Rugby
Coaches earn their cash in tight series
Paul Cully All of the cards have finally been shown. Robbie Deans' 31-man squad to face the British and Irish Lions has been announced, putting into place the final pieces of the jigsaw he hopes will be enough...
History is just that, and Tahs can crack Crusaders' weakened backbone
Paul Cully The burden all Crusaders teams carry is to be constantly compared to the great sides that preceded them. The one the Waratahs will face tonight is labouring somewhat to get out of those shadows.
Rugby
Barnes' storming efforts could have him in starting side
Paul Cully The significance of Berrick Barnes' cameos against the Stormers and Brumbies in successive weeks is that he could be playing his way into the Wallabies starting XV, let alone the 25-man squad.
Tight Five
Emotions run hot in the debate over five-eighth
Paul Cully In the third instalment of the Herald's look at the race for Wallabies jerseys, we look at five more positions. We start with five-eighth.
Rugby
Who will squeeze into Deans' 25-man tent
Paul Cully Trying to squeeze in 25 names for the initial Wallabies squad to be announced on May 19 is akin to putting away a tent for the first time.
Rugby
Folau's Wallabies stocks up in leaps and bounds
Paul Cully Israel Folau has one arm in a Wallabies jersey.
Rugby
Deans in for pleasant viewing as Tahs take on Brumbies
Paul Cully Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will be sitting reasonably comfortably when he settles in to watch the Waratahs v Brumbies game on Saturday evening.
Rugby Union
Deans spoilt for choice, but strategy will dictate picks
Paul Cully With the Lions series fast approaching and the highly charged Reds v Brumbies game doubling as a virtual Wallabies trial, Fairfax Media looks at five key Test positions.
Rugby
Folau shows skills to take off on the wing
Paul Cully The Herald looks at five more Wallabies positions before the British and Irish Lions series, with three Super Rugby rounds before Robbie Deans names his first squad of 25 players.
Rugby
Thrills as rebranded Tahs run it straight, charge inside channels
Paul Cully Waratahs coach Michael Cheika probably allowed himself a grin as he read comments from Brumbies opposite Jake White that his NSW side were playing with few alterations to campaigns past.
Tight five
Battle heating up for Wallabies' five-eighth spot
Paul Cully Quade Cooper has work to do to challenge the sceptics.
Deans' men undone by problems old and new
Paul Cully It will be the infuriating predictability of the Wallabies' loss to France in Paris that sits like acid in the guts of the bleary-eyed loyalists.
Paul Cully
Sharpened team has grounds for optimism
Paul Cully Rugby's difficulty at dealing with an unwelcome visitor, the drawn Test, has produced a divergence of views about Saturday night's absorbing third Bledisloe Test.
Talking points
Five things we learnt
Paul Cully The talking points from Saturday's Bledisloe Cup clash.
Rugby Union
Wallabies vindicated as rugby board backflips
Paul Cully The International Rugby Board has made the startling admission that officials erred in denying the Wallabies a replacement last weekend in a Test they finished with 14 men.
Wallabies got substitution wrong: IRB
Paul Cully The International Rugby Board has backed referee Alain Rolland on the substitution debacle that left Australia with only 14 men for the final eight minutes of the Test against South Africa last...
Super rugby
Numbers add up for Waratahs' down state
Paul Cully It is almost over for the Waratahs. Eighty more minutes of a desperate season that might yet contain one final twist of the knife at the hands of traditional rivals who have something positive to...
Paul Cully
Stability the key as Deans deliberates over Wallabies squad to slay Dragons
Paul Cully OF rugby's many proposed truisms, there is one piece of wisdom that never changes: good coaching always begins at the selection table.
Crunch time for Tahs pack despite some chinks in Crusaders' armour
Paul Cully When NSW pack down against the Crusaders on Sunday we will find out just how much New Zealand will miss Brad Thorn - and if Benn Robinson has the ability to exploit the absence of his 116 kilogram...
