Founded in 1996, The Tri-nations is an annual tournament contested by international Rugby heavyweights New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The All Blacks won the inaugural Tri-nations championship and have since gone on to win nine. The Wallabies and the Springboks have won two titles each, but New Zealand have claimed the last four Tri-nations in succession. The Wallabies and the All Blacks have also contested the Bledisloe Cup during Tri-nations competition.
One of the main talking points about the Melbourne Rebels is where they will source their players from. Over the years a number of players from outside the Tri-Nations have had cracks in various Super rugby franchises, with varying degrees of success.
This poses the question: who are the best “imports” to have played [...] Read article
Rugby Union’s international governing body will pay $US2 million ($A2.2 million) so Argentina can play in an expanded Tri-Nations tournament from 2012.
International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset said the one-off payment would remove the final obstacle keeping the Pumas from joining the championship, which features Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The IRB council must confirm [...] Read article
Watching the Six Nations games on the weekend got me thinking: what if the best of the Six Nations combined to form a Northern XV to play a Southern XV made of players from the Tri-Nations in a one-off end-of-year match at Twickenham?
Instead of the usual end-of-season match played between the Barbarians and Wallabies, All [...] Read article
Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill believes the northern hemisphere nations could step into line with their southern rivals and reward attacking teams at the breakdown, even if the rules can’t be changed before next year’s World Cup.
Australian Super coaches were largely supportive of the SANZAR decision to look more favourably upon the attacking side [...] Read article
After Hoy’s and Stash’s team lineups, I thought it appropriate to chuck a Tri-Nations together with the addition of a Boks team. The Boks in this period were on the decline after ‘98 and ran through a very dark period before finding the light around ‘04.
I have also, for interest, added the playing era [...] Read article
It’s tragic that most people must attack the game of rugby as being boring, error-riddled and repetitive due to long kicking contests and drop-goal kick-offs.
It’s not the game that is at fault, but is in fact the teams that play in a certain conservative manner that affect the opinion makers and finger-waggers.
The attitude towards playing [...] Read article
Forget about expansion of the Super 14 (soon to be 15) to 18, forget about giving the South Africans, Japanese and Islanders teams. A whole new conference should be created, all in Argentina.
With the expansion of the Tri-Nations to the Quad Nations, and the hope to create professional structures in Argentina, it is the [...] Read article
Robbie Deans received the full backing of John O’Neill earlier this week, which is a decision that should be supported fully by Wallaby supporters.
The sacking or leaving of another coach could only spell more disaster and it’s interesting that it hasn’t been noted that Australia’s last horror tour in 2005 finished with the Wallabies losing [...] Read article
Quade Cooper’s irresistible Super 14 form has him leading the contest for Australia’s chief playmaking role, according to former Wallabies inside back Rod Kafer.
After the personal low of his controversial end to 2009, mercurial five-eighth Cooper has enjoyed a great start to 2010, spearheading Queensland’s amazing turnaround.
His performances beside Wallabies halfback Will Genia have helped [...]
NSW flanker Dave Dennis believes it will be counter-productive for the Waratahs to target Force young gun James O’Connor in Saturday night’s Super 14 derby in Perth.
O’Connor has been a shining light for the winless Force this season, starring at fullback, inside centre and five-eighth in the franchise’s injury-hit campaign.
The 19-year-old will wear the No.12 [...]
The Brumbies defence couldn’t answer all the questions posed by the Blues attack, slipping to a 39-34 loss in a Super 14 rugby thriller at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday.
The Blues scored five tries to three as 19 points from the boot of five-eighth Matt Giteau couldn’t prevent the Brumbies suffering their first defeat [...]
The Parramatta Two Blues has been in the news recently. There is concern this proud Western Sydney club may not compete in this year’s Sydney Shute Shield (Premier rugby) due to a lack of players.
Even if it does compete, it may only involve one senior and one colts (U/20) team. We haven’t even heard how [...]
Melbourne joining the Super 15 next year should not be taken lightly by the ARU. If foreign players are going to join the side, the ARU must ensure that they mentor younger Melbourne-based rugby players and ensure a strong rugby culture develops.
Being an AFL city, the ARU must stamp its authority strongly and swiftly, otherwise [...]
In the final moments of the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, the match, which had see-sawed for almost 100 minutes, was finally decided by an ice-cold Jonny Wilkinson field goal.
In that moment, Wilkinson entered rugby mythology as the architect of an England triumph.
In 1991, David Campese sliced across field and darted inside John Kirwan [...]
The touring England rugby squad will play two mid-week matches against an Australian Barbarians side boasting established internationals and emerging Test contenders during their visit in June.
Adding to a schedule headlined by their Cook Cup showdowns with the Wallabies on 12 June in Perth and 19 June in Sydney, England will also play the Australian [...]
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has insisted Queensland’s future remains in safe hands despite being angered by the defection of rising prop Laurie Weeks to the Melbourne Rebels.
On a dramatic day, starting with the surprise exclusion of veteran centre Morgan Turinui from the 26-man tour squad to South Africa, Weeks was announced as the Rebels’ first [...]
NSW coach Chris Hickey may be forced to accelerate plans to rotate his squad, with injury doubts over two members of his pack for Saturday’s Super 14 clash with Western Force in Perth.
Neither No.8 Wycliff Palu (hamstring) or prop Al Baxter (calf) ran at training on Thursday and were struggling to be fit enough in [...]
Western Force coach John Mitchell has named an unchanged starting line-up for Saturday’s Super 14 clash with NSW in Perth, believing his players deserve the chance to atone for last week’s 50-10 pummelling at the hands of Queensland.
The Force sit last on the table with no points from their four games.
And despite the Force’s horror [...]
