Wallabies v Wales (Cardiff)

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Michael, I'm sure you're a top bloke and I know you play your guts out every week, but you are not test captaincy material I'm afraid. In test match footy the overwhelming majority of the time, you take the points when they are on offer, especially in a tight one. I normally wouldn't make remarks like this but I've seen it so often now that I get the impression that he doesn't understand it.

 

[Up the Guts]

It's looking pretty bleak, didn't even entertain the thought of getting up for this one. Without taking anything away from Wales, I don't think there have been too many times I've looked up an Aus vs Wales result fully expecting the Wallabies to have lost.

 

[dru]

Bit harsh some of the comments on the quality of the game - it was a tough affair by reasonably matched teams, pretty much ref'ed very consistently throughout. Both teams had their chances. Got to say well done to Wales - it's been a long time between drinks.

Don't have a problem with the ref'ing of the scrum and even with the penalties I'm liking how we are going there. Like both of our sets of front row.

I think the Wallabies as individuals showed generally good skill levels. I remain concerned though with pod attack system as it is being applied - consistently seems to put the point of the pod into the deepest strength in the opposition pack. Doesn't gain a lot of ground and doesn't give Genia a lot of go forward. Nor was there quick ball from it - Wales doing well in slowing it down. The thing seems to lead to intention for a possession game when the way we push things (which I like) isn't really working to that intention.

Nor did our kicking help that greatly.

The D barn dance seemed much better controlled. Which is good. Slow improvement in the lineout - which is great but very much needed and still not sufficiently improved. Some of the handling was really good.

Summary: improving but not quickly enough. Wallabies again to be damned by faint praise. I still think the key areas that need addressing are in the coaching.

 

[gel]

They are determined to go there and win all three games, That's the start point, that's the pass mark from where they are, from their perspective, that's the expectation that certainly Michael's setting for them and there's no reason why they can't do that. They will be very confident that they can come home with three wins.

Now what, Raelene? The tour is now deemed a failure by your (and their) own applied metric.
What's the mindset for the players who have in the back of their minds that: no matter what they do with the remaining two games; no matter how much they turn things around from revelling in their own utter crapulence; no matter what manner of victories they manage to achieve for the balance of the tour, they *know* that their end of season tour is actually a failure and that they have already failed.
The task of getting the wallabies into the right mindset for this tour was made incredibly difficult with the stupidity of that statement. It is fine for an organisation to have goals and targets centred around specific projects or undertakings - but you NEVER vocalise them to the individuals who are actually undertaking those tasks. Not ever.
Raelene (and Cheika et al), keep your fucking mouths shut and stick to the "one game at a time".

 

[formerflanker]

Now what, Raelene? The tour is now deemed a failure by your (and their) own applied metric.
What's the mindset for the players who have in the back of their minds that: no matter what they do with the remaining two games; no matter how much they turn things around from revelling in their own utter crapulence; no matter what manner of victories they manage to achieve for the balance of the tour, they *know* that their end of season tour is actually a failure and that they have already failed.
The task of getting the wallabies into the right mindset for this tour was made incredibly difficult with the stupidity of that statement. It is fine for an organisation to have goals and targets centred around specific projects or undertakings - but you NEVER vocalise them to the individuals who are actually undertaking those tasks. Not ever.
Raelene (and Cheika et al), keep your fucking mouths shut and stick to the "one game at a time".

Brilliant.
Thank you.

 

[swingpass]

Each to their own, any other day we would’ve converted one of those chances into a try

No they wouldnt have. Stupid decisions by Hooper on both occasions. It is a test match every point should be taken

 

[Mudslider]

Countless Wasted Wallabies ball, many lost in line outs, and unnecessary push passes, Beale’s pass straight to a Welsh player running alongside him was ridiculous at this level, Captain Hooper again not kicking for goal didn’t he learn this lesson already this year just plain arrogant, the Dempsey penalty was thoughtless, Foley should have been replaced at halftime and perhaps To'omua could have strutted a win for the team...
Cheika just has no vision no plan and no match winning initatives...

 

[southsider]

No they wouldnt have. Stupid decisions by Hooper on both occasions. It is a test match every point should be taken

Well neither of us will ever know so kinda a moot point isn’t it

 

[Aurelius]

There was a good piece by Cricinfo's Osman Samiuddin which looked at the concept of "Australian exceptionalism." Basically, Samiuddin thinks it's a load of bunk, and it's written in a different context, but I couldn't help but think of it when I read Hooper's statement about "backing their want to score a try."

Stop me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that every team wants to score tries, but Australia is the only team that sabotages itself with that desire. Could that be a case of misplaced Australian exceptionalism, the idea that Australia has to score tries because that's how Australia plays?

Either way, I can't shake the feeling that Hooper will face the same match situation and make the same decision over and over again. He's been captain for a while now. If he doesn't get the concept of taking the points now, he probably never will.

 

[Mudslider]

Wallabies deluded coach wanting to hide in the moment... laughable... step up and take responsibility coach...Cheika is kidding himself... so arrogant doesn’t believe that past results matter when it suits him...

“It’s irrelevant to be honest,” Cheika said. “It’s about this game only. That stuff has got no bearing on what happens today.”

Speaking on the field after full-time, Hooper’s pain was there for all to see after a year in which the Wallabies have lost eight of their 11 matches.

Their winning record of 27 per cent in 2018 is the Wallabies’ worst in a calendar year since 1958, when 10 matches or more were played.

 

[dru]

Well neither of us will ever know so kinda a moot point isn’t it

No, not moot at all.

 

[Rebels3]

I have been a supporter of keeping Cheika but this test has changed my mind. Watching the structures in place both in attack and defense is infuriating. If I see another play today with a pass going 10m behind the gain line, to an isolated second ball player with no options but to hit contact with no one to clear out or run sideways to shuffle a ball on, Im going to lose my nut.

What’s going to happen is we will win next week and then we will go on our merry way thinking the team has turned a corner. Flatter play making and forwards receiving the ball at the line would be a nice change

 

[Derpus]

Man, where to from here eh. Getting a new coach might help. Going for the corner in the 50-60th minute (cant remember) in a match where its 3-3. Doesn't get much dumber.

 

[Brumby Runner]

And therein lies our problem.
We don't have the ability to score tries, so we must take the 3 instead.
But no, Cheika is wedded to a failed philosophy and keeps repeating this losing mistake over and over.
It would have been much better to win a test against Wales on penalty kicks than lose with our poor attempts at scoring tries.
You know, like Wales did.

The Wallabies have had arguably the lest effective rolling maul off a lineout in all the games they've played this year. If they want to persist, then Rory Arnold is a must in the next two tests. He is far and away the best mauling lock in this country. Pair him with Rodda to start and have Coleman on the bench.

Coleman continues to be a bit disappointing. A couple of times he was held up in the tackle and caused a turnover. Simmons was much the same.

Watched the game after reading some of the early comments on the thread and was very surprised to see that both the scrum and the lineout weren't the shambles I was expecting. Late in the game the scrumm stats were 5 won on own ball to each of Wales and the Wallabies, 1 lost by each, 1 penalty against Wales and three against the Wallabies. Two against AAT were marginal and could have gone the other way with a different referee. AAT had a very strong game in open play.

The lineout woes look to me to be mostly overthrows by the hooker (both Latu and TPN guilty) rather than a problem with the jumpers.

I am not relishing the thought of the Pommie forwards taking our lot on if there aren't a few changes.

 

[Tomikin]

Each to their own, any other day we would’ve converted one of those chances into a try

Not in recent times we haven't ... we have lost a few games because we haven't kicked penalties

 

[dru]

The lineout woes look to me to be mostly overthrows by the hooker (both Latu and TPN guilty) rather than a problem with the jumpers.

I'm not quite so sure. The defensive line out was really good, mostly Coleman wasn't it? But I'm not convinced that our line out calling, lifters and primary jumpers were quite so switched on.

Agree with you on the scrum, actually thought we held it, largely speaking.

 

[Tomikin]

Man, where to from here eh. Getting a new coach might help. Going for the corner in the 50-60th minute (cant remember) in a match where its 3-3. Doesn't get much dumber.

I feel he got everyone of those decisions wrong, take the points when they were on offer at the 50 - 60th minute and then go for the corner when your a behind with 10 minutes to go and your 50 out on the angle (Even thought To'omua kicked it).

apply the blow torch with 10 to go, get the 7 go 4 in front and make them score a try to beat you. But alas the whole thing seemed back to front to me.

sigh, but bring on the soap dodgers and the Italians, Even if we lose to the Italians if we beat England all will be forgiven and Eddie Jones can blow a gasket..

 

[Derpus]

I feel he got everyone of those decisions wrong, take the points when they were on offer at the 50 - 60th minute and then go for the corner when your a behind with 10 minutes to go and your 50 out on the angle (Even thought To'omua kicked it).

apply the blow torch with 10 to go, get the 7 go 4 in front and make them score a try to beat you. But alas the whole thing seemed back to front to me.

sigh, but bring on the soap dodgers and the Italians, Even if we lose to the Italians if we beat England all will be forgiven and Eddie Jones can blow a gasket..

We have absolutely no chance of beating the orcs mate. None.

 

[Up the Guts]

.

apply the blow torch with 10 to go, get the 7 go 4 in front and make them score a try to beat you. But alas the whole thing seemed back to front to me.

Isn't that how we beat Ireland in the first test? Toughed it out for 60 minutes, got down their end, kicked a penalty to take the lead and then got over for a try to clinch it? The difference in how we ground out that game vs how we blew it in this game really shows our regression as the season has unfolded.

 

[Derpus]

Isn't that how we beat Ireland in the first test? Toughed it out for 60 minutes, got down their end, kicked a penalty to take the lead and then got over for a try to clinch it? The difference in how we ground out that game vs how we blew it in this game really shows our regression as the season has unfolded.

Its been stark.

Talking about regression. The team isnt that different to the one that got to the RWC final. How have we become this shit? Coaching is certainly partly to blame, but that doesn't explain the individual mistakes, or the stupid stupid on field decisions. Fucks going on?