Home > Authors > Hamish McBrearty
Registered Since 03/02/07
Articles (193)
Country: New Zealand
In an effort to be more open with the media and public, SANZAR are now allowing match referees to fr....
Being a fan of any team is usually a rollercoaster ride, filled with dizzying highs and paralysing l....
After a pretty good contest on Friday night, in which the Bulls retained their unbeaten record downi....
This year’s Super 14 refereeing appointments are being handled differently from previous years with ....
Whether it was the inability to listen or an overzealous referee, there’s no doubt that scrum infrin....
It seems the more things change at the Crusaders, the more they stay the same. The biggest question ....
Things couldn't get much worse for the Australian cricket team right now, losing a Test series at ho....
As the southern summer heats up and players from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the West I....
After watching the two Tests between New Zealand and the West Indies, the second series to use the e....
While watching the England vs New Zealand test match at the weekend, I was once again struck by a ga....
After easily accounting for Scotland with a mixture of first and second-choice players, are any of t....
After two rounds of the group phase, the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup is proving to be a major su....
Germany booked their place in the knockout phase of the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup with a 3-2 w....
The naming of Chiefs' first-five Steven Donald in the pivot role ahead of Dan Carter for the final B....
A five-star performance from tournament favourites Germany has put the rest of the teams at the Unde....
The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup got under way as hosts New Zealand took on Canada at North Harbo....
The Air New Zealand Cup play-off picture only snapped into focus with the final kick in round-robin ....
Maybe it was the war of words leading up to the game, perhaps the extra game they played, or perhaps....
The NRL Grand Final is less than a week away but still rugby league fans have just two words on thei....
The corpse of Graham Henry's World Cup dream just refuses to stay buried as the causes of its untime....
The All Blacks beat the Springboks by 19-8 in a wet and windy Wellington to open the much-awaited 20....
After losing both Ali Williams and Richie McCaw in the first half of the second Test against England....
England’s best chance in either Test against New Zealand came at Christchurch today when the All Bla....
As an aspiring rugby journalist I sometimes write a story based on my opinion about the game, but I ....
Sitting pretty on the top of the table with 52 points, the Crusaders have a 12-point lead over secon....
Nobody expects media commentators to be absolute experts in the laws of the rugby. In fact I like to....
It is often said that rugby is a game of inches, but last night it was a game of millimetres as the ....
After a dismal start to the season, the Chiefs have hauled themselves up the ladder and are now the ....
The Crusaders, like almost everyone else, have four games remaining and have a six-point lead at the....
Chiefs vs Crusaders The round kicks off with a cracker of a game which will certainly be a sell out ....
The top two teams in Super 14 - the Crusaders and the Sharks - have established a small lead over th....
I labelled referee Paul Marks ''weak willed'' after he failed to deal with a high tackle correctly d....
One of Adam Gilchrist’s biggest strengths was his ability to launch an ODI innings with an assault o....
The England cricket tour of New Zealand has been something of an emotional roller coaster for the En....
Crusaders vs Waratahs This game has the potential to be the match of the round, despite both sides h....
Thee Crusaders marched on - but they'll be without the services of star inside centre Stephen Brett ....
Chiefs vs Stormers Both sides got their campaigns back on track with wins last weekend, the Stormers....
After watching the highlights - if they can be called highlights - of the England-Scotland game from....
You'll have to forgive me if I seem a little confused, but at the end of October weren't England the....
Force 24 Crusaders 29 In a clash of very similar styles, the Force pushed the Crusaders all the way ....
I try not to write when frustrated, but after witnessing the most pathetically weak-willed decision ....
The 2008 Super 14 is being played under some of the so-called Stellenbosch Laws, developed at the So....
Highlanders vs Hurricanes The Highlanders have had a horror start to their campaign, suffering three....
When the Tri-Nations series began, the two trans-Tasman clashes doubled as Bledisloe Cup fixtures, b....
For a time the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) was viewed as little more than an annoyance for New....
Hurricanes 39 Chiefs 19 The Hurricanes finally got their high-risk offence to click as they put on a....
Hurricanes v Chiefs: The round opens with two teams looking jump-start their season. Both were disap....
The behaviour of the crowd on Saturday night at the cricket in Christchurch left a great deal to be ....
The Newcastle Jets won the A-League grand final against the Mariners 1-0 - but the game ended in con....
Hurricanes 23 Reds 18 The round opened in Wellington where the home side recorded their first victor....
New Zealand’s cricketers won the one-day series against England by three games to one after a 34-run....
Hurricanes vs Reds The round opens in Wellington when Colin Cooper's Hurricanes will need to dramati....
The number of season ticket holders for the Crusaders has dropped by as much as 20 per cent, accordi....
The traditional Super 14 powers showed they will be difficult to topple once again, but some of last....
A large group of players from all three Super 14 nations have made their way to the higher pay of th....
Last year’s semi-finalists have a tough beginning to the season, starting off at home against their ....
The decision to use the Experimental Law Variations for the Super 14 competition in Australia, New Z....
England's demolition of New Zealand in two Twenty20 games in the space of three days have shown both....
The Sevens weekend in Wellington is one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar as fans from ....
New Zealand Cricket have announced that they are terminating the contract of fast bowler Shane Bond,....
The Sydney Test could have been remembered as one of the best and most exciting in recent memory - t....
Australia have been accused of poor sportsmanship and disrespecting the traditions of the game, whil....
The Sydney test match between Australia and India is filling the front and back pages of newspapers ....
Staring down the barrel of a massive first-innings deficit in the first Test in Dunedin, Bangladesh ....
The second day of the Test match between Australia and India produced two more awful umpiring decisi....
There are two schools of thought when it comes to 'walking' in cricket; those in favour say it respe....
After the Twenty20 match in Perth and the first ODI in Adelaide, it was obvious the Black Caps neede....
After the Twenty20 game in Perth, the New Zealand camp subtly raised questions over the legality of ....
New Zealand currently hold the Chappell-Hadlee trophy after beating Australia 3-0 in a series held i....
The NZRU board met yesterday to discuss whether Super 14 coaches Robbie Deans and David Nucifora sho....
In their last warm-up match before the Hadlee-Chappell Series, Australia beat New Zealand by 54 runs....
Sure the home side lost; sure the Phoenix were playing their second game in 24 hours; and sure there....
When Graham Henry was appointed as All Blacks’ coach in 2003, he was given one simple goal: Win the ....
The Wellington Phoenix crashed to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Adelaide United over the weekend, ext....
The World Cup Final was an intriguing, tight but rather uninspiring contest. Remove the context of i....
There were two distinct styles on show among the contenders for the 2007 Rugby World Cup; the high t....
Just like the 1995 World Cup Final, no tries were scored and the match was close throughout. But als....
The IRB have finally admitted what All Blacks fans knew all along. Wayne Barnes made a number of mis....
As a little background before I get into this I should say that I am not a rugby fan coming over to ....
Hyundai A-League 2007/08 round eight: Newcastle Jets 2 Wellington Phoenix 1Newcastle clearly felt th....
Trying to stop a five-match losing streak against Australia, New Zealand almost got off to a dream s....
Argentina have been the surprise package of this year's tournament, turning in their best World Cup ....
Despite dominating the territory and possession stakes for most of the game, France were unable to p....
After last year's military coup and the expelling of New Zealand's High Commissioner, the New Zealan....
Four years ago, everyone was looking forward to this semi-final, but in 2007 this is the last-four c....
A 13-hour flight and a 10-hour time difference is enough to exhaust anyone, and with just a few hour....
This was supposed to be the All Blacks' year, the year they finally delivered on all the promise the....
Just like in 1999, it was a game the All Blacks were expected to win easily. And just like in 1999, ....
The comparisons between today's All Blacks-France game and the 1999 semi-final have been made by ma....
The first of the World Cup quarter-finals is a re-match of the 2003 final and is also the fifth meet....
The Rugby World Cup began a little over three weeks ago and has already treated fans worldwide to so....
It was obvious from the outset of this World Cup that referees had been told to crack down on foul p....
The draw suggested the World Cup clash between Wales and Fiji in Nantes was just another pool game -....
So Jonny Wilkinson is back for England to take on Samoa. You will excuse me for not being particular....
Of the four teams on maximum points after two pool games in the Rugby World Cup, three are from the ....
The pool stage of the Rugby World Cup finals has reached the halfway point - and while the quarter-f....
When the 30-man squad for the World Cup was named, there were two surprise selections. Many debated ....
Although neither Samoa or Tonga have a large contingent of supporters travelling with them, fans sti....
There was no doubt who was going to win the Pool C game, but 108-13 certainly was an extreme scoreli....
England went into the game against South Africa full of confidence, having been talked up by their o....
The big-game atmosphere actually started on the train ride to the stadium. With every station we pas....
Sportingo Challenge winner Hamish McBrearty reports from the Stade de FranceJP Pietersen scored two ....
Somewhere in the skies above central Europe I find myself sitting on a plane bound for Paris, having....
The Rugby World Cup clash between powerhouses England and South Africa will not only determine who t....
There has yet to be a truly spiteful game in the Rugby World Cup, and there will be one - but the op....
The opening game of the tournament saw France continue their patchy form, falling to Argentina in wh....
Would you believe it. Hosts France were humbled by the Pumas in a game that has thrown the tournamen....
The rugby world's attention has already been on France for the past few weeks as the teams have all ....
The expansion of the Rugby World Cup to 20 teams has led to a number of second and third-tier teams ....
North Harbour began their Shield defence well, executing their set-piece play efficiently and kickin....
Of all the contenders at the World Cup, only New Zealand and Australia can be considered certainties....
Eddie Jones coached the Brumbies to their first ever Super 12 title back in 2001 and went on to beco....
The way the laws of Rugby Union are currently structured, there is a great deal of room for interpre....
It is an unfortunate fact of international rugby that there are two tiers of international teams and....
New Zealand is a comparatively young nation, first settled by Europeans in the mid 1800s. Since then....
Despite missing out on the Six Nations by the slimmest of margins, the Irish showed they are a team ....
This year's Six Nations was one of the closest ever, with four teams having a chance to claim the ti....
For the first time since 1995, the All Blacks go into the World Cup as the clear favourites, not jus....
Having failed to capture the Tri-Nations or Bledisloe this season, it would be easy to write off the....
The public in South Africa feel the team they have right has the best chance of winning the William ....
Rugby News claimed this week that three Blues players are reportedly unhappy with their treatment fr....
The second round of the Air New Zealand Cup got under way as Tasman beat Manawatu 33-10 at Landsdown....
When fans think of game-breaking players, they generally think of silky fly-halves controlling the t....
Since tearing his Achilles tendon in last year's Tri-Nations and twice undergoing surgery, Greg Some....
The Rugby World Cup starts off with pool play. Of the four groups of five teams, the top two teams i....
This hardly seemed like a marquee match-up to open New Zealand's domestic competition as Waikato boa....
At all five previous Rugby World Cups, the team with the best fly-half has won the tournament. This ....
While it can be hard to compare star players from different eras, all of the following 15 had a spec....
The 26 -12 scoreline in Auckland on Saturday does little to underline to dominance the All Blacks en....
It is said that defence will be the key to winning the World Cup this year in France - and the All B....
For both teams, the Bledisloe Cup holds a very special meaning as a symbol of trans-Tasman supremacy....
The Laws of Rugby Union say: "The purpose of the scrum is to restart play quickly, safely and fairl....
Attendances at rugby Test matches has become a hot topic lately, with some suggesting a local TV bla....
After going down 33-6 to the All Blacks in Christchurch on Saturday, Springbok captain Johann Muller....
A much-improved performance by All Blacks' play-maker Dan Carter and a dominating forward effort wor....
A blind-side flanker and part-time lock, Reuben Thorne made his All Blacks debut in 1999 against the....
The Springboks showed against Australia that even without their top 20 players, they are by no means....
A tackle is defined by Law 15 as occurring ''when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents ....
South Africa have played three matches in the 2007 Tri-Nations and amassed four yellow cards, while ....
Australia were made to work hard by an under-strength South African side in a respectable, if not ov....
After dispatching the All Blacks in a show of guts and determination last weekend, Australian fans w....
Two second-half tries and some tenacious defence vaulted the Wallabies to a sensational Tri-Nations ....
The lineout is one of Rugby Union's methods of restarting play. In fact the law book provides a very....
''It devalues the jersey,'' they cried when the rotation policy began. ''Wrapping the players in cot....
South Africa needed two late drop goals from replacement Francois Steyn to beat Australia in the ope....
Canada were never expected to give the All Blacks much of a challenge, but their dogged defence was ....
On a cold and wet night at Carisbrook, the Junior All Blacks put on a display of dominating rugby, p....
After three rounds of play in this year's Pacific Nations' Cup, only the Junior All Blacks and Austr....
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have just completed Test series successes against under-stre....
When the All Blacks toured Europe at the end of 2006, they took five locks with them. All five had s....
When Wales announced their team to play two tests in Australia, they were missing up to 18 of their ....
The All Blacks selectors have named what many would consider to be their top team, choosing only to ....
After surviving a fierce Irish assault for the first half hour, the New Zealand Maoris' superior fit....
Last year, the Pacific Nations Cup was known as the Pacific Five Nations and involved Tonga, Fiji, S....
A feast of weekend rugby saw Australia, South Africa and Argentina complete Test victories over Wale....
The shape of Rugby Union could be in for a major overhaul after the World Cup, and the new laws that....
At the end of last season the NZRU announced they were holding back a squad of 20 All Blacks from th....
With only three minutes to play Sharks' lock Albert van der Berg scored a try that looked to have wo....
The Super 14 Final will be played in Durban this weekend between the home-town Sharks and the Bulls.....
The largest margin of victory in Super Rugby is the 89 points by which the Bulls demolished the bott....
When the Super 14 expanded at the beginning of 2006 to include a fourth Australian team, it was mean....
The Super 14 reaches the business end of the season this weekend, opening with first place v fourth,....
Tana Umaga has denounced the lack of accountability for referees, saying that they have "the safest ....
Two former All Blacks captains, a number of recent All Blacks and some wonderful supporting players ....
At the beginning of the weekend there were seven Super 14 teams still in the hunt for a top-four spo....
History was against the Chiefs beating a Crusaders team who had not lost to them in nine years - and....
Back in Week Seven of the Super 14, I picked my form New Zealand team and named James Ryan and Troy ....
Fourteen teams started the Super 14 competition back in February with dreams of glory. Those dreams ....
Rugby Union's Law 6 contains a couple of relevant quotes: “The referee is the sole judge of fact and....
There are currently three Super 14 teams tied for fourth place - the Chiefs, Brumbies and Bulls - wi....
With only two rounds to go in the race for the Super 14 semi-finals, it looks like being a photo fin....
A top-of-the-table clash this week will largely determine which teams will get home semi-finals, whi....
With South Africa’s win over the West Indies, a big gap has opened between the top and bottom four t....
Felipe Massa, who started Sunday's Malaysian Grad Prix in pole position, will be left wondering what....
When the Super 14 travels to provincial centres in New Zealand, high scores often follow. The first ....
Crusaders crushed third-place Force 53-0 in one of the biggest and most unexpected upsets in Super 1....
The top six Super 14 teams have opened a small gap over the rest, but the middle of the table is sti....
With six new players in the line-up, the Crusaders were bound to lack a little cohesion. But the she....
Some are starting, some are on the bench and some have been left out entirely -- but there is no mis....
Just before the 2006 end-of-year All Blacks’ tour the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) announced that ....
After a week off, the Crusaders came back firing against the Bulls, breaking the line seemingly at w....
The Super 14 hits the midway point with Week 7 and the competition is still wide open. Week 7 also m....
The Super 14 is the only international club Rugby Union competition in the Southern Hemisphere featu....
Week Five was a tipping nightmare, with two draws, two major upsets and a minor upset. Very few peop....
After winning by a mere one point for the last two weekends, the Hurricanes’ run of good fortune was....
Nick Evans' return rejuvenated the Otago Highlanders, but Isea Toeava was the two-try hero as the Au....
For the second time in two weeks the Hurricanes scraped home by one point to deny the Brumbies after....
On the heels of two tryless games and some woeful refereeing, the Super 14 is rapidly becoming the A....
The Super 14 rolls into week three on the back of some much improved play - but still has a long way....
The Sharks and Blues top the table as the only unbeaten teams, while the Chiefs and Stormers are yet....
Rugby Union's Super 14 competition got off to a lacklustre start last week in games featuring poor h....
Week One of the 2007 Super 14 is in the books, dominated by rusty players, upsets and yellow cards. ....
The opening game of Super 14 is in the books and already certain experiments seem doomed to failure.....
on April 25, 2008
Teams may only collapse the maul once it has stopped going forward under the experimental laws, but ....
on November 11, 2008
Great article as always James. The problem with the Australian front rowers certainly used to be the....
I'm a sports fan from New Zealand. I love to watch just about all sports but my favourites are cricket and rugby.
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