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2017 Rugby Championship
The 2017 Rugby Championship was the sixth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four countries' national unions. The tournament started on 19 August with Australia hosting reigning champions New Zealand and South Africa hosting Argentina. The tournament ran for eight weeks with two bye weeks, ending on 7 October when New Zealand visited South Africa and Australia played in Argentina. Background The tournament is operated by SANZAAR and known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Castle Rugby Championship'' in South Africa, ''The Investec Rugby Championship'' in New Zealand, ''The Castrol Edge Rugby Championship'' in Australia and ''The Personal Rugby Championship'' in Argentina. Format The format for the 2017 tournament was similar to that of previous editions. Each side played the other once at home, and once away, giving ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Foley
Bernard Foley (born 8 September 1989) is an Australian rugby player of Irish descent. He plays professionally for the Australia national rugby team and the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. He can cover both fullback and fly-half as well as inside centre. Foley has earned the nickname " the iceman" after successful game winning penalty goals, 2 August 2014, 18 October 2015. Foley has had a vast amount of experience in rugby and played at a variety of differing teams and competitions both domestically and internationally. In his early years Foley played rugby sevens for Australia and competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he received a silver medal in the final of the rugby sevens tournament for his services for the team that took place in Delhi, India. Foley has played for the amateur club team Sydney University since 2012, who compete annually in the state-based competition the Shute Shield. During the 2015–16 Japanese Top League season, after his s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curtis Rona
Curtis Rona (born 26 May 1992) is a former Australian international rugby union footballer who recently played for London Irish in the English Premiership. He now plays for Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Sagamihara Dynaboars. He has previously played for the Western Force and NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby, as well as playing rugby league in the NRL for the North Queensland Cowboys and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. Background Born in Waitara in the Taranaki Region of New Zealand, Rona is of Māori descent. Rona moved to Perth, Western Australia when he was eight. In Perth, Rona attended Aranmore Catholic College, where he played for their rugby union team and represented Western Australia at the Under 15, Under 16 and Schoolboy level. Rona played junior rugby league for the Joondalup Giants in the Perth Rugby League competition. He also played rugby union for the Wanneroo Districts juniors and was a member of the Western Force academy. In 2009, Rona made the full ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Speight
Ratu Henry Vao'ofu Speight (born 24 March 1988) is a Fiji-born Australian professional rugby union player. He currently plays for the French club Biarritz. Speight was previously with the Brumbies and Queensland Reds in Super Rugby, and has represented Australia with the Wallabies and national sevens team. His playing position is wing or centre. Early life and career Henry Speight is the son of Fijian politician Samisoni Tikoinasau and the grandson of former Fiji President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo. He was born in Suva, Fiji, where he attended Queen Victoria School before moving to New Zealand for his final years of high school. His first taste of pro-rugby came in his final year at Hamilton Boys High School, when he was picked for Waikato, making his debut against the Bay of Plenty in 2008. Speight went on to represent the province over four seasons. Not eligible for the New Zealand Schoolboys, Speight represented his native Fiji in the same year at the Junior World Cup in Belfas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organises international matches for the England national team, and educates and trains players and officials. The RFU is an industrial and provident society owned by over 2,000 member clubs, representing over 2.5 million registered players, and forms the largest rugby union society in the world, and one of the largest sports organisations in England. It is based at Twickenham Stadium, London. In September 2010 the equivalent women's rugby body, the Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW), was able to nominate a member to the RFU Council to represent women and girls rugby. The RFUW was integrated into the RFU in July 2012. Early history (19th century) Formation On 4 December 1870, Edwin Ash of Richmond and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wayne Barnes
Wayne Barnes (born 20 April 1979) is an English international rugby union referee and barrister. He is a regular referee in the English Premiership, and has refereed games in the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup. At international level, Barnes has refereed matches at the Rugby World Cup, the Six Nations, the Rugby Championship and the Pacific Nations Cup competitions. Early life Born in Bream, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, he was educated at Whitecross School; and at the University of East Anglia. Refereeing career Barnes started playing rugby at the age of eight, and took up refereeing aged 15 with Gloucester & District Referees. At university he transferred to the Norfolk Referees Society, part of Eastern Counties (ECRURF) followed by a transfer to London Society of RFU Referees. In 2001, at the age of 21, Barnes became the youngest referee ever appointed to the Panel of National Referees. He became a professional referee in April 2005. Barnes refer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains to the west, Hawkesbury to the north, the Royal National Park to the south and Macarthur to the south-west. Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs, spread across 33 local government areas. Residents of the city are known as "Sydneysiders". The 2021 census recorded the population of Greater Sydney as 5,231,150, meaning the city is home to approximately 66% of the state's population. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017. Nicknames of the city include the 'Emerald City' and the 'Harbour City'. Aboriginal Australians have inhabited the Greater Sydney region for at least 30,000 years, and Aboriginal engravings and cultural sites are common throughout Greater Sydney. The traditional custodians of the land on which modern Sydney stands ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stadium Australia
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stadium, Homebush Stadium or simply the Olympic Stadium, was completed in March 1999 at a cost of A$690 million to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. The Stadium was leased by a private company, the Stadium Australia Group, until the Stadium was sold back to the NSW Government on 1 June 2016 after NSW Premier Michael Baird announced the Stadium was to be redeveloped as a world-class rectangular stadium. The Stadium is owned by Venues NSW on behalf of the NSW Government. The stadium was originally built to hold 110,000 spectators, making it the second largest Olympic Stadium ever built and the second largest stadium in Australia after the Melbourne Cricket Ground which held more than 120,000 before its re-design in the early 2000s. In 2003, recon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beauden Barrett
Beauden John Barrett (born 27 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays as a First five-eighth (fly-half) and fullback for Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cup, the Blues in Super Rugby and New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. Barrett won the World Rugby Player of the Year award in 2016 and 2017, was also a nominee for the award in 2018, and is only the second player to win the award in back-to-back years, after former teammate Richie McCaw. He also won the overall Sportsperson of the Year Award in the Taranaki Sports Awards in 2013, 2016 and 2019. Barrett played at under-20 and Sevens levels for New Zealand before being called into the All Blacks' squad in May 2012, and made his international debut as a replacement in the final test against Ireland in Hamilton, when he kicked nine points, on 23 June 2012. He debuted for Taranaki in 2010, and debuted in Super Rugby with the Hurricanes in 2011. Bar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Smith (rugby Union)
Benjamin Robert Smith (born 1 June 1986) is a New Zealand rugby union player, currently playing for the Kobelco Steelers. He formerly played for the in the Super Rugby competition and for in the ITM Cup. Smith made his international debut for New Zealand in 2009, playing 84 tests from then until the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning team. Smith was vice-captain of the All Blacks from 2016 to 2017 and captained the team once, against Samoa in 2017. He scored 39 tries for New Zealand throughout his international career, placing him amongst the all-time leading try scorers. He normally plays as an outside back, but has also previously played as a centre and halfback. Playing career Provincial rugby Born in Dunedin and educated at King's High School, Smith progressed through the junior ranks in the city at his beloved Green Island Rugby Club (The Grizzlies) before making his Air New Zealand Cup debut in 2008. He was one of the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damian McKenzie
Damian Sinclair McKenzie (born 20 April 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays fullback or First five-eighth for Waikato in the Bunnings NPC competition and Chiefs in super rugby . McKenzie has played 40 tests for New Zealand since his international debut in 2016. McKenzie began his professional career playing for Waikato in the Bunnings NPC. McKenzie has also previously represented the Chiefs in Super Rugby, he is their all-time highest points scorer. Early life McKenzie, of European and Māori descent, was born in 1995 in Invercargill. He received his secondary education at Christ's College in Christchurch. Domestic rugby McKenzie has received attention for his trademark smile before attempting a kick at goal. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, McKenzie has been contracted to the franchise who compete in the Super Rugby competition. He has become a regular starter and is often in charge of goal kicking. In 2016, McKenzie played every game in the C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny Bill Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union player and as of recently is working for Stan Sports. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league, and is one of only 21 players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice. Williams began his career in rugby league, and has played as a forward over eight seasons in three spells in the National Rugby League (NRL), with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. He has won 12 caps for New Zealand (the Kiwis) and won the RLIF Awards for Rookie of the Year in 2004 and International Player of the Year in 2013. In 2020 he played for the Toronto Wolfpack in Super League, before moving to Sydney Roosters the same year. He first moved to rugby union in 2010 and played mainly as a centre for Toulon in France, Canterbury, Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union, Counti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryan Crotty
Ryan Stevenson Crotty (born 23 September 1988) is a New Zealand-born rugby union footballer. He currently plays as a midfield back for the Kubota Spears in the Japanese Top League. Crotty played 48 tests for New Zealand's international team, the All Blacks, from 2013 until the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Crotty scored 12 tries for New Zealand in his international career. Crotty has previously played for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition and Canterbury in the ITM Cup, Captaining both teams. Playing career Early career Crotty was selected for the New Zealand Under 20 rugby team in 2008. This team included Crotty's future All Blacks team-mates Aaron Smith, Ben Afeaki and Sam Whitelock as well as future Scottish international player Sean Maitland and future Australian international player Toby Smith. This team went on to win the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship. Crotty debuted for Canterbury later that year and was signed to the Crusaders for the 2009 season after a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
