No Wallabies for McKenzie, yet
Ewen McKenzie distances himself from the Wallabies, insisting his new Reds role is about growing rugby in Queensland.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Palu out to regain Wallabies jersey
Feeling better than he has in more than a year, NSW Waratahs No.8 Wycliff Palu sets his sights on regaining his Wallabies jersey.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Gloucester sign Wallabies hooker
Australia international hooker Huia Edmonds is to join Gloucester for next season, replacing Scott Lawson.
BBC Sport – Rugby Union
‘Wallabies must win Bledisloe’: O’Neill
ARU chief executive John O’Neill declares the Bledisloe Cup series against the All Blacks a "must win" for the Wallabies this year.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
McKenzie puts Reds before Wallabies
Ewen McKenzie puts a desire to build a Queensland Reds dynasty before his Wallabies ambitions by re-signing until the end of 2014.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Highlights of the Wallabies win over Wales at the Millennium Stadium
With all the focus on Shane Williams’ retirement and the nice exit he had scoring with his final touch of the ball, the result of the game between Wales and the Wallabies was overlooked slightly. For the 24-18 victors though, the tour was a success.Â
The Wallabies won two from two on their UK tour as they thumped a star-studded Barbarians side then comfortably beat Wales, who after their showing at the Rugby World Cup would have expected to put up a better fight. At 24-6 up with about 15 minutes left in the game, the contest was effectively over, even though Wales did produce a mini fightback.
Robbie Deans’ experiment of using young James O’Connor at number ten was a huge success. He had the guidance of Berrick Barnes on his inside, and together they showed a lot of stability, something that was at times missed during the RWC campaign.
In Quade Cooper’s absence due to injury Barnes was probably expected to be the obvious replacement, but he is happy to play at inside center, and most importantly, just to get out on the park. One forgets that earlier this year he retired from rugby due to repeated dizzy spells.
“I’ve enjoyed playing it, and at the end of the day I’ll take a Test start wherever I can get it, and especially after the year I’ve had,” Barnes upon landing in Sydney.
“I feel like I’m getting back to my best sort of footy in the last couple of games,” Barnes added.
He was integral in a turning point in the game as the Wallabies almost scored a try but for a early tackle and yellow card to Wales’ Leigh Halfpenny. His pickup of an inside pass from Lachie Turner was sensational.
At fulltime the Wallabies left happy, as did Williams and the 60 000 fans on hand at the Millennium Stadium to witness his final ever game for his country, and a typically well taken try to finish a great Test career. Below are highlights from the game if you missed it.
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Impressive Wallabies sink Wales
Australia finish their year on a high with a 24-18 win over Wales as home-town hero Shane Williams ends his international career with a try.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies ready to ruin the party
Skipper James Horwill says the Wallabies are determined to crash Wales star Shane Williams’s farewell party at Millennium Stadium.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Can Wallabies finish on a high?
The Wallabies play Wales this weekend and let’s hope the Wallabies can finish the year on a high and claim the James Bevan Trophy.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies crush the Barbarians in Matfield’s farewell game
The Barbarians disappointed a Twickenham crowd of 51 212 as they went down 60-11 to a far more organised and determined Wallaby team. It was also a farewell for Victor Matfield, who captained the Barbarians in his final game, but had no joy on the day.Â
The game itself was fairly disappointing for the neutral as an invitational side packed with talent simply couldn’t withold the powerful Wallabies, who themselves bounced back well following a Rugby World Cup campaign that hadn’t gone the way they’d planned.
Missing Quade Cooper due to injury, James O’Connor slotted into the number ten channel and proved to be a more than capable replacement, giving the Australians plenty to work with in future.
While the Wallabies face Wales next week as part of their mini-tour, the day was also meant to be about one of the great servants to Springbok rugby, lock Victor Matfield, but he was left making tackles all day. Perhaps the festive catching up during the week was to blame for such a weak all round performance.Â
“It was a fantastic week and, even though we lost the game by so many points, I will remember it for a long time. When you come up for the Barbarians you don’t have a lot of training, so some days you click, other days you struggle a bit,” he said.Â
“Maybe the communication wasn’t there, there were one or two slipped tackles and then the other side get momentum and it’s hard to stop. Australia are a full international side and they know each other pretty well.
“The Barbarians have two out of three now in the last three years against the southern hemisphere teams so why shoot them down after one bad game? I think it’s a fantastic idea and we need this in rugby,” added Matfield, who will now take on a coaching role within the Bulls setup.Â
Below are highlights from the game, and we’ll have one or two other clips from it during the week.
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Kangaroos v Wallabies at ANZ?
The finishing touches are being put on a revolutionary $ 15 million proposal for an historic Kangaroos v Wallabies hybrid game.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Cross-code Tomkins to play Wallabies
Barbarians rugby union selectors invite England rugby league star Sam Tomkins to play the Wallabies at Twickenham.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
O’Neill sets Wallabies No.1 goal
ARU boss John O’Neill sets the Wallabies the task of knocking New Zealand off their No.1 perch by the end of 2012.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies target breakdown in Britain
The Wallabies fly out of Sydney ahead of the brief spring tour of Britain, looking to shake off their Rugby World Cup blues.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
No rest for loaded up Wallabies
The ARU makes a request to extend the maximum allowance of 30 games per season in a bid to increase the availability of its stars.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Deans worried about Wallabies workload
Robbie Deans is concerned about how Wallabies players will balance their workload between Super Rugby and Tests in 2012.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies get four-Test June schedule
Australia will a play a midweek Test against Scotland in Newcastle as well as three Tests against Wales in a revamped June schedule.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies to host Wales and Scotland
Australia will play three Tests against Wales and a one-off international with Scotland on home soil during June of next year.
Planet Rugby | Rugby Union News
Shane Williams flipped in huge double hit vs the Wallabies
The Wallabies grabbed a bronze medal in the Third Place Playoff at Eden Park earlier as they beat Wales 21-18. The game started out at high intensity, as you can see in the below clip, but a few injuries disrupted it’s rhthym and the spectacle died somewhat.Â
Shane Williams had an eventful night in what could possibly have been his final game for Wales, and definitely his final RWC match. He was smashed early on in this double hit from David Pocock and Tatafu Polota-Nau, but as we’ve come to expect from him, soldiered on unfazed.Â
He scored a try and set up another, taking his personal world cup tally to 10 tries in 11 games.
“The try was created out of nothing … perhaps the pass might have been a bit forward,” Coach Warren Gatland said. “He’s been an outstanding performer, he always goes looking for the ball. I keep saying to him this week that he hasn’t got many to go… I’m not sure (it’s tonight) or maybe Australia on Dec. 3,” he said.
Paul James, Welsh prop, said that Williams should definitely have a farewell game in Cardiff.Â
“That guy has given everything to Welsh rugby over his career, he’s been a great servant on and off the field. I think he deserves a great send off. He’s a world-class player and a great mate.”Â
This is just a quick clip of the massive hit he took. You can view full highlights on the RWC website
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‘Wallabies need coaching shake-up’
Australia need to alter their coaching team after the Robbie Deans formula failed at Rugby World Cup 2011, Eddie Jones says.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Deans not giving up on Wallabies
Robbie Deans hopes for a second shot at glory in 2015 but Matt Giteau says Ewen McKenzie should be Wallabies coach.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies pack plot ABs demise
Australia’s hungry front-row say the buck stops with them and they must deliver if they are to topple the All Blacks in Sunday’s semi-final.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies pick McCabe for Springboks
The Wallabies name Pat McCabe at inside centre for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final against the Springboks in Wellington.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies hoping for injury-free win
It’s fair to say that Rugby World Cup 2011 has not gone quite according to plan for the Wallabies so far
Rugby World Cup 2011 rugby news from Scrum.com
Do us a favour, Italy: Wallabies
Italy can do Wallabies a big Rugby World Cup quarter-finals favour by beating Ireland on Sunday.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies power past USA
Australia returned to winning ways after their shock loss to Ireland after sweeping past the USA 67-5 in Wellington on Friday.
Planet Rugby | Rugby Union
Wallabies must improve discipline
Wallabies skipper James Horwill demanded players improve discipline after conceding 15 penalties against Italy.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Stop Kiwi abuse, Gillard tells Wallabies
Prime minister Julia Gillard tasks the Wallabies with ending the "perpetual abuse" she cops from across the ditch.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies backed for World Cup glory
The Wallabies will start second favourites for the World Cup, punters quietly confident Robbie Deans’s side can claim their third crown.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Wallabies win sets TV record
Australia’s breakthrough Tri Nations victory becomes the highest rating rugby Test in subscription television history.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
