France v Australia

[Tomikin]

Hey Guys, any one know where you can catch the post match press conferences online.. I've searched and can never find them

 

[Biffo]

We made a fuckload of mistakes, played too wide most of the time, were shit under the high ball for some reason, and couldn't tackle a 21yo kid with a stupid haircut.

We put on some good maul and scrum work in the first half, scored a couple of nice tries, and still only lost by 3 to a fired up Frog side.

Doom and gloom merchants have the knives out for Cheika and NSW in general. Realists are rueful about missed opportunities.

Fucking finito.

and old Biffo is in a minority of one.
he thought the Wallabies, in context, were outstanding in a wonderful test match.

 

[Rucks and Mauls]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned but that was the worst commentary I've ever had to suffer (free to air coverage). Shockingly bad....in every way. Anyone else pick it up?

 

[Athilnaur]

On the gameplan, I wonder if Cheika told them they had to play that way no matter what? If so we can't blame the players, and I suggest Cheika needs to ensure the gameplan has some variations because we were bog standard predictable and completely failed to pick apart their flat defense and flopping breakdowns. We can not, must not rely on refs to sort this stuff.

 

[Biffo]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned but that was the worst commentary I've ever had to suffer (free to air coverage). Shockingly bad..in every way. Anyone else pick it up?

commentary on Canal 5 was superb.

who did you get?
some know nothing pom and a guest kiwi?

 

[Quick Hands]

Just as well Folau was poor in front of 6 million French. Price gone down slightly maybe..

The comments surrounding Thomas' try are really interesting, all the Aussie supporters bemoaning the tackling, only some and the neutrals all praising the outstanding individual brilliance to score it. I bet if it was Folau scoring that try no one would mention the defence.

The people who run clubs and put there money where their mouth is won't be put off by one not so stellar game, unlike many posters who hav been waiting to pounce and thus prove their theory that he isn't as good as everyone says.

Thomas is a try scoring excitement machine - I'll bet the same people criticising the defence are the same ones who say rugby is boring because everyone takes penalty goals.

 

[Pfitzy]

Thomas is a try scoring excitement machine -

And how good was his shirt pull on AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) just before the try?

 

[No4918]

and old Biffo is in a minority of one.
he thought the Wallabies, in context, were outstanding in a wonderful test match.

Definitely a minority. I don't think any side dropping that much ball in the air and passes can be described as outstanding. Probably only one kicked that was dropped could be said was due to pressure.

 

[No4918]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned but that was the worst commentary I've ever had to suffer (free to air coverage). Shockingly bad..in every way. Anyone else pick it up?

Agree, the 10 commentators were calling the wrong players all night. Every other phase they got one wrong in the first 20. Not sure if they approved or I stopped noticing.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I've seen minutes 15-40, and 55-80. Other than that I seem to have missed us getting penalised a lot. So my thoughts are:

Why the fuck go out to the 2nd or 3rd channel against an umbrella defence? If the Frenchies wanted to rush so hard outside, we should have bashed it up in close and got in behind them. When we did this just before halftime and near the end of the game, we were making ground like a boss. It also limited Kuridrani's effect on the game running onto the ball at at pace. Would like to have seen him, Tomane, or AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) start running some inside lines to pull the Frogs up on the line.

Compounding this was Phipps reverting to a step-pass game rather than concentrating on speed from the deck. He does this occasionally and needed to be pulled into line by the coach via message runner.

I wasn't really analysing our defence, but the desire to seek the big hit is leaving our fringes a little exposed from where I'm sitting.

Genia added something when he came on I thought, but there were a few phases where he was passing to a static forward

It was a poor performance overall, but I agree with this:





But I don't agree with all of this:




On Folau, you're right - he looked very ordinary. Some of the balls that didn't go to hand were mind boggling, particularly that one between he and Foley in the first half.

But I don't think that reverting to kicking was necessarily going to be the answer either. We showed we could make yards, but we were trying to make them in all the wrong places with a rushing French defence.

Yeah - what was needed was some variety in the attack. Neither Phipps not Foley provided any in this game. Consequently, the French defense dominated. I don't think Genia added anything when he came on. Phipps just needs to add some different things to his armory from time to time. Quade would be better at mixing things up at 10.

 

[Jagman]

On the gameplan, I wonder if Cheika told them they had to play that way no matter what? If so we can't blame the players, and I suggest Cheika needs to ensure the gameplan has some variations because we were bog standard predictable and completely failed to pick apart their flat defense and flopping breakdowns. We can not, must not rely on refs to sort this stuff.

This is exactly what Chieka told the Tahs after the Brumbies beat them in Canberra this year. The two games are mightily similar actually, the Waratahs eventually started to enforce themselves on the Brumbies but there was not enough time on the clock to make a come back. This happened several times for the Tahs until the second half against the Hurricanes where they did actually make a come back from further behind and they haven't lost since.

 

[Lorenzo]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned but that was the worst commentary I've ever had to suffer (free to air coverage). Shockingly bad..in every way. Anyone else pick it up?

Switched over to fox after "Michael Horwill, Australian captain"

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Phipps just needs to add some different things to his armory from time to time.

Like what?

 

[Brumby Runner]

Like what?

A few more sniping runs, some inside balls, and some passing to forwards on the move would be a start. No box kicking.

 

[Quick Hands]

A few more sniping runs, some inside balls, and some passing to forwards on the move would be a start. No box kicking.

It's no co-incidence that his game has taken off since he completely eliminated the box kick. Perhaps he could run more, but it depends what he's been told by the coach. One thing with Chieka, if you follow the game plan and it doesn't work he takes responsibility and won't blame the players.

During the Deans era we (quite rightly) had howls on this thread from all and sundry about the lack of game plan - well now we've got a coach who has one, and he ain't gunna change it.

 

[cyclopath]

A few more sniping runs, some inside balls, and some passing to forwards on the move would be a start. No box kicking.

That would involve the players being ready to take the inside pass, and forwards being on the move. It's a team thing, a game plan thing, not a halfback thing per se. I'm sure if Cheika wanted those things done more, he'd ask for it.

 

[Moono75]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned but that was the worst commentary I've ever had to suffer (free to air coverage). Shockingly bad..in every way. Anyone else pick it up?

you mean the English guy that was the personal cheer squad for the Frogs and sounded like he wanted to have intimate relations with each and every one of them (allegedly)?

 

[Biffo]

That would involve the players being ready to take the inside pass, and forwards being on the move. It's a team thing, a game plan thing, not a halfback thing per se. I'm sure if Cheika wanted those things done more, he'd ask for it.

best way, imho, to evaluate a coach is to stfu and watch what he does for a long time before criticizing.
sure, we should ask "why is he doing this or that" to educate ourselves and for the sheer intellectual joy of trying to get inside his head , but don't even imagine that we have the faintest idea of a coach's overall vision and plans.
we don't.

btw, on the subject of the never-ending criticism of Wallaby scrum halfs, it is wise to bear in mind that 9s have far less trouble passing if they have runners.
Burgo is a good case in point. when Phil Waugh had purpose-built up-stick-it jumpers, Burgo couldn't pass to save himself. Burgo goes to Toulouse and there are runners and presto, he can pass quite well.

TGC gets runners everywhere and suddenly Phipps can pass well - the Dumbledore broken record on that subject suddenly mended itself when Phipps got into the Tah ways.

 

[Pfitzy]

That would involve the players being ready to take the inside pass, and forwards being on the move. It's a team thing, a game plan thing, not a halfback thing per se. I'm sure if Cheika wanted those things done more, he'd ask for it.

Ah, but would he get it?

 

[Quick Hands]

best way, imho, to evaluate a coach is to stfu and watch what he does for a long time before criticizing.
sure, we should ask "why is he doing this or that" to educate ourselves and for the sheer intellectual joy of trying to get inside his head , but don't even imagine that we have the faintest idea of a coach's overall vision and plans.
we don't.

btw, on the subject of the never-ending criticism of Wallaby scrum halfs, it is wise to bear in mind that 9s have far less trouble passing if they have runners.
Burgo is a good case in point. when Phil Waugh had purpose-built up-stick-it jumpers, Burgo couldn't pass to save himself. Burgo goes to Toulouse and there are runners and presto, he can pass quite well.

TGC gets runners everywhere and suddenly Phipps can pass well - the Dumbledore broken record on that subject suddenly mended itself when Phipps got into the Tah ways.

This thread is like a re-run of some of the Waratahs match threads 2013.