RWC: AUS v ENG (Twickenham): POOL A; 6am (AEDT) Sunday 4 October

[Lorenzo]

signing up coaches for more than 4 years is just madness. much like the extension Deans was gifted by the ARU, giving Lancaster another 4 years before they were able to judge his performance in this RWC is just ridiculous.

Where else are these guys gonna for jobs if you take a wait-and-see approach to their contracts? Were they worried Lancaster would take another gig if they didn't sign him up long term?

4 year deals make sense, and they should start after the RWC.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

I can't imagine what the atmosphere will be like when they play Uruguay.

I'll watch it, but then I do like to see two minnows battle it out head to head on the rugby field.

 

[qwerty51]

Some people need to eat their words on Cheika. No faith. Criticised his squad make-up which turned out perfect with the two XVs and brought in Hanson first injury. Backed Foley over Quade. Brought in Douglas. Did the Pooper. Backed Giteau over To'omua. The biggest of all.. brought in Ledesma. Guy can coach.

 

[Lorenzo]

Some people need to eat their words on Cheika. No faith. Criticised his squad make-up which turned out perfect with the two XVs and brought in Hanson first injury. Backed Foley over Quade. Brought in Douglas. Did the Pooper. Backed Giteau over To'omua. The biggest of all.. brought in Ledesma. Guy can coach.

There are still 4 matches to go? Are you saying that your benchmark for this tourney was beating England in the pool match? Really pumped about the victory but lets not act like the mission has been accomplished.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Some people need to eat their words on Cheika. No faith. Criticised his squad make-up which turned out perfect with the two XVs and brought in Hanson first injury. Backed Foley over Quade. Brought in Douglas. Did the Pooper. Backed Giteau over To'omua. The biggest of all.. brought in Ledesma. Guy can coach.

I don't think general consensus thought otherwise -

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The benchmark is #BringBackBill.

Bugger #Believe and whatever other latest market tested slogans that the ponytail wearing marketing experts want us to get on board with.

It is time for the non-believers to get on the #BringBackBill bandwagon. You know it's right.

 

[Braveheart81]

Have you seen where the Super League teams are based? If you asked a person from Bath what they knew of Burgess last year the answer would be different. There's plenty of Aussie soccer players overseas but I couldn't tell you their names.

I disagree. His profile is substantial. He joined a team with a number of English players like George Ford, Brad Barritt, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson etc. and Burgess is front and centre in all the marketing.

I think you're underestimating how high profile he is and why lots of money was thrown at him (aside from his ability as a footballer).

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[qwerty51]

I don't think general consensus thought otherwise -

He copped it plenty for his squad make up and decisions to start Foley and Giteau.

 

[Quick Hands]

He copped it plenty for his squad make up and decisions to start Foley and Giteau.

And Douglas, and Mumm and the decision to pick 2 teams of XV in the 31 man squad and start Hooper/Pocock and not to go for the bonus point against Fiji.

 

[pjm]

I disagree. His profile is substantial. He joined a team with a number of English players like George Ford, Brad Barritt, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson etc. and Burgess is front and centre in all the marketing.

I think you're underestimating how high profile he is and why lots of money was thrown at him (aside from his ability as a footballer).

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I think you're misunderstanding what I said. I stated that his profile would of been different last year when he hadn't yet been in 'a team with a number of English players like George Ford, Brad Barritt, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson etc.'.

 

[No4918]

Some of those were risks and you guys know it. Calculated risks but Palu was a bad call and Douglas could have easily gone wrong.

He has gotten many things right and made some tough calls and so far they are working. I hope that continues. No one has ever said he he is a bad coach and people will always disagree about selections. Let's not pretend the sun shines out his or anyone else's you know what.

 

[TSR]

Look at you Qwerty. One win and Vickerman is yesterday's man. You've changed.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

 

[Quick Hands]

Some of those were risks and you guys know it. Calculated risks but Palu was a bad call and Douglas could have easily gone wrong.

He has gotten many things right and made some tough calls and so far they are working. I hope that continues. No one has ever said he he is a bad coach and people will always disagree about selections. Let's not pretend the sun shines out his or anyone else's you know what.

Of course they were risks - and there were people on these threads calling for him to resign if they didn't work. On that basis, he deserves some credit for the fact that they've worked.

EDIT: Having spent most of the past few weeks saying we won't make it out of the pool, the critics have now switched tack and are running with the "the job's not done yet" line.

Not accusing you of any of this BTW.

 

[Quick Hands]

As usual, the best part about any pommy sporting catastrophe has little to do with the event itself but the aftermath, that being, going around the pommy papers and beholding the whinging. The boot goes in bigtime. On their own kind. Hung out to dry, shot at dawn, dragged across town behind that f**king broken chariot, then shot again in the nuts just because. They revel in misery. It's their national pastime, it's when they're at their most creative, and it's what they excel at above all else.

Other nations might fancy themselves as a bit crash hot at baseball, or bullfighting, or lying on the beach, or making high quality spatulas, or whatever. The Poms are the undisputed world champs at having a colossal whinge. The heavyweights. Today the UK papers and online blog comments sections will be kicking into overdrive as poms flock en masse to naturally and organically revel in their natural element.

Something like this you mean.

 

[barbarian]

I am yet to see Foley put some-one into a hole with a nice inside ball or well worked pass. He lacks vision.

Feel a bit mean pulling this one out of the pre-game threads, because you certainly weren't alone in your opinions Seb, but this is pretty funny.

Am sure you're happy to be proved wrong!
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[Viking]

Feel a bit mean pulling this one out of the pre-game threads, because you certainly weren't alone in your opinions Seb, but this is pretty funny.

Am sure you're happy to be proved wrong!
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I thought about this exact post as soon as it happened. It's a beautiful thing to be proved wrong.

Something not talked about much, but Foley's kicking in play was much improved also.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Is this the Chris "Nobby" Malone effect? Remarkable turnaround if it was, and throwing the Super Rugby Supporter hat on for a while, it augers well for the Tahs in 2016 if it is.

Eitherway it beats kicking coaching by Skype.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

 

[JJJ]

I really hope our guys don't read too much of the stuff being written about them at the moment. It was a great win and of course the English media will go a bit overboard about it given the impact it had on them, but we have bigger games ahead. Almost all of our biggest games are ahead, in fact.

Just seems like our rugby players have a historical tendency to react poorly to pats on the back.