June, 2020 | SH Rugby Blog

Beauden Barrett’s much awaited debut for the Blues will be happening this weekend as Super Rugby resumes in New Zealand, but the All Blacks star will be starting at full back in his first game for the Auckland franchise, instead of 10, as some might have expected.

Barrett, who played most of the 2019 World Cup at 15, will be lining up against his former side the Hurricanes. It might have been Beauden vs Jordie, but for an injury to the latter that has ruled him out of this clash.

Otere Black starts at 10, and Barrett at 15 means that both Harry Plummer and Matt Duffie will be on the bench. No Dan Carter yet, but not even the most optimistic among us would have expected the veteran to start so early on his return to SR.

Solid back row for the Blues as well- a loose trio combination that pushes the highly rated Dalton Papalii to the bench. Continue reading “Beauden Barrett first game for Auckland Blues- BB at 15 vs Hurricanes in Super Rugby Aotearoa 2020”

Over the next three years there are World Cups in both rugby league and union, but how Australia’s national teams are expected to perform differs wildly depending on the code. League is the pink of health, but union appears to be sinking fast, with fans disappointed with the lack of success for both the country’s Super Rugby sides as well as the Wallabies. The gap appears to have widened so much that some journalists are suggesting that union be merged into league in light of the Covid-19 pandemic that has further crippled the 15-man code Down Under.

The Kangaroos, Australia’s national rugby league side, have lifted the RL World Cup a record 11 times and are ranked the second best team in the world behind New Zealand. They have a thriving club competition in the National Rugby League (NRL) which attracts the best players from around the globe to come Down Under. Continue reading “Contrast between codes illustrates magnitude of job on Rennie’s hands”