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About John Connolly
About John Connolly
A stalwart of the Brothers club in Brisbane, John Connolly was the Wallabies coach from 2005 until after the 2007 World Cup. He first coached Queensland in 1989 and remained in the top job for more than 10 years leading the Reds to championship victories in the Super Six (1992) and Super 10 (1994 and 1995). Under his stewardship Queensland also claimed the minor premiership in the Super 12 competition in both 1996 and 1999.
Young but seasoned - this side may be great
AUSTRALIAN Rugby has had, perhaps, three golden eras and I feel we could be on the cusp of another.
Melbourne makes Super 15 sense
N o matter where the new Super rugby franchise ends up in Australia, the big question is whether or not the Australian Rugby Union should in fact have a stake in it, as has been suggested.
Yes, I know it's a year away but watch out for those Tahs in 2010
Despite missing out on the Super 14 finals by an agonisingly narrow
margin of one measly try on for-and-against records, the Waratahs
proved in South Africa they will be a force to be reckoned with in
the 2010 competition.
Wallabies will be handful against all comers this winter - and beyond
In the next 10 days Robbie Deans will announce his 30-man Wallabies squad for the four June Tests and I expect it to be the strongest team in many years.
Why international rugby can't afford to put South Africa offside in Dublin this week
The single most important meeting in recent rugby history will take place in Dublin on Thursday when the three SANZAR nations - South Africa, New Zealand and Australia - decide the future of the code in the southern hemisphere.
There is a deluge of local talent and Deans has a tough task filling the Wallabies ark
W hen you a pick a Wallabies squad of 30 players, the general approach is you want two of every position. And when you pick two of everything for the coming international season, I can't see any more than four positions being available in what looms as the Wallabies' most dangerous side in years.
We need to nurture our domestic comps
WITH Australian rugby standing at a fork in the road, there's one important issue that we can't afford to overlook: the value of developing a strong feeder competition to provide players for the future.
World Cup excitement our best ammunition against rival codes' expansion - and plundering
WITH the NRL, AFL and A-League ramping up their bids to further expand their games and claim a larger slice of the pie in the most competitive football market in the world, the 2011 World Cup can't come soon enough for rugby.
There's a super pool of talent on show for Wallabies selectors
Excluding the Waratahs, it has been a tough season for the Australian Super 14 teams. We're past the halfway stage and, short of a miracle, it seems NSW will again be the only Australian team in the finals.
The big decisions of our great game
EXPERIMENTAL Law Variations were introduced last season to create a faster, free-flowing game and next month, on May 13, the International Rugby Board will finalise the laws for next year.
Boardroom battle has shamed ARU
AT THE start of the week I promised myself I would not make any
comment on last Thursday's ARU meeting in which new president Ron
Graham was elected.
And the winner should be … Melbourne
I SPENT a very pleasant couple of days in Melbourne last week
talking to Victorian Rugby Union president Gary Gray and Sports
Minister James Merlino about why Melbourne should be considered for
the next Super franchise. It was hard to find fault in their
reasoning.
Tahs must fight to keep Waugh on board
The Waratahs must re-sign Phil Waugh and they must get help from
the Australian Rugby Union to do so. Waugh is as vital to NSW as
Nathan Sharpe is to the Western Force.
Give Hickey a fair go
Stints at NSW have a history of ending in tears.
East, west, this hemisphere's best for our African cousins
ALTHOUGH the acting managing director of SA Rugby, Andy Marinos,
has denied rumours about South Africa joining a northern hemisphere
competition, we've learnt in the past that we won't know for
certain until the agreement is signed.
On the rise and looking for golden opportunity
The success of any sport depends on the talent coming through. Now that the Super 14 is upon us, it's a chance for supporters to not only follow the current crop of established players, but also the rising talent on show.
Hickey holds high hopes for Waratahs
The expectations of the Australian Super 14 teams are very high for
this season. Justifiably so. I believe there's a chance the four
local teams could finish in the top eight as a number of young
players begin to mature.
Challenges lie ahead for all concerned
THIS is a crucial year for rugby, with the game off the field just as important as the one on it. In two weeks, we'll be all glued to the TV for the start of the Super 14 season but administrators from each union - and the ARU - must be mindful of the challenges ahead off the park.
Hapless Force sink deeper into the quicksand they're built on
THE uneasiness at the Western Force is not a great way for any team to start a season. Although coaching restrictions were lifted on January 5, you have to wonder what on earth is going on at Perth when 30 of 36 players and 10 staff sign a petition to complain about their coach, John Mitchell. It is a sad first for Australian sport.
Let the good times roll
Australia will look back on this year as a pretty successful one for the Wallabies. We can look to the future with optimism and, although things can quickly change, we are heading in the right direction on the international stage.
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