Tag Archives: queensland reds

The worst kept secret in rugby has been confirmed as James O’Connor has signed a two and half year deal with the Queensland Reds and Rugby Australia.  The utility back was granted a release from his contract with Gallagher Premiership side the Sale Sharks as he wanted to give himself the best opportunity to represent the Wallabies at the upcoming …

Sale Sharks have announced that former Wallaby James O’Connor has been released from his contract so that he can pursue the prospect of representing Australia at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.  O’Connor joined the Sharks from Toulon at the beginning of the 2017/18 season and has made 31 appearances for the club in the two years since. O’Connor signed a …

Quade Cooper and Brad Thorn have had a fractious relationship, to say the least.  The former All Black, who is now head coach of the Queensland Reds, axed Cooper from the Reds’ 2018 Super Rugby season while the 30-year-old plied his trade playing club rugby in the NRC with Queensland. It is expected that Cooper’s Super Rugby exile will come …

Wallabies prop James Slipper will make his return from a two-month drug ban this week after being picked Tuesday in a Super Rugby selection side to play a trial game against Australia. The front-rower, who has played 86 Tests and previously captained the Wallabies, tested positive for cocaine and was suspended in May, with the Queensland Reds skipper revealing he …

Brad Thorn has outlined his tough stance on cocaine which he sees as a “serious issue”.  Currently, James Slipper has been suspended for two months for testing positive for cocaine on two occasions. Karmichael Hunt is also suspended at the moment for the possession of Xanax during the current Super Rugby season. Hunt was previously suspended in 2015 for being in …

The Queensland Reds finished off their Super Rugby campaign with a 48-27 victory over the Sunwolves at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday.  Thorn’s first year in charge of the club probably wasn’t as successful as he would have hoped but he will be confident of making further improvements next season. The match was blighted by controversy, however, as …

The Queensland Reds have defeated the Melbourne Rebels 37-23 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in an Australian Super Rugby derby.  The defeat for the Rebels means that the Waratahs are all but certain to clinch first place in the Australian conference and automatic progression into the Super Rugby quarter-finals. The loss also means that Dave Wessells’ side faces an …

The Queensland Reds and the Waratahs created history on Saturday when they played out the highest scoring Australian derby in Super Rugby history.  The Tahs won out on a scoreline of 41-52 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. This ground, where the Wallabies have a very good record, is, of course, the venue for next weekend’s first Test match between Australia and …

We’re a fan of this. The NSW Waratahs are having one of the best starts to a season in recent years after securing their third win on the trot by thumping the Sunwolves 29-50 in Tokyo at the weekend. They are just one point behind Australian conference leaders, the Melbourne Rebels and they will look forward to a clash with …

One of the most frustrating aspects of rugby is the inconsistencies when it comes to retrospective punishment for misdemeanours on the field. Players often receive little punishment or over-the-top sanctions when it comes to incidents on the field but the annoying thing is the lack of consistency – a player could receive a four-week ban for an incident one week …

It was a debut to forget for All Blacks legend Brad Thorn who coached for the first time in Super Rugby yesterday as his Queensland Reds side fell to a heavy 45-19 defeat to the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park in the southern Australian city. The loss was almost inevitable really as Queensland’s Scott Higginbotham received his marching orders after …

Brad Thorn continues with his old-school approach.

Will Genia and Bernard Foley both return for Australia as Michael Cheika names a strong team for his side's clash against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Quade Cooper has been named as Barbarians captain for their clash against Australia in Sydney in Saturday.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has named a strong team for his side’s Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Canberra on Saturday. Ex-captain Stephen Moore is surprisingly not included in Cheika’s match-day 23 having missed his side’s draw with the Springboks in Perth last weekend for the birth of his third child. Exciting young Melbourne Rebels hooker Jordan Uelese, who made …

It’s not really a surprise that Rob Simmons has left the Queensland Reds after the culmination of this year’s Super Rugby season.  The Wallaby has fallen out of favour in Brisbane despite being an international regular. The 28-year-old put in an excellent performance for Australia in their heartbreaking 35-29 defeat to the All Blacks in Dunedin at the weekend. The …

Wallabies fly-half Quade Cooper will not be recalled to Australia’s Rugby Championship squad despite an injury to his Queensland Reds teammate Karmichael Hunt. The former Rugby League star will be out of action for two months after a minor operation on an ankle syndesmosis injury and is therefore likely to miss at least the first four games of Australia’s Rugby …

Physical mismatches on the rugby pitch are inevitable given the range of attributes needed for the positions played. For Queensland Reds prop Taniela Tupou the mismatch is more often than not, comically skewed in his favour. The 21-year-old has been showing Super Rugby fans what he is about this season following his meteoric rise to stardom as a rampaging schoolboy in …