Club 1: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mali, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka. Club 2: Bolivia, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, In...

Continue reading →

In the last few days two articles caught my attention: one about a raid on a presumed illegal brothel and one about a Sydney city council using private detectives to gather evidence against presumed illegal brothels (as an aside, private agents employed by government agencies/...

Continue reading →

For some time now I have contemplated posting here on Troppo on the French elections. More than anything else, I have resisted the temptation with diligent application of laziness. Second only to laziness has been the suspicion that very few people care about the French electi...

Continue reading →

Last week, Eygptian blogger Wael Abbas (NB he writes in Arabic!) was credited by French newspaper Le Figaro with striking a major blow against oppression, thanks to three of the ubiquitous incidents of material progress a mobile phone with integrated videocamera, the multimedi...

Continue reading →

( crossposted at sidelined ) I am almost too disappointed to write this. Frankly, what a waste of a game. I suggested before that the backline selection was illogical, and indeed two people who had never played together in the centres before turned out, against arguably the be...

Continue reading →

Fred Argy has written a letter to the AFR protesting changes to cross-media laws. In it appears, to me at least, the incredible implicit assertion that Fox News is bad for American democracy. Because I think he is an intelligent man and I quite respect his opinion on most subj...

Continue reading →

also featuring: Ireland A v Australia A, Limerick, 15 November 2006 cross-posted for the first time to sidelined . Australia A v Ireland, 15 November 2006 Australia A play the Ireland A tonight, which might not seem like big news but in the greater scheme of things will be a p...

Continue reading →

Perhaps the most embarrassing part is that they will probably out-scrum us, but that should be it. Our scrum should really use this as valuable training since they can be confident that even if they fall apart the backs will carry this one. For the record I expect we won't con...

Continue reading →

also featuring: France v New Zealand, 11 November 2006, Lyon Ireland v South Africa, 11 November 2006, Dublin I should be embarrassed to admit this but I am getting up for the second of these matches! Italy v Australia Who really cares how many points we score against Italy, e...

Continue reading →

What a start! For a while one might have been nearly 10 years ago when Australia v Wales was just a question of how many points Australia would score. And then Wales, fortunately for their world cup hopes, came flying back, and what an anticlimatic finish. First though, I woul...

Continue reading →

This match really looks like being the crux match of the Wallabies' 2006 campaign. Perhaps if we do win here then the final Bledisloe will get all the headlines, and if the Boks get their act together then winning in the Republic has traditionally been a hurdle for Australian...

Continue reading →

Well, were to start? With an expletive you say? Been there done that! More productively, let's start with the quick wrap: First, the media seem to have taken leave of their senses, and frankly I think that a lot of the criticism directed at the Wallabies by the Sydney papers w...

Continue reading →

Well, although for family reasons I am obliged to say that the soccer world cup is far from over, nothing stops me from pointing out that a) it is stating the obvious to say that the refereeing in that game is an absurd relic of the pre-television age, b) I would rather watch...

Continue reading →

Belated Match Report, I know. But, having finally caught up with the tape, I do have a few thoughts to share, not all about that match (video highlights here now). Match Highlights: Matt Rogers : Sure, he went off and would have been sick to do it, but he's a sure thing to sta...

Continue reading →

I only have a few observations to make, and won't have an after match report this time - I won't even be able to see this match live. Which is a shame because it will surely be worth watching! I think it will be a great contest, and I wouldn't be surprised if Australia win by...

Continue reading →

On Saturday I mentioned that our U21s beat NZ (21-17), for the second year running in the last round of pool matches, although unlike last year, NZ progress to the semis anyway, to play South Africa, who beat France (14-10) on Saturday as well. In their turn, the French are no...

Continue reading →

What a weird match! Yet wonderful because Australia were stronger, more creative and more organised and accordingly won , weird because the scrums were an odd battle until, without anyone at the ground understanding, they were no battle at all as England's props succumbed to i...

Continue reading →

Australian Squad: I must say I think Connolly's forward picks are a little odd. Start with the front row: clearly (I think) Paul is on the bench because he has booked his flight to the RWC, but then does that mean that Baxter is also booked? I suspect it does. Now what about t...

Continue reading →

I would wake up and thank God that I am not only a professional rugby coach but the coach of the potential triple-RWC champions. On that note, I would quickly down my morning nip before my thoughts went any further! As it is I am not he, and so I shall merely speculate as to w...

Continue reading →

Firstly, my thanks to Ken Parish for the offer to post rugby reviews here. As someone with a more than middling interest in the game, I am delighted to try my hand. In case I might lack any incentive, I have the luck to be starting at a really crucial and fascinating period fo...

Continue reading →