Beauden Barrett first game for Auckland Blues- BB at 15 vs Hurricanes in Super Rugby Aotearoa 2020

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”

Can SBW help Toronto to stay up?

Toronto Wolfpack are ready to embark on their maiden Super League campaign in just the third year of their existence as a professional club. The Canadian team were outstanding last season to earn promotion to the top division, winning the RFL Championship by beating Featherstone Rovers in the Million Pound Game. Brian McDermott’s men lost only one of their 29 games in the campaign, dominating the majority of their opponents to earn their way into the big time. Continue reading “Can SBW help Toronto to stay up?”

TRC 2018 Crowds- Attendances for the 2018 Rugby Championship NZ Aus Argentina SA

Here are the official crowd figures for the 2018 Rugby Championship (formerly the Tri Nations) featuring New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Africa.

Stats last updated after Round 6 games on 6 October, 2018

Total Rugby Championship attendance by country

South Africa: 118,284
Australia: 110,186
New Zealand: 105,569
Argentina: 78,972

Total attendance across the 12 games was 413,011

Average Rugby Championship Attendance in 2018 was 34,417. Per country, the average attendance was

South Africa: 39,428
Australia: 36,729
New Zealand: 35,190
Argentina: 26,324

What has been the highest attendance at the 2018 Rugby Championship?

The 66,318 crowd for the Australia v NZ game at the ANZ Stadium, Sydney on 18 August, 2018

What has been the lowest crowd for a RC 2018 game

The 16,019 that turned up at the Gold Coast to watch Australia take on Argentina on 15 September, 2018 Continue reading “TRC 2018 Crowds- Attendances for the 2018 Rugby Championship NZ Aus Argentina SA”

Super Rugby Team of the Year 2018- Best SR players 2018 season

Here is the Super Rugby team of the year 2018, as officially announced by the competition’s governing body SANZAAR. Interestingly enough, the Crusaders, who successfully defended their crown, have only one representative- left winger George Bridge, thus showing that there were more of a “team” rather than depending on individual brilliance.

The Chiefs, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals, have four players- Brodie Retallick, Damien McKenzie, Anton Lienert Brown and Alaimalo. McKenzie was also named the Player of the Year. Continue reading “Super Rugby Team of the Year 2018- Best SR players 2018 season”