Wales have lost their past 11 matches against Australia and while the Wallabies are not as strong as a year ago, the hosts must keep their heads in closing stagesAustralia’s matches against Wales have come to be a victory of mind over matter. No matter how much time the Wallabies spend on the back foot, trying to disengage from a scrum or checking their body parts after a rampaging run by Jamie Roberts or George North, they keep their heads so that when a game nears its end, with lungs bursting and legs aching, they have the wherewithal to fashion the decisive play.The Wallabies have snatched victory at the last over Wales too often for it to be a coincidence....
One year on from the Rugby World Cup, Robert Kitson ranks the top tier sides, with the All Blacks showing no sign of losing their dominanceEighteen wins on the spin and counting. The All Blacks will not stay unbeaten forever but sometimes it feels that way. Over the next month they will face Ireland (twice), Italy and France and, barring accidents, it should be 22 straight victories by the time they fly home. The head coach, Steve Hansen, and his lieutenants deserve credit for the impressive manner in which the team has refocused and developed since retaining the Webb Ellis Cup last year. Who said Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu et al were irreplaceable? In the shape of Aaron...
New Zealand are in imperious form but the gap between the northern and southern hemisphere teams, All Blacks excepting, may not be as great as beforeNovember is a month when the clocks have just gone back and darkness descends on the home unions in the form of the major southern hemisphere nations. This year there is some light to tickle the green shoots of hope: the All Blacks are not venturing into Britain, the Wallabies are wobbling and the Boks have lost their spring.Australia start their five-match tour in Cardiff on Saturday5 November. Given the combustibility of their head coach, Michael Cheika, in recent months – he raged in his media conference after the Auckland defeat to New Zealand last...
The Pumas flanker has already taken more than 30 flights this year before touching down at Twickenham to face Australia in the Rugby ChampionshipNowadays there is one essential prerequisite for any Argentinian wishing to play top-level rugby, aside from skill and stamina. “If you’re a nervous flyer you can’t play for us,” says the muscular flanker Pablo Matera on the eve of the first Rugby Championship game staged at Twickenham. “I’ve never counted how many miles we’ve flown but it’s lots. I think we’ve already taken more than 30 planes this year – and we still have five more matches to come.” Related: Argentina’s Daniel Hourcade urges World Rugby to tighten residency rule Continue reading...
Australia face Argentina in the Rugby Championship at Twickenham on Saturday as the Sanzar nations take drastic measures to stimulate financial growthWhen Australia last played Argentina away in the Rugby Championship, the game was staged in Mendoza. On Saturday, the sides will meet at Twickenham, the Pumas playing home and away as the Sanzar nations look for ways to stimulate financial growth.The Mendoza match attracted a crowd of 25,000; when the two sides met in Perth last month, fewer than 17,000 turned up. Even if Twickenham is half full this weekend, the attendance would exceed that of the two matches in the Rugby Championship on the round before last. The last four matches between Australia and Argentina in the tournament...