Wallabies v USA Eagles, 5th September, Soldier Field, Chicago

[Joe Blow]

When is the side named?

 

[emuarse]

When is the side named?

The USA is a day behind us (in more ways than one, heh heh), so may not be until Friday here.

 

[Scrubber2050]

Might be a stupid question but does this game count as a Test match ?

I would have thought so.

 

[Braveheart81]

Might be a stupid question but does this game count as a Test match ?

I would have thought so.

Yes, it is a test match.

 

[Braveheart81]

Potentially interesting team shot from training. I wonder if this gives any indication of the likely starting XV for the USA test?

The yellow team looks like:

1. Smith
2. TPN
3. Slipper
4. Simmons
5. Douglas
6. McCalman
7. McMahon
8. Palu
9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Tomane
12. Giteau
13. Horne
14. ??
15. Beale

The orange team:

1. Sio
2. Moore & Hanson
3. Kepu
4. Carter
5. Mumm
6. Fardy
7. Hooper
8. ??
9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Naiyaravoro
12. To'omua
13. Kuridrani
14. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

Not in either shirt:
Speight, Skelton, Holmes, Mitchell

Not in the photo:
Pocock

 

[RedsHappy]

Have to say it: every time I see G Holmes in these RWC 2015 photos I think:

What a great lesson as to how persistence, good character, intense focus on improvement, and sheer hard work pays off despite the seeming odds against.

 

[matty_k]

There is a Groupon deal for tickets to the game. If you know people who can go let them know.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gl-usa-rugbys

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Omar Comin']

As far as I can tell ticket sales haven't really moved at all in the last few days. Are the Wallabies and Eagles doing any sort of local media and PR? Are US Rugby doing any promotion in Chicago? Doesn't seem to be much. Seems like they're resigned to half the stadium being empty. It's a shame - both for American rugby and for the ARU (as they won't get the financial windfall they'd hoped for).

Having the Wallabies based a couple of hours outside Chicago probably doesn't help generate publicity either. They're not going to get a whole bunch of college students attending considering the match will clash with the opening round of College Football.

 

[Braveheart81]

The Wallabies head to Chicago on Wednesday I believe.

Given both sides are preparing for the RWC, I don't think it's at all surprising that the focus hasn't been on public appearances to generate more interest in the match.

If the match is half empty (meaning that 30,000 people turn up), I still think it's a decent result.

 

[Omar Comin']

Well that's good at least. Maybe there'll be a media blitz in the last couple of days before the match. Media stuff doesn't have to take up that much time and the RWC isn't an excuse not to do it. Rugby players do a lot less media and promotional stuff than athletes in many other sports. And we have a big squad. Simple stuff is what's needed - like having a couple of Chicago Bears players come along to training and doing interviews on local news/entertainment shows.

To get half the stadium would still require a pick up in sales. And I don't agree that 30k would be a decent result. As a sport rugby needs to have more ambition than that, and so do the Wallabies as a 'brand.'

 

[dillyboy]

Potentially interesting team shot from training. I wonder if this gives any indication of the likely starting XV for the USA test?

The yellow team looks like:

1. Smith
2. TPN
3. Slipper
4. Simmons
5. Douglas
6. McCalman
7. McMahon
8. Palu
9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Tomane
12. Giteau
13. Horne
14. ??
15. Beale

The orange team:

1. Sio
2. Moore & Hanson
3. Kepu
4. Carter
5. Mumm
6. Fardy
7. Hooper
8. ??
9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Naiyaravoro
12. To'omua
13. Kuridrani
14. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

Not in either shirt:
Speight, Skelton, Holmes, Mitchell

Not in the photo:
Pocock

Pocock is taking the photo & is 8 for the orange team - I wouldn't be upset if that was the 15 lining up on Sunday morning

 

[Braveheart81]

Pocock is taking the photo & is 8 for the orange team - I wouldn't be upset if that was the 15 lining up on Sunday morning

The ARU posted a whole heap of photos from that session. I doubt Pocock took the team shot.

If one of these lineups is close to the actual team, I think it's more likely to be the first one.

I doubt Moore will play and you'd expect Simmons, Douglas, Palu and Horne to all play (I'd have expected Genia too but I guess he'll be in the 23 regardless).

 

[KOB1987]

Potentially interesting team shot from training. I wonder if this gives any indication of the likely starting XV for the USA test?

The yellow team looks like:

1. Smith
2. TPN
3. Slipper
4. Simmons
5. Douglas
6. McCalman
7. McMahon
8. Palu
9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Tomane
12. Giteau
13. Horne
14. ??
15. Beale

I'd say that's it with the 14 to be occupied by either Speight or Mitchell. Speight would be my guess. The Qld halves to share the game with the NSW halves and Naya to get capped. Someone had earlier inferred that Slipper should be tried at THP in this game, good call.

So I'd guess the bench to be:
16. Hanson
17. Sio
18. Holmes
19. Carter
20. Mumm
21. Genia
22. Cooper
23. Naya

 

[Viking]

My guess:
1. Smith
2. Hanson
3. Slipper
4. Simmons
5. Douglas
6. McCalman
7. McMahon
8. Palu
9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Tomane
12. Giteau
13. Horne
14. Naya
15. Beale

16. TPN
17. Sio
18. Holmes
19. Carter
20. Mumm
21. Genia
22. Cooper
23. Mitchell

 

[papabear]

I dont see how 30k for a USA v Wallabies could be considered a failure, especially in america!

If anything it is a resounding success, maybe not as much as some had hoped, but thinking the wallabies would be as attractive as the all blacks is like thinking everton would be as an attractive draw as liverpool.

 

[Brumby Runner]

If I was a selector, I'd go for :

1. Smith (needs some good game time to show what he's got);
2. Hanson (give Moore and TPN as much rest as possible);
3. Holmes (get game time and give Kepu a bit of a rest);
4. Simmons (for game time after injury);
5. Douglas (for game time and to show whet he's got);
6. Mumm (looks to be the backup to Fardy);
7. McMahon (game time and to show what he's got);
8. Palu (game time after injury);
9. Genia (game time after injury);
10. Cooper (to set combinations with Genia and To'omua);
11. Tomane (to see what he's got);
12. To'omua (to set combination with Cooper);
13. Horne (for game time after injury and to see what he offers at 13);
14. Speight (game time);
15. Mitchell (unless Izzy is contractually bound to play- to see what he offers at 15).

I would not play Taquele for the sole purpose to make him ineligible to play for others.

16. TPN (only use in Hanson is injured);
17. Sio (Slipper needs a rest);
18. Kepu (no more than 10 minutes at the end);
19. Carter (to replace Simmons if he runs out of puff);
20. McCalman (to replace Cliff after 30-40 minutes);
21. Phipps (to play second half with Foley);
22. Foley (to play second half with Phipps);
23. Beale (Giteau and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to get a rest along with Izzy and Tevita).

 

[Omar Comin']

I dont see how 30k for a USA v Wallabies could be considered a failure, especially in america!

If anything it is a resounding success, maybe not as much as some had hoped, but thinking the wallabies would be as attractive as the all blacks is like thinking everton would be as an attractive draw as liverpool.

If they went into this thinking 30k would be a resounding success then they wouldn't have played it at Soldier Field. The All Blacks game could have sold a lot more than 60k. It was sold out well in advance. It's a shame this game hasn't been promoted in the same way.

A couple of years ago a US Eagles match against Italy attracted 18,000 in Houston. I think it's disappointing if this game doesn't more than double that. It's in a bigger city, the Wallabies are a much bigger team, the US will be at full strength and well prepared for a change and it's just before the world cup. That should be pretty attractive to rugby fans and enough of a novelty for general sports fans. But perhaps the general sports fans in Chicago haven't heard about it.

 

[qwerty51]

There should be enormous positivism surrounding the US team atm. The best they've ever looked. We will win by 40-50 and I hope it's not looked down upon.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

If they went into this thinking 30k would be a resounding success then they wouldn't have played it at Soldier Field. The All Blacks game could have sold a lot more than 60k. It was sold out well in advance. It's a shame this game hasn't been promoted in the same way.

A couple of years ago a US Eagles match against Italy attracted 18,000 in Houston. I think it's disappointing if this game doesn't more than double that. It's in a bigger city, the Wallabies are a much bigger team, the US will be at full strength and well prepared for a change and it's just before the world cup. That should be pretty attractive to rugby fans and enough of a novelty for general sports fans. But perhaps the general sports fans in Chicago haven't heard about it.

Couple of things.

1. AIG promoted the daylight a out of last years game. They were the ones who guaranteed the ABs the $1m appearance fee. They wanted to recoup that investment. Our game hasn't received the same level of promotion.

2. Houston has a surprising large Rugby community. Particularly at the youth level. Chicago does not. I could give you half a dozen cities that would draw more than Chicago regardless of overall population.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

There should be enormous positivism surrounding the US team atm. The best they've ever looked. We will win by 40-50 and I hope it's not looked down upon.

Oh yeah, they've actually got a bit of quality in the team. Sami Manoa, Chris Wyles, Blaine Scully, Cam Dolan and young Titi Lamoseti (I've spelled that wrong). They've also found a 10 that can play a bit. I think we'll get the by 30. They'll be much more competitive than last year. And that's not a quality issue of us v the ABs. The Eagles have improved a good deal since then.

The really positive thing is there's a much better prepared generation of young guys emerging as well. If they can sort out their competitive structures in the next few years they'll be top 10 fairly soon.