Rogues Rant, an occasional look at all things Rugby
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2025 9:15 am
The thirty seconds of mayhem from the round one match at Camden will not go away with Rams center Lee Russell lodging an appeal against the Judiciary findings. The appeal was heard through the week and resulted in a win of sorts for the Camden club. The appeals committee found Russell was not guilty of head-butting but found him guilty of striking during the nasty incident against Shamrocks at Camden Rugby Park. His original sentence of seven weeks was reduced to 2 weeks which means he will be available to play for Camden next week. The findings of the Judiciary against Shamrocks player Aaron Warren stands, and has not been appealed by the Woonona based club.
Interesting reports during the week regarding the future of Super Rugby. It would appear though that not everyone is sure what is going on. Within the space of 24 hours we saw slightly different versions of what the new format will be. It looks like there will be 18 teams in the comp in 2016 but the exact format seems to be dependent on how much money can be made from broadcast rights. With all franchises struggling to keep afloat the income from the rights will be vital for the future of the tournament. The admission from Bill Pulver that Super Rugby creates a black hole of about $10million dollars each year for the ARU is a real problem. The whole thing looks very confusing at the moment. Watch this space for further developments.
Speaking of super rugby, there were some upsets last week phone number library with the Sharks going down to the Highlanders at home and the Waratahs putting in a shocker at Eden Park against the Blues. The Brumbies had a great win over the Chiefs but the Reds are looking very shaky after another loss this time to the Hurricanes. It’s a must win game for the Waratahs against the Hurricanes this week if they wish to stay in touch with the leaders. My tips for this week are Blues, Sharks, Crusaders, Chiefs, Waratahs, Stormers and Bulls.
The IDRU Colts comp gets underway this week and you can find the final draw for the comp on the website. Each team will play 12 matches through the season and have two byes and the comp will finish with a four team final series. There is also planning underway for a 10 a side Tournament to be conducted for the Colts during the season. It’s hoped that some other clubs will be able to raise enough players to be a part of the 10’s tournament as well.
The first of the NSW Country Junior Championships were conducted last weekend with the Under 16’s and 17’s tournaments held at Dubbo. Our junior Illawarriors had mixed results but both teams had 9 players selected in the Country squads named after the matches. Our Under 16’s made the final only to go down to Hunter 5 – 10. Hooker Blake Schoupp was named Best Forward for the tournament. The 17’s lost their semi-final to the Central Coast 12 – 26, but then recovered to win the third place play off against Central West by 31 – 5. Well done guys.
Interesting reports during the week regarding the future of Super Rugby. It would appear though that not everyone is sure what is going on. Within the space of 24 hours we saw slightly different versions of what the new format will be. It looks like there will be 18 teams in the comp in 2016 but the exact format seems to be dependent on how much money can be made from broadcast rights. With all franchises struggling to keep afloat the income from the rights will be vital for the future of the tournament. The admission from Bill Pulver that Super Rugby creates a black hole of about $10million dollars each year for the ARU is a real problem. The whole thing looks very confusing at the moment. Watch this space for further developments.
Speaking of super rugby, there were some upsets last week phone number library with the Sharks going down to the Highlanders at home and the Waratahs putting in a shocker at Eden Park against the Blues. The Brumbies had a great win over the Chiefs but the Reds are looking very shaky after another loss this time to the Hurricanes. It’s a must win game for the Waratahs against the Hurricanes this week if they wish to stay in touch with the leaders. My tips for this week are Blues, Sharks, Crusaders, Chiefs, Waratahs, Stormers and Bulls.
The IDRU Colts comp gets underway this week and you can find the final draw for the comp on the website. Each team will play 12 matches through the season and have two byes and the comp will finish with a four team final series. There is also planning underway for a 10 a side Tournament to be conducted for the Colts during the season. It’s hoped that some other clubs will be able to raise enough players to be a part of the 10’s tournament as well.
The first of the NSW Country Junior Championships were conducted last weekend with the Under 16’s and 17’s tournaments held at Dubbo. Our junior Illawarriors had mixed results but both teams had 9 players selected in the Country squads named after the matches. Our Under 16’s made the final only to go down to Hunter 5 – 10. Hooker Blake Schoupp was named Best Forward for the tournament. The 17’s lost their semi-final to the Central Coast 12 – 26, but then recovered to win the third place play off against Central West by 31 – 5. Well done guys.