Gordon Bray

Super 14 preview: Regaining Lost Time. It’s Now or Never!

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:26:08 -0800

Australian rugby is re-surfacing from an abyss and progress must now be judged on performance at Super 14 level.

Two seasons out from the next World Cup, the youthful Wallabies' squad has put itself in a good space following the Autumn tour.

A starting lineup averaging just 24 years of age, galvanized by new found respect up front, has laid the foundations for the next development phase. ...

The unsung Wallaby heroes

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:45:11 -0800

Response to adversity is the real measure of team quality. On that score alone the Qantas Wallabies ended their Autumn tour with flying colours.

But for me, the real heroes of the campaign were the so called ‘dirt-trackers'. Those youngsters showed the way forward for the main act.

Led by midweek skipper Dean Mumm, they virtually tackled a strong Cardiff outfit into oblivion last Tuesday, backing up their aggressive resolve with some decisive finishing in the backs. ...

Time to Silence ‘Bread of Heaven'

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:58:39 -0800

Coach Robbie Deans has picked a team that can certainly beat a confident Welsh outfit this weekend.

Comprehensively written off as no-hopers by the Australian media after the 9-8 loss to the bonny Scots, be prepared for a sting in the Wallaby tail.

The recall of Dean Mumm, who has led the midweek side to impressive victories over Gloucester and Cardiff, provides extra lineout security and aerial skill at restarts. ...

Rediscovering the ‘X' Files

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:14:05 -0800

What is wrong with Matt Giteau? At times last Saturday he was brilliant, at others his thinking in the heat of battle became muddled. Something is out of kilter with the star playmaker and frankly his game has been off colour for most of the season.

Giteau has that ‘X' factor but his decision-making has become predictable and like several teammates, he is often guilty of misreading the situation in front of him. ...

Time to blow the whistle on referees

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:42:10 -0800

The very public humiliation of Australian referee Stuart Dickinson by IRB referees' boss Paddy O'Brien is a bit rich and warrants some inquisitive reflection.

According to O'Brien, following post-match analysis of the clash between Italy and the All Blacks, Dickinson got it totally wrong. Both Italian tight-head props, he revealed, were guilty of illegal boring-in on rookie Kiwi prop Wyatt Crockett. ...

No Vintage Crop for Wallabies

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:53:57 -0800

It was racing's equivalent of the Great Train Robbery. Not once, but twice, the brilliant Irish stayer Vintage Crop pinched the southern hemisphere's greatest race from under our noses.

Two replica Melbourne Cups sit proudly in the foyer of the exclusive K Club in County Kildare should you need a friendly reminder.

And now to make matters worse, the Irish rugby team has done a ‘Vintage Crop' and snatched a possible grand slam away from the improving Wallabies. ...

Redskins can scalp green army

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:34:02 -0800

'Once a Queenslander always a Queenslander' will have special significance here in Dublin this Sunday.

No less than 10 of the Wallaby starting XV honed their rugby skills in the Sunshine State.

Although only half are still contracted to the Reds, all assuredly remain spiritual brothers-in-arms, raised on that unique rugby heritage of passion and parochialism, nurtured so affectionately north of the Tweed. ...

Welcome to a coach's nightmare

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:03:58 -0800

As the dust settles on Twickenham, England coach Martin Johnson has been lambasted for his side's so-called inept display. One newspaper critic has called for Lions' coach Ian McGeechan to be installed immediately.

From my vantage point in the Northern Stand, one key selection could have made a huge difference for the home coach. Injured ball playing centre Ricky Flutey would have challenged Australia’s inexperienced midfield defence. ...

Twickers fizz a perfect tonic

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:29:49 -0800

It is a home away from home for we colonials. The former market garden is not only the spiritual headquarters of rugby (according to the Poms), Twickenham also sits at the summit of Australian rugby achievement.

Uppermost, it was the field of dreams in 1991 when Nick Farr-Jones held the Webb Ellis Trophy aloft in front of Her Majesty the Queen, his champion team having just subdued the host nation in an epic encounter by 12-6. ...

Wallabies lost in translation

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:05:55 -0800

Memo: Paddy O'Brien IRB Director of Referees:
Please keep players on their feet before it is too late!

By way of explanation, allow me to digress.

Picture a desperate Aussie tourist on match eve, seeking a good old fashioned nerve-soothing 'cuppa' after the obligatory Cityrama bus tour through the congested streets of the Tokyo CBD.

Hallelujah! I then discovered 'Maccas' at the Tokyo Tower.

"One very hot tea ... ...