Hey Cobberstanians! I trust you’re well and truly PUMPED for the dead-set international rugbastravaganza that’s going to flood our senses over the coming weekend. Seriously, grab your chippies, grab your doona and restock your rumbos because we have six – count ’em SIX – massive international men’s rugby union test matches this coming weekend. All of these games mark the opening round of the newly formed World Rugby Nations Championship, and I for one reckon it’s going to be a belter of a tournament.
But before I get too far in-front on myself, let’s lay down some expectations. My role here today is two-fold: Firstly a synopsis and teamsheets for the coming weekend big games (as/if released) and secondly, the ‘Around the campfires…’ segment having a chat and look-see at rugby in the less publicised places across this big brown mud pile of ours. And in the midst of all that, I’ll continue to drop completely random pics of rugby orientated stuff that cropped up on my socials during the week.
Cooma Rugby Snowball – one for the calendar
With that cleared up, it’s always a good idea to inform yourself of the issues to-date and to that end, check out Hoss covering Brissy with the Monday news HERE, RAWFy chatting about SuperW and the U20’s HERE, and KARL talking up referees, the Tarts coaching merry-go-round and just how much better Antoine Dupont is than Richie McAwe ever was HERE. I reckon KARL was a bit harsh with that argument and he may have issues at Kiwi Kustoms next time he tries to go home.
And for those of an inclination to care, this week’s banner pic is an absolute pearler of rugby in the mud curtesy of the Petersham rugby club in their recent donk-on in the mud with the Drummoyne Dirty Reds in Sydney Subbies 1st division. And to that end, I note HC had some comments on that HERE.
Righto, enough palaver. Let’s get cracking.
Victorian Conference Cup standings after Rd10
World Rugby Nations Championship
This thing has sort of snuck up on me to be honest. I know, there was probably a gazzilion bucks spent on marketing, but it all just seemed to float past me until now when BAM it’s here. But now that it is indeed here and I’ve taken a moment to wrap my head around the enormity of it, what a weekend to lose yourself in eh? Frankly, it’s stuff like this that reminds me of why I love rugby.
About the only thing I don’t like about it is reading how many Aussies are lining up in other countries jerseys (I counted 14). But let’s not get started on that.
New Zealand vs. France – One NZ Stadium, Christchurch at 5:10 PM AEST Saturday
I reckon this will be a game of Kiwi pace versus French interpersonal relationships. To explain, with only 10 days of preparation, newly ordained AB’s coach Dave ‘Kumbayah’ Rennie will no-doubt play a stripped back style of simplified, high-paced basics alongside bread & butter defensive brutality to off-set the combinations and familiarity the 11-man Bordeaux-heavy squad that French coach Fabien Galthié will field. That said, it’s as hard as ever to work out how serious the Frogs actually are for this because as usual the Frogs are playing shenanigans with their squad in/exclusions (eg Dupont). So while the Kiwis did sweep the Frogs 3-0 in the 2025 tour series, looking at past form is a bit of a waste of time. But given it’s the world no2 versus no4, it will still be a showpiece of a match.
All Black Squad:
Forwards: Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ethan de Groot, George Bower, Xavier Numia, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Josh Lord, Sam Darry, Peter Lakai, Simon Parker, Ardie Savea (c), Wallace Sititi, Luke Jacobson, Anton Segner, Jamie Hannah
Backs: Cameron Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Kyle Preston, Ruben Love, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Billy Proctor, Anton Lienert-Brown, Caleb Clarke, Fehi Fineanganofo, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby, Will Jordan
France:
Forwards: Moses Alo-Emile, Hugo Auradou, Demba Bamba, Pierre Bochaton, Esteban Capilla, Sipili Falatea, Marko Gazzotti, Mickael Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Maxime Lamothe, Temo Matiu, Barnabe Massa, Peato Mauvaka, Emmanuel Meafou, Regis Montagne, Lenni Nouchi, Boris Palu, Jefferson Poirot, Alexandre Roumat, Tom Staniforth, Tevita Tatafu, Killian Tixeront, Florent Verhaeghe, Reda Wardi
Backs: Theo Attissogbe, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Auguste Cadot, Nicolas Depoortere, Mathis Ferte, Theo Forner, Emilien Gailleton, Kalvin Gourgues, Paul Graou (was Dupont) Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Antoine Hastoy, Matthieu Jalibert, Nolann Le Garrec, Maxime Lucu (c), Romain Ntamack, Damian Penaud, Max Spring
Teams not named as of publishing.
Goondiwindi & UNISQ getting up close and personal in Darling Downs rugby
Japan vs. Italy – National Stadium, Tokyo at 6:40 PM AEST Saturday
Somewhat similarly to the NZ v Frog clash, expect this match to also be a display of Eddie Jones’ high-tempo, low-possession Nippon-style rugby versus the beef and bash the Europeans will attempt to deploy. Expect a world no12 Japanese emphasis on ‘run ’em around’ rugby with lightning-quick distribution to stretch the world no 10 Azzurri across Tokyo surface. Meanwhile, the Pastafarians come with a heavy, structured pack of forwards aiming to deliberately try to slow the play down, rely on lineout and scrum dominance, and so will look to strangle Japan’s chaos-rugby through disciplined set-pieces.
Now just take a moment to digest what I said: the Japanese will be making chaos while the Italians will be emphasising control and discipline. Yup. I actually said that.
The Italians completely dominated the Brave Blossoms in their last meeting, walking away with an emphatic 42-14 victory in Tokyo. Accordingly, Japan is on the hunt for soul-cleansing revenge on home soil.
Italian Squad:
Forwards: Lorenzo Cannone, Niccolò Cannone, Alessandro Izekor, Michele Lamaro, Samuele Locatelli, David Odiase, Federico Ruzza, Andrea Zambonin, Danilo Fischetti, Mirco Spagnolo, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Pablo Dimcheff, Muhamed Hasa, Marco Riccioni, Ross Vintcent, Giulio Marini, Alessandro Ortombina, Ion Neculai
Backs: Alessandro Fusco, Alessandro Garbisi, Stephen Varney, Martin Page-Relo, Tommaso Allan, Paolo Garbisi, Leonardo Marin, Giulio Bertaccini, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Malik Faissal*, Monty Ioane, Louis Lynagh, Paolo Odogwu, Giacomo Da Re, Lorenzo Pani, Matt Gallagher
Japanese Squad:
Forwards: Sojiro Otsuka, Takato Okabe, Yota Kamimori, Hayate Era, Kenji Sato, Mamoru Harada, Izi Sword, Shuhei Takeuchi, Jack Cornelsen, Mike Stolberg, Warner Dearns, Waisake Raratabu, Harry Hockings, Esei Ha’angana, Ben Gunter, Kanji Shimokawa, Tiennan Costley, Michael Leitch
Backs: Itsuki Kamimura, Naoto Saito, Takuro Hojo, Haruto Watanabe, Ryunosuke Ito, Shinya Komura, Samisoni Tua, Shogo Nakano, Yuya Hirose, Dylan Riley, Kippei Ishida, Kazuma Ueda, Haruto Kida, Inoke Burua, Shunsuke Uenobo, Takuro Matsunaga
Teams not named as of publishing.
Not really much to ad there. The pic says it all.
Wallabies vs. Ireland – Allianz Stadium, Sydney at 8:10 PM AEST Saturday
This will be a cracker of a match I feel. At a sold out Moore Park stadium, outgoing Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt faces the team he famously coached for over half a decade, adding an intense layer of familiarity and tactical chess to the fixture. To be frank, the world no 8 Wobblies have the weight of history distinctly against them, having lost their last five consecutive test matches against world no 3 Ireland, including a heavy 46-19 defeat last November. In fact, you have to trawl back to 2018 to find the last time the Wobbs beat the Paddy’s.
As for the Irish, expect to see the continuation of Ireland’s tactical evolution away from standard aerial contests into low, piercing, forward-moving kicks through the defensive line off the back of stringing together immense, multi-phase possession sequences designed to exhaust and frustrate defenders into error.
Wallaby Squad:
Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Miles Amatosero, Angus Bell, Charlie Cale, Josh Canham, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Josh Nasser, Zane Nonggorr, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Billy Pollard, Aidan Ross, Lachlan Shaw, James Slipper, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson
Backs: Jock Campbell, Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Josh Flook, Carter Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Ryan Lonergan, Tate McDermott, Declan Meredith,* Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Kalani Thomas, Corey Toole, Tom Wright
Irish Squad:
Forwards: Tadhg Beirne, Billy Bohan, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris (c), Tadhg Furlong, Sam Illo, Cormac Izuchukwu, Sean Jansen, Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Joe McCarthy, Darragh Murray, Tom O’Toole, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Tom Stewart, Nick Timoney, Josh van der Flier
Backs: Bundee Aki, Rob Baloucoune, Harry Byrne, Craig Casey, Nathan Doak, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O’Brien, Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale
Teams not named as of publishing.
Wynnum Bugs up in Qld Suburban having a reunion day of sorts
Fiji vs. Wales – Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff at 11:10 PM AEST Saturday
Get this – under the guidelines of this tournament, this is somehow classified as a Fiji home game?! But to be fair, given the amount of their squad who are coming out of the north, it’s probably a fair call once you average out the km’s to be travelled. Under head coach Steve Tandy, Wales enters the tournament ranked 11th in the world but carrying positive momentum from a late Six Nations resurgence. They have trimmed their squad down to a final 33-man roster led by Dewi Lake, though they are severely hindered by a shoulder injury to star lock Dafydd Jenkins, who was ruled out just before the tour. Against that, world no9 Fiji’s preparation hit minor bumps with tighthead prop Luke Tagi withdrawing due to personal commitments, forcing a late call-up for Fijian Drua anchor Mesake Doge. As ever, they will rely heavily on their world-class offloading and breakdown speed to disrupt Wales.
Wales Squad:
Forwards: Adam Beard, James Botham, Rhys Carre, Ben Carter, Ryan Elias, Kane James, Dewi Lake (c), Dillon Lewis, Evan Lloyd, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Aaron Wainwright, Sam Wainwright, Ben Warren, Teddy Williams
Backs: Josh Adams, Sam Costelow, Dan Edwards, Mason Grady, Kieran Hardy, Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Ellis Mee, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Blair Murray, Louis Rees-Zammit, Ben Thomas, Tomos Williams
Teams not named as of publishing.
Uni of Newcastle Seahorse Women after their win over Hamilton Hawkes last Friday. Go Mia!
South Africa vs. England – Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 1:40 AM AEST Sunday
Simple things please me in life, and so I’ll be getting up to just eat sausages while I watch Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx, and Thomas du Toit assemble with 20 other braai-luving mates to do things to Steve Bortho’s Englishmen that would land them in gaol anywhere else as world ranked 1st Saffas look to physically and emotionally dismantle world no 6 England some 1,753 metres (5,750 feet) above sea level. Against that, the Butchers enter Johannesburg on the back of a grueling four-match test losing streak. Accordingly, they must find a way to handle the altitude of the Highveld, the attitude of its denizens and do all that before handling the Japie world-famous bench. Otherwise the ever-friendly and forgiving English media will make hay at their expense afterwards. So, choose your poison thoughtfully lads…
South Africa: Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortje, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse
Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Zach Porthen, Marco van Staden, Cameron Hanekom, Cobus Reinach, Andre Esterhuizen, Canan Moodie
England Squad:
Forwards: Jamie George (c), Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Beno Obano, George Kloska, Vilikesa Sela, Ollie Chessum, George Martin, Alex Coles, Arthur Clark, Ted Hill, Guy Pepper, Greg Fisilau, Noah Caluori, Henry Pollock,
Backs: Alex Mitchell, Ben Spencer, Jack van Poortvliet, Archie McParland, Marcus Smith, Fin Smith, George Ford, Henry Slade, Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Seb Atkinson, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Cadan Murley, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Freddie Steward, Tom Roebuck, Adam Radwan,
England team not named as at publishing.
SthAust Rugby Brighton v Souths last weekend
Argentina vs. Scotland – Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba at 5:10 AM AEST Sunday
Historically, this is one of the most evenly balanced fixtures in rugby. Over 23 total test matches, world no5 Argentina holds the narrowest possible historical lead with 12 wins to world no 7 Scotland’s 11 wins. Further, this match is worth a watch even if only to see how the Scots have recovered from their last outing, wherein the Jocks raced out to a commanding 21-0 lead, only to suffer a catastrophic second-half collapse as Argentina stormed back to win 33-24. As such, I expect Gregor Townsend and Jock scrum coach Pieter de Villiers to have been relentless with their charges regarding pressure, physical bullying and stopping the direct Argentinian maul.
Scotland Squad
Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Magnus Bradbury, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Freddy Douglas, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Jonny Gray, Gregor Hiddleston (Uncapped), Will Hurd, Nathan McBeth, Liam McConnell, Elliot Millar-Mills, D’Arcy Rae, Alex Samuel, Pierre Schoeman, Seb Stephen (Uncapped).
Backs: Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie, Darcy Graham, Adam Hastings, George Horne, Rory Hutchinson, Tom Jordan, Blair Kinghorn, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Rowe, Finn Russell, Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Sione Tuipulotu (c), Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White.
Argentine Squad:
Forwards: Matías Alemanno, Luciano Asevedo (Uncapped), Francisco Coria Marchetti, Pedro Delgado, Santiago Grondona, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Franco Molina, Julián Montoya (Captain), Ignacio Ruiz, Pedro Rubiolo, Rodrigo Fernández, Leonel Oviedo (Uncapped), Juan Penoucos,
Backs: Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Santiago Chocobares, Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Bautista Delguy, Gonzalo García, Juan Martín González, Juan Cruz Mallía, Matías Moroni, Matías Orlando, Joaquín Oviedo, Justo Piccardo, Gerónimo Prisciantelli, Nicolás Roger, Nahuel Triadó, Agustín Fraga, Mateo Soler (Uncapped).
Final teams not named as of publishing.
NSW Country Schools got up over Comb Catholic Colleges last week
Around the campfires…
I see up in Queensland Country Central Highlands, it’s game day this coming Saturday with two exciting matches locked in as the Capella Cattledogs welcome the Dawson Valley Drovers to the thriving metropolis of Capella. And for good measure, it will be worth the trip as it’s also the Cattledogs annual Ladies Day!
This is one of the social highlights of the Capella season, so don’t miss out! Come along for an afternoon of great rugby, our Ladies Day jersey auction and live entertainment.
Saturday, 4 July 2026 at Bridgeman Park, Capella
2:00 PM Kick-Off for Capella Cattledogs v Dawson Valley Drovers
4:00 PM Kick-Off for Emerald Rams Rugby Union Club v Drovers Barbarians
Skipping down to ACT & Southern Inland rugby, Wagga Ag College are on socials talking up how it has been another two big weeks of rugby for the club, with plenty of hard-fought contests and some great results across the grades.
Round 9 saw Aggies host Albury in the Harvest Cup. The day kicked-off with the Aggies Women’s side continued their outstanding season, nailing home a convincing 24–5 victory over the southerners, showcasing all their growing skill and determination. Albury turned the tables in 2nd grade though, pulling back a hard fought 14-7 result in a grueling and genuinely enthralling contest. And thus all eyes turned to the big show to see who would carry the day. And after an absolutely hectic, end to end thriller, the match ended as a 10-all draw!
Round 10 brought another successful weekend for the Aggies club, with both First and Second Grade returning to the winner’s circle while the Green Chicks had the weekend off. Second Grade produced a strong all-round performance to defeat Reddies 35-25, while First Grade followed suit with a hard-fought 28-15 victory. Congratulations to both sides on excellent team performances.
Random Aggie gets a fend on a Steamer
Unfortunately, Thirsties Third Grade faced a tougher challenge against a pretty stacked and capable Wagga City and, despite brave efforts, they went down 61–0. The group continues to show resilience and commitment each week, and they’ll be looking to bounce back in the coming rounds.
Across both weekends there were plenty of positives to take away, with all grades continuing to improve and represent the club with pride. A special mention to our Women’s team for another outstanding win and to our First and Second Grade sides for their strong performances in Round 10.
As ever, we offer a huge thank you to all of our supporters, volunteers and sponsors who continue to get behind the club each week. Your support makes a massive difference, and we look forward to seeing everyone again this weekend as we continue to push towards the business end of the season. 💚💛🏉
And speaking of all things SIRU, the zone is calling all to join in this Saturday 4th July at Conolly Park for the Southern Inland 3rd Grade Gala Day! With no other grades scheduled to play across the weekend, all attention turns to our 3rd Grade competition as teams come together for a great day of rugby at the one venue.
📍 Conolly Park
📅 Saturday, 4th July
⏰ Game schedule bbove
Get along, buy a rum and support the festival of Rugby!
SIRU 3rd grade extravaganza
Vaguely related to 3rd grade news in general and perhaps more about lads being perhaps a bit past their prime, Grafton Redmen were loud and proud on socials this past week talking up their history in anticipation of an Old Boys Day. Dating back to 1969, the club has been an integral part of the Far North and Mid North Coast competitions through recent decades, with years of heartbreak, hope and belief like so many others. Fast forward to 2026 and the club is still thriving, although premierships have been harder to come by in recent years. So, in homage to those who went before them, on Saturday July 18, the Redmen Club will hold their annual Old Boys Day where past players can reconnect with teammates, friends and club legends to tell no stories, lies or even mild exaggerations of exploits in days gone by.
This year there is a special addition to the celebrations, with some formal recognition of the 1986 and 2006 premiership winning sides. And in fact, the 2006 minor & major premiers were captained/coached by current first grade coach Gary Powell and were the last team to bring home the silverware following their 26-14 win over Casino Bulls. Further, the ’86 side will also be called out, having now put 40yrs of water under the bridge since they defeated the much-heavier fancied, star-studded Coffs Harbour side in their decider.
However, the weekend is not all about winning premierships. It’s also about all those past players who represented the blood and bandages at any time, helped keep the traditions alive and built the culture and the jersey we proudly bear today.
So get on down to the Hay Street grounds in South Grafton on 18 July as your Red Men and Red Chix line up against the Kempsey Cannonballs and honour their traditions.
This weekend’s fixtures for the Red Men vs Hastings Vikings.
Over in WA Championship and community rugby, my socials seem to be receiving heavy traffic from the Dunsborough Dungbeetles (good on them for plugging their club) and they are calling all and sundry to pull out and dust off your oldest Dungas jersey and let’s celebrate 30 Years of the Dungbeetles Rugby Club! 
Specifically, this Saturday 4th July 2026, they’re celebrating an incredible 30 years of the Dungbeetles Rugby Club – and they would love to see all our past and present players, supporters, families and friends there!
Details:
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Dungbeetles vs Curtin
So, whether you’ve still got your very first Dungas jersey tucked away or you’re rocking the latest club gear, pull it out, get it on and wear your blue and white with pride! Let’s fill the sidelines with Dungbeetles colours and celebrate the generations of players, members and supporters who make up the Dungbeetles family. 
It’s also Sponsors Day, where we’ll be celebrating and thanking all of our amazing sponsors who make what we love to do even possible. Your ongoing support has helped make the last 30 years possible, and we’re incredibly grateful for everything you do for our club.
Come along for a fantastic afternoon of rugby, great company, and a celebration of three decades of Dungbeetles pride. Help cheer the boys on to a big win over Curtin and be part of a special day in our club’s history. Old jersey or new, we want to see a sea of blue and white!
Dungbeetles throwing a party. I’d show up to see that.
And lastly for this week, I found this little bit of a veritable rugby ‘rags to riches’ gem thanks to the Souths rugby club in South Australia.
From Souths to Super W starter… what a journey!!! 
This weekend, we couldn’t be prouder of Taj Heald as she earns her first Super W start, pulling on the No. 7 jersey for the NSW Waratahs.
Taj joined Souths as a junior before stepping into our women’s premiership team at just 15 years old. Affectionately known as “Baby”, her aptitude was clear from the start as she quickly became known for being found at the bottom of near every ruck and an integral part of multiple premiership-winning campaigns as she progressed up and through South Australia 7s and 15s representative sides.
Souths results from last weekend (Rd12)
Determined to pursue rugby at the highest level, Taj made the move to Western Australia to join the Western Force. But what should have been the next exciting chapter became one of the toughest as two consecutive ACL injuries robbed her of the opportunity to earn even a single Force cap. But if there’s one thing we’ve always known about Taj, it’s that she never gives up.
And that determination paid off as, with rebuilds and rehabs in the rear-vision mirror, she packed up and moved again, this time up to Sydney, for a shot with the premier women’s team in the nation. And frankly, it didn’t surprise anyone who knows her when she made her Super W debut in Round 1 this year, in jersey no 20 off the bench. And this weekend she reaches another incredible milestone, named in the Waratahs’ starting XV at no7.
Taj, everyone at Souths is incredibly proud of the player, and more importantly, the person you have become. Your resilience, courage and determination are an inspiration. You’ve earned every moment of this success. And we couldn’t be prouder to have watched your journey from our “baby” to an elite rugby player.
Congratulations on your first start. We’ll all be cheering you on from Adelaide. Go hard.
I’m not crying. You’re crying. Go hard girl.
Well that will do me for this week I reckon. There’s more stuff in all that than I can chew on, so I’ll give you a week to get through it all and then check back next Thursday. Make sure you swing by your local club this week and do what you know you should do.
Say “Hi” to your mum for me.
Play hard. Run straight. Tackle brave.
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