Search results

The other thing about the 2 hooker deal is that I'm not 100% convinced that TPN is our second best hooker based on form this year. If he has a poor game starting against one of the other teams Cheicka has given himself no option to swap him for another.

I assume Horwill has achieved the 60 test caps now? Anyone know the exact number?

It wouldn't be an issue if he actually had the time to get that out of Douglas. But he has picked a bloke with 20 minutes under his belt on the hope he can not only achieve full fitness but also very quickly turn 2014 state form into 2015 World Cup performances. It is a stretch of a choice...

I think you just answered your own question. Club level favourites with little history of international performance.

Not just a risk. It is a joke. Before the RC I would have supported it but Horwill stepped it up and was better than both Douglas and Skelton.

Ps I'm also guessing that the McMahon selection is there to have a Mocock or Mooper running in the lesser games. Keeps the double openside feel.

If Cheicka wants forwards that are good at their core role, play tight and clean out well, then why do we have Skelton. To me he provides very little upside for a bloke that weakens both our scrum and lineout when he is on the field. I understand trying to have a point of difference but I think...

PS I'd really like to be a believer though!

Pretty surprised at how much slack Cheicka is given. Let's look at the run he's had: 1. Snuck over the line in the last minute vs the Boks in a place where we barely ever lose to them 2. Struggled until the last 20 vs the Pumas 3. Beat an average AB side 4. Got flogged by a good AB side...

If Simmons is injured at all during the season then if say it is very likely Hunt will be on field captain as Slipper won't be playing 80 minutes. Not that I know much about Simmons ability as captain in any case. Seems to me that the most natural leader in the group is Gill surprised he...

So if Simmons is injured and Slipper is replaced at 60 minutes then Hunt becomes on field captain? Seems risky.

The big thing that I keep noticing is that Foley just seems to disappear at times. This seemed to happen in the first half when we were attack in their half and just completely lost our shape. I hardly saw Foley in this time trying to direct the traffic and organise the attack better - he just...

I wish he was even 75% of Dan Carter, but the reality is that Dan Carter has close to the passing skills of Cooper, runs better than Foley and is better with the boot than both. Not to mention the best decision maker.

If you are referring to my post, I was talking about conservative in that he is going to what he knows, not that his game plan is conservative. Make sense?

It looks to me that Cheika is already digging into conservative mode (picking who he knows and not changing the team) to get a win. He may think that it is important since we are playing our group opponent, or he may be concerned with two losses in a row. I hope it isn't the latter. A lost...

You do realise that we lost the last two matches?

I think the negativity towards Cheika really comes down to two selections: 1. Beale from exile 2. Skelton when he has proven he isn't quite ready He may have made these selections for the right reason, but it does appear that he is more selecting players he knows from the province he is...

Balance does seem better with either Foley/Lilo or Cooper/To'omua. Not that Foley and Lilo did much last game.

Yeah I know. Skelton was just amazing. So much better.

Harsh on Simmons. Look at that maul again. He starts to come through the middle then the maul skews and the welsh player to his left peels off and comes to the back. It made it look like Simmons came around when in fact he started coming through.