Bledisloe #2 - AUS v NZL, Eden Park, Auckland, August 15th

[galumay]

Bloody hell 7 weeks till our next game against a top tier nation is a long time to wait to see if tonight was just an aberration.

For mine it was no aberration, we just got beaten up by a much better team. The aberration was last week when the AB's were so far below par for them. Whenever that happens we get carried away and the expectations go through the roof.

 

[ACT Crusader]

True. But in a class NZ performance his lack of grunt work really stood out for me.

Eh? He still hit plenty of rucks and cleaned yellow jersies out.

Him and Read are the two forwards that play out wide. Not that unusual for our setup

 

[MrTabua]

Yep, Simmons has secured himself a starting spot at the RWC by not playing during the TRC. Il be interested to see the stats for the Wallabies lineout success rate for the Rugby Championship, It won't be pretty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've always been a bit doubtful about his role as lineout caller et al but I think he will be an extremely welcome addition against the English and Welsh.

 

[MrTabua]

For mine it was no aberration, we just got beaten up by a much better team. The aberration was last week when the AB's were so far below par for them. Whenever that happens we get carried away and the expectations go through the roof.

Cheika was at pains to stress that expectations should be low, in the post match interview from last week.

If expectations go through the roof from fans following an amazing win against the world's number one team, I welcome it. Better than nothing from a generally fickle wider support for the Wallabies.

 

[galumay]

Arm chair coach or not, I question why it was tampered with and the result really doesn't come as a surprise.

And the result shouldnt come as a surprise, not because somehow any of us are better selectors than the national coach of a professional sporting team but simply because we were playing the world's number 1 team, at home, after annoying them the previous week.

I know its just the internet, but seriously, if he had left the team the same as last week and we had been flogged (the likely result), we would all be bagging him for not making changes.

How about graciously accepting that we were ouplayed and put passioned by a superior team, playing at their best, with an accepted home ground advantage?

 

[Lorenzo]

No, he can own the changes he made. I'm sure he had his reasons but he still has to own it. Only the bloody stupid would be taken by surprise at the quality of the AB performance tonight. It's obvious they would have been hurting after last week. None the less they were there for the taking if we were smart enough and we were not. The forwards performance last week was dynamic, striking a good mix of physicality, mobility and set piece capability (remind anyone of what makes the AB's so good?). Arm chair coach or not, I question why it was tampered with and the result really doesn't come as a surprise.

We got bummed like a cheap hooker in the lineouts last week. FYI

 

[drewprint]

Eh? He still hit plenty of rucks and cleaned yellow jersies out.

Him and Read are the two forwards that play out wide. Not that unusual for our setup

Fair enough. Other AIGs seemed more willing to knuckle down. I know some Kiwis here have made similar observations.

 

[Viking]

line-out were even worse this week then last week. Scrum was a mix. I don't think the back-line had one single chance for a set-piece play.

 

[MrTabua]

Bloody hell 7 weeks till our next game against a top tier nation is a long time to wait to see if tonight was just an aberration.

At least our scrum strength seems less of an aberration than before tonight.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Fair enough. Other AIGs seemed more willing to knuckle down. I know some Kiwis here have made similar observations.

Everyone has their role and I thought Coles played his well. The other forwards got stuck in as well.

 

[Gnostic]

What can one say? My fears that the lack of an effective exit strategy was the basis of the loss. The ABs as has been quoted kicked the most ball we have seen in the RC this year. The fact it is a known factor makes it worse IMO as we could expect just that on a semi wet night when the ABs were dominated in the previous game. They would want to turn around that pack and then bash them when they have been turned around, not try to bash their way through from the start like last week.

I firmly believe they didn't kick as much last week, because they got caught out a bit tactically and because the Wallabies had two decent (if not great) kickers in the back three, with another two in Foley and Giteau.

Tonight they had AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) out of the back three and To'omua in the centres. It is not sensible for the 9 to be the kick return/ exit kicker so I don't include White in that, even though he was the last gasp sweeper which is often the 9s role in event.

So that was the basis of the dominance the ABs got up front. As for the lineout, much is made of the jumpers, and lack of options, but for the second week in a row the throwing from Moore wasn't up to his usual standard and some were just poor and the interaction between Moore and the jumpers was again off. It wouldn't have mattered who were the options if they couldn't co-ordinate and Moore deliver the ball.

Now with a retreating pack because they are getting turned around the rush defence couldn't stem the flow and more often left the flanks open. Kurindrani was caught out many times in the staggered line and easily beaten.

Two aspects of the performance of Nigel Owens pissed me off, in a game where he was otherwise good. 1) Players chasing a high kick making no real effort to challenge for the ball taking the space so that the ball carrier will collide with them in the air. It is obviously designed to remove Folau from the equation. It is dangerous and has been a feature of the ABs kick chase for two weeks, and also feature in the Bok game. 2) The lineout maul, on four occasions the ABs drove through the lineout engaging with the ball receiver before he landed, thereby disrupting the formation of the maul, yes, but it is illegal as the man is still in the air. This was penalised 1 from 4.

 

[Lorenzo]

I thought Owens failed when "Warning" the ABs after two penalties inside the 10 when there was 8 mins to go. I mean, c'mon

 

[Chunderstruck]

For mine it was no aberration, we just got beaten up by a much better team. The aberration was last week when the AB's were so far below par for them. Whenever that happens we get carried away and the expectations go through the roof.

Genuinely curious- do you support the Wallabies? you say "we" although you refer to Hansen as Shag

 

[TahDan]

I've resorted to watching the basketball to make myself feel better.

 

[Tahtrajic]

I've resorted to watching the basketball to make myself feel better.

You should try the netball
I have to share the Foxtel with the Boss (she who must be obeyed)

 

[tragic]

For mine it was no aberration, we just got beaten up by a much better team. The aberration was last week when the AB's were so far below par for them. Whenever that happens we get carried away and the expectations go through the roof.

Meh
Personally I'd rather the glass half full version.
Is it so unreasonable to presume the ABs played a blinder geed-up by the fact the Bled was on the line with several legends of the game playing at Eden park for the last time. And the Wobs played poorly with some unforced changes and a game plan that didn't work.
I reckon a decider at a neutral venue could be a line ball game.
Twickenham on Nov 1 perhaps?

 

[Ruggo]

We got bummed like a cheap hooker in the lineouts last week. FYI

And this weeks changes were going to fix that? Really? Last week was the simple problem of having a stand in caller who though capable of doing the job, does not do the Job on a regular basis. Simple logic would say a second week with the same pack and caller would have ironed much of that issue out.

 

[MrTabua]

I've resorted to watching the basketball to make myself feel better.

my god, i hope drink is accompanying that watching!

 

[TahDan]

You should try the netball
I have to share the Foxtel with the Boss (she who must be obeyed)

Thankfully my boss has a Tongan background and she loves Rugby. The only caveat being if she's around and we're getting smashed she wants to turn it over to shitty crime shows.

 

[Slim 293]

And this weeks changes were going to fix that? Really? Last week was the simple problem of having a stand in caller who though capable of doing the job, does not do the Job on a regular basis. Simple logic would say a second week with the same pack and caller would have ironed much of that issue out.

I don't understand why Fardy isn't Simmon's backup based on the success of the Brumbies' lineout this year........