No Scrum Coach

[Spook]

This is a joke. Have we not learned anything?

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25524001-5015651,00.html

 

[naza]

Bill Young is on the money

It's not a calculated risk using Alexander and Cowan as back-up tightheads, it's madness," said Young, who telephoned Williams -- one of the three selectors -- for a please-explain after the Brumbies' two tighthead specialists Guy Shepherdson and Salesi Ma'afu were passed over for the June Tests, along with Kepu.

"They believe Alexander can play tighthead but I have never seen him play there. In fact, I've yet to see him even perform to his potential at loosehead. If they want to turn him into a tighthead, they've got to send him back to play there in club football.

"I refused any time I was asked to make the switch to tighthead. I was not physically up to playing on that side of the scrum. I could never have done it and I'll be very surprised if Alexander can do it, inside two years at least. Obviously scrummaging is not a priority any more.

Deans has no clue and must be sacked immediately.

 

[disco]

"They believe Alexander can play tighthead but I have never seen him play there. In fact, I've yet to see him even perform to his potential at loosehead. If they want to turn him into a tighthead, they've got to send him back to play there in club football.

How come one former Brumbie (Rod Kafer) has claimed Ben Alexander can play tighthead on the Rugby Club & now another former Brumbie denies it.

 

[Spook]

"They believe Alexander can play tighthead but I have never seen him play there. In fact, I've yet to see him even perform to his potential at loosehead. If they want to turn him into a tighthead, they've got to send him back to play there in club football.

How come one former Brumbie (Rod Kafer) has claimed Ben Alexander can play tighthead on the Rugby Club & now another former Brumbie denies it.

Former is the key word . I don't think anyone knows what Alexander can do at tight head but Young has worked with him the most recently. It's a bit of a worry that he is going to tested at International level first but gee he's come a long way in 12 months...from club rugby to international practically bypassing S14 in 2008.

 

[Biffo]

What are you doing on the board at this time of night? Can't sleep with anxiety about the Heineken Cup final?

 

[Spook]

What are you doing on the board at this time of night? Can't sleep with anxiety about the Heineken Cup final?

:lmao: Wife and bub are away at the moment with the outlaws inlaws so I decided to stay awake.

 

[fatprop]

Seems they were waiting on Woodman, no where in the article does it say they won't be looking at other options.

I don't think Cron is with the Abs all the time.

 

[Lee Grant]

Bill Young has history for over the top comments but Deans should take his comments seriously. I wonder if Foley was consulted.

I was surprised that Shepherdson was overlooked in favour of Cowan because the Brumbies scrum improved this year under Young. Comments that Alexander and Cowan can play THP are like saying I could root Elle MacPherson. It's possible, but not the best option.

For Elle, that is.

 

[Spook]

Bill Young has history for over the top comments but Deans should take his comments seriously. I wonder if Foley was consulted.

I was surprised that Shepherdson was overlooked in favour of Cowan because the Brumbies scrum improved this year under Young. Comments that Alexander and Cowan can play THP are like saying I could root Elle MacPherson. It's possible, but not the best option.

For Elle, that is.

It took Baxter a long time to become a very good tight head and Sheperdson is starting to come good in his late 20s. John Hayes of Ireland is another bloke who became good when he was well into his 30s. Whilst I know very little/nothing about the training involved for a THP, it seems to me that it takes years to get yourself physically prepared for the job. Unless Alexander is a bit of a genetic freak, he's going to find it bloody tough.

Maybe Dunning will come back from inury better than ever. We can only hope.

 

[Gagger]

I'd be shitted as much as anyone else if they didn't fill the gap at all, but until they know the Woodman thing for sure, this is a bit hysterical.Young looking for a job by any chance.....

Maybe they'd get Foles to come back part time if Woodman goes?

 

[Spook]

No Aussie Super rugby. Hysteria sets in.

 

[steiner]

Bill Young has history for over the top comments but Deans should take his comments seriously. I wonder if Foley was consulted.

I was surprised that Shepherdson was overlooked in favour of Cowan because the Brumbies scrum improved this year under Young. Comments that Alexander and Cowan can play THP are like saying I could root Elle MacPherson. It's possible, but not the best option.

For Elle, that is.

It took Baxter a long time to become a very good tight head and Sheperdson is starting to come good in his late 20s. John Hayes of Ireland is another bloke who became good when he was well into his 30s. Whilst I know very little/nothing about the training involved for a THP, it seems to me that it takes years to get yourself physically prepared for the job. Unless Alexander is a bit of a genetic freak, he's going to find it bloody tough.

Maybe Dunning will come back from inury better than ever. We can only hope.

Well the flip-side to that is you've got young blokes like Weekes and Palmer coming in to a fairly high level of rugby and being quite competent in the tighthead position almost straight away. So it could happen at test level within a couple of years.
Bill Young's opinion should be respected, not necessarily followed. He may be right, he may be wrong. Deans won't know himself, he's just trying it out. Same as he is seeing what Pek Cowan has to offer. If either the Alexander at tighthead or Pek Cowan experiments work the rewards will be good. The more I think about the Pek Cowan trial though, the more I like the idea.

It may also be hinting that Deans is happy with Dunning if these experiments don't work out and therefore not that essential to bring Shepherdson on. It's not set in stone, he can always go back to Shep if he wants.

Does give an indication as well, of what we all knew anyway, that Deans and the Wallabies will be playing a ball-in-hand, running game.

 

[Biffo]

A gentle reminder, chaps. The squad picked this week is for games against the Barbarians and some Eurotrash.

I posted a long time ago - and repeated occasionally - that we won't have a real indication of what the coach is up to until we see the squad for the 3N. Hang about for 5-6 weeks for that.

I am now starting to think that we won't get the real Deans deal until the squad to go to Yurope is selected.

 

[Gagger]

No Aussie Super rugby. Hysteria sets in.

;D ;D

 

[Lee Grant]

I think that Deans will mix and match against the Baa Baas and in the two games against the Azzurri but that he'll play his real team against the French.

Rocket science? No. The trouble he had last year was that he had a real team, Ireland, to play against first up. As tired after a long season as they were, they had their best fit players on tour, and should have beaten us in Melbourne. Then in the 2 tests against the French, the visitors were missing players from the best French clubs.

The 4 lead up games to 3N this year gives a nice transition, on paper.

I think that everybody will get a run and a lot of wannabies will get on the park against the Baa Baas.

 

[Pfitzy]

Whilst I know very little/nothing about the training involved for a THP, it seems to me that it takes years to get yourself physically prepared for the job. Unless Alexander is a bit of a genetic freak, he's going to find it bloody tough.

Its a damn sight easier being a Loosehead I can tell you right now. Fortunately Alexander has the size right, but the thinking has got to be totally different as a THP - you're all about defense first, attack second.

 

[formeropenside]

Whilst I know very little/nothing about the training involved for a THP, it seems to me that it takes years to get yourself physically prepared for the job. Unless Alexander is a bit of a genetic freak, he's going to find it bloody tough.

Its a damn sight easier being a Loosehead I can tell you right now. Fortunately Alexander has the size right, but the thinking has got to be totally different as a THP - you're all about defense first, attack second.

Yeah, there is a reason the scrum pretty much always wheels the same way, even to be being taught to "step right" to counter a wheel. Thats the poor THP getting slammed.

 

[fatprop]

You don't convert a LHP to THP in test matches

and Dunning got a call and played on the weekend

Dunning out of the running but gets courtesy call-up

Rupert Guinness | May 25, 2009

MATT DUNNING was surprised when Wallabies coach Robbie Deans telephoned him last week before his comeback in the Shute Shield for Eastwood after nearly six months out.

However, the Wallabies and Waratahs prop was not taken aback by Deans's message - that the 43-Test veteran had missed out on the 29-man squad for the domestic Test season.

"I was thankful to get the call. I didn't think he needed to call me. I hadn't played any footy," Dunning said yesterday, the morning after his first on-field spell since snapping his Achilles tendon playing for the Wallabies against the Barbarians in London last December.

Dunning realises a Wallaby recall is some time away, and that his 30 minutes in the back end of Eastwood's 42-10 win over Randwick at TG Millner Field was just the first step.

However, he still took the opportunity of Deans's time on the phone to offer his services to the coach should he need an extra scrummager in the Wallabies training camp.

"I said he if he needs anyone at training to pack the scrums, if I can help out give me a call and I will come," Dunning said.

It makes sense. It would allow Deans the chance to rotate and keep some of his four props fresher in Test weeks, and give Dunning much needed extra time scrummaging.

"With more scrums I can get my scrummaging back to where I want to," Dunning said.

The prop was satisfied with his performance at tight-head against Randwick, despite some inconsistency with his engagements towards the end of the game.

"I would have packed over 10 scrums," he said. "My scrummaging was good early. I probably made a few errors at scrum time after a bit of time, but I was a bit rusty.

"The fact I was good early was a good sign though. My Achilles was good. It was getting my engagement right. I just need more scrums. It is [a matter of] timing at the engagements."

Dunning also enjoyed one lung-bursting pursuit of Randwick tight-head Sekope Kepu down the touchline when the fellow Waratah and Wallaby had the ball in hand.

"That was a test. He's a lot faster than me but I just got him - ankle tapped him," he said.

In the coming weeks, Dunning, who is yet to re-sign with the Australian Rugby Union and NSW, hopes to increase his game time for the fourth-placed Woodies.

After the ninth round, the top six teams on the Shute Shield ladder are five points ahead of the rest of the competition.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Maybe Dunning will come back from inury better than ever. We can only hope.

How is that not impossible.

 

[Ash]

Found it amusing that Young wanted to know why Salesi Ma'afu was overlooked, as he never even would've been on the radar.

Agree about Shepherdson though. I actually think they got it wrong as well, and should've taken two LHPs and three THPs, or a better mix of someone who can play both. With decent LHP talent in Robinson and Alexander, I was assuming that a THP project player might have been more likely, like Kepu, Weeks or Palmer (note to Young: no Ma'afu).