Wallabies V Ireland, Brisbane

[daz]

Fatprop, and others saying similar things:


As Deans has said, he wants to experiment and take risks. OK baby, let's start some new experiments and team dynamics off as the ones so far in 2010 haven't all worked too brilliantly.

Let's really shake the team right up, and some of the damnable player inconsistency. Let's see if we can create something much better, and take some risks...

RH, I agree, but it seems to me that RD HAS been experimenting!

I also note that when RD does actually shake things up and take some risks, he gets pasted for having inexperienced guys "learn on the job in Wallaby colours". Those same nay-sayers will then presumably have a go at RD for not blooding new talent for the RWC.

The guy can't win no matter what he does.

 

[RugbyReg]

the comparisons between 1991 and 1999 are unfair as its not the RWC year yet. A better comparison would be 1990 and 1998.

This was the comparative test in 1990, so 3 games in (v France at SFS):

David Campese
Ian Williams
Jason Little
Paul Cornish
Paul Carozza
Michael Lynagh
Nick Farr-Jones
Tim Gavin
Brendan Nasser
Jeff Miller
Rod Mcall
Peter Fitzsimons
Ewen Mcenzie
Phil Kearns
Tony Daly

8 people that would start in the RWC final a little over 12 months later, with one in a positional switch. It must be said that some important combos are there, ie the front row and the halves, and Horan and Eales were injured. So from this team, Eales came in for Fitzy; Willie O for Nasser, Poido for Miller and Tripod Troy Coker for Gav. In the backs it was Roebuck for Campo at fullback with Campo moving to wing for Carozza and Ego on the other wing for Williams with Timmy coming back for Cornish.

In 1998 things were a little different. Third test in v Scotland at Ballymore:

Matt Burke
Ben Tune
Daniel Herbert
Tim Horan
Joe Roff
Steve Larkham
George Gregan
Toutai Kefu
David Wilson
Matt Cockbain
John Eales
Tom Bowman
Andrew Blades
Phil Kearns
Richard Harry

and that was pretty much the team bar Giffen for Bowman. Oh and Kearns got injured and Foley too his spot. But that was injury free. Look at the team at the start of the 1999 season and we had Crowley, Noriega and Paul in the front row and Latho at fullback.

I don't know what my argument is here. Just perhaps that we don't need our RWC team playing well now. Although...it'd be nice to be winning a trophy this year though. And not just by drawing the series.

 

[RugbyReg]

So who is going to this game?

me!

 

[MrTimms]

So who is going to this game?

I will be there somewhere.

 

[liquor box]

In an age where every breakdown, every tackle, every statistic is scrutinised how can the laziness of some of our forwards be so often overlooked?
.

I think Dingo said he is more concerned with the workrate of players just out of the ruck when selecting a team. Maybe if you can be seen to be working but not make the statistics then you are safe?

 

[David]

So who is going to this game?

I too am going to the game.

 

[Langthorne]

The guy can't win no matter what he does.

That would appear to be the problem

 

[Croks]

So who is going to this game?

I'll be there.

 

[RedsHappy]

That would appear to be the problem

Drat Langthorne, you beat me to that response ;-).

 

[daz]

That would appear to be the problem

Damn. An ace right down the middle. Well served, sir.

 

[Scotty]

me too. Irish games are the best atmosphere.

 

[Scott Allen]

Dropped in to Wallabies training this morning.

Forwards working in two seperate groups for much of the session - one group was starting pack from Saturday plus Chisolm interchanging with Mumm in the lineouts. No signs of any other changes in the pack.

Backs - very very low intensity session with lots of talking and walking through basic alignment work. Of the 60 minutes of the backs working away from forwards, I think they talked to them for 20 minutes. I was very surpised at how low intensity it was - almost like something you'd do with a group of players meeting each other for the first time. Was too far away to hear what Robbie was trying to impart to them. Horne running at #13 and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) on the wing. Hynes did interchange in a few times on the wing.

Apart from AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and possibly Chisolm (oh and of course Burgess) it looks like we might maintain the status quo.

 

[daz]

We can see how this is going to pan out, right? We comfortably beat the Irish, get hammered by both the Boks and the Kiwis in the Tri's (except for a marvellous victory in Sydney/Brisbane/Elsewhere in Oz) that makes us think we are back on track, then an ordinary EOYT, etc, etc.

Apologies if this has been posted earlier, but this quote from Dwyer today made me sit up an take notice:

"On current form, and my assessment of their respective potential, I don't see either team as winning quarter-finalists next year and, of the two, I see England as the more likely to alter my opinion," Dwyer wrote in his analysis on the Heavensgame website.

So, while I suppose anything could happen, is our 91 cup winning coach right? Anyone agree/disagree?

 

[Scotty]

Depends if he is talking about the team on the park the last few weeks, or is considering the likes of Moore, TPN, Robinson, Alexander, Horwill, Palu being injured. In fact we have 5 of our first choice starting forwards out at the moment. Oz rugby doesn't have the depth to support that many injuries.

And don't forget what happened to Dwyer's team in 95.

 

[MrMouse]

13 Chambers
12 Faainga
3 Baxter
1 Fairbrother

16 Charles

I like the cut of your team's jib, but it has the drawback of no less than five players being unavailable through injury/not in the squad.

 

[Utility Back]

Goin to the game, hopefully a cracker!
Shit loss against england but one missed kick was all the difference. Was watching the 7 commentary and they said how 'giteau loves the pressure kicks the most'.
Thanks for that one i thought as he went on to miss the next two including a sitter, and i was reminded of the loss against scotland. He should be retained though i suppose, his kicking form during the super 14 was unreal, like >85% wasn't it? Fucks up a sitter, or even moderately difficult but game winning kick again, than im worried cause world cups are won and lost on that stuff. Gettin paid 800 thousand a year or so has me expecting you can get the ball in bewteen a 5 metre or so radius.

We can always put it down to the greeness of many forwards especially front rowers, and how much better we would be performing with our 4 best front rowers, and Horwill who would also add greater power behind them than sharpe or mumm do, and Palu our most destructive forward out the back as well, the xtra experience and physicality they would brind is sorely missing. Saia Fainga'a hasn't been doing it for me at test level, yet, but neither does edmonds so what choice do we have but to let him learn. Daley will be unreal i reckon in the future, very glad he's red. Actually if theres any reason im happy with robbie choosing the front row he has, its because of the load of good im hoping it wil do for the reds!

I was pretty unipressed with genia on saturday actually, he was much slower than burgess was last week, but that may be due to breaking his thumb in the opening 10 minutes. Its a shame ben lucas is a reserve at the reds on his own behalf (not for the reds) i reckon he would be better than valentine as a back up this weekend. I might be biased though cause i fuckin hate valentine the pest!

Onto the coming game, i hope hodgson gets a better run, i'd take brown off and let him have a dig, has he played much 8 before? AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) should never be left on the bench again, He should be full back or 13, JOC (James O'Connor) on the bench, Marcia to start for diggers, horne pretty ordinary so far, but let him have another crack.

And ive written far more than i intended to as im trying to study fro exams. Damn you G&GR, your worse than facebook or the Xbox, and beer. Grrr

 

[MrMouse]

I think Dingo said he is more concerned with the workrate of players just out of the ruck when selecting a team. Maybe if you can be seen to be working but not make the statistics then you are safe?

So basically, running around like a headless chook is a goer? Fair enough.

Dropped in to Wallabies training this morning.

Forwards working in two seperate groups for much of the session - one group was starting pack from Saturday plus Chisolm interchanging with Mumm in the lineouts. No signs of any other changes in the pack.

Backs - very very low intensity session with lots of talking and walking through basic alignment work. Of the 60 minutes of the backs working away from forwards, I think they talked to them for 20 minutes. I was very surpised at how low intensity it was - almost like something you'd do with a group of players meeting each other for the first time. Was too far away to hear what Robbie was trying to impart to them. Horne running at #13 and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) on the wing. Hynes did interchange in a few times on the wing.

Apart from AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and possibly Chisolm (oh and of course Burgess) it looks like we might maintain the status quo.

No surprise there, but perhaps a touch disappointing. At least RD will know for sure which players from this 22 he wants in 3N.

 

[RedsHappy]

....We can see how this is going to pan out, right? We comfortably beat the Irish,....

Daz, IMO, if we play like we did v England in Sydney, the Irish could conceivably beat us. When you have a sec, check out how well Ireland played in the second half v ABs recently in NZ, when, with 14/13/14 men that half they put on multiple tries, some very well worked I thought. The ABs slowed off a bit from their outstanding first half (which btw made the Wallabies first half v Fiji laughable in comparison...both halves being first Tests of the season).

Australia will need a significant uplift vs Sydney to beat Ireland. And I think that uplift will happen, a la England post Perth. The question will then be (just as you note) - how rigidly and well constructed is that uplift, and will the scaffolding be all dismembered when we meet the Boks a month later.

As an aside, I for one will be closely watching Elsom at Suncorp. It's early days in his captaincy, but we cannot yet be sure that the position is suiting him, or he it. There's something lacklustre about his recent play which worries me, and his 'man of few words' ways on the field may on occasion be that of 'man of too few words' in terms of what is required.

 

[daz]

As an aside, I for one will be closely watching Elsom at Suncorp. It's early days in his captaincy, but we cannot yet be sure that the position is suiting him, or he it. There's something lacklustre about his recent play which worries me, and his 'man of few words' ways on the field may on occasion be that of 'man of too few words' in terms of what is required.

I'm not sure about that RH. Will Genia is a "man of almost no words" yet look how he led the Reds.

While I am sure that Rocky is not the gung-ho pre-game speech type of captain, I do see him talking to the ref quite alot, for clarification or to point out issues on the field. He seems Captain material from what I have seen, and he is certainly well respected by both hemispheres. Whether he is the right man for his position is another question, and one that others can offer more insight than me.

 

[Scotty]

Rocky was also doing plenty of talking in the huddle post game.