France v Australia, Saturday 19 November

[gel]

It's a test match - I reckon we should always be playing our best team in a test match.

It's not like France are ranked in the high teens or anything.

Hypothetical: say Hooper is rested and Pocock totally dominates at 7 (he already does anyway) and the back row is clearly better than what we have had with Hooper in there. What happens then?

Do we just forget that performance altogether and say "thanks for filling in so admirably, but Hooper has a mortgage on the position and there's nothing you guys can ever do to unseat him"? Do we then say to Hooper "sorry mate, you were playing really well, but we thought it would do you a favour to rest you, but now we realise that you shouldn't be in the run on team at all from now on"?

Similarly for the Cooper/Foley situation. What if Cooper blitzes France? Does he then get told that Foley has a mortgage on the position and Foley gets the nod against Ireland and England? How's that for a kick in the guts?

Given there's no games being played by these guys outside the wallaby tour ones, it's up to whoever is training the best as to who gets selected. This resting and rotation stuff should be reserved for mid week matches only. The tests have the best players irrespective of the opposition.

IMO.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Chek will obviously take the opportunity to "rest" players before the Irish game.

We might actually see Pocock play in his best position and maybe captain the side as well, but only if Moore is given a break. Hopefully McMahon gets a start and Mozza as well. Douglas needs a run badly so may get a bench spot behind Simmo and Arnold.

Does Chek rest Folau and DHP at the same time or maybe it is a great opportunity to give DHP a shot at the back.

 

[The torpedo]

Yeah don't mind a blind side winger getting a short ball one or two off the ruck and carving out some metres.

Digby did that coming off Quades inside shoulder - was pretty effective

 

[Mr Doug]

Ominous?

Qantas Wallabies ‏@qantaswallabies 11m11 minutes ago
Welcome back, Taqele! #FRAvAUS #StrongerAsOne

The new "Mr T"?!

 

[Mr Doug]

Am I the only person here who is surprised by the calls to "rest Folau"?

Is he expected to have an increased workload on this tour, (compared to any other back), or is he carrying an injury?

 

[chasmac]

Awesome article on the roar about Folau's role at 2nd receiver on attack.
Basically he is getting plenty of ball in hand at the expense of Hodge.
If Cooper is switched with Foley in order to compare where they are at, then Folau needs to stay at 15 but slot into 2nd receiver for the French game. Otherwise Quade does not get to take the same team around the paddock.
Reality is that we are playing a test match and should therefore try and win it.
Rather than change the players around in order to give them a rest, it might be a better decision to keep essentially the same team but get them to play to a modified game-plan. E.G. emphasize cross field kicks and bring Hodge into the picture more for clearing kicks. Kick chase. Get the ball to Speight to see if he can weave some magic.

 

[Mr Pilfer]

This is why players should be rested during super rugby. Playing for the Wallabies should be the pinnacle and we should always play our best team (B team vs Barbarians).

If Hooper was forced to sit out 2 or 3 Waratahs games we wouldn't be discussing this.

 

[Scrubber2050]

This is why players should be rested during super rugby. Playing for the Wallabies should be the pinnacle and we should always play our best team (B team vs Barbarians).

If Hooper was forced to sit out 2 or 3 Waratahs games we wouldn't be discussing this.

Sort of agree.

The Tahs should rest Folau, Keps, Hooper, Phipps and Foley for at least 3 games

Maybe that would be very tough on the respective franchise.

 

[Tip]

I personally think it's a good thing we're discussing Hooper being rested.

We might finally see the makings of a proper backrow, with a 6 playing 6, a 7 playing 7 and an 8 playing 8.

But Mumm missed last week so is bound to play this week so there goes that thought.

 

[Mr Pilfer]

Sort of agree.

The Tahs should rest Folau, Keps, Hooper, Phipps and Foley for at least 3 games

Maybe that would be very tough on the respective franchise.

Yes but you wouldn't rest them all at the same time, the coach knows he has to rest them for the 2 or 3 games and he works out his roster around that like he would with injuries.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Yes but you wouldn't rest them all at the same time, the coach knows he has to rest them for the 2 or 3 games and he works out his roster around that like he would with injuries.

Mate I was purely tongue in cheek

 

[Mr Pilfer]

Mate I was purely tongue in cheek

ahh now I see the previous smiley face! I get ya

 

[PeterK]

The brumbies would be affected quite a bit as well.

Reds - Moore, Kerevi
Brumbies - Sio, Arnold, Pocock, Speight, Kuridrani
Tahs - Kepu, Hooper, Foley, Folau
Force - Coleman, DHP
Rebels - Timani, Hodge

Sure they should rest any wallaby for 2 games , since a lot of them will carry a injury at some stage it is not that big a deal.

It hardly matters only 1 team from the oz conference will qualify and they will lose when they meet a NZ team.

 

[Mr Doug]

Will the team for this test be announced sometime tomorrow, or Friday morning (our time)?

 

[Twoilms]

I personally think it's a good thing we're discussing Hooper being rested.

We might finally see the makings of a proper backrow, with a 6 playing 6, a 7 playing 7 and an 8 playing 8.

But Mumm missed last week so is bound to play this week so there goes that thought.

Yawn.

 

[Hawko]

This is why players should be rested during super rugby. Playing for the Wallabies should be the pinnacle and we should always play our best team (B team vs Barbarians).

If Hooper was forced to sit out 2 or 3 Waratahs games we wouldn't be discussing this.

Supposedly the NZ team tactics and strategies are the fount of all wisdom at the moment. They play less internationals than us, and yet regularly rotate their squads. They are always banging on about preventing player burnout, though it also has the advantage of building depth. Their best forward and captain, Kieran Read, missed the game against Italy so he could "rest", as did a number of their other stars. Even Ben from accounts had a week off.

If Hooper played for NZ he would have been rested for at least one of the games on the EOYT, plus a couple of Super games. Either Hanson is a total idiot or player burnout is real and needs to be addressed. I don't think the first option is realistic.

 

[Mr Doug]

The Socceroos almost paid the price for "resting" Tim Cahill from the Thailand match, scraping home with a 2-2 draw. He did have some Achilles soreness, but that was over two weeks ago.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

We don't have the depth that the AB's have, so we rest players less than they do. Their second or third XV's beat most other teams.

 

[Dave Beat]

Mate I was purely tongue in cheek

I know you were, but i don't think it is such a bad idea.
Wasn't it a couple of years back the likes of McCaw, Carter etc sat out the first so many games and the Saders finished strong and won.
The EOYT lets say finished end of Nov - that is basically 9 - 10 months of rugby

 

[fatprop]

Players are always being rested by managing their training load