Wallabies v USA Eagles, 5th September, Soldier Field, Chicago

[KOB1987]

What do we expect for this team?

I'd expect the team to be made up of guys in the RWC squad in need of some game time (e.g. T Smith, Hanson, Simmons, Beale, Horne), plus obviously the 9 or so guys who go that aren't in the RWC squad, with the remaining slots to be balanced out by front line players.

 

[Viking]

Start first choice halves 9.10.12 so they can work on their combination. Everyone else to be chosen on the need for fitness and game time.

 

[Pfitzy]

Depends who is picked in the squad.

1 Sio
2 TPN
3 Holmes
4 Douglas
5 Horwill
6 Mumm
7 Pocock
8 McCalman
9 Phipps
10 Foley
11 Horne
12 To'omua
13 TK
14 Mitchell
15 Folau

16 3rd Hooker
17 5th Prop
18 Holmes
19 Skelton
20 Hooper
21 White
22 Beale
23 Whichever winger makes it out of Speight or Tomane

 

[redstragic]

Just misses fathers day I'll still have to get up and get everyone going with breakfast for Saturday activity day.

 

[Viking]

I think it would be wise to rest Folau and start the back-up fullback - whoever that is. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Mitchell or Beale I presume.

 

[Braveheart81]

My guess is a group of starting XV players will be put in cotton wool for this game.

Slipper, Moore, Kepu, possibly Sio, Pocock, Hooper and Folau would be my guess.

If we're taking 9 extra players to Chicago you'd imagine that they'll probably all (or almost all) get a game.

 

[Viking]

Are the USA threatening at all? Could they compete with a team like Fiji or Samoa or are they just horrible?

 

[Brumby Runner]

Depends who is picked in the squad.

1 Sio
2 TPN
3 Holmes
4 Douglas
5 Horwill
6 Mumm
7 Pocock
8 McCalman
9 Phipps
10 Foley
11 Horne
12 To'omua
13 TK
14 Mitchell
15 Folau

16 3rd Hooker
17 5th Prop
18 Holmes
19 Skelton
20 Hooper
21 White
22 Beale
23 Whichever winger makes it out of Speight or Tomane

I'd play Mitchell at 15 and leave Izzy well away from prying NFL eyes myself.

 

[tigerland12]

Are the USA threatening at all? Could they compete with a team like Fiji or Samoa or are they just horrible?

Think Japan and Canada level

All Blacks

Ireland, Australia, South Africa, England, France, Wales

Argentina, Samoa, Scotland, Fiji, Tonga, Italy

Japan, USA, Georgia, Canada

Romania, Russia, Uruguay, Namibia

That's probably the levels you'd look at, and yes I see the All Blacks on their own level.

 

[Highlander35]

More or less got that right.

Teirs are more than capable of being competitive with ones above and below them, but 2 up or 2 down is a bit of a foregone conclusion.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

re Post #9.

France deserve their own category/tier, which stands out to the side. They can compete with the NZL team, and can just as easily be beaten by tier 3 teams.

 

[kiap]

The match will be shown live on the NBC Sports Network in the US (i.e Pay TV outlet for NBC - but it's not bad coverage) ...

STAMFORD, Conn. – NBCSN will present an international rugby showdown in primetime on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET, when the USA Eagles host the Qantas Wallabies at historic Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill . . .​

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. . . The Eagles will be looking for their first-ever win against the Wallabies, with Australia having taken all eight meetings between the two sides. Their last U.S. meeting was in October 1993, as the Wallabies defeated the Eagles, 26-22, in Riverside, Calif . . .​

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. . . “NBC Sports has been a great partner for us, and we are looking forward to having this match on the air Labor Day Weekend,” said USA Rugby Chief Executive Officer Nigel Melville. “We had a great event last year in Chicago, and are expecting much of the same this year as we prep for the World Cup.”​

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“Rugby has been a great addition to our live content in recent years, and we’re building off of the success of last year’s Eagles-All Blacks match by adding USA-Australia this year,” said Gary Quinn, Vice President, Programming and Owned Properties.​

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. . . NBCSN, part of the NBC Sports Group, is a 24/7/365 sports network dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Premier League, NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, Mecum Auctions, Tour de France, and the America’s Cup. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball . . .​

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http://usarugby.org/news/item/nbcsn...om-soldier-field-saturday-sept-5-in-primetime

 

[drop kick]

Cheika intends to start Beale at 12 according to press reports.

Wayne Smith says:
Cheika has run five different 10/12 combinations in the past eight Tests and indicated he was set to tinker with the inside backs again by starting Kurtley Beale at inside-centre in the World Cup warm-up match in Chicago.
“The only player who hasn’t had a start in this recent set of matches is Kurtley Beale. Obviously, I know him very well and what he can bring in the midfield,” Cheika said.
“He has shown a lot of consistency around his work at provincial level over the last year or two. It has been a bit frustrating for him, but he has understood my thought process around having a look at some of the different combinations and what his role is.
“Initially, he wasn’t fit, but since he has been fit he has been included in all the match 23s. That shows what we think of him. I’m sure he will be in line for a start in the American match and have a look at his selection from there.”

 

[Jagman]

Are the USA threatening at all? Could they compete with a team like Fiji or Samoa or are they just horrible?

Only indication of where they are at from my perspective is that Greg Peterson is in their starting side. In many years at the Tahs I think he got one cap, good club player but was just ok in the NRC last year.

 

[Red-L]

How are people still picking Foley. His 2 games have been much worse then Cooper (Deffence and Kicking especially). Cooper will benefit from more game time. We won't win a world cup with Foley in. Cooper at least still is a possibility.

 

[USARugger]

Wallabies midfield should have a field day against whatever Tolkin rolls out for USA.

We're going to get our asses kicked and I may live blog it again.

 

[Omar Comin']

Only indication of where they are at from my perspective is that Greg Peterson is in their starting side. In many years at the Tahs I think he got one cap, good club player but was just ok in the NRC last year.

He's borderline for them as a starter. Didn't perform that well in the Pacific Nations Cup and if the US play Samu Manoa at lock then I'd guess he'll probably be on the bench.

The US have some very good players but just have a few too many positions of weakness to be a good chance of making the world cup quarter finals. If you could give them a decent front row, half back and centre they'd be much more of a threat.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Wallabies midfield should have a field day against whatever Tolkin rolls out for USA.

We're going to get our asses kick and I may live blog it again.

I'm sorry. I really am but I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Not at the Eagles getting pumped but more that we both know that the pairing will be Palamo and Kelly. Which actually is a massive shame. Guess Scully and Co. Won't be seeing much ball.

 

[Braveheart81]

How are people still picking Foley. His 2 games have been much worse then Cooper (Deffence and Kicking especially). Cooper will benefit from more game time. We won't win a world cup with Foley in. Cooper at least still is a possibility.

Neither have done anything to improve their claims to the 10 jersey.

The only place you can argue that Cooper is more likely to win a RWC is on paper. Performances close to his best are few and far between and none are recent. The only available evidence of either at the RWC is Cooper from 2011 and it didn't go well for him.

Most people backing Foley probably consider him a less risky proposition.

It's a far from ideal situation to be in a month out from the RWC but that's how it is. Neither have played well but one or both of them are likely to play 10 through the RWC.

I don't think there's any more basis in fact in saying that it's a smarter decision to pick Cooper than it is to pick Foley than the other way around.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

He's borderline for them as a starter. Didn't perform that well in the Pacific Nations Cup and if the US play Samu Manoa at lock then I'd guess he'll probably be on the bench.

The US have some very good players but just have a few too many positions of weakness to be a good chance of making the world cup quarter finals. If you could give them a decent front row, half back and centre they'd be much more of a threat.

Tolkien would be mad to play Manoa in the 2nd rower which means that's probably what he'll do. I think a LaValla/Dolan 2nd row combo would work better.