The Rogues Rant #278

Welcome to The Rogues Rant, an occasional look at all things Rugby.

By Ron Wood

Well the Wallabies started their three Test Series against France with a 23 - 21 win in Brisbane but it was more a case of the French letting the match slip. The Wallabies once again fumbled their way through the early stages of the match as the French went out to a fifteen point lead scoring two tries along the way. It wasn’t until Coach Dave Rennie injected his bench players that the Wallabies started to look like they could turn the tide in their favor. The bench players led by livewire Halfback Tate McDermott lifted the tempo of the match as the Wallabies clawed their way into a winning position. The most pleasing aspect of the second half in contrast to the first half effort was the attitude of the players as they took the match right up to the visitors with outstanding performances coming from Skipper Michael Hooper and No. 8 Harry Wilson. I’m a firm believer that you make your own luck in football, and the Wallabies played with plenty of positivity in the later stages of the match which saw things fall their way for the win. Now it’s off to Melbourne for the second Test next Tuesday night.

The Covid Pandemic continues to wreak havoc to Rugby at all levels. With the latest decision to extend the Lockdown in NSW the IDRU Board will again have to consider the future of the IDRU competition. Hopefully the extension will only last one week which will mean there won’t be any games on the weekend of the 17th July. Spare a thought for South African Rugby. They are currently hosting Georgia and the British and Irish Lions in the Republic. The Springboks won the first Test of the series against Georgia last week by 40 - 9 in what was their first match since the World Cup Final in Japan in 2019. Their whole thirteen match program in 2020 was cancelled due to the virus and now the Virus is at it again. Five South African and 4 Georgian players have now tested positive along with South African Coach Jacques Nienaber and five members of his support staff. The second Test between the two nations has now been cancelled. The British and Irish Lions have also seen Covid impact their squad as well. One player and a member of their Management group have tested positive with eight players forced into quarantine. The Lions beat the Sharks 54 – 7 in Jo’burg but their next match against the Bulls on Saturday has now been postponed due to some positive tests in the Bulls camp. The Test series between the Lions and the Springboks must now be very much in doubt. The first Test is set for 25th July in Capetown.

Womens Seven star Emma Tonegato has completed her comeback from three Shoulder surgeries to win selection in the Tokyo Olympic Squad. Recovering from her latest shoulder surgery in February since the Rio Olympics it was touch and go for the Woonona product but after her performance at the recent Oceania Sevens Tournament in Townsville Aussie Coach John Manenti included her in his squad. The 26 year old is one of five girls backing up from the Gold Medal winning team from Rio. There are plenty of people in the know who felt Emma’s presence in the squad is vital for the team’s success in Tokyo. Well done and good luck to Emma.

Keep an eye on the IDRU Website and Facebook page for the latest on the impact of the Covid restrictions.  

RUGBY DIARY

!7th July         IDRU Catch Up Matches

                       Avondale V Campbelltown, Gerry Cappetta Oval.

                       Tech Waratahs V Bowral, Saunders Oval.

Shoalhaven V Kiama, Shoalhaven Rugby Park.

18th July        IDRU Women’s Gala Day.

24th July        Round 15

31st July        Round 16

7th August    Round 17

14th August  Round 18

21st August   Round 13

28th August  Round 14

4th September         Round 12

                                   Camden V Avondale, Camden Rugby Park

                                   Kiama V Campbelltown, Kiama Showground

11th/12th                  Major & MInor Semi Finals.

18th September        Preliminary Final

25th September        Grand Final, WIN Stadium       

All opinions offered in this column are the opinion of the author. They should not be considered to represent the views of the IDRU.