The Ruck and Maul Update
Welcome back!
The Ruck and Maul will be unavailable between 26 October and 5 November.
I will post further news Rugby news and results when I return.
George Smith wins 2008 John Eales Medal
George Smith has won the John Eales Medal for the second time after a sensational international season where he was a standout in every match he played for the Wallabies.
George Smith is the only player to have won the award twice after winning the inaugural award in 2002.
George Smith finished first on 205 votes, beating Wycliff Palu on 184 and Matt Giteau on 183 votes. Rocky Elsom and Stirling Mortlock came fourth and fifth respectively.
Peter Hynes was announced as the Rookie of the Year.
All Blacks and England to play for Hillary Shield
In a move to commemorate the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the All Blacks and England will play for the inaugural Hillary Shield when they take on each other at Twickenham on 29 November.
The new Hillary Shield could one day develop a reputation like the Bledisloe Cup contested between Australian and New Zealand in Rugby?
Wallabies struck with injuries
The Wallabies continue to struggle under the weight of injuries as two more front line players have fallen and will be unavailable for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup clash against New Zealand in Hong Kong.
Peter Kimlin strained his quad in training while luckless Hugh McMeniman rolled his ankle in a vigourous training session under the coaching of Robbie Deans.
Deans has been putting the Wallabies through a series of rigourous training sessions that has pushed the players to the limit in the aim of getting the players prepared for a tough european tour that will test the improvements of the Australian game in the last six months.
The Wallabies will depart for Hong Kong in less than two weeks time.
Watch Live Rugby
I have been checking out where you can watch live rugby on the net lately and I have found what I believe to be the best service available.
As any sports fan, or rugby fan in particular will know there is nothing quite like watching live rugby. Well at RugbyZone you can do just that. For a nominal fee you can check out live rugby from the Currie Cup in South Africa to the Air New Zealand Cup, Tri-Nations, Six-Nations, Bledisloe Cup etc.
All these live Rugby matches can we watched and enjoyed. If you want to just watch one game you can do that or if you want to see a range of matches you can watch a whole season of Rugby such as watching the Six Nations live or Tri-Nations live.
I have attached a link below to check out as I cannot recommend this site any more highly, they even feature free rugby footage.
Do yourself a favour and check it out today and signup to watch your favourite rugby. I have.
Tri-Nations - New Zealand 28 Australia 24
The All Blacks came from a 17-7 deficit early in the second half to storm home to win 28-24 in a sensational Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup decider.
The All Blacks were near dead and buried with the Wallabies leading 17-7 until coach Graham Henry inspired the All Blacks with three key positional changes bringing on Weepu, Donald and Mealamu. The masterstroke changed the tide of the match as the All Blacks through fresh legs scored three tries in a row through sheer weight of possession and dominating the breakdown.
The All Blacks were dominating and the Wallabies had no answers only bringing on fresh legs in the last 10 minutes. at this stage the match was virtually gone. The Wallabies scored a late Ryan Cross try and with less than two minutes remaining the Wallabies trailed 28-24. The Wallabies were deep in attack but the ball was turned over at the breakdown and the match was lost.
The All Blacks had recliamed the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup for 2008.
The match started promisingly for the All Blacks with an early lead 7-0 through a Mils Mulieana try. The Wallabies dominated possession in the first half as Carter and McCaw were neutralised. It was not until just before half-time that the Wallabies scored with a fantastic try to Adam Ashley-Cooper. The Wallabies went into the break 10-7 leaders.
Apart from the first few minutes of the second half where the Wallabies looked like they could have runaway with the match the All Blacks soon upped a few gears and eventually took the match out with a greater degree of tactical nous and determination at the breakdown.
On a losing side George Smith did everything to nullify McCaw and did but ended up on the losing side. The Wallaby forwards were sensational, Sharpe and Horwill were exceptional and Richard Brown who replaced Palu in the first half has a long future with a great performance off the bench with a high workrate and hard running. Ryan Cross and Adam Ashley-Cooper constantly challenged the defence with direct running and evasive skills.
The All Blacks were well served by the replacements Weepu, Donald and Mealamu who added zest off the bench. Kaino was also strong with some massive hits and constant involvement. It was hard not to be impressed with the team effort from the All Blacks, what makes them different to other teams is they know how to dig deep and play for each other. The All Blacks were deserving winners on the night.
The less said about the pathetic effort from the referee Kaplan the better.
New Zealand 28
Tries: Mils Mulieana, Tony Woodcock, Piri Weepu, Dan Carter
Goals: Dan Carter 4 conversions
Australia 24
Tries: Adam Ashley-Cooper, James Horwill, Ryan Cross
Goals: Matt Giteau 3 conversions, penalty
Wallabies Profile - Richard Brown
RIchard Brown, 24, was born in August 1984 and made his first class debut against the Brumbies for the Western Force in 2006. Brown is 189cm tall and weights 101 kgs. Brown has collected 32 Super Rugby caps in his three years with the Western Force.
Brown is a tough and uncompromising flanker who can play anywhere in the backrow. His height makes him a lineout candidate and his aggressive tackling and hard running has made him one of the best at the Western Force. 2008 was his breakout year and provided Richard Brown with a call-up to the Wallabies training squad in May.
Brown will make his debut for the Wallabies off the bench against the All Blacks in the final Tri-Nations match of the summer and is likely to represent Australia alot more over the coming years.
The Ruck and Maul - Competition
Our viewers have six days to go until The Ruck and Maul draws draws it’s first competition winner. The George Gregan book Halfback, Half Forward is the prize and will be given away to one lucky subscriber to The Ruck and Maul.
What do you need to do to be in the chance to win this book? Well simply signup to The Ruck and Maul Mailing list. I will not inundate you with emails, just a semi-regular email with Rugby news or results and regular giveaways.
The winner will receive an email from me on Sunday 14th September Australian time confirming mailing address and details. I wish you all luck. The next prize will be announced in the next few weeks with the the prize to be drawn in the middle to end of October.
So if you have not joined up yet then what are you waiting for???
The Ruck and Maul Mailing List: Competition
The Ruck and Maul has recently released a mailing list to provide the latest news while giving our mailing list subscribers the opportunity to win free gifts and enter rugby competitions to win rugby merchandise.
The first giveaway is the new George Gregan Autobiography Halfback, Half Forward released on 26 August. The Ruck and Maul will randomly select a person who has joined our mailing list before 14 September and will announce the winner on 15 September. The book will be sent to the winner anywhere in the world.
If you are keen to gain a chance to win this and you have not joined The Ruck and Maul Mailing List yet then join now for your chance to win.
The Ruck and Maul will regularly provide giveaways and free rugby merchandise so don’t miss you chance to win.
Simply complete the Mailing List for with your name, email and who you support and hit Submit.
Rugby Poll: Best Openside Flanker
The Ruck and Maul’s new Rugby Poll is on the best openside flanker in world rugby. Every year the question is posted, who is the best openside flanker?
More often than not it has been Richie McCaw in recent years but Australian’s George Smith and Phil Waugh have shown they are more than capable of going toe to toe with the All Black captain.
Let’s not forget Schalk Burger from the Springboks, Burger has been sensational since he came onto the scene and is as tough as nails which is a key attrbute of a world class openside flanker.
Even Lewis Moody has delivered at the highest stage for the English team and earnt the tag Mad Dog Moody in the process. So who is the best openside flanker in world rugby?
Vote in The Ruck and Maul Poll and share your thoughts in our comments section. Do you have a favourite openside flanker not on the poll, share what makes them the best in the world at their craft.