Latest news with #Cairns
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
‘Joe Schmidt is an overthinker who tries to play mind games'
The 63-year-old former Queensland and Australia hooker played the Lions in Cairns on the 1989 tour and remembers well the reception that the Lions received in 2001, when the tourists believed they faced a nationwide campaign to undermine them. At the time Rod Macqueen's Wallabies were world champions, were ahead of the curve in setting traps for the tourists, whether through criticising their playing style and physicality, or with the future England head coach Eddie Jones in place to give the Lions a bloody nose when they faced his ACT Brumbies side. The tourists won that match by a mere two points, but Australia A defeated them in the build-up to the first Test in Brisbane. The Wallabies edged the series 2-1. 'A coordinated assault,' recalls Nucifora, who played for Queensland from 1986 to 1993 and was on the bench when Australia defeated England in the World Cup final in 1991 at Twickenham. 'When people ask what value can I bring, there's obviously the local knowledge of knowing the places we're in, what we're able to do but I think, more importantly, understanding the mindset, of the Australians and the Wallabies. 'I know how they'll be approaching this, and I know what they're capable of. People would underestimate them at their peril, because they will always be able to put a strong team out that will be super-competitive. And then you've got Joe working with them as well. He's made a big difference in a short period of time. We're going to be in for a really difficult Test series. 'I played in a tour match against the Lions in Cairns. Whatever you think of the non-Test games, the local players are going to lift themselves 20 or 30 per cent. It's a once-in-a-career opportunity to play this iconic team so I guarantee you, it's not just the Wallabies who are thinking about their games. It's all of these Super Rugby teams and the other teams thinking they are going to get one shot at the Lions. Every time we step out on that pitch, those teams are going to be looking to roll us, to really put it to us. The tour is going to be a lot more difficult on the pitch than a lot of people outside of the inner sanctum of the team might appreciate.' Lions coaches prepared for 'chaos' That Farrell made Nucifora one of his first appointments reflects the Lions head coach's desire to replicate the 'real-time' feedback that the Australian provided when they worked together with Ireland, instead of waiting weeks after a tour or competition for a report. When Ireland embarked on the three-Test tour of New Zealand in 2022, the Covid pandemic was still causing complications, and Farrell and Nucifora had included two midweek fixtures against the NZ Maori to intensify the demands on players ahead of the 2023 World Cup. 'On tour, especially one as chaotic as this, you have to be prepared for chaos. S--- is going to go wrong,' Nucifora adds. 'That New Zealand tour was a prime example. It was around the Covid period, and we were moving around New Zealand playing difficult games back to back. And I suppose just trying to keep people calm when things didn't go as they expected. A lot of people like certainty. 'This is going to happen, that is going to happen.' But that is not the reality on these trips, especially one of this size. It is going to go off track at times, and you need to be ready to be able to adapt and adjust. 'Test-match rugby can become a little bit sterile at times. You've got these weeks of preparation and you're only worried about playing the Test match, that's all you do. 'Well, all of a sudden, we've got a very complicated travel itinerary with games every three days or four days. You've got teams about to play, teams preparing to play. You've got medics working on players, trying to get them fit. There's a lot of stuff going on and it is about being able to try to keep people focused on what's important when it gets a bit chaotic. Keep them calm. 'The piece of magic that you need is to understand how you bring people together. It's no good just having talent if it doesn't understand how it works in a cohesive way. So to be able to put together a plan on the field and off the field that gets people thinking, behaving and acting in unison, that's the only way that you exponentially get the value out of the talent. If you can't do that, then you have four countries that come together with a lot of good players, but don't really gel. That's the same with the staff as well. How do you do it in a short space of time? That's what a lot of work goes into – to make that happen.'
ABC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Australian chocolate gains a competitive edge in global cocoa shortage
Chris Jahnke's Far North Queensland cocoa farm is not the cheapest place to buy chocolate, but as the price of imports soars, people are lining up to buy his beans. "I've actually got a waiting list of people wanting to buy Australian cocoa beans and we just don't have enough to supply them," Mr Jahnke said. Supply challenges in the major West African cocoa-producing countries, Ghana and Ivory Coast, have led to record prices, driving up the cost of chocolate for consumers. Not just a cocoa grower, Mr Jahnke also produces chocolate at his Mission Beach property, about 130km south of Cairns in Queensland's far north. "I get calls probably at least once a week from Australian chocolate makers — these are the sort of boutique, bean-to-bar kind of makers — wanting to buy Australian beans," he said. "That's not just in Australia. We get inquiries from overseas now that we're becoming a bit more well known." He expected it would lead to growth in the Australian industry over the next decade. "I think we'll get to a point where we'll be … maybe producing a couple of thousand tonnes of cocoa here in Australia, which is still a drop in the ocean in the worldwide cocoa supply," he said. Historically, cocoa prices have averaged close to $4,600 a tonne, according to Rabobank agricultural analyst, Paul Joules. But by the end of last year, prices peaked at almost $17,000 a tonne, eventually settling at about $14,000 a tonne. Later this year, the European Union plans to enforce new trade regulations that penalise products linked to deforestation. It will apply to commodities including cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and their associated products. Mr Joules says it will be a significant change. "It could have big impacts and it could cause a bit of a shift in supply chains for these key EU importers and where they're getting their products from." He says, to some degree, prices have already started to move because Europe is a significant importer of cocoa. "It's going to be very difficult to source products from key [European] producers so that, potentially, was also one of the factors as to why we saw higher prices," Mr Joules said. "There's already a bit of fear in the market and, of course, depending on how it plays out, it could potentially cause a little bit more upside." In May, the federal Department of Agriculture said Australia had been classified as a low-risk country under the European regulation. That means it will be easier for EU businesses to source ingredients grown here than from countries classified as higher risk, like Ivory Coast. For Mr Janke, that presents a big opportunity. "Deforestation is a common thing in West Africa, which grows 70 per cent of the cocoa, so there is a significant problem for that industry in Europe," he said. "Because so much of cocoa is grown in Third World countries, where they have all sorts of compliance issues, we're at the head of the queue just by virtue of where we are."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
The disturbing find customs allegedly made in Aussie tourist's luggage as he returned from the Philippines sparks sickening accusation
An Australian man has been charged after authorities allegedly found child abuse material on his phone when he returned to the country from overseas. The 63-year-old Queensland man's phone was seized by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers on December 25, 2024, after he landed on an international flight at Cairns Airport, in the state's north. Officers also allegedly discovered child abuse material on the man's laptop and two hard drives and referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). AFP executed a search warrant at the man's Cairns homes the following day and seized several more devices. On Wednesday, the AFP confirmed its Northern Command Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team had on May 6 charged the man with one count of possessing, controlling, producing, distributing or obtaining child abuse material outside Australia. It's alleged the 63-year-old produced the abuse material in the Philippines. The offence carries a maximum of 15 years behind bars if convicted. He fronted Cairns Magistrates Court on Wednesday for a brief hearing. The prosecution requested the matter be adjourned as it was still waiting to receive a full brief of evidence. The case will return to court next month. AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said law enforcement would continue to crack down on child abuse material made in Australia and overseas. 'Online child abuse material is a borderless crime, which is why this criminality remains a strong focus for the AFP and our state and Commonwealth and international law enforcement partners,' he said. 'Creating this material is a serious offence. Investigators are relentless and will pursue anyone producing, sharing or accessing child abuse material – regardless of where it is from.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Cairns kidnapping accused threatened teen with gel blaster, court hears
A Far North Queensland man has been denied bail for his alleged role in a Cairns teenager's two-day kidnapping and torture ordeal. Police allege the 19-year-old woman was kidnapped on Sheridan Street, Cairns, on Thursday, then threatened with a replica gun and tortured at multiple properties before police found her on Sunday. Three people — 34-year-old Kaidii Ephraums, 22-year-old Waylan Satrick and 23-year-old Semias Donnelly — have been charged with offences including deprivation of liberty and common assault. Cairns Magistrates Court today heard one of the properties was the home of Mr Donnelly, who appeared via videolink from the Cairns Watchhouse. During his bail application, the court heard that Mr Donnelly allegedly threatened the victim with a gel blaster, a type of replica gun. His lawyer, Jacqui O'Reilly, said her client disputed the charges and was "only involved for a short time" while the victim was at his house and he didn't participate in the initial abduction. She also told the court the victim was fed and allowed to shower while at Mr Donnelly's residence. The prosecution opposed bail, telling the court Mr Donnelly was an active participant, given the victim was allegedly blindfolded and bloodied when she was at his home and there was an unacceptable risk he would try to contact her if released. Magistrate Terrence Browne told the court Mr Donnelly had also participated in forcing the teenager to write a "demeaning" apology to his co-accused, Ms Ephraums. Magistrate Brown denied Mr Donnelly bail, saying the allegation he menaced the teenager with a replica firearm was "very serious" and that the Crown case against him was "strong". Mr Donnelly was remanded in custody until August 5. The case against co-accused Mr Satrick, was also mentioned in court today and he was remanded in custody until September 17. Ms Ephraums appeared in court on Monday and was remanded in custody until August.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Queensland man accused of producing child abuse material in the Philippines set to face court
A Queensland man accused of producing child abuse material in the Philippines is expected to face court today. The Australian Border Force allegedly found exploitation material on the 63-year-old's phone, laptop and two hard drives when he landed at Cairns Airport on Christmas Day last year. Two days later Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers searched his home. In May the AFP charged the man with possessing, controlling, producing, distributing or obtaining child abuse material outside Australia. The maximum penalty for the offence is 15 years' imprisonment. AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the creation and spread of child abuse material was a "borderless crime". "Creating this material is a serious offence," he said. The man is due to face Cairns Magistrates Court today.
