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I don't care. Give the ball to him 5m out in space and he's scoring every time. Give the ball to him 5m out with one defender and he's scoring there. Give the ball to him 5m out next to the ruck and he might score there, too. I'm all for intelligent footballers with all the skills, but...

You really have a thing for John Eales medalists, don't you BR.

Random observation: I think Michael Cheika is really good as an expert commentator. Comes in a couple of times a game with things I genuinely haven't seen, no cliches or obvious comments ('The Reds need to step up in defence' etc), and seems to actually watch the game really closely. Hope he's...

To me the really interesting decision comes at 6. Rennie mainly used Hanigan, though Swinton would have had more starts if not for suspension you'd think. Clearly he likes work rate in that position. Rob Valetini has improved his game to the point where it's surely very hard not to pick him...

He's only had one good World Cup campaign, but it's one more than pretty much every player we have at the moment. And remember JOC (James O'Connor) got done for possession of cocaine while in France as well, which you could argue is just as bad as drink driving. But that's not what this thread is about. I...

May be a little off topic, but is drink driving a blacklist offence? It's obviously dangerous and his track record isn't great, but if push comes to shove I'd still be happy to have him back for the Waratahs. Easy to forget he was one of our best players at the World Cup in 2019.

But like U14s that strategy was incredibly effective. I don't think I've ever seen someone so unstoppable from 5m out. It's not like our backline has turned into a symphony of movement and skill without him.

I'm in Reg. Yep. Post of the year stuff, really. Just think about it. The prodigal son, the ageing veteran aching for one last crack. I loved it with Giteau, and I love this even more. Hook it to my veins.

You wonder if they might do it in Brisbane but keep it on GEM in the other markets.

It's not just speed on the flanks, it's a point of difference. Man we miss Taqele out there.

Is a random Friday night game against the Force a 'critical game' though? He's been fine enough this season, he's experienced, he's a leader, stepped up in his brief Wallaby appearance last year. I'm giving him plenty more time to find form (which was pretty good early days this season)...

It's weird to toss out a bloke as experienced as To'omua based on one average game against the Force in April.

So Hooper doesn't even make the 23? So much for that sharp selectors eye. Or are you taking me literally and assuming Hooper can't play tomorrow, in which case I rescind my insult and pose another question - is Hooper in your best 23 to play the French in July?

I can see it being close but I'd be surprised if it was a whitewash. The French ran out of steam a bit in the Six Nations, and at the end of a long season, the potential for club commitments, the rigours of quarantine, I'm not sure we will get the world beaters they were a few months ago. .

I'd be interested in your XV to play France tomorrow Reg, mixing the stat analysis with your sharp selectors eye. Would much rather hear from you than all the other weirdos who populate this cesspool.

What timing by Ned Hanigan. I almost punched the air when I read he's coming back. He left a harmless backrower but returns as something of a prodigal son.

There's a bit of second year syndrome about Wilson I think, but I'm not too worried. I still think he gets the Wallaby 8 jersey against France. The McReight vs Hooper looms as a fascinating battle. It wouldn't shock me to see them both starting at some point, though given Wilson's lineout...

This was from a few pages ago, a bit of a throwaway line but I wanted to challenge it. What does this even mean? That NSWRU would actively sabotage expansion into Western Sydney because it could upset the barrow for GPS school graduates? It's not like the Waratahs squad is overwhelmingly...

I was thinking this morning about the supposed lack of long-term planning, which has seen us go from premiers in 2014 to what we are today. The issue, to me, wasn't a lack of long-term planning so much as we picked the wrong plan - on a coaching level at least. Our plan on the surface was...

And we're probably veering too off topic here. I think the points have been made.