Aus vs NZ - 1st Test Sydney 17Aug2013

[Braveheart81]

I spend most of my season concentrating on the most awesome Australian Super Rugby side and not the brumbies.

Huh? I thought you were a Reds fan?

 

[Lindommer]

I spend most of my season concentrating on the most awesome Australian Super Rugby side.....

Didn't see you at any Tahs games this year, Sully, where were you sitting? Gotta make yourself known to the troops in future.

 

[Sully]

Didn't see you at any Tahs games this year, Sully, where were you sitting? Gotta make yourself known to the troops in future.

You could always offer me a seat in your corporate box!

 

[FrankLind]

A few notes about the probable AB side.
Coles and TJ Perenara have been released to play club rugby.
So Mealamu or Hore to start.
Ryan Crotty has been called in due to the injury to Carter - but I don't think he will make the bench. Ben Smith to cover 12 and 13 and 15, with Charles Piutau as wing cover.

 

[Dean Hyde]

Not sure where the stats come from I can't reconstruct them from the seasons stats I can find. Still I agree it doesn't look good but to assert he has more bad kicks than good kicks is bizarre. In his favour for the Bledisloe is that he will not have the same lead up.


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Based on the fox sports fantasy stats (the only site I can find with season tallies for individual players) Jess Mogg made 19 tackles and missed 17 for the year. In comparison Izzy made 41 tackles and only missed 11.

While I cant find stats on Mogg's kicking. In recent games against the Force, Bulls and Chiefs his kicking was very inconsistent.

While we all know Mogg has questionable defence his attack in the Brumbies 3 biggest games of the season does not warrant a Wallabies call up either. Against the Cheetahs, Bulls and Chiefs Mogg had 3 errors per game, no line breaks, no tackle busts, no try assists, no line breaks created and 1 just one try against the Bulls (which Speight did all the work).

 

[Slim 293]

Sully I'm interested - Is the low tackle count due to the Brumbies tight defence up front? Is he missing more because the people who break the line are good enough to beat the one tackler remaining?

That's definitely a factor..........

He's quite often not in a position to have to make a tackle...........

 

[Deputy Van Halen]

A few notes about the probable AB side.
Coles and TJ Perenara have been released to play club rugby.
So Mealamu or Hore to start.
Ryan Crotty has been called in due to the injury to Carter - but I don't think he will make the bench. Ben Smith to cover 12 and 13 and 15, with Charles Piutau as wing cover.

I'm a bit surprised they're sticking with Kev and Hore, neither of those guys will last to the next RWC with any sort of form. Do they really have that little faith in Coles? Maybe Ged did make the right call in heading back to NZ, there is real opportunity for someone to step up there.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I think you are right in that Cooper will be the fly half for the reasons you have given.
Which to me means that JOC (James O'Connor) will go fullback in that the two of them can interplay the positions, for when the Wallabies win a tight head etc, JOC (James O'Connor) will be capable as a five eight taking possession.
Should QC (Quade Cooper) get injured, then JOC (James O'Connor) can step up to the position and Mogg can come off the bench as full back.
Also JOC (James O'Connor) has more experience at joining in with the back line at international level than Mogg or Izzy. This is an important role for a fullback at this level of rugby.
So Izzy and Cummins on the wings.
Aside from Izzy, I think that the Honey Badger has more to offer in attack.

I would not want to see JOC (James O'Connor) playing 10 ever again; not even in tandem with Quade. Therefore, it is not essential, nor even desirable, for JOC (James O'Connor) to play 15 if Quade is at 10. It is more essential that Quade learn to defend effectively at 10 for a whole game. 15 should be a choice between Izzy and Moggy, with Izzy my preference.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Tomane has looked decidedly average in test rugby, he had a good 10 minutes in one game before he returning to mediocrity

That's very harsh. Joe had a forgettable last 20 minutes against the Lions in the third test, but by then the whole team had started to fall off and I think they might have kn own there was a change of coaching staff in the wind, and tended to drop their bundle. But that aside, I would favour the Honey Badger to Joe, but don't write Joe off because of that one bad game. He has shown a lot of good form for the Brumbies over the past two years.

 

[mudskipper]

mckenzie will mix it up for sure... he wants to send that message to the players old and new...

Moggs big boot is a massive advantage...

 

[Brisbok]

That's very harsh. Joe had a forgettable last 20 minutes against the Lions in the third test, but by then the whole team had started to fall off and I think they might have kn own there was a change of coaching staff in the wind, and tended to drop their bundle. But that aside, I would favour the Honey Badger to Joe, but don't write Joe off because of that one bad game. He has shown a lot of good form for the Brumbies over the past two years.

Jake White certainly didn't do Tomane's Wallabies chances for this season any favours by benching him for the big games at the end of the season.

 

[mudskipper]

So ABs... no Dan Carter and Richie McCaw on the bench... they're starting to look like a team of old men the ABs...

 

[fatprop]

That's very harsh. Joe had a forgettable last 20 minutes against the Lions in the third test, but by then the whole team had started to fall off and I think they might have kn own there was a change of coaching staff in the wind, and tended to drop their bundle. But that aside, I would favour the Honey Badger to Joe, but don't write Joe off because of that one bad game. He has shown a lot of good form for the Brumbies over the past two years.

It is not about one bad game

Look I like the player and he has had his moments.

But he has not shown enough at test rugby yet and his "form" this year has been not up to last year's; and as others have mentioned, he was dropped to the bench by the Brumbies so even Jake White thought there were better options in the Brumbies squad.

 

[Scoey]

It is not about one bad game

Look I like the player and he has had his moments.

But he has not shown enough at test rugby yet and his "form" this year has been not up to last year's; and as others have mentioned, he was dropped to the bench by the Brumbies so even Jake White thought there were better options in the Brumbies squad.

The Ben Tapaui of the Brumbies. The guy that most people would like to do well but is inexplicably struggling for form. Have Joe's games for the Wallabies been outside Quade?

 

[Slim 293]

The Ben Tapaui of the Brumbies. The guy that most people would like to do well but is inexplicably struggling for form. Have Joe's games for the Wallabies been outside Quade?

Nah, worse.........

JOC (James O'Connor).

 

[Scoey]

Nah, worse...

JOC (James O'Connor).

Oh man. That's far worse than I thought. Can he still be saved? Some sort of intervention perhaps?

 

[mudskipper]

Tomane was dropped for the 2 biggest games the Brumbies played this year.

Jake White wanted Rathbones experience to start...

 

[mudskipper]

ashame Speight cant be there I say....

 

[Scotty]

If Cooper isn't starting, then I can't see why he would be wanted on the bench. If the game is close, then you wouldn't bring him on in case he tries to do too much and makes a mistake, you also wouldn't make a change if the Wallabies are in front. The only reason he would come on is if we were way behind. Seems a strange reason to pick a guy for the bench.

I am getting a funny feeling that we may end up seeing a backline of:

9 Genia
10 To'omua
11 JOC (James O'Connor)
12 Lilo
13 AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
14 Folau
15 Cooper

Maybe is wishful thinking on my part to be able to see that type of counter attacking threat, but it is possible. (Although I am scared about a high ball barrage to Cooper.)

 

[Rob42]

If Cooper isn't starting, then I can't see why he would be wanted on the bench. /

Perhaps just because the starting 10 would be a debutant, or to give both Cooper and To'omua a chance to show what they've got against the ABs before settling on one or the other. Or perhaps because Link would feel the hypocrisy of not selecting Cooper after banging the drum for him earlier this season.