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

[Scrubber2050]

Congrats to Holmes.

Hpoefully Soa and Holmes get some good time. Kepu and Slipper need to be cotton-wooled. for later in the year and not flogged now,

A little surprised re Horwill but he'll go very hard knowing his RWC chances need to be taken with both hands. - some others waiting in the wings

 

[qwerty51]

Not saying this will be the case but if Cheika wants to give everyone a run a possible team for Argentina next week:

1. Sio
2. Moore
3. Holmes
4. Mumm
5. Arnold
6. McMahon
7. Pocock
8. McCalman
9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Naiyaravoro
12. To'omua
13. Kuridrani
14. Tomane
15. Ashley-Cooper

16. Polota-Nau
17. Slipper
18. Kepu
19. Skelton
20. Higginbotham
21. Genia
22. Beale
23. Folau

 

[Chris McCracken]

Not saying this will be the case but if Cheika wants to give everyone a run a possible team for Argentina next week:


10. Foley

21. Genia
22. Beale
23. Folau

The buzzing from my tinfoil hat says that you won't see any tests where Cooper isn't at least on the bench. At least not for the next 7.

 

[Red Dragon]

I do not rate Hooper as a leader and he certainty is not a 7.
I think Cheika has made a mistake here as we have 2 players in the backrow that are very lose and only one who will go after the ball in Fardy. If you want to play Hooper play him with McCalman if you want Higges than play him with Pocock (my preferred option).
We had the advantage of seeing the Bok team first and their whole backrow are ball scavengers. What’s the point of putting in flashy backs like Cooper and Gits when they won’t get any ball and will just be tackling all day (which they don’t do very well)

I hope I am wrong but it appears to me that we have a forward pack that plays like backs and a back line that plays like backs who is going to give them the ball?


Good to see Holmes back, I would also have put Hanson in for Polota-Nau, he is in great form.

 

[qwerty51]

The buzzing from my tinfoil hat says that you won't see any tests where Cooper isn't at least on the bench. At least not for the next 7.

That's a good point. I wonder how much Cheika factors that in, it's also possible he might leave him out of the team on purpose to fall short of the 7 and force him to stay in Aus.

 

[Blue]

I do not rate Hooper as a leader and he certainty is not a 7.
I think Cheika has made a mistake here as we have 2 players in the backrow that are very lose and only one who will go after the ball in Fardy. If you want to play Hooper play him with McCalman if you want Higges than play him with Pocock (my preferred option).
We had the advantage of seeing the Bok team first and their whole backrow are ball scavengers. What’s the point of putting in flashy backs like Cooper and Gits when they won’t get any ball and will just be tackling all day (which they don’t do very well)

I hope I am wrong but it appears to me that we have a forward pack that plays like backs and a back line that plays like backs who is going to give them the ball?


Good to see Holmes back, I would also have put Hanson in for Polota-Nau, he is in great form.

Hooper doesn't go after the ball? Mate, WOT have you been watching? That's what makes him so good. He can play that loose linking game but win a turnover under the posts to save the team.

Too many people here are looking at the world through Pocock tinted glasses.

Play both Cheika you big oaf. I would start them both and go manically after every breakdown in the first thirty like there is no tomorrow. Try to turn over every bloody ruck. Go mental. If it does not work you yank one of them.

 

[barbarian]

Yeah I love Pocock but some people overstate his abilities a bit IMO. As if without him we will have no ball at all, but with him the Boks will be lucky to have 5% possession.

He's a great player, but even a cursory viewing of the Brumbies this year would indicate he is not the savior that some think he might be.
.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Which channel do you think the books will be running at on Saturday night?

 

[Blue]

This is the right thing. Hooper is incumbent. Pocock gets time on the park. He needs to stake a claim to be rthe starter. A World Cup game against South Africa 4 years ago has diddly squat to do with the here and now.

One would expect it for every other position on the field.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Yeah I love Pocock but some people overstate his abilities a bit IMO. As if without him we will have no ball at all, but with him the Boks will be lucky to have 5% possession.

He's a great player, but even a cursory viewing of the Brumbies this year would indicate he is not the savior that some think he might be.
.

Pocock average 2 turnovers per game.

In tier 1 internationals there are something like 16 turnovers conceded on average and around 80 rucks per game.

It's not the huge influence that some seem to think.

On average he turns over 1.6% of the rucks in a game you could say.

 

[Deputy Van Halen]

Some outdated opinions on the back row in this thread.

'Higgers only plays loose'
'Hooper can't scavenge'
'Pocock can't run with the ball'

It's like people haven't watched rugby in the last couple of years. Higgers has been excellent in tight, hooper can definitely play the ruck when needed and pocock has now even picked up a bit of a linking game.

Also fardy is the ruck monster in that back three which seems to be forgotten.

Pretty big fan of that team otherwise, at the very least it should be entertaining.

 

[Blue]

Which channel do you think the books will be running at on Saturday night?

10/12. Always with Cooper. I see what you're doing. You say that's why you need Pocock?

 

[KOB1987]

Which channel do you think the books will be running at on Saturday night?

The logical one is the 10/12 channel but in defence I reckon we'll see 10. Giteau 12. Horne

 

[Lorenzo]

MC deserves some credit here. He's given some players that haven't had a great year but are proven test performers the chance to show what they've got in what will be the softest-landing (yes - easier to perform against SA ar home than Argentina away) of the pre-RWC tests.

 

[qwerty51]

Some outdated opinions on the back row in this thread.

'Higgers only plays loose'
'Hooper can't scavenge'
'Pocock can't run with the ball'

It's like people haven't watched rugby in the last couple of years. Higgers has been excellent in tight, hooper can definitely play the ruck when needed and pocock has now even picked up a bit of a linking game.

Also fardy is the ruck monster in that back three which seems to be forgotten.

Pretty big fan of that team otherwise, at the very least it should be entertaining.

The only issue is using absolutes. They're true, just not to those extremes.

 

[Marcelo]

Which channel do you think the books will be running at on Saturday night?

I'm not sure, maybe the page 1 or page 3

 

[Viking]

Some outdated opinions on the back row in this thread.

'Higgers only plays loose'
'Hooper can't scavenge'
'Pocock can't run with the ball'

It's like people haven't watched rugby in the last couple of years. Higgers has been excellent in tight, hooper can definitely play the ruck when needed and pocock has now even picked up a bit of a linking game.

Also fardy is the ruck monster in that back three which seems to be forgotten.

Pretty big fan of that team otherwise, at the very least it should be entertaining.

Post of the year.

 

[Moono75]

easier to perform against SA ar home than Argentina away) o

Yep no lasers to contend with at Suncorp

 

[fatprop]

It is going to be interesting to see how much shape Cheika has got into this side, the best Aus sides were always very structured (when the Tahs under Cheika worked, it was very well organised (two forward pods of 3 etc. for the 9 to pick from and also the 10 in a second wave))

We may want to play fast and wide, but that really needs proper structures and that work ethic where everyone gets up and knows where they should be next.

 

[ACT Crusader]

If fast and wide is the plan, that puts huge pressure on the tight 5, firstly to hit the collisions to get clean ball, and secondly when they are fanning out, they don't get in the way of the backs.