It certainly was contradictory to the common belief of your everyday rugby fan. And after the ‘revenge of The Rugby Championship’ nations to put themselves into 2023 RWC semi-finals contention, many Northern Hemisphere teams have found themselves left wondering how? Any Rugby World Cup (RWC) will throw-up the odd upset, a match maybe lost when […] READ MORE
Tag: Michael Cheika
Rudderless and sloppy England loss at Twickenham against Los Pumas 29-30
Argentina were by far the better team in their deserved victory over England on Sunday afternoon. A ‘rudderless and sloppy’ England loss at Twickenham against Los Pumas was the visitor’s first triumph at the ground in 16 years. It was a special performance by Michael Cheika’s Pumas built on rock-hard defense and sheer desire. As […] READ MORE
Michael Cheika coaching plate ‘overloaded’ with Los Pumas/Lebanon commitments
By method or madness, the Michael Cheika coaching plate is ‘overloaded’ with his coaching commitments to both Los Pumas and the Lebanon rugby league team. Astonishing in a way, yet bizarre when in the context of how critical the Autumn Nations series is for Argentina, just one year out from a Rugby World Cup in […] READ MORE
Argentina’s first win adds to NZ pressure/Wallabies turnover Springboks
In a convincing manner across two Rugby Championship matches, the Wallabies dominated the Springboks as Argentina’s first win on New Zealand soil saw jubilation on the faces of the South American team. Shocked looks crossed the All Blacks player’s faces, with more despair in the coaching box. Ian Foster has added more unwanted records to […] READ MORE
‘In the Bin’ Rugby Pod – Autumn Internationals in Focus; Episode 13
Back on the normal schedule this week and running as smoothly as Beauden Barrett; it’s the ‘In the Bin’ rugby pod. Autumn Internationals in Focus Starting you off with Autumn Internationals, England defeated Australia in a tightly contested game. This one was ultimately decided by Australia’s inability to take ‘Care’ of England’s replacements. The Aussies […] READ MORE
Dave Rennie announced as new Australia head coach
Following the departure of Michael Cheika after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Australia have announced Glasgow Warriors’ Dave Rennie as their next head coach. Dave Rennie announcement confirmed Australia has tonight announced that Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie will take over the Wallabies role after he finishes the season in the Guinness Pro14. He […] READ MORE
Rugby World Cup Referees Deserve a Defence
Rugby World Cup referees have come in for a lot of criticism during the opening weeks of the competition. Some of this is fair but much of the criticism has been taken too far. Here at Last Word on Rugby, we will be offering a partial defence of the officiating so far. There have been […] READ MORE
Unpredictable Cheika to shape Qantas Wallabies RWC goals
The ‘unpredictable’ Michael Cheika is again, the head coach who has been charged to shape the Qantas wallabies RWC goals, ahead of the 2019 tournament. At the Qantas sponsored event held in and beside a huge Boeing jetliner, the team’s announcement was well-staged to showcase the potential of the Wallabies. A team he has directed […] READ MORE
AB’s must ‘Roll the Dice’ in Bledisloe Cup decider
After a hefty defeat at the hands of the Wallabies in Perth, the All Blacks have decided to ‘Roll the Dice’ in team selections for their home test in Auckland on August 17. The crucial Bledisloe Cup decider will have so much more riding on it, considering Rugby World Cup form, rankings and self-confidence levels. […] READ MORE
Australian Wallabies team selected for South Africa TRC fixture
With everything riding on the success or failure of the 2019 Australian Wallabies team results leading up to the Rugby World Cup, much of that depends on the opening South Africa Rugby Championship (TRC) fixture. The old cliche is that ‘a team is only as good as its last outing’ means that the Australian Wallabies […] READ MORE