Tag: Rugby League

Luckless Samoa Denied At The Death (Four Nations)

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England and Samoa were the unlucky teams in a pair of nail-biting finishes rarely seen in International Rugby League.

Both sides outplayed their highly fancied opponents and deserved upset wins only to be cruelly denied in the last moments.

New Zealand v Samoa

Shaun Kenny-Dowall’s late try was enough to sink a passionate Samoan effort in the Whangarei sun on Saturday afternoon.  In a game often lacking in quality, but featuring plenty of aggression, the complacent Kiwis were rocked by a powerful Samoan forward pack and riot running / fearsome haircut centre Joey Leilua.

Samoa were the better starters and took a surprise but deserved lead from a Tautau Moga breakaway try.  Moga had been suspended from the first week of games because of a nightclub incident, and his touchline dash may have mimicked his actions avoiding police of the fateful night in question.

The Samoans, who were paying $3 just to lead at any stage, played huge Bronco’s forward Josh McGuire at hooker for the opening stanza, and controlled played nicely through the usually erratic Ben Roberts.  New Zealand on the other hand showed none of their week one Four Nations form; they were untidy, and lacked imagination and spark in the attacking third.

The win for the Kiwi’s was less about their escape, but more about what Samoa achieved.  There is much to admire about the side that in one game have done plenty for the global game.  They have easily made the biggest impact of any of the fourth teams to play in the Four Nations.

New Zealand have not played well in either game so consider England a chance next week.

England v Australia

A finger nail was all that separated the sides on Sunday night in Melbourne.  A fiercely debated TMO decision that went against the English has made their qualifying path to the final much tougher.  The try / no try call came in the dying stages and saw winger Ryan Hall half force the ball and half smack it over the dead ball line while chasing a Liam Farrell grubber.  It probably wasn’t a try in my view, but it was a fortuitous Four Nations escape for the mediocre Aussies.

England dominated the first half; playing with width and enterprise they tired the Australian team who went into the break behind and risking a place in the Four Nations final.  Daryl Clark again ignited the English attack, leading to tries for Kallum Watkins and Ryan Hall.  Unfortunately for the sunburn susceptible English they went into their shell in the second stanza and were left exposed to a quicker ruck initiated by debutant Ben Hunt.

Discipline also let England down as referee Cameron Smith Gerard Sutton penalised heavily as the game’s momentum shifted.  In other highlights: Cameron Smith was man of the match, Ben Hunt was terrific and must play against Samoa, Greg Inglis scores tries for fun, and Sam Tomkins has a questionable new thigh tattoo.

Expect Aussie to put 40 on Samoa next week when the Four Nations picks its finalists.

 

 

Kiwi’s Stun Dizzy Kangaroos (Four Nations)

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The Four Nations got underway on Saturday night with a pair of captivating rugby league matches that lived up to the pre match hype and rewarded the huge Suncorp Stadium crowd.

In the showpiece match the Kiwi’s upset an injured and disorientated Australian team to record their first victory over their fierce rivals for four years.  That match followed a Samoa / England curtain raiser that defied the tag to deliver a contest befitting of its own feature.

The Four Nations is now much more than a one horse race; the Australians look vulnerable.

Australia v New Zealand

In a match of high drama but little quality New Zealand exploited some Australian rustiness to surprise the Rugby League World and win 30-18.  Australia, already without a number of key players also lost Daly Cherry Evans and Greg Inglis half way through the game to injury and illness.  The injuries turned the Australian into rabbles. Robbie Farah and Cameron Smith jumped between hooker and the haves, Dylan Walker made a number of errors filling in at fullback, and Aidan Guerra couldn’t stop the Kangaroo’s frail defence when he moved into the centres.  The changes were too much for the Australians; their completion rate suffered, and they failed to score a point after the 21st minute.

But the night belonged to a gutsy New Zealand side that, to be fair, weren’t without their own personnel setbacks.  The Kiwi’s responded well to periods of the game where they should’ve gone behind, should’ve dropped their heads.  The first was Beau Scott’s soft minute try, which was closely followed by Jason Nightingale butchering a try over the line.  Kiwi teams of yesteryear would have given it away, but Steven Kearney’s 2014 version responded brilliantly with tries to Kevin Procter and Lewis Brown either side of another soft effort from Greg Inglis.

The second half saw the Kiwis take advantage of more Australian mistakes and in turn play with a lot more confidence and enterprise.  The offloads of Jesse Bromwich and Adam Blair allowed the likes of Shaun Johnson and Keiran Foran to run at a broken defensive line to make the inroads which stretched the lead.  Dean Whare, Shaun Johnson and Jason Nightingale all crossed the line to extend the winning margin to the biggest win over their rivals since the 24-0 win in the 2005 Four Nations final.

The Kiwi’s will take a heap of confidence from their dazzling display, and will take heart in the fact that the rest of the tournament is to be played on home soil.  The win should also galvanise the belief in a number of squad members who had yet to experience a wine against the Kangaroos.

England v Samoa

As the beaten semi-finalists at last years Rugby League World Cup England should have been too strong for the tournament debutants, however they only narrowly avoided a shock loss to Samoa.  Samoa’s stirring effort in going down 26-32 proved their inclusion in the Four Nations was justified.  Feeding off a passionate Samoan based crowd the NRL-packed Samoan line up tested their more favoured opponents and even lead by 2 with 19 minutes remaining.  England did just enough; led by outstanding talisman James Graham and experienced pivot Gareth Widdop they were ultimately too strong.

The English exerted most of their pressure through reigning Super League Man of Steele Daryl Clark who was a constant threat with ball in hand, while the Tomkins brothers (Sam and Joel) also combined well and both crossed for tries.

For the unlucky Samoan’s they’ll be better for the experience and will also get the chance to make adjustments to their side and reintroduce their suspended stars.  One such change should be the inclusion of Pita Godinet who provided a real spark from dummy half and kept his side in the game with two well-taken tries.  Frank Pritchard was immense too.  His switch of allegiance will add massive value to the Samoan Four Nations campaign.  Their efforts to back up their dazzling first up effort will be interesting to watch.

We’ll review Week Two of the Four Nations later in the week.

 

Four Nations Rugby League Preview

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The shock of Jarryd Hayne’s ambitious move to NFL has been the only Rugby League talking point over the past few weeks (aside from a great piece I read on Foxsports about what NRL players get up to in the off-season – it’s mainly partying in Vegas and Cancu by the way), but all that’s about to change with the start of the Four Nations on Saturday night.

All four teams are in action when the tournament kicks off with a double header in Brisbane. Teams include: the dominant but injury hit Australians, the forever bridesmaid Kiwi’s, the warm beer preferring English, and Samoa – who we’ll see if they can fight as well on the rugby field as they can in nightclubs.

The Four Nations tournament probably sits below the World Cup in terms of importance to Rugby League and this year has seen a number of NRL clubs withdraw players who they feel are fatigued or at risk of further injury during the tournament. The withdrawals prove that the financial rewards of representing your country in a one-off tournament are far inferior to the riches of the NRL salary cap, which may see an increase in club v country tensions in future years.

The tournament won’t be without stars though, as the remaining cream of the Rugby League crop contribute to an intriguing spectacle.

The Teams (As They Line Up For Week 1)

Australia: 1. Greg Inglis, 2. Josh Mansour, 3. Michael Jennings, 4. Dylan Walker, 5. Daniel Tupou, 6. Daly Cherry-Evans, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Cameron Smith (c), 10. Sam Thaiday, 11. Beau Scott, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Greg Bird.

Interchange: 14. Robbie Farah, 15. Aidan Guerra, 16. Josh Papalii, 17. Corey Parker, 18. Boyd Cordner, 19. David Klemmer, 20. Sione Mata’utia (three to be omitted).

Australia have an entire team injured in Thurston, Morris, Slater, Boyd, Scott, Tamou, Justin Hodges. Yet, in naming 11 debutants in their squad, they still appear to be the strongest team on paper. Australia has not lost a Test since the 2010 Four Nations final. It will take a monumental effort from the other three to get close, but the Four Nations opener at Suncorp is probably the best chance.

New Zealand: 1-Peta Hiku, 2-Jason Nightingale, 3-Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 4-Dean Whare, 5-Gerard Beale, 6-Kieran Foran, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Jesse Bromwich, 9-Thomas Leuluai, 10-Adam Blair, 11-Simon Mannering (captain), 12-Kevin Proctor, 13-Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14-Lewis Brown, 15-Greg Eastwood, 16-Martin Taupau, 17-Tohu Harris, 18-Suaia Matagi (one to be omitted).

Injuries have also hampered NZ’s build up. Waerea-Hargreaves, Moa, Matulino, Hurrell, Tuivasa-Sheck and McKendry have all been scratched, and Issac Luke is still suspended. The Kiwis haven’t beaten Australia in their last eight match-ups so will need to rely heavily on Jesse Bromwich and Jason Taumalolo to challenge the Australian forwards and go some way to reverse the recent trend. The interchange made up of only forwards suggests NZ would prefer the game to be played in the middle of the park and clearly see their strength in and around the ruck which is curious with Issac Luke’s absence.

England: 1. Sam Tomkins, 2. Josh Charnley, 3. Kallum Watkins, 4. Michael Shenton, 5. Ryan Hall, 6. Gareth Widdop, 7. Matty Smith, 8. George Burgess, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. James Graham (c), 11. Liam Farrell, 12. Joel Tomkins, 13. Joe Westerman.

Interchange: 14. Darryl Clark, 15. Brett Ferres, 16. Tom Burgess, 17. Chris Hill.

James Graham had a taste of captaincy in the NRL final and now gets to lead his countryman into an exciting battle against Samoa first up. Regular captain Sean O’Loughlin may return at some point during the Four Nations, but until then Graham and a host of other NRL stars are tasked with putting the loss of Sam Burgess to rugby at the back of Rugby League fan’s minds. NRL regulars including Sam Tomkins, The Burgess Twins, and Gareth Widdop are all included in a team that could upset weakened opponents in the Four Nations. They’ll need to see off the spirited Samoa side first that is equally packed with NRL talent.

Samoa: 1.Tim Simona 2. Antonio Winterstein 3. Ricky Leutele 4. Joey Leilua 5. Daniel Vidot 6. Ben Roberts 7. Kyle Stanley 8. Sam Tagaetese 9. Michael Sio 10. David Fa’alogo 11. Frank Pritchard 12. Leeson Ah Mau 13. Josh McGuire

Interchange: 14. Pita Godinet 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao 16. Isaac Liu 17. Mose Masoe 18. Dunamis Lui.

NRL fans will recognise most of the names in the Samoan squad. The powerhouse island nation will have plenty of support as the overwhelming underdogs, however they have given themselves the worst possible preparation thanks to a late night brawl culminating in the loss of three key players. The main concern for the talented side will ne in the halves. Ben Roberts and Kyle Stanley are polarising players who can influence games but can also produce errors. The loss of Tim Lafai is a bitter blow.

The Format

The Four Nations will run over four weeks. Each team will play each other once in the pool rounds with the top two nations contesting the final at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on November the 15th.

The Predictions

Winner – Australia – $1.35 – Luxbet

Outside Pick – Samoa v England Round 1 – Samoa $5 – Topbetta

To Score a Try Round 1 – NZ v Aus – Jason Taumalolo – $6 – Unibet

Top Tryscorer Four Nations – Josh Mansour $6.5 – bet365

NRL Grand Final Review

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Forty-three years of heartache has been replaced by an epic hangover for Michael MacGuire’s Rabbitohs team after they demolished (on the scoreboard at least, the actual game was slightly closer) the Bulldogs in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final.

The win reduced Greg Inglis to tears and Sam Burgess’ face to smithereens, but crucially it ends a dramatic drought in South Sydney silverware. The game itself always felt like it was going in South Sydney’s favour. They dominated possession; completed their sets well; looked more dangerous with ball in hand (in particular centres Walker and Auva’a). They even crossed for a disallowed try before finally getting on the score sheet through punters favourite Alex Johnston.

Despite dominating, Souths did not take all of their chances. Things were actually quite tight and still 6-6 after 55 minutes until George Burgess scored. For what it is worth, I actually thought George Burgess was better than Clive Churchill Medal brother Sam in this game. George too suffered the indignity of a head injury yet still managed a huge workload in just over 60 minutes.

George Burgess – 18 Hit Ups for 200m. 3 Tackle Busts. 1 Try. 21 Tackles

Sam Burgess – 22 Hit Ups for 207m. 31 Tackles.

Other than some Tony Williams busts the Bulldogs showed little penetration in attack. Trent Hodkinson went missing, and Josh Reynolds confused the times to run / kick. The weight of pressure eventually told on the Blue and White’s; as a result they fell away significantly in the final quarter. Souths were able to expose some big holes in the middle of the Bulldog’s defence, past a tiring James Graham and co who were struggling without the fortification provided by Mick Ennis.

The Rabbits win is a fair reflection on a great season; a deserved NRL Grand Final win. The turnaround from the 2006 wooden spoon season is nothing short of miraculous. Granted, Russell Crowe has thrown a load of money at the club (and its rumoured James Packer will too if he buys a stake), but take nothing away form a clearly dedicated team who appear to like each other and get on well. The post game emotion outlines a deep respect for the club members, and is in stark contrast to the dressing room scenes described by Kevin Pietersen in the England cricket team, proving camaraderie can heighten performance.

The bookies won’t be at all surprised by the result of the NRL Grand Final. They would have expected to pay out on the Rabbitohs, and on Sam Burgess taking home the Clive Churchill medal. Of my predictions last week none of them were useful; George Burgess scored the second try (not the first I had him for) meaning some sites may have offered money back; Adam Reynolds let us down, and the Bulldogs couldn’t muster first half points.

Souths’ victory brings an NRL season to an end, however the Four Nations tournament begins October 25.  I’ll report back in closer to the time with some tips for the tournament featuring Australia, NZ, England and Samoa.

NRL Grand Final Preview

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It has arrived. The conclusion to a competition that is consistently viewed as one of the most even in the World. The end of the constant headlines that the players attract for off field antics (think Mitchell Pearce, The ASADA Sharks, Todd Carney). And sans State of Origin, the pièce de résistance, of the Rugby League calendar.

The Grand Final.

South Sydney and Canterbury are both worthy finalists. They have been the epitome of finals footy. Calm, professional, dedicated and passionate. Despite paving a very different path to the finals; the Rabbitohs qualified third and even earned themselves a week off in the finals; the Bulldogs however stumbled into the playoffs when results went their way, but have fought back strongly to beat the Melbourne, Manly and Penrith; both teams are in with a chance of taking home the Provan-Summons Trophy.

Injury and suspension have added to the drama, and possibly gone some way as to even the scale. Isaac Luke who in my view is one of the most underrated rugby league players on the planet is suspended. Mick Ennis it seems has broken every bone in his foot. The manner in which the teams respond to the loss of their hooker’s may have a massive bearing on this game.

The talking points:

Rabbitohs: The Rabbitohs haven’t won an NRL Grand Final since 1971. Despite assembling an impressive squad over the past few seasons they are yet to put it together and deliver the silverware their members demand. 2014 might be one of their best opportunities if losing Ben Te’o is any indicator. The mix of seasoned professionals (Greg Inglis, Lote Tuqiri, Sam Burgess) and young guns (Luke Keary, Dylan Walker, Alex Johnston) has allowed the Rabbitohs to play an exciting brand of football, one that should be able to run over the Bulldogs in the second half. The only question marks I can see are over their ability to control the ruck without Isaac Luke, and the lack of big game experience (just Inglis and Tuqiri have played in grand finals).

Bulldogs: Des Hasler may end being the best NRL coach of all time. His ability to get the best out of ball playing forwards has been the basis of strong finals runs for both his former Manly side and current Bulldogs crop. James Graham and Josh Jackson are prime examples of the types of players that work well in Dessies setup. But they’ll need a fast start to conquer the strong second half abilities of the Rabbitohs. That task gets though only gets harder without Ennis’ tackling and leadership. Carrying the weight will inevitably fall on the halves pairing of Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson. Their battle with Adam Reynolds will also have a big influence on the result.

Where’s The Money? The money is on the Rabbits. Punters have put down double the amount on the Rabbits ($1.42) than the Bulldogs ($3) to win the NRL Grand Final. This is pretty surprising given the teams shared one win each during the regular season match-ups and both were settled by less than 8 points. Lots of money being placed on the Clive Churchill medal winner too. Sam Burgess is the joint-favourite at $4, but Greg Inglis has received plenty of attention at $4 too.

Our Pick: I really want there to be a reason to pick the Bulldogs. I like the odds. I like the way their forwards play. However, I also know that grand finals are often won by moments of brilliance (Benji Marhsall, Keiran Foran) and not pure grit. South Sydney have the x-factor; the players capable of blowing a game open. They’ve also been hugely impressive in the last few weeks. Although I think the Bulldogs is worth a punt if you have a spare tenner, save the big money for the Rabbitohs. By 12.

Cheeky: Adam Reynolds for Clive Churchill at $9. George Burgess for first try at $21. Bulldogs at half time, Rabbitohs at full time $6.50.

*Odds courtesy of TAB.

NRL Week Two Finals Review 2014

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As sports seasons draw to a close writers have usually exhausted most of their superlatives, commentators have generally already proclaimed events to be the ‘best ever’, and newspapers have previously run their best headlines.

But then Friday night’s game comes along.

Reigning premiers meet perennial underdogs.   World’s best Rugby League player (RLPA Players’ Award) meets (arguably) World’s best crossover rugby player. 30-Nil after thirty minutes. 30 all after 57 minutes. 31-30 full time after a winning try in the final minutes is ruled out.

Therein lies the hallmarks of an absolute classic. A game that deserves the superlatives, the headlines and the title of best ever. This was an absolute classic and the more I watch this seasons NRL the more I feel each and every single game from here on in is going to go the same way.

Saturday’s game was exactly the same. Who would have predicted both semi finals being settled by a solitary point?

Here’s a review of the action from Week Two of the NRL Finals 2014:

Roosters v Cowboys

The unlucky Cowboys may rue the performance of Gavin Badger and the video ref in denying what would have been a game-winning try, but the truth is there were a number of moments that cost them this one. A horror start had the cowboys down by thirty after a flat start and a number of Michael Morgan mistakes. Much like the Cowboys did to the Broncos the weak before, the Roosters were dominant with James Maloney scoring one and having a hand in three others.

Enter Johnathan Thurston (Matt Scott wasn’t bad either).   Thurston got the Cowboys back into the contest with a spirited display of leadership, but in his own view contributed a couple of mistakes that may have influenced the game. He had the option of two points just before half time that in the end proved crucial, and he failed to see Morgan on his inside when he made a break in the second half which would have led to an inevitable 6 points. To marginalise Thurston though is unfair. Games of this ilk do not need villains, they simply need appreciation and no doubt this game had that by the bucket load.

Manly v Bulldogs 

This season the Bulldogs have been the masters of the one point victory. On three occasions, in fact on three consecutive occasions, the Bulldogs have escaped thanks to the boot of Trent Hodkinson or Josh Reynolds and Saturday night was no different. Trent Hodkinson kicked a golden point field goal (his second of the night) to separate his team from the Manly Sea Eagles in another pulsating encounter.

Mirroring the earlier game, the Bulldogs made a fast start but as the Sea Eagles came back strongly, a Mick Ennis brain snap almost had the Brookvale outfit entering yet another finals series. Englishman James Graham enjoyed another silky skilled outing, as did the back three for the Bulldogs who all got their name on the scoresheet. Sam Perrett’s unlikely heroism (he also set up a try for Corey Thompson) means he’ll get another week on centre stage at the expense of Manly’s Brett Stewart who also scored in his 200th NRL match. Although Sam Perrett’s singing voice (YouTube it if you don’t believe me) is worth centre stage by itself.

In the end, Manly simply missed both Watmough and a quality hooker to help control the ruck. Their battling spirit kept them alive but not so far as to meet Penrith next week.

Check back in next week to see the odds on two more one-point results.