George Smith, who in my opinion, revolutionised the role of a fetcher flank has just announced his retirement from international rugby. This from the Wallabies camp:

Qantas Wallabies flanker George Smith, one of only four Australians to have reached the milestone of 100 Tests,has announced his retirement from international Rugby and will be released from his ARU and Brumbies contract at the end of the 2010 Super 14 season.
 
The 110-Test veteran recently approached ARU and Brumbies officials to discuss his future and felt after 10 seasons in the Australian jumper he wanted to explore other options.
 
Talks led to the 29-year-old, who made his Test debut with a man of the match performance against France in Paris in 2000, requesting an early release from an ARU contract that was to expire after the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

“George has made an enormous contribution to Australian Rugby for more than a decade,” said ARU Managing Director and CEO John O’Neill.
 
“His list of achievements in the game, both with the Brumbies in Super Rugby and with the Wallabies at the highest levels of the game, stands him alongside the all time greats. Obviously we wanted George to stay and continue through to his third Rugby World Cup.
 
We had lengthy discussions. However, when he made it clear that his passion for international Rugby was not the driving force it once was, we agreed there were suitable grounds for an early release given his long and continuous service to the game in this country.
 
We could have insisted he see out his contract and blocked any opportunities to play the game overseas before the next Rugby World Cup. His wholehearted commitment over 10 years, however, deserves special consideration.
 
We wish George all the best for the future as he enters his final season of Super Rugby with the Brumbies.”

Smith said it was a difficult decision to leave Australian Rugby at the end of May having started with the Brumbies in 1999 and the Wallabies a season later.

“I have been involved with the Qantas Wallabies and Rugby at the highest level internationally for over 10 years,” he said.
 
“Throughout these 10 years I have always held a deep respect and honour for the Wallabies jersey and for what it means to be a Wallaby. I have considered it a privilege to wear the gold jersey in representation of my family, my friends, my fellow players, past Wallabies and of course my country.
 
Being a part of the Australian Rugby family has also allowed me to form and develop lifelong friendships. From coaching staff and mentors who have helped nurture my ability as a player to my fellow players who have not only treated me as an equal from my debut in France 2000, but also helped me to become a better Rugby player and I believe, a better person Read More >>

Legend amongst legends

So last week our mates over at Green and Gold Rugby posted this video of Stephen Larkham’s career highlights and I enjoyed it so much, I thought I would post it here for all of you to enjoy too.

After starting his professional career as a fullback, Larkham developed into one of the greatest flyhalves in the history of Australian and world rugby, in 2005, being named  at #10 in Australia’s team of the decade.

In my opinion, Larkham was one of the best flyhalves the world has ever seen. With a reputation as an elusive runner and the linchpin of a (then much more) potent backline. I think G&GR hit the nail on the head when they described him as often “ghosting” through the opposition backline.

Larkham’s famous 48m-drop goal to seal victory over South Africa in extra time of the 1999 Rugby World Cup Semi-Final has gone down in rugby folklore as the defining moment in the Wallabies victorious Rugby World Cup campaign. Until then, neither Larkham, nor any other member of the Wallabies team had ever scored a drop goal in an international test match.

A video montage of Larkham’s glorious career: [SARUGBY11]

Who will come out tops in the Autumn Internationals?

So I came across this website called Hostel Bookers the other day and decided to have a look. They have a well set out, user-friendly website which lists literally hundreds of hostels, at which you can stay, in not only Europe, but worldwide. It’s as easy as selecting your destination from the dropdown menu and seeing which hostel suites you best. The website also allows you to choose which currency you would like the rates to display in.

What a great idea if you plan to follow your favourite team on their autumn tour. The Hostel Bookers website is easy to use, and shows you a comprehensive list of the locations and rates of various hostels at which you can stay near to the venue that your team will be playing at.

For instance, let’s randomly say you’re a Wallaby fan and you’d like to watch all the games on their tour schedule. You can find locations near to the stadiums at each leg of the tour, and it’ll leave you with enough cash over to either celebrate or commiserate with many a cold pint. We’re travelling around Europe, so I chose Euros. Let’s do the math quick:

7th    Australia VS England – London – Stay over for €12.25 

15th  Australia VS Ireland – Dublin – Stay over for €8.00

21st   Australia VS Scotland – Edinburgh - Stay over for €13.38

28th   Australia VS Wales – Cardiff – Stay over for €22.22

That’s a measly €55.85 to the Grand Slam. I’ve spent more than that on one night out with the boys. Let’s face it, that’s pretty damn cheap to visit four countries, watching your team on their quest for the Gland Slam Title. If you are travelling with a bunch of mates, click here to book group accommodation.

Check out all fixtures below and visit Hostel Bookers to book your place. Bookings will be going quick, so visit their website now to avoid losing out on your chance for the trip of a lifetime:

Check the dates and locations to book your accomodation now

Enjoying a standard Australian pint...

As the South African rugby season draws closer and closer to an end, today we continue our new mid-week feature, Heroes of the game. Our ”hero from way back when” this week is none other than former Australian stalwart, Matt Burke. Burke secured his place in history as one of the finest full-backs the game has ever seen. Not only was Burke a powerful and elusive runner, his goal kicking was superb. During the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Burke scored 24 points against South Africa in the semi-final, as well as 25 against France in the final. The previous year he scored all of Australia’s 24 points against the All Blacks at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A world record against the All Blacks at the time. Burke is 9th on the international point scorers list and third in the Tri Nations.

Burke’s representative rugby career began in 1990, when he toured the United States and Ireland with the Australian Schoolboys. He then progressed to the Australian U21 team in 1992 and 1993, at the same time representing Australia at the Hong Kong Sevens in 1992 and the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1993.

Burke made his Test debut in 1993 when he played in the third test against the Springboks. In addition to playing for the Wallabies for over a decade, Burke became the first player in the history of Waratah rugby to play over 100 games, during his third year as the New South Wales Waratahs captain. He has had great success against the All Blacks including scoring one of Australia’s greatest Bledisloe Cup tries, in 1996. In Brisbane, from a standing start, Burke broke through numerous All Black tackles, throwing a dummy before running 80 metres for a memorable individual try.

Very much a confidence player, Burke’s form suffered in games where his goal-kicking ability went AWOL. He picked up a serious shoulder injury in 1998 and despite making it back in the squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, it has been speculated that the injury affected his playing style. He was retained as vice-captain and goal-kicker for the 2002 season. During that time he kicked a penalty after full-time to win the Bledisloe Cup in windy conditions at Stadium Australia.

Burkes amaizing 1996 Bledisloe Cup try:

Burke’s Retirement Feature: Read More >>

Don't give me lip #4, I'll snot klap you...!

Jonathan Kaplan is the most experienced international test referee of all time, this year becoming the first referee ever to take control of over 50 test matches (53 to date). He began refereeing in 1984 and took charge of his 1st international test between Namibia and Zimbabwe, in Harare, in 1996.  Kaplan doesn’t take kak on the field, once telling Bob Skinstad, “You talk on the radio, I’ll ref the game…”. At 174cm and 79kg, he isn’t scared to take charge, putting the often towering players around him in their place.

Who better to chat to in a year which has highlighted so many law changes and clear problems at the scrum and breakdown areas. BlogSpotRugby caught up with Jonathan Kaplan and asked him a few quick questions.

Here Goes:

• Dooley: Read More >>

Bob gives us a shout from OZ

I managed to catch up with a mate of ours here at BlogspotRugby this week , Bob Skinstad, on his tour to Oz with the Springboks, and asked him a few quick questions about the Boks current Tri Nations campaign.

Being a former Springbok himself, Bob is no stranger to the rigours of life on the tour, and should be well equipped in taking part in a quick Q&A session.

Here it goes:

• Dooley: Bob, the Springboks were criticised for playing ‘boring’ rugby after their first 3 wins, but put the flair in for the most recent win against the Wallabies. Do you think there is substance in the ‘boring’ label, or is winning winning at test level?

Bob: People are quick to criticise – especially when they are looking from an opposition fans point of view and their sides aren’t winning – I think there is only one measure for success, and that is winning – and there is also a separate measure for entertainment and that is crowd pulling factor. The IRB made the laws and the Boks play to them – they are just playing to them better than anyone at the moment !

• Dooley: PDV has done a lot better tactically so far in the Tri Nations than in the B&I Lions Series, do you think he will be able to keep the edge on our opponents for the last two games?

Bob: Yes – he has a healthy mix of senior players and young flair players that compliments his strategic edge with one of diverse talents, so they should be able to keep doing that.  Read More >>

Possible IRB 2009 player of the year?

The Springboks managed to shed their “boring rugby” label at the weekend when the comprehensively beat the Wallabies in Perth, silencing their critics. The Final scoreline was a lot closer than the actual game, with the Springboks falling asleep in the last 5 or 6 minutes, allowing the Wallabies over for two tries, to put them in reach for the bonus point loss.

The Wallabies took heed of Robbie Deans’ threat concerning their poor discipline earlier on in the 2009 Tri Nations, only conceding 4 penaltiesto the Springboks 16 in the Perth test. They did well to hold on and play for the full eighty minutes. On more than one occasion the Wallabies took the ball through 8+ phases, once making it to 16 phases and spending a total of over 7 minutes in the Springbok’s 22m area. The Wallabies played a lot more with the ball than the Springboks did, having double the amount of breakdowns, scrumhalf and flyhalf passes than the Boks and having to make less than half the amount of tackles the Boks did.

These stats could be viewed either way. Some might applaud the Wallabies for their fighting spirit in giving it a go right to the end, some might say how it enforces how much better the Springboks were on the day. They used the ball they did have more effectively, making 4 line-breaks and 11 offloads. The Springboks became the 1st team to score the 4 try bonus point in the 2009 Tri nations competition.

Congratulations to Fourie Du Preez on his 50th international test. Week after week he puts in performances that highlight why he is arguably the most complete rugby player in the world.

It was good to see Schalk Burger and his tackle rate back on the pitch, making an impressive 8 tackles during his 26 mins on the park.

Standout performances: Read More >>