Brent Russell SHOULD be a regular starter for the Boks, but for some reason Jake White can't find a position for him. Regular super sub would be good enough in my opinion. He's always performed and either makes great breaks or finishes brilliantly. The kind of guy who can make something of nothing. His only downfall possibly? Defence. And he's possibly not as good a kicker as he should be. Pity though, cos on attack he's awesome.
New Zealand overcame South Africa at Loftus Versfeld on the weekend with a more than convincing 46-25 victory.
The All Blacks ooze class, there's no doubt about it, but the way in which the Springboks sat back and allowed them to score 80 meter tries without laying a hand on them was highly disappointing. The Springboks have the players, the talent, and the ability, but there's something missing in their belief and mentality at times.
Dan Carter was immense throughout the game, as usual. He is a player of pure quality, as displayed by his penalty on the stroke of half-time that was easily over 60 meters. Note how he treats it like any other kick, taking hardly any time at all. I suppose that's the secret when you have nothing to lose just before going into the tunnel.
Note: This video was down for a long time, but has been updated now. Time: 03:19
The man who changed the game forever, Jonah Lomu is a living legend. The poor guy is in the progess of trying to make a comeback, but doesn't quite seem up to it any more.
After what he's been through, I'm not surprised. In his prime he was unstoppable though. Just for the record - he NEVER scored a try against the Springboks in all his years.
Matthew Tait was only 18 in this clip, and Gavin Henson was a young superstar on the rise - now he spends too much time in the tabloids, although he is cleaning up his act and slowly coming back to form.
Henson brilliantly nailed the young Tait all day, as this clip shows. A nice introduction to international rugby for the young Englishman.
Sonny Bill Williams is a League player for the Canterbury Bulldogs. He's become famous for his big hits and all round talent.
He's quoted as saying, "One of the best feelings in the world is making a big hit and getting praise from the boys on the field."
I'd say he got lots of praise for this hit. Talk about putting your weight into a tackle.
UPDATE: Use the search bar up top right to find more great clips of SBW in action, including this compilation that features his first Rugby Union season for Canterbury in the ITM Cup.
Great team try by the Boks against the Aussies in the 2004 Tri Nations. Spared by pocket rocket Brent Russell, the ball goes through the hands beautifully, until it's eventually finished off by big lock Victor Matfield.
No doubt one of the best Bok tries scored that year.
Note: This video was down for some time, but has now been updated. We'll try get a better quality version up soon.
There's been much debate on here and elsewhere as to which is the best solo try ever. We compared the Habana solo effort against the Blues to this one.
Obviously everyone has their own opinion, but this Cullen effort is right up there as one of the best we've seen. In his prime, Cullen was unstoppable.
The Barbarians and the All Blacks met at Cardiff in 1973 and the match produced a moment that will never be forgotten.
That moment, one of the most played clips on television, came right at the start, when after just four minutes Gareth Edwards scored one of the best tries ever recorded on film.
Cliff Morgan's famous commentary: "Kirkpatrick to Williams. This is great stuff. Phil Bennett covering, chased by Alistair Scown. Brilliant! Oh, that's brilliant! John Williams, Pullin, John Dawes. Great dummy! David, Tom David, the half-way line. Brilliant by Quinnell. This is Gareth Edwards. A dramatic start. What a score!"
"The game against the All Blacks is one I will never forget and those of us who played in it will never be allowed to forget" Gareth Edwards
It was the Welsh half-back pair of Phil Bennett and Gareth Edwards that started and finished the move. Gareth remembers the day vividly. "The game against the All Blacks is one I will never forget and those of us who played in it will never be allowed to forget. It is a match that will live with me forever.
"People tend only to remember the first four minutes of the game because of the try, but what they forgot is the great deal of good rugby played afterwards, much of which came from the All Blacks.
"After the success of the 1971 Lions tour, which captured the imagination of the whole country, it was an opportunity to bring a lot of that side together again."
Final score: 23-11
This try is widely regarded as one of the greatest tries of all time.
Against the Blues, Bryan Habana scores in the corner, then directly from the kickoff he gets the ball again and this time runs 85 meters to score in the exact same corner.
Absolutely brilliant. An amazing try, and incredible that he'd just scored before that too.
Utai became the first player sent off in 270 matches when referee Paul Simpkins gave him his marching orders for a high shot on rookie Tigers hooker Stuart Flanagan.
"He got me around the chops and I've got a bloody lip... it was justified," Flanagan said.
With a motionless Flanagan laid out on Telstra Stadium, Tigers players immediately began yelling "He's got to go mate" at Simpkins.
The whistleblower then allowed video referee Steve Clark to replay the incident before telling Utai: "You might have hit the ball, but we thought there was intent there, you're gone."
In 2003 Josh Lewsey showed that he's not to be messed with as he gave Wallaby Mat Rogers the treatment he probably deserved after an earlier altercation in the match.
The Aussie was having a go at him the whole day, and when Lewsey finally got payback, it was well worth it, and spectacular to watch.
Rogers recently(edit: Oct 2008) spoke to the Sun newspaper about how that hit was the hardest hit he's ever taken, making him feel like he'd been run over.
The broken ribs he was left with were testament to the crunching power of that tackle.
Punches had already been exchanged before Rogers was hit with the now famous sledge-hammer tackle during the Aussie’s 2003 defeat Down Under.
Rogers, 32, said: "I’ve taken a fair few hits in my time. But that one was like getting run over.
"I think that hit will take the crown as the biggest ever. I just remember lying there writhing in pain, unable to breathe.
"It left me with broken ribs and for months afterwards I couldn’t go surfing because my rib stuck out on the board!
"I was a young, frustrated fella back then and I guess Josh taught me a hard lesson."
Anyone who's ever seen Rupeni Caucaunibuca play will know that on form, and when fit, he's probably the most explosive winger we've seen in a long time.
He was with Auckland a cpl of years back in the Super 12. Since then, he's wandered around clubs in France and has been a regular no shower at important matches.
He's done it once again. The Fijian wingers future at the club is in doubt, with club officials seeking clarification regarding his commitment to the club.
Anyone who has more clips of this guy plz let me know.
Update: As Jeff has so kindly & politely pointed out in the comments section, Caucaunibuca has been playing in France for Agen and doing pretty well apparently. Still would love to see him in the Super 14.
Though Wallaby legend George Gregan would never show it, this unceremonious dump from the 2003 WC Final would have hurt a lot. As you might expect from such a hero, Gregan gets up quickly and walks it off, epitomizing the tough-as-nails persona that surrounds our beloved game.
Nonetheless, this is a great show of strength from big England centre Mike Tindall and would have no doubt rattled their determined opposition.
The game went on to become one of the greatest encounters ever in world cup history with the tension and drama one would expect from a world cup final.
A massive tackle here by flyhalf supreme Jonny Wilkinson, this time on French winger Emile N'tamack on the stroke of halftime in the Six Nations Match at the Stade De France in Paris on Febuary 19, 2000.
Perfectly legal and once again showing that in his prime he's one of the biggest tackling flyhalfs around, if not the biggest.
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