Australia wins women's 4x200m relay gold
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Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Don't blame the referees for the Wallabies woes, blame the injuries
Noah Lolesio didn't even make it to the starting line, and for the avoidance of doubt about the Wallabies' best No. 10 the Reds-Brumbies game in April needs to be rewatched, with Lolesio bossing Tom Lynagh. Across the first two Tests, the Wallabies have actually won two halves of rugby and lost two halves, effectively sticking two fingers up to the doomsayers (including yours truly), and to do so without four of their most influential players does not point to gap between the Home Unions that is so large that cannot be closed within the next two years before the Rugby World Cup. With Valetini, Skelton and Alaalatoa on the field, the Wallabies are leading the Lions 23-17 because they are fluent in the language of Test rugby. The sight of multiple Lions defenders being sat on their backsides is simply not one that the Wallabies can achieve without their big men in full fitness. Injuries have also weaved their way into the story of the Wallabies' campaign in less obvious ways. Take Lukhan Salakaia-Loto for example. The Reds enforcer is the 'obvious' choice to bring some more steel into the Wallabies pack, and he will surely be included in the Rugby Championship squad. But he played only seven games in Super Rugby Pacific, averaging 50 minutes a game, and none since early May against the Waratahs. He is another player in Australian rugby who can change the course of a game with a brutal carry, but the run of games he enjoyed against the Lions came too late. When the Wallabies and Rugby Australia review this series, it will surely be imbued with a sense of frustration and regret that they simply couldn't get their big men on the field for long enough against a Lions side that has yet to show it would be in top two in the coming Rugby Championship. Loading The flip side of this pain for Australia is that the closeness of the first two Tests have - apart from the first half in Brisbane - killed the most damaging narrative of the tour. The argument that the Wallabies had become detached from the Home Unions, and were destined to float around No. 8 – No. 10 in the rankings as a sort of West Indies of world rugby, has unsteady legs.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Don't blame the referees for the Wallabies woes, blame the injuries
Noah Lolesio didn't even make it to the starting line, and for the avoidance of doubt about the Wallabies' best No. 10 the Reds-Brumbies game in April needs to be rewatched, with Lolesio bossing Tom Lynagh. Across the first two Tests, the Wallabies have actually won two halves of rugby and lost two halves, effectively sticking two fingers up to the doomsayers (including yours truly), and to do so without four of their most influential players does not point to gap between the Home Unions that is so large that cannot be closed within the next two years before the Rugby World Cup. With Valetini, Skelton and Alaalatoa on the field, the Wallabies are leading the Lions 23-17 because they are fluent in the language of Test rugby. The sight of multiple Lions defenders being sat on their backsides is simply not one that the Wallabies can achieve without their big men in full fitness. Injuries have also weaved their way into the story of the Wallabies' campaign in less obvious ways. Take Lukhan Salakaia-Loto for example. The Reds enforcer is the 'obvious' choice to bring some more steel into the Wallabies pack, and he will surely be included in the Rugby Championship squad. But he played only seven games in Super Rugby Pacific, averaging 50 minutes a game, and none since early May against the Waratahs. He is another player in Australian rugby who can change the course of a game with a brutal carry, but the run of games he enjoyed against the Lions came too late. When the Wallabies and Rugby Australia review this series, it will surely be imbued with a sense of frustration and regret that they simply couldn't get their big men on the field for long enough against a Lions side that has yet to show it would be in top two in the coming Rugby Championship. Loading The flip side of this pain for Australia is that the closeness of the first two Tests have - apart from the first half in Brisbane - killed the most damaging narrative of the tour. The argument that the Wallabies had become detached from the Home Unions, and were destined to float around No. 8 – No. 10 in the rankings as a sort of West Indies of world rugby, has unsteady legs.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Bring it in quickly': The story behind the speech that inspired one of Australian netball's greatest comebacks
At three-quarter-time of the Super Netball preliminary final, Melbourne Vixens coach Simone McKinnis crouched to her knees and beckoned her players to huddle up. 'Bring it in quickly,' she said, and they leaned in, eyes on the 59-year-old. The 35 seconds that followed will go down as one of the most rousing rev-ups in Australian sport, inspiring the Vixens to an astonishing comeback victory and a place in Saturday night's grand final against West Coast Fever at Rod Laver Arena. The story behind her speech is even more remarkable. The Vixens were in a dire position against the NSW Swifts in the prelim– down 51-41 at the last break. But that was nothing compared with the team's position after six rounds of the season, with only two wins on the board and upheaval behind the scenes. McKinnis stunned the netball world in May by announcing that she would resign at the end of the season, and now admits that her own issues were affecting the team. 'To be honest those weeks, I don't think I was at my best because of everything going on in the background,' McKinnis told this masthead. 'The girls were playing how I was feeling.' McKinnis, who represented Australia 63 times and is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and dual world champion, declined to elaborate on the reasons for her resignation, other than to say it came down to a combination of factors. With her contract expiring at season's end, it felt like the right time to hand over the reins. Her decision to step down after 13 years at the helm proved a turning point for the Vixens. McKinnis says it allowed the team to focus, and they won eight of their next 10 games to reach back-to-back grand finals.
