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Brett McKay is one of The Roar's good news stories and has been a rugby and cricket expert for the site since July 2009. Brett is an international and Super Rugby commentator for ABC Grandstand radio, is the voice of ACT club rugby, has commentated on Under-20s Championships, Women's Uni Sevens and National Rugby Championship coverage, and has written for magazines and websites in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. He tweets from @BMcSport.
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This week’s column is not going to start the way I wanted it to. A wonderful Rugby World Cup Final on Sunday morning Australian…
We have the Rugby World Cup final that was always there as a juicy morsel of possibility, and even one that many of us…
While Australian rugby was busy trying to work out how to convince states to centralise themselves, the Rugby World Cup got on with the…
Here’s a hot take to kick off a column: Australian rugby fans tuning out of the Rugby World Cup now are only going to…
Unsurprisingly, after gaining the bonus point win over Portugal they needed to keep the slimmest of Rugby World Cup hopes alive, the Australian players…
The fallout had started long before Wayne Barnes blew time on Wales’s record defeat of Australia in Lyon, and has continued largely unabated since.…
Well, now they’ve got a job on their hands, haven’t they? The Wallabies’ 22-15 loss to Fiji in Saint Etienne – the most historic…
What a difference a win makes.
It’s probably not right to say Rugby World Cup week has snuck up on us, given it’s been coming for four years, but it…
I’m just going to start with this: the 2023 will feature the greatest collection of rugby jerseys ever assembled before the William Webb Ellis…
And with the 41-17 loss to France, the Wallabies are now officially in Rugby World Cup mode. But there are no more games in…
The Rugby World Cup is about to consume all the Australian rugby attention, but it has been nice to see a little bit of…
Once Cortnee Vine’s remarkable 20th penalty shootout attempt hit the back of the net on Saturday night, more than three hours after the Matildas’…
International rugby in the southern hemisphere is now finished for 2023, with all our teams completing the first stage of their Rugby World Cup…
I don’t really mean to speak for everyone, but I’m not seeing any great angst about the Wallabies current winless record from four starts…
The Rugby Championship is done for 2023, and Rugby World Cup preparations get ratcheted up that much further this week with the extra weekend…
Righto Wallabies, now you’ve got me interested. And that’s not to say that I wasn’t interested in the Wallabies before or that I was…
The Rugby Championship looks New Zealand’s to lose from here, as the abbreviated tournament wraps up this weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and…
We've all been a bit too defensive of late, and not much of it has been in a good way. But I’ve come to…
We’re two weeks into the International season in the south, and already it’s clear players are putting their hands up across the board as…
Adding “highly regarded” to our new LinkedIn page…
The Wrap: Why Joe Schmidt is sleeping easier than Scott Robertson
PM, it’s definitely there – https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG_Nb34Kmj0mhAqSjFvgpcdqqVs_sAUJl
..but curiously, it only seems to have our very first episode listed, which we’ll have to check out…
Five Wallabies in combined south XV after battles with the north - including biggest winner from Schmidt's arrival
Sky quite likely opting for Friday so they could get clean air for the Warriors game in Auckland Sat night, too..
The Wrap: Rebels’ emotions mask 'anger and frustration' as Brumbies cop a six-day semifinal turnaround
KP – hoping you’ll see this:
I’ve just now discovered that the ABC Brisbane team are in fact calling this game tonight – you can get it on ABC Sport Digital in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast, or nationally Streaming on the ABC Listen App on the ABC Sport EXTRA Button..
Inside the Reds-naissance: Five areas where Les Kiss' 2024 team has upgraded on last year
No, KP – the ABC is only doing the Brumbies game in Canberra tomorrow night.
Suggest your best bet would be to find the online stream for whichever NZ radio station is covering..
Inside the Reds-naissance: Five areas where Les Kiss' 2024 team has upgraded on last year
No, Vunivalu got 1 x YC and 1 x RED, Rabble.
Qld has 3 x REDs (Vunivalu, McDermott, McReight) and 2 x YC (Paisami, Vunivalu) all up.
Inside the Reds-naissance: Five areas where Les Kiss' 2024 team has upgraded on last year
This is a great read, mate.
The YC stat is a good one – and worth remembering that the second one was Vunivalu’s first trip in Fiji..
Inside the Reds-naissance: Five areas where Les Kiss' 2024 team has upgraded on last year
Carnivean, you’re right about the second incident, and the problem that became obvious at that point was that suddenly Angus Gardner couldn’t hear the TMO and one AR – both were repeating ‘check check’ down the comms (we could hear in on our ABC Sport call), but Gardner couldn’t hear them and actually called for a scrum to be played.
The near-side AR had to run onto the ground as the scrum was coming together to say the TMO was intervening.
That said, as this was all happening, we certainly thought it would be about the Tupou cleanout, not the Tua high tackle..
Taniela Tupou cited: Rebels suffer blow after testy Brumbies battle
It was a privilege to be able to call David Lord a colleague for a decade, and his support and encouragement for rookie writers on the site was something I’ll never forget.
David of course had enjoyed a full career before he started contributing to The Roar, but wow, what a contribution it was. ‘Prolific’ doesn’t even start to do him justice.
And it’s certainly true that he didn’t mind indulging in a but of hyperbole from time to time – I can still remember for him calling on the immediate Wallabies selection of a former Australian rower in his first season with the Melbourne Rebels, a crazy notion at the time, but that was the value he put in Caderyn Neville’s early performances – but he did that because he recognised the value of rugby discussion, which was huge in those early days of the site, where a good discussion could continue for days.
Lordy gave as good as he got in the comments, but as long as people were discussing rugby (or sport more broadly) he didn’t mind.
His encouragement for young and new writers was invaluable, and it was always a pleasure to get a random call or email from David after he’d seen something he liked. He was thrilled when he learned I was doing commentary for the ABC in Canberra, and so his encouragement became about radio craft, too.
In truth, this is a comment I’ve been expecting to write on The Roar for a few years, having learned a little while ago that his health was deteriorating. But it makes it no less sad now that the time has come.
Lordy was a genuine old school sportswriter, and it was so great to have Zac included in this tribute, and to hear from Tristan and Paddy again after so many years as well, all of them providing extra context that might otherwise have been lost.
He will be missed, no doubt, but it was truly an honour to have learned from him.
Vale Mr Lord. And thank you.
RIP, David Lord: Australian sports journalism icon was 'always thoughtful and thought-provoking'
I’m several days late to this JD, but really enjoyed the perspective. Thanks for putting it together..
How Italy revolutionised their youth system to produce a golden generation – and what Australia can learn from it
Do I get to send them an invoice?
The Wrap: The two massive power shifts shaping Australian and New Zealand rugby
They’re not, the tournament rules make this a local LV not unlike the 20 minute red card, and more recently, the tweak around offside and kicking in general player, and indeed, golden point itself.
More’s the point, the tournament rules aren’t put in place without the approval and agreement of RA/NZR (as JV partners) and the twelve teams!
The Wrap: ‘World’s best provincial rugby competition’ delivers a superb Super Round
ATW, it’s in the tournament rules that no conversion is required in GP.
The Tournament Format on the Super Rugby site expressly says “The first team to score (by a penalty, drop-goal, try, or penalty try) will be the winner”
LINK: https://super.rugby/superrugby/about-super-rugby/tournament-format/
That is, once points (in this case, a try) are scored, that’s full time. No further time for anything else..
The Wrap: ‘World’s best provincial rugby competition’ delivers a superb Super Round
😂 so true..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
former back-channel on Foxtel – used to show a lot of European sport, Bundesliga, La Liga, etc. But also Top 14 from France and the Champions Cup..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
You’re welcome to point out any untruths and inaccuracies Botters.
You’re almost obligated to do so, in fact..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Keep your ears out and stay subscribed to the pod Khun, we’ve got a few ideas for the summer..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Thanks CS, appreciate it..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
SO MUCH coffee and so many late nights!! 😢
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Hopefully we can look back on this and laugh, Cass. One day, hopefully.
Thanks for all the interactions this year..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Has already confirmed his next role won’t involve RA or any Australian sides, sadly, Formo.
But he’d be a worthy candidate in time..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Still catching up, Butch, but thank you!
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Thanks Cec, appreciate it..
The joy of Rugby World Cup celebrations only ruined by Eddie Jones’ final act
Have to laugh at the idea of a comp that ran for 9-11 weeks now being seen as ‘inflated’…
Exclusive: Rugby Australia plot new third-tier competition involving Super teams