Wallaby 31 players for 2015 RWC

[TSR]

I think the strategy will be improved, but having an improved kicking game is the least of our issues

I humbly disagree.

We have a number of other significant issues as well, but our lack of a strong kicking game is a very significant problem. It was certainly influential in the game plans of Ireland & England to beat us.

 

[Lorenzo]

I think the strategy will be improved, but having an improved kicking game is the least of our issues

The mere fact that you think this reinforces my view.

 

[RugbyReg]

I'd be interesting to know your thoughts on other fullback options?

I reckon Dane Haylett-Petty is a darkhorse for RWC consideration too. For me he's the most like Izzy in terms of attack plus he has a decent kick on him.

 

[aka_the_think]

I forgot about Hunt. Hope your right @aka_the_think.

Australian rugby needs me to be right! (Doesn't mean I will be).

 

[TSR]

Injuries permitting, I am pretty confident Hunt will be a roaring success. Time will tell though I guess.

 

[Viking]

I'm going to throw Morahan's name out there as a dark horse. He had a great season at the Reds on the wing, then he had that outstanding performance at fullback against the British and Irish Lions. Had a few injuries that set him back but I think he'll have a strong 2015.

Fast, Strong, Elusive, and can kick.

 

[Bairdy]

I reckon Dane Haylett-Petty is a darkhorse for RWC consideration too. For me he's the most like Izzy in terms of attack plus he has a decent kick on him.

He needs more consistency in his game before he's a call-up to the Wallabies. It's a pity he likely wont be called up in 2015 with the RWC and all because he has shades of Ben Smith about him.

 

[HighPlainsDrifter]

Maybe the Wallabies should get a guy in like Mark Gerrard to assist in honing the kicking skills that are within the squad ... I think he was playing in Japan but may be heading back ...his kicks were awesome at the Rebels and had a habit of putting them in attack mode more often than not . Cheika may be able to rope him in for that sort of role ...I think Gerrard is Palu's cousin (hope he didn't teach Wycliff to kick though!) .

 

[qwerty51]

August 7th this year

MOVES are afoot to lure former Wallaby winger Mark Gerrard to the Waratahs next year.
The plans are preliminary but Gerrard’s Japanese club Toyota Shokki would be happy to release him by February.
The idea is to get Gerrard on a supplementary contract like backrower Stephen Hoiles had this year, before he went on to a full-time contract and started in the grand final.
Gerrard, 31, has been in Japan for more than two years and played his last Test in 2011, but has been in good form in the Top League and has recently lost a stack of weight through his wife’s nutrition program.
Gerrard has close connections to the Waratahs; he is a cousin of Wycliff Palu and his sister Mo’onia Gerrard is the partner of captain Dave Dennis.
NSW coach Michael Cheika must weigh up the pros and cons of a possible return by Gerrard, who was with NSW from 2001-02. But Cheika has managed to reinvigorate a number of veterans who many thought were passed their best, including Hoiles, Matt Carraro and Mitchell Chapman.

 

[TOCC]

I'm going to throw Morahan's name out there as a dark horse. He had a great season at the Reds on the wing, then he had that outstanding performance at fullback against the British and Irish Lions. Had a few injuries that set him back but I think he'll have a strong 2015.

Fast, Strong, Elusive, and can kick.

You know he played for the Force in 2014

 

[TOCC]

I agree about the poor tactical kicking game needing to improve, a good team can be beaten by an average team on the back of a poor kicking game. If a team doesn't have a good kicking game then they need an excellent running game, and right now the Wallabies have neither.

Im not suggesting the throw all their eggs in the one basket and build a game on the back of a kicking game, but they need a well rehearsed kicking game as a plan b for when those teams do use a rushing defence and shutdown the Wallabies running game.

 

[Viking]

You know he played for the Force in 2014

I know.I meant his earlier years at the Reds he was pretty good on the wing.

 

[Viking]

Im not suggesting the throw all their eggs in the one basket and build a game on the back of a kicking game, but they need a well rehearsed kicking game as a plan b for when those teams do use a rushing defence and shutdown the Wallabies running game.

Defences are pretty much rushing 90% of the time these days too, I can't remember how many times defences have rushed up to the wallaby line leaving space out wide - yet no one with the ability to put in a long lobbing pass or a cross field kick to get the ball wide quick and over the defence.

 

[fatprop]

Defences are pretty much rushing 90% of the time these days too, I can't remember how many times defences have rushed up to the wallaby line leaving space out wide - yet no one with the ability to put in a long lobbing pass or a cross field kick to get the ball wide quick and over the defence.

it isn't the percentage play most of the time, the higher percentage play is what the ABs have been using - the grubber behind

It gets a full defensive line moving forward to put pressure on the receiver

 

[Viking]

it isn't the percentage play most of the time, the higher percentage play is what the ABs have been using - the grubber behind

It gets a full defensive line moving forward to put pressure on the receiver

Good point. I re-call us attempting and miserably failing with the grubber. To'omua and Foley (at Test level) seem to use it as a last resort instead of as an attacking weapon which the ABs do to us. Which absolutely frustrates me.

This goes for the chip kick too. Cruden used the chip kick successfully in the first Test. Whereas we have a history of horrible execution and overplaying the chip kick - think of Barnes in the Dean's error.

The bad thing is, with the history of the wallabies putting in useless chip kicks, giving them a bad reputation, and making current players reluctant to execute them at the right times.

 

[Ash]

The video on kicking from The Dead Ball Area was very good. Often we should have cleared a phase or two earlier than we did. I understand the desire to truck it up for a phase before clearing but often we put ourselves under more pressure and in a poorer position after doign that than if we'd just cleared immediately.

I agree on trying to run multiple phases out of our 22. It works every now and then, but as a consistent tactic it's something that can work at provincial level but is unlikely to be successful at Test level.

The other thing I was struggling with is why Foley was taking our exit kicks (and penalty kicks for touch) when To'omua has a much bigger kick on him. Under Link To'omua did most of the long kicking, but under Cheika it's pretty much been Foley.

The other frustrating thing with Cheika's style is lack of a discernible pattern, and it seemed to create confusion in phase ball. After several phases we seemed to just go left - right - left - right with little structure. It was like probing, but when nothing was happening or we were going nowhere there was no reset so players seemed to not really know what to do. What resulted was holding the majority of possession but with not a lot of impact. Against England, I thought White, although not as effective as Phipps in terms of clearance speed, provided a bit more structure to the attack simply by working the same way rather than left - right - left - right.

This is why I was confused when people claimed that the third Bledisloe was using Tahs tactics - actually it was still based on the typical McKenzie tactics of same way phase ball and pump the short side. From there Link altered his game plans, but each game plan still had that same base set of structure. This is the base structure that I think the Wallabies were lacking a bit in the EOYT on phase ball.

The stuff I've outlined above is what I think Cheika needs to consider when implementing his running game plans at Test level. The players are generally better and Test defences of the top tier nations tend to be very organised, so I think a bit more structure needs to underline the attack.

 

[qwerty51]

The chip kicks and grubbers by the ABs are the same kicks as ours.. the difference is the chase!

 

[Dumbledore]

I'm going to throw Morahan's name out there as a dark horse. He had a great season at the Reds on the wing, then he had that outstanding performance at fullback against the British and Irish Lions. Had a few injuries that set him back but I think he'll have a strong 2015.

Fast, Strong, Elusive, and can kick.

You forgot massively flaky. He'll have a blindingly good five minutes and then you won't see him for the next 60.

 

[Viking]

You forgot massively flaky. He'll have a blindingly good five minutes and then you won't see him for the next 60.

True, but I think flaky-ness seems to mostly reduce once a player starts to mature. Examples Lilo, Cooper, Drew Mitchell. I expect more consistency from him this year, he has been in the senior set-up long enough now.

 

[Viking]

The chip kicks and grubbers by the ABs are the same kicks as ours.. the difference is the chase!

Agreed, We seem to kick only as a last resort, like when we can't penetrate the line after numerous phases so either Foley of To'omua puts in a bloody grubber when no one is ready to chase.

Alternatively All Blacks put in a grubber off first phase ball with their whole back-line chasing. Massive difference.