THE identity of a former "ARU Insider" who wrote a scathing column about Ewen McKenzie on a sporting website last week has been a hot topic in Wallabies camp recently.
The column "Steve Hansen and Ewen McKenzie, a tale of two coaches" didn't pull any punches about either man. In fact, it swung them lustily with the author bagging McKenzie as a coach without any major wins and whose primary skill was manipulating public opinion, and Hansen as a second-rate player who got the All Blacks job by being mates with NZRU boss Steve Tew.
The writer, who wrote last year under the pseudonym "The Insider" but changed to the "The Outsider", slammed McKenzie as a PR-driven coach whose bidding was done by "pliant media"; had "campaigned" for Robbie Deans' job and even alleged McKenzie blogged under aliases on websites.
The column on the Roar website has since been taken down.
Many in the ARU have no doubt about the author's identity. The flattering references to Deans — and the comparative shortfalls of McKenzie and Hansen — have people pointing the finger at a former media manager employed by the ARU.
The series of articles as "The Insider" gives numerous clues. The author openly writes about being inside Wallaby dressing rooms in recent years, and players appeared to be ruled out when the author admitted to having coffee with All Blacks players last Friday before the Sydney Test.
It's understood the suspect was fronted in camp about anonymously writing speculative selection pieces prior to squads being announced, but denied it.
A now deleted bio read: "The Outsider was, in a previous life, an Insider with connections to the Australian Rugby Union. Shhh, no names!"
The ex-staffer's name appeared in the comments section but publisher of the Roar, Zac Zavos, said yesterday the site had not been asked to take the column down by the ARU, and declined to comment on the author's identity or why the piece was spiked.
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IRB chief executive Brett Gosper has joined the chorus of voices indicating a preference for Japan to be included as the 18th team in Super Rugby.
But with South Africans lobbying for less travel, SANZAR bosses still appear to bizarrely leaning towards Singapore for entry into the 2016 competition.
The two Asian countries have both submitted tenders to SANZAR to join Super Rugby, and a decision is expected in coming months.
Asked recently if the IRB had a preference, Gosper said: "From an IRB point of view, there is some logic for us in creating something in Japan that will ensure the Japanese team is more competitive, that market is more receptive — both in broadcast and spectator markets — to the sport of rugby. From an IRB's perspective, that's interesting for us but it really is entirely SANZAR's decision. We will be interested to see what decision they make."
So with that, the new count is — Team Japan: almost everyone. Team Singapore: South Africa.
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GLAMOUR couple Matt Toomua and Ellyse Perry are now engaged, breaking the news on Instagram, and naturally people are now wondering just how talented their future offspring could be.
We asked triple-code star Israel Folau if the future children of his Wallabies teammate Toomua and dual-international Perry could grow up to play more sports than he has.
"I think so," Folau said. "I think they'll be talented kids, if one day they have kids.
"Congrats to Pup (Toomua), it's a pretty big call [to get engaged] during the week, he's done well and now he can focus on the game."
Matt Toomua and Ellyse Perry got engaged this week. Source: News Limited
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THE revealing interview with Israel Folau in last Saturday's Telegraph prompted many to ask if the superstar Wallabies fullback is a teetotaller.
In fact, Folau enjoys a drink every now and again, but you'll never see him intoxicated.
"I don't drink that much, I'll have a glass of wine here or there at dinner, or a few beers with the team after a good win, but not going over the top," Folau said.
"I want to mix with the team as well, but I know my limit and where I stand in my identity."
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IT'S been a tumultuous few weeks for North Harbour Rays giant Greg Petersen.
The former Waratahs lock was glassed in a cowards' punch episode last month while out celebrating with Manly Marlins, and the assailant faced Manly court yesterday on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The big forward was then the subject of a dispute between the Rays and the Vikings over his services for the NRC, after Petersen was offered a spot in Canberra, as a possible trial for a Brumbies gig.
An arbitration was held with the two clubs, the NRC commission and RUPA, where it was determined Petersen had to stay with the Rays.
After all that, to his great surprise he was this week named skipper of the side to play against Melbourne on Sunday.
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THERE was plenty made about the 101-0 result in Sydney GPS rugby recently, but here's proof that such hammerings don't lead to destruction and demise.
Randwick's first-grade Colts team was defeated by the exact same score, 101-0, by Sydney University in last year's major semi-final.
Then last weekend, the Randwick Colts defeated Uni 23-17 in this year's grand final.
It is the first time since 2006 that Uni has not won the first-grade Colts premiership, and a great reminder to all in rugby that sometimes humiliation breeds courage and resilience, not mental fragility.
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PLANS of individual NRC clubs to have live streaming of their non-televised games appear to have fallen over, due to costs.
Melbourne Rising will at least do live radio calls via their app.
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A BIG congrats to the Australian Youth Olympic girls sevens team, who won a gold medal in Nanjing on Wednesday.
Aged between 16 and 18, the team beat Canada in the final and we learned two things: Canadians must only start counting birthdays aged five, based on the size of some of their players, and Toowoomba is a breeding ground sevens stars.
The Queensland city has six girls who are currently representing Australia in sevens: senior stars Emilee Cherry, Gemma Etheridge and Nikki Etheridge, and Youth Olympic tyros Dom du Toit (the Games' top try-scorer), Shenae Ciesiolka and Georgina Rackeman.
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New Zealand and Australian Defence Force supporters of the All Blacks and Wallabies get into the spirit of the game at Al Minhad Air Base, UAE. Source: Supplied
AMONG the interested spectators of last week's Bledisloe Cup Test were armed servicemen and women in the Middle East and Afghanistan, with a live stream of the game organised by Fox Sports and Accenture.
There were plenty of Aussie and Kiwi fans decked out in national colours at the Al Minhad Airbase in the UAE.
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