• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

Bledisloe 2 2023 @ Dunedin 12:35PM Sat 5 Aug

Sir Arthur Higgins

Alan Cameron (40)
Have to admit that the first half in particular - play like that and anything is possible.
That was some pretty fast and hard hitting rugby - very impressive. Obviously fell apart a bit when we made the change for pone in the second half.
That was the turning point for sure. Abs already we’re coming back but it felt like we were holding them off and getting our own attack still going but big momentum swing with multiple scrum penalties then
Hard to imagine we don’t score if quade holds onto that ball and the 4-2 is allowed to play out.
I honestly didn’t notice the advantages to be too egregious at first look.
Tate should’ve scored that try and should’ve had another. Two decisions change by our players (Tate dive or give a pass) and quade catch and we probably win that. Yes a depleted abs side but we were also missing first choice front rowers and our 13.
Pretty impressed across the board.
Well done wallabies.
 

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
The most heartening thing I'm taking out of the last two weeks is, we've had a number of 15 and even 20+ phases in defence and still didn't concede a penalty.

Probably the major change from the last few years: discipline has tightened right up.
 

Sir Arthur Higgins

Alan Cameron (40)
Anyone else of the view that we shouldn’t have bothered kicking the tying points? Can’t win the bled, rc or break drought with a tie.
Line out has been working. Why not boot one to 22 or closer and go for the win.
Good kicking practice for quade but going for it would’ve been good practice for everyone
 

qwerty51

Stirling Mortlock (74)
That was France C against full strength Scotland. That result was a very good one for France and poor for Scotland if we’re being honest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mst

TSR

Mark Ella (57)
I thought the game demonstrated that we are better off playing quick upbeat rugby than trying to monster teams. Not that we lack power - but we look much better playing at pace with the ball then playing a kick/defend strategy.

Maybe that will fall short with this team that is still very early in its development against the big NH/South Africa packs but it was also much more enjoyable to watch before we ran out of legs.
 

molman

Peter Johnson (47)
At the same time our first try came because we knocked back a lockable penalty and went to the lineout.

There is definite merit in keeping the scoreboard ticking over but I thought that play helped set up our whole first half in terms of the momentum it created.
True.

The penalty kick which comes to mind was around 40m on the angle at around the 26min mark. The next sequence of play led to Tate flipped on his back, so maybe if he scored I'd be singing another tune, but I do feel like we make hard work of the points we achieve vs other teams who have confident, high percentage kickers slotting their shots. It's also often used to manage the tempo and fatigue as well which you can see the Wallabies need to get better at with the creeping errors and fade-out that has been occurring in the second half.

I think the All Blacks conceded around 10 penalties, so even taking out those on the wrong end of the field, there was still a lot of points out there.

I'd have to parse our recent kickable penalty vs kick for corner conversion rates to see if the Wallabies are getting enough payout, but my gut says no.

I thought the game demonstrated that we are better off playing quick upbeat rugby than trying to monster teams. Not that we lack power - but we look much better playing at pace with the ball then playing a kick/defend strategy.

Maybe that will fall short with this team that is still very early in its development against the big NH/South Africa packs but it was also much more enjoyable to watch before we ran out of legs.

I'm not sure we can sustain the tempo across a game to have a purely quick, upbeat approach. Very hard for a team and I'd imagine especially taxing across the RWC with back to back games. We saw it with NZ v. SA where even the AB's couldn't maintain that blitz they had in the first 30mins. The Wallabies likewise dropped off in the second half. Be yes, I do agree it was much more entertaining to watch.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TSR

liquor box

Greg Davis (50)
Anyone else of the view that we shouldn’t have bothered kicking the tying points? Can’t win the bled, rc or break drought with a tie.
Line out has been working. Why not boot one to 22 or closer and go for the win.
Good kicking practice for quade but going for it would’ve been good practice for everyone
I know a tie doesn't equal a win, but anytime we play NZ and don't lose is a bonus. Go for the 3
 

TSR

Mark Ella (57)
I think the main thing was that there was still time to win it.

I thought the strategy to lock up the scores and back yourself to score again was a good one - unfortunately we weren’t good enough to score again.
 

Mark Panga

Frank Row (1)
I know it’s not all Nonngorr’s fault and options are lacking - but he was getting folded by a club rugby scrum 7 days prior to this test match.

To then be elevated to a test match is pretty much 101 why we don’t currently have the depth to consistently compete and win test matches.

Our scrum weakness at the back end of the game was a real turning point.
WRONG. Mate.

With respect, I think You need to go and watch the second half again. With your glasses on this time.
You are confused/wrong about the scrum penalties. Probably because Pone came off and on again and then back off again.

There were three scrum penalties - two when Pone came back on after HIA assessment and then one at the end when Nonggorr was on. They were as follows/-
(1) 1st scrum penalty against Aus was when Slipper came on in 2nd half 61.03. Front row was Slipper, Faessler, Pone. Ref made the comment at the preceding reset that scrums no problem all day until new props (Slip & Newell) came on.
(2) 2nd scrum penalty 66.16 same front row as above - Slipper, Faessler and Pone. I reckon Skelton not getting low enough and Pone getting lifted.
(3) After that scrum and the ensuing penalty, Pone off, Zane on. About 67.00.
(4) The next scrum (and Nonggorr’s 1st in his 2nd stint) was after Quade’s knock on at 77.00. Front row was Slipper, Faessler, Nonggorr. The scrum was solid initially, and then ABs put the push on with ball at the back. Aus front row went backward, wheeled clockwise and penalized.

Nonggorr had previously done two scrums in his first stint on that were really good.

As for getting BCF’d in club rugby last week. Didn’t happen. Nonggorr played with Bond against GPS. He scored a try, scrummed solidly and when he came off at around 50 mins the score was 26 - 7 to Bond. When game finished score was 32-25 to Bond. And Bond took minor premiers.

Do you have an agenda here ? But worried - As you seem to have it in for Nonggorr ! Or maybe just needed the glasses to distinguish between Pone and Nonggorr and it was an innocent mistake. Could happen to anybody.
 

PhilClinton

Geoff Shaw (53)
As for getting BCF’d in club rugby last week. Didn’t happen. Nonggorr played with Bond against GPS. He scored a try, scrummed solidly and when he came off at around 50 mins the score was 26 - 7 to Bond. When game finished score was 32-25 to Bond. And Bond took minor premiers.

Do you have an agenda here ? But worried - As you seem to have it in for Nonggorr !

Gday Zane’s dad, nice of you to make an account.

Go back and watch the Bond v GPS game and tell me that you genuinely believe Nonggorr is worthy of test rugby selection in a Bledisloe cup game based on his scrummaging ability.

Good on the bloke, he’s taken an opportunity. But my post was pointing out the fragility of our depth and how he (and many others) aren’t at the required standard to be consistent test players.

My only agenda is pointing out that fault. I happened to be at the club game and it was jaw dropping that he earned a call up into the Wallabies after that, but also a reflection of our depth and the injuries to the team, not his fault.
 
Top