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NRL Round 16 Snapshot

Zac Lomax of the Dragons celebrates winning the round 16 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium, on July 03, 2022, in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Read on for a snapshot of round 16 of the NRL where St George Illawarra, Manly and South Sydney all boosted their finals hopes.

SNAPSHOT OF ROUND 16 OF THE NRL

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MAN OF THE ROUND:

Edrick Lee is by no means the NRL’s biggest star but the winger etched his name into Newcastle’s history with a five-try haul against the Gold Coast on Friday. The likes of Darren Albert, Adam MacDougall, Andrew Johns, Cooper Vuna, Akuila Uate and James McManus have all scored four for the Knights but Lee will depart to the Dolphins at the end of the year with a record of his own.

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QUOTE OF THE ROUND:

“Just make your tackles. How many soft tries did they score by just running through us? That’s not good enough” – Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy lays down the law after the Storm lost 36-30 to Manly on Thursday.

MAGIC MOMENT:

The Warriors returned home to Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium after nearly three years on the road. A full house greeted them after ending their 1,038-day exile and they delivered against the Wests Tigers with a 22-2 victory.

STAT THAT MATTERS:

St George Illawarra have won all eight games when scoring the opening try this season and lost all seven when they have conceded first. Talatau Amone scored the game’s opening try in the 18th minute as the Dragons strengthened their bid for a top-eight spot in a 12-10 win over Canberra.

TALKING POINT:

One week Parramatta are hot and the next they are cold. No team has flattered to deceive as much as the Eels this season and Brad Arthur must be scratching his head wondering where his side are going wrong. They have knocked off Penrith and Melbourne this year, but have been defeated by the Wests Tigers and Canterbury and fell to a previously out-of-sorts South Sydney on Saturday. The Eels’ form line this year reads: WLWWWLWLWLWWLWL.

CASUALTY WARD:

Tevita Pangai Junior (Bulldogs) – ankle, Declan Casey (Bulldogs) – concussion, Te Maire Martin (Broncos) – ribs, Mark Nicholls (Rabbitohs) – concussion, Hame Sele (Rabbitohs) – ankle, Mat Feagai (Dragons) – thigh.

JUDICIARY WATCH:

Jarrod Wallace (Titans) – dangerous throw

UNDER PRESSURE:

Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook gambled on a young halves pairing and will be feeling nervous about his future. The Titans have won just one game in their last 12 outings and are bottom of the ladder with just three wins all season. Holbrook has credit in the bank for for finishing 9th and 8th in his first two seasons but that will only go so far if they can’t turn their fortunes around.

 

By: George Clarke, AAP

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B
BeamMeUp 44 minutes ago
The Springboks have something you don't have

A few comments. Firstly, I am a Bok fan and it's been a golden period for us. I hope my fellow Bok fans appreciate this time and know that it cannot last forever, so soak it all in!


The other thing to mention (and this is targeted at Welsh, English and even Aussie supporters who might be feeling somewhat dejected) is that it's easy to forget that just before Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018, the Boks were ranked 7th in the world and I had given up hope we'd ever be world beaters again.


Sport is a fickle thing and Rassie and his team have managed to get right whatever little things it takes to make a mediocre team great. I initially worried his methods might be short-lived (how many times can you raise a person's commitment by talking about his family and his love of his country as a motivator), but he seems to have found a way. After winning in 2019 on what was a very simple game plan, he has taken things up ever year - amazing work which has to be applauded! (Dankie Rassie! Ons wardeer wat jy vir die ondersteuners en die land doen!) (Google translate if you don't understand Afrikaans! 😁)


I don't think people outside South Africa fully comprehend the enormity of the impact seeing black and white, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa and all the other hues playing together does for the country's sense of unity. It's pure joy and happiness.


This autumn tour has been a bit frustrating in that the Boks have won, but never all that convincingly. On the one hand, I'd like to have seen more decisive victories, BUT what Rassie has done is expose a huge number of players to test rugby, whilst also diversifying the way the Boks play (Tony Brown's influence).


This change of both style and personnel has resulted in a lack of cohesion at times and we've lost some of the control, whereas had we been playing our more traditional style, that wouldn't happen. This is partially attributable to the fact that you cannot play Tony Brown's expansive game whilst also having 3 players available at every contact point to clear the defence off the ball. I have enjoyed seeing the Boks play a more exciting, less attritional game, which is a boring, albeit effective spectacle. So, I am happy to be patient, because the end justifies the means (and I trust Rassie!). Hopefully all these players we are blooding will give us incredible options for substitutions come next year's Rugby Championship and of course, the big prize in 2027.


Last point! The game of rugby has never been as exciting as it is now. Any of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Argentina, Scotland, England & Australia can beat one another. South Africa may be ranked #1, but I wouldn't bet my house in them beating France or New Zealand, and we saw Argentina beating both South Africa and New Zealand this year! That's wonderful for the game and makes the victories we do get all the sweeter. Each win is 100% earned. Long may it last!


Sorry for the long post! 🏉🌍

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