Rugby... Rules!

Rugby is the greatest game in the world, however, from time to time the rules can be a bit confusing, especially for those who have never played the game.

That's why, from time time to time, I've talked about the rules of rugby here!

So this weeks blog is a bit of a "compilation" about the rules... for rugby fans that sometimes don't completely understand all that's going on. My Mum may, or may not have inspired this section over the past few years. If you have a friend or family member in that category, make sure you send this blog to them. Of course, you can catch up with lots of great interviews with the Queensland Reds as well.

Is there another rule you want explained? Let me know!

Click on the links to check out each rule. Enjoy!

What's a "Knock On"?

The Scrum explained

The Rugby Points System explained.

Kick off Rules

Liam Wright explains "pilfering"?

Angus Blythe explains Scrums

What are the differences between the "backs" positions? (Numbers 9-15 - explained by Jock Cambell)

Reminiscing with Liam Gill

However you found my blog, welcome!

The Queensland Reds (along with all of Super Rugby) are taking a break.

It’s surreal to think that just over a week ago, I was at Suncorp Stadium watching our team beat the Bulls. (Click here to rewatch the highlights!)

During these “uncertain” times, I was keen to keep Reds Rugby Rules going, if possible. I’ve interviewed classic Reds players in the past, so what better time to get some great past memories from former players!

I was excited when Liam Gill got back to me from his current home in France. Maybe not surprisingly, he said he had some free time. One thing that long time Queensland fans will know is that the great former Red (and Wallaby) was a part of the championship winning 2011 Queensland side. I asked him about that, among other things.

One question I did get out of the way was whether he will ever play for Queensland again. He was quick to say that he thinks the young number Sevens are doing a "really good job" right now. When it comes to playing in this country again however... “you never know”. (Smart answer I thought!)

He filled me in on how his current team in Lyon was going, before the season was put on pause. Then I launched into my questions about the Reds.

I’m sure all Reds fans will enjoy reading our chat!

First of all, what’s your rugby story? And how did you come to be based in Queensland?

So my rugby story starts in South Australia, in Adelaide. My family moved around when I was a youngster. We moved to the states for four years and I actually started playing American football, basketball and baseball, all the American sports as a young kid. But we were always going to move home for high school, so we came back via South Australia, where I first started playing rugby union. So yes, as the lawbook states, I’m not quite a Queenslander, but I started my first two years of rugby in Adelaide and then moved back to Queensland. I went to Gregory Terrace, played high school rugby, then slowly made my way through the NTS at that time and then the academy’s, then the Sevens program and then back into the Reds and then kind of just continued to progress through the ARU system.

Then after seven years back in Australia, I hit the high-way and I’ve been here for almost 4 years seasons over in France. That’s a brief overview of my rugby since I was a youngster!

What’s your first rugby memory?

My first rugby memory is playing for the South Australia state team. I made it in my default because we only had around 30 players at the time. But we put together a State team and waltzed on down to Victoria and I think the closest we got was around 65-0. So that’s an interesting start... but that’s my first memory as a rugby union player.

Who were your favourite players growing up?

George Smith was my favourite player. I’ve always been a flanker, but I don’t even think that even came into it.

I’ve loved the way that he played and the kind of aura that he had. And then, as I got the chance to meet him, play against him and play in similar squads, he was an awesome bloke. So he’s definitely someone that I looked up to on a rugby front and knowing that he’s an awesome bloke just makes it even cooler.

You’ll have to read my interview with George from a couple of years ago!

Nice! Yeah he’s a good bloke.

2011 was the last time the Queensland Reds won a super Rugby title and I believe we are building towards our next one. You were a part of that 2011 squad. What are your favourite memories from that season?

That was, I think still to this day, my most enjoyable, fun and favourite season that I’ve been a part of. Ewen McKenzie was an awesome coach. He put together the squad really well. I was lucky enough to progress through right at the right time and become a part of that squad. The players were at the start of, or at the peak of their international squad. So having Quade, Willy, Simmo, Slips, big Kevy as captain, we had an incredible team and I’m still really good mates with a lot of those guys. I keep in contact with them. And it was really quite a special feeling we had all year. It’s funny how I started with my best year of rugby and I’ve missed the kind of ambience and feeling that that year had. It’s quite funny because that is my fondest memory, learning from those guys and enjoying that again and since then I’ve been trying to look for that again. That’s how special it was.

Liam celebrates his 2011 win with Simmo

And in terms of a new championship with a new squad, it’s been good to see the Reds get back on track. I know the way that Thorny operates, he’s a hard operator, so it’s good to see it really coming to fruition. I haven’t watched too much rugby, but I’ve followed the results and tracked how they’ve gone and they seem to have really stepped up a gear in terms of putting it all together, which is awesome to see.

What were some keys you learnt in 2011 - what makes a champion team?

The player leadership and the relationships you have between the players really do make a championship team. Like I said, we had a great coach, but it was the players and the way that we really wanted to play for each other. It’s cliche, but like I said the relationships that we still have after 2011, it’s still quite special. That kind of bond between players is really important to win games when it gets serious.

The NRC seems to be an important part of the pathway to high honours now in Australian rugby. When you started playing in the NRC (back in 2015) did you think it would become so important?

The NRC is a good pathway, I think. It’s a great tournament for players who are trying to develop, to keep playing rugby outside of Super Rugby. You either go back to the Wallabies, or you go back to club rugby, which varies all over Australia. Brisbane and Sydney have quite decent levels. But you’ve got a tournament now that’s played all over the country at a good level, with Super Rugby players coming down. So I think it’s a huge path for the young guys needing to play more football. I think it’s very important for Australian rugby, the NRC!

What do you love most about Brisbane?

Well, Brisbane’s home for me! So especially now being abroad for four years, I miss the homeliness of it, I miss the closeness of the beach and I miss the warm weather. (Laughs.) There’s a few things that are very different about France and those are the three feelings I miss about Brissy.

Thanks for taking time out to chat Liam, during this interesting time.

It’s an absolute pleasure. It’s good to see you again!

Super Rugby is on hold, but Reds Rugby still Rules!

A Conversation with QLD Flanker Natassja Purontakanen

It’s another double header for Reds Rugby Rules this week! I was lucky to catch up with Natassja Purontakanen, a talented flanker for the Queensland Reds Super W side.

Coming off a huge win against Melbourne last week, it was good to hear the latest ahead of this week’s clash with the New South Wales Waratahs! This game is sure to be a great one, I’ll be down at Ballymore stadium to watch. (Kickoff is 3:05pm. See you there!)

In the meantime, enjoy my conversation with Natassja!

Hi Natassja, Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking time for this interview!

Lovely to meet you! Thanks very much for having me, I really appreciate it.

I know you probably get asked this a lot, but which country does your name come from?

It’s from Finland. My Mum’s side of the family is Finish, my Dad’s Australian.

Let’s talk about Super W! How are you feeling after last weeks game?

Yeah, really good. We’ve come off the back of two really good wins, so that was really exciting. Hopefully it’s prepared us well, going into a tough game this weekend. But yeah, you can’t be upset with a 104, but this weekend will be tough, so I’m really excited.

Congrats on scoring a try!

Thank you! Yeah, it was my first try for Super W, so it was very exciting, in front my friends and family. It was nice to be there.

I’m looking forward to watching the game at Ballymore this weekend. What’s been the teams focus this week, ahead of the New South Wales game?

Really, just trying to stick to our structures. We’re just want to make sure we’re going in there clearly knowing what we’re doing. We’ve got a really good attacking team, but we know we’re going to need to defend at some point. So we’re pretty heavily focusing on defence as well. 

You were playing at Number 7 last week, now you’ve been named at number 6. What’s your favourite field position to play in?

To be honest, I’ve only really played 7. I haven’t played too much rugby. I only had one season, before I did my knee last time. But I really love 7. It’s kind of a mixture of forwards and backs-ish. I kind of get to float between the two. It’s really fun getting engaged with both positions.

You had an unfortunate injury last year, but you’ve fought your way back. What’s something you learnt during your recovery?

I had to learn a lot of resilience, I would say. It was a really tough year, not just physically, but mentally. Just trusting the process and just sticking to what the experts knew, like the trainer that I was training with. All I wanted to do was jump the gun and get back on the field and play touch footy or rugby. It was tough, but I made it through and I’m really glad I listened to everything they said, because I feel like I’ve come back fitter and stronger.

What first inspired you to play rugby?

As a kid, I would always play backyard footy with my brother. I was always out there with the boys and always wanted to play, but I never saw much opportunity over on the north side of Brisbane. So then one of my friends started playing Sevens at UQ and then I saw it on Instagram and I said “hey, I’m really keen to join” and she said “yeah come down, the team’s really awesome”. I went down and I just fell in love with it. So that was my beginning. That would’ve been around 2017 I think.

Thanks for taking time out to chat. I’ll see you here at the stadium on Saturday! Go Reds!

Go Reds! Thank you so much for having me. I think your interviews are really cool, I read your one with Courtney the other day. It’s really nice to see that someone is getting behind the women and is interested in what they have to say. I think it’s awesome.

Make sure you catch Natassja and the Reds take on the NSW Waratahs on Saturday at 3:05pm down at good old Ballymore.

From Canada to Queensland: A Great Conversation with Gabby

Gabby Senft has just made her debut for the Queensland Reds Women against the Melbourne Rebels. They notched up a HUGE score at Suncorp, beating them 104-3! Gabby came off the bench into the flanker position and even scored a try in the 76th minute.

I had heard she was a Canadian import to the team and I was interested to hear her story! I hope you enjoy reading one of this weeks Reds Rugby Rules interviews. (I also caught up with Natassja Purontakanen this week, you can read that interview shortly.)

Hey Gabby, Thanks for making time to chat today!

So, your home country is Canada, but it seems like you’ve played all around the world. Can you tell us about your last few years playing and how you ended up in Queensland?

Where do I start? So, I’ve been in University for three years, in Canada. Then Bond University contacted me and set me up in one of their sports houses and I played one of their Sevens seasons for 3 months… and then I moved to the UK and played for four months for the Bristol Bears, in the England VXs competition… and then I decided to come back to Australia. I couldn’t work in England, but I still had a Visa in Australia, so I came back and worked and played with the Reds. The season had already started, so I didn’t play in the last season, I just trained with them.

Then I got into Rugby League. So I played with the Burleigh Bears [at Burleigh the Gold Coast] then I played a bit of club with [Brisbane Rugby Union club] Wests. Then I went back to Canada and I played with Rugby Canada XVs for 3 months. Then I came back and did an AON Bond Rugby Sevens season again and now I’m playing with the Reds! (Laughs).

That’s quite a journey! How have you found playing in Queensland so far?

Playing in Queensland has been amazing. I’ve learnt so many things that I wouldn’t have learnt in Canada, or even in the UK. Just going from Rugby League, to Sevens, it’s helped me grow as a player and also a person. The girls come from different background here, they come from touch, netball… it puts a different twist in the players uniqueness. In Canada, we don’t come from rugby backgrounds much. We come from ice-hockey, or basketball and so our twist is a little bit different. The girls don’t really know the whole concept of rugby. It’s definitely growing, but we’re a little bit behind. The games of rugby are a little bit different - different styles.

Congrats to you and the team on such a huge win last week!

Thank you!

How did it feel, scoring your first try for Queensland, at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday?

It was pretty cool. Especially having it on that big television on the field, we don’t really have that with womens game - and doing it at my first Reds game! It was cool to have the girls around me.

What first inspired you to play rugby?

Well, I was in high school and I was fifteen years old and one of my basketball friends was saying that they were having rugby trials. I was saying “what is this sport rugby, I have no idea what it is”, she said “just come out and give it a crack”. I was like “I’m a bit scared, I don’t know what sport this is”. Anyway, after that one training… here I am!

I got a scholarship out of high school to go and play rugby and when I was seventeen I got asked to play with the U20s, Canada. I was actually going to play volleyball in the United States, I got a scholarship with volleyball and then when I made team Canada for rugby and I decided to stick with it!

What are your plans for the rest of this year, after Super W finishes?

That’s a good question. Currently I’ve got a contract with the Tweed rugby league team, we’re in the “Q Cup” this year. That goes until the end of April and then I’ll probably have to go back to Canada to play for my country. They might be coming to Australia, so I might get to stay here. It depends if I need to do the training camp first.

Nice to chat you Gabby! I’m looking forward to seeing you guys play on Saturday! See you then!

Thanks for the chat! This is awesome. Excited to see you at the game too.

Don’t forget, the Queensland Reds Women’s side are playing New South Wales, this Saturday at 3:05pm. This is sure to be a great game! I’ll see YOU there!