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...

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.

What a round for everyone: as they say, it's been emotional

Greg Growden The latest round revolved around conflicting emotions and, with it, the intrigue of a Wallabies squad announcement. Players, officials and rugby heavies everywhere were juggling how they felt.

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Rugby

Deans is delighted with pack mentality

Greg Growden WALLABIES coach Robbie Deans has rewarded those who rebounded to beat Wales by naming the same line-up for Saturday's second Test in Melbourne and then gave his pack further accolades by describing...

Timani tastes life at Sharpe end

Greg Growden NATHAN SHARPE is remaining with the Wallabies until at least October, but the promotion of Sitaleki Timani to the Test starting XV shows the preparations for the future have already begun.

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.''

Big deal for Pocock as Rebels try again

Greg Growden The Rebels are back in the running for Wallabies star David Pocock. Our ever reliable Melbourne snouts have told R&;M the Rebels are about to throw a ''massive offer'' at Pocock in the hope he can...

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Rugby

Passing comment sparks more unrest

Greg Growden At a time when the Waratahs are desperately trying to improve team morale, critical comments about their star import Sarel Pretorius have inflamed the situation.

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Rugby

Cooper may be out, but Reds believe the title is theirs to lose

Greg Growden EWEN McKENZIE has been on a fitness drive, lost the bulk around his girth, and looks taut, trim and terrific. But that doesn't mean the successful Reds coach has suddenly become feeble.

Monday Maul

That's how we roll: Foley's early taste of Tah madness

Greg Growden What a terrible initiation to the demands of the head coaching job. In a few seconds, Michael Foley, in his first game as the Waratahs coach, saw his dream of beating the Super Rugby titleholders...

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Tough at top - but McKenzie refuses to stress about Reds' hectic start

Greg Growden AFTER just one round, Sharks coach John Plumtree was complaining there were too many Super Rugby local derbies, arguing that it was ''wearing the players down''.

On the white track: Tri Nations could use citing scheme

Greg Growden THE white card concept could be extended to the expanded Tri Nations series this season if the International Rugby Board gives the green light.

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...

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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...

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SANZAR seeks security report from Bulls on bottle-throwing incident

Greg Growden SANZAR have contacted Bulls officials demanding improvements in ground security after All Blacks hooker and Blues skipper Keven Mealamu was hit by a bottle during the team's win at Loftus Versfeld in...

Rugby

Big man Timani back in the mix after completing Japanese jaunt

Greg Growden THE Waratahs are at last able to select Wallabies second-rower Sitaleki Timani following his stint in Japanese club rugby, but now don't know when they will see his younger brother Lopeti again.

Waratahs warned Sharks are hungry for overdue victory

Greg Growden WHILE the Waratahs are having sleepless nights coming to terms with their worst start to a Super Rugby season since 1997, the jet-lagged Sharks are attempting to find an answer to why they can't win...

Monday Maul

Reds' revival has repercussions far beyond win on scoresheet

Greg Growden The local administrators are happy because the Australian conference can produce a match worth watching. Those pushing for Sunday afternoon football are delighted as it lures a 36,000-plus crowd.

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Deans stays cautious for Cooper's Reds return

Greg Growden WALLABIES coach Robbie Deans is delighted that Quade Cooper will play his first match in seven months tomorrow night, but admits the Reds pivot is a long way from retaining his Test No.