Wallabies v Barbarians - 1/11/14 (Twickenham)

[Hawko]

I watched a different game from a lot of other people last night. In the game I was watching:

1. Izzy looks mentally tired to me, he just needs a break. But AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) needed a break too, and got it. If Beale could control himself it would have been just right for him last night. Alas, he can't; he should get Steve Walsh's tattoo done on his brain. So now, Izzy has four hard games in a row. We won't see his best again until next year.
2. Speight was not outstanding, he was well contained by the opposition. Knowing how well he can play, I think he would be disappointed with his game. Horne was much more dominant and I thought he clearly outpointed Speight for a test spot.
3. The game was tailor-made for Cooper to shine, but he didn't. Too many long balls when we needed to pin the men inside by going through the hands. He needs game time outside Phipps so we can see what he can do with fast service.
4. Genia is clearly fourth choice now with daylight third. The difference in speed when White came on was remarkable. I hope Cheika can straighten him out because he is prodigiously talented. He will do well in the NH where slow service is the norm, but Aaron Smith and Phipps are the benchmark now and he's way off that.
5. It was a Barbarians' game so its hard to really get a handle on the forward play; except to say that if we play like that in the next four games we are toast.
6. Fat Cat ran quite well, though I didn't see enough of him in the tight. Alexander was anonymous, anyone remember when he was a number one fantasy pick because of his work around the field? Saia needs to remember that at test level if he runs with the ball he is going to get pushed back and turned over; he needs to work to his strengths.
7. Horwill I thought was good without being outstanding. Carter was only OK.
8. People say McMahon is too small and too light to play 6. If so, Read is too small and too light to play 8!!! What a debut, all because of Higgers hamstring. I think he'll suit Cheika's gameplan nicely. Sad for Jones that he didn't get another chance, but maybe he'll get a run against France, which I see as the easy game of the next four.

Hard to know what to make of the game overall. Next week will tell all.

 

[lincoln]

Apologies if already posted, here's the Badger talking about his try. (Bad quality but the only one I could find online)

"I don't care what they say you guys are alright" excellent put down for the supercilious and patronising English commentators.

 

[FilthRugby]

I remember watching Tevita Kuridrani play up in here in Brisbane for UQ in the first grade comp.

University had him on the wing for most of the games I watched and what struck me was home skilful he was. He wasn't anywhere near as big as he is now but still possessed great acceleration and strength.

Uni of course had Morahan in the backline as well and when these two combined it was sensational to watch.

Although this particular fete didn't occur against a well drilled Brothers side. haha.

 

[dillyboy]

Anyone know where I can catch a replay of the game?? I slept through the bloody alarm last night & missed thismornings replay

 

[KevinO]

Anyone know where I can catch a replay of the game?? I slept through the bloody alarm last night & missed thismornings replay

 

[Brumby Runner]

McMahon is pretty much a taller Hooper.

And jumped in at least one lineout.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

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.

I am 100% sure you know what i mean, its less to do with time, and more to do about what one thinks is important , anD where his priorities lie.

Get your game together, prove you can hold your own... and only then worry about how you look...

On the bright side, Cheika will have levelled the Moevember Field by lunch on the first day!

 

[Highlander35]

The stats say McMahon's 186cm, to Hooper's 182cm. That's crap. I've seen my 193cm mate next to him, and there's no way he's 3 inches shorter than him.

He's a decent 3rd or 4th option at lineout time, but you couldn't play say, him, Skelton and Palu as the 6, 4 & 8.

 

[terry j]

Anyone know where I can catch a replay of the game?? I slept through the bloody alarm last night & missed thismornings replay

fox are replaying it at four tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Braveheart81]

I am 100% sure you know what i mean, its less to do with time, and more to do about what one thinks is important , anD where his priorities lie.

Get your game together, prove you can hold your own. and only then worry about how you look.

On the bright side, Cheika will have levelled the Moevember Field by lunch on the first day!

Speaking of where someone's priorities lie, who cares about a player's haircut?

I think Horne is less concerned about his hair than you are.

 

[hammertimethere]

A good hit out

I too was a bit disappointed when Cooper bottled a try by throwing a long ball when if he'd just fixed his man and shifted the try would have been crated for the winger on the outside. Foley should start next week, Quade needs more time to shake off the rust.

With Genia, I think what we saw was Will actually reverting to how he played the game in 2011 i.e scheming from rusk base, fixing defenders with a few quick steps and actually running well in support. Passing was quite accurate but the problem is, the game has moved on and the teams that dominate play with lightning SPEED which is not how we saw him play last night. When White came on with Foley the speed of ruck ball dramatically increased. Furthermore, when he gave his half-time interview he was fucking dog tired. Will right now is not the halfback we need to start games simply because of a lack of the next level fitness halfbacks now require (he hasn't played as much high-intensity rugby this year as the others), however his playmaking and all round skills (which outshine those of his peers) could be incredibly useful in the right context, plus his experience and cool head in high pressure situations is frankly something we could have used near the end of the last couple of games. The fitness and speed thing is something I think Will could bring if coached into it effectively through this tour and the off-season. If so he could potentially be the best of our current crop again absolutely just not right now. He goes to the bench for Wales, Phipps to start.

I actually thought Horwill was reasonable, better than Carter (especially defensively and at ruck time, probably line out too). People forget that James has never been fast and not often would break the line like a Higgers (or a McMahon based on last night) but that isn't the role he plays. Criticising him for that is like criticising Hooper for being shit at the lineout, it's a matter of different skillsets. Last night, he carried effectively early on I thought but the pace of the game obviously caught up to him around the 50 min mark. He is a more physical defender and rock mover than Carter and Simmons and his carries are all fairly close in, right into the teeth of the defence where I do think he consistently gets past the gainline (if only just) and present for quick ball. Not a bad effort and for mine probably deserves a starting spot against wales, conditional to what type of game Cheik wants to play.

Izzy looks tired which is worrying. Speight showed good glimpses though defensive positioning a little suspect. Horne saw more of the ball and was quite effective. TK is a beast, Slipper and Kepu are fast becoming a world class partnership, Robbo is passable and Alexander was shite. McMahon was awesome and may have locked in a bench spot for next week if Higgers is no good. Hodgson was Hodgson and toiled effectively, would have liked to see him gain a few more turnovers.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

 

[Dumbledore]

I am 100% sure you know what i mean, its less to do with time, and more to do about what one thinks is important , anD where his priorities lie.

Get your game together, prove you can hold your own. and only then worry about how you look.

On the bright side, Cheika will have levelled the Moevember Field by lunch on the first day!

The obsessive, borderline homoerotic, attention some people pay to the players' appearances is just bizarre. Do you seriously think Horne growing his hair out affects his play? Maybe it was his girlfriends idea? Maybe he just doesn't feel like cutting it? Maybe the ponytail is slightly less distracting than the afro which is why he outplayed Speight last night?

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

Speaking of where someone's priorities lie, who cares about a player's haircut?

I think Horne is less concerned about his hair than you are.

both mine are fine, thankyou...

 

[Brumby Runner]

The main issues remain front row, second row and the halves. The starting props are very good but there's not much available in the way of backup. The bench will again be a problem towards the end of the game imo. What they need is a PAE to come on in the last 15 mins and hold the scrum up and solid. But, too late now for the EOYT.

Surprising that Carter played wider in attack. Presume that is how Cheika wants him to play to offer something different to Simmons and Horwill. In an out of character role, I thought he handled himself pretty good. Ran an excellent line for his try, and took the ball on the run, not stationary (as did Robbo for his try). I still think Skelton doesn't have the impact he had when he first started in Supe and in his first test or two.

Will isn't yet in the form to play in the test, either starting or on the bench. He looks to be fitter than I've seen him in years so I am expecting him to improve. But he still runs a couple of steps from the ruck before passing to the supports. That certainly does allow him to continue running rather than passing which can put the defense in two minds, but he isn't yet playing effectively. For the Nic White haters, he markedly increased the speed of the pass from the base of the ruck and didn't make one kick in general play in my recollection - not even a box kick. Hopefully, Cheika is also having a positive impacy on his game. And just rewatch the four phases leading up to Rob Horne's try. Fast to the breakdown and passed off the ground to the runners hitting the ball at speed. Opened up the short side perfectly to be able to put a try on the plate for Horne. This is the type of play that I think Phipps isn't able (may be capable, but not able) to string together because he doesn't seem to have the vision to make the right decisions in a series of phases but will invariably revert to passing the ball to the side that is most defended.

Quade is showing good signs of regaining his form. Probably hasn't done enough to replace Foley for Wales but he will be the best option in time inside the big runners in the outside backline. Could make the bench. Surprising just how much time Matt To'omua spent at first receiver when both of Quade and Foley were on the ground. Would have had almost as many touches there as either of the nominated 10s.

Like everybody else, I was most impressed with McMahon. Ran hard, tackled hard and hit rucks hard. Won't disappoint if he gets to start or comes off the bench. Thought Hodgson outplayed Todd in the battle of the 7s but was more impressed with McMahon's all round game.

Henry played some good rugby and seems to be over his hammy problem. I definitely would start him on the right wing against Wales. He will only get better.

 

[Dumbledore]

Struggling through the ridiculously poor stats sites rugby has to offer, it looks like McMahon's numbers come to something like this:

11-12 carries for 85-100m, 3 linebreaks, 1-2 offloads, 9 tackle busts, 10 rucks hit, and a lineout win. No tackle stats out that I can find, and obviously the ruck stats are pretty useless. Still, for 60 minutes it's a pretty damn impressive line. You'd want to see what he can do in the lineout, but otherwise it'd be hard to deny him a starting spot against Wales.

 

[kiap]

McMahon had an outstanding debut.

No tackle stats out that I can find, and obviously the ruck stats are pretty useless.

Read 'em with the usual grain of salt:

Tries/Try Assists: 1/0​

Points scored: 5​

Kick/Pass/Run: 0/5/12​

Metres Run with ball: 46​

Clean Breaks: 3​

Defenders Beaten: 10​

OffLoads: 1​

TurnOvers: 1​

Tackles made/missed: 6/0​

LineOuts won on throw: 2​

LineOuts stolen on opp throw: 0​

Penalties conceded: 0​

Yellow/Red cards: 0/0​

​

http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/match/225445.html​

​

 

[terry j]

For the Nic White haters, he markedly increased the speed of the pass from the base of the ruck and didn't make one kick in general play in my recollection - not even a box kick. Hopefully, Cheika is also having a positive impacy on his game.

was my recollection too.

Could not help but imagine a 'conversation' between he and cheiks, "every time you make a stupid kick I will kick you in the nuts. I won't tell you not to kick, but I will judge each of them after the game and kick you in the nuts accordingly. So the onus is on you out there, think well before you act"

Whatever it was, has been quite a while since I was happy with him coming on the field.

 

[BDA]

thoughts on the game:-
- hard to assess much from the game given how loose both teams decided to play. rocks and diamonds from the Wallabies, perhaps expected from their first hit out under a new coach.
- I think Alexander's days as a test THP are numbered. The guy gets pinged a lot at scrum time (rightly wrongly, refs see him as a serial offender).
- Genia and Cooper were ok given they havent played test rugby for a year. Mixed bag from both. Neither has hit top form yet, so I'd move them to the bench for next week.
- Same with Speight. Some glimpses of attacking brilliance but needs time to find form. Perhaps move to the bench next week. Hard to drop Horne on form alone.
-I'd drop White next week. the wallabies were static when he came on and too often he decided to slow things to a dead stop.
- I'd probably start Horwill/Simo next week with Skelton on the bench. Horwill seemed to struggle late in the game. He was slipping off tackles so I wouldn't play him for the full 80.

Cheika has a lot of work to do this week if we're going to beat Wales.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

thoughts on the game:-

Cheika has a lot of work to do this week if we're going to beat Wales.

Those are the truest words said so far - Everyone is talking up the Poms, but I think Wales will be our biggest hurdle on this tour... England may yet beat us, but they are equally likely to come out and be put to bed in the first 30minutes.

They were impressive in NZ - maybe did not surprise themselves, but surprised most others - they are yet to taste the difficulties of staying with the Darkness successively, and over a period of time - our good performances against the ABs are often followed by an unexpected drubbing - I smell one in the wind here...

Although it could be the Wife's Cooking.

Ohh - and Speight... geez, he is only just on debut - I have one hope from Cheika's reign (apart from cutting-free the bad wood) - and that is to name combinations, and let them play together for more than two weeks, and resist fiddling with everything just to show he is doing something...