Why Matt Philip is upwardly mobile in the second row A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size
One of the unexpected success stories of the Australian season has been Melbourne second-rower Matt Philip.
At the beginning of the year, he may have been forgiven for suspecting that international rugby was about to pass him by in 2020. The World Cup starting pair of Rory Arnold and Izack Rodda were rightly established as first choices, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was firmly in the mix, and a promising crop of recent Wallaby under 20s – Harry Hockings at the Reds, Nick Frost at the Brumbies, and Trevor Hosea in Melbourne – was pushing up from the fertile ground underneath them. It looked like Philip could be squeezed out.
· Lynn McConnell · GETTY IMAGES
All Blacks legend Dan Carter is taking until the end of the year to decide his plans for next year.
Carter told French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique that with all the uncertainty in the world at the moment he was taking the remainder of the year to rest and enjoy time with his family, something he hadn t been able to do over the last two years because he lived in Japan.
I missed them very much and I wanted to spend more time with my wife and three young sons.
I m not thinking of playing abroad either because the New Zealand borders are still closed, he said.
Editorial Comment: Hats off to The Beast herald.co.zw - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from herald.co.zw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Toner at peace if Ireland s call doesn t come again
‘If someone gets injured, would you pick the 34-year-old who has 70 caps or give the young guy a chance?’ By Sean Farrell Friday 11 Dec 2020, 8:22 AM Dec 11th 2020, 8:22 AM 7,612 Views 11 Comments
Image: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
Image: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
WITH EACH PASSING Irish line-out malfunction in recent weeks it was impossible not to consider the missing ingredient. The tall timber that so many attacking platforms had been built around.
Traditionally, the second row is a position that can offer potential of longevity. Pace and explosive acceleration is less important for locks than hardy grown-man strength or the nous of an experienced line-out caller.
Bakkies Botha was a bad, bad man A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Remember Bakkies Botha? Opponents kept an eye out. Bok fans revered him as the patron saint of hardness. Pundits oohed, aahed, and scolded. Referees kept their cards handy. Teammates adored the man.
In the insightful comments, I noticed a few names recur: a common one was Botha, mentioned as the prototype of a bruising tighthead lock. As RobC observed, none of the five locks of today scared him. I decided to look at one complete match by perhaps the scariest lock of all time, and compare one of Bakkies’ Tests to gain a sense of how efficient these nice modern big men really are, stacked against an all-time great no.4.