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Reds v Rebels, Super Rugby Round 16, 1 June 2013

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Hoolly Doolly

Fred Wood (13)
Neutral Point Of View Right Here
Firstly great game to watch.
Wasn't impressed with JOC (James O'Connor)'s playmaking at all. Played hot potatoes with the ball to set his mates up with hospital passes a couple times so he wouldn't get cleaned up himself. The 2 tries scored were opportunistic tries and the backline didn't seem to be as slick as the previous 2 games when JOC (James O'Connor) was sitting on the sideline.
Despite the 2 costly errors from Quade, he created a lot more for his team mates as well as himself and he is at a stage where his confidence can be touch and go especially if he tries too hard to impress.
Either way if dingo is running with JOC (James O'Connor) at flyhalf I think we're in trouble. As it stands I wouldn't be happy with barnes at 10 either.
 

lewisr

Bill McLean (32)
You seriously want to talk about Quade's kicking game tonight?


I'm glad that's the only thing you took out of my post. I said attacking, not clearing but I take your point and accept that his kicking was crap and I should not have had that one aspect in my post...

Sadly for the Wallabies, Higgers looks tragically gone despite (far and away) being the form 8 for us.
Don't write him off yet. If it's his first dislocation you can get away with a heap of rehab and strapping the crap out of it for games and then getting a reco later (McCabe did this for the world cup). It's just whether he will be as confident in the contact zone or in defence with a weak shoulder
 

ACT Crusader

Jim Lenehan (48)
That's massive news re Higgers. OZ likely to not have their two best loose forwards in Higgers and Pocock for a Lions series. Very unfortunate.

As for the game, am surprised by some of the comments about JOC (James O'Connor). Thought he played pretty well. Running game was pretty efficient and still distributed okay. I thought this was Inman's quietest game, he's been very old this year IMO.

Quade played okay overall. That 2nd half was set up for him as some of the fatties started to up the workrate, he started to up his own.
 

Bowside

Peter Johnson (47)
As someone said above when O'Connor's at flyhalf he looks like he's playing hot potato with the ball. There is no purpose or deception in his play, he is either going to take it to the line himself or pop pass it to a close runner.

When he plays in the wider channel he looks a completely different player, he carries in two hands at speed and the extra space allows him to work his magic.

The difference between Cooper this year and Cooper circa 2011 is that now he is able to make a mistake in the game and then mentally come back from it, and start playing well again. He's not the perfect flyhalf, but I'd still pick him over the other options.
 

gel

Ken Catchpole (46)
Reds dominated and controlled the game for the most part - after an initial period of settling in to what the referee wanted them to do. Rebels were lucky to score their points and didn't really seem to click in attack like they had in previous weeks (the second try did not look like a charge down to me - is that not then an offside by the try scorer?) but that is the way rugby goes sometimes. Glad to see the reds forwards muscle up tonight after a couple of hard weeks. Good stuff. Really sorry to see Higgers injured - a massive blow to the rebels tonight and the wallabies fro weeks to come.

Some of the shite written in this thread is bordering on spastic vitriol.
 

boyo

Mark Ella (57)
My comment "Ignorant crowd" was in reference to people being ignorant of the laws of the game. This happens at most grounds.

If anyone thinks that I'm anti-Reds, they are sadly mistaken.

Some people need a Bex, a cup of tea, and a good lie down.
 

Scott Allen

Trevor Allan (34)
There is no way QC (Quade Cooper) will be selected for the Wallabies squad (IMO) and those two charge downs tonight were dreadful.

However, even with those two charge downs taken into consideration he outplayed the guy who has been anointed as the Wallaby #10. That is not the result of an outstanding game by QC (Quade Cooper), it's a reflection of how poor JOC (James O'Connor) was. I have said before, and I still believe, that JOC (James O'Connor) can be a really good #10 but he needs a lot more time there to develop.

Problem is Barnes was dreadful last night as well. Beale will be #15 - surely not even Deans would select him at #10 without any recent game time there.

Cannot start with Foley or To'omua at #10 even though they are the form players in that position - I reckon it's too big an ask to throw a rookie in for their first test in the cauldron of a Lions test. Same goes for Lealiifano.

So Deans will have to work with JOC (James O'Connor) or Barnes - if it were me and I had to choose between those two I'd go Barnes as he has at least performed reasonably (no better than that) under pressure at #10 in test matches before.

The #10 jersey is a major worry for the Wallabies.
 

Ash

Michael Lynagh (62)
There is no way QC (Quade Cooper) will be selected for the Wallabies squad (IMO) and those two charge downs tonight were dreadful.

However, even with those two charge downs taken into consideration he outplayed the guy who has been anointed as the Wallaby #10. That is not the result of an outstanding game by QC (Quade Cooper), it's a reflection of how poor JOC (James O'Connor) was. I have said before, and I still believe, that JOC (James O'Connor) can be a really good #10 but he needs a lot more time there to develop.

Problem is Barnes was dreadful last night as well. Beale will be #15 - surely not even Deans would select him at #10 without any recent game time there.

Cannot start with Foley or To'omua at #10 even though they are the form players in that position - I reckon it's too big an ask to throw a rookie in for their first test in the cauldron of a Lions test. Same goes for Lealiifano.

So Deans will have to work with JOC (James O'Connor) or Barnes - if it were me and I had to choose between those two I'd go Barnes as he has at least performed reasonably (no better than that) under pressure at #10 in test matches before.

The #10 jersey is a major worry for the Wallabies.

Yes.

Cooper showed why he should be the Wallabies 10 in the second half, and why he should not be the Wallabies 10 in the first half. Either way, Deans won't pick him so the point is moot. Cooper's battle against the BILs next week will still be interesting, though.

On the other hand, we have no real other option at 10. The three best Aus 10s in Supe rugby this year have been (in no order) Cooper, To'omua and Foley, two of which are rookies, the other is deemed too risky, and thus none will be part of the Lions series.

JOC (James O'Connor) was almost absent for long stretches of the game, and as mentioned above tended to give more short hospital passes than any real direction. Like Cooper, JOC (James O'Connor) spent nearly the whole game at 15 on defence and, seemingly, 10 on attack although he looked missing a lot. JOC (James O'Connor) does have the all round ability, but lacks the vision to make his runners look good and game control to get the ball when he needs it. JOC (James O'Connor) is an individual runner still more than a play maker, and is best in wider channels until the other abilities come (if they ever will).

JOC (James O'Connor) is not a 10. At least, not yet.

That leaves Beale (who I think still shouldn't be picked, yet he will), Barnes, and Lealiifano. Let's rule out Lealiifano, who is a rookie, has been playing (very well) at 12 and did not look too great in his one game at 10.

That leaves Barnes and Beale. Beale has barely played all season, and played 15 for Randwick and apparently did not stand out. Factoring in that Beale has barely played all season and will not play Supe rugby again this year, is just out of rehab, where his head is probably at, and that he has barely played at 10 since last year's EOYT, then he really shouldn't be in the team, let alone at 10. I suspect he will be at fullback anyway.

That leaves Barnes, who is being kept on the bench for the Tahs by Foley. A few nice cameos, up to last night where he took the Tahs backwards when he came on.

All in all, 10 is a very weak position right now for the Wallabies, probably our weakest position in the backline, and it's the most important one.
 

biggsy

Chilla Wilson (44)
Well I got a bit boozed (no wife and kid) tonight, and Im really trying to figure out why Cooper is to Blame for Taps poor performance.. Really need to watch the game on tv. But it was a fucked game to be at from where I was tonight... Dont even know the refs name but he had no idea how to control that game nor the touchy's
Any way it was a win with bonus point which made a big difference, need to step it up for then finals BIG TIME

Any ways Gambaros is still a fucked place to buy piss.....
 

Scotty

David Codey (61)
Dealing in absolutes is fraught with disaster. Never? OK.
In any event, by all means disagree with the quoted poster, but don't tell people to fuck off.

Dealing in absolutes. Do you mean like calling the Reds supporters the 'worst crowd ever'?

Not good enough either.
 

Scotty

David Codey (61)
I had just finished a conversation to a mate at the ground about coopers poor kicking technique (ironically saying he normally kicks it too high), when it all went pear shaped. I can't help but feel I am slightly to blame. ;)
 

Scotty

David Codey (61)
Cooper had a funny wry smile that came up on the big screen when his try was awarded. Almost relief as he put his hand up to the crowd when it was awarded.

By the way, it was a pretty freakish put down. Go gadget arm!
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
The difference between Cooper this year and Cooper circa 2011 is that now he is able to make a mistake in the game and then mentally come back from it

This is a really good observation.
Someone like Deans should tell the guy this positive news story.
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Well I got a bit boozed (no wife and kid) tonight, and Im really trying to figure out why Cooper is to Blame for Taps poor performance.. Really need to watch the game on tv. But it was a fucked game to be at from where I was tonight. Dont even know the refs name but he had no idea how to control that game nor the touchy's
Any way it was a win with bonus point which made a big difference, need to step it up for then finals BIG TIME

Any ways Gambaros is still a fucked place to buy piss...
The couple of times Taps got the ball, not coming from Cooper, he looked to me to have lost the electrifying acceleration I saw from him last year
 

vidiot

John Solomon (38)
The couple of times Taps got the ball, not coming from Cooper, he looked to me to have lost the electrifying acceleration I saw from him last year

Even early this season he was beating the first tackler routinely. Seems to have completely lost confidence.

At the game, it was 'Live by the Quade, die by the Quade'.

The reds were awful largely thanks to Cooper for the first hour. He gifted the rebels tries from chargedowns, and there was rueful hilarity for a while there in the stands with his every touch. (Hook him! Bring on Aussie Mike!). McKenzie is a super coach, he left him on the field when any normal dingo would have pulled him and now that fragile ego can blossom in the tour game next weekend.

The rebels were obviously worse off for losing Pyle and Higgers from the engine room, but I'm surprised to read that anyone thought they were robbed. Without Quade feeding them a couple of 7 point tries they would not have been close.
 

lewisr

Bill McLean (32)
There is no way QC (Quade Cooper) will be selected for the Wallabies squad (IMO) and those two charge downs tonight were dreadful.


I thought after the Stormers game, and even more so last night, that he has accepted Deans will not pick him and is just playing the footy he wants to play. He isn't defending in the front line and he is still offloading a heap (i personally think the offloads are good, even with the turnovers, its just all part of his high risk high reward style). But yeh, there hasn't been an attempt since the cheetahs to do what deans wants. And good on him I say.....

Any ways Gambaros is still a fucked place to buy piss.
Ahahaha fark I could not stop laughing
 

vidiot

John Solomon (38)
I thought after the Stormers game, and even more so last night, that he has accepted Deans will not pick him and is just playing the footy he wants to play. He isn't defending in the front line and he is still offloading a heap (i personally think the offloads are good, even with the turnovers, its just all part of his high risk high reward style). But yeh, there hasn't been an attempt since the cheetahs to do what deans wants. And good on him I say...

I don't care about the off loads, and I think he could tackle defend at 10 as well as any number of 10s. But those charge-downs are test-losing.
 
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