A shock new leader emerges at the top of Scotty Stevenson’s Super Rugby power rankings heading into the final round of the regular season. 1. Lions Rd 16: 57-21 v Kings Last round: 2 (up 1) Johannesburg is not the place any team other than the Lions wishes to find itself for the next few … Read more
In 2014, Jarryd Hayne left the NRL to pursue his dreams of NFL stardom. Two years later, he’s retired from the NFL and trying to reinvent himself as a sevens player. He tells Scotty Stevenson it’s all part of God’s plan. The Uprising Resort is 45 minutes up the coast from Suva City. It is a laid … Read more
Scotty Stevenson awakes from a long and disorientating slumber to continue the unforgiving weekly task of ranking every team in Super Rugby from best to worst. Sweet Lord, that break was so long I had actually forgotten which team was last top of the Power Rankings. Worse, I am now reminded of how much can … Read more
The wily old Aussie has done a number on his home country in the current test series, and it started before he even stepped on the plane, writes Scotty Stevenson. It won’t matter what happens in the third test between Australia and England in Sydney this weekend. England has already won the series and anything … Read more
The All Blacks bench has been given plenty of praise for its performance against Wales last week, but as Scotty Stevenson discovers, it’s not just about the final twenty minutes. It starts much earlier than that. So much has been said about the final twenty minutes of the first test between the All Blacks and … Read more
He may be the most polarising figure in modern New Zealand rugby but Sonny Bill Williams is a big deal, and the Blues have made the right call in signing him, writes Scotty Stevenson. Never before has a player split the nation like Sonny Bill Williams. His arrival in New Zealand in 2010 led to … Read more
Round 14 of Super Rugby channeled the 2002 Olympic speed skating final as the Highlanders and Chiefs fell on the final turn and allowed the Crusaders to cruise into the break at the top of Scotty Stevenson’s power rankings. 1. Crusaders Rd 14: 26-21 v Blues Last week: 2 (up 1) I’ve said it before … Read more
The Crusaders legend’s 150th game celebrations have been cut short by a controversial power ranking decision by Scotty Stevenson. 1. Highlanders Rd 13: BYE Last week: 1 (N/C) I thought long and hard about this ranking for the Highlanders and then came to this conclusion: they spent their fortnight before the bye beating up on … Read more
Highlanders fans’ campaign of bullying against Scotty Stevenson finally pays off with a top ranking in the latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Highlanders Rd 12: 34-26 v Crusaders Last week: 2 (up 1)) Okay, okay! Here’s why everyone loves the Highlanders: every time they have the ball, they think they can score a try. I blame Tony Brown … Read more
While most rugby pundits talk up the return of Waisake Naholo, the true catalyst for the Highlanders’ Super Rugby resurgence flies under the radar, writes Scotty Stevenson. In most people’s eyes there was only one star of the show for the Highlanders last weekend in Hamilton, a large Fijian-born winger called Waisake Naholo who returned … Read more
The Crusaders once again show that they’re a force to be reckoned with in Scotty Stevenson’s latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Crusaders Rd 11: 38-5 v Reds Last week: 3 (up 2) The Crusaders decided it would be best if they used Friday night as an opposed training session. Did this team really ever get … Read more
The Blues hold their breath for a win against the Rebels and the Hurricanes come back with a vengeance in South Africa. Scotty Stevenson brings us the latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 10: 24-22 v Sharks Last week: 2 (up 1) You have to hand it to the Chiefs – they have … Read more
The Chiefs have finally been toppled off the top spot, only to be replaced by another New Zealand team in Scotty Stevenson’s latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Crusaders Rd 9: 40-14 v Brumbies Last week: 3 (up 2) Have you noticed how much fun the Crusaders are having? Me too. And that’s why they … Read more
New Zealand teams once again dominate the podium in Scotty Stevenson’s latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 8. BYE Last week: 1 (N/C) The rugby world has a massive crush on the Chiefs and who am I to argue with the Power of Love? You can’t argue with the Power of Love, and … Read more
The Chiefs still top the rankings after a close call against the Blues, but the Hurricanes are breathing down their necks following a niggly win over the Jaguares in Wellington. Scotty Stevenson sorts it all out in the KFC Super Rugby Power Rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 7: 29-23 v Blues Last week: 1 (N/C) Yes, … Read more
Scotty Stevenson pays tribute to the dominant Chiefs and delivers a stinging rebuke to a sledger in the latest KFC Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 6: 48-23 v Brumbies Last week: 1 (N/C) As the Chiefs tore the Brumbies a new one in Canberra on Saturday night, I received the following message: “Lucky you changed … Read more
New Zealand teams claim the gold, silver, bronze, and fourth place medals in Scotty Stevenson’s latest Super Rugby power rankings. 1. Chiefs Rd 5: 53-10 v Force Last week: 4 (up 3) For most of the first half against the Force, the Chiefs chased the ball like it owed them money, but when they finally settled into … Read more
The Brumbies finally lose top spot after their first defeat of the season, and somehow get replaced by a team they beat 52-10. Scotty Stevenson power ranks round four of the Super Rugby season. 1. Hurricanes Rd 4: 41-6 v Force Last week: 4 (up 3) There is an irony here that the team to replace … Read more
Scotty Stevenson welcomes Mark Stafford, radio host and sports commentator, to the Spinoff podcast bunker. This week Scotty gets heated up about the place of the TMO in refereeing decisions; Nehe Milner-Skudder’s exit from the competition; the Chief’s “killer” schedule and the continually woeful story of the Reds. Listen to the whole thing right now, or save … Read more
Big wins for the Highlanders and Chiefs, heartbreaking losses for the Blues and Sunwolves, and the Brumbies juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Scotty Stevenson assesses all the movers and shakers after round 3 of Super Rugby. 1. The Brumbies Rd 2: 31-14 v Force Last week: 1 (N/C) David Pocock played for ten minutes of … Read more
Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham has left the club just minutes after his side was ranked last on the KFC Super Rugby Power Rankings. Scotty Stevenson reports. Richard Graham walked out of Ballymore yesterday after overseeing one of the great declines in Super Rugby history. Yes, he walked out, but it was the Reds board … Read more
Scotty Stevenson takes stock of Super Rugby after a round where the Blues went stumbling back to their home in the loss column, the Highlanders inflicted more pain on the Hurricanes, and the Lions remained on track for a perfect season. 1. The Brumbies Rd 2: 32-15 v Waratahs Last week: 1 (N/C) This team is 80% machine, 20% Stephen … Read more
One of the best cricketers New Zealand has ever produced died today after a losing battle against cancer. Scotty Stevenson remembers Martin Crowe. For people of my generation, Martin Crowe was everything we wanted to be. He was a calculated-yet-cavalier, disciplined-yet-dashing batsman who feared no attack. He wore headbands under his helmet, and stood tall on … Read more
If Tana Umaga didn’t understand how much scrutiny he will face as Blues coach, he sure does now. And all it took for him to create mass hysteria was to make a few changes to a winning team. Adages die harder than John McClane, and that’s especially true of those that apply to rugby union. One of them … Read more
Scotty Stevenson gives his take on the shockingly competent Blues and the Mighty and Terrible Brumbies in our first ever KFC Super Rugby power rankings. 1. The Brumbies Rd 1: 52-10 v Hurricanes The Brumbies are more organised than an obsessive compulsive’s wardrobe. From the grind of the 150-game veteran skipper and resident orc, Stephen Moore, to the metronomic goal … Read more
The Wellington Sevens has gone from madcap, boozy sell-out spectacle to one hell of a tough sell, and it’s a bloody tragedy, writes Scotty Stevenson. It is a Friday in late January in the nation’s capital, the day before the Wellington leg of the Sevens World Series begins. The harbour is green and glassy, the … Read more
One of the true legends of rugby died in November. Scotty Stevenson reflected on the passing of the one and only Jonah Lomu. The most unstoppable man in the history of rugby was finally stopped today. He was just 40. Jonah Tali Lomu died unexpectedly in Auckland this morning after returning from the Rugby World … Read more
Scotty Stevenson filed this match report from the Sky Sport studio in the moments following the All Blacks’ 34-17 Rugby World Cup final win over the Wallabies at Twickenham. A game of rugby union was played in London today, during which the greatest first five eighth in the history of the game finally got his … Read more
What is it about the words ‘Ranfurly Shield Challenge’ that continues to inspire such fervour? Scotty Stevenson was at McLean Park in Napier in September to see Hawkes Bay get up to defend the log of wood against Auckland. It has haunted men, the quest for the Ranfurly Shield. Maybe because of that, because of … Read more