Springboks v Wallabies, Newlands, September 28 2013

[RoffsChoice]

Think we could kick a drop goal every 8 minutes? Maybe that would let us reach 30 points in a game.

 

[Joe Blow]

Drew Mitchell would be very handy about now...

 

[Zander]

Whoever approved his early release must be face palming right now.

 

[kiap]

Probably because Ewen already said he's starting a debutant on the wing.

In the presser? Nah, he was talking about the squad - and specifically stated that the team had not yet been selected.

 

[Ruggo]

To hell with it. Give CFS a start on the wing. Let's see what he's got. Put AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) on the other wing and give Kuindrani a shot at the 13. I don't care for bullshit inexperience talk because there is only one way you can get experience. We have nothing to lose by trying it and should we hit the mark, we may gain something good out of it.

 

[Groucho]

I have a pained feeling that the bolded part is correct fp. But we shall see, I hope to be proven wrong.

The current downturn is a blip. There's no fundamental reason why we should now be so much much worse than nations we were relatively competitive against a year ago, and more importantly no excuse. We have the coach we want now: it's time to deliver.

 

[Groucho]

Whilst I can't say that anyone have gone zero to hero, I would say that there is a very clear difference in the behaviour of the scrums - even when Australia isn't playing.

I would say that ALL of the australian scrum so far have gone from slightly less than passable before the change to absolutely ridiculously and retardledly useless after the change.

So, not hero to zero as we were never even remotely hero status, but we used to have some chance previously and now.. Using a hero to zero and vice versa is a bit of a stupid measure tbh as it implies all or nothing requirement.

If he was awesome, he would have been picked to play originally (if for no more reason than to justify him being paid by the ARU for the next three years).

*edit* I am not saying he will fail, just that on the balance of probabilities from what I can see - he probably won't be the saviour. If you know that he will save our scrum (as you quite clearly watch him a lot more than I do and know that he is definitely up to it) then I'll have to take your word for it.

He has to be tried to see if he can do it. The scrums can't be worse.

 

[Groucho]

Where the hell is Noriega?!

Why is he not our scrum coach still?

We had one year of doing this:

..to every pack around the world, with Alexander at tighthead prop, and Noriega the scrum guru, and then he was...let go? Quit? What happened?

NOW look where we are! Why the hell is he not in charge of a national Australian scrum academy with mandatory attendance for anyone in first grade rugby or up, on whatever salary he wants?!

Give him Palu's contract/money, we would get a hell of a lot more benefit from Noriega than Palu!

Eh, keep Blades and sack Palu?

 

[Brumbieman]

Not quite, I meant hire Noriega as the man to run this scrum academy and be a consultant for all the Super rugby teams.

 

[Groucho]

Not quite, I meant hire Noriega as the man to run this scrum academy and be a consultant for all the Super rugby teams.

Damn right. Back winners.

 

[Scrubber2050]

CFS will be on bench for sure with Tomane to start

 

[A mutterer]

Not quite, I meant hire Noriega as the man to run this scrum academy and be a consultant for all the Super rugby teams.

i miss the old days when commentators had a special guttural tone reserved for mentioning the names of the wallaby hard men getting into the action

 

[Scrubber2050]

Like Gordon Bray ha ha

 

[A mutterer]

i think i may have just cracked the real reason why our forwards aren't great at the moment - we have too many fowards with double syllable surnames.

far too symmetrical for being hard men and too soft for harder toned commentary pronunciation.

 

[Blue]

Bok squad for the incoming tests announced:

Fourie du Preez will no doubt get a start but no other changes in the backline expected.

I am very excited about the return of young PS du Toit at lock. He and Etsebeth are the future at lock I reckon. Mongrel squared.

He is only back from injury so I don't expect him to even feature on the bench.

Will be interesting also to see if Jannie gets a rest. I rate Adriaanse, and Conie will at some stage be handed a start surely. No other changes expected in the pack.

The Springbok squad for the final two Castle Lager Rugby Championship Tests:
Forwards (17): Lourens Adriaanse, Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Juandré Kruger, Francois Louw, Tendai Mtawarira, Coenie Oosthuizen, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe, Duane Vermeulen.

Backs (13): Bjorn Basson, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers (captain), Fourie du Preez, JJ Engelbrecht, Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Ruan Pienaar, Jan Serfontein, Morné Steyn, Jano Vermaak.

 

[RoffsChoice]

So lineup is probably
Beast, Battleship, Doctor, Etzebeth, Flip, Louw, Alberts, Vermeulen, Fourie, Steyn, Habana, JDV, JJ, le Roux, Kirchner
Strauss, Coenie, Lourens, Kruger, Kolisi, Pienaar, Lambie, Serfontein

 

[RoffsChoice]

vs our (probable) lineup of
Robinson, Moore, Slipper, Simmons, Horwill, Fardy, Hooper, Mowen, Genia, Cooper, Tomane, Lilo, Kuridrani, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Folau
Fainga'a, Alexander, Kepu, Douglas, McCalman, White, To'omua, Betham

 

[Slim 293]

Surely there's no way Genia could or should be reclaiming his starting spot yet?

 

[Brisbok]

So lineup is probably
Beast, Battleship, Doctor, Etzebeth, Flip, Louw, Alberts, Vermeulen, Fourie, Steyn, Habana, JDV, JJ, le Roux, Kirchner
Strauss, Coenie, Lourens, Kruger, Kolisi, Pienaar, Lambie, Serfontein

Hopefully you are right RC, but there is talk in the SA media that Strauss will start at hooker at least this week. The articles I read suggested Meyer had communicated to both players that this would be the case before they even went on tour.

Unfortunate if true. While Strauss is a very good hooker and doesn't have any weaknesses, Battleship at full throttle is a step above IMO.

 

[Scrubber2050]

vs our (probable) lineup of
Robinson, Moore, Slipper, Simmons, Horwill, Fardy, Hooper, Mowen, Genia, Cooper, Tomane, Lilo, Kuridrani, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Folau
Fainga'a, Alexander, Kepu, Douglas, McCalman, White, To'omua, Betham

Link prob won't start Robbo which means Slipper at 1 and OMG, Alexander at 3.

If tighthead goes to shit then Slipper to move acroos to other side and Robbo to come into the game quickly.

My only worry for Robbo is his fitness at test level. Won't be any settling in period, he will need to go from the getgo, This is his shot to get back into the squad on a permanent basis.

Absolute certainty that Whit will start over genia but reckon thiis time Genia will get 20 - 30 minutes and play the fucking house down.