Wallabies vs England player ratings

Nov 8

Posted by Gagger
60 Comments

Smith, obviously pissed. Is this why he had an off game?

1. Benn Robinson: His low scrummaging caused the poms problems again. Also featured in the loose 7 Read more »

Jun 15

Player ratings & stats: 1st Italy test

Posted by Gagger
12 Comments

Lakky leaves em for dead

Here’s my bash at the player ratings from Australia vs Italy in frozen Canberra on the weekend. Tally with what you saw?

Rating scale & stats at bottom.

15 James O’Connor Looks completely at home already on the international stage. May have been gifted his first two tries, but finished his third brilliantly. Not bad for his first starting cap. 8

14 Lakky Turner - Still managed to take high balls and make half breaks after getting his block knocked off. Looking more than solid 7

13 Stirling Mortlock (c) – In bullocking good form. A trademark bulldozer run for his solo try. 8

Dec 8

Euro Tour Player Ratings

Posted by Gagger
2 Comments

World's best hooker

It feels like unfinished business unless we go through the Wallabies on tour, sum up their performance and see what we’ve learned for the future from them.

Forwards:

Ben Alexander – good first steps but more time scrummaging required. Is he going to finally start for the Brumbies?? 6

Alastair Baxter – gotta be the most satisfied sportsman in Australia right now after the Twickenham vindication. Now a bit lonely with along with Robinson as our only international class props. 8

Richard Brown – hit and a little more miss on this tour. Lacking height/weight of a modern 6 or 8, definitely got something though. 5

Mark Chisholm – another tour reformation. Has actually turned into a lock, he should never talk about six again. 7 Read more »

Dec 1

Wales vs Wallabies Player Ratings

Posted by patrick
11 Comments

Get that up ya!

By Patrick

Here are my thoughts on the Australia (& Wales!) player ratings from the test in Cardiff on Saturday. Probably not what you saw since I am being purely subjective but love to know where we differ!

Rating scale at bottom. Read more »

Nov 17

Wallabies vs England player ratings

Posted by Gagger
9 Comments

Here are my thoughts on the Australia player ratings from the momentous test at Twickenham on Saturday. Tally with what you saw?

Rating scale at bottom.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper Everything was OK, except for the kicking. Still not a fullback. 4

14 Peter Hynes - Not seeing the gas or sparkle a winger should have. Couldn’t get around Croft the England blind side with 10 yards gap. 4

13 Ryan Cross – Like Hynes just seemed flatfooted and took the wrong options. Still a few questions in defense, although made a good turnover. 4

12 Stirling Mortlock (C), His demolition of Flutey, whether running over him or putting the Kiwi on his arse summarised the manful performance he put in. Led from the front including a cameo long range kick. 8

11 Drew Mitchell Yet again looked the better of the back 3 with some intelligent long range kicking backed up with good kick chase and defense 6

10 Matt Giteau, my sense is that there’s a certian disappointment with Giteau’s performance around the place, but when you think about it, what else could he have done? His defense was outstanding (including the try saver on Mears), his push pass made AAC’s try, he turned them around with his kicking and slotted seven from eight. 8

9 Luke Burgess, Another guy who’s copped a bit, but in this claustrophobic game he fronted up and wrestled with the rest of them including tackles, turn overs and fielding kicks. Still polish to come though. 6

8 Richard Brown, didn’t have the same power onto the ball today that he did in his other games 5

7 George Smith, again the breakdown interpretation didn’t suit his game, but his workrate was outstanding (20 Tackles, 7 Ruck/Maul, 6 Runs) 7

6 Hugh McMenimen, finally started to see his dynamism, especially hitting the ruck and applying pressure (18T) 6

5 Nathan Sharpe, Unbefµckinglievable. What a turnaround. From prime seagull to mr hitman. Charge downs, picked up and offloaded the lineout ball that led to the try, was everywhere, most pleasingly around the ruck and hard stuff. Line-outs and restarts excellent. I don’t know how he was walking at the end (20T, 13RM, 7R). Even though the two Cipriani breaks went past one of his shoulders he still gets 9

4 Mark Chisholm, keeps improving and is getting more and more acquainted with real work. 7

3 Al Baxter, If you look at my description of a “10″, then you have to say this is one. He monstered the monster, physically and mentally for him and the team. That picture of Sheridan, where he’s trying to look nonchalant after being pinged for collapsing, with chalk and blood seared over his face, is worth 1000 words. This could well be the biggest turning point in Aussie rugby for nigh on ten years (13T) 10
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

2 Stephen Moore, line-out superior, scrum superior, tackled himself to death (15T, 2RM, 2R) 10
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

1 Benn Robinson, is this guy still officially a rookie? Incredible. He’s a star. 10.
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

Bench:
Palu – took his role back in the team. Great runs, great hits (11 of them including the peach on Cipriani) 8
Mumm – forced a turnover with a great hit on Mears. Managed to rack up 7 tackles in his time on the field. 7
Rest of bench – Not enough time. While I like the idea of keeping continuity in a game, Dingo pushed it a little far.

Rating system:
10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 – Man of the match worthy performance
8 – Outstanding
7 – Good game, great in parts
6 – Solid performance
5 – Average – ho hum
4 – Below par
3 – Had a bad game
2 – Tell your story walking pal
1 – A complete joke.

Nov 1

Wallabies vs All Blacks player ratings from Hong Kong

Posted by Gagger
3 Comments

Here are my thoughts on the Australia player ratings from the fourth Bledisloe test in Honkers. Tally with what you saw?

Rating scale at bottom.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper A lot of talent but still not a fullback. Kicking game still one dimensional and took the wrong option on the first AB try 4

14 Peter Hynes - Not seeing the penetration or threat an international winger should have 4

13 Ryan Cross – Always had the defense guessing, has a great ability to find the gap between tacklers and exploit it, as well as being aware of the players around him. Still some questions in defense but looked fresher than Mortlock in the second half and I would have kept him on. 6

12 Stirling Mortlock (C), I thought this could well be another disaster but actually Morty had a very good first half (apart from blowing a two man overlap from Gits’ run and the move from the penalty scrum), which included a couple of great range kicks. Second half though he was out of it. Is it age, fitness, bad shoulder, or all three? Morty staying captain is costing Deans flexibility, not to mention our habit of surrendering leads under him 6

11 Drew Mitchell Looked most confident of the three at the back and could see when to run. Showed that the tries in the RWC were no fluke – getting over the line and grounding the first was no easy feat. Made his case for a permanent slot, but would like to see more of his creativity. 7

10 Matt Giteau, Keeps delivering wonder pills from no-where and his touch kicking gets better and better (minus the error early in the second half that led to the first AB try). However, there’s still only one speed – attack – and more control needed in a tactical kicking game to be a true five-eighth 6

9 Luke Burgess, We’ve remembered what all the fuss was about. The clearing and defense at the ruck was immense – it’s like he’s playing in a whole different era and position to Cordingly. Add to that the scrmbling kick defense and last ditch tackles like the one he pulled off in the corner on Toeava, and he was potentially the best player on the pitch 8
G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

8 Richard Brown, considering it was his first starting berth, he made impact with his running from depth and aggression at the breakdown. Gave away some silly penalties though 6

7 George Smith, the ref effectively nullified his natural scavenging game, but nevertheless Smith kept springing up whether in defense or throwing golden pills like the one that put Mitchell in the corner 7

6 Dean Mumm, Put his hand up with a great work rate. His chasing of McCaw to force one of our few turnover penalties was a great example 6

5 Nathan Sharpe, Unfortunately the only thing that was new was the weirdo beard. Still sees his role in the backline (see where he’s hanging around for Mitchells second try) and it spoke volumes when Deans once more yanked him off early, even with the lack of height in the pack. As the veteran jumper, what’s going on with the line-out? 3

4 Mark Chisholm, some evidence here that a seaguller can reform. Chisholm got his head down for some of the tough stuff and pressured them through the ruck. It was him on Robinson’s arse when they went for the rumble throught the ABs 22 that led to the first try. 5

3 Al Baxter, despite the ref’s pre-conceptions, you can argue that he almost had the measure of Woodcock. And that’s a lot different to the conversation we’re used to. 5

2 Stephen Moore, made yards around the park and is looking more and more confident when packing down. Needs to watch the penalties and overthrowing at the line-out though 5

1 Benn Robinson, it’s official; a Wallaby prop quite clearly had it over his opposite number – in this case Tealata. A scrummaging display verging on the dominant from the Wagyu King with a few runs, tackles and passes thrown in 7.

Bench:
Barnes – looked a little rusty and not up to the pace. Threw that pill at the back of Mitchells head when there was an overlap at the end 4
Waugh – Not really enough time to judge but got a good bustle on
Pocock – Not enough time
Dunning – first (and only?) scrum he had resulted in his head in the turf. Please. No
Cordingly – didn’t get on. Good

Sep 14

Wallabies vs All Blacks Brisbane Tri-Nations player ratings

Posted by Gagger
8 Comments

Preamble not required. Rating scale at bottom.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper Good under the high ball, solid on his feet (see try) and good last line of defence, but still not playing as a fullback 6

14 Peter Hynes - Showed some bright individual touches 6

13 Ryan Cross, Simply awesome in attack running strong, fast and straight – the highlight of the Australian backline and deserved his try. Such a pity about the two defensive misses, although Carter was more Mortlock’s fault 7

12 Stirling Mortlock (C), while being out of position needs to be taken into account, impact was low and his one kick and miss on Carter were embarrassing. More importantly, where was the leadership when needed? 3

11 Lote Tuqiri, We desperately needed more of LTs class. He usually rises for the big games, but not this one. 4

10 Matt Giteau, Difficult to rate as his first 39 minutes were shocking, the following 41 often inspiring. However, Giteau’s modus operandi when the chips are down is to start playing as a one man back-line, rather than marshalling the others. Place kicking kept us in the game. In balance overall, 6

9 Sam Cordingly, I’ve calmed a little and no, he probably wasn’t single-handedly responsible for the loss, but his glacial pace around the ruck and idiotic decision making came fµcking close. Thank christ he can no longer be selected 1

8 Wycliff Palu, was trying to do the right think when bungled a certain try, and then threw the ball to no-one from a tight head scrum immediately afterwards. 3

7 George Smith, battled heroically at the breakdown considering Kaplan had a blind spot for black jerseys on the rong side. That final turnover was magic. However, his stab kicks just gave away possession 7

6 Rocky Elsom, Was it the virus? Where was he? 4

5 Nathan Sharpe, was having a the usual sub-par game before waving Conrad Smith through for Woodcock’s crucial try 3

4 James Horwill, yet another immense game from the 23 year old. Within 2 minutes around the 55 minute mark he’d stolen a turn-over and then smashed Thorn back onto his mungo arse. Oh yeah, he also scored another try. A star has been born this tri-nations. 8 and G&GRs Wallaby man of the match

3 Al Baxter, Another impressive performance from Baxter (it’s getting easier to say) both in the scrum and making hard yards around the park 7

2 Stephen Moore, a big sigh of relief at how well the line-out went, even under pressure. A few too many ill-disciplined brainfarts though. 5

1 Benn Robinson, scrum held steady and he did his share of work along with Baxter 7.

Bench:
Brown – put his best foot forward in this game. Fast, with a great work rate, also made yards off the base and was an option in the line-out 7
McMenimen -still hasn’t made any impact on the international scene. How many chances do you get? 4
Robbie Deans’ use of bench – I don’t agree of changing for changes sake, but fresh legs were definitely needed along with a bullet for Cordingly 3

Aug 31

Johannesburg massacre – Wallaby player ratings

Posted by Gagger
14 Comments

This is a pretty depressing job, but you see a very different side of players in such a game. In most matches you get a mix of good and bad performances, but here it was universally crap. Nevertheless, with such a vital game coming up, the lessons to be learned are crucial.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper Painfully exposed as nothing more than a stand-in at full-back, his lack of kicking game was torture. Had an interesting kick chase technique of running the opposite direction 2

14 Peter Hynes - Was left flapping at ankles all day and conspired with Tuqiri to bomb the try that might have stemmed some Springbok momentum 2

13 Stirling Mortlock (C), A couple of vital bungles in crucial positions that did nothing to enhance a very lack-luster performance. As captain seemed to have no tactical impact on the gameplan 3

12 Timana Tahu, I haven’t seen someone so badly defensively embarrassed as this for a long time. Single handedly responsible for 2, if not 3 Saffa tries. How can you ever give someone with this problem another international start? May well have curtailed his international rugby career. 1

11 Lote Tuqiri, LTs class still managed to glimmer through and together with Giteau was the only guy who could make any inroads through the Saffa backline. Compared to the rest of the team, his kicking actually looked good. 4

10 Matt Giteau, enjoyed passing to thin-air all game and lacked direction in his kicking but was sharp in his running. 3

9 Sam Cordingly, even I can throw a good pass if I sit over the ball for long enough – took an age to pull the ball out of rucks and showed absolutely zero running threat, along with a couple of key bungles 2

8 Wycliff Palu, grafted away but looked like he’d already played two games that day 4

7 Phil Waugh, invisible apart from when he gave away free kicks. Did the Smith/Waugh battle get put to bed forever today? 3

6 Rocky Elsom, read the same as Palu 4

5 Hugh McMenimen, very low impact, including in the line-out. Like to run upright into the defense 3

4 James Horwill, couldn’t impose himself 3

3 Matt Dunning, it’s official, he’s the weak link 2

2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, as useful as a centre who can’t tackle. 2

1 Benn Robinson, seemed to be able to keep his side up 4.

Bench:
Cross – had spark when he came on and made some yards, also defended solidly 5
Smith – yes, the run set up the only try and he made some trademark turnovers, but he also let through one if not two tries with uncharacteristically flimsy defense 3
Moore – couldn’t fix TPNs throwing yips, although looked good around the park 3
Baxter – managed to shore up the mess Dunning had made 4
Mitchell – got on the end of the try, but didn’t see enough else to rate
Sheehan – all bustle but very little impact
Mumm – didn’t see enough to rate

Aug 3

Wallabies vs All Blacks second Bledisloe player ratings

Posted by Gagger
6 Comments

Always torture doing ratings on a thumping, but here goes.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper Looked solid at the back until went off with busted hand, even made a tackle after his injury. 5

14 Peter Hynes - Provided two of the rare running highlights 7

13 Stirling Mortlock (C), Trademark bust through Smith to make the only Wallaby try. Some good cover tackling as well 5

12 Berrick Barnes, Neither his defence nor his kicking lived up to recent performances 4

11 Lote Tuqiri, little ball and little opportunity to get involved 5

10 Matt Giteau, Considering what was going on around him, still had plenty of spark and skill. Some decent kicking as well. 7

9 Luke Burgess, needs to try to do less. 4

8 Wycliff Palu, found it a lot harder to make any yards this week. A couple of decent runs and tackles though. 5

7 George Smith, despite the usual a grad defence got frustrated with Lawrences ruling of the breakdown leading to a few too many penalties. 5

6 Phil Waugh, don’t think he ever recovered from the head knock early on 4

5 Nathan Sharpe, gotta take some responsibility for the line-out calling 3

4 James Horwill, also went quiet apart from the nice shot on So’aiolo 4

3 Al Baxter, I think it was lucky we didn’t have more scrums on our own ball 4

2 Stephen Moore, his throwing wasn’t so bad and made a couple of good runs. 5

1 Benn Robinson, also below par 4

Replacements:
16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, – a very forgettable night for TPN. A couple of tackles and runs stopped him from getting less 2
17 Matt Dunning,
18 Dan Vickerman, – needs to play from the start, not as a replacement
19 Hugh McMeniman – made some impact when he came on. 6
20 Sam Cordingley,
21 Ryan Cross,
22 Drew Mitchell – shmoo coming on highlighted the strength that AAC brings at the back 5

Jul 27

Wallabies vs All Blacks first TriNations test player ratings

Posted by Gagger
12 Comments

With so many great performances across the park for Australia, this was a tough one. The 6-7-8 and 9-10-12 combos fought evenly for honours in which group swayed the game the most, but what a dilemma to have eh?

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper From nervy and out of place last week, to star 15 in the making. What a turn-around. His pinpoint high balls had the kiwis on the rack and his never say die tackling was gutsy. Most impressive though is the acceleration and swerve he can inject in open play. Very Latham-esque 8

14 Peter Hynes - Another good game, came looking for work off his wing to pick up the toed through try from Tuqiri 6

13 Ryan Cross, Might not have the same power to take defenders with him like Mortlock does, but has more outside gas which he showed once or twice. Also has the knack of scoring tries, which is a good knack to have 6

12 Berrick Barnes, considering his size, the most devastating tackler in the Wallabies. He cut Nonu in half more than once and turned up with try-savers when needed. Kicking was a little predictable in the first half, but deadly in the second. 8

11 Lote Tuqiri, this guy is sh1tting gold bars this year. Intimately involved in 3 of the 4 Wallaby tries and put the first big hit on Muliaina to set the tone for the match. He’s easily two yards quicker than last year. However, did come in on his man too early a couple of times. 8

10 Matt Giteau, all doubts as to whether this guy is an international 10 were put to bed on Saturday. 5/5 place kicks, a drop goal off his wrong foot, a golden pill to Cross and sledgehammer tackles. I still don’t know how he made some of those 50m touch finders. Missing one or two big tackles a game (Carter & Sivivatu) but still gets G&GRs Man of the Match. 9

9 Luke Burgess, Almost flawless passing this week with the same speed of delivery that made Cowan and Ellis look like club pro’s, (whichever time of the match it was they decided to come on or off). Took high balls and is covering the hole behind the ruck like a sledgehammer. Nailed Nonu, Thorne and Lauaki to name a few. 8

8 Wycliff Palu, what a time to step up to the plate. Finally showed us in a crunch match what he’d been doing all year for NSW. Bulldozed through their gain line in the toughest of situations, most notably setting up Horwills try. Also loving the solid link with Burgess of the base 8

7 George Smith, the guy’s a legend. Dominated the break down on Saturday just as he did the week before. I think they took the AB 7 Braid off just because the guy had been made to look too silly by Smith. Was too good for the ref Joubert to keep up with and was the only Wallaby who seemed to be able to tackle Sivivatu, notably around the bootlaces. 9

6 Rocky Elsom, yet another stellar performance, and this week with a buggered foot. How many 6’s could have played 60 minutes and still be able to slice open the AB defensive line from a standing start and then do an in and out on Muliaina to score untouched? Did miss Sivivatu a few times (who didn’t though). Will be hard to replace next week 8

5 Nathan Sharpe, Nothing spectacular from Sharpe, but showed fantastic ball security when carrying in the heaviest of traffic 6

4 James Horwill, another guy with the happy knack of finding the try-line, is that 4 tries this international season? Showing great rugby nouse (cunning) as well, this week with the call “I’ve got Rocky!” as he stood in the AB defensive line and pointed at Elsom who scooted past for a try. Interestingly stayed on the pitch when Sharpe went off for Vickerman 7

3 Al Baxter, It’s taken him a record number of caps for an Aussie prop, but I’m happy to say he had a great match. Scrum pretty much worked, he did a power of work in defence and is probably the best counter-rucker in the team 7 (yes, I meant seven points)

2 Stephen Moore, Throwing combinations still working well, which is probably what’s keeping Polota-Nau on the bench, so far. 5

1 Benn Robinson, Looks like he’s been playing internationals for years. 6

Replacements:
16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Daniel Vickerman, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 Sam Cordingley, 21 Timana Tahu, 22 Drew Mitchell.
Only Waugh and TPN made much of an impact. Waugh immediately with a turnover and his usual torpedo tackles. Yet to see what Tim Tam and Mitchell have to bring

19 – Sione Lauaki, A master-stroke by Ming the Merciless! 10

Jul 20

Wallabies vs Springboks: Tri-Nations first test player ratings

Posted by Gagger
12 Comments

Here are my ratings for the Australia vs South Africa first test. See if it tallies with how you saw it. Scoring system at bottom.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper I feel sorry for the guy being shoved into this position, but crucial tri-nations games aren’t the place to learn 4

14 Peter Hynes - Backs himself and doesn’t slow into tackles. Great cover tackle and then counter ruck late in the game. 6

13 Stirling Mortlock (c), Trademark bulldoze took the game from the Saffas until Botha’s cheap shot 6

12 Berrick Barnes, Liking the look of this guy more and more. Adds so many options, also rock solid in defense. 7

11 Lote Tuqiri, Whatever Lote has done this year to effect this change in attitude and performance, I’m loving it. Masterful under high balls, try scoring and assisting, pick and drives, tackle busting, vital hit on DeVilliers at the death, he did it all last night. A contender for MoM 8

10 Matt Giteau, whether it was the service from Burgess, the pressure from the jaapies or his own performance, it didn’t quite gel for him on Saturday. Also still doing a lot of lateral movement and trying to tackle with his head (the Spies miss) 5

9 Luke Burgess, criticism of his passing has been exaggerated in my opinion. For example, twice Moore came into the line to then leave the ball. Burgess also buys so much time with his service, it’s almost a price worth paying. Also tried a few things that didn’t come off this time, but will in the future 4

8 Wycliff Palu, on second view Cliffy made a hell of a lot of hard yards while protecting the ball at the back. 6

7 George Smith, back to near his best, he shattered the Springbok’s momentum time and again with turnovers, while pulling off bootlace tackles left, right and centre. His turnovers had the biggest single impact on the whole match. G&GRs man of the match. 8

6 Rocky Elsom, how the hell he managed to have the game he did with what looked like a buggered knee is beyond me. Fought like a giant at every breakdown and for every yard he carried. 8

5 Nathan Sharpe, carried solidly and was all over Matfield (largely illegally) at every line-out as well as smashing him off the kick off. Did cost the Wallabies 6 of SA’s 9 points though. 6

4 James Horwill, you would have thought this guy had been playing international rugby for years. Was everywhere throughout the game and looked like the senior partner to Sharpe. 7

3 Al Baxter, a solid scrum, even some penalties against them. I’m happy. 6

2 Stephen Moore, straight throwing – including the monster that started off Tuqiri’s try – and lots of carries. Got a little in the way a few times though, and got skinned by The Beast. 6

1 Benn Robinson, More than solid scrum, some good carries and even a turnover or two. 7

Replacements:
16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, didn’t see enough to comment
17 Matt Dunning, not on for long, a couple of good pick and gos
18 Hugh McMeniman, brought some energy when he came on
19 Phil Waugh, only on for 3 minutes and he stole a turnover
20 Sam Cordingley, pass was no better than Burgess’ usual delivery
21 Ryan Cross, didn’t detract when he came on but not as sparkling as he debut 6
22 Drew Mitchell. didn’t see enough to comment (did he get on?)

Jul 14

Chooks own Mongrel-o-meter

Posted by Gagger
7 Comments

By Chook.
I think we need to rate the players that will face off for the Tri Nations and see how the Wallabies match-up. I feel that we would be quite low at the moment. I reckon the Saffas easily out-mongrel ABs and Wallabies, although the ABs wouldn’t be too far behind them. Bakkies Botha being present basically drags the whole team up to a whole new echelon of mongrelness. Not to mention freakin’ Burger. The ABs have Carter which drags them down a bit due to his underwear commitments and Donald makes me laugh, so he brings them down further.

Things like eye gouging, biting , spear tackles and dangerous throws score highly. Tackling without using the arms and niggle off the ball also was taken into account. Supporting your pals in the fight is admirable but does not score highly.

Some points to consider:

ABs
8. Ali Williams is as useless as Sharpe but with more mongrel so he has some good attributes. Keven Mealamu is useful and mongrel-y. He is handy but a bit passed his prime. Good in a scrap and willing to take a sneaky lineout throw as well.
They have plenty of players that look pìssed off but that is due to residual hatred to Henry and the stupid rotation system as well as the unbearable burden of actually being in a team that has won only a single RWC. Sivivatu can only fight chicks which is a poor effort by him. Nonu gets an unhonorable mention for hitting Huxley who had a brain tumour and is obviously retarded. Shame about the mascara though.

Saffas
The Saffas wrote the book on mongrel. France, Fiji, Manu Samoa and Tonga touch on the level of mongrel the Saffas have at times but not across the board like the Saffas can. They have depth that other nations can only dream of in this area. Think Bakkies Botha, Butch James, Burger and Victor Matfield just for starters. Its too bad the Saffas also include wet tea towels like Frannie Steyn and Monty in their team to take that edginess off. Otherwise they would be unbeatable and be deserved world champions.

As it is, it seems to me they must have a quota system on mongrel perhaps due to the need to finish a game with slightly more players than a Rugby League side.

As a note, Matfield looks a little too well fed and watered on great cuisine and wine sourced from the Toulon region to fully access his mongreloid powers.

Wallabies
We score low on mongrel. Horwill promised a lot of mongrel but failed to deliver ‘cept for half a cup of claret and a stupid looking eye. McMenimen is supposed to be hard but is more like a stick of celery lost at the back of the crisper.

As always its up to the Tahs to supply mongrel with Waugh, Palu and Lote to the rescue although Waugh just plays hard, Palu needs Cowan or a copper to pìss him off and Lote needs his dreads pulled to activate his anger protocol. He also needs to have Sam Norton Knight somewhere in the same postcode to engage the red mist.

Hynes has some promise but needs to take the head off Carter for me to be totally convinced of his credentials.

I can’t see the Wallabies winning the Tri Nations as we are far and away the worst performed Mongrel team in the comp and we will be spanked form pillar to post by harder, tougher teams.

Here’s Chooks Own Mongrel-o-meter… (10 being most mongrel-iest)

10. Eats Babies (Bakkies Botha level)
9. Eats Wallaby Wingers (Richard Loe level)
8. Quokka Hammer Throw Champion level
7. Pull Lotes hair/ Flanker level
6. Gingah/Ranga/ Annoyed Scrumhalf level
5. We Got Your Back Kid, Just Don’t Be Pointing One Of Them Guns, A’ight Man
4. I fight like Ben Tune level
3. My Underwear Advertising Commitments Prevent Me From Man-ing Up level
2. Gandhi non violent resistance/ I Play In The Backs level
1. My Favourite movie Is The Notebook level

You’ll see there are a few gaps, and no doubt disagree with a few so let me know what you think.

ALL BLACKS

Tony Woodcòck, 1
Andrew Hore, 1
John Afoa, 1
Anthony Boric, 1
Ali Willliams, 8
Adam Thomson, 1
Rodney So’oialo (c), 7
Jerome Kaino, 3
Andy Ellis, 2
Dan Carter, 3
Rudi Wulf, 2
Ma’a Nonu, 8
Conrad Smith, 2
Sitiveni Sivivatu, 4
Mils Muliaina. 2

RESERVES
16. Keven Mealamu, 8
17. Neemia Tialata, 6
18. Kevin O’Neill, 5
19. Sione Lauaki, 6
20. Jimmy Cowan, 7
21. Stephen Donald, 1
22. Leon MacDonald. 1

SOUTH AFRICA

Conrad Jantjes, 4
Odwa Ndungane, 4
Adrian Jacobs, 4
Jean de Villiers, 4
Bryan Habana, 4
Butch James, 8
Ricky Januarie, 4
Joe van Niekerk, 4
Juan Smith, 4
Schalk Burger, 9
Victor Matfield, 7
Bakkies Botha, 10
CJ van der Linde, 4
John Smit (captain), 5
Gurthro Steenkamp 5

Reserves:
Bismarck du Plessis, 6
Brian Mujati, 5
Andries Bekker, 6
Luke Watson, 5
Bolla Conradie, 5
Francois Steyn, 1
Percy Montgomery 1

WALLABIES squad:
Backs: Adam Ashley Cooper, 1
Berrick Barnes, 1
G&GRs own Luke Burgess, 2
Sam Cordingley, 1
Ryan Cross, 1
Matt Giteau, 1
Peter Hynes, 7
Drew Mitchell, 1
Stirling Mortlock (capt), 5
Brett Sheehan, 6
Timana Tahu, 3
Lote Tuqiri, 7
Lachlan Turner 1

Forwards:
Ben Alexander,
Al Baxter, 5
Richard Brown,
Matt Dunning, 6
Rocky Elsom, 7
Adam Freier,
James Horwill, 8
Hugh McMeniman, 1
Dean Mumm, 2
Stephen Moore, 1
Wycliff Palu, 7
Tatafu Polota-Nau, 6
Benn Robinson,
Nathan Sharpe, 1
George Smith,
Phil Waugh, 7
Dan Vickerman. 7.

Jul 5

Wallabies vs France -Second test player ratings

Posted by Gagger

Here’s what I saw, see if it tallies with what you reckon. Rating system at bottom.

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper – Solid at the back but not much more. 5

14 Peter Hynes – Took his try well and has a nose for finding space straight ahead 7

13 Stirling Mortlock (c) – A solid game, especially in defence 6

12 Berrick Barnes, – Some nice touches and kicks before headbutting AACs shoulder 7

11 Lachie Turner – quite simply had a shocker 3

10 Matt Giteau – if it had been in the Tri-Nations, this would have earned him a 1o. 9

9 Luke Burgess – while he forced one or two passes, his breaks through the traffic with their accompanying hand-offs are becoming trademarks. 8

8 Stephen Hoiles – seems to look best with cricket scores. Anonymous today. 5

7 Phil Waugh – at every breakdown doing the hard work. 7

6 Rocky Elsom – ball didn’t bounce for him today but worked his arse off in support and defence 6

5 Dean Mumm – glimmers, but that’s all. 5

4 James Horwill – cementing himself a spot as either Vicks or Sharpe’s replacement. How did Harinordoquy get away with the boxing workout? 7

3 Al Baxter – Still a mystery at scrum-time but did impress with some counter-rucking and runs 6

2 Stephen Moore – meh. 5

1 Benn Robinson – got mashed up front. 4

Replacements:
16 Adam Freier – trademark pick and run in the loose
17 Ben Alexander – was overawed but looking for work
18 Hugh McMeniman – still waiting to see what the fuss is over. Scrum a lot weaker after he wandered on
19 George Smith – again quiet for him
20 Sam Cordingley – crisp passing from Vanilla Gregan
21 Ryan Cross – took Gits’ gifts well
22 Cameron Shepherd – a nice pick up just before ending his season I suspect. Latho come back!

Marking:
10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 – Man of the match worthy performance
8 – Outstanding
7 – Good game, great in parts
6 – Solid performance
5 – Average – ho hum
4 – Below par
3 – Had a bad game
2 – Tell your story walking pal
1 – A complete joke

Jun 28

Wallabies vs France First Test Player Ratings

Posted by Gagger
3 Comments

Here’s what I saw, see if it tallies with what you reckon. Following controversy (!) I’ve decided to give a rating scale a go, with no more half marks:

10 – A legendary performance to go down in the history books
9 – Man of the match worthy performance
8 – Outstanding
7 – Good game, great in parts
6 – Solid performance
5 – Average – ho hum
4 – Below par
3 – Had a bad game
2 – Tell your story walking pal
1 – A complete joke

15 Cameron Shepherd – Took a risk to spark up a try, but lucky no-ones pushing for that spot. And for sucks fake, why didn’t he just boot it out to finish the first half? 5

14 Peter Hynes – Some good hard, straight runs to consistently make yards (watch the touchline though Marcia) 7

13 Stirling Mortlock (c), Will feature in Traille and Trinh-Duc’s night mares. Showing good form and reminded us of the ‘03 SF intercept 8

12 Berrick Barnes – I’m starting to see what the fuss is about, but more work needs to be done on his combo with Gits for this set up to really work. 7

11 Lote Tuqiri – Hard to blame him for the way the team played for the 30 mins he was on the field, but le squirt did get the better of him 5

10 Matt Giteau – Just wasn’t working for him until he beat Chabal. Is he trying to do too much from the word go? 7

9 Luke Burgess – Once he got the passing range right things began to flow. Involved almost all of the wallabies best play. 8

8 Wycliff Palu - Things haven’t been working for big Cliffy on the big stage, again. Will a bung shoulder open the door for someone else? 5

7 George Smith – Another quiet game by his standards. Waugh looked better at the breakdown when he came on. 6

6 Rocky Elsom – A typically hard working game from the Ireland-bound flanker. Has a great read on a game. 8

5 Nathan Sharpe - For a guy who’s USP is his running game, not making the impact he should. 5

4 James Horwill – Didn’t have the same blinder as last week with a few dodgy re-starts, but still turned up at the right place and time in the loose 6

3 Al Baxter – Hmmm. Scrum still wasn’t solid against the 3rd string French front row. Almost had his first try to go with his record breaking caps though! 5

2 Stephen Moore – who to blame for the early engagements? Otherwise OK game I guess. 5

1 Benn Robinson.t. – had a great game in the loose. 7

Jun 14

Wallabies vs Ireland Player Ratings

Posted by Gagger
4 Comments

New coach new era, how’d the players go?

15. Shepherd – solid in defense and at the back. Great range kicking. 7

14. Hynes – definitely not overawed by the occasion of his first test, he showed great strength on his feet 8

13. Mortlock – Still galumphing over the gain line at will, although his charge out of the line led to BODs try. 7

12. Barnes – despite a pretty disastrous kicking game he looked composed and put a couple of great tackles in. 7

11. Tuqiri – unstoppable running and big hits, his good form continues 8.5

10. Giteau – thank Christ he’s got hold of the kicking tee, looks like Robbie could also see what the rest of us did with Beavis’ ugly looking efforts in the past. Gits looked comfortable at pivot and went looking for work. 8

9. G&GRs own Luke Burgess - with the pack doing its job in the first half an hour, he looked the goods and was instrumental in the tries. Job got sticky as he got stranded on his own. 8

8. Palu – great defensively but went quiet with his running. 6.5

7. Smith - needs to do less of the playmaking (the Brumbies needed it, the Wallabies don’t) and re-focus on the turnovers. 6.5

6. Elsom – Had a good but not great game by his standards. Line-out option is gold. 6.5

5. Sharpe – Needed to do more grunt work around the rucks. Still looking good in the air. 6.5

4. Horwill – A sensation. Line-out steals, restarts, even a try. If he keeps this up, what happens when Vickerman’s fit? 8.5

3. Dunning – I thought this was a ‘weak’ Irish scrum. What happened? 5

2. Moore – good throwing and mobility. 6.5

1. Robinson – a quiet game for him, but just about held up. 6

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