Rugby Union

The All Blacks have opened their Rugby Championship campaign with a strangely dominant win over Los Pumas in Córdoba. The 41-point performance was entertaining from a scoreboard perspective, but I feel it papers over some cracks in what was, for large stretches, a match that lacked execution and polish. It’s been a little while since we’ve been able to do one of these ratings, so I’m excited to once again have 80 minutes of action to sink our teeth into and break down for you all. Ethan de Groot The 2024 All Blacks castaway has bounced back in strong fashion,…

We are back once again for our analysis of the NPC, as round three is now behind us and we’re ready to dive into our best players of the round. Just like we did in the first two weeks of the season, we’re going to provide you with our top five players from across all the games. Once we’ve revealed those picks, we’ll also give you our latest update on how the betcha NPC Player of the Season table currently stands. 5. Ngani Laumape (1 Point) The Lions picked up their first win of the season against Waikato in what…

After about a month off, the All Blacks now return to our screens as they open up their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina at the famous Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes. To me, this will be a great barometer to understand how the All Blacks might line up when South Africa come to town in a few weeks’ time, as Argentina play a very similar style to the Boks. However, this will be no easy feat for the All Blacks, and I expect a full-strength team to be selected. So with that said, let’s dive into my predicted squad for the…

I don’t think I realised how much I missed having NPC rugby played across the country. The scintillating style and open game flow make it some of the most entertaining rugby from a spectacle standpoint. Just like we did last week, we’re back with our second edition of Players of the Round, and once again it was an exciting and challenging process thanks to the sheer amount of talent on display. I faced the same dilemma this week, with so many players deserving of praise, but after plenty of umming, and ahhing, I’ve finally got my list. 5. Losi Filipo…