Super 14 Trial games start

I've been missing in action a bit - trying to move house. How droll....

Anyway, the Super 14 trial games started last night with the Cheetahs beating the Force 29-19 over in Perth. The Force scored 3 tries to the Cheetahs' two, but Meyer Bosman obviously had his kicking boots on for the Cheetahs and potted five penalties for them which made the scoreline difference.

The Highlanders got up over the Crusaders - all good in pre-season - 21-19 in Queenstown. No doubt they would have enjoyed the win anyway.

The Tahs beat the Brumbies at Win stadium in Wollongong 21-5 - bet Ewen McKenzie is pleased with that effort.

The Bulls thumped the Stormers 44-13 over in Cape Town.

And........ drum roll.............. the Reds beat Auckland 29-14 at Ballymore. You can read ALL about the game over here at Foxsports. Okay, now if the season can just end before it starts, then maybe the Reds are in with a chance.. :))

Join the Tipping Competition!! I'm still organising prizes, but they'll be rugby related, and the usual $5 scratchie for the weekly winner.

Reds to appoint Jones

The Queensland Reds are apparently expected to announce today that Eddie Jones is their new coach. I suppose that the Reds can't perform any 'worse' under Jones than they have been.... maybe I'll have myself convinced it's a good move by the time he takes over the whistle.

On a more light hearted note, Wendell Sailor has said that even his own family are finding it hard to picture him as a Waratah. This report on Foxsports has Ewen McKenzie saying that he might give Sailor more of a 'roaming' position as opposed to winger. Good move by the Tah's coach - we've all seen Sailor roam over the paddock.... :) In all seriousness though, since he often is to be found in the centres, that would probably be a good position for him to play - he's certainly strong enough to play there.

Crusaders' coach Robbie Deans has said that he won't be putting his hand up to take over as Wallaby Coach. Wonder if he has a clone of himself some place that we could have?

Jeepers - Super 14 trials kick off in 10 days - I'll get the Tipping Comp organised within the next couple of days so make sure you signup to play. Prizes as yet are to be finalised, but there's likely to be some rugby gear, and maybe even some things to keep the Kiwis happy - Hint 'Who's Waltzing Now'.

Pacific Six Nations

A report in the NZ Herald says that the ARU might pull Australia A out of the Pacific Six Nations tournament due to start this year. I hope that they don't. Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, the Junior All Blacks, Japan and Australia A are the countries/teams involved, and the competition will benefit all the nations involved, and well.. Australia needs all the game play practice we can get at the present :(

The Force have 20,000 members! Good on them! If I lived in Perth I'd join as well.

There's been interest in Tana Umaga from English Clubs. Rumour has it that the Harlequins have offered him a cool million dollar deal, but Umaga is expected to stay and play for Wellington. Lot of dosh to turn down though.

Cheetahs hit hurdle

The Cheetahs are yet to set their collective paws on a Super 14 paddock as yet, but already they are facing the potential loss of one of their props ; Springbok CJ Van Der Linde. Apparently Van Der Linde hurt one of his paws.. er I mean feet, during the Boks tour of Argentina at the end of last year. No doubt scans will tell the full story.

Meanwhile over in Dunedin, Andrew Blowers, ex-AB and now Highlander has revealed that he feels like the 'new kid on the block' in the Otago squad. Blowers, 30, made his way to NZ earlier than expected after Toyota, the Japanese team he played for failed to make the playoffs. No doubt it won't take long for him to settle back in to life in the Shaky Isles.

A couple of Northern hemisphere 'experts' reckon that NZ and Australian players can kick and play the ball in the air a lot better than South African players. The article tells how the AB players are just plain 'good' at kicking and catching - true! But then the story goes on to say that it's the Australian players exposure to AFL (or GAY-FL as my boys refer to it... admin) that gives the Wallabies the edge. Huh? I would have thought soccer and league were more probable candidates. Sure players can get plenty of kicking and catching skills playing AFL, but I would be most surprised to learn of any big cross-over from AFL to union, or enough at least to have any impact on the Wallabies' collective skills. I really can't swallow that. And.... how do they explain away the AB's talents in kicking and catching? Must happen through osmosis!

I'm away!

2006

I am quite pleased that Christmas and New Year are out of the way. The next couple of months will whiz by and before I know it Super 14 will be starting. Yay!

The Reds have been using the defection of Wendell Sailor to the NSW Waratahs as bit of a marketing tool for Super 14. They've put up posters featuring Sailor in a Tahs jersey with the message: "Turn your back on Queensland? IncREDible!" The Queensland crowd will no doubt give Sailor 'heaps' come the Reds vs Waratahs clash in February. But then again, it has been my experience that the Queensland crowd gives him heaps all of the time....

The Brumbies have started their pre-season training in Canberra, with a swag of players getting ready to step up to the plate to ensure a spot in the Super 14 squad.

Australian rugby fans can get their hands on RWC 2007 travel packages over at Wallaby Travel. The whole shebang 44 day tour will set you back $23,900 (per person - Yikes!) but if you want to nick over to watch the semis and playoff and final on a 10 day tour then you'll only have to part with $12,900 each. Jeepers. I'm thinking that's a lot of dosh to dish out to watch the Kiwis win 'Bill'. There are other options though, and I am always a little bit wary of tour groups in the fear that you might get stuck with people you can't stand and then it's nigh on impossible to get away from them - without forfeiting the money you've paid out.

Later!