Wallabies vs Wales - Suncorp Stadium June 9

[Bruce Ross]

Deans should just pick Ant Fainga'a on the wing. It's not like the ball is going to get past barnes often, and if it does it's certainly not going to get past the centre's, who've thrown about 6 passes between them so far this super rugby season.

Might as well pick a good defender.

Defending on the wing is very different to defending in the centres. Fainga'a may very well be able to handle wing defence - I have no way of knowing - but you cannot extrapolate from centre defence to wing defence.

Horses for courses.
.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Vuna in the starting XV. Oh dear....

I hope I'm wrong, but that backline looks awfully one dimensional, as others have pointed out. I'm pretty happy with the pack, but where are the passing options in the backs? We aren't going to beat Wales bashing it up for 80 minutes, there need to be angles and deception too.

 

[Groucho]

It's very hard to pick a better team with these injuries. Despite a lot of outrage, the only alternative seems to be to pick Fainga'a in various positions.

 

[Bowside]

Obviously taking the piss lads.


On a serious note, I would have picked shipperly over Vuna. Probably would have picked morahan over both and moved AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to the wing.

 

[redstragic]

It's very hard to pick a better team with these injuries. Despite a lot of outrage, the only alternative seems to be to pick Fainga'a in various positions.

RH was talking about tactics earlier. If this is the best team available then we'll be needing a game plan this weekend. We haven't had to have one in recent times to keep our 50% win loss intact but with so many of our best unavailable, maybe we should go in with a plan on Saturday night.

 

[ChargerWA]

Well, one thing I am glad to have come out of this is at least Dennis hasn't been discarded. I think the bloke has a real future. This pack could do with a few honest toilers.

 

[Ruggo]

I like Horne but his form just doesn't warrant his selection. Ant should of been the starting 13.

 

[something]

Out of the so called 3 Amigos, Cooper,Beale,O'connor...Beale will come out on top.
Beale is coming into his own at 10

The Wallabies won't really miss Cooper and O'connor.

i think everybody is forgetting how good Quade Cooper can be when he is on form. Sure he had a shit world cup but he lead the reds to a victory in the same year playing & shreding every single minute. Quade deserves to be in the wobs

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I have to agree about QC (Quade Cooper). Deans says he needs more game time, but when is this going to happen? I'd have thought that his pretty decent performances in the games in May would have given him a look in. A Genia/Cooper/Barnes axis is my preferred one and where I reckon we've looked the best in the last few seasons.

 

[Scott Allen]

Don't agree that McCabe and Horne are the best centre combination still standing but they are favorites of Deans so I'm not surprised.

What I am blown away about is that once Tomane went down, it was Vuna and not Shipperley that Deans called over.

I believe Shipperley should have been there in the first place but to suggest Vuna offers more than Shipperley in attack or defence is ... words fail me ...

 

[Scott Allen]

Defending on the wing is very different to defending in the centres. Fainga'a may very well be able to handle wing defence - I have no way of knowing - but you cannot extrapolate from centre defence to wing defence.

Horses for courses.
.

Bruce, I don't think Fainga'a is a winger in attack but in defence I have no doubt he'd handle the very different role very well.

 

[p.Tah]

Deans says he needs more game time, but when is this going to happen?.

I'm pretty sure Quade also said that he was disappointed he wasn't selected, but he has to listen on the experts: the surgeon and physios, perhaps his knee isn't quite up to test rugby yet and he needs more game time in super rugby, building towards a full high intensity game.

 

[RedsHappy]

Agree TBH. The 'mystery' to me in all this is how can a clearly competent coach like Ewen deems QC (Quade Cooper) fit to play 80 in a mission critical Reds game v Brums, but Deans categorically with no qualification sends QC (Quade Cooper) back home with not even the chance of a bench slot (which would be the smart way to bring him back) in the June Tests?

If QC (Quade Cooper)'s knee has worsened etc, then let us know that. I can't see Test matches as drastically more physically demanding on QC (Quade Cooper)'s knee than is a top S15 game.

Without the Kiwi crowds baying for his blood, as you indicate the minutes played v Wales in the RWC with QC (Quade Cooper) 10, BB 12 were exciting and productive.

 

[Braveheart81]

It's only 7 months since Cooper had his knee reco. He'll still be getting substantially stronger over the next couple of months.

I think it's a pretty good idea to leave him out of this series, let him finish the Super Rugby season and then be right to play in the Rugby Championship.

 

[Athilnaur]

Vuna offers more in attack than Shipperley, particularly if he keeps progressing to near his league std, but that said I am not putting my sig on the line about his defence. I can only conclude Deans plan is burn em, burn em hard.

I am a Rebels man and a believer in Vuna, but for this game I do wish Tomane had held up ok. I really liked what I saw of him on Tues.

Ath.

 

[RedsHappy]

Don't agree that McCabe and Horne are the best centre combination still standing but they are favorites of Deans so I'm not surprised.

What I am blown away about is that once Tomane went down, it was Vuna and not Shipperley that Deans called over.

I believe Shipperley should have been there in the first place but to suggest Vuna offers more than Shipperley in attack or defence is . words fail me .

Scott, you may recall that many weeks back (March from memory) Deans/ARU leaked to GG that they were very interested in Vuna as a Wallaby.

You know that Deans gets favorites into his head and then there's no stopping him. Actual form across multiple parameters doesn't matter as much as Deans' 'conviction' about a player.

 

[RedsHappy]

It's only 7 months since Cooper had his knee reco. He'll still be getting substantially stronger over the next couple of months.

I think it's a pretty good idea to leave him out of this series, let him finish the Super Rugby season and then be right to play in the Rugby Championship.

bh, I guess this slow release of Quade is very sensible, low risk etc, so long as we believe we have a 9-10-12 combo that is just as productive as would be WG-QC (Quade Cooper)-BB(or XX), or QC (Quade Cooper) as bench player if BB turns bad or burns out. I have my serious doubts, but we'll know more after Saturday.

We simply must win this Wales series. We cannot continue the degradation of the Wallaby brand that has taken place in home and RWC games under Deans in recent years, concluding with the debacle v Scotland.

 

[biggsy]

i think everybody is forgetting how good Quade Cooper can be when he is on form. Sure he had a shit world cup but he lead the reds to a victory in the same year playing & shreding every single minute. Quade deserves to be in the wobs

I'm a big fan of Cooper, but until he signs a decent Contract linking him to Rugby for more 2 years Beale is the No1 10 for the Wob's
And if Deans fucks off and Ewin made head Coach, you would see cooper play a much better game for the Green and Gold... Deans is scared of the Flare that Cooper has and does not let him use it. I don't think Cooper had a bad WC, everyone here Aus was expecting to much from him, and Mr Deans didn't let him be the player he is. But Thats the way I see it.

 

[Dai bando]

Interesting to see you all so glum, you beat us in the WC then again back at Cardiff, yet the negativity here reminds me of many Welsh boards before a game,
As a Point of interest to you all, most Welsh boards give you the series win with some saying a complete white wash for Wales. How fickle are we rugby supporters.

 

[Athilnaur]

Deans is scared of the Flare that Cooper has and does not let him use it.

I think Deans style is one of let the real player shine. One of deans talents is spotting great players and allowing them to flourish. Deans is a staunch believer in QC (Quade Cooper). If anything the public are the ones who have insisted he be more conservative imo. That said I ave no doubt a couple of Quades more dopey efforts in the 3n drew some feedback, and rightly so.

I firmly believe Quade has it in him to be a great 10. People compare him to King Carlos, but while Quade does have Carlos flare, in my view the real beauty of Quade is his eagerness to put his team mates into the game, thats his magic, thats why he will one day be great. He's an instinctive player, but I think many of us underestimate how much of our instinct is trained and developed.

Meanwhile we have the luxury of blokes like Berwick and Beale, - and others. Many many countries would murder for the calibre of 10s we have seen unfold in the last year or 2.