Wales v Wallabies, Cardiff, Nov 30 2013
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Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
Actually the ones they lost they they were unabackable odds to win had inexplicable losses the year/immediately before the tournament. In 1998 Australia had the wood on them totally, but in 2003 they were carrying all before them until David Wilson led Wallabies defended them off the park in Melbourne I think it was. These sorts of wins not only give confidence to the winning side they set a blue print.
Conversely in 1991 the English toured Australia before the RWC and were thoroughly trounced conceding 5 tries even though they played their traditional forward dominance game fairly well. They went to the RWC and played that style and beat all comers to the final when they discarded it and played a far more open style game. Many historians love to push the tale that Campo slagging them off for being boring spurred this, but to my mind it was always rubbish, they tried their grinding forward game in Oz and got no where near the Wallabies so they altered the plan and almost carried the day. Perhaps if they had practised that style a lot more they would have won that game, as the Wallabies missed Tim Gavin enormously.
In making this statement about Wales we have to look at their set up and ask are they likely to win playing Warren-Ball, if you discount the Lions series one against a hopelessly self-handicapped Wallabies side you would have to say history is against it. In that case we have to ask if they are able to produce a 1991 England style change of play, and I would gain have to say that I don't think they have a coaching team able to produce that sort of game plan. IMO Wales under Gatland are extremely limited and totally reliant on players like Halfpenny (to kick goals) and Roberts and Davies to dominate the mid field. Without them they will provide very stern but unimaginative and limited opposition.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Forcefield
Ken Catchpole (46)
Adam Jones. The single most important player to Wales' plans to beat the Wallabies in the RWC. The step down from AJ to Wales' next best tighthead is huge. When AJ is on the park, our scrum is under pressure. When he isn't, the ledger is roughly even.
Halfpenny and Warrenball aren't our biggest threats. Being scrum penaltied off the park is. It was off the back of this that the Lions won the final test. The first two games were very close and no surprise that the penalty count in scrums was roughly even in those first two games.
Halfpenny and Warrenball aren't our biggest threats. Being scrum penaltied off the park is. It was off the back of this that the Lions won the final test. The first two games were very close and no surprise that the penalty count in scrums was roughly even in those first two games.
lewisr
Bill McLean (32)
When we've got guys like To'omua and Drani in the centres, I don't really think they'll be 'cutting us to shreds'. One of the most allrounded combos we've had in a while.
A mutterer
Chilla Wilson (44)
Have just looked at the G&G rankings for this game and somehow Izzy is ahead with 922 thumbs up and Quade with 987 is second as I write this.
But LG - you have to minus the thumbs down.
OK - that should get me 876 for Izzy and 934 for Quade.
Quade wuz robbed, I tell ya—robbed.
Something rank about the rankings??
Edit: OK - it's changed now - or did I have a senior moment?
.
But LG - you have to minus the thumbs down.
OK - that should get me 876 for Izzy and 934 for Quade.
Quade wuz robbed, I tell ya—robbed.
Something rank about the rankings??
Edit: OK - it's changed now - or did I have a senior moment?
.
Were you using a laptop? If so, there is a known issue involving QC (Quade Cooper) where it can be initially misplaced but then rectified later.
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk
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