RugbyShout

Openside flanker George Smith has completed his career with the Brumbies by claiming his ninth Brett Robinson Players Player Award at the Brumbies' annual presentation night held at the Southern Cross Club in Canberra.

Fijian Rugby star Rupeni Caucaunibuca is hoping to get a Super 15 contract with an Australian side next year and hopes to impress against the Wallabies in Canberra this weekend.

I’m really looking forward to the rugby that’s coming up this year. I mean really looking forward to it.

In the last few years, the pre-Tri Nations June Tests have been reasonably exciting. Last year the Wallabies tore up the Barbarians in a try-fest, before wrecking the Italians in consecutive Tests. Finally the Wallabies edged out the French in a dour, yet physical, affair in Sydney.

These games provided some excitement for the fans, as well as giving the Wallabies some momentum going into the Tri Nations. But the quality of the opposition was questionable. The Italians, try as they may, are still just a few sandwiches short of admission to the elite rugby nations party, and the French were stretched thin after a tough series against New Zealand. And the Barbarians, well the less said about their performance last year the better.

Also, the Wallabies side featured in last years Mid-Year Tests was pretty much business as usual in terms of selection, with the odd new player (JO’C for example).  Little experimentation was shown.

This year, however, the Wallabies have the opportunity to test new combinations in a special and rare way.

Beginning with the first Test against Fiji in Canberra the selectors should select the same, or a very similar incarnation of the team that played in the Wallabies last test (vs Wales at the Millenium Stadium) to set a benchmark. Australia will most definetly win this match, but this could be a chance to give last years squad a run and to see how they are performing.

For example, Giteau and Barnes have copped a fair amount of flak (fair as in justified, as well as large) around here this year especially.  This option provides a good opportunity to see whether they are still capable of stepping up in the green and gold, or whether they dont deserve a spot in the squad this year. Richard Brown, Matt Dunning, and Luke Burgess are just a few names who need to be tested this way as well, just to name a few. For the Wallabies coaches, this could be the “Damage assesment Test”.

The “Australian Barbarians” games are where the new up-and-coming players and combinations should be given a run. Beale, Horne, most of the Faingaa family, Simmons, Higgenbotham, Houston, Douglas, Fitzpatrick, Inman, Cummins, Brackin-Henry, Toomua, Leilifano, this list goes on- these are all exciting prospects that are too green to be thrown into the deep end of full Test Rugby.  It is critical that the “roughies” of Australia are given a decent chance to prove whether they are ready, need work, or they’re just Hendrik Roo- I mean duds. Oh, and don’t forget Hangers.

Hopefully, if the coaching staff and selectors follow this method, by the time the Wallabies take on Ireland, a new look, jam packed and optimal Wallabies squad will have been molded out of the extended squad to be picked at the end of the Super 14.

By all means, go nuts for the remainder of the Super 14. But if you are dissapointed by May 29th, just remember what’s around the corner.

One of the big questions I’ve been wondering about is whether the touring squad selections will be based on this being a serious tour or a development tour, as we have seen the Northern Hemisphere countries send fresh faced squads down under with some very one sided results. However, the trend seems to be shifting- for instance, the French squad that toured New Zealand and Australia last year was as close to a full strength squad as possible. Hopefully, we can see sides that really take it to the Wallabies, as this will give them a solid pre-Tri Nations hit out.

Here are the challengers:

England
The last time Australia played England was in the EOYT’s at Twickenham, with Australia winning 18 – 9 in the opening match of their Grand Slam Tour. England have stalled since the last RWC, where they were runners up.  They haven’t won the 6 Nations since 2003, although they have been runners up twice since then. In the most recent 6 Nations, England were a mixed bag. They opened their tournament with a 30 – 17 drubbing of the Welsh, probably the highlight of their competition. However, lowlights included a 15-all draw with the Scots at Murrayfield and Jonny Wilkinson ending his streak of penalty goals that had begun in 2003.

England haven’t won in Australia since that man kicked a heartbreaker in 2003, and their last trip to Australia saw them crucified 43 – 18 at what is now Etihad Stadium. With current captain Steven Borthwick all but ruled out for the tour, the English may be led down under by Lewis “Mad Dog” Moody. The travel will be an issue for them, as they are set to play two games in Perth before getting steel-toed back to Gosford for a midweek game, then winding up in Sydney, before leaving Australia to end their tour against the NZ Maori.

(Edit: England Australasian Tour Squad of 44 picked; see Lance’s article here )

Ireland
Ireland stole a 20-all draw last time these two sides met in their match at Croke Park, with Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll scoring in the 79th minute to wreck the Wallabies Grand Slam party. Ireland have experienced a resurgence since their embarassment at the 2007 RWC, bouncing back to win the Six Nations in 2009 and be runners up this year. 16 Irish players were selected in the British and Irish Lions squad that toured South Africa last year.

The last time Ireland played in Australia was an 18-12 victory for Australia in match that featured a spirited performance by the Irish. Many of the players in this game are still core members of the Irish side, now seasoned veterans having experienced tours, 6 Nations and the B&IL Tour last year. The two tests against England might be an opportunity to test some new combinations, but the game against Ireland will be tough. Ireland play New Zealand two weeks before their clash against the Wallabies, and one would assume they will come to Australia and acclimatise. The Irish team will be fresh and rareing to go- expect a trasher.

If the Irish bring a top team to play a top Wallabies team, it should be an absolute cracker.

Fiji
In between World Cups, Fiji are usually an unknown quantity. In 2009, the IRB designated that June was a Global Release Period, so the Fijian players in European clubs are available for selection- this is a big win from both a rugby and a marketing perspective. They may not be picked, but some players that are available for selection include Napolioni Nalaga, Deacon Manu, Nicky Little and Mosese Rauluni.

The last outing the Fijian team had was last years EOYT’s, but the coaching staff claimed that the IRB did not help them gain access to Fijian players tied up in their club teams in France, which the IRB denied. Regardless, the Fijian team was competitive against Scotland, going down 23 – 10 at Murrayfield, but they were demolished the following by Scotland 41 – 6.  The last time Fiji played the Wallabies they were spanked 49 – 0 at Subiaco.

Fiji have the ability, when at full strength, to be giant killers. This was obvious in the RWC 07. A full strength Fijian team will provide an exciting and testing fixture, and a good start for the Wallabies Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.

Timetable

05-06-2010    7:30pm    Qantas Wallabies v Fiji    Canberra Stadium, Canberra

08-06-2010    7:00pm    Australian Barbarians v England    Members Equity Stadium, Perth

12-06-2010    6:00pm    Qantas Wallabies v England    Subiaco Oval, Perth

15-06-2010    7:30pm    Australian Barbarians v England    Central Coast Stadium, Gosford

19-06-2010    8:00pm    Qantas Wallabies v England    ANZ Stadium, Sydney

26-06-2010    8:00pm    Qantas Wallabies v Ireland    Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Saturday’s clash between the CA Brumbies and the Otago Highlanders will mark the end of a journey for two outstanding servants to the Brumbies – George Smith and Stirling Mortlock. Smith will most likely be heading to an overseas club, whilst Mortlock will taking up a 3 year contract with the Melbourne Rebels. Despite a recent injury George Smith will take his place in the team, meanwhile a recurring back injury has denied Mortlock the proper farewell he deserves.

Both men have played in the blue, white and yellowof the Brumbies for over a decade, in an era where loyalty is largely unheard of. Both were products of NSW and came down to Canberra for a chance after being overlooked to represent NSW. This chance saw both players take the field over 100 times for the Brumbies, which puts them in esteemed company alongside the names of George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Jeremy Paul and Bill Young.

After making his Brumbies debut off the bench in 2000, Smith’s virtually indestructible body has allowed him to twice have streaks of playing over 50 games in a row for the Brumbies. He has won the Brett Robinson Medal for the Brumbies Best and Fairest 8 times and, incredibly, the last 7 years in a row.

The shoulder injury he sustained in 2010 has been the most serious of his career and has sidelined him for the past 6 weeks , however his team mates will be relieved that someone else might get a chance to win it this year.

George may not be the biggest talker on or off the field, but some of the actions ‘Jorge’ has displayed will ensure he will forever be in etched Brumbies folklore.

Stirling Mortlock debuted for the Brumbies in 1998 as a ‘naive youngster with a full head of hair’ and leaves the Brumbies ‘mature in many aspects, but bald..or receding’. His disregard for the preservation of his body has been the hallmark of his career with devestating runs and rib crunching tackles. Unfortunately, this style of play saw him cruelly ruled out of the Brumbies Super Rugby titles of 2001 and 2004 through injury.

‘Stirlo ‘will leave the Brumbies with numerous point scoring records, including surpassing Andrew Mehrtens’ record of 990 and was the first player to reach 1,000 points in Super Rugby. He can also include over 50 tries which puts him up amongst the Super Rugby leaders.

Thank you George and Stirling, you will be missed by Brumbies fans!

Start making your predictions for the Super 14 week 13.

You can make predictions by commenting on this post or joining the forum thread HERE.

Week 13 Super 14 Fixtures

07 May	Hurricanes	Reds	Wellington	09:35
07 May	Bulls	Crusaders	Pretoria	19:10
08 May	Chiefs	Waratahs	Hamilton	09:35
08 May	Brumbies	Highlanders	Canberra	11:40
08 May	Lions	Blues	Johannesburg	15:00
08 May	Cheetahs	Force	Bloemfontein	17:05
08 May	Sharks	Stormers	Durban	19:10

RugbyShout.com Member Predictions:

Tiny Brussow:
Highlanders28 v 25Waratahs 09:35
Stormers22 v 18Crusaders 19:10
Hurricanes32 v 25Chiefs 09:35
Brumbies19 v 23Reds 11:40
Cheetahs20 v 29Blues 15:00
Lions21 v 20Western Force 17:05
Bulls38 v 32The Sharks 19:10
Reply (2) Favorite

Coach:

1. highlanders 21 – Tahs 32
2. Stormers 35 – Crusaders 18
3. Hurricanes 9 – Chiefs 20
4. Brumbies 23 – Reds 30
5. Cheetahs 18 – Blues 21
6. Lions 21 – Force 21
7. Bulls 26 – Sharks 27

Super 14 Week 12 Fixtures:

30 April	Highlanders	Waratahs	Invercargill	09:35
30 April	Stormers	Crusaders	Cape Town	19:10
01 May	Hurricanes	Chiefs	Wellington	09:35
01 May	Brumbies	Reds	Canberra	11:40
01 May	Cheetahs	Blues	Bloemfontein	15:00
01 May	Lions	Force	Johannesburg	17:05
01 May	Bulls	Sharks	Pretoria	19:10

Brumbies coach Andy Friend says that he had expected more from the Brumbies in what turned out to be their first loss in nine matches at Canberra Stadium at the hands of the Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium.

Here at RugbyShout it’s all about providing you with choice. We’ve been collecting Super 14 week 9 predictions from some of the most prominent rugby blogs around the interweb. Take a look down below.

1. From TheRugbyBlog.co.uk

Game 52: Chiefs v Bulls: Bulls by 6
Game 53: Highlanders v Force: Force by 5
Game 54: Blues v Stormers: Blues by 13
Game 55: Crusaders v Waratahs: Crusaders by 7
Game 56: Brumbies v Cheetahs: Brumbies by 17
Game 57: Lions v Reds: Reds by 8

2. From SuperSport.com

Bulls by 8 to 12. (Against Chiefs)

Force by the narrowest of margins (Highlanders)

Blues to win by less than 7. (Against Stormers)

Crusaders to win by between 3 and 12. (Against Tahs)

 Brumbies to win by between 8 and 18. (Against Cheetahs)

Reds by 10 to 15. (Against Lions)

3. From Ougrote.com

Friday 9 April

Chiefs v Bulls (Hamilton RSA 09:35)

Saturday 10 April

Highlanders v Western Force (Queenstown RSA 04:30)
Blues v Stormers (Auckland RSA 07:30)
Crusaders v Waratahs (Christchurch RSA 09:35)
Brumbies v Cheetahs (Canberra RSA 11:40)
Lions v Reds (Johannesburg RSA 19:10)

Remember you can also add your predictions to RugbyShout by simply posting a comment or joining the forum discussion. Post your predictions for week 9 on this post or your week 10 predictions at this post.