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Zander Fagerson becomes the second Scotland player to pull out of the British and Irish Lions side to face Japan at Murrayfield on Saturday. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57595699 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-v-japan-zander-fagerson-replaced-by-tadhg-furlong/

Wales flanker Justin Tipuric comes into the British and Irish Lions side to play Japan on Saturday after Scotland's Hamish Watson is ruled out by a training-ground concussion. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57582450 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-v-japan-justin-tipuric-replaces-hamish-watson-in-line-up/

Wallabies halfback Nic White is out of next month’s Test series against France, while fellow veterans Matt Toomua and James O’Connor are also battling injuries, potentially robbing the side of almost 150 Test caps. White has returned home to Canberra after suffering a MCL injury at training during their Gold Coast camp, and Toomua is already there with his injury being checked by Rugby Australia’s chief medical officer, Warren McDonald. Toomua is expected to rejoin the squad on Sunday with the Wallabies hopeful the playmaker will be available for the first Test on July 7. O’Connor, who has carried the injury from Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, is being managed through training but the five-eighth is expected to play. With White out, Queensland’s Tate McDermott is now set for his first Test start after two matches off the bench, while Brumbies No.9 Ryan Lonergan is likely to make his debut. Waratahs halfback Jake Gordon is in camp but is also recovering from a MCL injury and remains an ...

The British and Irish Lions will have eight debutants in their team to face Japan on Saturday. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57567198 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-eight-debutants-to-face-japan/

Any enigma about the physical preparation and the evolution of the Springboks’ game will be revealed when they face the British and Irish Lions. Given the Springboks have not participated in any competitions since the end of 2019, and with most of their key players playing abroad, it is difficult to analyze the medium-term prospects that would deposit them at the gates of the Rugby Championship 2021. In principle, one of the keys to dismantling the South African defensive game lies in avoiding or controlling the rapid pressure they exert through no’s. 6-8 and no. 9: fast and direct through the shortest channel until crashing into the opponent’s attack. Physicality on the occasion of contact is the central axis of the South African strategy, with almost 98 per cent effectiveness in ruck and 85 per cent in positive tackles. At the last Rugby World Cup in 2019, the Springboks left their qualifying group behind by playing good rugby but mostly focused on the potential to score points....

What used to be one of the most anticipated moments of my life has now evolved into a modicum of enthusiasm. It may be because I am now a New Zealander living in Australia where the media attention for rugby is so much less than NZ, but I feel that the naming of the All Blacks squad is less of a big deal than previously. And no, I have not become an AFL fan, I have tried hard to like it and know enough to fake a conversation, but still do not get the enthusiasm for it. I remember the heated debates with mates and fellow workers as to who would make the team and there was always a “Pick the All Blacks” competition running somewhere. If the team named by the public could ever take the field who knows what the result would be. I would say that several Kiwis could pick a better team than what Ian Foster and co have just done. I believe I never ever managed to select the whole squad as named by selectors but did come close. There was always a bolter in there. Bolters usually do not wo...

Tom Youngs accepts a charge of disrespecting a match official during Leicester's game with Bristol in June. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57554547 https://therugbystore.com.au/tom-youngs-leicester-hooker-accepts-two-week-ban-for-disrespecting-match-official/

Manu Tuilagi is included in Eddie Jones' updated 36-player England squad for their summer Tests against the USA and Canada. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57547865 https://therugbystore.com.au/manu-tuilagi-england-coach-eddie-jones-adds-sale-centre-to-squad-for-july-tests/

Harlequins stage a thrilling fightback from 28-0 down to beat Bristol after extra time and reach the Premiership final. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57484199 https://therugbystore.com.au/premiership-semi-final-bristol-bears-36-43-harlequins-aet-quins-reach-twickenham-after-stunning-fightback/

This article is in response to the recent article by Brett McKay highlighting calls by various coaches and personalities to bring back the NRC. Apart from the obvious fact Rugby Australia doesn’t have the money to reprise the NRC – or ARC, for that matter – I’ve always disputed its legitimacy on the grounds it duplicated unnecessary resources. Southern hemisphere rugby, including Australian rugby, took a wrong turn back in 1995. Everything they’ve done since has created extra expenses, required extra funds, which in turn meant seeking out extra, impractical revenue streams that were unnecessary. How for example, is it a victory for South African Super Rugby teams to move offshore to Europe, to be soon followed presumedly by the Springboks? Back in 1995 the southern hemisphere had a structural set-up that was close to perfect. What it required was fleshing out and building upon the solid footings and foundations already long established, not displacing them, as occurred when the gam...

The inaugural Super Rugby Trans-Tasman season is done and dusted, so we’re counting down the days until the international fixtures kick off in this week’s edition of Coach’s Corner. Every Friday, our rugby analyst here on The Roar , Nick Bishop, answers your questions about the goings-on across the rugby world Miss the latest issue of Coach’s Corner? Catch up right here! With the first Test against France now just a fortnight away, all eyes turn to the Wallabies as they prepare to try and stun France at the SCG. The European powerhouse won’t be at full strength, thanks to results in the Top 14; Toulouse’s semi-final win meaning stars Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, among others, won’t make it through Australia’s overseas quarantine in time for the first Test at least. Do the Aussies have a chance of getting the jump on Les Bleus? Or will their All Blacks-esque squad depth hold the visitors in good stead? In other Wallabies news, captain Michael Hooper has issued a warning that ...

Former British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton backs Warren Gatland to cement his legacy in South Africa. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57505885 https://therugbystore.com.au/british-and-irish-lions-2021-sam-warburton-backs-warren-gatland-to-make-history/

It’s the question that just won’t go away: should Australian rugby’s overseas contingent be eligible to play for the Wallabies? The argument fired up again this week with the announcement of the first Test squad for 2021. Feelings run hot on both sides. Those championing head coach Dave Rennie’s ‘local only’ approach fear a stampede for the exit if eligibility restrictions end. On the other hand, after a run of less-than-stellar results over the past couple of decades, others believe the Wallabies simply can’t afford to exclude our overseas elite – particularly with players increasingly making the move abroad in their peak years. Imagine what Rory Arnold, Tolu Latu and Sean McMahon would bring to the Wallabies, they argue. South Africa picked players from wherever and won a World Cup. Why can’t that be us? Making a choice: Then and now 30 years ago, Wallabies fans lived in fear of the next headline announcing that this rugby star or that emerging talent had signed to play league. ...

Saracens take a huge step towards returning to the Premiership by thrashing Ealing 60-0 in the first leg of the Championship play-off final. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57443588 https://therugbystore.com.au/championship-play-off-final-ealing-trailfinders-0-60-saracens-ruthless-sarries-close-in-on-premiership-return/

Fourteen-man Exeter produce a superb comeback to beat Sale and secure a home semi-final against the Sharks next Saturday. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57439127 https://therugbystore.com.au/premiership-exeter-chiefs-20-19-sale-sharks-14-man-chiefs-fight-back-to-seal-home-semi-final/

And then there were two – and perhaps not the two we all expected. The final round of the trans-Tasman competition has been and gone, and the suffering of Aussie fans can finally stop – well until the Bledisloe at least. The results this weekend might have been expected – another clean sweep for the Kiwi sides – but there’s plenty to talk about, so let’s get stuck in. Brad Thorn will be ropeable You wouldn’t want to be around Brad Thorn much this weekend after Friday night’s game. Take your pick of reasons why. My best guess is that while he might want to rip the referee a new one for the two yellow card decisions – more on them later – it’ll be his own players that he’s most frustrated by. Forty-eight missed tackles – 48! Just think this through for a second – the Hurricanes had only 41 per cent of the possession. The ball is in play for roughly 35 minutes out of the game. The Canes therefore had the ball in hand for 15 minutes in the whole game. In those 15 minutes the Reds misse...

The NSW Waratahs have endured a winless Super Rugby season for the first time after falling 35-7 to the Chiefs in Sydney. Winger Sean Wainui bagged four tries as the Chiefs consigned the Waratahs to an unprecedented winless campaign with a record-extending 13th straight defeat on Saturday night. A dislocated shoulder to classy centre Izaia Perese only compounded the Tahs’ woes and provided a selection headache for Wallabies coach Dave Rennie in the process. Far and away the Waratahs’ best performer this year, Perese would almost certainly have been named in Rennie’s squad on Sunday for the looming three-Test series with France. But the powerhouse midfielder came off a sorry second-best after a late first-half tackle on Chiefs opposite number Alex Nankivell. “It (the tackle) didn’t have to be made,” former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said during commentary on Stan. “We saw it previously in some of the clips – Izzy Perese going in making tackles he doesn’t need to. “And if you ...

Leinster bring down the curtain on their season with an easy win over Dragons in front of 1,200 returning fans at the RDS. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57415681 https://therugbystore.com.au/leinster-38-7-dragons-fans-return-as-leinster-end-season-with-comfortable-win/

The Brumbies have failed to take a second Kiwi scalp, disappointingly falling to the Highlanders in their Friday night Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash in Canberra. The Australian heavyweights were hopeful of backing up last week’s win over the high-flying Hurricanes, but were outplayed 33-12. The bonus point win sent the men from Dunedin to the top of the ladder, with the two leading teams at the end of the round playing off in the final next Saturday. All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith orchestrated the victory with a try in each half while he also set up another for winger Sio Tomkinson and was delighted to finish the regular season without a loss. “I’m over the moon, a little bit shocked,” Smith told Stan Sport. “In that last six minutes we did everything to give the game away and I’m really proud of the boys to hang in there. “We’ve given it our best shot to make the final – we’ve won five in a row and I’m absolutely pumped.” (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images) The Brumbies we...

Eddie Jones compared his latest squad selection to playing a game of roulette as he looks to unearth some new stars for the future. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57432221 https://therugbystore.com.au/england-boss-eddie-jones-eyes-pretty-open-to-identifying-new-talent-in-july-tests/

While the tournament is not over yet, with four rounds of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman elapsed, we can firmly say that the New Zealand teams have far outperformed their Australian counterparts in various aspects of the game. Let’s go directly to the relationship that we can establish between the number of tries and the points in dispute. In Round 1, Rebels-Blues gave an exaggerated measure for the projection of the strengths of the game. The match ended 50-3 in favour of the Blues and yielded a difference of 47 points: so far, the largest margin of the Trans-Tasman. In that same order, it is followed by the 36-point margin in favour of the Highlanders in their clash against the Waratahs. With an average of 35 points, the differences favour the New Zealand sides. On average, the differences of the Australians, who counted on the victories of the Reds and Brumbies, are presented at -5 points – it’s a difficult image to tolerate, right? More Rugby ...

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions wing Shane Williams believes Warren Gatland's 2021 tourists will defeat world champions South Africa. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57403310 https://therugbystore.com.au/shane-williams-former-wales-wing-backs-british-and-irish-lions-success/

The equations for the final round of Super Rugby trans-Tasman are pretty clear, and it’s equally clear we have a race in three between the Blues, Highlanders and Crusaders to reach next Saturday’s final. For the Blues, it’s pretty simple: don’t choke, and they’re in. They’ve got more than 20 differential points on the Highlanders and more than 30 on the Crusaders. Seats don’t get any boxier than what the Blues currently occupy. Surely, they can’t bugger this up. The same applies to the Highlanders to be fair, albeit without the same history of disappointment and falling short as the Blues. It’s a bit different for the Crusaders, though. They can’t just win if the Blues and Highlanders win as well, they have to win big. They essentially have to hope one of the other two trip up, or hope that neither get a bonus point, at which point the Crusaders need to bring out the abacus. At the moment, they’d need to win by 12 points plus whatever the Highlanders happen to win by. The Hurricane...

I don’t know if you’ve all noticed this out there in tipping land, but we’re currently in the presence of greatness. You see, all very quietly on the far left-hand side of the panel sits a hirsute South African-American. You know him as the Roarer with beautiful prose, of engaging long reads about Springbok passion and with a borderline inappropriate man-crush on Pieter-Steph du Toit. We just know him as the rotten sod who just can’t stop being right about rugby. More Rugby Super Rugby tipping panel Week 16: Try stopping the frontrunning Hairy Man Super Rugby Trans-Tasman Round 4 teams: No Fraser McReight as Reds name squad for Blues clash Why there are more Townsville twists and turns to come for the Reds in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman Has rugby lost its way again? The Brumbies have a perception issue only the...