOkg Preview of Super Rugby Round 6 matches (times AEDT except Sunday games Bulls-Cheetahs, Waratahs-Rebels which are AEST): FRIDAY, April 1 Highlanders v Force at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin 5.35pm Head to Head: Played 9 Highlanders 3 Force 6 In Dunedin: Played 3 Highlanders 1 Force 2 Last clash: Round 15 2015 – Highlanders 23 bt […]

I imploded under Origin pressure: Josh Reynolds

http://ift.tt/1RL6jlt Canterbury five-eighth Josh Reynolds admits he imploded under the pressure of trying to retain his NSW State of Origin jumper last season. Reynolds was dropped by Blues coach Laurie Daley for their 2015 title defence after a series of brain explosions, which saw him suspended six times in 12 months, and his NRL form dropped […]

Sonny Bill back for Hong Kong sevens

http://ift.tt/1RL6j5b

Sonny Bill Williams has been named to make his return from injury in a 14-strong All Blacks Sevens squad for the Hong Kong and Singapore world series tournaments. Coach Gordon Tietjens says Williams has recovered from the minor knee injury which kept him out of the Vancouver tournament earlier this month. Also back from injury […]

Francis to add voice to Blues’ backline

http://ift.tt/1SzBPTC England-born Piers Francis will make his Super Rugby debut against the Jaguares as the Blues seek to improve their backline communication. The Counties Manukau five-eighth will wear the No.12 jersey, outside Ihaia West, against the Argentines on Auckland’s North Shore on Saturday night. His inclusion is one of four changes that coach Tana Umaga has […]

Club rugby record to fall at Barcelona’s Camp Nou

http://ift.tt/1SzBMr1 Wallabies stars Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell are on track to play before a club rugby world record crowd when France’s Top 14 final is contested at Barcelona’s Camp Nou. The final is usually held in the Stade de France in Paris but has been switched to Barcelona FC’s 98,000-capacity venue this year as the […]

Depth helping keep Highlanders fresh

http://ift.tt/1SzBJLP Co-captain Shane Christie says back-to-back Super Rugby wins in Australia have proven the Highlanders’ adaptability. The defending champions were rewarded with two days off following their 27-3 win over the Rebels in Melbourne last weekend, and Christie says they’re refreshed, fit and firing for Friday’s match against the Force in Dunedin. Christie said the wins […]

What the beIN Sports deal with Foxtel means for rugby fans

http://ift.tt/1V7NwTI

beIN Sports is known for its coverage of European rugby, from the Six Nations to the English Premiership. So, with the Qatar-based broadcaster signing a deal to include three high definition channels in Foxtel’s sports package, what does that mean for Australian rugby fans? Wallabies Spring Tour Channel Ten showed the last three Australian Spring […]

The Waratahs’ scrum problems are self-inflicted

http://ift.tt/25wMcPb

Benn Robinson has made the candid admission to The Sydney Morning Herald‘s Tom Decent that poor training is behind the Waratahs’ scrum woes. Good. This much-needed confession is a first for a player or a coach, for that matter. It is the first time anyone connected with on-field performance of a Super Rugby side in […]

Super Rugby tipping Round 6: Have coat-tails, will ride

http://ift.tt/1SmXwnn

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: thank god for Harry Jones. Yes, not only has that hairy, Namibian beer-loving Capetonian picked the card in Round 5, but he’s opened up a two-point gap on The Crowd as well. By extension, that means the Experts are clearly all better than the […]

Brumbies back-room drama takes new twist

http://ift.tt/1Sxd1fb The back-room drama at the Brumbies has taken a new twist with a number of key stakeholders moving to get rid of the board that stood down chief executive Michael Jones. An extraordinary general meeting has been called for April 13 to dissolve the Super Rugby club’s board of directors and appoint new ones. It’s […]

Waratahs play down Beale injury

http://ift.tt/1qiZGxL The NSW Waratahs are playing down Kurtley Beale’s injury setback and tipping the backline ace to burst to life in his expected return to fullback on Sunday. Beale was unable to train on Wednesday, instead applying ice and heavy strapping to his right elbow, a legacy of Sunday’s hard-earned Super Rugby win over the Queensland […]

Wanderers to call Homebush home

http://ift.tt/1V28YJW Western Sydney are set to announce plans to split their home matches between ANZ Stadium and Spotless Stadium next A-League season. The Wanderers looked at several places to call home while Pirtek Stadium is demolished and replaced with a larger venue that will accommodate up to 35,000 people. After lengthy consultation with members and other […]

Waratahs’ scrum woes start at training

http://ift.tt/1V290kT Veteran NSW Waratah Benn Robinson says his team’s scrum woes and inconsistencies have started on the training track and carried into games and the whole squad isn’t performing. The scrum has been a potent weapon for the Tahs in recent seasons but the forwards have struggled for consistency in that part of the set piece […]

Super Rugby 2016 power poll 1: The tiers of TV

http://ift.tt/1ZJg9Yi

Now that plenty of teams have played a full third of their games, it’s time to take the temperature of Super Rugby competition. In the tradition of me using absurd pop culture references to try and trick people into thinking I’m interesting, I’ve divided the teams into a power poll based on quality tiers of […]

ANALYSIS: Who should be the Wallabies’ lineout caller in June?

http://ift.tt/1VROjJa

Last week, an article on the Roarum (my cheeky name for The Roar‘s comments section) raised the issue of who should run the Wallaby lineout against England in June, arguing for Adam Coleman, the Western Force lineout captain, against the claims of the incumbent, Rob Simmons. It’s fair to say that it provoked a lively […]

Wales are capable of winning in New Zealand

http://ift.tt/1LXjdO4

Too often in the past the European nations’ tours of their southern hemisphere counterparts were little more than a complete waste of time. They generally followed the same boring script, the European side would turn up with a weakened team and hardly fire a shot, thereby resulting in a completely one-sided series. Adding insult to […]

European Nations Cup: Growing crowds and a growing future

http://ift.tt/1USND6P

The European Nations Cup rugby series – a second-division version of the Six Nations – finished last week. The European Nations Cup is played at the same time as the Six Nations, but the competition is decided over two years so full home-and-away matches are concluded. At the end of the two-year period, the bottom […]

Goal kicking a looming problem for the All Blacks

http://ift.tt/1RCBAHm

Goal kicking could well be the greatest threat to the All Blacks’ success in the 2016 international season. No matter what anyone says about the increasing necessity to play expansive rugby, the inclusion of a top goal kicker remains as essential as ever. It’s that ability to take points whenever they are on offer, to […]

Brumbies saga heading for a very typical rugby ‘resolution’

http://ift.tt/22HYDJ1

Brumbies chief executive Michael Jones heads back to the ACT Supreme Court today to continue the fight to keep his job, but the longer this whole mess goes on, the worse my gut feeling about a resolution gets. Their coach Stephen Larkham lauded the effort of his team in South Africa this week after the […]

Injuries boost pressure on Waratahs

http://ift.tt/1RJSYNy Injuries have provided an obvious chance to try Israel Folau at outside centre and Kurtley Beale at fullback but the NSW Waratahs’ spluttering form may count against experimentation. Running third in the Australian Super Rugby conference on 10 points, behind the Brumbies (17) and Melbourne Rebels (13) after two wins – both over last-placed Queensland […]

Argentina rugby star in car crash

http://ift.tt/1UwMClw Argentina winger Santiago Cordero will miss the first half of the Jaguares’ Super Rugby club’s trip to New Zealand and Japan after suffering cuts and bruises in a car accident. Cordero, one of the standouts for Argentina at last year’s World Cup, was driving in wet conditions on Saturday night after the Jaguares’ 13-8 loss […]

Australian Super Rugby issues using the Stroke Index

http://ift.tt/1Pz1w28

It has become obvious that I was wildly optimistic in my expectations from Australia’s Super teams. I thought they would all step up in several areas, set-piece, breakdown, speed and support runners. I expected that the Brumbies, Waratahs and/or Rebels would end the season with a playoff position at least. What I have seen so […]

The Brumbies may be the only Aussie Super Rugby finalists

http://ift.tt/1ML8zoq

The Waratahs’ tough 15-13 victory over the Reds was, as Rod Kafer described it, “an old-fashioned grudge match”. In the end, the Waratahs had more control in the halves, Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley, with their grit and poise under intense pressure, provided the winning edge for their side. The crucial moments in the match […]