Rugby Championship 2025: South Africa v Australia

[Blue]

PS I would put money on Pollard starting at Eden Park.

 

[Linerunner2023]

Assuming Tupou, Valetini and Skelton are playing I think we can match that team physically. My forward pack would be:

1. Slipper
2. Pollard
3. Tupou
4. Frost
5. Skelton
6. Valetini
7. McReight
8. Wilson

16. Paenga-Amosa
17. Bell
18. Nonggorr
19. Salakai-Loto
20. Hooper
21. Tizzano

Great pack
Only change would be Gleeson for Tizzano as he and hooper can cover 7 as well if required
Tbh surprised at some of the boks selections especially going back to a 5-3 split

 

[Blue]

Great pack
Only change would be Gleeson for Tizzano as he and hooper can cover 7 as well if required
Tbh surprised at some of the boks selections especially going back to a 5-3 split

Definitely Tizzano. Boks are startign with 2 jackals and Marx plays like a third. They have a fourth on the bench in Kwagga. That is a sure signal that they will come very hard at the breakdown and that is not Gleeson's game.

 

[Major Tom]

Definitely Tizzano. Boks are startign with 2 jackals and Marx plays like a third. They have a fourth on the bench in Kwagga. That is a sure signal that they will come very hard at the breakdown and that is not Gleeson's game.

What? Stack your team with jackals to beat their jackals? I think you need powerful carriers to take down defenders and blokes clearing rucks.

 

[Tomthumb]

Absolutely hope he does.

This is the reason he is comfortable to play Siya at 8. Esterh. will fill the role that the 8 usually does in trucking it up from kickoffs and the back field. His ability to bend the line makes him well suited. At 1.94 and 115 kg, with pace. I'll take that all day.

You’ll take a guy playing a position he has never played just because the bathroom scales say so?

Springboks aren’t good enough to do something that dumb. This is Eddie Jones trying to have Josh Kemeny become a winger level of dumb

 

[HogansHeros]

You’ll take a guy playing a position he has never played just because the bathroom scales say so?

Springboks aren’t good enough to do something that dumb. This is Eddie Jones trying to have Josh Kemeny become a winger level of dumb

Its not dumb when Rassie does it, its dumb when Eddie tries to be Rassie

 

[Blue]

You’ll take a guy playing a position he has never played just because the bathroom scales say so?

Springboks aren’t good enough to do something that dumb. This is Eddie Jones trying to have Josh Kemeny become a winger level of dumb

This has literally been the works for 2 years. He played 60 minutes at blindside already this year. He has trained with the forwards all year, spent off season with the scrum coach, done specific conditioning since last year. But ok then, you clearly know better.

 

[Blue]

What? Stack your team with jackals to beat their jackals? I think you need powerful carriers to take down defenders and blokes clearing rucks.

View attachment 23070

I would take Tizzano over Gleeson all day no matter what. Jut an infinitely better rugby player.

 

[John S]

I would take Tizzano over Gleeson all day no matter what. Jut an infinitely better rugby player.

Even as a died in the wool Tahs fan, I tend to agree here. Tizzano has a pretty good rugby brain, Gleeson is likely to get a case of the dumbs and tits for hands at times.

 

[Major Tom]

I would take Tizzano over Gleeson all day no matter what. Jut an infinitely better rugby player.

Infinitely! That’ll do me.

 

[Major Tom]

Even as a died in the wool Tahs fan, I tend to agree here. Tizzano has a pretty good rugby brain, Gleeson is likely to get a case of the dumbs and tits for hands at times.

His hands have been pretty good lately.
I like tizzano but he should only really come in to play if Mcreight isn’t fit.

 

[Blue]

Infinitely! That’ll do me.

You're welcome.

 

[Blue]

Com

What? Stack your team with jackals to beat their jackals? I think you need powerful carriers to take down defenders and blokes clearing rucks.

View attachment 23070

He saw how well you guys played the breakdown and is countering, realising how important quick ball and turnovers will be. So you made a meme. Well done. Don't let trying to analyse the team get in the way of that.

 

[Tomthumb]

This has literally been the works for 2 years. He played 60 minutes at blindside already this year. He has trained with the forwards all year, spent off season with the scrum coach, done specific conditioning since last year. But ok then, you clearly know better.

So he's been training less in his actual position? Haha we are letting this man get away with buffoonery because he got 3 one point wins after losing in the pool stages of the last World Cup

Handre Pollard to hooker is next, followed by Cheslin Kolbe to lock

 

[TSR]

Can I just check in understanding correctly - are you talking down Erasmus because the Boks only won the World Cup final by 1 point?

 

[Tomthumb]

Can I just check in understanding correctly - are you talking down Erasmus because the Boks only won the World Cup final by 1 point?

No, I'm talking down the decision to play a career long midfielder at flanker in a Test match despite him never playing the position before

 

[TSR]

Haha we are letting this man get away with buffoonery because he got 3 one point wins after losing in the pool stages of the last World Cup

Sure - but this is the part of the comment I am referring to.

Look - as you were. I can actually see a lot of logic in what Erasmus is doing if that is in fact the plan. But go at it if you don’t agree.

I just don’t think diminishing the Boks winning the World Cup helps prove your point. Honestly - given the way they used their 7 person bench, I think it supports what Erasmus is doing and also supports Jone’s previous comments about hybrid players even if the Walabies never really had to put it to the test.

 

[Tomthumb]

Sure - but this is the part of the comment I am referring to.

Look - as you were. I can actually see a lot of logic in what Erasmus is doing if that is in fact the plan. But go at it if you don’t agree.

I just don’t think diminishing the Boks winning the World Cup helps prove your point. Honestly - given the way they used their 7 person bench, I think it supports what Erasmus is doing and also supports Jone’s previous comments about hybrid players even if the Walabies never really had to put it to the test.

The comment was to show how fickle all of this "Rassie is a genius" stuff is. Sure, they squeaked by the last World Cup, but were a play away from being bundled out in the Quarter Final and Rassie presiding over one of the Springboks Worst ever World Cup performances. In both scenario's he is the same really good coach, but he would be viewed completely differently

I do fail to see the logic as teaching a midfielder to be a Test match level flanker with no game time doing it and a few months of training isn't exactly the most coherent thing to do. As a Wallabies fan I'm all for him trying to go against Skelton and Valetini, but I cant help but feel if anyone else tried doing this they would be lambasted

 

[Dctarget]

Apparently ticket sales are doing very poorly for this. Their cheap tickets are selling for ~$170AUD which to put into context their average worker earns $100AUD a day ($2,000/month) and their top 5% worker earns ~$140 a day ($3,100/month).

 

[TSR]

The comment was to show how fickle all of this "Rassie is a genius" stuff is. Sure, they squeaked by the last World Cup, but were a play away from being bundled out in the Quarter Final and Rassie presiding over one of the Springboks Worst ever World Cup performances. In both scenario's he is the same really good coach, but he would be viewed completely differently

I do fail to see the logic as teaching a midfielder to be a Test match level flanker with no game time doing it and a few months of training isn't exactly the most coherent thing to do. As a Wallabies fan I'm all for him trying to go against Skelton and Valetini, but I cant help but feel if anyone else tried doing this they would be lambasted

Probably - but there is always a fine point between genius and stupidity and Jones & Erasmus give a fine example of that. Jones was obviously looking at similar strategies with his bench but because of all the other stupid things I don’t think many talk about his plans to play ‘hybrid’ players in good terms. But you can see the advantage it gives a team IF they have a player who can pull it off.

Ireland almost knocked Australia out of the World Cup in 91 & South Africa in 99. We didn’t win our 91 semi or final by much either. I don’t think that takes anything away from the fact we won.

Like I said IMO your comment more undermines your own post rather than Rassie’s achievements or his current strategy. But hey, I’m just a random guy on the Internet.