Wallabies v England November 1

[fatprop]

Can't catch, not real threat, Schmidt has made the same type of decision as Deans's, play it tight, keep recycling

The 10/12 channel was no threat, they just push up on the outside and there were no options

 

[Strewthcobber]

TBF their gameplay boils down to kick and chase, and rush D. Not hard to bring that together.

That's the most frustrating thing about last week, though I think. Anyone paying attention (plenty on here) knew it would be a box kickathon, and England are always going to be strong with scrums and mauls, especially at Twickenham.

And yet, despite knowing exactly what was coming, we had no real answers

 

[fatprop]

TBF their gameplay boils down to kick and chase, and rush D. Not hard to bring that together.

Every team seems to be running a rush defence except us, why?

 

[Major Tom]

Every team seems to be running a rush defence except us, why?

Because our defensive coach either doesn't want to implement it or doesn't know how. Fisher seems more in the later boat and seems comfortable teaching what he's used to.
I'm beyond keen to see a new coach there with Kiss.

 

[Major Tom]

That's the most frustrating thing about last week, though I think. Anyone paying attention (plenty on here) knew it would be a box kickathon, and England are always going to be strong with scrums and mauls, especially at Twickenham.

And yet, despite knowing exactly what was coming, we had no real answers

Yeah, I think we knew what was coming but don't have the cattle to deal with it.
Wallabies have looked the best when coming home with a wet sail. I think that's been when Bell, Tate and others come off the bench. Obv Tate is out but we probably would have been better to play Bell off the bench to try and run over the top of them late (mind you there bench was strong too). CDC could have started instead of Bobby V for that same logic. But I can see the mindset that Schmidt went with because we've been prone to slow starts. I think it should be clear by now that Frost needs a big bloke next to him to be effective at this level. Williams had a decent game, but I just don't think he should partner Frost from the onset. So, depending on the fitness I think LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) is better off starting (giving him a license to throw his weight around) and Williams replaces him when we need to be more dynamic around the park. The mauls were bad. That's when you need Skelton or someone smart or powerful to be a pest and swim through the middle.
As for the highball stuff I'm not sure how we navigate that with the players we have. Weirdly, it's not as if we don't get exposed to it with playing the kiwis. Worst thing is we appeared more disorganized as opposed to actually bad at catching it. I think they just out enthused us with both their chase and cleaning which is disappointing.

 

[Major Tom]

The real question is why England felt the need to send a dossier to the refs when they were playing at home, against a team missing some its best players due to test match falling outside Reg 9?
As Stuart Broad would say "void result'.

 

[Strewthcobber]

The real question is why England felt the need to send a dossier to the refs when they were playing at home, against a team missing some its best players due to test match falling outside Reg 9?
As Stuart Broad would say "void result'.

We probably did one too. Schmidt just doesn't leak it to the Telegraph

 

[stillmissit]

As for the highball stuff I'm not sure how we navigate that with the players we have.

As an afterthought, maybe Schmidt could have put JAS to fullback and Dagenau to 13 just for this match?

Fisher must go! We cannot continue letting teams get 20 - 30m run before the defence kicks in. I did think at the start of 2nd half there was a bit uf a rush D but only one player mostly.

 

[stillmissit]

A couple of things worry me out of this -
- we aren’t changing our defence structure until we change our defence coach and that won’t be on this tour
- every time we seem to have developed some cohesion something happens and we lose a bunch of players and go back to the ‘building depth’ stage of the cycle. Unfortunately we never seem to reach a stage where we have a settled, experience team
- over the last 20 years there has always been a position or 3 where we have lacked international level performers. At various stages it’s been props, hookers, locks, backrowers, centres, wingers and fullbacks. In all of those positions our fortunes at least seem to fluctuate. But at 9 & 10 we’ve pretty consistently had an issue for a long time. League is consistently winning the battle for these playmakers and the ones we are keeping aren’t developing to the level we need

TSR, the school's situation is dire for RU.

 

[stillmissit]

Depending on what "a long time" means. At the same time, it seems to me that our current gameplan is to presume there is NO playmaker and the half will drive the game.

For me that is a limitation in coaching imagination, not (simply) a limitation in the quality of available halves.

Dru, I think Schmidt's strength is that he is a bit conservative with game plan and picks and sticks (I agree with this), and that's his weakness.
I am at a loss to understand the shortage of players, when you consider what Schmidt did with the Irish. Do they have more players in the country than us?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

SA beat Japan by 54 away from home, yes they played a stronger side but we beat them comfortably in Joburg and competed to the end in Cape Town with 15 injuries - we’ve fallen off a cliff since Townsville

That was a get out of jail and not a superb performance. Won the dead rubber Lions Test and the Ellis Park comeback was amazing but other than that it's been pretty lame.

Should've lost to Fiji and scraped by Japan. This is a flawed side just doing enough from time to time (Eng 24, Lions G3, SA Ellis Park) to not be regarded a disaster.

 

[Tomthumb]

Every team seems to be running a rush defence except us, why?

Dont you question Lord Bucket hat

 

[rugbyAU]

That was a get out of jail and not a superb performance. Won the dead rubber Lions Test and the Ellis Park comeback was amazing but other than that it's been pretty lame.

Should've lost to Fiji and scraped by Japan. This is a flawed side just doing enough from time to time (Eng 24, Lions G3, SA Ellis Park) to not be regarded a disaster.

I thought we were strong in Cape Town, could of won that game but for poor goalkicking, despite having 15 injuries for that game

 

[stillmissit]

WTB: you stated "We need much more from our pack. We need fast recycle so we are not always playing first phase footy."
"We hit the line in motion not in pods. We need to recycle much faster."

If don't run the pack (particularly the back row) in pods, you cannot get LFB, and our attacking breakdown is often one of ours v 3 of theirs due to running one off, with the runners looking for an offload and not concerned as much about the breakdown.

I also notice our pack seems to be slower getting around the paddock than the teams we play mostly.

 

[Tomthumb]

That was a get out of jail and not a superb performance. Won the dead rubber Lions Test and the Ellis Park comeback was amazing but other than that it's been pretty lame.

Should've lost to Fiji and scraped by Japan. This is a flawed side just doing enough from time to time (Eng 24, Lions G3, SA Ellis Park) to not be regarded a disaster.

It's a flawed side that isn't improving, if anything they are regressing. Which is a huge problem considering the next coach was only hired to keep the same system going

 

[stillmissit]

That was a get out of jail and not a superb performance. Won the dead rubber Lions Test and the Ellis Park comeback was amazing but other than that it's been pretty lame.

Should've lost to Fiji and scraped by Japan. This is a flawed side just doing enough from time to time (Eng 24, Lions G3, SA Ellis Park) to not be regarded a disaster.

Ghost, Just an idea, but the fact that Joe is a reasonable and rational coach creating an issue with the guys feeling too comfortable? The lack of quality replacements for many positions might also point to this being an issue.
I note that any Wallaby player being interviewed always states how much they like and respect Joe.

 

[rugbyAU]

It's a flawed side that isn't improving, if anything they are regressing. Which is a huge problem considering the next coach was only hired to keep the same system going

and a new coach who hasn't won anything, and had poor results this year with the Reds - usually we have high level coaches who come in and leave with their reputation downgraded

 

[rugbyAU]

Ghost, Just an idea, but the fact that Joe is a reasonable and rational coach creating an issue with the guys feeling too comfortable? The lack of quality replacements for many positions might also point to this being an issue.
I note that any Wallaby player being interviewed always states how much they like and respect Joe.

don't all players say that about their coach, I judge himn on his win rate, which is the 2nd lowest of any Wallaby coach ever

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Ghost, Just an idea, but the fact that Joe is a reasonable and rational coach creating an issue with the guys feeling too comfortable? The lack of quality replacements for many positions might also point to this being an issue.
I note that any Wallaby player being interviewed always states how much they like and respect Joe.

I don't personally. I think he's leaving guys out who he doesn't deem up to Test standard and when you look at the list and results when they get included he's probably right.

I'm not a big fan of Swain but I think he's one on the outer worth another go but that's just me.

I think in the modern era it's very hard to be too comfortable and cruise. So many measurables in games and training they get a pretty good gauge on players.

 

[stillmissit]

I don't personally. I think he's leaving guys out who he doesn't deem up to Test standard and when you look at the list and results when they get included he's probably right.

I'm not a big fan of Swain but I think he's one on the outer worth another go but that's just me.

I think in the modern era it's very hard to be too comfortable and cruise. So many measurables in games and training they get a pretty good gauge on players.

That sounds sensible, the only thing left is the mental attitude going into the games. We have had years of average performances that at a deep level must be in the back of the guys minds, that if it's a win it's against the grain....