The Wallabies Thread

[wamberal]

Think you are a bit optimistic, Dru. The Argies away is a big hurdle, and the Saffers at a Stadium where we have never won is even bigger.


2 out of 6.

 

[Lorenzo]

If the WBs don't show signs of being competitive this weekend, and serious drubbing across the rest of the year is very much on the cards. 3/6 for those games is on the high side I think.

NZ - unlikely
Eng - unlikely
Wales - toss a coin
RSA -?? This weekend is a big game in many ways.
Arg - should do but you just don't know
Ity - we win

We will do something weird like beat Italy and New Zealand (the dead rubber test has been the one for us for a decade now)but lose the rest. And that will be enough give TGC some good press and job security until the end of 2023.

 

[Derpus]

Brendan Venter's two cents:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion...cheika-isnt-a-panacea-for-australias-problems

As usual with BV there's some good points in there but comparing TGC to Jose Mourinho is a reach IMO.

Yeah Jose has won a few things

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

We will do something weird like beat Italy and New Zealand (the dead rubber test has been the one for us for a decade now)but lose the rest. And that will be enough give TGC some good press and job security until the end of 2023.

Wouldn't weird be beating NZ then losing to Italy? Otherwise it's just an expected win coming soon after one perhaps slightly less expected, innit

 

[Strewthcobber]

Ex NZ, in 2018 we're 13 tries to 9 v all opposition without scoring more than 3 in any match.

2 wins from 6 games.

Need to find a goal kicker

 

[Brumby Jack]

Maddocks heading back to Aus with a broken finger/hand injury and TPN back to England to rehab his hamstring.

Latu heading over to Argentina.

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/09/30/rugby-championship-port-elizabeth-maddocks-injury

 

[wamberal]

Need to find a goal kicker

It could be argued that a good goal kicker must be the first player chosen.

 

[RugbyReg]

interesting article in the Australian today that culminated in saying that travelling media were invited to all Wallaby training this past week and received insight on the tactics and strategies planned. The premise being at least be knowledgeable when criticizing.
The long passes, that were part of the game plan, were intercepted at the Thursday training.
They practised inside passes and switch passes to big forward runners up the middle. None of it eventuated during the game itself.
The first lineout session of the week was a shambles which was apparently all player related, not coaching.

Now, on the face of it it provides insight that we’ve been after – much seems the players’ inability to execute the game plan.

But does it not also kinda feel Cheika wanted to throw his players under the bus? “Hey media, come and have a look at how bad my players are?”

 

[Slim 293]

It's interesting that the blame for the lineout issues are being laid on the players and not the coaches...........

Paul Cully's take from weekend:

The statistics will say the Wallabies' lineout improved, albeit off a low base, but in reality it never looked assured.

To the naked eye, Folau Fainga'a's throwing looked fine but the issue seemed to be that the Springboks – Eben Etzebeth in particular – was reading the play.

We have to be a little bit careful here – the Springboks, All Blacks and Argentina all had their issues this weekend – but there is no doubt that there is a fundamental issue with the Wallabies' lineout.

It has been picked apart by opposition analysts all year, which is a hugely disappointing outcome given that three of the four Australian Super Rugby franchises were operating at 87.1 per cent or higher.

For all the flak the Super Rugby franchises cop for not preparing players well for the Wallabies, in this case there has been a disconnect between what they do efficiently and how the Wallabies have performed.

 

[kiap]

But does it not also kinda feel Cheika wanted to throw his players under the bus? “Hey media, come and have a look at how bad my players are?”

It does.

 

[tragic]

interesting article in the Australian today that culminated in saying that travelling media were invited to all Wallaby training this past week and received insight on the tactics and strategies planned. The premise being at least be knowledgeable when criticizing.
The long passes, that were part of the game plan, were intercepted at the Thursday training.
They practised inside passes and switch passes to big forward runners up the middle. None of it eventuated during the game itself.
The first lineout session of the week was a shambles which was apparently all player related, not coaching.

Now, on the face of it it provides insight that we’ve been after – much seems the players’ inability to execute the game plan.

But does it not also kinda feel Cheika wanted to throw his players under the bus? “Hey media, come and have a look at how bad my players are?”

It also reflects badly on Cheika.
Pick a team who can implement your game plan.
Or use another game plan.
Don’t stick with what is not working then blame the players.

 

[Up the Guts]

It also reflects badly on Cheika.
Pick a team who can implement your game plan.
Or use another game plan.
Don’t stick with what is not working then blame the players.

The fact that the game plan is inexecutable would suggest it's just a shit game plan altogether. Why the hell anyone thought it would be a good idea to throw to Hooper against Etzebeth is beyond me.

It's like the numerous times the reshuffle of the defensive line has failed, it's never been the reshuffle itself just players failing to execute their roles or some crap.

 

[dru]

I’d have to revisit the recording but thought Hooper was in front of Etzebeth leaving Etzebeth more focussed on the known jumpers. I thought Hooper was one of the more accomplished (by success rate) jumpers on the day.

 

[Slim 293]

I’d have to revisit the recording but thought Hooper was in front of Etzebeth leaving Etzebeth more focussed on the known jumpers. I thought Hooper was one of the more accomplished (by success rate) jumpers on the day.

We threw to him quite a number of times, for whatever reason............

But there were back to back to back throws we lost to him with Etzebeth easily picking him off.

 

[dru]

We threw to him quite a number of times, for whatever reason....

But there were back to back to back throws we lost to him with Etzebeth easily picking him off.

I thought we went there when little else was working. It became predictable and eventually E. changed target.

 

[TSR]

With regards to the long cut outs - it did find space at times, but surely the plan is to throw it when on, not just carte Blanche to do it whenever. When the Boks scored the first try, the commentators kept talking about Beale spotting the space and Dyantyi coming from nowhere but from what I could see the Boks had that side well covered and Dyantyi was given a mile of time to sprint through to the pass. (Maybe someone at the game can correct me if it looked different there).

So purely player error or inability of our coaching to teach guys to read the game or a combo of both?

 

[Namerican]

With regards to the long cut outs - it did find space at times, but surely the plan is to throw it when on, not just carte Blanche to do it whenever. When the Boks scored the first try, the commentators kept talking about Beale spotting the space and Dyantyi coming from nowhere but from what I could see the Boks had that side well covered and Dyantyi was given a mile of time to sprint through to the pass. (Maybe someone at the game can correct me if it looked different there).

So purely player error or inability of our coaching to teach guys to read the game or a combo of both?

Player error for sure, although the Wallabies have generally been terrible at exiting their own half with kicks.

It is a coaching error as Beale should never be playing 10.

 

[Gnostic]

interesting article in the Australian today that culminated in saying that travelling media were invited to all Wallaby training this past week and received insight on the tactics and strategies planned. The premise being at least be knowledgeable when criticizing.

The long passes, that were part of the game plan, were intercepted at the Thursday training.

They practised inside passes and switch passes to big forward runners up the middle. None of it eventuated during the game itself.

The first lineout session of the week was a shambles which was apparently all player related, not coaching.



Now, on the face of it it provides insight that we’ve been after – much seems the players’ inability to execute the game plan.



But does it not also kinda feel Cheika wanted to throw his players under the bus? “Hey media, come and have a look at how bad my players are?”

If a training session (in sport or anywhere else) is a shambles it generally comes back to the planning of the session and the control of the presenter/trainer.

The long passes thing is exactly what I said about Beale's passing on the goal line, it was obviously a trained tactic and the whole backline was set for it as the only play, nobody was genuinely in position to execute a clearing kick and the whole thing was telegraphed that the Boks just had to rush up. Very very amateur, not just in the execution which is the players but in the idiocy of the tactic, which comes back to the coaching itself. As a rapid counter fine wide pass on the goal line can work, we've all seen it at its exhilarating best, but as a first phase tactic against a set defence off a kick off - that is just stupid, genuinely stupid. As I predicted Beale is being lambasted for the pretty shoddy execution, and I feal no real sympathy as his skills have always been where they are now, he has done nothing to improve them, except in defence (which is better but erratic). But to lump the failure all on him when the coaches selected him know (or should have known/recognised) that his passing was not up to standard to play that game and they selected him to play that, before we even consider the colossal stupidity of playing such tactics against a very good defensive side in a TEST match, it is just too easy and obfuscating to place the blame for this on Beale. I write all that in defence of Beale, a player who I would never had had in a Wallabies jersey ever again after the Patston/Link affair and all his previous indiscretions, like JOC (James O'Connor) he should have been sent packing and the culture of the side would have been much better for it.

 

[Strewthcobber]

It could be argued that a good goal kicker must be the first player chosen.

Who's the best goal kicker in Australia?

 

[Rebels3]

The cattle is fine given they have the right game plan just like the coaching is also fine given the right cattle.

This basically says to me there is a disconnect between the players ability to execute and the coaches ability to adapt, a middle ground needs to be found.

Don't actually think there is anything fundamentally wrong with the 'culture' etc. what we do need is some more pragmatism in our game plan to simplify to match the players limitations, our biggest enemy at the moment is that the coach and players are too PROUD to admit these errors. If the line out is going to malfunction, it might be time to look at some over throws or throws to one to keep the opposition at least guessing.