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Tags: video highlights
Video Highlights: All Blacks vs Wallabies
– July 18, 2009Posted in: All Blacks, Wallabies
Tags: video highlights
About the Author
Matt a.k.a Gagger or GAGR (short for GreenAndGoldRugby, not a fetish)
Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. You can follow him on Twitter here http://www.twitter.com/Matt_Gagger 
For all the talk about “growth” and “journies” that comes from the Wallaby camp, laqst night demonstrated that the team has in fact, learnt next to nothing in the past 12 months.
For weeks we have been hearing about previous weaknesses being worked on and resolved and talk of a steely determination that was missing in earlier seasons. Last night however the Wallabies were again shown up in a couple of key areas, areas where we have been weak for a number of years:
1. Scrum – Dispite the argument that referees do not know what they are doing and pick on Baxter (this is probably true!), if you want to be the number 1 test side in the world you need to be able to play 80 minutes without giving away 4 (I think it was) scrum penalties.
2. Tactical kicking – This was the most disappointing aspect of the game for me as in the June tests the Wallabies had shown real improvement in thier skills. But as with the scrum, when the time comes to be truly tested those skills disappear. The AB’s kicked the pants off us last night.
3. Scrum Half – Burgess is a great competitor and a very hard worker, but what is the point in having the best fly half in the world if every pass he gets is either behind him or over his head or at his boots. As with Baxter, Burgess seems ot have a problem with the fundamental skill for his position.
This was a perfect opportunity to rid ourselves of some NZ demons against a (by AB standards) weak opposition and we blew it big time. It pains me to say it, but I think the Walllabies went backwards by 12 months last night in Auckland.
Add to that the mess at the breakdown. 12mths or more ago, there would be Smith at the breakdown, on his own with little support from his mates. And similarly we would see the scrum-half struggling to get his ball against fierce counter-rucking of the ABs. These aspects have improved vastly in recent tests BUT faced with the ABs yesterday we stepped back in time. AGAIN! Why?
It does not take an expert to work out why we lost last night. But the one thing that i noticed is how badly the coaching staff responded to the situation. Burgess was shithouse from the start and five minutes into the game he should have been pulled off. That was one of the worst games i have ever seen by a number 9. Our back line never had a chance with that sort of performance. Al baxter continuously penalized at the scrum, It does not matter who is at fault but if the ref keeps on blowing the whistle then you must react and remove the problem. Piss poor coaching. The only good thing was that the Ab’s did not win by the score they should have
Agreed Pete. Burgess was just appalling. I was screaming at the telly to take him off. Basic fundamentals constantly botched. he seems to me to move slowly.
I watched the new half when he came on and his passing from the scrum/ruck was crisp and clean.
It wasn’t all the fault of one bloke though. I gave up trying to understand decisions from incorrect scrummaging years ago.
That Ref was also terrible. Seemingly ignoring the forward pass as a law of rugby.
agree with it all, throw a jittery JOC and a shit reff into the mix and we’ve got a 2nd half that looked like we were trying to lose.
in reply to you blog once agian you aussis are blaming the ref once again you carnt even beat the all blacks when they are missing key players still and gits is not the best b10 in the world as donald clearly showed that last night
no sex for ben
Well Ben, as a rugby man you should understand it is ALWAYS the ref’s fault. To be fair he did miss a number of things on both sides. The wallabies got away with a heap of forward passes early, so it may have evened out somewhat. I was however a little sus of the distance the kiwi defence were keeping in general play.
Losing barnes was a massive blow early. After this the wallaby backs seemed to play to wide too soon, perhaps because the opportunities were there early.
Appart from this and some truly woeful tactical kicking, the forwards have alot to answer for. There were some soft turnovers at critical moments, and some really ill disciplined play – tipified by sharpey handling the ball while looking straight at the ref while being told not to!
Donald played well after a slow start, but was not being thrown watermelons – gits is still better.
.
Well done Ben, I think this second comment showed your clarity of thinking a lot better and you managed to avoid any spelling mistakes.
We gambled on Elsom being fit, and did not pick a hard 6 as a backup for the NH tests, so we had no-one to blood against the AB’s. Mowen or Higginbotham – even Chapman – should have been ready to play that game.
Its lucky Hodgson had a quiet game v the BaaBaa’s or we’d have had another 7 warming the bench and JOC covering the entire backline.
Was Waugh even used? Hynes should have at least been on the bench: he’s as quick as Mitchell, a better defender and great under the high ball. A 5-2 split was madness: its a cold wet night, and you stack the team with opensides? That might have worked on a warm clear night in Brisbane, but not in Auckland.
Burgess must have photos of JON biblically with a goat to not have gotten hooked after a few minutes.
Has JOC signed with the Force yet? Another Test like that and his market value will freefall.
Basic problem was a lack of rucking and counter-rucking. No commitment at the breakdown, similar to RWC QF 2007.
Lastly: how stupid was Sharpe to interfere with NZ ruck ball while flat on his stomach while looking the ref in the eyes? That cost us 3 points and gave NZ the lead.
that was my thoughts exactly, watching from my seat in a room full of kiwi’s (madness I know…), just like the QF we were completely out enthused at the break down. that was where it was lost.
Which leads me to wonder, with all the time and “progress” since then, how far have we really come?
Gone Since 07:
Gerrard
Larkham (retired)
Gregan (retired)
Staniforth
Latham (retired)
Vickerman (retired)
Tuqiri
Shepherdson
Tirinui
Sam Two-Dads
Gained since 07:
Horwill
Hynes
Genia
James O’Connor
Tahu
Cross
Baxter’s second coming (now with double penalties)
Yeap, lots of progress. Even if you dont count the retirees I’d still pick the above group any day of the week.
Could make a wallaby squad full of left outs and oldies that would beat the current squad.
Just like our cricket team…
first off gagger fuk up and stop talking shit you clearly know fuk all about rugby the all blaCks are better than the wallabies they always have been and they always will be you can not go againt that AND the record clearly proves that nz have dominated almost every aspect of rugby being super 14 7s womans rugby ect they have been the bench mark of rugby so stop talking about the reff the foward passes n stupid shit like that when we are at our best the wallibies carnt even touch us and when we are playing like shit the wallibes still carnt beat us so there you go once again the all blacks have WON……………….
where’s the thumbs down button again?
dude, who are you even talking to, the person or the website?
Get back on the meds man, you need them.
I think I might leave this comment up a bit so we can laugh at you a bit more, and then I think you can disappear to the spam bin along with all the other shit that doesn’t make any sense.
Don’t go againt him guys you carnt win!
Second off the all blaCks (capital C guys), have dominated all aspects of rugby, except that cup thingy where they tend to get touched up by some frogs.
Lastly, we will never compete if we rely on punctuated play. Kiwi boi has shown how even the longest statement can be made without confusion without any punctuation at all.
Bravo kiwi boi, you’re just copping the heat because you took your name from a avril lavigne song.
It pains me that some kiwis get on these sites and express themselves inarticulately. It makes us all look stupid. We are not all like that!
Didn’t manage to see the game and can’t see the highlights on this site because in the UK, anyone know another site?