Replacing scrum-half before half-time turned the tide against Australia but could spell the end of his international careerEddie Jones has been in his element this week. Grinning from ear to ear back at his old stomping ground in Coogee, savouring the sense of familiarity and basking in the nostalgia of it all. His players, meanwhile, have been treated to afternoons off, free to explore – all part of Jones’s decision to empower this “new England” squad, to put his trust in them and to liberate them. Put it all together and it raised the question: has Jones, the notorious taskmaster, softened?The emphatic answer came three minutes before half-time at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Jones made one of his statement...
Saturday’s Test in Sydney will be a street fight in which Australia must match England for mongrel, then punish them with speed and skillThe first rugby international staged at the Sydney Cricket Ground was on 24 June, 1899. Australia wore sky blue jerseys, fielded two five-eighths and played two men in the front row. The British XV, featuring players from all four Home Nations, employed a tactic of dribbling the ball upfield at their feet in a rush. But it didn’t work. After being locked at 3-3 for most of the Test, Australia scored two converted tries in the final seven minutes to win 13-3.According to referee, WG Gerrard, Australia won because “they kept slogging all the time. They were...
The greatest of the game threes, featuring heroes and villains and everything in between (and yes, that includes The King)So, here we go again. Another State of Origin decider is upon us and it’s hard to tell who is more excited – footy fans or Nine Network executives. In a world of streaming services and watch on demand, an Origin decider is one of the few TV events that can still put millions of bums on lounge-room seats at the same time and Wednesday night’s climax to the 2022 series will be no exception.From the moment rugby league’s interstate war went to a best-of-three contest in 1982, we have witnessed 21 deciders, with Queensland emerging triumphant on 14 occasions but...
From the moment protesters began marching past the ground on the second day, the hosts took control and never let goSo in the small city of Galle ended a momentous few days on the field and beyond. For Sri Lanka the nation, a popular revolt removed a tarnished president from power. For Sri Lanka the cricket team, a stunning turnaround swept away the visiting Australians to level a Test series. It would be naff to equate the two, but it would equally be naive to discount the broad as an influence on the narrow. Players are people too. For months, Sri Lankans en masse have sweltered through nightly power cuts, daily shortages of essentials and weekly price spikes. Transport paralysis...
The question is what comes next, as is so often the case with the Australian even when he is at his peakShortly after Novak Djokovic furthered his legend at Wimbledon on Sunday, the Serbian and his coach Goran Ivanisevic outlined holiday plans. With it unlikely the 21-time major winner will be able to play in the United States due to his vaccination status, fellow Wimbledon winner Ivanisevic is planning an elongated break.“There is one movie back home … The Long, Hot Summer,” Ivanisevic said. “This is going to be me – long, hot summer vacation.” Continue reading...