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About Spiro Zavos
About Spiro Zavos
Spiro Zavos is recognised as one of the world’s most influential rugby writers. His column on Tuesday in The Sydney Morning Herald during the rugby season has run for more than twenty years. His trenchant analysis, especially on rugby matters, has made his columns must-read institutions all over the world. Zavos has written ten books, several of them award-winners, on politics, fiction and rugby, including How To Watch A Game of Rugby, which has been reprinted twice since its publication in 2005.
The five crucial selections that Deans got wrong
A friend rang after the Wallabies defeated the Springboks at Durban, their first victory in a Tri Nations Test in South Africa in eight years, and said: "The way things are going Robbie Deans will be canonised before Mary MacKillop."
Go on my Sun: war principles that served Deans well
The opening minutes of Saturday's Test in Durban provided clues that the Wallabies were going to break their overseas hoodoo after 14 unsuccessful Tri Nations matches in South Africa and New Zealand.
No spring in step of lumbering Boks
THIS time last week, we were anticipating a Springboks victory in this year's Tri Nations tournament to go with their Rugby World Cup triumph last year.
Popularity and history make Sevens a natural for the Olympics
Dan Carroll is on the AOC's list of Australian gold medal Olympians as a member of the 1908 Wallabies, the winners 32-3 against England/Cornwall in the final of the rugby event at the London Games. But he has not received the recognition he truly deserves from the AOC or from sports historians as one of Australia's greatest Olympians.
Ghosts of Marseille follow Wallabies all the way to Eden Park
THE toheroa soup was off and the kiwi fruit had blemishes as the All Blacks monstered the Wallabies 39-10 at Eden Park on Saturday night, New Zealand's biggest winning margin over Australia since the 50-21 victory at Sydney in 2003 when the NZ assistant coach was a certain Robbie Deans.
Deans is flavour of month
RUGBY doyen Norm Tasker wrote of the late Greg Davis, an iconic Wallabies captain, that he was the best New Zealand import to Australia since toheroa soup.
Clash of Kiwi coaches adds more spice to Bledisloe battle
RADIO National's news at 8am on Sunday gave the NRL and AFL results but there was no mention of the Wallabies' 16-9 victory over the Springboks in Perth the night before. This was unfortunate as the win has opened up the Tri Nations tournament to all three teams, especially Australia.
Wallabies have conceded home-ground advantage
ALLOCATING Perth's Subiaco Oval the Wallabies' opening match in the 2008 Tri Nations tournament against the Springboks was a no-brainer from a marketing perspective for the ARU. But from a must-win rugby perspective, the decision probably makes more dollars than sense.
Bring on the giants and the ELVs
"THEY'RE devoid of ideas," Gordon Bray shouted in his Channel 7 commentary during the Australia's 40 -10 victory over in Brisbane as the visitors went through yet another series of witless, skill-less phases of play.
Tri Nations will pose many questions
TOWARDS the end of Saturday night's Test against France, Australia had five players on the field in their first year with the Wallabies: Ben Alexander, Dean Mumm, Luke Burgess, Ryan Cross and Peter Hynes.
Timana gives us a taste of some French cooking
The French generally have a "vive la difference" attitude to playing and thinking about rugby.
How clever coaching saved Wallabies
"IN A journey of a thousand miles, it is necessary to make the
first step."
Please do not adjust your set, the old laws really are dull
THERE were Tests in Japan, Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Canada, Lithuania and Argentina over the weekend, plus Pacific Nations Cup matches, Churchill Cup matches, a FIRA European Championship contest (Lithuania 40 - Norway 9) and the IRB Junior World Championship.
Tahs tactics were spot on
THE Super 14 final was a great game. It was tough, compelling and non-stop. One of the many unpredictable breakouts, after a phase of play that lasted several gut-wrenching minutes, led to Lachie Turner scoring a kick-and-chase try after the Waratahs had almost given a try away at their end of the field.
McKenzie can go out on a high note
ONE of the consequences of rugby becoming a professional sport is that the status and success of the coach has become seemingly even more important than the performances produced by the players.
NSW can shed bridesmaid tag
IN THE Z household on Saturday night, Big Love, an intriguing drama about polygamy in Utah, trumped Rugby Love and the absorbing drama of six contending teams trying to make the final four of the Super 14.
Northern sceptics will be blown away
A COMMENTATOR in New Zealand revealed the interesting statistic
that the 2008 Super 14 tournament, up to the 13th round, had
produced 100 fewer penalties and 50 more tries than last year's
tournament.
Scrum is king under the new laws
THERE were 25 scrums during the Crusaders- Sharks match. The
Highlanders kicked four penalties to defeat the Cheetahs, even
though they played with 13 men in the later stages of the match.
Lote's long-range missiles now trained on the high veldt
LOTE TUQIRI took the ball and placed it just inside the 50-metre
mark for a kick at goal on Saturday night against the Sharks at the
Sydney Football Stadium. I leant across to a friend and murmured:
"It won't even reach."
Fresh blast from the SFS relieves the hot air from Canberra
BEFORE the enthralling series of Super 14 matches started on
Saturday night, I tuned into the 2020 Summit and watched the
delegates putting forward their generally cliched ideas.
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