A young Shore first XV side took a massive step forward last season but struggled at times to close out tight matches. A number of players from last year’s side are back for a second crack this season and coach Angus Sinclair is confident his side will be right in the mix again. Overview with Angus Sinclair:  “We’re a long way ahead of where we were at this point last year,” Sinclair, a Shute Shield winning flyhalf at Northern Suburbs, told Rugby News. “We only played three trial games last year and we were underprepared heading in to round one as a result. “This year, we started scrimm ..read more

Two childhood mates from the Orange Emus Rugby Club in Central West NSW will line up alongside one another for the Junior Wallabies on Sunday with a chance to win the inaugural U20s Rugby Championship.  Scrumhalf Doug Phillipson and fullback Angus Staniforth have both been named in the Australian U20s starting XV to play New Zealand in what both describe as a dream come true.  “Gussy and I played all our junior rugby together at Emus and for Central West and then at Kinross before we moved to different schools, so to be back together a bit further down the road, it’s pretty cool,” Ph ..read more

BY MARK CASHMAN If one of the sports betting agencies was framing a market on whether Henry Clunies-Ross would get to play his 100th first grade match for the Students the odds would have to be absolutely astronomical. After all the 29-year-old has been through the metaphorical wringer with a range of injuries and ailments that must be worthy of some sort of post graduate study. Clunies-Ross journey of mishaps and bad luck started in 2013 when he had his appendix removed a couple of days before the first grade colts grand final. Things didn’t stop there and there was the well documented flas ..read more

By Jon Geddes LIAM Usher is the lawman who been taking no prisoners with Gordon in the Shute Shield. The solicitor has had good judges noticing his performances as loosehead prop at the Highlanders, who are in fourth spot on the ladder. After joining Gordon from Wests in Brisbane this season, Usher has been right on the case at his new club. While coach Harry Fehily knew they had recruited a good player, in the first five rounds Usher has exceeded expectations. “He definitely has been the surprise package for me so far,” Fehily told Rugby News. “I didn’t think Liam Usher was going to st ..read more

Newington struggled in tight games throughout 2023, but sent a warning to the rest of the competition with an impressive win over Scots in a recent trial. Coach Tim Rapp has altered his side’s game plan for the upcoming season and seems confident his side will be in the hunt towards the backend of a tight competition. Overview with Tim Rapp:  “We were pleasantly surprised with our win over Scots. From what I’ve heard on the grape vine, Scots are expected to be the team to beat this year. They’ve got a lot of quality players and a lot of guys that played representative rugby last season ..read more

Image: JB Photography  Just six competition points seperate competition leaders Norths and seventh placed Western Sydney heading into a crucial round of rugby this weekend. Check out all the latest team news and analysis before Saturday. Gordon v Randwick  Gordon have made two changes to the team that dominated Manly at Manly Oval last week. Alex Humfrey returns to the starting side in the second row, while Tom Horan will start at No.7.  Randwick have made a number of changes to the team that fell short in last year’s grand final rematch.  21-year old former Leiceste ..read more

Arguably one of the most exciting young talents in Queensland Rugby, 21-year old Floyd Aubrey said he’s growing in confidence every week in the GPS backline.  Aubrey made his Super Rugby debut off the bench for the Reds earlier this year, but said he’s focus is at Yoku Road for the time being and a blockbuster clash against Wests this weekend.  “Getting a chance to play Super Rugby was mad,” Aubrey told Rugby News.  “It was crazy to look up and see guys like Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Mike Tele’a on the other side of the field. It was a spin out but I loved every moment of it ..read more

Joeys couldn’t catch a break in 2023, drawing their opening two matches, then falling just short in three tight matches that followed. But first XV coach Greg Thompson said he was proud of his side’s resilience last year which helped them win three of their final five matches.Four players will return from last season when Joeys travel to play Newington in round one on Saturday May 18. Overview with Greg Thompson: “We ended up with a week longer than usual to prepare this year because Easter and the Head of the River was early, so that has helped. I think we’re in a good spot,” Thompson told Ru ..read more

It’s hard to beat a trip to the Hong Kong Sevens – World sport’s biggest party. But away from the footy, Hong Kong has just as much to offer and when you eventually book your trip, it’s worth adding a few days either side of the tournament to experience everything the city has to offer. Here are a few things to do away from the rugby while in Hong Kong.  Eat, eat and eat From street food to fine dining and everything in between, the food in Hong Kong is to die for. Heavily influenced by Cantonese cuisine, it’s hard to go wrong when you order like the locals, who are all incredibly friendl ..read more

There was a heap of player movement during the Shute Shield ‘silly season’ over summer and after five rounds, we’ve started to see a number of players impress in new colours.  Here are the top 10 recruits at this point of the season.  Tom Smith – Norths  Scottish lock Tom Smith has made a tremendous start to his Shute Shield career at North Sydney Oval and has added more energy to an already impressive Shoremen pack.  Smith has made the second most tackles of any player across the competition, only behind teammate Gary Bautz, and is strong at lineout time both in attack a ..read more