Australian Rugby
Picked up this piece on the net at a website called sportbilly.co.za
The man is some kind of biased New Zealand supporter of sorts… and obviously oblivious of what is really happening here in South Africa at present.
This Article of course does not necessarily reflect my own views or that of Rugby-Talk, but at least someone was willing to nail his beliefs to the wall!
Here it is:
Super Rugby previews are more numerous than Whitney Houston tributes at the moment. In both cases time is wasted. There seems to be a reluctance amongst sports writers in general to spare one’s balls from the impending pain and climb down off the fence. So lets now seperate the poop from the champagne when it comes to the teams.
I am not going to bore you with in depth analysis of the no-hopers. I’m looking at potential champions here. To win this thing you have got to finish top of your conference. Bottom line. The ‘extended playoff’ scenario gives the ‘also rans’ a cruel illusion of hope but their chances remain slimmer than a Somalian hunger striker.
Here is how I see it.
Before The Rugby Championship kicks off in August, the All Blacks and Wallabies will entertain Ireland and Wales respectively, in the June International test window that will take place between round 15 and 16 of the 2012 Super Rugby season.
The New Zealand television audience has the most potential for growth based on numbers last season in Super Rugby, and local officials and SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said a brilliant Rugby World Cup last year could provide impetus for some increased viewing.
The chance to tap into the massive economies and population of North America and Asia, primarily US and Japanese markets, is something SANZAR will explore, with the former American broadcasting landscape boggling the mind with astronomical numbers.
It is a simple edict – aim to have at least 70 percent of ball available out of the ruck within three seconds – and this will be one of the crucial areas where referees will turn their attention to in the 2012 Super Rugby season.
I looked at the SuperSport TV schedules and I could not see any significant live rugby this weekend. So it seems we have one last break to do this…
But then our lives will be annexed by our beloved game RUGBY.
Every Super Rugby team has its SANZAR judicial atrocity story, writes Rugby Heaven’s Greg Growden.
Former France international Sebastien Chabal has announced that he will play Super Rugby for an Australian team in the very near future.
Former Springboks Rugby World Cup-winning coach Jake White has suddenly discovered why Australian teams have only occasionally won the Super Rugby tournament. It adds up to a shortage of numbers and an uneven playing field.
Veteran Wallaby lock Nathan Sharpe announced on Friday he will quit all competitive rugby at the end of the season, bringing down the curtain on a career that has seen him play 101 times for Australia.
From the Queensland Reds fairy-tale maiden championship win – defying their devastating floods and years of bottom table finishes – to the Brumbies Annus Horribilis, to the historic inclusion of the Melbourne Rebels; it was certainly a season to remember for the Australian Conference last season.
The referees for the first 6 weeks of Super Rugby in 2012 has been announced by SANZAR.
Some interesting appointments indeed.
Let the games begin!
Here’s a Schedule as well as the official Statement, as received via Media Release.
SANZAR CEO Greg Peters has ruled out the possibility of expanding Super Rugby from 15 to 16 teams from next year after South Africa said that the Southern Kings will play in the tournament from 2013.
SANZAR is to trial new disciplinary rules during the 2012 Super Rugby competition, CEO Greg Peters announced on Thursday.
Canberra – Brumbies coach Jake White wants to use a new alliance with the University of Canberra as the extra bait to lure South Africa’s most talented juniors to the capital.
Rocky Elsom will be unveiled as the captain of the Waratahs on Tuesday, capping off a spectacular return to the NSW franchise where he started his Super Rugby career and first captained the side in 2007.
International forward David Pocock will become just the second full-time captain of the Western Force after he was selected to lead the team during their 2012 Super Rugby campaign.
With only 3 weeks to go till the start of Super Rugby 2012, the news has arrived that all referees in Super Rugby as well as the Southern Hemisphere test series now to be known as The Rugby Championship (Tri Nations expanded) have powers to put players ‘ON REPORT’ for suspected foul play, under a system whioch will be trialed in rugby union for the first time.
17 July 1971 – Sydney Oval, Sydney
South Africa 19 / Australia 11
Not much is available about this Test apart from some Gerhard Viviers commentary (see video below) and brief descriptions of the Springbok tries. There were two changes to the South African team who played against France earlier the season at home.
Morné du Plessis and Hannes Viljoen got their first caps in the places of the injured Tommy Bedford and Gert Muller. The South African team can be seen in the table below.
Australian Super Rugby teams will attempt to hold on to their momentum and keep their players match fit in June with friendly matches against Scotland, Wales and a South African Currie Cup team.
New Zealand’s top referee Bryce Lawrence will not travel to South Africa to officiate Super Rugby matches after he refereed the Springboks in their Rugby World Cup exit match.
Reds Super Rugby winning coach Ewen McKenzie has extended his contract with Queensland Rugby until the 2014 season.
What are the things that Super Rugby fans are anticipating ahead of the new 2012 season?
Wallabies Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock and Ben McCalman have been welcomed back to full training this week as the Western Force continues preparations for the 2012 season.
The Queensland Reds squad has been given a boost by the return of all of their remaining Wallabies representatives from annual leave to rejoin the squad at Ballymore.
Most of the pre-season rounds of matches have now been confirmed after a bit of two-ing and fro-ing and the line-up looks like this:
The Western Force have dumped their New Zealand import Willie Ripia, despite a full year remaining on his contract, because of a ‘serious breach of team protocols’.
A world club championship is on the cards after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Premiership chief executive Mark McCafferty has claimed.
New Western Force recruit Toby Lynn says that he is stoked about his move from the Chiefs to Perth due to an unusual connection.
Wayward and capricious Wallaby star Quade Cooper has landed in hot water again, but the Queensland Rugby Union moved swiftly to dispel rumours that other Reds players were involved in the latest incident.
Our sport is more enjoyable to watch than it was in the olden times when I was young, but there are a few things about the modern game I would rather be without. (I read this and posted it, purely because of Lee Grants obvious hatred of our boys, which he mentions on several occasions. What are your thoughts?)
The Brumbies have been hit with financial issues after their naming rights sponsor Huawei withdrew from a four-year $4 million-plus sponsorship of the Super Rugby club.
The Australian Rugby Union Friday have announced that assistant coach Jim Williams will leave his position after completing his contract term with the Wallabies.
The threat to boycott the British & Irish Lions tour of 2013 was never put forward formally, but an official was warned in passing as it emerged that the powerful “home unions” of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland would be broken for the first time.
While Pat McCabe may have finished the Rugby World Cup as the Wallaby No.12 he may be overlooked in Super Rugby by new Brumbies coach in favour of Christian Lealiifano.