Bledisloe 1 - Wallabies vs All Blacks, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, 8:05pm

[Saxter]

It's a good point and one reason not to put Folau there. 13 is hard defensively. Kerevi is not as good a defender either. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) might be the only option that ticks that box. There will be some trade-off, whatever options anyone looked at.

I make the point again (just an opinion of course) that you can't retain a defensive player after getting that flogged. I could pretty much guarantee that Izzy would break more tackles than he would miss. We need to score points to in any way rattle the AB juggernaut.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Not an admission by coaching and selection staff though. Hooper just didn't suddenly jump. They must have actually trained for it and thought they would get a result. Symptom of a coach that thinks being smart is going away from the basics and doing sneaky things to gain an advantage. Just embarrassing really embarrassing.

Exactly why it is an admission: he knows its dodgy but, as you say, heres our sneaky ploy to get around it.
In a sense everyone in Australian rugby owns this result and those yet to come: in the juniors we are obsessed with the flashy player. We see a kid who can beat his opposite and think he's the finished product. Usually we put him into 10, throw him the ball and stand back and admire our judgment.
Barrett was probably a kid like that (he's so fast that for most of his few years on earth I'll bet he could run around whole teams) but he can kick and pass with the best of them - to the extent that some are saying they lost something when Cruden (arguable heir apparent to Dc until this super season) came on.
Barrett didn't get that good by resting on the fact that he is bloody quick.
Our players don't have the fundamentals because we don't emphasis them from 5 years old: we worry about silly moves in the backs. One move that seems to beat the Wallabies every time is putting the ball in front of the receiver, coincidentally that is one we cannot master.

 

[Highlander35]

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is a bad idea.

3 squad changes must be made next week due to injury. I'd also suggest a further two, Simmons and DHP, get dropped, and a number of position/bench changes occuring. With the team to run out next week being:

Folau, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Kuridrani, Kerevi, Mitchell, Cooper, Genia, Sio, Moore, Kepu, Mumm, Douglas, Fardy, Pocock, McCalman. Res: TPN, Slipper, AA, Coleman, Hooper, Phipps, Foley, Hodge.

Should a similar result eventuate, other blokes should come into consideration. Speight, should his XVs return be high quality. Ready or Chibba for one of the hookers. Sefa once he's eligible. Timani for a different type of forward.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is a bad idea.

3 squad changes must be made next week due to injury. I'd also suggest a further two, Simmons and DHP, get dropped, and a number of position/bench changes occuring. With the team to run out next week being:

Folau, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Kuridrani, Kerevi, Mitchell, Cooper, Genia, Sio, Moore, Kepu, Mumm, Douglas, Fardy, Pocock, McCalman. Res: TPN, Slipper, AA, Coleman, Hooper, Phipps, Foley, Hodge.

Should a similar result eventuate, other blokes should come into consideration. Speight, should his XVs return be high quality. Ready or Chibba for one of the hookers. Sefa once he's eligible. Timani for a different type of forward.

don't see how DHOP gets chopped but Kuridrani survives. DHP at least has a big kick with either foot and with Gitts gone that makes him our only left kick* - subject to Drew Mitchell being fit.

* being one reason why Foley is always on for a charge down

 

[wamberal]

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is a bad idea.

I'd throw the bathtub and even my rubber ducky out.

 

[The torpedo]

We lost by 40 points. So no player can be retained because of defence IMO.

Sorry for the pedantry, but we lost by 34 points

 

[liquor box]

But is he supposed to run kicking clinics? Passing clinics? High ball clinics? Restart clinics?

No, but he can organise for experts/coaches that specialise in different areas of the game to attend training and when the players think they are done for the day he sends them off for skills sessions.

Send them for a couple of hours of kicking practice every day until they can kick, if they get upset then do not renew their contract.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I think Moore, Kurindrani and Simmons need to go regardless. The rest is window dressing unless the basic structures are fixed. The Larkham attack model is rubbish, as it was at the Brumbies and against England, and Grey's defensive patterns were exposed at the Tahs.

The two play into each other as well with the attack system so well illustrated by DBA in a blog piece on the front page after the third England debacle.

To continue on like this is madness considering it has led to some new records in the negative for the Wallabies.

If kurindrani, Simmons and possibly Moore don't go they risk alienating more rugby fans who have had enough of this shite. Got to start the rebuilding process now so stop picking kurindrani and Simmons and develop the next crop who can improve and get better as kurindrani and Simmons are past their use by date and won't get better

 

[KOB1987]

Here's a problem for you though. If you get rid of Kurindrani, which of your Messiahs can defend the way he does. He topped the tackle count last night..yes, even more than Hooper. Please understand that I'm in no way defending his attack, or lack thereof, however none of the others hold a candle to his defensive efforts.

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)

 

[Upthenuts]

taped and watched the game late last night, The Aussie wife got up this morning and said what happened no shouting cheats and swearing, she new it couldnt have been close.
were to go.. Ive been in Aussie for three years, play me at 12 next week outside Quade, no doubt i can break an ankle, arm or get knocked out

 

[Gnostic]

Here's a problem for you though. If you get rid of Kurindrani, which of your Messiahs can defend the way he does. He topped the tackle count last night..yes, even more than Hooper. Please understand that I'm in no way defending his attack, or lack thereof, however none of the others hold a candle to his defensive efforts.

Your comment would be a lot better without the condescending/sarcastic "Messiah" bullshit.
A good point, but in a team which misses over 30 tackles nobody can be selected for defence. The whole structure and the individuals must be examined. On form Kurindrani was the third best 13 in Australia after an admittedly very poor Super season. Add to that he was average against England this year. It may just be Larkham's woeful attack structures impacting his attack at both the Brumbies and the Wallabies.

 

[Gnostic]

I can only assume that Larkham just works on fancy moves for the backlines?





The ABs don't seem to need any fancy moves.

Fancy moves?

Larkham to my eye is playing a constant recycle game like he was successful with at the Wallabiea and Brumbies as a player. It was dire then (even if successful) and in any event the game has moved on and you actually have to do something more with the ball than grind away for 20 phases until a gap opens up.

 

[Saxter]

As a long suffering Rebels fan I have felt all this pain for many years now. Ie a Chasm in class between your team and most of the others you are playing. That said I have stuck with them and, probably foolishly, hopefully look forward to a win each week. I enjoy knowing that there's a game on and from time-to-time we even win. When this happens I'm exuberant. If we get belted it's only to be expected. I'm just a union fan in a very non-union market and love having a team.

I think that as Wallabies supporters we need to take more of this approach. We will beat peer and lesser teams regularly but a victory over the ABs will be like the Dream Team at the Olympics. Look how exciting it's been seeing other teams creeping up on the unbeatable. Eventually they will lose to somebody. They are human and that team that pips them out-of-the-blue might even be us.

We have unrealistic expectations fuelled by the media. Nick McArdle et at dribble on ad nausism about "this being the year". Of course it's not. Anyone who saw any Super Rugby this year knew what lay ahead. But when you hear there's a chance then you want to believe that right?! It may even be that the Bledisloe is now a redundant theory. Who can honestly see us beating the ABs TWICE in 3 games. Come on!

So then comes a decision for You. Do you throw your toys and desert the team after they had 'a shocker'. Because boy was this a shocker!! Or do you stick around and hope to see improvement? I think any Australian supporter that 'expects' to beat the ABs is on cloud la-la. The gulf in class, ability but also infrastructure and rugby pedigree is vast. But you can hope for a win and should expect much better than last night. For example if the lads had outscored the ABs in the 2nd half, or kept them scoreless that's the kind of 'ticker' that would have put a smile on my dial.

I grew up in NZ even though I was born in AU and have lived here now half my life. My Kiwi mates are aghast that I now support the Wallabies. Such a traitor. But the reason I do is because of the humourless, addiction of the whole nation to rugby. It's all-enveloping. To not be obsessed with rugby and live and breathe it is treason. Listen to how QC (Quade Cooper) will get boo'd (STILL!) in NZ. I cringe when I hear that and that's why I go for the Wallabies. It's embarrassing. (Time to move on people!) It's just a game right?! No not in NZ. Rugby is life-and-death over there. With that as context how can we ever 'expect' a win.

If you are a 'union' fan stick with the Wallabies. There'll be good times and more bad times ahead. But for me I'll stick around because Rugby is the best game around. The more of us that leave the worse the entire situation will become. Look at that stadium last night. Pretty empty for our biggest game of the year. Stay around and support rugby.

 

[HoldingOn]

If kurindrani, Simmons and possibly Moore don't go they risk alienating more rugby fans who have had enough of this shite. Got to start the rebuilding process now so stop picking kurindrani and Simmons and develop the next crop who can improve and get better as kurindrani and Simmons are past their use by date and won't get better

Kurindrani is only twenty five and may I point out that up till now he would have been one of the first we all would pencil into the starting side. Before the game he was the light in the tunnel and now after one horrid game he seems to be the oncoming train

 

[Oracle83]

I'd throw the bathtub and even my rubber ducky out.

Sorry how do you keep Moore = useless

 

[BarneySF]

The real surprise is that anyone who has watched more than 10 minutes of super rugby in 2016 is surprised by the result.

I think we're all applying the "well Nonu played shit supe but great in the black jersey", and we're just applying that against 23 players


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[Gnostic]

Kurindrani is only twenty five and may I point out that up till now he would have been one of the first we all would pencil into the starting side. Before the game he was the light in the tunnel and now after one horrid game he seems to be the oncoming train

A pretty horrid season really. He isn't Nonu to play like a busted arse all the way through Super Rugby and become magic in test matches.

Others like Moore (arguably the best rake in World rugby a couple of years ago) are in the same boat. Players like Foley, Phipps, Folau, DHP, Simmons all have massive flaws in their games which can be covered by selections in other positions in some cases, but at least their form has been around their average and they bring some other aspects which set them apart. ATM I just don't see a case to select either Kurindrani or Moore over other contenders who had better form, and I'll add in Simmons to that list.

 

[wamberal]

Fancy moves?

Larkham to my eye is playing a constant recycle game like he was successful with at the Wallabiea and Brumbies as a player. It was dire then (even if successful) and in any event the game has moved on and you actually have to do something more with the ball than grind away for 20 phases until a gap opens up.

So he is doing nothing, then? Maybe he should do some work on the basics, running, catching, and passing?

 

[Viking]

So he is doing nothing, then? Maybe he should do some work on the basics, running, catching, and passing?

and tackling.

 

[HoldingOn]

A pretty horrid season really. He isn't Nonu to play like a busted arse all the way through Super Rugby and become magic in test matches.

Others like Moore (arguably the best rake in World rugby a couple of years ago) are in the same boat. Players like Foley, Phipps, Folau, DHP, Simmons all have massive flaws in their games which can be covered by selections in other positions in some cases, but at least their form has been around their average and they bring some other aspects which set them apart. ATM I just don't see a case to select either Kurindrani or Moore over other contenders who had better form, and I'll add in Simmons to that list.

What is Folau's massive flaw? He played AFL therefore surely he can kick?