Super Rugby 2013 - The Reds Revival Has Arrived!

Many people - including myself - doubted that the Queensland Reds could mount a challenge for this seasons Super Rugby title.

The bar has been set extremely high at the Suncorp Stadium ever since the Reds maiden Super Rugby triumph in 2011 with Reds fans expecting their side to be at the very least in the top 4 sides in the competition and the 2013 season was no exception. However, after losing to both the Brumbies and Force in the opening 5 rounds of the season and recording somewhat unimpressive victories against the Waratahs and Hurricanes many suspected that the 2013 season would be the end of the Reds domination of the Australian conference.

In addition to their struggles on the pitch, the Reds also had to deal with a lot of off field troubles at the start of the season. Quade Cooper was still not 100% fit and his falling out with the ARU was a considerable distraction, captain James Horwill had also been plagued by injuries for almost a whole year and was also not 100% fit, key back rower Scott Higginbotham had left the Reds for the Rebels and there were also hints that key man Will Genia was becoming discontent about how the club was being run.

No Higginbotham? No Problem!

The round 5 loss to the Force in Brisbane ironically marked a turning point in the Reds season thus far. Since round 5 the Reds have been undefeated, recording 4 wins and a draw against the leaders of the Australian conference, The Brumbies. Some may say that 4 wins and a draw is not all that impressive but once you examine the nature of these results one can see that the Reds are truly back on their horse!

To reverse a 24-6 belting they received at the hands of the Brumbies in round 1 to draw 19-19 in Brisbane - a match they were unlucky not to win - was their worse result after all! A first ever clean sweep over the New Zealand conference is the pick of the Reds revival with home wins over the Hurricanes and the Blues and impressive away wins over the defending champions the Chiefs and the Highlanders. Add to that a win at home to the South African conference leading Bulls and there is not much that stands in the way of the Reds repeating their 2011 triumph in this vain of form.

It is not as if the off-field soap opera has stopped at the Reds either. Head coach Ewen McKenzie has officially announced that he will step down at the end of the season and Digby Ioane's future for next season looks like it lies in France, yet these factors were not enough to affect the Reds performances in recent weeks.

So with 37 points seeing them comfortably sitting in 4th spot, a mere 3 points behind the conference leading Brumbies, it looks like the Reds have yet again established themselves as a serious contender for the Super Rugby title in 2013.

- Vladimir Aleksov

Rugby League - The English are Coming!

Lee Mossop, Gareth Hock and Mike Cooper

These are three names the average Australian Rugby League fan has never heard of. But in England they are three of the best forwards in the European Super League. What they all have in common however is that they have all signed with National Rugby League clubs in the past week. Hock and Mossop have signed for the bottom dwelling Parramatta Eels and Cooper has signed for the St George Illawarra Dragons.

In doing so these players have signaled the start of the English exodus to the NRL. With the increased NRL salary cap the trend of Australian players leaving the NRL for Super League are fast becoming over. Top English players will now be chasing the cash found in NRL contracts. England's best player Sam Tomkins is expected to be the next to join the exodus with the Warriors, Titans and Roosters all chasing his signature.

But was are the consequences in this?

Well the standard of the Australian game will only get stronger with the best Australian, New Zealand and English players all plying their trade in the down under in the NRL. This will lead to more fringe first graders getting less game time as NRL clubs look to bolster their squads with seasoned English players rather than fringe first graders. In England the local game will suffer as England's best leave. However in the long run, this will lead to English clubs developing more first graders for the English game, thus improving their depth.

The English National Rugby League team may benefit the most from the exodus. As their best players ply their trade in the NRL they will become battle hardened and will bring that experience back to the national side as they try to compete with Australia and New Zealand.

William Le Messurier