Hell West & Crooked
Alex Ross (28)
what is Rob Horne doing dicking about with Pygmy Ponytails, instead of concentrating on finally indicating that he is Anything Like a Test Standard Rugby Player...
Wallabies v Barbarians - 1/11/14 (Twickenham)
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waiopehu oldboy
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Did you catch the USA/AB OK? Got my kick off time wrong by 30min but in my defence I was relying on the same website that reckons this happened:
ALL BLACKS 6 VS 74 USA
http://www.allblacks.com
Dan54
Tim Horan (67)
Well Kurtley will be right in the Wallabies, if Cheika has laid down the example of dress code today, what you wear on a plane is not going to matter
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Just watched game, and am not sure what to make of it, Wallabies won, probably a little disappointed in how many tries they leaked, but is balanced out by being first tour game, so perhaps should just enjoy the game for the spectacle it was and wait until serious stuff starts before delving in too deeply!
.Just watched game, and am not sure what to make of it, Wallabies won, probably a little disappointed in how many tries they leaked, but is balanced out by being first tour game, so perhaps should just enjoy the game for the spectacle it was and wait until serious stuff starts before delving in too deeply!
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
Yes Ulrich agree that Spreight needs game time....hopefully with spring tour see him do his thing...not done so yet....but early...would be keen to see English be given a game on tour games as played well in NRC and maybe a chance for one of the wing berths...
Forgot Fardy out injured so higgers to start with hooper and mcmahon would have sown up bench spot on that performance IMO. Battle between 2 brumbie boys for no.12....lilo has indeed found his form again....tight contest...
Forgot Fardy out injured so higgers to start with hooper and mcmahon would have sown up bench spot on that performance IMO. Battle between 2 brumbie boys for no.12....lilo has indeed found his form again....tight contest...
Hell West & Crooked
Alex Ross (28)
well done to the americans ehh?... it was always going to happen... i missed most of it due to "limited connectivity" which happens whenever i try to use a computer for anything non work-related...
i had the kid peddling like a bastard to keep the electricity coming, too!
Ulrich
Nev Cottrell (35)
I have a funny feeling the Wallabies will end up surprising many from here and throughout the world cup.Well Kurtley will be right in the Wallabies, if Cheika has laid down the example of dress code today, what you wear on a plane is not going to matter
Just watched game, and am not sure what to make of it, Wallabies won, probably a little disappointed in how many tries they leaked, but is balanced out by being first tour game, so perhaps should just enjoy the game for the spectacle it was and wait until serious stuff starts before delving in too deeply!
It's not based on much, just a feeling I have.
Hell West & Crooked
Alex Ross (28)
Ulrich, it's time for brave predictions....
i see it going this way - Australia go into their last match unbeaten - after a big scare against the Welsh, and face an england team bashed from pillar-to-post on 3 successive weeks, with only a showing against the samoans to cling-to... then its on - which team will lay down a 'marker' for the pool games next year.
i think Wales will come out of the gates next week like pitbulls.
i do not discount samoa against the poms, either.
i see it going this way - Australia go into their last match unbeaten - after a big scare against the Welsh, and face an england team bashed from pillar-to-post on 3 successive weeks, with only a showing against the samoans to cling-to... then its on - which team will lay down a 'marker' for the pool games next year.
i think Wales will come out of the gates next week like pitbulls.
i do not discount samoa against the poms, either.
Ulrich
Nev Cottrell (35)
I see your reasoning.
I'm taking a more cautious approach with England. They will have a great workout against the All Blacks - win or lose. Thereafter they could upset SA having ironed out some rustiness in the game before.
Since they were not at all embarrased in NZ I think they will run NZ close at the very least and as such it will give them confidence they can beat SA at home.
I highly doubt Samoa stand a chance despite being much better of late. They were appalling against SA a year ago playing away from home. They are a team that can upset one or two big guns here or there but it's not really something we expect to happen most of the time. If it were it would not be regarded as upsets.
Facing England last will be a massive game. Australia are under a new coach and will have had some time together while England will have had several games under the belt for what is a new season to them.
Bowside
Peter Johnson (47)
Alexander needs to be dropped from the squad. He is the Wallabies weakest player by a country mile.
I thought Genia and Cooper were rusty, but they were playing behind a very, very bad pack. Couldn't execute a clean scrum or a clean line out take. No structure in the driving maul. How are you supposed to attack well in situations like that.
McMahon brilliant. A 6 not a 7. He will need to work on his lineout and put a few more KG's on before the WC but a brilliant debut.
Speight needs to work on his defence.
I thought Genia and Cooper were rusty, but they were playing behind a very, very bad pack. Couldn't execute a clean scrum or a clean line out take. No structure in the driving maul. How are you supposed to attack well in situations like that.
McMahon brilliant. A 6 not a 7. He will need to work on his lineout and put a few more KG's on before the WC but a brilliant debut.
Speight needs to work on his defence.
Ulrich
Nev Cottrell (35)
For the life of me I have wondered about Australia's talent. I don't deny you have a lot of talent, but I have wondered about their mindset and development.
Where are the Larkhams, Gregans, Mortlocks and Burkes of the modern Wallabies? Hell, even Tuqiri, Phil Waugh and George Smith...
I used to loathe hearing any of Larham, Gregan or Mortlock, Waugh or Smith's names during a rugby match because they were so dangerous.
Yes, Genia is great, he was the best in the world in my opinion for (and here's the problem) one season. Cooper has had impeccable flashes of brilliance and here's the problem (flashes). Hooper is productive but not quite there yet.
I think Kuridrani will turn out to be one of those players that ranks with the Mortlocks and Gregans of this world. He's just really really good and I can't see it going wrong for him.
You could say those players were at some point part of a bit of a golden era and things have just returned to normal but I don't buy that.
The Wallabies have been inconsistent in selections for a few years now and it's not dissimilar to France.
Pick the best bloke and play him. Give hiim time to prove he's the best in his position at international level. If he has bad form don't just drop him willy nilly and then give him 1 game after several months to prove his worth (which is what is being suggested by some for Genia etc.). Give the player time to find some confidence again.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I have some sympathy for your view but i doubt he loses much time from training for or thinking about the game becAuse of the ponytail(s) (is there more than one?).
I mean you may as well complain that the time spent getting inked is cutting into time preparing to be a wallaby for the rest of the team.
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
MY OPINION:
Our bench made a visible impact (as oppossed to the end of previous games)
Genia and Cooper did nothing that would catapault them over Phipps and Foley - I was a bit surprised at that.
"Hinge" or "Whinge" Alexander is poor poor and poorer - but there are no options unless Sio can transform himself into a THP
McMahon was terrific and TK was very good.
Our bench made a visible impact (as oppossed to the end of previous games)
Genia and Cooper did nothing that would catapault them over Phipps and Foley - I was a bit surprised at that.
"Hinge" or "Whinge" Alexander is poor poor and poorer - but there are no options unless Sio can transform himself into a THP
McMahon was terrific and TK was very good.
Ulrich
Nev Cottrell (35)
Or the time spent with your woman and family.
Dumbledore
Dick Tooth (41)
Doubters, not haters. There have been a few people getting around whinging about him being taken on the tour, not just on here mind. Even more people, me included, who thought he wouldn't be able to play 6 at this level.
I only heard it was a hamstring injury but no word of how bad it was.
Apologies if already posted, here's the Badger talking about his try. (Bad quality but the only one I could find online)
Yeah i thought Genia off his game, he looked too slow to get to the ball and took too much time to clear the ball
Cooper's tried too many wide passes when nothing was on to try to get around a compressed defence, actually that was one of the main differences between Foley and Cooper last night, when Cooper has nothing on he goes for the miracle wide ball, Foley takes the ball into contact
The best thing McMahon did was some accurate big cleanouts, the pigs lacked that again too often the smash out of the way ntaed, there was a lot of leaning
Ulrich
Nev Cottrell (35)
That is a brilliant bit of set piece rugby!
Entertaining game last night.
The second half was much better once we found some continuity and were a bit more accurate. The breakdown in the first half in particular was a shocker.
My thoughts on the team:
Alexander has fallen so far in the last year. He's lost all dynamism around the field and is now just a weak scrummager with little other impact. We need to find a better option.
Carter looked good ranging further wide. He was genuinely threatening with ball in hand in those wider channels and made one of two good offloads. As others have indicated, Horwill is getting through a lot of work but he lacks the power he used to have. He doesn't look like breaking through tackles anymore. In many ways, him and Simmons are playing a similar high workrate game now so we need something else from the other lock which I thought Carter provided in that new look role. I thought Skelton was used quite well off the bench as a bit of a link player in the midfield. He's a chance to keep that bench role next week.
McMahon was simply brilliant. If Higginbotham can't play next week McMahon will start at 6 in my opinion. If Higginbotham can play McMahon is a good option to leapfrog Higgers for the bench backrow spot. He's got more versatility than Hodgson and his ball running is precisely what we need.
Both halfbacks had their problems. It took Genia a long time to warm into the game. I felt like White sped things up when he came on but there were some very loose passes. It's amazing how far ahead Phipps is right now. No one would have predicted that.
Cooper needs more game time and is a way off his best. I think he'll be on the bench next week but I can't imagine too much thought being given to him starting ahead of Foley on what we saw last night.
I thought Horne had a really good game. We'd all love him to have a bit more pace but he's doing everything he needs to very well. It will be interesting to see the selections next week. Speight's positioning in defence looked a little off at times and I'm not sure he'll be locked straight into a starting wing spot. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) will come back into the starting side on one wing you'd figure but who knows who the other one will be together with the reserve outside back. If you were picking purely on the form from last night's game, Horne would get a start next week.
No idea who will start at 12 next week. They were both solid. I think To'omua will probably get it.
Kuridrani obviously had another sensational game. He's in the best form of his career so far.
The second half was much better once we found some continuity and were a bit more accurate. The breakdown in the first half in particular was a shocker.
My thoughts on the team:
Alexander has fallen so far in the last year. He's lost all dynamism around the field and is now just a weak scrummager with little other impact. We need to find a better option.
Carter looked good ranging further wide. He was genuinely threatening with ball in hand in those wider channels and made one of two good offloads. As others have indicated, Horwill is getting through a lot of work but he lacks the power he used to have. He doesn't look like breaking through tackles anymore. In many ways, him and Simmons are playing a similar high workrate game now so we need something else from the other lock which I thought Carter provided in that new look role. I thought Skelton was used quite well off the bench as a bit of a link player in the midfield. He's a chance to keep that bench role next week.
McMahon was simply brilliant. If Higginbotham can't play next week McMahon will start at 6 in my opinion. If Higginbotham can play McMahon is a good option to leapfrog Higgers for the bench backrow spot. He's got more versatility than Hodgson and his ball running is precisely what we need.
Both halfbacks had their problems. It took Genia a long time to warm into the game. I felt like White sped things up when he came on but there were some very loose passes. It's amazing how far ahead Phipps is right now. No one would have predicted that.
Cooper needs more game time and is a way off his best. I think he'll be on the bench next week but I can't imagine too much thought being given to him starting ahead of Foley on what we saw last night.
I thought Horne had a really good game. We'd all love him to have a bit more pace but he's doing everything he needs to very well. It will be interesting to see the selections next week. Speight's positioning in defence looked a little off at times and I'm not sure he'll be locked straight into a starting wing spot. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) will come back into the starting side on one wing you'd figure but who knows who the other one will be together with the reserve outside back. If you were picking purely on the form from last night's game, Horne would get a start next week.
No idea who will start at 12 next week. They were both solid. I think To'omua will probably get it.
Kuridrani obviously had another sensational game. He's in the best form of his career so far.
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