Wallabies v Italy - 9 November

[Dctarget]

I really, really dislike no Ikitau, Italy's centre pairing officially has the wood on us. I don't trust Paisami/Sua'ali'i to cover them.

Pietsch over Jorgensen I understand, Jorgo had a quiet one and didn't come looking for work.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

No Len is a concern. Carter coming into the team needed to happen. Tane unfortunately isn't the answer and we need to see if Carter is still capable. I maintain that he has the highest ceiling of any of our young 10's.

 

[Dctarget]

No Len is a concern. Carter coming into the team needed to happen. Tane unfortunately isn't the answer and we need to see if Carter is still capable. I maintain that he has the highest ceiling of any of our young 10's.

Would be nice if he had a functioning centre pairing too.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Would be nice if he had a functioning centre pairing too.

No argument there. Len and JAS are our long term options. I'd love to know why Len allegedly isn't playing.

 

[Yoda]

If CG plays the house down against Italy

Massive IF!!!!

 

[Hogan]

If I was Schmidt I’d be selecting my strongest 23 for the Test v Italy and that obviously includes Ikitau. Wouldn’t be taking any chances. Italy will be a sterner assignment than Japan…especially at home. And barring injury, stick with the same 23 for the last two Tests v Ireland and France to build on combinations and continuity.

Edmed has displayed his limitations so good to see Carter starting. Hopefully he can get the backline firing and keep the defenders guessing. Just worried about his kicking game.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

We definitely need to switch up our attack. I don't believe we're asking enough questions of the opposition defence at the moment.

 

[Hawko]

Carter Gordon is more likely to add a difference to the way the team has been playing in attack. Whether that difference improves the outcome or not would have to be seen and that can only happen if he plays in some role.

Because of the precarious position of the Wallabies in the rankings, it is imperative that the best team is put on the field for this test. We don't want to exacerbate the risk of losing the 6 spot to Italy. As I said before the Japan test, the game we should have been targeting for resting players was against Ireland. A loss to Ireland will not jeopardise the ranking as much as a loss to Italy, because they (Ireland) rank so much higher than us and it is their home game.

So now we play our best team against Italy and get thrashed by Ireland and France because our best players are gassed. Lose both those games by a big margin and we will definitely not be in the top 6!

 

[Yoda]

If I was Schmidt I’d be selecting my strongest 23 for the Test v Italy and that obviously includes Ikitau. Wouldn’t be taking any chances. Italy will be a sterner assignment than Japan…especially at home. And barring injury, stick with the same 23 for the last two Tests v Ireland and France to build on combinations and continuity.

Edmed has displayed his limitations so good to see Carter starting. Hopefully he can get the backline firing and keep the defenders guessing. Just worried about his kicking game.

Well I hope Schmidt doesn't play Edmed for 76 minutes and then throw Carter on for the last 4 minutes and ask him to take the kick to win the game! Rennie had a shocker there.

 

[Slim 293]

Well I hope Schmidt doesn't play Edmed for 76 minutes and then throw Carter on for the last 4 minutes and ask him to take the kick to win the game! Rennie had a shocker there.

Yep, if he had kept Lolesio on he would’ve kicked the goal and won the game…

Right?

 

[Rugby110]

Not to use Edmed as the sacrificial lamb - but I’d rather they trust Gordon with 25 minutes to close out then throw him in up front and potentially he just becomes next in the firing line if we misfire.

I understand that Schmidt has pursued a strategy of designated starters and specialist finishers but I still think there is scope to use the bench to give players an easier

Edmed has to be Schmidt’s worse selection

The expectation of who ever wears the No.10 jersey will continue to come under scrutiny years beyond our time. Unfortunately we don’t have the same respect for the playmaker as NZ, Ireland, Scotland and England do. Our playmaker has been fed to the wolves and treated as the sacrificial lamb since professional rugby evolved in Australia. We talk many a stories of how Ella and Larkham were generation talents, but believe me it was a mythical perception. If Australia was winning games the fans and news outlets only praised, even is the playmaker had a horrific game. Today, social media controls the narrative even on a fictional basis, and the playmaker is seen as the primary reason for the outcome.
If you talk it back five years, why isn’t Quade Cooper still the preferred flyhalf, and why isn’t his apprentice sitting on his hip. Carter Gordan most likely that person, because there isn’t anyone else that has shown that level of rounded skill and playmaking foresight.
I never want to begrudge a new player, but surely we can develop better than Tane Edmed.

 

[Yoda]

So now we play our best team against Italy and get thrashed by Ireland and France because our best players are gassed. Lose both those games by a big margin and we will definitely not be in the top 6!

Our players gassed? Mate... they haven't played enough rugby .. what's all this resting garbage? The world's shortest Super rugby comp set up... then admittedly a few Tests now but we need to play more games not less....

 

[Yoda]

Yep, if he had kept Lolesio on he would’ve kicked the goal and won the game…

Right?

Ha.... possibly, although he played poorly as did most of the team that day so maybe not! Italy played fantastically that day and the Aussies were crap.

 

[dru]

So now we play our best team against Italy and get thrashed by Ireland and France because our best players are gassed. Lose both those games by a big margin and we will definitely not be in the top 6!

Of those three games which is th most likely for us to win. It needs to be banked. Only then the issue of how we fair against Ireland and France becomes relevant.

I will be seriously pissed should we piss away another match against Italy.

Edit: the rest was against Japan also a highly contentious team selection for a game we couldn't afford to lose. OK the strategy worked. Now Italy.

 

[Brumby Runner]

J

So now we play our best team against Italy and get thrashed by Ireland and France because our best players are gassed. Lose both those games by a big margin and we will definitely not be in the top 6!

I can't see it panning out that way Hawko. So many top players restedf from the Japan match and mostly they seemed to run out of gas well before the end of the England match. Three games in three weekends is not too much to ask of top rugby players.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Of those three games which is th most likely for us to win. It needs to be banked. Only then the issue of how we fair against Ireland and France becomes relevant.

I will be seriously pissed should we piss away another match against Italy.

Edit: the rest was against Japan also a highly contentious team selection for a game we couldn't afford to lose. OK the strategy worked. Now Italy.

I'm not sure the strategy worked at all Dru. Sure we had a narrow win against Japan but the expectation was that with our top side on the park we'd also be a good chance of toppling England. That didn't pan out of course. The Wallabies put in one of their poorest performances in a couple of years. My belief is that the rested players from the Japan game ran out of gas against the pOms well before the end of the game.

 

[dru]

I'm not sure the strategy worked at all Dru. Sure we had a narrow win against Japan but the expectation was that with our top side on the park we'd also be a good chance of toppling England. That didn't pan out of course. The Wallabies put in one of their poorest performances in a couple of years. My belief is that the rested players from the Japan game ran out of gas against the pOms well before the end of the game.

[Whispers: yeah I agree, Brumby Runner - I just didn't want to start that way with muppets talking about B-teaming Italy. Again.]

 

[Hogan]

Yep, if he had kept Lolesio on he would’ve kicked the goal and won the game…

Right?

Lolesio was one of the reasons why we lost. He didn’t have his best day out and was replaced for the Wales game.

 

[rugbyAU]

Our players gassed? Mate... they haven't played enough rugby .. what's all this resting garbage? The world's shortest Super rugby comp set up... then admittedly a few Tests now but we need to play more games not less....

yeah and only one side made the SF, half our teams out in general season, and through injuries/resting/rotation, a lot of players have missed a few tests - at most would be Frost and Jorgensen, but they've been rested twice each now