Greg Growden
Greg Growden is Chief Rugby Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald
Phipps takes next step in rise up the pecking order
Greg Growden IF WALLABIES breakaway Dave Dennis gives the team's new halfback Nick Phipps the glare during Saturday night's Test against Argentina on the Gold Coast there is a reason.
Blades of steel: bid to get forwards to raise the standard of set pieces
Greg Growden TIRED of being penalised for having a suspect scrum, the Wallabies pack this year will try to prove they are faultless up front to ensure a better deal from referees.
Greg Growden
ARU questions clubs amid fears of widening salary cap swindle
Greg Growden THE Australian Rugby Union has begun interviewing officials from several premiership clubs as part of its investigation into whether an Australian province has breached salary cap restrictions...
Divine intervention deserts the Welsh
Greg Growden Wales loses again to Wallabies, this time by two points due to an extra-time penalty goal.
Wallabies write another chapter of Welsh woe
Greg Growden You almost expected Alfred Hitchcock to appear out of the mist from the Wallabies' dressing room last night and utter: ''Good evening.''
ARU to probe 'pay' scheme
Greg Growden The Australian Rugby Union will investigate claims that one of the Australian Super Rugby franchises is involved in an elaborate scheme to avoid salary cap restrictions.
Rugby
Club boss could face the sack if rort proved
Greg Growden THE Australian Rugby Union will investigate claims that one of its Super Rugby provinces is involved in an elaborate scheme to avoid salary-cap restrictions.
Africans won't take no for answer on expansion plan
Greg Growden AUSTRALIA and New Zealand have discovered that where SANZAR is concerned, South Africa are ever persistent, endlessly pushing their cause on and off the field.
Rugby
Cooper no shoo-in to take spot from Reds superboot
Greg Growden NO WONDER Quade Cooper was looking a bit edgy during a television interview after the Reds' win over the Force in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Rugby
Foley in a fix as Tahs run low on rakes
Greg Growden IF YOU have a masochistic streak, get a thrill out of being a contortionist, don't mind bashing your forehead up against soggy turf and can fling a football with the accuracy of a professional darts...
Monday Maul
After House of Pain, Tahs realise some gain
Greg Growden Australian Rugby's Super Saturday taught us that covered stadiums are the way to go, referees have too much of a say in outcomes, the Waratahs are the Hard-luck Hals of the competition, the Rebels do...
Greg Growden
Long dark cloud lifts as All Blacks close the door on 24 years of pain
Greg Growden The 24-year All Black gloom has lifted.
Match report
Wallabies reeling after shock loss to Ireland
Greg Growden AUCKLAND: It doesn't get any more embarrassing than this for Australian rugby. The Wallabies were yet again shown to be second-rate by one of the also-rans of world rugby.
Boos will spur on embarrassed Tahs to exact revenge in the west
Greg Growden REVENGE and the embarrassment of being booed will act as key motivators when the Waratahs head to Perth this week, as they want to get their Super Rugby season back on track by defeating the Force on...
Rugby
Frustrated Foley asks Waratahs to turn up volume against the Force
Greg Growden THE WARATAHS have been told they must become loud and proud, turning into chatterboxes to ensure they continue their perfect West Australian record when they play the Force in Perth on Friday night.
Glowing start but hosts relax too soon
Greg Growden Twenty-six seconds. That's all the Waratahs thought it would take to topple the Rebels when they were celebrating their first try just moments after kick-off.
MONDAY MAUL
No bull: White's men have turned it around
Greg Growden It has taken a while, but the Brumbies have to be taken seriously. For weeks, many have been waiting for this young bunch of no-names to lose their way.
Some days the Force can't catch a break
Greg Growden THEY lose their head coach, Richard Graham, to the Reds. Then Will Genia does an about face and opts not to move to Perth.
Rising Reds spell danger for Brumbies
Greg Growden The Brumbies look the real deal, but don't yet dismiss the Queensland Reds from finishing on top of the Australian conference.
Visitors barge over to leave Tahs scratching their heads
Greg Growden THE long flight from Sydney to Johannesburg is a trial at the best of times. But for the Waratahs, who head to the Republic this morning, it will turn into a torture trip, as they will spend hour...
