Australia Rugby News
‘Flickitau’ is first centre to win Australia’s top prize
Tabua Tuinakauvadra crowned top Wallaroos player
Wallabies star Len Ikitau has won the John Eales Medal, becoming the first centre to claim Australian rugby’s highest individual honour.
Ikitau enjoyed a phenomenal year in the gold jersey, opening the voting period in spectacular style by delivering the magical match-winning flick pass to Max Jorgensen in Australia’s epic win over England at Twickenham last November.
Continue reading...Fly-half back in UK after facing All Blacks with Australia
O’Connor may play against Northampton on Saturday
James O’Connor, Leicester’s new Australian recruit, is hoping to bring a touch of sparkle to the East Midlands after finally linking up properly with the Tigers this week. O’Connor’s first spell last month was curtailed when he was swiftly recalled to the Wallabies squad to face New Zealand, but he is now back raring to go before his new club’s derby against Northampton on Saturday.
Having arrived in the UK only on Monday, the 35-year-old played a limited part in his first training session but seems poised to feature in the matchday 23 against the Saints. Leicester’s new director of rugby, Geoff Parling, will not confirm his team until Friday but hinted that O’Connor was in line for some action despite his latest long-haul flight. “He’s an experienced operator who gets up to speed quickly, put it that way,” Parling said. “When you’re in business class you can just put your feet up anyway. I don’t think it was too bad for him.”
Continue reading...Coach Joe Schmidt makes five changes to XV for final Rugby Championship Test
James Slipper to play 151st and final game after announcing retirement
Lock Will Skelton and scrumhalf Jake Gordon are among five changes to Australia’s starting 15 for the final Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand in Perth on Saturday.
Skelton replaces the dropped Lukhan Salakaia-Loto after returning from club duty in France, while coach Joe Schmidt’s preferred No 9 Gordon returns for his first test since the British & Irish Lions series after recovering from a hamstring strain.
Continue reading...Flyhalf included despite flying to England to join new club Leicester
Coach Joe Schmidt’s preferred scrumhalf Jake Gordon returns
James O’Connor has been retained in Australia’s squad for back-to-back Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand despite flying to England on Monday to join his new club Leicester.
O’Connor’s inclusion denies Western Force playmaker Ben Donaldson a recall following his recovery from a thigh injury, with coach Joe Schmidt opting for Tom Lynagh and Tane Edmed as his other flyhalf options in the 34-man squad named on Thursday.
Continue reading...Flyhalf Tom Lynagh also returns; Nic White keeps place
James O’Connor to come off bench in Townsville on Saturday
Nic White’s retirement tour will continue in Townsville when the halfback partners returning Wallabies flyhalf Tom Lynagh and captain Harry Wilson against Argentina.
Andrew Kellaway has won the battle to fill the injured Tom Wright’s boots at fullback at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday in the other change to the side that lost narrowly in Cape Town a fortnight ago.
Continue reading...South Africa 30-22 Australia
Springboks avenge shock loss to Wallabies
Handré Pollard put in a commanding performance at fly-half as a more pragmatic South Africa beat Australia in their second Rugby Championship Test in Cape Town to reignite the defence of their title.
Australia stunned the world champions 38-22 in their competition opener in Johannesburg last Saturday as the hosts tried to play an expansive gameplan with ball in hand and were picked off. This time round they turned it into an aerial contest, marshalled superbly by Pollard, who kicked 15 points to go with tries by the wing Canan Moodie, the No 8 Kwagga Smith and the lock Eben Etzebeth.
Continue reading...Winger starts as Australia bid for historic win in Cape Town
Rob Valetini and Tom Robertson also come in
Corey Toole will make his Test debut in one of three changes to the Wallabies starting side as they attempt to go back-to-back against the Springboks in South Africa for the first time since 1963.
The 25-year-old Paris Olympics sevens star will replace injured winger Dylan Pietsch for their Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town on Saturday night local time (Sunday 1.10am AEST).
Continue reading...Joe Schmidt’s side turned a 22-point deficit into a first win at Ellis Park since 1963. If this is a redrafting of the story, then the sport will be better off
For 18 minutes, everything was going according to script. The double world champions were running riot at Ellis Park, stomping over the gain line with every carry, shrugging off tacklers and hammering anyone unlucky enough to be wearing a gold jersey.
Australia had touched the ball twice before Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the opening try; once when James O’Connor kicked off, then again when Tom Wright spilled a contestable kick. Twelve minutes later André Esterhuizen sliced through the right before Siya Kolisi bulldozed over under the posts. Manie Libbok kicked seven extra points to nudge the score to 22-0 in South Africa’s favour. We’d not yet reached the quarter mark of this one-sided contest.
Continue reading...South Africa 22-38 Australia
Wallabies recover from 22-0 down to sink Springboks
Australia rallied from 22-0 down as Harry Wilson, their captain, scored two tries in a stunning 38-22 bonus-point victory over South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener on Saturday, the Wallabies’ first victory at Ellis Park in Johannesburg since 1963.
South Africa raced into a seemingly commanding lead through tries by the wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, the centre André Esterhuizen and the No 8 Siya Kolisi, but their achilles heel has been the breakdown and it was there that Australia began to take control.
Continue reading...A Harry Wilson double inspires an Australian comeback with 38 unanswered points from 0-22 down to win in Johannesburg for the first time since 1963 .
What a start for the Springboks! It started with Wright fumbling a Williams box kick and then it was all momentum. Just about every player was involved. Du Toit, Kolisi and more had strong carries until the cracks opened. Fassie joined from fullback to play the final pass to his left where Arendse had a simple run in. That move went several phases and 70 metres.
Libbok nails the conversion from the left.
Continue reading...Return for 35-year-old after three-year absence
Blow as Ben Donaldson ruled out of Johannesburg clash
Veteran James O’Connor has been called on to take on the playmaking duties as the Wallabies seek to build on the impetus of their third Test win over the Lions with a rare victory in South Africa at the start of the Rugby Championship.
But a plan for the 35-year-old O’Connor, back in the green and gold after three years, to share the No 10 role has had to be shelved after Ben Donaldson went down injured in training on Thursday.
Continue reading...Nic White bows out in style to help Wallabies tame Lions while Bundee Aki flounders in torrential Sydney rain
Tom Wright Another confident outing from a quality operator throughout the series. Joined the attack well and his kicks from hand regularly created territorial advantage. 7
Continue reading...The Lions’ quest to complete an unbeaten tour failed at the final hurdle as the hosts registered a stormy victory
The match is underway after Nic White boots it deep into Lions territory.
The teams are out, slightly behind schedule, we await the Australia anthem and then a ball will be kicked to commence proceedings.
Continue reading...While Andy Farrell’s team are winning matches and fans in Australia, the league Lions remain in hibernation
If the British & Irish Lions complete a clean sweep against the Wallabies on Saturday in Sydney, there will be more talk of Australia no longer being a sufficiently challenging destination for a Lions tour. It’s a mirror image of what has happened to the rugby league Lions over the past 15 years, with Australia deciding that neither Great Britain nor England brought the jeopardy, ticket sales or eyeballs required to justify an incoming tour. Instead, the Kangaroos will visit London, Liverpool and Leeds later this year to play England.
It has been 33 years since Great Britain toured Australia. Martin Offiah lit up that series in 1992, scoring seven tries in six Tests against Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. Offiah, who won 33 caps for Great Britain, as well as five for England, cannot believe the Rugby Football League and Australian Rugby League have allowed these showcase events to fade from view. “As a nation we’ve got to have regular fixtures against Australia,” says Offiah. “Not playing them since the World Cup final in 2017 is crazy. When you’re trying to get across that bridge and match them, that’s a massive gap. And we should have been Great Britain for this series – then gone back to England for the World Cup.”
Continue reading...Tom Curry’s recovery tackling was crucial while Will Skelton demonstrated what Australia missed in first Test
Tom Wright A performance of swaggering confidence featuring a try, dynamic running to set up attacks and a punishing 50:22. Set the tone for his side from the back. 8
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