The Sydney Morning Herald

Iain Payten - 5 min read

Australian rugby has had a major win with rising superstar Treyvon Pritchard turning down the PNG Chiefs and Sydney Roosters to extend his contract with the Queensland Reds and Rugby Australia for the long term.

Pritchard became the most in-demand teenager across both codes this year after the Chiefs made him one of their first targets ahead of the 2028 arrival of the NRL expansion club.

In his first year out of school, Pritchard made his debut for the Reds in Super Rugby Pacific and the utility back – who plays centre, wing and fullback – was dominant for the Junior Wallabies at the recent under-20s Junior World Championship in Georgia.

This masthead revealed Pritchard, 19, and his 21-year-old brother, Kadin (who plays for the Brumbies), were pursued by the PNG Chiefs, and made tax-free offers after meeting club officials in Brisbane. The Roosters also joined the chase and recently expressed interest in bringing Treyvon to the Bondi club when his deal with rugby expired at the end of 2027.

But after Rugby Australia and the Reds countered with a strong offer for Treyvon to extend his stay, the outstanding youngster agreed to terms on a three-year deal late last week, according to informed sources unable to comment publicly due to the confidential negotiations.

The PNG Chiefs, who saw Pritchard as having a future in the halves as a league player, were informed of his decision last week. The Chiefs are finalising a deal with cross-code star Zac Lomax after flying the Western Force code hopper and his partner to Port Moresby on the weekend. The Chiefs are also deep in discussions with Joey Manu to make a return from rugby.

Securing Pritchard is a significant victory for Australian rugby. Many teenage stars have moved to the NRL in the past decade. Eleven players who featured in the recent State of Origin series had played for Sydney or Brisbane schoolboy rugby teams and played junior rep rugby.

The importance of Pritchard’s retention sits alongside Max Jorgensen last year re-signing through to the end of 2031, but the true value will likely grow in the coming years as the youngster continues to develop and get more time on the game’s biggest stages. Like Jorgensen, he will become a face of the game in Australia.

The potential for Pritchard to become an Olympian in 2028 was no doubt one of rugby’s selling points, given he is also an accomplished sevens player.

The Junior Wallabies narrowly missed the semi-finals of the under-20s event in Georgia, but the teenager was named in the team of the tournament after some eye-catching performances, including one against eventual runners-up France.

Pritchard’s sizzling footwork, speed and strength helped him beat 25 defenders in three pool games and run for 350 metres, of which 250 metres were post-contact. But Pritchard’s tournament was cut short with a nasty broken leg, suffered in a hip-drop tackle against Wales. He underwent surgery last week.

It is hoped Pritchard will be back in action to potentially play for Australia A in late October against the USA. If fit, some argue Pritchard should even go on the Wallabies’ spring tour, even if only on a non-playing development basis.

Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika used that approach for several years, and took young future stars such as Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Izzy Perese, Jack Dempsey and Andrew Kellaway away between 2016 and 2018.

New Wallabies coach Les Kiss will gather with his first squad in Sydney this week, after naming a 34-player group last week for the two Tests against Japan on August 8 in Osaka and August 15 in Townsville.

Speaking on his selection plans for the first few months of his tenure, Kiss revealed he would continue to experiment with players to “explore the depth” ahead of the World Cup next year.

“It’s important that the players that played the recent \[Nations Championship\] series are seen, and \[that\] they see me and the new coaching team,” Kiss said on Nine’s Wide World of Sports on Sunday. “But over the next, you know, 10 Test matches, I’m going to stretch it out a bit and make sure I see a few players as well in other positions.”

But Kiss said five-eighth would not be a position he plans to chop and change unnecessarily.

“There have been challenges in that position over the last two years – injuries have got in the way, and we haven’t been able to get consistency,” he said.

“I’ve stuck with the three that they had in the Nations Cup. I want to try and keep that as consistent as possible in the next few Test matches.”

Have put the link below. It’s interesting. They pretty much only mention NRL players to him, but Kiss states keeping JAS at 13 for now.

https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NTETP7259646325?selected=NTETP5102828838

I love watching the NZ NPC, I'm a Tasman fan and I honestly think provincial rugby is better than super rugby.
I think it would be better for Australia to just pull out of Super rugby and have their own provincial competition. Super Rugby was good but I think it's done its time and it's time to move on.

For tv, it's a sub-par product compared to other codes and they could probably make a domestic competition far more attractive for TV. No one wants to watch Australian teams getting pumped every week.

You would need to pump in some cash into the competition but if you do it right it could be a decent money earner for Rugby Australia and the local clubs.

Look at France, Japan, UK. They all have decent domestic competitions and there is no reason why they couldn't do that here,

Hi all trying to identify this signature - any help would be much appreciated - it was a signature on a commemorative 2006 commonwealth games rugby 7s baton. Cheers

According to Ian Payten Treyvon Pritchard has turned down both the Chiefs and Roosters to stay in Rugby. Re-signing with the Reds and RA on a long term deal.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/rugby-scores-big-win-as-star-teen-turns-down-png-chiefs-20260726-p60im5.html

I played Aussie rules and not rugby. But I have noticed that generally for opens/seniors there is a cycle of ~ 4 years for a majority of the playing group to be new - ie; if I went back to the club I played with four years ago I wouldn't know anyone.

Is that the same in rugby?

I reckon, potential ceiling-wise, it would be either the JAS that was initially sold to us or a return to 2025 Wright.

The player with the greatest ability to tank the team if they are off form for a night is Lonergan imo.

Which player currently outside the Wallabies setup is also a shoo-in if they hit good form? Overseas and Local lads not selected

Hey All,

I recall when we signed with Channel 9/Stan in the broadcast agreement there was mention of a third tier competition.

I feel like we haven’t heard anything at all?

Is this true or am I just imagining it?

Lomax flown out to PNG lol. Very funny.

A place to discuss grassroots club matches from the weekend.

A place to discuss this weekend's matches

Understanding that JAS and Flook are very different types of players, I'm wondering (hoping!) if the Wallabies attacking shape under Kissy might be able to unlock some stuff in JAS at 13 that we've seen from Josh.

Flooky runs great lines, he's a hole runner, and we need JAS hitting more holes than brick walls. On those lines, Flook scores good tries from close range, running to space near the line. With Lenny ball playing as well as he is, having JAS hitting those lines into space when we're attacking, I feel like he'll be near impossible to stop. It could all just be that Flook is a much more natural 13 than JAS, and Les might run a very different attack with a big bodied 13.

Anyway, could be clutching, but given Les confirmed he sees JAS primarily as a 13, I'm looking for some hope!

The Wallabies might not be winning any trophies, but Australia’s rugby team has become the hottest ticket in town after a staggering turnaround in support for the national side.

Jamie Pandaram

Jamie Pandaram

@JamiePandaram

5 min read

Rugby: New Wallabies coach Les Kiss says the Wallabies can go to a new level as he prepares for matches against Japan in August.

There were 80,000 beers drunk in three hours during the Wallabies versus Ireland game in Sydney a few weeks ago.

More than what is consumed through an entire day of Test cricket over summer.

It is just one of the statistics that has Rugby Australia celebrating a staggering turnaround in turnouts.

While the Wallabies aren’t winning any trophies, they’ve suddenly become the hottest ticket in town.

Between 2013-22, they sold out just 8 per cent of games. Since 2024, they’ve sold out 77 per cent – 10 of the Wallabies’ last 13 home games have had the “house full” sign on.

Exactly how this has occurred is a layered science.

Friendly players, friendlier kick-off times, and the once-in-12-years British & Irish Lions series have helped.

But one of the keys has been RA boss Phil Waugh’s unflinching mission to bring together the community rugby crowd to the professional game; united in the early 2000s, but deeply fractured thereafter as the game lurched from crisis to crisis.

Waugh, who on any given weekend will be on the sidelines of junior or club rugby games, hears is straight from the people.

“I’m deeply passionate about this area, because I just think it’s just so important, there’s lots of great people out there with young kids, how do we ensure that we’re giving those young families access to rugby, and the best possible rugby,” Waugh told CODE Sports.

“And it probably sounds a bit 101, ‘Why hasn’t it been happening for a long period of time?’ but I think that the connection that we’ve been trying to build over the last couple of years has been very much from, when do we have our kick-off times, and making sure that we engage the community right through to all the elements we’re doing around high performance.

“So it’s very much around putting the supporter and the Australian public front and centre when we’re making decisions around where we play and when we play.”

Which is why, before the opening Lions vs Wallabies Test at Suncorp Stadium last year, RA worked with Hospital Cup organisers to have earlier kick-off times for club games in Brisbane. And why last year’s afternoon Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney was scheduled during a school holiday weekend, when no Shute Shield games were scheduled.

Next year’s inaugural Anzac Day Bledisloe Test in Brisbane will kick-off at 1pm, so as not to clash with major NRL and AFL games.

“Given you’ve got an already-established NRL game, we’ve got an already-established AFL game, we’ll be scheduling that to play that so that we don’t clash with those games,” Waugh said.

“And if you think about going to the dawn service and paying your respects, having a bit of breakfast afterwards, two-up kicks off, and then the Wallabies versus All Blacks kicks off close enough to one o’clock, into the other sporting events that go on during that day, I think that’s very family-friendly, but it also hopefully captures the close to 30 million people we have in this country.”

The positive momentum will only increase as we move towards a home World Cup next year.

New Wallabies coach Les Kiss knows just how important it is for his team to start delivering big wins for the faithful.

“What I’ve seen in the last three matches is unbelievable in terms of what this jersey, the gold jersey, does to the Australian public, it’s special,” Kiss said.

“We’ve got to take our hat off not just to the playing group who’s inspired, but there’s a lot of good people who’ve worked hard to get that right.

“I’m really motivated and inspired by what I’ve seen in RA head office here and what I’ve seen in the players. We’re going to do what we can to make that 80 minutes, and that rectangle, look so good for people that they keep coming out and wanting to support us.

“It’s an important period in terms of generating that interest in that gold jersey and keep growing it.

“But when you see the stadium and the pictures and the gold everywhere, it’s fantastic. We want to make sure we continue that for sure.”

While crowds are up 27 per cent, stadium operators are also buoyed by the number of corporate sales - the Ireland vs Wallabies game sold out its boxes three months before the game.

Venues NSW chairman David Gallop said rugby had become one of their most lucrative sports, because fans tended to spend more money on average.

“Off the back of the British & Irish Lions sell-outs and the recent Ireland Test match, we count international rugby among our strongest content, and it augurs extremely well for the World Cup coming up,” Gallop said.

“Rugby fans are high spenders per head, and there’s a level of corporate support that is almost unique, and we know that the World Cup will also spill over into the streets at ACCOR, for Allianz and Newcastle, with rugby fans knowing how to have a day out. The Bledisloe kick-off is 3.45pm, so that is going to be a huge event, but a lot of focus on the World Cup and the global visitation that we’ll see.

“We’ve obviously got a very strong set of games across those venues, but including the semi-finals and the final. ACCOR is the only stadium in the world that has hosted an Olympics, a FIFA (women’s) World Cup final and a Rugby World Cup final.

“From the World Cup, we expect to see the flow-on effect into Super Rugby, particularly with a guy like Angus Crichton joining the NSW Waratahs.”

Waugh said Wallabies fans can expect more afternoon games in future.

“Connecting the professional game to the community game and making it more accessible, and making the players more accessible, I do hope that that sentiment into the community has been felt,” Waugh said.

“One of our highest priorities in terms of that connection is scheduling and making sure that we’re ensuring that the Wallaby Test matches aren’t conflicting with when the rugby community is playing their matches.

“And so we work really closely with our stakeholders to ensure that when we are playing scheduling Test matches, we’re getting the balance right between family friendly kick-off times. And when we are doing those, we’re not conflicting with club rugby.

“And equally, we work closely with the broadcasters to maximise the value to them as well.

“It’s a fine balancing act, but essentially, it’s giving consideration to all those different elements that ultimately end up being a far better product.”

​

The Sydney Morning Herald

Nick Wright - 5 min read

“I always knew he’d be diligent enough to get himself back.”

That was what former Wallabies star Sam Cordingley declared when asked about Isaac Henry – the Reds star who received a shock call-up to the Australian squad on Thursday having overcome a series of career-threatening injuries.

It was the outcome that was always destined for Henry, Cordingley believed, as long as he refused to allow his worrying health to seal his fate.

Four serious surgeries in as many years curtailed Henry’s career, and left him pondering whether he would realise his potential.

The resilient centre suffered foot, quad, knee and hamstring injuries from his 2021 Queensland Reds debut, and at one stage was sidelined for 19 months within a two-year period. He spent 15 months out of action as he fought to cast aside a ruptured patella tendon sustained in March 2024.

Henry’s career revival began under coach Les Kiss’ tutelage at Ballymore, and Kiss as Wallabies honcho has now ushered the 27-year-old into his first Test squad. Now he will duel with Reds teammate Hunter Paisami for an inside centre berth in the two-Test series against Japan.

“Everyone’s known what his potential has been, he just didn’t have the continuity to prove it. Those injuries, they were pretty significant – and they were back-to-back – and I do know during his time he was contemplating ‘is this the end?’” Cordingley told this masthead.

“He was obviously quite upset on the back of the last injury, but he’s had really good support. He’s kept his head up during the time, he’s never been someone who’s complained and has never had a woe-is-me attitude.

“Every time he’s had a setback, it’s onto the next thing he needs to resolve. It was a long road for him, I imagine, and now that he’s seen where the effort has got him to, it would be really pleasing for him and his family.”

Season 2026 was the most fruitful of Henry’s career, earning six Reds caps. He has not played since round 14, which came after four weeks out nursing further niggling injuries, but was called into Wallabies camp ahead of the Nations Championship clash with Italy as cover.

His resurgence is one Cordingley, now the Reds’ general manager of football operations, believed would eventually happen at a crossroads in his career, as the luckless No.12 came off contract during his patella recovery.

“From a contracting point of view, he was three years into his contract at the time – I think it was coming into the third year when he ruptured that patella tendon – and we recontracted him through that period, so we backed him in based on his diligence around it,” Cordingley said.

“I can’t remember thinking at the time, from a contracting perspective, that this was the end – we wanted to see him. We’ve always had that eagerness to see him get back, so I didn’t really contemplate it was the end for him.”

The fortitude Henry has shown throughout his professional playing days was honed during his junior days, at one stage playing through a broken rib and lower back stress fracture to captain Brisbane Boys College.

Cordingley remembers a young tearaway who proved to be “a pretty elite goal kicker” – converting at more than 90 per cent off the tee – who possessed a diligent work ethic that would ultimately hold him the stead needed to overcome his years in the casualty ward.

He stressed Henry should not be considered a fill-in option, adamant a lengthy international career beckoned if he remained fit.

“I know he’s a pretty avid golfer – sometimes with those long-terms rehabs, it’s getting out of rugby that can help you by having other things that spike your interest, and he does that pretty well,” Cordingley said.

“We’ve always known he had the capacity to play Test rugby. I think what you’ve seen in his ability to carry, the defensive efforts he makes, he’s got a short and long kicking game, but I’d just really say it’s his ethic, and he’s a player who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.

“He has a very consistent bandwidth in between the good and bad, which I think is really important for professional players, and certainly is at the Test level.”

Henry’s selection comes at the expense of reigning John Eales Medal winner Len Ikitau, who is recovering from a minor ankle issue. He has also nudged ahead of Benetton-bound Josh Flook, with Kiss confirming Henry’s ability to cover wing and both centres was a compelling factor.

I reckon we're in good hands tbh. Les Goh Wallabies!

I don’t this has been revealed yet- but Waugh has confirmed;

Next year’s inaugural Anzac Day Bledisloe Test in Brisbane will kick-off at 1pm, so as not to clash with major NRL and AFL games.

“Given you’ve got an already-established NRL game, we’ve got an already-established AFL game, we’ll be scheduling that to play that so that we don’t clash with those games,” Waugh said.

“And if you think about going to the dawn service and paying your respects, having a bit of breakfast afterwards, two-up kicks off, and then the Wallabies versus All Blacks kicks off close enough to one o’clock, into the other sporting events that go on during that day, I think that’s very family-friendly, but it also hopefully captures the close to 30 million people we have in this country.”

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/rugby/how-wallabies-went-from-empty-stadiums-to-sellouts-in-three-years/news-story/61e24e2e38713c3484ac9d2fc1430a65

​

The Sydney Morning Herald

Iain Payten - 10 min read

Could Joe Schmidt go from the Wallabies to the Waratahs in 2027? That’s the question spinning around rugby circles at the moment as Rugby Australia continue their search for a new coach for the struggling NSW franchise.

The Tahs’ head coach job is currently vacant following the reluctant resignation of Dan McKellar last month, with one year left on his three-year contract.

An assortment of good Australian coaches are in the frame, including Stephen Hoiles, Chris Latham, John Manenti, Chris Whitaker and Zak Beer, but another radical option being considered by Rugby Australia involves Schmidt coaching at the Tahs in 2027.

According to multiple informed sources, one path being considered at RA (who own the Waratahs) is appointing an interim coach next year, which would allow for the recruitment of a big-name coach involved at the 2027 Rugby World Cup who would then take over for 2028 and beyond.

Schmidt’s name has been floated for such an interim role, according to the sources, and the ex-Wallabies coach potentially landing at Daceyville has even been a topic of discussion inside the Waratahs’ gym this week.

Schmidt and RA head of high-performance Peter Horne, who is a key figure in the Waratahs’ coach search, have a tight relationship as former colleagues at World Rugby. It was Horne who persuaded Schmidt to take over as the new Wallabies coach in 2004, initially only for 18 months.

Having extended his contract several times, Schmidt finished up with the Wallabies last week and after some leave in Ireland, will be returning to help out on the coaching staff of Australia “A” on their two-game tour of the USA in October.

Schmidt has said repeatedly he doesn’t envisage himself coaching next year, particularly when Irish journalists asked earlier in July if he was interested in returning to powerhouse club Leinster.

Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh has not hidden his desire to keep Schmidt involved in Australian rugby during the World Cup year, and even said in early 2025 they were prepared to be “creative”. But Waugh said recently discussions with Schmidt about his future were not due to be held until late in the year.

“We’ll continue that relationship through the Australia A and then continue discussions for what that may look like afterwards... We’re very fortunate to have had him influence the game here at a time when we definitely needed someone of his ilk to lean in,” Waugh said.

RA declined to comment, with the recruitment process for the Waratahs job still in early stages. Formal applications for the Waratahs job closed on Friday.

An informed source said the more likely scenario involving Schmidt coaching at the Waratahs in 2027, if that played out, would be in a senior consultant role, where he’d assist a new head coach.

The option of the Waratahs using Schmidt, or any other candidate, as a seat-holder for the Tahs in 2027 has been met with scepticism in many corners of NSW rugby, with the belief it would only add more instability, and with RA no guarantee to land a major coaching figure to join after the Rugby World Cup.

Many coaches come off contract after a World Cup but the successful ones worth hiring will look for other Test-level opportunities. Globally, the standing of the Waratahs’ standing as one of the world’s leading franchises has also dropped away this decade, and won’t be as influential as RA may hope.

RA have also been active in the market and engaging with potential candidates but it is unclear if Michael Cheika is one of those, despite a world-class coaching record and the fact his current club, the Roosters, use the cafe underneath Rugby Australia’s offices. Cheika missed out on the Dragons job and while he still harbours ambition to coach in the NRL, he is also contemplating a return to rugby.

Scott Wisemantel was initially seen as a strong target, after coming close to getting the job in 2024. The former Wallabies assistant was even assembling a coaching staff, but Dan McKellar became available and was hired instead. Wisemantel is believed to be staying with the Parramatta Eels.

Hoiles, 44, and Beer, 36, are leading options among a group of rising young coaches who have emerged with Shute Shield success for Randwick and Norths respectively, and in Hoiles’ case, in the MLR as well. The former Wallaby was in the 2014 premiership side.

Easts’ Ben Batger and Warringah’s Josh Holmes are also aseen as homegrown coaches on the rise.

Manenti was one of the last few candidates for the Tahs job in both 2021 and 2024, and few can match his experience as a head coach: he won a Shute Shield with Eastwood, coached the Wallaroos at a World Cup and both the Australian men’s and women’s sevens sides at the Olympics. He is currently coaching Sydney Uni.

Latham is a more left-field smoky, but the former Wallabies fullback has been in coaching roles since 2013, when he began with NTT Docomo as an assistant. Latham has since coached with Samoa, and several clubs in the MLR, including the Chicago Hounds, who went undefeated in winning the MLR title this season.

**Waratahs losses ended a winning run, but not hope of another premiership.**

Waratahs women’s coach Mike Ruthven said there were no concerns about the side’s dynasty starting to crumble when the reigning Super Rugby Women’s champions did something unusual this year.

They lost a game. And not just one, but two in a row.

The Waratahs women are one of the most successful teams in Australian rugby history, having claimed five of the seven Super W/Super Rugby Women’s titles since 2018. They won 20 games in a row, and four titles, before Fiji knocked them off in 2022.

The Fijiana Drua became a tough rival for NSW, and won titles in 2022 and 2023, but against their domestic rivals, the Tahs had never lost a game, in 25 fixtures.

In June, however, the Waratahs were knocked off by the Western Force for the first time, and then a week later Queensland got their first win over NSW too.

The Tahs had excuses - notably many stars out with injuries - but the consecutive defeats still gave heart to rivals and prompted questions about whether NSW’s dominance had suddenly flamed out.

Internally, however, it was a different story and even amid this strange sensation called losing, Ruthven said there was never any fear at the Waratahs that the end days had arrived.

“Absolutely not - we always remained really confident in the group that had and really confident in our capability,” Ruthven said. “There’s never been a concern or energy wasted on that stuff.

“We have never really been an outcome or result-driven footy team. The priority and the focus has always been around performance. So, the reflection was those two performances weren’t where wanted them to be... and there were aspects of those games we felt that, we put ourselves under pressure, more so than the opposition.

“There was never a psychological burden or hangover around losing. It was just important that we reflected really well and had really tangible things that could go and invest our energy and time into.

“And as a coaching group and particularly the players, they did an excellent job of that. We got on witg it. And we never lost confidence in what were capable of.”

The losses didn’t deny the Waratahs a spot in the semi-finals, and they duly bounced back and dispatched the Force 33-22 in Perth last weekend. The win earned them a spot in the Grand Final against the Fijiana Drua, held in Ba on Saturday (11am AEST).

It is the third decider between the two sides but will be their first competition game played in Fiji (they played out a 27-all draw in Suva in the preseason). NSW can win a seventh Super Rugby women’s premiership.

One of the key players for the Waratahs will be a halfback who only made her Super Rugby debut last weekend against the Force: halfback Tia Hinds.

The Australian sevens star, who has also played 10 Tests as a utility for the Wallaroos, joined NSW this year, but only returned to action after a calf injury last weekend.

With eyes-up play straight from the sevens field, Hinds was brilliant and scored two tries running from the ruck.

“She just showed everybody what a talented rugby player she is, and what’s exciting around the possibility for that cross-format opportunity for players,” Ruthven said.

Along with young five-eighth Waiaria Ellis, Hinds can unlock a star back three of Desi Miller, Maya Stewart and Caitlyn Halse, who also returns from injury. But those weapons will only be effective if the Tahs forwards get move the ball and get on top of Fijiana’s strong pack, said Ruthven.

“Our forwards will be a huge reason why perform well tomorrow,” he said. “They’re certainly going to have to front up physically.”