The Wallabies Thread

[boyo]

Weeks is out for 6.

Weeks?

 

[Slim 293]

Folau at OC is becoming a more attractive option every week. He's been great there IMO, and is probably the form Aussie back at the moment.

Not sure who you'd play at fullback though, maybe DHP or Hunt?

Folau appeared to drop back a bit last night to receive kicks...........

I think the Wobs will need his reliability to field bombs, plus there's a lack of solid alternatives for fullback........

But obviously he should be brought into the midfield off set piece attack.

 

[Gnostic]

Folau even with his kicking deficiencies is still the best fullback Australia has, you replace him with someone who is a better kicker and they present their own weaknesses, whether they be their ability to take the ball in the air, positioning or kick returning.



Whilst it will probable be defensively fragile, a backline with a centre pairing of Kerevi-Kuridrani and Folau at fullback would present a defensive nightmare for England.





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I do agree except that his unmatched aerial skills and counter attacking threat are now being shut down as teams realise that with a fast chase they allow him to take the ball uncontested and take him out early. He has been effectively negated in his strengths and with no real kicking options to support him teams know he has little choice but to run it back as under pressure his kicks are poor.

A bit like Skelton, I don't buy the lack of impact argument about him. If you watch closely he take the ball into contact against two or three tacklers every time and usually manages to at least make the gain line. The problem is in who oppositions are using to target him in defence, most usually a prop to add the weight and stopping power and either a lock of backrower to support and block the offload as well as slow the ruck ball. The Tahs have been trying to use him as a dummy in centre field but it just isn't working. They need to revist how he is used. Its a bit like Timani Snr and who he was wasted by Deans, asking him to hit the ball up from a lineout from first receiver starting 10 metres behind the ad. line, and people were surprised that the Wallabies were caught behind the line 99% of the time.

 

[Ash]

I buy the lack of impact for Skelton this year, it just hasn't been there in most games.

McMahon definitely wouldn't be undeserving of a place on the bench. Plays well above his size.

 

[Muzza]

I'm so sick of the rubbish the Australian super rugby sides are doing every weekend!
I'm also SO over the European teams destroying rugby world wide by trying to get the players to stop playing for their country. And destroying Sanzar in the process .
And while I'm having a rant how the hell does John oneill sleeps at night when he and his regime were responsible for the demise of rugby in Australia ! They had lots of money in the bank and were ranked number 2 in Australia in sport . Back handed payment to the old boys + paying overs for nrl players instead of throwing money into where it was needed,grassroots !
FARK!!

 

[Gnostic]

This weekends games have really re-inforced my view that the Australian sides lack effective kickers in the back three.​

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The England games are going to be a very big challenge as I think the English will be far better prepared under Jones and Co and they will actually have a balanced backline without Burgess in there and I will be surprised if they go with anything remotely like the limiting combination of Farrell and Barret, though ATM I think Farrell is a walk up start for 10.​

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In Launchbury, Itoje and Kruis they have three of the best second rowers in world rugby IMO and on current form none of the Australian versions are anywhere near the required form. I think the June tests will be far closer than anybody would have thought after the RWC game.​

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[Groucho]

I'm so sick of the rubbish the Australian super rugby sides are doing every weekend!
I'm also SO over the European teams destroying rugby world wide by trying to get the players to stop playing for their country. And destroying Sanzar in the process .
And while I'm having a rant how the hell does John oneill sleeps at night when he and his regime were responsible for the demise of rugby in Australia ! They had lots of money in the bank and were ranked number 2 in Australia in sport . Back handed payment to the old boys + paying overs for nrl players instead of throwing money into where it was needed,grassroots !
FARK!!

Responsible for the demise of rugby in Australia? Do you mean now that he's turned around Australian soccer, just like he did when he took over the ARU?

Hopefully that too will go to the shithouse when he leaves.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^^^^ FFA is run by David Gallup, ex NRL: Possum Head is CEO of Echo Entertainment who run Jupiters on the GC & other casinos. Somehow him being in charge of a business that exists by fleecing people while pretending to entertain them seems very, very appropriate.

 

[Muzza]

Responsible for the demise of rugby in Australia? Do you mean now that he's turned around Australian soccer, just like he did when he took over the ARU?

Hopefully that too will go to the shithouse when he leaves.

Australian rugby was broke when he wiped his hands with it . He left bill pulver to pick up the pieces. Considering what pulver has had the deal with I think he's doing a pretty good job. Imagine he had the funds Oneill had

 

[RugbyReg]

Folau at OC is becoming a more attractive option every week. He's been great there IMO, and is probably the form Aussie back at the moment.

Not sure who you'd play at fullback though, maybe DHP or Hunt?

only if you haven't been watching Kerevi. He must be in the test team. Put him at 13 and keep Izzy at 15.

DHP can be eased in via the wing

 

[wamberal]

Australian rugby was broke when he wiped his hands with it . He left bill pulver to pick up the pieces. Considering what pulver has had the deal with I think he's doing a pretty good job. Imagine he had the funds Oneill had

And if your auntie had balls she would be your uncle.


A bit of perspective would be a good thing. For starters, rugby in Australia had a huge kick along when (a) the game went professional (b) the super league war erupted (c) we had a very successful national side during the nineties and (d) O'Neill pilfered sole ownership for Australia of the 2003 RWC.


So the money in the bank was partly O'Neill's doing. Does he get credit for that?

Players like Tuqiri and Sailor made than paid for themselves. You only have to look at the dive in Waratahs' attendances when Tuqiri was axed - he was a huge drawcard, especially amongst the kids.


The NRL was always going to recover. Unfortunately, our game went backwards as a spectacle. The 2007 RWC was a benchmark in boring play.


O'Neill did his best to update the rules. Do you give him any credit for the "Stellenbosch Project"?


The game today in Australia is where it is for a myriad reasons. Any fair-minded observer would accept that we are up against two enormously strong and deeply rooted competitors.. Both of them have total control of their rule-books.


Unlike us. Our game us ruled by the old and young fogeys of the Northern Hemisphere.


That is not O'Neill's fault.

 

[TSR]

In a struggling Force outfit, Adam Coleman seems to be going from strength to strength to me. Arnold seems to be the crowd favourite on here to get the second lock spot, but personally I'd like to see Coleman get a crack.

 

[Sully]

You forgot to mention that the ARU was already broke when O'Neil returned about 5 years later. He had to cut the ARC and staff to make ends meet. And organise extra games to bring in more revenue.

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[wamberal]

You forgot to mention that the ARU was already broke when O'Neil returned about 5 years later. He had to cut the ARC and staff to make ends meet. And organise extra games to bring in more revenue.

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Plus in my opinion the failure of the district clubs to support the ARC (and the profligacy of the VRU) meant that a very good rugby product - on FTA!!! - was strangled at birth.


Imagine if the ARC had been able to pay for itself, it would not have taken much. We might now have what every Tom, Dick, and Harriet has been calling for.


Another problem that was certainly not JON's fault was that the "nest-egg" investments suffered from some poor decisions.


The ARU does have a Board, by the way, the Board oversees all the major decisions made by the CEO.

As for the grass roots: by definition they grow from the bottom up. If the community is not willing to support the game, in cash and/or in kind, it would not matter how much of our very limited financial resources were poured in. Watering sterile soil produces nothing except mud.

 

[barbarian]

only if you haven't been watching Kerevi. He must be in the test team. Put him at 13 and keep Izzy at 15.

DHP can be eased in via the wing

I need to give myself an uppercut though, because I've broken the one rule I said I would follow - if you got us to the World Cup Final, you're in the team no questions asked.

So I must apologise profusely to Tevita. He's in my team with Folau at fullback.

I love what Kerevi is doing, and the 22 jersey has his name all over it.
.

 

[Brumby Runner]

If Kerevi comes into 12 as some suggest, and he must be in the equation for his straight running and line-breaking capability, then I'd like to see DHP considered for 13. The combination of his elusiveness outside Kerevi could be a huge challenge to any defense. The problem then would be to decide who plays on the wings. Horne would almost certainly be 11, but 14 is an issue until someone like Joe Tomane regains fitness.

I believe in keeping Folau at 15 as he is our best there by far.

 

[RugbyReg]

I think we're beyond the RWC loyalty rule now, at least when someone is showing the form Kerevi is.

I also think Slipper is all over Sio at the moment.

Both should be in the starting team in my eyes

 

[TSR]

I think it is worth noting Slippers form was clearly affected by injury last year - he was clear first choice before that and was close to Australia's best in the previous 12 months. Not to take anything away from Sio's excellent form last year.

Whilst I agree in general with the premise that Cheika will show loyalty to his World Cup players - swapping the starting and bench props is not much of an issue IMO.

 

[barbarian]

I think we're beyond the RWC loyalty rule now, at least when someone is showing the form Kerevi is.

You may be beyond the World Cup, Reg. But I certainly am not. I think about it every day. It still fills me with a mix of pride, sadness, excitement, disappointment. It's the crystal meth of rugby memories.

Tevita is a big game player and will lift for the Poms. Kerevi will get his chance, but I would start him from the bench and see how he goes.
.

 

[wamberal]

Which World Cup are we stuck in?


I choose 1991.