Reds 2013

[No4918]

Schatz does whats iexpected but never exceeds that point. He will really need to step up this year to cover the loss of higgnbotham but in saying this he is only 22 however i am really questioning his offensive nous.

Quirk will need to stand up and be accounted for as well..

Look at Douglas for a bloke that is pretty unassuming at S15 level but has the game made for test rugby. Hopefully next season he provides real competition to Dennis & Higgers. Dennis is not at the level and Higgers is only there every third game. The blindside spot is his for the taking. If none of them do enough i think a Pocock/Hooper combo is most likely. My money is on Schatz.

 

[TOCC]

Shatz is a workaholic, he isn't your one off 'big hit' type player like Palu or TPN, he is the guy who will be at the bottom of rucks and in the guts of the mauls and he is great for the team.

The Reds forwards have earned a reputation as a fit, industrious and well drilled unit, which lays an attacking platform for the backline. The forwards themselves aren't the attacking unit, the backline caters for this.

He is the opposite of Higger, in the sense he is technically very proficient, loves contact and getting involved in the hard work.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

People bag higgers because of this international season but for the reds he was very industrious as Link knows how to utilise his players to their strrengths.

Higginbotham is a wide running backrow and does a bit more than peopel give him credit for. The reds recognised this and had a gameplan that suited him. It was silly for deans to choose a backrower known for his wide running and expect him to change his game to play tight. You would grab Digby and tell him to stop running through people and start trying to run around them and kick over them.

Schatz being a workhorse is what is expected but i think we can all agree not one of us has turned around and said 'holy shit did you see jake schatz tonight!?'

hopefully he can maintain his workrate and build a runnign game and become Keiran reid-esque as the reds will need some punch in the forward pack from somewhere

 

[thierry dusautoir]

p.s DOuglas isn tthat unassumign at S15 level, many people called for his inclusion in the test squad just look at the old wales,trc wallaby selection threads

 

[Jets]

surely this can be fixed up, just register him for a few clubs around the world or for club rugby in NZ or SA and let him serve his suspension in other games.

On the news they mentioned a number of games, not weeks. Is this correct?
Just select him in various teams as if he was going to play 3 games in a week

If the Reds are looking at cutting down his time Sunnybank will have a team in the Darwin 7's in January. What are the chances of that being taken as one of his weeks? Simmons has played 7's beofre and is a registered member of Sunnybank.

 

[No4918]

p.s DOuglas isn tthat unassumign at S15 level, many people called for his inclusion in the test squad just look at the old wales,trc wallaby selection threads

Unassuming was perhaps not the right description, maybe unpraised. He was very good for the Tahs. But by your same argument, when did you see people say "holy shit did you see Douglas tear the the Stormers pack apart?". I didn't. But i did see plenty of praise for Timani and even Dennis who is now lucky to have his test spot. Douglas has outdone both by a good margin. Plenty of players look exceptional in S15 and fail miserably in the Test arena eg. Ranger. Others just go about there business and hit the big league before they get widespread notice. Another example, how many times have the likes of AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Nonu, and even Carter this year been told there is supposedly pressure on there spot and been outplayed in there position at S15. Come time to play on the biggest stage they perform and put there hands up.

It is too early to call yet for Schatz but S15=/= Test rugby.

 

[TOCC]

I wasn't bagging Higgers? I believe he will be massive loss for the Reds an he is arguably the best wide running forward in Australia....

 

[thierry dusautoir]

Unassuming was perhaps not the right description, maybe unpraised. He was very good for the Tahs. But by your same argument, when did you see people say "holy shit did you see Douglas tear the the Stormers pack apart?". I didn't. But i did see plenty of praise for Timani and even Dennis who is now lucky to have his test spot. Douglas has outdone both by a good margin. Plenty of players look exceptional in S15 and fail miserably in the Test arena eg. Ranger. Others just go about there business and hit the big league before they get widespread notice. Another example, how many times have the likes of AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Nonu, and even Carter this year been told there is supposedly pressure on there spot and been outplayed in there position at S15. Come time to play on the biggest stage they perform and put there hands up.

It is too early to call yet for Schatz but S15=/= Test rugby.

Let's be realistic and know that each position judged by seperate criteria.

I dont think many people say that about lock forwards in general except for maybe brad thorn so enough said.

I am not sure of your point for the rest of your post but....

Dennis was arguably the form 6 of Aus hard not to call for his selection but yes he has failed at the test arena but alot of players struggle in there first international season.

Please dont bring Timani into this because i thinkwe have all seen the video and most people outside of NSw don't rate him.

I dont think any reasonable person really thought that one of the most succesful 10/12 pairing (carter & nonu) of the last 10 years was in any real jepardy of being benched.

 

[No4918]

Let's be realistic and know that each position judged by seperate criteria.

I dont think many people say that about lock forwards in general except for maybe brad thorn so enough said.

I am not sure of your point for the rest of your post but..

Dennis was arguably the form 6 of Aus hard not to call for his selection but yes he has failed at the test arena but alot of players struggle in there first international season.

Please dont bring Timani into this because i thinkwe have all seen the video and most people outside of NSw don't rate him.

I dont think any reasonable person really thought that one of the most succesful 10/12 pairing (carter & nonu) of the last 10 years was in any real jepardy of being benched.

Don't really disagree with any of that I did not say Dennis should not have been selected. He did deserve his shot after the super season but well.... lets move on. There were a few commentators arguing for a Cruden/SBW pairing. Whether that was ever going to happen was not my point.

The point i was trying to make was there is a difference between test and super rugby and often times different attributes are valued higher in one level over the other. Schatz has the attributes i think of a player who could make a great test 6. YMMV.

 

[Braveheart81]

Don't really disagree with any of that I did not say Dennis should not have been selected. He did deserve his shot after the super season but well.. lets move on. There were a few commentators arguing for a Cruden/SBW pairing. Whether that was ever going to happen was not my point.

The point i was trying to make was there is a difference between test and super rugby and often times different attributes are valued higher in one level over the other. Schatz has the attributes i think of a player who could make a great test 6. YMMV.

We need Owen Finegan to run a coaching clinic for all our Super Rugby 6s to teach them how to be the biggest c%#ts they can be.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

I think whats stopping him is he doesnt have any part of his game that sets him above people who play similar workhorse roles....Mowen, Hodgson, and to a lesser extent dennis (who does is set apart by his running)

Schatz doesnt do less than this lot but he needs to find a niche (i have said this in much earlier posts).

Whether that heavy hitter in attack or defence but he needs something to take him to that next level because at the moment i feel he would only do a job that many could do.

Not a blight on him but his game needs to evolve, the workrate is there now i want the final part of the puzzle to his game to come to the fore and make him indespensable.

Its a similar problem alot of players are now facing even people like Pocock and Cooper

 

[Ghibli]

We need Owen Finegan to run a coaching clinic for all our Super Rugby 6s to teach them how to be the biggest c%#ts they can be.

Owen is a nice guy, president of the South Care rescue helicopter joint..........certainly not a pantsie on the field, I wish he was playing for the Wobs/Brumbies now (as hinted in the avatar)......anyway, back to the Reds

 

[Braveheart81]

Owen is a nice guy, president of the South Care rescue helicopter joint....but I wish he was playing for the Wobs/Brumbies now (as hinted in the avatar)..

Absolutely he is a nice guy.

There is no denying he had a rare ability on the field to play with aggression and an abrasiveness that both intimidated and got under the opposition's skin.

I can't imagine many of his opponents were thinking he was a nice guy whilst they were playing against him.

Sam Scott-Young had a fair bit of that streak in him as well.

 

[Scotty]

Owen is a nice guy, president of the South Care rescue helicopter joint....certainly not a pantsie on the field, I wish he was playing for the Wobs/Brumbies now (as hinted in the avatar)..anyway, back to the Reds

Nice guy? I've heard otherwise from people that played at the same club as him.

The word 'bully' came out a bit.

 

[emuarse]

I believe the IRB is going to investigate the irregularities of the suspensions, according to their CEO, Gosper.
The suspension of Adam Thomson for 1 game compared to 8 active weeks for Simmons is very inequitable.
Why is it whenever a Reds player gets caught up in a suspension, they throw the book at them?
No reply required from you , Qwerty51.

 

[Sully]

Well I was thinking more about how come when an Australian player etc

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[Ruggo]

Hearing rumors that the Reds will play a trial in Darwin vs the Brumbies. Can anybody confirm this?

 

[RugbyReg]

Not true I'm afraid.

 

[gel]

Judging by the membership numbers to date, the drive towards 40k is a little slower than last year.

I wonder if the reds will need to advertise a bit more this year as they haven't been able to leverage off the the "entertainers" tag of 2010 and the "champions" tag of 2011?

A lot of the people I hang around with aren't even aware of the reds membership drive other than what I tell them (league and afl are what most of my friends favour - but are loosely interested in anything with an oval ball).

 

[qwerty51]

you're always going to struggle to reach the heights of a year that was on the back of premiership success