Latest news with #ex-NRL
The Advertiser
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Steelers storm their way into Japan Rugby semi-finals
The Kobe Steelers, coached by former Wallabies mentor Dave Rennie, are through to the semi-finals in Japan Rugby League One after upsetting Aussie Sam Greene's in-form Shizuoka Blue Revs. On a damp Saturday afternoon in Osaka, former Chiefs flyhalf Bryn Gatland starred for Kobe, creating two of his side's four tries in the 35-20 quarter-final victory. This included the game's defining score in the 73rd minute when a perfectly placed cross-kick found winger Inoke Burua, who steamrolled over luckless Shizuoka fullback Futo Yamaguchi, who is 26kg lighter than the Kobe man, to push the Steelers ahead 29-20. Two late penalty goals from the Kobe flyhalf completed the victory, allowing the New Zealander to finish the afternoon with 13 points. Former Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare had earlier scored the opening try for the Blue Revs off a cleverly worked midfield move, but the ex-NRL cult figure's eighth try of the season was followed nine minutes later by his concession of a penalty try. The 24-year-old also received a yellow card from the high-tackle incident after mistiming an attempt to prevent Kobe winger Kazuma Ueda from scoring in the corner. Kobe face defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo in Saturday's opening semi-final. Rennie is one of two ex-Australian coaches who will feature in the second round of the playoffs, with the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights to meet Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay on Sunday, after the latter beat Tokyo Sungoliath 20-15 in a nervous finish. Former All Black skipper Sam Cane and Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe both scored tries for Sungoliath on Sunday, but they were unable to overcome a high error rate alongside the concession of a 14-9 penalty count. The accuracy of Foley off the goalkicking tee also proved pivotal, with the Wallaby successful with all three of his attempts, while Kolbe missed three out of five for Sungoliath. The Kobe Steelers, coached by former Wallabies mentor Dave Rennie, are through to the semi-finals in Japan Rugby League One after upsetting Aussie Sam Greene's in-form Shizuoka Blue Revs. On a damp Saturday afternoon in Osaka, former Chiefs flyhalf Bryn Gatland starred for Kobe, creating two of his side's four tries in the 35-20 quarter-final victory. This included the game's defining score in the 73rd minute when a perfectly placed cross-kick found winger Inoke Burua, who steamrolled over luckless Shizuoka fullback Futo Yamaguchi, who is 26kg lighter than the Kobe man, to push the Steelers ahead 29-20. Two late penalty goals from the Kobe flyhalf completed the victory, allowing the New Zealander to finish the afternoon with 13 points. Former Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare had earlier scored the opening try for the Blue Revs off a cleverly worked midfield move, but the ex-NRL cult figure's eighth try of the season was followed nine minutes later by his concession of a penalty try. The 24-year-old also received a yellow card from the high-tackle incident after mistiming an attempt to prevent Kobe winger Kazuma Ueda from scoring in the corner. Kobe face defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo in Saturday's opening semi-final. Rennie is one of two ex-Australian coaches who will feature in the second round of the playoffs, with the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights to meet Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay on Sunday, after the latter beat Tokyo Sungoliath 20-15 in a nervous finish. Former All Black skipper Sam Cane and Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe both scored tries for Sungoliath on Sunday, but they were unable to overcome a high error rate alongside the concession of a 14-9 penalty count. The accuracy of Foley off the goalkicking tee also proved pivotal, with the Wallaby successful with all three of his attempts, while Kolbe missed three out of five for Sungoliath. The Kobe Steelers, coached by former Wallabies mentor Dave Rennie, are through to the semi-finals in Japan Rugby League One after upsetting Aussie Sam Greene's in-form Shizuoka Blue Revs. On a damp Saturday afternoon in Osaka, former Chiefs flyhalf Bryn Gatland starred for Kobe, creating two of his side's four tries in the 35-20 quarter-final victory. This included the game's defining score in the 73rd minute when a perfectly placed cross-kick found winger Inoke Burua, who steamrolled over luckless Shizuoka fullback Futo Yamaguchi, who is 26kg lighter than the Kobe man, to push the Steelers ahead 29-20. Two late penalty goals from the Kobe flyhalf completed the victory, allowing the New Zealander to finish the afternoon with 13 points. Former Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare had earlier scored the opening try for the Blue Revs off a cleverly worked midfield move, but the ex-NRL cult figure's eighth try of the season was followed nine minutes later by his concession of a penalty try. The 24-year-old also received a yellow card from the high-tackle incident after mistiming an attempt to prevent Kobe winger Kazuma Ueda from scoring in the corner. Kobe face defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo in Saturday's opening semi-final. Rennie is one of two ex-Australian coaches who will feature in the second round of the playoffs, with the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights to meet Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay on Sunday, after the latter beat Tokyo Sungoliath 20-15 in a nervous finish. Former All Black skipper Sam Cane and Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe both scored tries for Sungoliath on Sunday, but they were unable to overcome a high error rate alongside the concession of a 14-9 penalty count. The accuracy of Foley off the goalkicking tee also proved pivotal, with the Wallaby successful with all three of his attempts, while Kolbe missed three out of five for Sungoliath.
West Australian
18-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Steelers storm their way into Japan Rugby semi-finals
The Kobe Steelers, coached by former Wallabies mentor Dave Rennie, are through to the semi-finals in Japan Rugby League One after upsetting Aussie Sam Greene's in-form Shizuoka Blue Revs. On a damp Saturday afternoon in Osaka, former Chiefs flyhalf Bryn Gatland starred for Kobe, creating two of his side's four tries in the 35-20 quarter-final victory. This included the game's defining score in the 73rd minute when a perfectly placed cross-kick found winger Inoke Burua, who steamrolled over luckless Shizuoka fullback Futo Yamaguchi, who is 26kg lighter than the Kobe man, to push the Steelers ahead 29-20. Two late penalty goals from the Kobe flyhalf completed the victory, allowing the New Zealander to finish the afternoon with 13 points. Former Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare had earlier scored the opening try for the Blue Revs off a cleverly worked midfield move, but the ex-NRL cult figure's eighth try of the season was followed nine minutes later by his concession of a penalty try. The 24-year-old also received a yellow card from the high-tackle incident after mistiming an attempt to prevent Kobe winger Kazuma Ueda from scoring in the corner. Kobe face defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo in Saturday's opening semi-final. Rennie is one of two ex-Australian coaches who will feature in the second round of the playoffs, with the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights to meet Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay on Sunday, after the latter beat Tokyo Sungoliath 20-15 in a nervous finish. Former All Black skipper Sam Cane and Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe both scored tries for Sungoliath on Sunday, but they were unable to overcome a high error rate alongside the concession of a 14-9 penalty count. The accuracy of Foley off the goalkicking tee also proved pivotal, with the Wallaby successful with all three of his attempts, while Kolbe missed three out of five for Sungoliath.
Perth Now
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Steelers storm their way into Japan Rugby semi-finals
The Kobe Steelers, coached by former Wallabies mentor Dave Rennie, are through to the semi-finals in Japan Rugby League One after upsetting Aussie Sam Greene's in-form Shizuoka Blue Revs. On a damp Saturday afternoon in Osaka, former Chiefs flyhalf Bryn Gatland starred for Kobe, creating two of his side's four tries in the 35-20 quarter-final victory. This included the game's defining score in the 73rd minute when a perfectly placed cross-kick found winger Inoke Burua, who steamrolled over luckless Shizuoka fullback Futo Yamaguchi, who is 26kg lighter than the Kobe man, to push the Steelers ahead 29-20. Two late penalty goals from the Kobe flyhalf completed the victory, allowing the New Zealander to finish the afternoon with 13 points. Former Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare had earlier scored the opening try for the Blue Revs off a cleverly worked midfield move, but the ex-NRL cult figure's eighth try of the season was followed nine minutes later by his concession of a penalty try. The 24-year-old also received a yellow card from the high-tackle incident after mistiming an attempt to prevent Kobe winger Kazuma Ueda from scoring in the corner. Kobe face defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo in Saturday's opening semi-final. Rennie is one of two ex-Australian coaches who will feature in the second round of the playoffs, with the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights to meet Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay on Sunday, after the latter beat Tokyo Sungoliath 20-15 in a nervous finish. Former All Black skipper Sam Cane and Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe both scored tries for Sungoliath on Sunday, but they were unable to overcome a high error rate alongside the concession of a 14-9 penalty count. The accuracy of Foley off the goalkicking tee also proved pivotal, with the Wallaby successful with all three of his attempts, while Kolbe missed three out of five for Sungoliath.
The Advertiser
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Macquarie miracle: Scorps snatch last-minute win from NEWRL leaders after looking all but beat
Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay. "I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said. In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas. Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play. Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion. After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead. But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank. Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line. After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground. "It was madness," Bayley said. "6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it. "I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try]. "I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off. "Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them." Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding." The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second. South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday. Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time. Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list. The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season. Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on. The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm. POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0). Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay. "I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said. In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas. Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play. Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion. After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead. But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank. Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line. After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground. "It was madness," Bayley said. "6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it. "I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try]. "I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off. "Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them." Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding." The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second. South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday. Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time. Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list. The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season. Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on. The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm. POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0). Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay. "I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said. In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas. Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play. Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion. After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead. But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank. Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line. After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground. "It was madness," Bayley said. "6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it. "I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try]. "I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off. "Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them." Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding." The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second. South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday. Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time. Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list. The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season. Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on. The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm. POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0). Macquarie Scorpions coach Jye Bayley had to watch his side's match-winning try on video replay. "I'd stormed out of the box," Bayley said. In two minutes of "madness" at Lyall Peacock Field on Saturday, Macquarie looked to have lost, and then somehow won, their Newcastle Rugby League clash with competition leaders Wests Suburbs Rosellas. Trailing 6-2 for the majority of the second half, Wests finally broke Macquarie's resilient defence with just a few minutes left to play. Former NRL player and Wests centre Kevin Naiqama finished off a 70-metre break down the right edge, scoring behind the goalposts to set up what almost everyone - including Bayley - expected to be a match-winning conversion. After taking his time, another ex-NRL player in Wests fullback Will Smith kicked the ball between the sticks to give his side an 8-6 lead. But with barely 30 seconds left on the clock, Macquarie went for a short kick off, regathered and in the next play, put the ball through seven sets of hands before scoring a try for the ages down the right flank. Winger Kodi Crowther kicked ahead from 10 metres out and centre Kendyll Fahey somehow beat multiple Wests players to the ball just a metre inside the dead-ball line. After a short discussion between the match officials, the referee awarded the try to send Macquarie players and their supporters into raptures, the collective sound of car horns beeping around the ground. "It was madness," Bayley said. "6-2 for most of the game, and I felt like we needed another try to seal it. "I could sense it coming, due the amount of defence we did ... I actually went to the sheds [after the Wests try]. "I heard a little bit of a ruckus and went out to have a look, and noticed we had scored. I'd packed up shop. I think there was about 28 seconds [left] when we got the ball back from the kick-off. "Credit to the boys, there were a lot of Scorps jerseys in that vision at the end with that try, it shows how much it meant to them." Bayley, who labelled it the "most eventful win" of his coaching career, praised Crowther and fellow winger Dean Morris, who scored Macquarie's first-half try. "The amount of work they did ... and in both our wins, they've been outstanding." The 12-8 triumph was Macquarie's second win in five games, and came after a similarly late 22-20 victory over Lakes the week prior. It moved them into eighth position, while Wests, who now have a 3-1 record for the year, dropped to second. South Newcastle have taken the lead on the NEWRL ladder after downing Kurri Kurri 34-18 on Saturday. Andrew Ryan's side always looked likely at Kurri Kurri Sports Ground, leading 22-12 at half-time. Souths winger Mapu Uasi bagged a double to take his individual haul for the season to seven, two ahead of anyone else on the competition's 2025 try-scorers' list. The Lions, who are now 4-1, and Macquarie are the only teams to have played five games this season. Several others have washed-out matches to catch up on. The Entrance were due to host Cessnock on Sunday at 3pm. POINTS TABLE: Souths, Wests, Maitland (8), Cessnock, Kurri (6), Lakes, The Entrance, Macquarie (4), Wyong (2), Central, Northern (0).
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy star George Burgess joins bizarre and very violent new Aussie sport that's been slammed by top brain doctor
Premiership-winning ex-NRL star George Burgess is set to star in a violent and strange new Aussie sport that features huge athletes slamming into each other at top speed in scenes that have been condemned by a leading neuroscientist. Burgess will feature in the RUNIT Championship League ctournament in Melbourne on Wednesday, with $20,000 in prize money on the line. The sport involves two competitors - one holding a rugby ball, the other trying to tackle him - running at each other as hard as they can in a straight line on a 20-metre by four-metre playing surface known as a 'battlefield'. Savage impacts are the result, and according to RUNIT, 'victory belongs to the one who dominates the collision'. Former Souths enforcer Burgess is far from the only footy star to get involved with the new combat sport, with Melbourne Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona acting as a spokesman for the league in videos and online before announcing last week that he'd split with the group 'due to a fall out'. Western Bulldogs AFL star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan presented a trophy at a RUNIT event as an ambassador for the sport, and former Super Rugby and Fijian Test star Nemani Nadolo will also feature in Wednesday's tournament as he takes on Burgess. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RUNIT CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE (@ RUNIT plans to hold an event in New Zealand next month before expanding to the UK, USA and Saudi Arabia later this year. Asofa-Solomona explained that the idea behind the sport is to 'find the biggest hitters and ball runners who didn't get an opportunity [in top-level footy] through injury, family issues etc and give them a crack'. One of RUNIT's promotional videos compares the sport to America's Power Slap fighting promotion, which sees competitors deliver open-handed blows to each other's faces, with neither making any attempt to get out of the way. The nature of RUNIT has seen it come in for stern criticism from leading neuroscientist Dr Helen Murray, who is also an expert on the deadly brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can be caused by the sort of repeated blows to the head commonly suffered by footballers. 'From a CTE standpoint, we know that exposure to repeated head acceleration events is the biggest risk factor for CTE pathology, and therefore finding ways to reduce these impacts in contact sports is a priority for player safety,' Murray told the New Zealand Herald. 'It appears there is no attempt to mitigate head acceleration events in this activity and the risk of significant injury is high, given the intent to collide, so I do not support it.' RUNIT organisers stressed that competitors must go through a screening process before being allowed to participate, and that safety measures are in place. 'Yes, a knockout can potentially occur, but this is not the aim of our game,' RUNIT organisers said. RUNIT has condemned shocking vision from a rival event that showed a man (pictured left) seizing up on the ground after being knocked out while running the ball 'The aim is to dominate contact - whether you bump someone over or land a good, clean hit. 'We disallow tackles below the waist and above the shoulders. A knockout, like any other combat sport, is a byproduct. 'Unlike any other combat sport, however it is not our aim. 'Athletes are screened by a doctor pre and post matches, medics are present, and medical waivers inclusive of drug and blood tests are completed prior to any participation.' RUNIT has also condemned a viral video showing a man displaying severe concussion symptoms after being hit in a very similar event that's not connected with the league. The footage shows the man being knocked out cold with his right arm jerking uncontrollably as he lays on the ground while spectators run onto the playing surface. He appears to be suffering a fencing response, which can occur when someone suffers an impact strong enough to cause a traumatic brain injury. 'It highlights the level of differentiation between our league and these other backyard-type events,' RUNIT organisers said. 'What we saw in that video is thoroughly disappointing - the lack of care, the filiming and running in of children and spectators whilst a man was clearly seizing on the ground.' Burgess's involvement with RUNIT comes three years after he played his last game of NRL as he ran out for the St George Illawarra Dragons. The former prop forward's gambling addiction has been a matter of public record, and he has been open about attending rehab to help deal with it. When he joined the Dragons after two years back home in England, he became the first man to play professional rugby league following hip-resurfacing surgery. But his comeback was overshadowed in March 2022 when he was charged with sexually touching another person without consent, after he went to a woman's house to drop off a signed jersey for a charity event.
