Tag Archives: wallabies

Brisbanerugby, Rugby Australia, wallabies

Kiss of Life

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It’s why Stephen Larkham should be the next Wallabies coach. Developing players through Super Rugby gives you intimate knowledge of what they offer the Wallabies setup. Dropping someone like Eddie Jones into the role, without insight into up-and-coming players, was a bridge too far that proved disastrous for our chances at the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France. Two names on Les Kiss’ list for the Springboks’ Test in Perth, Jordan Petaia and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, are additions to the squad; both seasoned Queensland Reds players whom Kiss has coached.

Wallabies squad to play the Springboks in Perth. Photo courtesy of @wallabies

HMP has not been cooling his heels with a XXXX; he was the best on field in a losing Wests side against Brothers, 51-14, at Ballymore in the Hospital Cup GF last month, and he orchestrated a come-from-behind victory with the Western Force over Queensland, 29-28, last weekend at the same venue to show that, despite being small in stature, he’s a force to be reckoned with.

The real excitement package is Brisbanerugby’s favourite son, Jordan Petaia. He debuted at RWC 2019 in Japan as a 19-year-old and was destined for a long Wallabies career until his dream of playing American Football (Gridiron) drew him away. He had Kiss’ blessing to pursue that dream, and now he calls him back under the Wallabies tent before he heads off to “The Land of the Rising Sun” to play for Urayasu D-Rocks in the Japan League One competition. Kiss said:

“He’s been out of the Australian system for a while, but it was important that we broaden our understanding of what’s available and how they’re looking.

“There are a lot of good back three in our country at the moment that are playing here.

“That’s what the importance of Super AU is for us, so we can look at these players and see them in action and keep a good eye on them. Jordan being a bit further away, being in France recently, we just felt it was the opportunity to bring him in and have a good look at him.

“Positionally, we know he’s covered wing, 15 and 13 in the past, so once he hits the ground with us, we’ll have a good look at it, but it’ll be definitely in one of those positions. Likely a back-three position, I’d say, at this stage.”

The poisoned chalice at No. 10 may not be such a curse, as some exciting five-eighths are coming through the ranks at the Queensland nursery. Finn Mackay, who starred at the recent U20s championships in Georgia, already having a Reds contract, and the St. Joseph’s Nudgee College Chilli Smith, son of Wallaby halfback the recently passed Brian Smith, carved it up in the Brisbane GPS competition, winning a fourth consecutive Premiership last weekend. And don’t forget Tom Lynagh, who was effective in driving his Queensland Reds side to a 21-12 halftime lead in his 40-minute cameo at Ballymore at the weekend.

Brisbanerugby, GPS Rugby

A Perfect Season

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After taking down the South African schools’ champion side, Grey College, 29-26 in Johannesburg on their pre-season tour, this Nudgee College cohort has shown the world why they are the best rugby nursery on the planet. A fifth GPS Premiership title, four outright in a row, taking the College’s aggregate to 47. From the opening round to the last, we have been entertained by scintillating rugby all season and why St Joseph’s College, Nudgee are such a powerhouse in Brisbane rugby.

Jubilation at Ross Oval, Nudgee. Photo courtesy of @kapogram

Fittingly, the two best schoolboy sides met in the final match, with runners-up BBC losing 24-31 in front of a massive crowd of close to 10,000. Nudgee No. 10, Chilli Smith, directed his team around the paddock all afternoon, as he has done throughout the season, which would have made his late father, Wallaby half-back Brian Smith, proud.

“I do everything for him. he is my idol, no matter where he is”, Smith said. “He (father Brian) had such a great life and career, and I’m going to follow in that (legacy)”. Chilli is off to New Zealand with the Australian U18s side, and we wish him all the best.

Brisbanerugby, wallabies

No Llores Por Mí Argentina (Don’t Cry for Me Argentina)

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No tour of the South American country is an easy task, and to come away with a trophy is exceptional for Les Kiss’ men. Talking after the match, Kiss was very positive about the 28-all draw.

“Securing that trophy is definitely one of the things that we came here to do. Talking to the lads, very pleased that that part of the equation was on point. We probably took control of patches of that game that put ourselves in a good position to win it.”

A draw in Mendoza seals the trophy.
Los Pumas hold the Wallabies to a draw. Photo courtesy of @wallabies

It is the rematch of the series in Argentina that proved the Wallabies’ Achilles’ heel in 2024, when they endured a record-breaking 67-27 loss to Los Pumas in Santa Fe. That would have been at the forefront of Kiss’ mind going into this fixture.

After Luco Cinti Luna and Santiago Carreras were sent to the bin, the Wallabies couldn’t capitalise to finish the series with a clean sweep. Four tries apiece couldn’t separate the two, and it was only the fourth draw between these two nations.

“In the end, they (Argentina) managed to hold that ball for a long period of time. Fair play to them on their turf“

Great depth and combinations have formed over the last four matches under Kiss, and in three weeks, the Wallabies take on the World Champion Springboks in Perth, and they will need to stay “robust and resilient” to keep Kiss’ unbeaten record intact.

The Wallabies team that faced Los Pumas in Mendoza. Photo courtesy of @wallabies
Brisbanerugby, GPS Rugby

Nudge, Nudge, Blink, Blink

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On a sultry August afternoon in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, at the Behemoth of Christian Brothers St Joseph’s Nudgee College, the Round 6 clash between the undefeated Nudgee and Brisbane State High took place. BSHS students cheered their 1st XV side as they made their way onto the hallowed Ross Oval, only to be drowned out by over 130 years of history as the boarders, in school uniform, bellowed in unison from the old boys’ stand. This was their turf.

The excitement and anticipation didn’t dissipate after the kick-off as these two GPS powerhouses went toe-to-toe from the outset. Nudgee dominated with wave after wave of attack, only for the students south of the River to thwart them. These were only boys, but they played like men, throwing their teenage bodies at each other like young bulls in a pen. The deadlock was broken in the 10th minute with a well-constructed snipe down the blindside to put the butcher-stripes in for their first 5-pointer.

The first try went to Nudgee College, giving them an early 7-nil lead.

The only government-run school in this premier GPS competition wasn’t about to let the Catholics have their way and forced their way back with two converted tries of their own. They held onto this 14-7 lead almost to the end of the first half, when Nudgee scored from a lineout to claw back the margin on the stroke of halftime to trail 14-12.

Nudgee managed to cross the line on the stroke of halftime to trail BSHS 14-12.

The second half was a masterclass by the Nudgee 1st XV, as they have done all season; they ran away with sustained attack, scoring a plethora of tries through controlled kicking by their five-eighth, Chilli Smith (son of the recently departed Brian Smith) and strong running from inside-centre Bond Bradley. BSHS Coach, Stevie Kefu, proved his boys were not walkovers and stayed in the fight to the death with late tries of their own, but with a 43rd Premiership beckoning, the greatest rugby nursery of all time held firm to win 41-26. Nudgee coach Andrew Scotney can be proud of his chargers, who have reached another level since their preseason tour to South Africa, where they toppled SA schools champions Grey College 29-26 in Johannesburg.

Another dominating performance by Nudgee to stay undefeated.
Brisbanerugby, Rugby Australia

Kiss of Death

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Bouyed by his team’s narrow 35-32 loss the week before in Osaka, Eddie Jones was talking up a Wallaby takedown in their backyard. Especially since they will likely take on the Wallabies in the Round of 16 in Brisbane at next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia. If anyone can do it, it would be Jones, having shocked the rugby world at the 2015 Rugby World Cup by defeating the might of South Africa 34-32 at the death in the Miracle in Brighton. However, in Townsville, a happy hunting ground for the Wallabies, it was not to be as Les Kiss’ men turned on the blowtorch for the second half to blitz the Brave Blossoms with 35 unanswered points to take the match 56-17.

The Brave Blossoms are not that easy a side as when the All Blacks thrashed them 145-7 at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa or the 91-3 defeat by the Wallabies in Lyon at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. They had their Miracle in Brighton win and backed it up at home in the 2019 World Cup, topping their pool by beating Ireland (19-12) and Scotland (28-21) along the way. Fast forward to 2026, and Eddie Jones, back at the helm, has plucked a young 21-year-old out of Meiji University, Ryunosuke Ito, without any professional rugby to play five-eighth against a resurgent Italian side, coming off wins over Scotland and England at this year’s Six Nations Championship, to play at Tokyo’s iconic Chichibu-no-Miya Stadium. It was a full house on a sunny 4th of July day in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, where the Brave Blossoms delivered an emphatic 27-10 win. Our own Nic Berry was blowing the whistle that day.

So, the two matches against Japan, although ranked 4 places below us, were always going to be tricky for a new coach. Les Kiss wasn’t inventing the wheel and wasn’t about to make drastic changes to the side Joe Schmidt had assembled. As Ryan Lonergan said, it was more about “Evolution, not revolution”. The three-point victory at Osaka’s Hanazono Stadium in the oppressive heat and humidity was a lucky escape to notch his first win for the Wallabies.

With the shackles now removed, Kiss finally picked a team more to his liking, upsetting Waratah supporters with a strong Reds flavour, with 11 in the match 23. The return of Lukhan Salakai-Loto, arguably the best Aussie performer in Super Rugby Pacific, alongside Isaac Henry pairing with Hunter Paisami and Carter Gordon in the midfield just seemed so natural. Kiss had nurtured these boys’ injuries at the Reds during his tenure over the last three years and knew intimately how much they had trained and rehabilitated. That faith was repaid in spades at Country Bank Stadium last weekend, and now a more confident squad embarks on their South American tour for two matches against a very formidable foe in Argentina, just ahead of the Wallabies in the latest world rankings.

Kiss gets to pick the side he wants in Townsville. Photo courtesy of the Wallabies.
Brisbanerugby, GPS Rugby, Premier Rugby, Rugby Australia

Japan Produces Good Halfbacks

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I’m sure everyone remembers the infectious Brave Blossoms’ halfback Fumiaki Tanaka. The little general made his mark on Super Rugby for the Highlanders with his speed and crisp service from behind the ruck. He was not a university prospect, but joined the Panasonic Wild Knights in 2007, where he played alongside Tony Brown, who was instrumental in bringing him to the ‘Landers (Wikipedia). At 166cm and 72 kg, he’s one of the smallest players to play international rugby, but a very inspirational one.

In Brisbane, there’s a young 20-year-old student, Risa Hayashi, playing halfback for the UQ women’s team. A fiery young prospect making her mark on the competition. I caught up with her earlier in the season at Jeeps ‘ home ground at Yoku Road, Ashgrove. Originally born in Dubai, her mum is from Kanagawa, next to Tokyo, and her father is from Osaka. She has prospects of playing in Japan.

Hayashi is not a trailblazer, though, as that honour goes to Asako “Diji” Ono. Ono also played for UQ Women’s, then went on to represent the Reds and Wallaroos at halfback. Originally, coming to Australia as a young, naive 16-year-old student chasing her dream to play rugby, she now mentors other women to better themselves. Currently teaching at Churchie, where one of her Mathematics students, Rio Shimizu, is also from Japan and is a halfback for the 1st XV team.

Nations Championship

Wallabies Bid Averacherchi to Joe with a Classy win in Perth

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Having taken over a disjointed Wallabies side after the debacle that was RWC 2023 in France. That night in Lyon was tough as a Wallabies supporter; we were decimated 40-6 by the Welsh after coming off a 14-22 loss to Fiji. This was the team he inherited, but Kiwi Joe Schmidt has bled 27 fresh faces into this national team to build ahead of RWC 2027, where Les Kiss takes over. Being in the crowd in Melbourne in 2024, playing the Welsh again but with confidence instilled in his players by Schmidt to win 36-25 at AAMI Park. Fast forward to the present, with three sold-out stadiums in three weeks, it will be music to Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh’s ears ahead of a home World Cup next year. The game is in a healthy position.

HBF Stadium was a full house

A nine-try to two demolition of Italy was a fitting way to salute the services of the outgoing Joe Schmidt and Laurie Fisher, especially when you consider they have lost their last two matches against the Azurri. Not a very flattering winning percentage; however, the matches he has won speak volumes of his tenure. No one will forget that win at Ellis Park in Johannesburg when the Springboks led 22-0 only for the Wallabies to come back and win 38-22. Selections have always been questioned, such as Carlo Tizzano taking over the best-performing Wallaby in the first two matches, Fraser McReight, and the controversial omission of Lukan Salakai-Loto from his last squad. He got it right in Perth and reaps the benefit of an 80-minute performance.

Wallabies seek revenge against their nemesis (Photo courtesy of rugby.com.au)

Schmidt mentioned that Tizzano is a “Hometown boy” and that “we have sold out six stadiums in a row”, so he must be doing something right, despite not as many wins as we would have liked. $5m man, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, was praising Schmidt for “Someone who believed in me”.The game is stronger because of Schmidt’s influence. As the curtain falls on his era, the future is exciting when Kiss comes in.

The Wallabies started, as they have in this block of matches, with confidence. Man of the match: Josh Canhamm scores the first of his three tries in the 4th minute. Tom Wright goes over in the 9th minute, followed by Brendan Panga-Amosa in the 12th minute to race to a 19-0 lead before the Azzurri managed to cross the paint in the 20th minute. Then, Canham bagged his second in the 27th minute, shortly followed by BPA scoring his double and Len Ikitau on the stroke of halftime to go to the break 38-5. No second-half fade would have pleased Schmidt, with Canham becoming the first Wallaby lock to score a hat-trick.

Man of the match, Josh Canan with a hat-trick. (Photo courtesy of Western Force)

The Azzurri were quick out of the blocks with Melbourne-born Monty Ioane going over inside the first minute. However, the Wallabies toiled away and went on to win the match 57-10, with local player Ben Donaldson going under the posts.

Under 20s finished a somewhat unlucky campaign strongly with a big win over Argentina in Georgia in the 7th place playoff.

Under 20s have a good win over Argentina in the 7th placing.