Wallabies v Italy, Florence, Sun 13th Nov 12am AEDT

[Joe King]

Wallabies got what they deserved there.

Notice the Wallabies were still able to score tries, even if a bit clunky. But put a team on with really low levels of cohesion and the biggest impact will be a vulnerable defence. If there's one thing GLA's analysis has made them confident of, that's it.

At one point commentator said, "Wallabies struggling to find some cohesion". His understanding of cohesion is how well players gel with each other. Another understanding is a fixed measurement of how well players understand each other (mostly) calculated by how often players have played together.

While the Italian tires looked really good, they were aided by a disorganised defence.

Intuitively, we think we need to be better in attack. And we do. But that wasn't the real problem today. Defence wins games.

Nothing wrong with the players. Still some discipline issues and silly mistakes.

Nothing wrong with DR's coaching ability. But unlike Razor, for example, he just doesn't understand cohesion. We have so little time left to build cohesion for the WC. It's not the time to rest and blood players, as valuable as that is. He should have been picking and sticking since last year at least. Yes, he has been prevented by injuries, but he still needed to have that intension and take the opportunity to do that when it presented itself, as was the case in this test.

 

[wamberal]

Like it or not, Rennie will coach the team through to the RWC.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

Which is hard to believe because lineout throwing is one of those skills that can actually be practiced and performed quite easily to improve.

I’ve seen 6th grade props train for a week how to throw and have more consistency.

I don’t get it.
It’s kind of like missing touch with on a penalty kick.

 

[Confucius Say]

I have just watched the game and haven’t read any of the forum.

This is 100% on Rennie. And Mackellar. They all have to go.

No further comment.

With some of the player never to play in gold again.

 

[Pfitzy]

But unlike Razor, for example, he just doesn't understand cohesion.

Also unike Razor, he hasn't had a whole squad's worth of injuries to deal with. "Pick and stick" is great right up until you need to debut players at a RWC because your starting lineup got injured through 2023.

 

[Pfitzy]

I have just watched the game and haven’t read any of the forum.

This is 100% on Rennie. And Mackellar. They all have to go.

No further comment.

Probably a good offer to make no further comment, because that one was fairly asinine.

 

[Pfitzy]

Have seen a fair bit of bitching here and on social media.

I find it highly amusing that people want Rennie and/or the coaching team gone. OK then Einsteins: who is coming in?

I don't think Dave and Dan and Laurie are coaching players to give away stupid penalties and yellow cards.

Neither are they telling our hookers to miss their target, or throw crooked.

Maybe they didn't prepare that particular team well for Pickerill who I often find utterly confounding.

One thing I am sure of: they will work on ruck drills week in, week out, and still watch in frustration from the coaches box as we miss target after target on the cleanout, arriving too late, too high, or at the wrong angle.

Even if Donaldson makes that kick, the performance was still riddled with problems, so I'm less interested in the scoreline as I am the process of getting better.

Three games on tour. All against 6N opposition. All decided by a point. All with some of our best players missing.

Accept for a general fact that we're not a Tier 1 nation, and never really have been. The reasons are many and varied, but mostly it is down to the amateur way the game is run, and no amount of [personnel from your province] is going to fix that until we stop thinking that [personnel from your province] is the answer.

In the meantime: cheer up you miserable plonks.

 

[gel]

It's definitely not the coach.

100% on the players.

Penalties were either lazy, or insanely stupid. Extremely weak in the tackles - giving metres after first contact ensuring our line was disjointed. Slow in support and ball watching.when in attack.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Not much left to comment on. Just too many changes.

I would have liked to have seen a full strength side on the field this game even if it meant resting a couple or three for the France game or risking injury for the Ireland game. And I posted that opinion before the French game.

A lot to be said now for resting any top players with niggles next week and concentrating on getting the very best team out for Wales.

 

[stillmissit]

I think Rennie has to go. The selections were arrogant and Australia was dusted accordingly. The replacements were ill timed which further lifted the Italians.
Fair play to them. They are a decent side but there is no way that a loss to them on this tour is acceptable.
Rennie goes with McKellar stepping up to the head coaching role.

Lolesio and Gordon not to play for the Wallabies again any time soon

Joe, McKellar should never be head coach of the wallabies. Our forwards coached by McKellar were well beaten today, the number of turnovers both in the ruck and from penalties was amazing, FF (Folau Fainga'a) stuffing up 5m out then Lonergan not straight a couple of times. Then Lolesio is throwing double cut-outs 5 mins after the start. These are all Brumbies players and by any measure atm he must not take over Australia.

 

[PhilClinton]

Have seen a fair bit of bitching here and on social media.

In the meantime: cheer up you miserable plonks.

I think it’s amusing you come here to complain about people being passionate about their team losing.

It wasn’t a loss to NZ, SA, England etc. it was a historic loss to Italy. I agree with you that some of anger has been directed at the wrong parties. But it’s reasonable to believe 99% of Wallabies supporters are feeling the same way right now.

The game is well and truly dead here in Oz if supporters should all just ‘cheer up’ and be happy with that loss.

 

[Adam84]

Dire performance by the Wallabies, players making mistakes or poor decisions in key moments, poor discipline throughout.

Wright throwing hail mary in own 50
Gordon sin bin for stupid play
Fainga'a missing throw Italian 5m line
Lonergan crooked throw on Italian 5m line
Campbell throwing pass inside goal
Robertson hit to back of Italian player
Multiple high tackles
Wright pass to ground on attack 5 min left
Donaldson crossfield kick 2min left

Rennie and his coaching team need to be held responsible for this loss as much as the players.

 

[KOB1987]

Like it or not, Rennie will coach the team through to the RWC.

Probably a good offer to make no further comment, because that one was fairly asinine.

It's definitely not the coach.

100% on the players.

Penalties were either lazy, or insanely stupid. Extremely weak in the tackles - giving metres after first contact ensuring our line was disjointed. Slow in support and ball watching.when in attack.

I’m going to break my own protocol.

We are a bit light on at 10 and the midfield. Elsewhere our stocks have never been stronger. We don’t have a Burke, Horan or Eales but our B team should be flogging Italy.

We have the cattle but are poorly coached. Rennie has the worst record of any Wallabies coach ever. BR dedicated 5 years of his life trying to get rid of Cheika for having a far superior record to these clowns. I’m dedicating 3 minutes.

Unfortunately Wamberal will be right.

Over.

 

[Pokinacha]

We’ve become the most penalised tier 1 (arguably tier 2 now) team in the world and it’s not as if it happened overnight. Rennies teams previously weren’t ill disciplined but Mckellars were when they were being pushed.
the discipline has cost us this tour and the blame should be placed squarely on the coaches because who in their right mind would continually select penalty magnets and not do anything about it in training?

 

[stillmissit]

Take heart G@Gers, had they kicked the 4 shots they missed the scoreboard would have been a horror show.

 

[Rugrat]

Dave Rennie has been a failure as a coach and selector for Australia. I don’t even care if he stays or goes anymore.

 

[RugbyReg]

I think you can draw a fairly straight line between the coaching decisions this week (making SO MANY changes and just getting the balance of the team so wrong) and the performance of that players.

“Hey guys. We don’t really care about this game and we are resting our really good players for the next game. So good luck out there. Go get ‘em”

 

[Adam84]

I don't buy this commentator rhetoric that the 'opposition pressure is what's generating the penalties', because most the penalties given by the Wallabies were poor discipline or poor technique, and quite a few on attack as well.

If the Wallabies are receiving the right coaching technique, then they need a sport psychologist to make it sink in

 

[stillmissit]

I’m going to break my own protocol.

We are a bit light on at 10 and the midfield. Elsewhere our stocks have never been stronger. We don’t have a Burke, Horan or Eales but our B team should be flogging Italy.

We have the cattle but are poorly coached. Rennie has the worst record of any Wallabies coach ever. BR dedicated 5 years of his life trying to get rid of Cheika for having a far superior record to these clowns. I’m dedicating 3 minutes.

Unfortunately Wamberal will be right.

Over.

Agree KOB and Rennie/Mckellar have resisted expanding our local 10 stocks and looked elsewhere. I am not sure how many games before RWC but to give a potential 10 5 mins with ~8 games left to play seems a form of madness. Rennie is gambling too much and planning too little.

 

[gel]

I think you can draw a fairly straight line between the coaching decisions this week (making SO MANY changes and just getting the balance of the team so wrong) and the performance of that players.

“Hey guys. We don’t really care about this game and we are resting our really good players for the next game. So good luck out there. Go get ‘em”

I disagree.

Gordon's sin bin was clearly a "fugget, I didn't wanna play today anyway". Only time i've seen worse is when Horwill clearly demonstrated how much he didn't wanna play under Graham.

Gordon was not alone today.