Greg Growden

Greg Growden

Greg Growden is Chief Rugby Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald

Union

Red faces on a black day

Greg Growden At Eden Park, a capacity crowd - loving every minute of the Wallabies being brutally carved up by the All Blacks butchers - were involved in a red-nose day for charity.

Rugby

Wounded and weary Wallabies relying on pride to earn result

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 15:  Kurtley Beale of the Australian Wallabies is tackled during the Rugby Championship match between the Australian Wallabies and Argentina at Skilled Park on September 15, 2012 on the Gold Coast, Australia.  (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Greg Growden ROSARIO: Wherever they have gone in Argentina this week, there has been no reprieve for the Wallabies.

Rugby Union

Wallabies told: No bull, it will be rough

Wallaby captain Nathan Sharpe wants speed to the breakdown.

Greg Growden Wallabies warned they are about to be involved in confronting and demanding Test match.

Rugby

Beale aims for a perfect 10 to cement Wallabies five-eighth spot

Australia's Kurtley Beale, right, makes a catch as South Africa's captain Jean de Villiers, left, defends during their Rugby Championship at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012.  (AP Photo / Themba Hadebe)

Greg Growden ROSARIO: Kurtley Beale may only be the latest Test stop-gap measure at five-eighth until James O'Connor returns to the Wallabies, but the Rebels utility wants to make the pivotal spot his own.

Something's brewing: time for this well-fed scribe to bid adios

Greg Growden.

Greg Growden It all began 30 years ago. Australia v Scotland. Sydney Cricket Ground. After babbling my first Test match report for The Sun-Herald country edition to a similarly confused copytaker back in the old...

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Greg Growden

The years, the men, the nights, the tours, the team ... the end

Greg Growden

Greg Growden After 20-odd years (with the emphasis on odd) of taking the mickey, it's time for the farewell Ruck and Maul column.

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Poor record in Pretoria motivates Wallabies

Robbie Deans

Greg Growden JOHANNESBURG: The Wallabies don't like dredging up their past, which is understandable as it involves numerous black holes.

Rugby

Beale gets recall as Cooper fires up

Kurtley Beale

Greg Growden JOHANNESBURG: Kurtley Beale is psyching himself up for his first starting appearance in the Wallabies No.

Cooper, Beale saved by Deans for Springboks clash

Wallabies players training before Bledisloe Cup on Saturday. Quade Cooper.

Greg Growden Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has again shown faith in two of his Three Amigos by returning Kurtley Beale to the starting line-up and giving Quade Cooper another chance at No.

Loss will be cruel cut for grassroots

Greg Growden.

Greg Growden For decades, rugby's grassroots supporters have followed a ritual. They head to a suburban ground, go straight to the canteen, buy a copy of the Rugby News match program, and while waiting for...

Rugby

De Villiers spills beans on Deans in his book

Greg Growden Former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers is the master of putting himself and others into trouble. Now Wallabies coach Robbie Deans and ARU official David Nucifora will probably be miffed with...

Rugby

Wallabies forwards get rev-up from White

Jake White

Greg Growden SPRINGBOKS World Cup-winning coach Jake White has called on the Wallabies forwards to dramatically lift their standards against South Africa tomorrow night, otherwise they will suffer their third...

Wallabies' fragile confidence shot full of holes out in the wild west

Faingaa

Greg Growden AFTER the despair of Sydney, Auckland and another doomed Bledisloe Cup campaign, the Wallabies headed to the other side of the country in search of pain relief. No such luck.

Rugby Union

Sweet and sour for Wallabies

Three against one: Springbok Morne Steyn is tackled by Berrick Barnes (left), Adam Ashley-Cooper and Michael Hooper.

Greg Growden Relief at last for the Wallabies as they hold on to beat the Springboks at Subiaco.

No guts, no glory: Wallabies pass important test of character

Greg Growden dinkus

Greg Growden After almost smashing his walkie-talkie against his forehead during the match, Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer finally calmed down, and explained what it is all about.

Fightback saves Deans for now, but great escape isn't over yet

Robbie Deans

Greg Growden It wasn't quite the momentous speech that Michael Lynagh made to his Wallabies teammates behind the Lansdowne Road goalposts in 1991 that led to the match-winning try against Ireland in the 1991...

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Union

Knee surgery makes Pocock latest leader to bow out

David Pocock

Greg Growden The Wallabies have discovered their leadership group is jinxed, with Will Genia the only man left standing after captain David Pocock yesterday discovered he may have played his last match for the...

Rugby Union

Wallabies seek to make talk action

Michael Hooper.

Greg Growden, Sydney Wallabies head to Auckland in vain hope of keeping the Bledisloe Cup series alive.

Rugby union

Cooper poised for Eden Park return as out-of-form Beale faces tough questions

Kurtley Beale

Greg Growden Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale is in serious danger of being dropped for the return Bledisloe Cup Test in Auckland on Saturday after an error-strewn performance against the All Blacks in Sydney.

Rugby

Pack mentality: Wallabies told to back up the big talk

Stephen Moore

Greg Growden AT LEAST the Wallabies forwards are talking tough. Sitaleki Timani believes it is time the Australian pack stopped being ''nice'' to the All Blacks and Stephen Moore is infuriated that the Wallabies...