Italy v Australia, Sunday Nov 10 2013, Stadio Olimpico

[The_Brown_Hornet]

That back line is just fabulous to watch when the pack do their job. They really showed some adventure at times last night and played at a pace that we rarely see these days. I'd be inclined to keep them as they are now and built around it as a base. The tight five is where the work is needed and while they did OK last night we need to see a greater level of consistency in their application to the task. I also still have reservations about our work at the breakdown and with that I'd really like to see Gill get a start on this tour. I think Hooper is a terrific player, but what we're missing in the back row right now is a genuine fetcher and Gill is that. Hoops brings huge amounts in pretty much every other area, but I don't think he's hard enough on the ball at this stage. Put him and Gill together and you've got Pocock basically.

 

[Tackennut]

After this test I am of the opinion that the Wallabies are building. It feels very reminisent of the Reds buildup under Ewan; some good games, great patches of play, a couple of shockers along the way and then it came together as they mastered all the pieces. The question is and let's assume it comes together, will that game work against the stronger test nations?

 

[I like to watch]

It might work,but not to the same degree.
Man for man our backs dominated the other mob physically.They really struggled putting our guys on the mat one on one.We Just won't see that against the better sides.

 

[Scotty]

There's a certain irony in only addressing reds players, whilst ignoring players from other provinces (including the much maligned Michael Hooper), but I agree with the broader point .

But what I can't understand is why you thought Slipper had a good game. I could forgive the sea gulling if he was actually good at it. Instead he stepped into touch and was manhandled by the opposition halfback.

I don't think he scrummaged well either.

I thought Slipper did well at the breakdown and well controlling the ball in hand. The scrums certainly never had an issue on his side. Robinson made no apparent difference when he came, but his mistakes are ignored - dropping the ball and being penalised for not rolling away.

Hooper was good again in the loose but Gill showed his point of difference. I didn't mention hooper in my post because I hadn't read anything negative about his performance, contrary to the other players mentioned.

 

[Scotty]

It might work,but not to the same degree.
Man for man our backs dominated the other mob physically.They really struggled putting our guys on the mat one on one.We Just won't see that against the better sides.

And their right winger's defense was basically non existent.

 

[RoffsChoice]

I understand that when you support a team and someone criticises a player from that team, it's easy to think "Oh, he plays for my team, he can't be bad. They must just be biased because they support another team."

But really, this is the Wallabies we're talking about here. I don't care what provincial team you play for, you could play for Sydney Uni alone and I wouldn't care, so long as you're doing well in the G&G.

So when I'm criticising Genia and saying we should play White or Phipps, it's not because I think White or Phipps are the best player to ever play, it's because Genia (who is usually a good player) is making mistakes that don't just ruin our chances but give points to the opposition.

When I'm saying Slipper should be benched for Robinson, it's not because I think Slipper spends too much time on the wing, it's because the scrum is much better when Robinson is on and I think that is more important for a prop than having a wide range of work around the field (not that it matters, Robinson does good work around the field and makes a bigger impact at breakdowns anyway).

When I'm saying Horwill needs a rest, it's not because I want some other lock to take his place, it's because I know he is a good player and that a rest is the best bet for getting a good player back to some sort of form.

And I've been the first to praise Cooper and Simmons - They've clearly been great in their positions and I expect them to keep it up, because I expect every Wallaby to be great at what they do.

My Hooper dislike is just not liking his impact at the breakdown, not my disliking that he plays for the Waratahs. My Folau dislike is that I think he'd be better on the wing, not at fullback, not disliking that he plays for the Waratahs.

It's not "provincial bias" to want Wallabies players to do better or be dropped.

 

[Ignoto]

Watching To'omua really come into that 12 role makes me wonder what we could have had if Giteau stayed at inside centre instead of being shifted for several years. Originally I was quite hesitant about his lack of size in that role, but geez he looks composed in that role. Glad to see he and Quade are working with one another there!

 

[Richo]

I thought Slipper did well at the breakdown and well controlling the ball in hand. The scrums certainly never had an issue on his side. Robinson made no apparent difference when he came, but his mistakes are ignored - dropping the ball and being penalised for not rolling away.

Hooper was good again in the loose but Gill showed his point of difference. I didn't mention hooper in my post because I hadn't read anything negative about his performance, contrary to the other players mentioned.

Lucky you. There's been screeds of stuff having a go at Hooper around here.

Robinson did not have an impact off the bench in this game. But he has had a strong one in almost every other game he's played since being recalled. Slipper, by contrast, just had his first non-embarrassment in about a half a dozen games. Last night was the outlier for both players, IMO. For what it's worth, I don't care which player is there as long as they are playing well and doing their core job in the scrum. If that's Slipper, then great, but it hasn't been for most of the Link era.

 

[barbarian]

Genia's box kick was terrible, but one of the reasons it failed was Parisse, who was lying on the ground and raised his leg just as Genia went to kick. It clearly impeded him.

It was still the wrong option, but it probably should have been a penalty to us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BDA]

After this test I am of the opinion that the Wallabies are building. It feels very reminisent of the Reds buildup under Ewan; some good games, great patches of play, a couple of shockers along the way and then it came together as they mastered all the pieces. The question is and let's assume it comes together, will that game work against the stronger test nations?

We definitely seem like a confidence/momentum team atm. If we can get ahead by 10 points we are comfortable. even last week we looked pretty comfortable when we were 7 points up. but as soon as it becomes a tight contest we buckle under the pressure. need to fix that

 

[BDA]

Simmons was very good, as was Ben Mowen. A good return to form. Slipper also much better. We won the scrum battle, but only just. But against the Italians you take it every time.

mmm i wouldnt go quite that far. we certainly held strong and even dished a bit out ourselves, but id still give the italian scrum a slight points decision. but really that is their tradtional strength so you'd expect them to win that area.

a good effort at scrum time. consistency is the key from here

 

[wamberal]

Watching To'omua really come into that 12 role makes me wonder what we could have had if Giteau stayed at inside centre instead of being shifted for several years. Originally I was quite hesitant about his lack of size in that role, but geez he looks composed in that role. Glad to see he and Quade are working with one another there!

To'omua looks stronger, physically, than Giteau. I hate to think of Giteau up against SBW or Nonu these days, whereas To'omua should go okay. I hope.

 

[BDA]

For the next game I'd like to see Gill get a start. Our defence around the ruck solidified when he came on at the end

 

[Bowside]

Genia's box kicks were terrible sure, but the bloke threw a few passes under pressure going backwards that were just sublime.

I fear if we drop him White and Phipps will get far more exposed behind our current pack, and totally stop any hint of backline attack.

 

[Bowside]

For the next game I'd like to see Gill get a start. Our defence around the ruck solidified when he came on at the end

Hooper is a better running player at this stage, but Gill slows the opposition attack far more than Hooper does, which takes the pressure off the rest of the team and allows then to realign in defence.

I'd start Gill next game and see if it has a tangible benefit over 60-80 minutes.

 

[Elfster]

I see why the Italy's number 8 ranks highly in Rome

 

[BDA]

Hooper is a better running player at this stage, but Gill slows the opposition attack far more than Hooper does, which takes the pressure off the rest of the team and allows then to realign in defence.

I'd start Gill next game and see if it has a tangible benefit over 60-80 minutes.

i agree with all of that. It's unfortunate we dont have a few more ball runners in this team, as hooper seems to be doing a lot of that work atm. Guys like Horwill and Alexander just arent going forward; they are in desperate need of the offseason. If we had the likes of TPN, Palu and Higgers back in this side, the need for Hooper's attacking strength would probably be less.

I think defensive structure will be paramount against Ireland. They just put 40 points past Samoa so they will make us pay if the defense isn't solid. I think Gill will help us achieve that.

 

[Slim 293]

mmm i wouldnt go quite that far. we certainly held strong and even dished a bit out ourselves, but id still give the italian scrum a slight points decision. but really that is their tradtional strength so you'd expect them to win that area.

a good effort at scrum time. consistency is the key from here

I feel we were lucky that the Italians had a LH who had just graduated from the Al Baxter/Ben Alexander school for collapsed scrummaging..........

When the scrum actually stayed up they definitely appeared to be more dominant..........

 

[Hawko]

I feel we were lucky that the Italians had a LH who had just graduated from the Al Baxter/Ben Alexander school for collapsed scrummaging....

When the scrum actually stayed up they definitely appeared to be more dominant....

..and there was a huge improvement when the Italian bench LHP came on.

 

[Shiggins]

Great to see the wallabies scoring tries. Cummins is coming along really well. He is starting to offload to set up tries and that's the one thing he lacked.