It's been another big week in rugby.
What have you missed this week?
Mitchell and Jones go toe-to-toe on Twitter
Alan Jones has been drumming up some noise in a new regular rugby column, and his discussion spilled onto Twitter this weekend.
The former Wallabies coach tweeted on Saturday about a demise in Australian rugby, writing: "Well can it get any worse. This is crisis time. Japan 63 points against Queensland. NSW lead by 29 and lose. And no one at the Brumbies/ Rebels game. Will someone, anyone, at Rugby HQ take responsibility for this shambles!!!!."
Mitchell took umbrage with Jones's critiques, and the two had a tete-a-tete about the future of Australian rugby, with Mitchell defending the national body amid another average year for Australia in Super Rugby.
Agree it’s not ideal @AlanJones , but can you provide solutions rather than just questions??
— Drew Mitchell (@drew_mitchell) May 12, 2018
It’s a tough time for @RugbyAU but pot shots without solutions don’t help our cause..
Great! @AlanJones , you clearly have the respect of the Australian rugby public so rather than criticising @raelenecastle & the @RugbyAU at every opportunity why don’t you get on our side & help us dig our way out of this hole..
— Drew Mitchell (@drew_mitchell) May 12, 2018
You have the capacity to shape ppl’s opinions..
Ok great! But perhaps your passion has been mistaken in the past for pot shots from the outside.
— Drew Mitchell (@drew_mitchell) May 12, 2018
I want rugby to succeed & I think you can truly help us, I think the language in which you convey your opinions can change ppls mind as to what side you’re on..
Help us @AlanJones https://t.co/1YO3rFNBq7
Not too late for Latu
Tolu Latu has been somewhat of the forgotten man in the Waratahs frame, but the hooker has been doing the hard yards to try and work his way back into the side.
Latu, who has been criticised for a poor work ethic in the past, has been doing hundreds of throws in recent weeks, as he works to prove his commitment.
It's an effort that has been noticed by forwards coach Simon Cron, who has demanded a lot of the hooker.
"I've been watching him in the last couple of weeks, he's throwing 200 balls a day and he's making sure that when the door opens again that he runs through it," Cron said.
"The biggest thing for Tolu is a consistency of performance and it doesn't matter who you are in our squad, we're 1-35, you've got to be a consistent performer to open that door and I think he's getting pretty close to having an opportunity where I think he can run through that door.
"It's something I've been saying from the start and for him to get better at throwing, he's got to throw.
"I've been pretty strict on the fact this needs to happen and we need self-motivated athletes, so they know it's got to happen and the hookers all tick the box on that and they compete with each other.
"Tolu, I've been watching him closely in the last 2-3 weeks, and he's getting those reps and as a result of that he's going to get more consistent performance.
"He adds some things to us that we love, he's great on-ball, he's got a good body, but at the same time, there's not a lot of guys wanting to share their jersey, the other two are going pretty hard at it.
"So, now his job is to take it off them."
Thor meets Thor
It's debatable who the namesake is, but two Thors met each other this week.
Taniela 'Tongan Thor' Tupou bumped into Chris Hemsworth, aka Thor from the Avengers, in the airport.
Tupou wrote on Instagram, "Meet up with THOR talking about how I'm going to replace him in the next Avengers @chrishemsworth #Legend #Thor".
Horse hits 100 first grade games
Wallaroos prop Emily Robinson celebrated a much-deserved achievement on Saturday, playing her 100th game for Warringah.
Robinson is one of the great role models of women's rugby, and works as a development officer to help grow the game in NSW.
Congratulations, Em!
Vic Masters gaining momentum
The Rebels clinched their first win in six games on Saturday night and Melbourne has been making gains off the field as well, with the growth of its masters competition.
The Vic Rugby maters competition is hitting new heights, with more than 300 over 35s running around, making it the state's biggest.
There are some pretty remarkable men among the competition, including Maroondah's Mark Davenport, who has come out the other side of two life-threatening accidents to play rugby.
Great to see people staying involved in rugby.
