Colossalbet Blog

Category: Uncategorized

  • Rugby Australia accept coach Jones’s resignation

    Rugby Australia have officially accepted the resignation of embattled coach Eddie Jones, who quit following the Wallabies’ disappointing World Cup showing.

    Rugby Australia have officially confirmed the resignation of coach Eddie Jones, who will depart next month.

    RA chief executive Phil Waugh will hold a press conference in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon as the search for a new coach begins.

    After signing a five-year deal Jones quit the post after less than 10 months on the back of a shambolic Rugby World Cup campaign in France, where the Wallabies failed to get out of the pool stage for the first time.

    They also endured record losses to Fiji and Wales, with Jones only managing two wins from his nine Tests in charge.

    The 63-year-old had been heralded as the Wallabies’ saviour when he was appointed as a ‘captain’s pick’ by chairman Hamish McLennan after the axing of previous incumbent Dave Rennie.

    Jones coached Australia to the World Cup final in 2003, and took England to the 2019 showpiece before being sacked late last year after a run of poor results.

    But he made a series of confounding decisions on his return to the Wallabies hot-seat, including naming a young, inexperienced squad for the World Cup and leaving out long-serving skipper Michael Hooper and playmaker Quade Cooper.

    Australia’s players were also rocked when Jones was linked with the Japan coaching vacancy. He was forced to deny he’d interviewed for the role just days out from the tournament opener in Paris.

    Two weeks ago, Jones insisted he was “absolutely committed” to overseeing the Wallabies through to the next World Cup, on home soil in 2027.

    But by last weekend he had offered his resignation to the RA hierarchy.

    It’s believed Jones will walk away from his hefty contract without a pay-out.

    He insisted he had no other international role to go to, including the Japan position which has yet to be filled.

    World Cup-winner Stephen Larkham and fellow former Wallabies assistant Dan McKellar are expected to be RA’s top targets to replace Jones.

    Larkham is currently coaching the ACT Brumbies after taking over from McKellar, who is head coach at Leicester Tigers in the UK.

    McKellar was Rennie’s forwards coach, and believed to be viewed as next in line to succeed the Kiwi, but resigned earlier this year when Jones was appointed to the top job.

  • Country trainer takes on city slickers in Friday’s Port Macquarie Cup (Taree)

    It’s not going to be easy for the country trainers to knock over the city slickers in Friday’s $200,000 Port Macquarie Cup at Taree, but Tony Ball is enthusiastic about the chances of his horse Ljungberg running a big race at good odds ($21 on TAB).

    The cup is one of the last remaining chances for trainers to qualify their horses for the $3 million Big Dance over 1600m at Royal Randwick on November 7 and as such has attracted runners from leading Sydney stables as well as provincial and country stables.

    The Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes stable at Rosehill will start favourite Superium – they also accepted with Mount Popa but it was scratched on Thursday.

    Chris Waller is sending Special Swey to the race from his Rosehill stable.

    But the presence of those Sydney horses doesn’t bother Taree trainer Ball, who was delighted with eight-year-old gelding Ljungberg’s last-start win over 1609m at Taree on September 24 and is looking forward to stepping him up to the 2000m of the cup.

    “If he can win and get a start in the Big Dance that would be a dream come true,” Ball said.

    “I reckon he’ll get the distance of the cup. He just needs there to be a bit of pace so they run along well and he doesn’t start pulling.

    “If he can settle down over the longer distance he’ll get a good cart into the race.

    “He’s been working really well since he won at Taree and (apprentice) Mollie Fitzgerald is riding him again after she rode him there.

    “She’s got a good understanding with the horse. I think he’ll run a good race.”

    Seven-year-old gelding Superium is an interesting runner because his five career wins have been over distances ranging from 1100m to 1400m and he has never raced over further than 1600m.

    But obviously the stable believes that at this stage of his career he can extend to the 2000m and be successful and bookmakers are certainly wary because TAB has installed him as $3 favourite.

    The big plus for Superium, which will carry 55kg, is that the minimum weight for the cup is 54kg and he will carry just one kilogram more than each of the other nine runners.

    Superium has had three runs back from a spell and at his most recent start finished off well for third in a Group 3 race over 1500m at Sandown just last Sunday.

    Holstein, trained by Matt Dunn at Murwillumbah, is second favourite at $4.20 and Special Swey is next in the betting at $5.

    Special Swey is a lightly-raced four-year-old gelding that has not performed well at either of its two runs back from a spell, but which did win a Group 3 race over 2000m in Brisbane during the winter carnival.

    *Gates open at 11.30am and the first race is at 1.05pm. Admission is $10 and $5 concession. Full bar, bistro, TAB and bookmaker facilities.

  • Cleary adds to legacy with second Clive Churchill Medal

    Nathan Cleary’s name has been etched among the greats with a man-of-the-match performance in Penrith’s 26-24 grand final defeat of Brisbane.

    Nathan Cleary has etched his name in the pantheon of great NRL halfbacks, winning a second Clive Churchill Medal and third premiership – all before the age of 26.

    In Penrith’s defeat of Brisbane at Accor Stadium on Sunday, the halfback masterminded the biggest comeback in grand final history.

    He set two tries up and scored one to help Penrith claw back from 24-8 down after 62 minutes, to 26-24 up at the final whistle.

    The performance cemented Cleary’s status as one of the great modern playmakers, and dispelled the narrative that he goes missing in games.

    Cleary has now won more grand finals than either Andrew Johns or Jonathan Thurston and is the first halfback since Peter Sterling to win three premierships before the age of 26.

    Having won the Clive Churchill Medal after the first of Penrith’s three consecutive title wins, Cleary is only the third man to have won the Clive Churchill Medal more than once.

    He joins Bradley Clyde and Billy Slater in an elite club.

    “I just feel like what he’s done in this space of time, there’s been no other halfback that has done it,” said Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo.

    “I reckon if you put his statistics up against any other halfback at this point, he’s 25, no-one’s done what he’s done.

    “That 20-minute period he put the team on his back and he won us our third grand final in a row. I’m very happy he’s our leader and he’s our seven. It’s a privilege to play with him.”

    Cleary described Sunday’s game as the most difficult of his career.

    “It honestly doesn’t feel real right now,” Cleary said.

    “To the Broncos boys, absolute beast team, very young.

    “Thanks for that game, it’s the hardest game I’ve ever played. To our boys, it’s nothing but love. We’ve worked so hard for this and we’re still just getting started.”

    For his first assist, Cleary dummied past Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam and burst away down the right edge before finding prop Moses Leota on the inside.

    He kicked a 40/20 in the set after points to keep the pressure on, and then threw the last pass to Stephen Crichton to bring the margin to only four points.

    Cleary capped his night off by stepping inside a hole in the final four minutes and sealing victory with a try of his own.

    He kicked a perfect five from five goals and ran for 162 metres, the third-most of any Panther.

  • Amelia’s Jewel off to the Toorak Handicap

    Amelia’s Jewel, trained by Simon Miller and holding an impressive record of 11: 9-2-0, is poised to compete in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.

    Owner Peter Walsh confirmed, “We’re definitely going to the Toorak, I spoke to Simon a few minutes ago, so that’s locked in.”

    This comes after her successful debut in Melbourne and a comfortable win in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes at The Valley, enhancing her reputation.

    “Damian Lane gave me his opinion yesterday, so we’re definitely going to Caulfield as long as we don’t get too much weight,” Walsh added.

    She is priced at $4 in this year’s Cox Plate odds, only shorter than Hong Kong’s champion Romantic Warrior ($3.60).

    Decisions regarding her racing in the Cox Plate (2040m) or the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) in Sydney will be determined post-Toorak.

    “Simon said ‘why do we have to make a decision now? Let’s just wait and see how she goes in The Toorak, see how the internationals go,’” shared Walsh, leaning toward the Golden Eagle but mentioning, “there’s no need to rush into a decision.”