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Video: Wallabies v. All Blacks Bledisloe Cup Test No. 1

Scott Allen August 4, 2011 51

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The anticipation is building — there’s only two days to go before we get our first real indicator of how the Wallabies are looking for 2011.

Watch the video to see some of the areas I expect the Wallabies will have taken note of from last weekend’s game between the All Blacks and the Springboks.

My tip: Wallabies by 5.


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POSTED IN » All Blacks, South Africa, Wallabies
About the author: Scott Allen View all posts by
Scott is one of our regular contributors who used to be known around G&GR as "Austin". He has experience coaching Premier Grade with two clubs in Brisbane.

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Discussion »

  • Duncher

    Now I remember how I used to feel when I was a kid on Christmas eve… So excited

  • Behind Enemy Lines

    Great analysis. Who needs The Rugby Club when we’ve got Green and Gold Rugby?

    • RJ

      yer ill still be watching Kafe serve up his usual slop circa 15 minutes from now. I love thursdays nights.

  • stinger

    Good analysis but I would say that these ‘pet plays’ the ABs are using haven’t changed a great deal for the past 2 seasons and yet we are nowhere near a 50/50 ledger in Bled cup games. ABs are a bit like the Mlebourne Storm – everyone knows what they are going to do but they do it so well, so often they are veryhard to stop (oh and they cheat in the tackle contest too).

    I agree that our real attacking opportunities will come out wide by we can’t play side to side. We MUST have good fwd runners and 2 or 3 supporters who clean out McCaw and co enabling us to go wide on the front foot.

    Good luck Wallabies, don’t get scared no matter what the scoreboard says

    • bill

      When I was playing subbies in the 90′s one of the lads was a mate of a former all black and gave us simple script of about 6 maybe 8 plays to follow. We won maybe 7 out of 8 of our next games.

      It was pretty similar to the pattern shown above, crash ball, 5/8 loop of IC, cut out to OC. Rinse and repeat, stretched defences at that level quite well.

      The general theme has probably been around as long as rugby.

  • Goldie

    If the ref does his job properly, WB’s by 10 points. McCaw is always cheating, players are always slow to roll away in the ruck if at all, they block chasers all the time and their line out is more like a mob hanging around than a straight line. Also, Carter throws way too many forward passes that don’t get picked up for my liking

    • Duncher

      Don’t like Joubert as a ref… he tends to award penalties to whoever the crowed is cheering for. This is bad news for us… Better than having Kaplan reffing us obviously but still not good.

      • Ooaahh

        Agreed. Too easily influenced for my liking. I suspect the ABs will be targeting Cooper on the wing and making him work in defense. Look for up and unders all day long. Who will take a ban for taking cooper out in the air?

        • Patrick

          I don’t get why people think the ABs are going to kick anywhere but touch – anyone objective would say that Australia’s most dangerous players (bar perhaps Pocock and, for NH fans at least, Elsom) are our wide/deep defense – usually a combination of Cooper, Beale, Genia and Ioane.

          Also, this video makes a few things apparently clear:
          – we need to run big number forwards at Jane, he’s not going to stop them
          – there is more mileage than the Springboks made in tight pick-n-drive football – the ABs, maybe of course playing the crap in front of them, are often quite spread around the field and would need to start hustling players back into the breakdown if we pick-n-drove off the ruck three or four times (or even better, offloaded!)
          – Nonu is really no threat to top-tier teams

        • Goldie

          These teams are reminding me of NZ & Aus in the 2003 world cup, except reversed. NZ went in with “stars” in the back line that could score tries from anywhere & leading up to that game, everyone was kicking straight to them but in that game, Aus kept the ball and NZ had no plan B. Don’t think Aus won’t have a plan B here though

    • Jay

      “Carter throws way too many forward passes that don’t get picked up for my liking”

      Will Genia and Quade Cooper say hello…..

      • pants

        Yep, Carter doesn’t throw forward passes and I get exactly what you’re saying re: Cooper and Genia. They are actually, good flat passes.

    • cheese

      “Carter throws too many forward passes” Now I know your taking the piss. Go back and count the number of forward passes genia and cooper committed in the semifinals and finals.

      • RJ

        Just counted. None.

  • Lee Grant

    Excellent analysis Scott and simply explained. Enjoyed it.

  • Braveheart

    Great analysis. Nailed the structures of both teams.

    Can’t wait for Saturday. I feel like a kid before Chistmas.

  • yourmatesam

    Good analysis Scott, i hope your tip is right!!

  • Scotty

    The only caution I would have about attacking too wide too often, is that it will also play in the AB’s hands. They will be able to spread easily, and then compete for turnover ball at the breakdown out wide. In general, their backs are better at the ruck contest than ours are, and add in McCaw’s freakish ability to get to every wide ruck, you have the problem of a possible turnover ball out wide that the ABs can counter attack from. This is the opportunity we can not afford to give them, so our loose forwards are going to have to work hard to get to each ruck and be effective when they get there. Our centres will have to play like the 2nd and 3rd opensides.

  • RuggaTim

    WB’S must be ruthless at the breakdown in clearing out all the loiterers (ie Mcaw flopping on to the wrong side) in order for us to get enought front foot ball. Hopefully Ione and Mccabe can smash Nonu early and make them think twice about that play. I think Quade needs to adopt a smart kicking strategy if we get a lead and pin them in their own half, play them at their own game a little bit. Would love to see turner on the counter with Cooper late in the game against tired AB forwards.

  • NP

    very interesting analysis but i don’t think the AB’s will play the exact same way they played against the Boks, and neither will the wallabies for that matter. i suspect they will be looking for ways to expose Cooper to the big wingers they selected. not sure how they can do that though… will be very interesting! AB’s by 10

    • pants

      At least we get a real test match, not the disrespectful tripe the springboks dished up. This is the first genuine test match of the year and thankfully the ABs and Wallabies respect contractual agreements that obviously the Springboks treat with a grain of salt. Nothing much has been said about this, but the Springboks have lost whatever remaining respect they had by sending a B team when they signed an agreement to not do so. Clearly you can’t trust them as far as you can throw them.

      • Patrick

        Let’s hope we both trounce them in the Republic as well, and of course in the RWC (well we won’t both play them).

      • bill

        Arghh I think the Samoans may have something to say about the ‘first real test’ business. It was arguably the strongest side we could put out at the time, the Samoans passed the test, we didn’t.

        • pants

          It wasn’t our strongest side, and we didn’t sign a contract saying we would put our strongest side out for that test. Either way it doesn’t matter, we still lost. Its still a long way from the bullshit the saffas have pulled for their 3N test team.

        • bill

          Agree with your read of the saffas effort pants. Its pretty cynical.

      • Adori

        Agreed Pants. And further to that, what a lot of bullsh*t Hansen has been spouting this week about the Wallabies so called “lack of respect” for the All Blacks. Springboks turn up with a B spec side and there’s barely a mention of respect from Hansen, yet we are finally going into a match against the AB’s with the closest we’ve come in over 18 months to our best side (and even then still missing TPN, Palu, Benn Robbo, Mitchell, Barnes) and he says the Wallabies “lack respect”? What a muppet! What Deans and the Wallabies have been doing is talking positively about their chances, not arrogantly, and for this we lack respect? We haven’t talked negatively about the opposition at all. It smacks of typical All Blacks pre-game pap that serves no other reason than to sharpen that chip they have on both shoulders.

        I sincerely hope to see the AB’s choke in front of their home crowd at RWC. I had the pleasure of being at Twickenham in 99 when they lost to the French (still got the program – hoping Justin Marshall will sign it!). That day i discovered another type of event where people are teary eyed and wear black. No casket though. Well, only the dead, listless body of NZ rugby in a world cup year. If you see footage of the crowd leaving Twickers that day, i’m the one with a smile on my face – can’t miss me, I’m the only one.

        Can’t wait for Saturday and roll on RWC. I’m psyched!

        • Antony

          Adori – and you reckon the all blacks have a chip on their shoulder?

        • cheese

          You and the rest of the sheep here bleat on and on about the all blacks ‘choking’ Actually the biggest world cup choke is Australia’s in 2003. You lost at home to a team of geriatrix has-beens who have none nothing of note since.

        • RJ

          mate the english were the best team in the world that year, and if i remember correctly (and I do), they boshed the AB’s twice in the lead up to that world cup. In fact, with a man like Martin Johnson at the helm, how the fuck can you possibly lose. That man was super human. I rated him as highly as Eales.

      • NP

        Hopefully the Boks will both play and act differently once they get rid of that ridiculous coach… This tournament (when everyone shows up…) is the best rugby in the world and its just a shame when sh*t like this happens. When are the Argentinians going to join the party anyway?

  • ozabraod

    High kicks for cooper to contest and gather may be a ploy. Not sure how adept QC is with the high ball

    • Scotty

      Didn’t watch the Reds much this year? Cooper and Genia are two of the best at tacking the high ball in this country.

      • RJ

        You didn’t whaaaaat? Best wishes for you. Sending you my love. Much sympathy.
        You missed out on 1,440 minutes of amazing rugby. You’ll never get that back mate.
        I sure hope 2012 is a better year for you

        • Robson

          I think Scotty is asking a question of Ozabraod.

    • NP

      Maybe … but i don’t think they will be looking to give them (Beale!!) too many opportunities to run from the back… they might just keep running at them, commit the front line tacklers in the first couple of phases and then force Beale and cooper to make/miss the later tackles…

      one thing i noticed during the S15 is that Ioane doesn’t jump to take the high balls… that could be a point that the AB’s, but more likely the Boks, could look to exploit. But not if he is standing at 10 in defence…

  • Adori

    Ant – nothing as big as the Kiwi’s have on theirs…. No other team is allowed to talk positive without being accused of arrogance, lack of respect, offending NZ rugby traditions or reverence to the black jersey. FARRK. They don’t OWN the game. Yes, they are very good at it but I don’t understand why no one else is allowed to talk up their chances without offending them…

    And Cheese, if we choked in 2003 what the hell did the All Blacks do that year, and have done, since the first World Cup?? Your remark is laughable.

    The definition of choking is when the tournament favourite doesn’t take the title. Now….. lets look back over the records shall we??

    • Graeme

      Adori,

      You are getting to wound up. It’s from a SMH (or Murdock paper) article, FFS!!! Their ouvre d’art is to take meaningless comments made in passing, exagerate the crap out of their meaning and blow them up into huge shitfights.

      • Adori

        Graeme
        Its easy to mis-read the tone of comments made on here and mine isn’t a rant, its not intended that way at all (OK maybe the part about choking in the 2003 was….but he was asking for it!) : )

        The Hansen comment was this – quote, unquote: “The Australians aren’t in awe of us, they probably don’t even respect us. You’ve only got to read what they’ve got to say.”

        • Goldie

          I think the point he was making is that IF the WB’s were ever in awe of the AB’s, they aren’t now and that the WB’s genuinely believe they can win every time they run out aginst the AB’s. Having said that, I would say there would have been very few WB teams over the last 20 years or so that didn’t think they could beat the AB’s, even if the ledger is in the AB favour. The WB’s are the team that most consistently upsets the AB’s. (Although the frogs have chucked a couple of doozies in their too)

  • KingofDubai

    AB’s just have the ability to pull away even when not playing that well. WB will need to recycle f*cking quickly and beat the AB’s with pace.

    If our lineout is dominant and we can some how be competitive at scrum time, we’ll need some Beale/ quade magic and o’connor to kick goals to win by 2.

    Please god?!

  • bones

    Just went back and reviewed the Reds super xv victory. Iaone and Genia both scored off unstructured play late in the game. I think if we can hold the ABs until the 60 min mark, the youth we have plus a pace and skill excess in the backs, will see us post a couple of late tries and take the game. Mils is looking pretty slow if you ask me, and Sivi also is a threat in attack but also a bit slow now and not so solid in defence. Gear I have never really been impressed with. So the outside backs to win it for us late in the game, provided our defence keeps the scores tight until then. WBs by 5, same as Reds win.

    • NP

      Not impressed with Gear? What about last years T3?

  • a.fox-russell

    Is it just me or does the “McCaw-and-the-ABs-are-complete-cheats” line that gets rolled out under every article on here just make you cringe?

    Get real. I’m as pumped about the WBs chances on Saturday and in the Cup as the next guy, but the whole conspiracy theory about the Blacks getting away with more is just such a whinge. Maybe they have, on balance, over the years developed a bit of an aura about them. But in the end, IMHO, they’ve won, when they have because they’re the better side on the day.

    I say this with absolutely no hard evidence, but I bet every other side has had the same amount of lucky calls, or forward passes missed on balance. It’s part of the game.

    I can’t wait to beat these guys, but when we do, I hope we’re gracious about it and dont all carry on like complete friggin pork chops.

    • Graeme

      Yes, and I couldn’t agree more.

      • Eric

        I also agree. It’s a shame because there is some otherwise good analysis. But the whingeing does get a bit much.

  • rugbyfreak

    thats the problem…we know exactly what they are going to do…..and they will do it…im sick of losing to this team…yeah it does feel like christmas eve as a kid today….but im afraid its going to feel like halloween again (like so many times before) when the final whistle is blown tomorrow night…i think they’ll have us by 13….brisbane will be a much closer game….could go either way….RWC will be our hour of glory!

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  • KT

    How exciting is this! I must admit I follow all the commentary very closely and while I’m a massive fan of the walls I am always pretty disappointed by what seems to be a lack of respect from nz fans (a few comments by SH aside I think the all black players are quite respectful). I’ve been to loads of games and there’s always plenty of banter for and aft at the pub… Unfortunately my experience talking to kiwis at this time has not been great and my overriding sense in hindsight has been of a very negative and rather unsportsmanlike nature in the majority. I think it’s really important to give any opposition credit where it is due and not blame the ref (let’s face it we all get calls in or out of our own favour) or anyone else when things don’t work out. It’s pretty fair to say these teams have respect for one another. I sincerely hope the winners and losers tomorrow, either way and also for the WC will be gracious and that we all enjoy an epic game… Bring it on!!

  • tc63

    As a long term Wallabies fan it is hard to get excited and optimistic as the the only consistency of this team has been there ability to disappoint and turn in a poor performance when you feel they are on the verge of a great victory.

    I hope we may have turned a corner with this young and confident team, with the QLD nucleus demonstrating what can be achieved with self belief and on field performance vs believing what you read in the paper.

    The All Blacks in my mind have far more to lose tomorrow as a loss could turn into a losing streak with lots of pressure where the Wallabies are used to losing and know they only need to win one game at the RWC. Should the Wallabies win then the pressure will mount on the ABs.

    As for this team being young. The 1986 Wallabies were younger…

    Last two games (Sydney & HK) have gone down to the final minute and expect it to be another close one.

  • mike

    Nice Tip mate shows how good you are ^_^

  • japs

    Nice predictons there guys, you are right, that was a close one!

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