Tahs v Rebels Rnd 6 2014

[mark_s]

Last night was my first s15 game for this year, live or on TV. I thought it was a decent game other than a dull pacth in the middle of the 1st half, the tahs were very physical and smartened up in the second half to use the ball better. The scrum seemed a bit wobbly, but how much of that was due to the surface which looked very usually soft for the sfs? Izzy was pretty good, but no one seemed that bad. I thought we could have kicked a bit more in the first half to turn the rebels around more but the same tactics worked in h2 so who knows?

Anyone hear the crowd? It looked dismal pre kick off, but people came late for some reason, some were still coming in 15mins into the game.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

And think about how he has to position himself - sure anyone could do it but they don't

 

[Quick Hands]

Not sure of the crowd.

Apparently, the Waratahs are the only sporting organisation outside North Korea to suppress crowd statistics.

We can only draw conclusions as to why.

I've been going to league, union, cricket and a number of other sports for at least 40 years and it's been fairly standard practice to announce the crowd figure about half way through the 2nd half. Not a good look.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

it's been fairly standard practice to announce the crowd figure about half way through the 2nd half. Not a good look.

with union at moore park on Friday night not everyone has arrived by half way through the 2nd half

 

[mark_s]

I have found somewhere which quoted the crowd as 16600

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I have found somewhere which quoted the crowd as 16600

They're counting eyeballs

 

[Hugh Jarse]

with union at moore park on Friday night not everyone has arrived by half way through the 2nd half

Motor cycle breakdown in the Harbour tunnel, or a breakdown at Mamre Road and the entire sydney afternoon peak hour crawl grinds to a halt. Surprised anyone got there at all, apart from those following the @pfitzy methodology of taking the day off work.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Things must be going well if we are criticising a player for backing-up and scoring tries.

Easy fellas. Nobody is knocking Izzy. They're just knocking the commentators who almost blow their load every time Izzy supports a break and scores.

I get the original comment. Izzy is doing great, but much like SBW when he first went to NZ, the media see everything as his influence and disregard any good work by others.

Izzy still has flaws. His limited kicking game is a good example. It's not really worth discussing though because he has a combination of many other skills that the other candidates only possess between themselves, so the good (or excellent rather) outweighs any mediocre elements. Add with that his size that enables him to beat tackles as well as break them and it's quite the potent combination. Personally I never thought he would be a success as a 15 and if anything was more suited to 13. His awareness at the back has disproved that though.

 

[Pfitzy]

Motor cycle breakdown in the Harbour tunnel, or a breakdown at Mamre Road and the entire sydney afternoon peak hour crawl grinds to a halt. Surprised anyone got there at all, apart from those following the @pfitzy methodology of taking the day off work.

The Canes game a couple of years ago there wasn't even a breakdown - it was just Friday traffic. We left home just after 5 and started pulling up in the Lane Cove tunnel and crawled from there. Had to turn off for Mrs TA to go to the loo. By the time we got there it was halftime.

 

[qwerty51]

Personally I never thought he would be a success as a 15 and if anything was more suited to 13. His awareness at the back has disproved that though.

I still think he'd do twice the damage at 13. Can't say it's wrong until he plays there.

 

[BPC]

Potgieter's impact is also beyond his actual presence, he's lifting Douglas & co. around him. Great buy, about time after duds in Dud and Pretorius.

I have a recollection, in more than one match, of Potgeiter pushing other forwards out of the way so he can line up in defence in the channel next to the ruck and try to crush any opposing forward trying a pick and go. His attitude is infectious and his value seems far more than his statistics. I think that they have to keeping starting him, just so he can push the other forwards to up the tempo.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I still think he'd do twice the damage at 13. Can't say it's wrong until he plays there.

I'm sure he'd be a hit there. physically he seems a perfect hit. His work under the high ball is just so valuable at 13.

Just in the context of my comment about his kicking game, I think Beale's is also quite lacking too. Izzy brings to the table everything Beale does back there (Perhaps gives up a little in acceleration) and more with his extra usable size and then his work under the high ball.

 

[Hawko]

I still think he'd do twice the damage at 13. Can't say it's wrong until he plays there.

We can say its wrong, we just can't prove it.

Izzy's two greatest skills are his aerial capacity and his ability to support a line break or a timed pass with a devastating run. Both of those skills are more suited to fullback IMO. I think at 13 he would have less chances to use those skills.

Anyone got a You Tube link to the full game? I can't get access to my Fox recording for another week or so.

 

[qwerty51]

We can say its wrong, we just can't prove it.

Izzy's two greatest skills are his aerial capacity and his ability to support a line break or a timed pass with a devastating run. Both of those skills are more suited to fullback IMO. I think at 13 he would have less chances to use those skills.

Anyone got a You Tube link to the full game? I can't get access to my Fox recording for another week or so.

His aerial skills are amazing but I wouldn't put that top 3. For me it's the tackle breaks, ability to score tries he has no right to. B&I Lions 2nd and Brumbies one are the kind I'm talking about. Then it's that step at pace and palm/offload, imagine him squaring the opposition 13 up and then bang, he goes right on the outside and uses that palm and offload to draw in the wing in and get the ball away to a free winger. Devastating.

 

[Tomikin]

Are people seriously discussing izzy not warranting the adulation that is being heaped in his direction?

Unbelievable.

He is scoring tries that others aren't. That is a fact. If others were scoring them, then there would be zillion tries being scored each week, and that isn't happening, because no one else is doing what he is doing on such a regular basis which is: read the play and be on the spot when he needs to be.

If it were easy, then everyone would be doing it.

As a fullback (or winger), it is his job to run into holes and he is doing this better than anyone else at the moment.

He is one of the best footballers I have ever seen.

I just wish he was at a team that wasn't so easy to dislike

Only person in the world being as impressive as izzy is Greg Inglis. .. not as dancing as izzy but I saw him carry 4 guys over a line.. Both are just wow

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[Tomikin]

Regarding speed and Mogg (not really on topic) that stat above is impressive. Like to know top speed for Rod Davies, he was a schoolboy sprint star, and also sub 11.00 I think.

Its funny my mate is masters champ over 60 and 100 he runs 10.5 ish.. but that was 20 metres to the 11 second guy.. Mogg is quick at top speed but his ovwr 11 seconds .. Turner won fastest he was over 11 seconds

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[Tomikin]

PK, don't forget that when it was first suggested the Folau was going to move from league to rugby, that the vast majority of G&GR posters said:

1. In his first year he will be lucky to get on the Waratah bench and should spend 2013 playing Shute Shield
2. He would never be able to understand the complexities of rugby
3. He would never be anything other than a winger
4. He would never play for the Wallabies in 2013 and probably not a all


And on and on and on it went.

There are still some who can't admit that they were wrong and point to every wrong decision that he might make in 80 minutes of rugby (and there aren't that many) and try to make something of it. These souls conveniently overlook the fact that players who have been in rugby since they were 6 and in elite junior programmes since school, take similar poor options from time to time.

He is about the most complete player in either of the rugby codes at the moment - certainly in Australia, but some rah rah types can't get past the fact that he once played league.

No one ever questioned izzy talent.. every one knew he would be a star.. it was more when not if.. us rugby folk aren't dumb

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[Quick Hands]

You might not have questioned his talent Tomikin, but many did.

if you don't believe me, go and find the Folau to rugby thread. Even at the time some of the comments sounded ludicrous - look at them now in hindsight and you'll spend all day laughing.

Here are but a few:

Why would you play big money for unit who has never played rugby and hasn't played RL for a couple years?

If he does well in club for a season he maybe worth a contract

No one should ever be signed from Rugby League to play for the Wallabies again.

If a Super Rugby franchise wishes to offer someone a contract then that is fine, but the player needs to earn their place at all levels from there (including getting a run in the matchday 22 for the Super Rugby team).

No. Mentally and physically soft. His AFL stint showed he does not have the ticker to make a go of anything he would have to work at.

We have Joe Tomane, Chris F Sautia and Digby Ioane. Your services will not be required Folau.

Folou is not all that as a footballer. Inglis, Slater and Hunt have natural instinct for space to go with their athletic abilities, whereas folou is just a very good athlete.

He is not worth throwing money at. Especially not at a time like this when the ARU can hardly afford to pay the players they already have.

The guy has never played rugby in his life, he's been out of the NRL for 2 years, to think he'd be up to Super rugby straight away is just an insult to rugby

Its bewildering why they want to throw big money at an unknown league product, especially one who is purely and outside back at that.

My memory of him in league was that he was great under the high ball, but otherwise was average (not bad mind you, but hardly a game breaker of the inglis, slater, hunt, thurston, hayne variety). From a rugby POV, I think its a mistake for the tahs to sign him.

With Folau's limited time, I just can't see him playing anywhere but wing, and then we will see his understanding of the work ethic off the ball needed, not just hit ups and catching high balls.

The truth is Folau has 0.00% chance of playing for the Wallabies in next years (2013) June tests

And if couldn't work out the gameplay in AFL, how on earth is he going to work out rugby?

And there's 39 pages of this stuff.

 

[I like to watch]

I think he has outperformed anyone's expectations.
At the time I thought he was being paid at Wobbly superstar rates,when there was a likely hood that he may end up as no more than a fringe Test player.
It was a significant risk at the time.
At a time when the ARU are not in a position to be making any losing bets.
But I'm loving it now.Well done to the Tahs as well,managing their salary cap so much better than the other franchises!

 

[Ash]

Agree, he was a huge gamble after his time in the AFL.

But it's a gamble that has paid off handsomely for the ARU. I think it was fair to say he was unlikely to play for the Wallabies in his first year before the start of the season, but by mid-season it was becoming clearer how good he was. I would also have had no issue with him not being selected if he committed to league during/before the Lions series.

But credit to Folau. He worked hard, played very well and made the team. And once he got there, he was fantastic, to the point where, if he isn't the number one fullback in the world, he's up there with the number one.