RoffsChoice
Jim Lenehan (48)
I don't think Big Kev has been great, but he's also our best lock at the moment. Captain can be criticised (see Will Genia v the Boks), but just because they're criticisable doesn't mean they shouldn't be there.
Pumas v Wallabies, Rosario, 5th October 2013
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Richo
John Thornett (49)
Which is a major problem. In form, Horwill is top notch. It's a while since he had a major impact on a match.
Joe Blow
Peter Sullivan (51)
Simmons has to go. With Mowen in the backrow we can easily carry a second rower that is not great at lineout time. Timani offers much more at scrum time and at the breakdown. God I hope he stays.
Fat Cat in and Slipper back to TH. This should be our strongest scrumming tight 5.
If we can negate the Pumas advantage in the scrum it will go a long way to winning this test.
Unfortunately Gill is not with the squad. He should be starting this test as well to establish parity or better at the breakdown early on.
Oh.........and we need a new set piece coach ASAP.
Fat Cat in and Slipper back to TH. This should be our strongest scrumming tight 5.
If we can negate the Pumas advantage in the scrum it will go a long way to winning this test.
Unfortunately Gill is not with the squad. He should be starting this test as well to establish parity or better at the breakdown early on.
Oh.........and we need a new set piece coach ASAP.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Mowen has been ineffective at 8 and part of a backrow that has been dominated. Genia is out of form. Moore hasn't been great and doesn't have much captaincy experience.
Who else can we give it to?
Scotty
David Codey (61)
I'm thinking it might be worth trying a backrow of Fardy, Mowen, McCalman, with Hooper coming on late.
Mowen basically plays like a fetcher anyway - more of an on baller than a ruck smasher, and it will give us more size to compete better at the breakdown. Also, McCalman has shown a lot off the bench and deserves his shot.
Mowen basically plays like a fetcher anyway - more of an on baller than a ruck smasher, and it will give us more size to compete better at the breakdown. Also, McCalman has shown a lot off the bench and deserves his shot.
KOB1987
Rod McCall (65)
I have been pushing for this too..McCalman might be a good impact player off the bench but so too would Hooper be if he came on for the last 30. Take the lead and put an end to this open and blindside flankers rubbish, go back to the left and right model and play bigger workhorses.
No4918
John Hipwell (52)
I agree to an extent but think if the backrow and locks were doing more it would be less an issue. Gill would be a bigger presence at the breakdown to start tests, this is an area we are continually being beaten.
Drop Simmons and Alexander, move Fardy to 4, Mowen 6 and Ben Mc at 8. I still don't see Mowen as a sure thing. Higgers and Palu would take his spot if fit at present.
Replacing Alexander is the harder part. He is just not up to it. Slipper needs to be told he is playing 3 as there is no point having mobile props to cover deficiencies in the backrow and lock while the set piece is getting smashed. Slipper and Kepu as TH, Sio and Robinson as LH.
Drop Simmons and Alexander, move Fardy to 4, Mowen 6 and Ben Mc at 8. I still don't see Mowen as a sure thing. Higgers and Palu would take his spot if fit at present.
Replacing Alexander is the harder part. He is just not up to it. Slipper needs to be told he is playing 3 as there is no point having mobile props to cover deficiencies in the backrow and lock while the set piece is getting smashed. Slipper and Kepu as TH, Sio and Robinson as LH.
My team for this test:
Robbo
Moore
Slipper
Horwill
Fardy
Mowen
Hooper
McCalman
Genia
Cooper (I would pick To'omua but I doubt Cooper will be dropped)
CFS
Leali'ifano
Kuridrani
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Folau
Kepu, Alexander, Fainga'a, Timani, Dennis, White, To'omua, Foley.
Robbo
Moore
Slipper
Horwill
Fardy
Mowen
Hooper
McCalman
Genia
Cooper (I would pick To'omua but I doubt Cooper will be dropped)
CFS
Leali'ifano
Kuridrani
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Folau
Kepu, Alexander, Fainga'a, Timani, Dennis, White, To'omua, Foley.
Ash
Michael Lynagh (62)
This, would love to see this.
Fardy to LH lock, Horwill TH lock, Robinson LHP, Slipper THP, Sio and Kepu/Alexander on the bench.
No more robotic kicking away of turn-over ball. Saw a stat that Cooper touched the ball something like 2 or 3 times in the entire first half.
When White is on the field they've clearly made a decision that he is the best kicker and should do the kicking.
What we saw in the first half was just rubbish though. It was like the Wallabies were trying to get rid of a hand grenade that had the pin pulled out. There was no thought about trying to get in position for a good kick into space. It was just a case of winning the ball and then hoofing it downfield.
We have to have faith that we can retain the ball for a phase or two and work towards a better kick to get out of our own 22. Many of our most rushed kicks weren't from that close to the goal line. We were on our 22 and still make desperate kicks downfield which were easily fielded on the full.
We have to get Cooper involved too and get some runners off him so at least there is some doubt over what we're going to do. Just because White has a longer kick doesn't mean he's going to make a better kick than Cooper (or whoever is at 10) every time. We need to set up for higher quality kicks if that is the tactic that is going to be used.
My guess is that the instructions are simply to bomb the shit out of it whenever we're in our 22. Don't try and string a couple of phases together, don't pass go and don't collect 200. Just kick it downfield.
And frankly, with the way they played in the first 3 RC tests, it isn't hard to see why. Once you give the players the "use a phase or two to improve the kick" rope, you've now given them a license to run the ball in our own 22 and "possession fever" is due to take over at any time.
Welp, we tried 5 phases because it all seemed to be working so well, but then we gave away a ruck penalty 30 metres out. 3 Points to Steyn.
You know? Not hard to see why the coach may be simplifying the approach.
If our players lack the ability to make smart and effective decisions on the field like when is the right time to just hoof it downfield and when is the right time to work the ball to a better position (or where you can have a better set kicker) then we are going to continue dropping down the world rankings.
Our players need be able to follow a more dynamic and complex game plan than just do A or do B.
It's been some time since we had a player group capable of reading the game. At the moment I agree with the plan to remove player autonomy. There are very few players in this group capable of making their own smart rugby decisions on the fly.
RoffsChoice
Jim Lenehan (48)
I think the mindless kicking was a clear game plan, you saw that the 10 never called for it and the forwards were rarely set for a pick and go. It was like they had heard "Playing for territory wins tests." and went "Right, kick it away every time, got it."
That's the problem.
Clearly kicking for territory when we were in or around our 22 was the gameplan.
Nic White doing the kicking when he is on the field is also the gameplan.
Surely the gameplan isn't to kick at the first possible opportunity regardless of the pressure you're under individually.
If we can't play a smarter game than we currently are, we're not going to compete with the top few nations at all. Our lack of composure currently resembles a rugby minnow playing a Tier 1 nation.
Ash
Michael Lynagh (62)
Agree. We didn't just kick it from the 22, we seemed to kick it from anywhere within our half. And we kicked it out of a contest. Nothing wrong with clearances from your 22, but we kicked it away (or fumbled it away) to such an extent in that first half that our backline got zero chance of getting into the game.
The other thing is that our forwards were smashed, just smashed, in that first 20 minutes. The Boks forward rolled effortlessly over the line, getting on our outside shoulders and making those half breaks over the advantage line. They did it all over the field, from their 22 off restarts, to our 22 in the lead up to the Strauss try. Yes, Cooper had a woeful misread and he should be made to account for that (in an otherwise OK game), but look at the two phases beforehand - Cooper came up to cover three forwards because of how aggressively and quickly the Bok forwards had smashed us - our pack was in a shambles off those plays.
Our kick-offs were the same. Some we contested well on, but mostly they were landing about 2 - 3m too deep to be really contestable and it was clear that the (Wallabies? coaches?) weren't expecting the Boks to run it back. Clearly it was part of the game plan, because the restarts landed on the same spot every time. But it was repeated when it became clear that the Boks intended to run it back at us - quite successfully.
The final thing we are not doing is taking our chances. Test rugby is about converting half chances as much as taking every opportunity for points. If we continue to blow tries, such as dropping balls with the try line open, we will not win games. Secondly, why not take the 3 points? Half time gone, take the 3 points into half time even at 23 - 3 down rather than a low percentage attempt at a try.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Mowen was one of our better players on the weekend though.........
I don't think it is a terrible idea to drop Saia Fainga'a and give him a go at hooker.
Fainga'a butchered those two lineouts when he came on.
I don't think we can bring Anae on as reserve LHP at this point though.
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