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The case for Anthony Fainga'a to wear the Green and Gold

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Richo

John Thornett (49)
Ahh, my tone clearly didn't come through properly, I wasn't actually being serious. I'd take JOC (James O'Connor), Giteau, Barnes and McCabe over him - in that order as well. He's a fantastic player at SupeRugby level, but I just don't think he's got it in him to step up effectively at test level. Some people just can't, Stephen Donald, Mark Chisolm, Richard Brown etc. etc.

Damn Internet and its inability to render sarcasm.
 

jay-c

Ron Walden (29)
*carters kicking has dropped off> a few years ago he was a 90% kicker and now hes around 75% i think
* bourke would be a terrible choice kicking coach< look whats happened at the tahs and how bad their kicking has become since hes been coach
* pre injury i think fainga would have been a great choice considering barnes in unreliable and git cant seem to handle not being the most important man on the field
* richard browns problem is he is too small for 8 at tests. a good size 6 mind and i think he played very well in his games for the force there this year
 

BDA

Jim Lenehan (48)
I agree I'd like to see Fainga'a given a chance at 13. Deans is always talking about rewarding inform players and he deserves a shot. He offers a nice contrast to the attacking flair we already have, with no nonsense crash up running and big hits in defense. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) should be given a chance to regain his spot but I think it actually makes more sense for AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to start the season on the bench to let him find some form. Force him to make an impact...besides AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is "Mr Fix it". He is the ideal bench player, covering just about every backline position.
 

Jnor

Peter Fenwicke (45)
As far as I can see not a whole lot, but Horne isn't fit. And god knows when he will be.
 
W

WB3

Guest
Rob Horne when fit is probably my favourite rugby player, but even I have to admit that its unlikely he will be fit and ready to play come RWC. Assuming Ant makes a recovery from his injury I would not complain to see him in the Wobs, though AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is most likely to get the 13 jersey and Giteau/Barnes being seemingly preferred at 12. I agree with whoever said AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) makes a great bench option due to his versatility but he is also one of our classiest backs so, form warranting, I would have him start before A Finger (especially given his current injury).
 

Blue

Andrew Slack (58)
I constantly find it hilarious how anybody can even question AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) starting at 13 for Australia. You have to be on some weird shit. Since Mortlock on form a few years ago, NO 13 in a Gold jersey has run harder, straighter, shown more intelligent running lines and ability broken tackles to the line than HIM. Now you want a guy who has mainly played 12 and a bit of 13 in the Super 15 to play 13 in tests?

How anybody can even begin to consider Ant Finger a potentially tougher test player than AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) just borders on the ridiculous. Ant is a good player, but you can't start fucking about with maybes now.

This is the World Cup year. By all means, please fuck around with an untried test 13. We'll take that any day before Adam Two Dads.

Hell, leave AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at home please.
 

tigerland12

John Thornett (49)
Yeah gotta agree with Blue, but I'll try and do it in a more coherent manner.
Fainga'a is having a great year, and to be honest we lack any genuine outside centers (with Rob Horne injured). But we seem to forget how good Ashley-Cooper was last year.

His average form can be based heavily on the Brumbies season, he has been stuck out on the wing in a struggling side all year. I can guarentee if he had someone like Quade Cooper or James O'Connor feeding him the ball, he would be carving up.

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) deserves, and will be, the starting 13 for the Walllabies, and I will not complain at all. But I do believe Fainga'a should go to the World Cup as he has become the 2nd choice 13 in the country.
 

DPK

Peter Sullivan (51)
Who'd of thunk it; it took a Saffa to resolve an argument between NSWelshman and the men from Banjo Country. ;)
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I constantly find it hilarious how anybody can even question AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) starting at 13 for Australia. You have to be on some weird shit. Since Mortlock on form a few years ago, NO 13 in a Gold jersey has run harder, straighter, shown more intelligent running lines and ability broken tackles to the line than HIM. Now you want a guy who has mainly played 12 and a bit of 13 in the Super 15 to play 13 in tests?

How anybody can even begin to consider Ant Finger a potentially tougher test player than AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) just borders on the ridiculous. Ant is a good player, but you can't start fucking about with maybes now.

This is the World Cup year. By all means, please fuck around with an untried test 13. We'll take that any day before Adam Two Dads.

Hell, leave AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at home please.

Blue, agree 100%. My view has been that Ant can be back up for AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at 13, but I still totally want AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) as our starting outside centre. No doubt about it.
 

Blue

Andrew Slack (58)
Who'd of thunk it; it took a Saffa to resolve an argument between NSWelshman and the men from Banjo Country. ;)

It was all working a treat until one of the feckers called me incoherent. :)

Tiger I think Ant should be the backup if AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) goes down and the former should even get a bit of game time in the early tests. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) got moved to the fringes by the Ponies the minute it was announced his love for Tah Man. Stupid tossers.
 

qwerty51

Stirling Mortlock (74)
The only reason a Saffer wants AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) in the backline is because he can remember how the Saffers ran over our backline in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Not one of our backs were making dominant tackles and the Saffer backrowers run right over us. We were making the tackles but everytime the opposition got over the ad line. Some people need to think about the WC. Attack won't count for much.
 

DPK

Peter Sullivan (51)
qwerty, if you're worried about the backs in the Wallaby backline not being dominant defenders I'd say AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is the least of your concerns. And this isn't just a jab at Cooper, but he is a big part of the problem.
 

qwerty51

Stirling Mortlock (74)
qwerty, if you're worried about the backs in the Wallaby backline not being dominant defenders I'd say AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is the least of your concerns. And this isn't just a jab at Cooper, but he is a big part of the problem.

Well 13 is the biggest concern, the 10 and 12 usually have the backrowers to help make the tackles but from what I witnessed, when Horne wasn't on the field our backline was a joke in defence. How many times do you remember Clarkie going on about first-up tackles not being made. It's the reason the Saffers got back into the two games in Pretoria (and won) and Bloemfontein. Same as the England match. Their big forwards ran all over us. It will probably happen in the WC too with a small backline.
 
D

daz

Guest
To be honest Qwerty, my feel for the Wobs is that they rely on winning by scoring more tries than the opposition, rather than preventing tries being scored. If that makes sense.

That's not to say that defense is thrown out the window, but if the opposition crosses the line, the Wobs feel they need to/can cross twice in return.

Which is all fine and dandy, but the Reds v Ponies game really focused my attention on the fact that if our attackers are nullified and the opposition are running up in straight lines, we could be up that famous creek.


As for AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), if he isn't our starting 13 we are already up that famous creek. We just don't know it yet.
 

Lee Grant

John Eales (66)
I haven't visited this thread before as I thought there would be some drivel in it and a bit of that would be along party lines.

Ant shouldn't be starting in crunch RWC games unless there are injuries to others. His time as a starting test player should come next year when Giteau is no longer in the mix. I fancy that Deans will think the same after Ant's poor defensive effort in his one starting game, against the All Blacks last year. But let's not go there again.

If everybody is healthy, the more relevant question for 2011 is: who is more deserving of a test utility spot on the bench for the Wallabies in big games- Anthony Fainga'a or Pat McCabe? (who can play any position in the backline except scrumhalf). Before last weekend this question would not have arisen; for only folks such as Rats and Oz U/19 coaches of a few years ago, (and, ahem, a few rugby tragics) would have known it, for sure.
 

liquor box

Peter Sullivan (51)
I think he has earnt his spot, hard hitting defence is always a great thing, potentially the hardes centre opponant in world rugby is the All Blacks centres. He has proven that he can stop them as well as anyone else in Australia.
If Super Rugby is a proving ground for Test selection the Anthony has done all that can be asked of him
 

redsfanatic

Peter Burge (5)
Anthony Fainga'a for Wallabies Inside Centre

Quade Cooper needs an inside centre with the right game style. They've done that at the Reds, with Anthony Fainga'a and kinda Ben Tapuai. Now the Wallabies need to do it. Matt Giteau was close to the right style when he was a great inside, but now playing a lot of fly-half has deteriorated that. So Gits is out. Barnes is way too conservative, and kicks all the time. So he's out. James O'Connor has already been told by Robbie Deans that he is still too small for 12. So Deans won't play him at inside. That only leaves Anthony Fainga'a, who I think has the game to step it up to the Wallabies.

What do you think?
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Quade Cooper needs an inside centre with the right game style. They've done that at the Reds, with Anthony Fainga'a and kinda Ben Tapuai. Now the Wallabies need to do it. Matt Giteau was close to the right style when he was a great inside, but now playing a lot of fly-half has deteriorated that. So Gits is out. Barnes is way too conservative, and kicks all the time. So he's out. James O'Connor has already been told by Robbie Deans that he is still too small for 12. So Deans won't play him at inside. That only leaves Anthony Fainga'a, who I think has the game to step it up to the Wallabies.

What do you think?
I think this thread already exists somewhere...
 
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