International rugby returns to the southern hemisphere this weekend, bringing big surprises.
The once-mighty Queensland Reds have hit rock bottom—of the Super Rugby table—wracked by injury and ill-content.
The sacking of league star Benji Marshall has led to a revival of the Blues, who thrashed the Queensland Reds 44-14 in Auckland on May 2.
The Hurricanes may have killed three birds with one stone in beating fellow New Zealanders the Auckland Blues 39-20 in Wellington.
With his styled beard Force coach Michael Foley looks like a stage magician. Two years ago he performed his greatest disappearing act, vanishing from the Waratah coaching staff.
The Hurricanes slipped into Super Rugby title contention by beating the Bulls 25-20 in their Round 8 clash in Napier, New Zealand, with fly-half Beauden Barrett passing 100 points for the season.
Don’t pick a fight with Jake White—that is the lesson that Waratahs coach Michael Cheika should have learned from the 10-32 loss to the Sharks in Durban on the weekend.
The Waratahs face the table-topping Sharks in Durban on Saturday (March 29), with both sides needing to win.
Each year the Waratahs start the Super Rugby season like world beaters – then as the going gets tough, they stumble, perform ineptly, then end up being booed from the field by their supporters.