Wallabies v. Springboks, 18th July 2015, Suncorp, Brisbane

[daz]

I'll just say this before the Test window opens;

I was gobsmacked at some of Cheika's selections for the initial training squad, and for the final team.

I strongly disagree with bringing the overseas players back, at the expense of blokes who committed to Oz rugby and have been grafting away, only to find another barrier to selection has been put up.

As an aside, has it occurred to anyone to wonder why we need Gits and Drew? How many trophies and tournaments did they win last time they were in Gold?

We pick a 9 and 10 combo based on "experience", and flatly ignore they couldn't fire the fucking wooden spoon team, let alone the Wallabies. Pretty sure they have as many Wallaby trophies as Giteau and Mitchell as well, but never mind.

So much for provincial form being the prime point for selection.

Anyway, I'm shat off, to put it mildly. However, I will put that aside now to cheer the boys on the field and get behind the team.

But I'll say this; if we play ordinary rugby in the RC, and (Gawd forbid) we crash at the RWC, it would be fair to say I'll chuck a tanty worthy of a group of high school drama queens.

'Nuff said.




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[PiXeL_Ninja]

"Thanks to the boys from Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane (Churcie) for the use of their training facilities this week."

That awkward moment when you have to stand on your tip toes to be taller than a school kid!

 

[Marcelo]

Some posters are saying that Matt Giteau is a good defender. He tackles well, with good technique, but nearly always around the legs allowing the tackled player the opportunity to off load. I will be surprised if Saturday's test is any different.

Well, this isn't rugby league. If you are 10 kgs lighter than your opponent, you must hit very very low to stop him. If a tackler like Giteau hits the upper body of a player like Naiyaravoro, he will be dragged 10 meters

Sad to see the Wallabies also falling in the sad SA trap by picking old chicken runners like Giteau. They'll pay like us a hectic price in a year or two.

So the Kiwis are making the same mistake. Mealamu, Woodcock, McCaw, Kaino, Carter, Nonu, Conrad all are old chicken runners.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Geez Daz you took a shit in your cereal?

I think Jones should be there. Definitely over Mumm. The only player you can say was there all year and performed poorly was Genia. He was once the best halfback in the world. I think he was the source of the Red's poor play but we'll see tomorrow night.

As for Giteau. With the availability he was always going to be trailed. I and many others think regardless of form, he's not the right selection. Probably prudent to try him against a Bok side with solid centres and all round back row. If he handles that, he's size won't be a huge issue perhaps. But get it out of the way first test. No use 2nd stringers carving up Argentina and everybody saying they should be starters.

But what actual form players aren't there? Around the country id say Jones and Stirzacker. Jones has the problem of not being a Skelton or Arnold, but not a line out competer like Simmons and Horwill. Stirzacker has been a victim of Genia's reputation but it's 1 player.

Some would Kerevi was a form player. I'd disagree strongly. Too many weaknesses right now.

Possibly Ita Vaea unlucky. But he's a poor line out option and we have 3 experienced 8s in front of him.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Cheika has hopefully told Will that he'll get a smack in the mouth for every box kick he makes.

Skelton?

 

[KOB1987]

It seems to me that Cheika has been going through a bit of a process of elimination. It's now at the point that the only way to see what these NH boys have is to put them on the park.

Consider this:
To get the current 31 into proper RWC format there needs to be introduced a prop, a hooker and possibly a halfback. Given the make-up of the current squad these will come at the expense of a lock, an inside back, and an outside back. It's probably no coincidence that these are the positions of Mumm, Giteau and Mitchell.

Giteau in particular is really being thrown in at the deep end tomorrow night to show the nation what he has got. I think that is the right way to go about it, even if it's just to rule him out. If he performs, then great - Cheika will have a tough decision to make.

GO WALLABIES! by 12

 

[KOB1987]

So it looks likely are going to see the Hooper and Pocock together experiment tried in this game. Which also underpins the Horwill selection.

We'd expect at the same time (assuming no prior injury subs):
- Pocock on for Fardy or Higgers
- Horwill on for Skelton (to solidify the set piece)

Looking forward to seeing it!

 

[Chris McCracken]

Skelton?

If he box kicks, I'm sure he'll get more than a smack in the mouth. Actually, Cheika might not be able to manage that. Perhaps a punch in the nuts.

 

[Viking]

Hmm.. this is the type of comment that gets appended to my signature. In the past 8 tests between the two sides, the Wallabies have failed to score more than 2 tries(per game).

You mean the Tests where Allende wasn't part of the Boks backline? And Cooper wasn't running the backline for most of those?

Boks have been great defensively in the past but is Allende up to it? He's facing a pretty much all-out attacking wallaby backline.

I wouldn't have made that comment if De Villers was fit and starting.

 

[Froggy]

Daz, I take your point about NH players, but this isn't primary school, where everything has to be fair. This professional test rugby, and we want to be able to bring the best possible Australian team to the WC.
We sit back here and pontificate about how superior SH rugby is to NH, but I would suggest, with respect, that having coached Leinster and Stade Francais Cheika has a fair bit more knowledge of NH rugby than most posters here, and thus the selection Mumm, Giteau and Mitchell. Anyway, I'm sure we'll test all that out through the RC.
Look, I too would have picked Jones ahead of Mumm (and Horwill and Arnold), but then, the only team I ever coached to a premiership were under 12's!

 

[Brumby Runner]

Cheika is a genius. That's the sort of team you can get excited about. We haven't had one of those since 2011.

I'm actually feeling more apprehensive than excited. I think there are many people undervaluing the Boks on the strength of their collective relatively poor Super campaigns. It is a feature of SA rugby, I believe, that no matter how poorly their Super sides might have played, the test team is more likely than not a very strong side.

As far as the Wallabies side is concerned, I am fearful that the Boks forwards will have it over us in the breakdown contest, although I expect the set piece to be about even. In the backs, we have three players who are somewhat out of form in Genia, Cooper and Kuridrani (the latter two still coming back to form after injuries), one player whose form is simply unknown, and two wingers playing out of their favoured positions. Only Izzy can be said unequivocally to be in the sort of form that warrants his selection in that backline.

I am hoping for a Wallaby win, but with the team that's been selected I fear it could just as easily be a train wreck.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I'll just say this before the Test window opens;

Anyway, I'm shat off, to put it mildly. However, I will put that aside now to cheer the boys on the field and get behind the team.

But I'll say this; if we play ordinary rugby in the RC, and (Gawd forbid) we crash at the RWC, it would be fair to say I'll chuck a tanty worthy of a group of high school drama queens.

'Nuff said.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm with you @Daz. There is a lot of risk attached to the side Cheika has put out for this test. I hope, but am not confident, that the 7/8 and 9/10/12 combinations work and the attack mentality that seems to underlie them pays dividends, but if not then I think the questions some of us are asking about the team makeup will be more pertinent.

 

[something]

Just reading through this thread i have a feeling of optimism for both teams. It seems as if both the wobs and the boks are starting to put together good teams (on paper, at least) in the lead up to the RWC. If both teams play fast exciting rugby, it can only be a good thing

 

[fatprop]

I know Phipps got fairly wayward with his passes, particularly in the last couple of games, and no doubt that's why Genia gets a turn. But I just love the speed and energy and urgency he brings to the game, and it seems to rub off on the players around him.

Phipps's passing has been excellent most of the year, in front and fast. (Every 9 has a couple of sub standard passes a game)

But it did drop in standard markedly from about when he was hurt against the Reds, he should have been replaced far sooner than he was.

 

[fatprop]

I'm with you @Daz. There is a lot of risk attached to the side Cheika has put out for this test. I hope, but am not confident, that the 7/8 and 9/10/12 combinations work and the attack mentality that seems to underlie them pays dividends, but if not then I think the questions some of us are asking about the team makeup will be more pertinent.

Looks like a side planning to attack to me - playing positive ball in hand rugby.

Really what more do we want?

We ain't going to win against the big boys playing safe

 

[Dismal Pillock]

If he box kicks, I'm sure he'll get more than a smack in the mouth. Actually, Cheika might not be able to manage that. Perhaps a punch in the nuts.

Watching Will Skelton play halfback would be pretty wild.

It'd be like sellotaping a Rolls Royce jet engine into the boot of your Rolls Royce Silver Phantom

"Why isn't it working?"
"Must be a faulty connection."

 

[Tomikin]

So the official ARU announcement says the following :

"The returning trio (ie Genia, Cooper and Giteau) make up three of the four total changes to the team which ran out against England at Twickenham in the final Test of the 2014 Spring Tour, with the other change being the return of Tevita Kuridrani at outside centre."

It then goes on to say :

"Saturday’s Test also marks the return of two players whose resilience and perseverance has been rewarded, with Qantas Wallabies Captain Stephen Moore returning to the starting lineup for the first time in over 12 months."

Some apparent discrepancy here? Squeaky makes it five changes, and iirc Scott Fardy didn't play the EOYT either. Are there really six changes to the starting lineup, and then another four or more on the bench?

I wonder who writes this sort of thing.

Higgers wasnt there either ..

 

[Blue]

Sad to see the Wallabies also falling in the sad SA trap by picking old chicken runners like Giteau. They'll pay like us a hectic price in a year or two.

Me, I know how to deal with chickens. I just roast the little fuckers and eat them. Nom nom nom.

 

[Joe Blow]

I'm with you @Daz. There is a lot of risk attached to the side Cheika has put out for this test. I hope, but am not confident, that the 7/8 and 9/10/12 combinations work and the attack mentality that seems to underlie them pays dividends, but if not then I think the questions some of us are asking about the team makeup will be more pertinent.

I really do not understand the mindset of some posters. Yes we can roll out the same side and structure that has reaped average results at best in recent times or we can change it up, go in a different direction and try and put together a "new" Wallabies side that has the potential to take down the heavy weights of world rugby.
I mean do we want to exit in the quarters of the RWC and be seen to be a solid mid level test side or do we want to give this thing a nudge?

 

[No4918]

No more risk in that side than any other that could have been picked, and more upside in some of these selections in my view.

Grunt room - yep, pick themselves
Pocock v Hooper - I prefer Poey but I think we will see them both get a fair bit of time
6/8 - yep. lots of good options, somewhat interchangeable
Phipps v Genia - Phipps hard done by here
Cooper v Foley - I believe there is more upside with Cooper but think both will be used
Giteau v To'omua - loved To'omua at 12 in 2013, struggled a bit since, great 10/12 cover on the bench so that may see him preferred to Foley over the season
Kuridrani - yep, short of picking AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) here there are no better otions
Wing - Horne has been the best and no denying AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has the pedigree at test level
Fullback - yep

Bench - Horwill lucky, Tomane unlucky, rest spot on