Angus Fontaine, The Guardian Journalist Profile

Articles

Australia have scent of blood in their nostrils after seeing the Lions tamed

3 days ago | irishtimes.com | Angus Fontaine

Australian rugby liked what it saw – and didn’t see – last week, as the British and Irish Lions got their 2025 tour off to a losing start against Argentina. Sure, it was the opening game of a 10-match odyssey and Andy Farrell’s men were lacking cohesion after only two weeks in camp. But for a young Wallabies side rising fast under their head coach, Joe Schmidt, it put blood in the water and proved the tourists are beatable.
The Breakdown | Next Gen Wallabies sense Farrell’s Lions are there for the taking

3 days ago | theguardian.com | Angus Fontaine

Australian rugby liked what it saw – and didn’t see – last week, as the British & Irish Lions got their 2025 tour off to a losing start against Argentina. Sure, it was the opening game of a 10-match odyssey and Andy Farrell’s men were lacking cohesion after only two weeks in camp. But for a young Wallabies side rising fast under their head coach, Joe Schmidt, it put blood in the water and proved the tourists are very beatable.
Wallabies squad thin on playmakers may come back to bite Joe Schmidt

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Angus Fontaine

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt named his 36-man squad to face Fiji and the British & Irish Lions, recalling the enigmatic Will Skelton from La Rochelle, rewarding the uncapped Nick Champion de Crespigny’s rousing form for Castres Olympique, and bringing giant lock Darcy Swain in from the cold. Former star prop Taniela Tupou had wondered publicly if he’d forgotten how to play the game but Schmidt believes he can rekindle his glory days.
Has the Beaumont Children mystery finally been solved?

1 week ago | womensweekly.com.au | Angus Fontaine

It was the missing persons case that stole our innocence – three children snatched from an Adelaide beach in broad daylight on Australia Day, 1966. Now, almost 60 years later, an amateur sleuth and a retired police detective believe they have finally identified the man who abducted the Beaumont children. Parents know the panic. A lost child, even for a few agonising seconds, can be a nightmare.
Wallaroos thumped 45-7 by Canada in harsh World Cup reality check

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Angus Fontaine

The rise of Australia’s rugby women has been rocked by a clinical Canada in Brisbane, walloped 45-7 by the world No 2 side to crush local hopes of a first Pacific Four title. It extends the Wallaroo’s dismal run against the North Americans to 0-7 in XVs and leaves them plenty to ponder in the three Test lead-in to the World Cup in August.
World Cup buzz grows as steely Australia upstage Ilona Maher’s USA

1 month ago | msn.com | Angus Fontaine

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World Cup buzz grows as steely Australia upstage Ilona Maher’s USA

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Angus Fontaine

The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen. So rang the cry of the Canberra crowd after American rugby star and social media “queen” Ilona Maher was upstaged by Australia’s own golden girl, the Sevens star and Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Caslick, whose speed and daring inspired a 30-19 win over the USA at GIO Stadium. This was a sweet victory for the Wallaroos – and a vital one.
NSW Blues’ historic State of Origin series win turns the tide on women’s rugby league | Angus Fontaine

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Angus Fontaine

When the tide turns for NSW it seems to happen in torrential rain. Forty years ago, when the Blues men’s side finally beat the Maroons to clinch a first State of Origin shield, the image enshrined in history was NSW captain Steve Mortimer sinking to his knees in the SCG mud and bellowing sweet victory to the heavens. Now, in another downpour, the Blues women’s side have made their own history in the slop of a Sydney stadium.
Australia gets chance to witness rugby juggernaut Ilona Maher up close

1 month ago | msn.com | Angus Fontaine

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‘The Queen is here’: Australia gets chance to witness rugby juggernaut Ilona Maher up close | Angus Fontaine

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Angus Fontaine

Asked to describe Ilona Maher, some may remember Sports Illustrated’s 2024 coverline: “Beast. Beauty. Brains.” Yet the American rugby star’s influence extends far beyond. With almost five million followers on Instagram, the 28-year-old has become not only rugby’s most followed player but one of the most important and influential figures in women’s sport, a power athlete weaponising her image to inspire future generations.