• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

New Zealand v Australia - Auckland - 23 August 2014

Status
Not open for further replies.

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
This could turn out ugly for the Men in Gold. The NZ Rugby Team seldom play inaccurately two weeks in a row.

The Men in Gold will take some confidence from the opening game in 2014 TRC (& Bledisloe 1) even though they were also inaccurate, and made poor decisions at times.

The Tier 1 consecutive Test victories record attempt has been reset.

Conrad Smith should be back from Paternal Leave, but Ma'a Nonu and Jerome Kaino may be in the AIG Team Rehab.

Let the banter begin.
 

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
Team:

1 Slipper
2 TPN
3 Kepu
4 Simmons
5 Carter (needs to run lower)
6 Fardy (needs to not be a fuckwit for the first 20 minutes)
7 Hooper
8 Palu
9 Phipps
10 Foley
11 Horne
12 To'omua
13 AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
14 McCabe
15 Folau

16 Charles
17 Robinson
18 Alexander
19 Skelton
20 McCalman (fuck you Higgers)
21 White
22 Beale
23 Kuridrani.
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Team:

1 Slipper
2 TPN
3 Kepu
4 Simmons
5 Carter (needs to run lower)
6 Fardy (needs to not be a fuckwit for the first 20 minutes)
7 Hooper
8 Palu
9 Phipps
10 Foley
11 Horne
12 To'omua
13 AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
14 McCabe
15 Folau

16 Charles
17 Robinson
18 Alexander
19 Skelton
20 McCalman (fuck you Higgers)
21 White
22 Beale
23 Kuridrani.

Utterly agree but just want to highlight your bench: no Pek Cowan - the scrum went completely to shit when he came on tonight and he should have been penalised in every scrum to my observation. He cannot possibly be our 2nd best LHP. Can he?
I assume White gave Peyper the shits after about 30 seconds with his incessant pointless yabber?
Palu as busy as I can remember - but will he be OK?
 

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
If we're going to run Slipper out there for 65-75 minutes, then Robinson's involvement rate as a starting LHP can no longer be used against him.

And I don't want to hear "oh but what if Slipper gets injured in the first 5 minutes?!!" - such moaning is the talk of women, and should be thrown out with the debate on Skelton.

In pressure scrum situations, you need blokes who know how to deal with dirty cheating Kiwis ;)
 

ACT Crusader

Jim Lenehan (48)
Will be interesting to see what happens if Nonu is ruled out. Hansen and co obviously see that Fekitoa is a 12/13 cover option given they originally picked him for the bench, even if he really is a centre. Crotty played really well when he came on and was rock solid in defence at 2nd 5.

Fekitoa/C. Smith or Crotty/C. Smith.

Messam in for Kaino which I quite like given his combo with McCaw and Read has worked well for the last couple of years.
 

disco

Chilla Wilson (44)
If the AB's plan on winning next week then Hansen will pick Fekitoa/Smith if they play like they did tonight & try not to lose then he'll pick Crotty/Smith.

I hope the Wallabies show up with the same attitude next week & have a crack.
Play the same 23 no changes.
 

Scotty

David Codey (61)
That is what I would be doing. Even if Kuridrani and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) sometimes swapped positions at times. I think McCabe was ok but lacks both speed and strength in contact to be the finisher we require.

Put Cummins, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or Kurindrani outside of Charles (who did pass too early) and there was a much better chance of a try being scored. As it was McCabe didn't even get close.
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
I didn't see that. I'd be sticking with Beale for the same reason I supported his selection for this game. But the fact he was pulled may be indicative.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ash

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I can't say Beale was awful but I think the bullet must be bitten. From the moment Foley came on there was organisation happening.
But Beale provided similar impact against France. The playmaker coming onto the field to close out the match should always provide an appreciable increase in the tempo and strong impact. That's there job.

I'd be highly surprised if Beale was dropped to the bench after one test and McKenzie's comments after the match seem to support that.
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
But Beale provided similar impact against France. The playmaker coming onto the field to close out the match should always provide an appreciable increase in the tempo and strong impact. That's there job.

I'd be highly surprised if Beale was dropped to the bench after one test and McKenzie's comments after the match seem to support that.

I agree about tempo and impact being something a bench player usually brings and if what you're saying is that they look better because they come in when there are more gaps etc I also agree.
But I wasn't talking about that stuff I was talking about the fact that what I saw when Foley came on was someone calling the game - even in defence he was telling IF where he was, and where IF should be.
He's an organiser. He has limitations, no doubt.
I too doubt KB (Kurtley Beale) will be dropped and if he is we still will not win in Auckland: The ABs won't play that badly 2 weeks in a row - that's why the draw is a bugger: the Bledisloe is gone for another year.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
There are a couple of changes I think are necessary for next week.

First, KB (Kurtley Beale) back to the bench. He made too many mistakes (handling errors and missed tackles last night) and didn't control the game as effectively as Foley has demonstrated. As well, he is as dangerous coming off the bench late in the game as Izzy is at his best.

Pek Cowan must make way for either Sio or Robinson. The scrum simply did not hold up well after he came on.

Pat McCabe is not a winger and has to be replaced. I'd go with Kuridrani at 13 and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) on the wing until a better option comes along.

Otherwise, Link has to manage the bench better than he did last night. Foley, Skelton and Higers all needed to be on earlier than they were. Others will say Phipps should start over White, but he was just plain awful when he came on. Nic didn't have a great game, but his combination with Foley has been good in recent tests and Phipps did nothing to warrant replacing him.

Time to go back to structures and combinations that worked in the EOYT and French tests.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
Also, if TPN is fit, then he will come in for Charles who should be retained on the bench. Charles was very good in fact and will be a very valuable back up for Moore and TPN leading into the RWC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BDA

spikhaza

John Solomon (38)
Tbh I'm spewing. Australian Rugbys biggest chance in a decade...

And mother nature decides to make it pour with rain and give us a strange ref, meaning we now have to go to Eden Park and beat em on a patch of turf that is the definition of hoodoo.

But this is what the greatest teams are made of. It will make a Bledisloe Victory all the more glorious if we can go to the mighty All Blacks castle itself and knock it down. England came close. Who says we can't

Go Wallabies
 

Wilson

David Codey (61)
Tbh I'm spewing. Australian Rugbys biggest chance in a decade.

And mother nature decides to make it pour with rain and give us a strange ref, meaning we now have to go to Eden Park and beat em on a patch of turf that is the definition of hoodoo.


However else you want to look at it a wet weather test against NZ is damn good prep for a world cup in England next year.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top