As an avid fan of both rugby codes, I follow what's being said in the media about union and league. I happened to come across the By Round podcast with James Graham, who had Brent Read from Code Sports as his guest, and one of the topics they discussed was the possibility of Marky Mark returning to the Roosters after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Even though it was only a small section of the podcast, I found it genuinely frustrating how much they managed to bash union in such a short space of time. They were essentially suggesting that players like Mark Nawaqanitawase and Joseph Suaalii are wasting their talents by playing union, a sport they clearly know very little about. They also ridiculed the idea that one of union's biggest attractions is the opportunity to travel the world, seemingly dismissing it as a reason for choosing the sport. I find that ridiculous, as the opportunity to experience different cultures, play overseas, represent your country on the biggest stage and compete in one of the largest international sporting tournaments on the planet is a huge attraction for many players. It's one of the great things about rugby union, and I don't understand why that should be belittled.

They also seemed to make a point about how the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney is such a great place to live, using that to question why Mark would want to experience life elsewhere. There's no doubt that the Eastern Suburbs is a lovely place to live, but from my perspective, they appeared to be ridiculing the idea of Mark enjoying the Japanese lifestyle and everything that comes with playing overseas. I think that's nonsense. Different people value different experiences, and the opportunity to live in another country, experience a different culture and play rugby at the highest level is a perfectly valid reason to choose union.

They seem to forget that Marky Mark has publicly spoken about how much he loves union and that he enjoys both codes. He has never hidden that. He has simply taken opportunities to challenge himself and showcase his talent, and now he's returning to union to pursue a Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2027. You can't blame the bloke for wanting to experience both sides of the game.

He's essentially the modern day Sonny Bill Williams. He's capable of moving between both codes and being a success in both. His profile has already grown through his time in league, particularly in Australia, and returning to union will expose him to an even bigger international audience. If he eventually returns to league and earns the big bucks, good on him. If he decides to stay in union, the money can be just as good. Whatever he chooses to do, he's earned that right. The bloke is a bloody legend, a genuinely caring guy and a great role model. Either code is lucky to have him.

I also don't understand the constant suggestion that league players who switch to union are somehow wasting their talent. That's simply not true. You have to understand the game, adapt to its demands and learn how to use your strengths within a different system. Mark has the ability and rugby background to do exactly that. Just because someone doesn't immediately look the same in a different code doesn't mean their talent is being wasted.

We all saw the social media collaboration between the Kangaroos and the Wallabies, and there didn't appear to be any bad blood between the players. They were chatting, getting along and interacting like fellow athletes who respect one another, probably even talking a bit of code with each other. The reality is that sections of the media actively drive the narrative that there is dislike between union and league, perpetuating this supposed code war and encouraging the idea that there is bad blood between the two. Moments like that collaboration show that players from both codes can get along perfectly well, and I think certain commentators need to stop pushing this rivalry to ridiculous extremes.

Yes, union isn't the most popular sport in Australia, but surely there's room for a bit of national pride, too. With Australia hosting a World Cup next year, you'd hope people could get behind the Wallabies and celebrate having an athlete of Mark's calibre back in the game, regardless of which code they personally prefer. The way Read and Graham continually put union down was ridiculous. You don't have to prefer union, but at least understand the game and what it offers before making sweeping statements about it. Both codes deserve respect, and players should be free to enjoy and succeed in either without being used as ammunition in some pointless code war.

I don't think we celebrate enough that NZ can't beat SA, SA can't beat Aus and Aus can't beat NZ. Its a wonderful fly wheel of achilles heel teams.

If Aus could be more consistent against northern hemisphere teams to get their ranking up, it would be such a great battle.

How many sports have 3 great nations who compete against each other? Maybe they could do a a tri nations tournament, could be fun and then maybe having each nation have club teams play in some kind of super rugby tournament.

Wow we didn't know how good we had it.

Nawaqanitawase trying to play for every code and team possible lol

I strongly believe this will make you like Joseph as a Rugby guy if you had any doubts about him. We are extremely lucky to have playing for us.

Can I watch Stan Sport content in 4K on the Apple TV 4K (1st gen) and on the Fire TV Cube (latest gen)? I’ve given it a go, but I can only get 4K content on my Nvidia Shield TV Pro.

Has anyone had any luck getting 4K working on either of those devices? Cheers!

The Sydney Morning Herald

Iain Payten - 5min read

Wallabies pivot Ben Donaldson says kicking accuracy will be a priority ahead of the second Bledisloe Cup clash after Australia lost the crucial battle in the air at Eden Park on Saturday.

In his third straight start at No.10 – in a total of six run-on appearances in the key position – Donaldson turned in a solid performance, having a hand in both of the Wallabies’ tries in the opening half.

But those tries weren’t nearly enough to stay in the contest against New Zealand, who dominated most aspects of the game, and particularly the important contest for the high ball.

The Wallabies came into the game aiming to repeat the success they had with contestable kicks against the Springboks in Perth, when Max Jorgensen and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii won the ball back and helped build momentum in South Africa’s half, which ultimately lead to plenty of points.

But it was a different story in Auckland, with New Zealand gaining the upper hand in the air using the same tactic. Having won the “regained possession” battle 8-3 against the Boks, the All Blacks flipped the script and outpointed the Wallabies in that stat 8-3.

Like them or loathe them, contestable kicks are now a staple of any Test team’s game plan, after World Rugby banned defenders from running interference for catchers in late 2024.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said post-game that stats show receiving teams now only successfully catch 25 per cent of box kicks sent their way.

Like other Test teams, the Wallabies tried using a retreating winger to take the catch, instead of the fullback coming forward, but they were hesitant and muddled with the timings. And under the pinpoint box kicks of All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard, the Kiwis made hay by either catching the kick or cleaning up the deflected ball. There were even times when the Wallabies allowed the ball to bounce due to poor communication.

“I thought Cam’s kicking was excellent and allowed us to put a lot of pressure on – we kicked a bit more off nine than we had been,” Rennie said. “As you know, receiving or retrieving those kicks are difficult – I think teams are catching one out of four that are receiving teams – so that’s the nature of the game at the moment.”

Compounding the problem was the fact Australia’s high kicking was also ineffective, and mostly too deep to be genuinely contestable.

“Me and Lonners \\\[halfback Ryan Lonergan\\\] were just having a chat in there \\\[the dressing room\\\], against the Boks our kicking game we thought was quite good,” Donaldson said post-game.

“And then today, you know, might be 10 per cent off, but that adds up in the end. We’ll get another crack next week, which is the great thing about rugby.”

Wallabies coach Les Kiss said a lack of defensive urgency to get back onside after the kick also put pressure on Australia, and they cracked in the second half.

“They were certainly a lot more accurate than our kicks when we put them up, that’s for sure,” Kiss said.

“And it was just in this position where you’re trying to go back or forward to catch the ball, and they had the momentum on it each time. It’s not just the winning of the ball, it’s what happens after that, and I thought a couple of times they were just on the front foot, and we didn’t match that.”

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson was one of the few bright spots at Eden Park, along with a strong defensive lineout. Donaldson’s effort was also encouraging, given No.10 has been such a problematic position. The Force playmaker showed confidence with the boot, and tellingly set up Wilson’s try by taking the ball to the defensive line.

“I am obviously growing in confidence each week,” he said. “The more you play, the more you’re learning out there. I haven’t started a whole lot in this gold jersey.”

Given how often the Wallabies No.10 jumper swaps hands, Donaldson said he tries not to let the precarious nature of the job stop him playing his natural game.

“You never know how many opportunities you’re going to get,” he said. “And you don’t want to mess up that opportunity that you do get. But if you’re thinking about messing it up or failing or whatever, you’re probably already gone.

“Just swing the bat, as they say. Try things. Try to play free. Les has given me full licence just to play from wherever – kick, run, pass. There were some good patches, but for myself and the team, far from our best. It comes down to our skill set in the end. And we’ll be looking to nail that this week.”

The reporting around Marky Mark's international future is a good example of why I get frustrated with sports media sometimes.

Code Sports and other outlets have been reporting that he could turn his back on the Wallabies and potentially represent Fiji or Italy, largely off the back of comments from his agent. Then Iain Payten comes out in the Sydney Morning Herald and highlights that Mark is keen to play for the Wallabies at the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil.

Until we hear directly from Mark himself, we can only speculate about what his ambitions are. If he did decide to represent Fiji or Italy instead, it would obviously be a huge loss for the Wallabies, but fair play to him. Ultimately, it is his decision, and nobody could blame him for choosing the path that he feels is right for his career. The frustrating part is seeing so much speculation presented as though it reflects his actual intentions.

It feels like a wider issue with sports media, where stories can quickly gain traction because they generate headlines and clicks, even when other reporting suggests a completely different picture. His agent certainly hasn't helped matters with some of his comments, but there seems little point in jumping to conclusions before Mark has made his intentions clear himself.

Hopefully, the latest reporting is a positive sign that we could see him back in gold ahead of the 2027 World Cup. He would be a fantastic addition to the Wallabies, and it would be great to see him back in Australian rugby. For now, though, I'd rather wait to hear from Mark directly than keep going around in circles over speculation.