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Before we worry about who will be playing, let's hope we get the coaches we need. Chieka and Grey are locked in I presume. What about Ledesma? Larkham now goes back to the Brumbies I guess. So we need a backs coach for sure. Hopefully not a scrum coach (please stay Mario). What coaches...

I'm not sure if my heart or my neighbours can take a semi final. Foley must have known that after his performance Vs Scotland he'd be buying drinks for the team for the next 4 years if he didn't nail that last one. Scotland gained a lot of respect for their showing tonight. The Wallabies...

The rugby judiciary system strikes again. On the one hand, I am happy Gray and Ford are playing as it means there will be no excuses. If we win, we win against the best team they could field. On the other hand, it is a sad indictment of the system. Ford and Gray are found guilty of a...

The win was great, but the scrum dominance was pretty sweet too. 4 more wins please boys.

So they have considered the possibility that one of Moore or TPN could be injured, and they have decided that Sio is a better backup hooker than Hansen, AND we get the added benefit of an extra winger sitting in the stands?

Like playing hooker in the World Cup? :) This is a very good squad, no doubt about it. I think they can win it, with a bit of luck. On the 2 hookers issue (rehash of my front page post, but also a few genuine questions for anyone who knows): Benefits: one extra squad member in another...

All things being equal, go for the big guy. The problem is that all other things don't tend to be equal, and there is the risk of making size a primary consideration when it should be the tie breaker.

Lots of good points here. A few responses: - Team changes: I'm not sure Chieka was being completely reckless here. We didn't win (much like every Wallaby team since 1986, and everyone since 1994), so in that way it didn't work, but whilst the final result wasn't close, the margin for error was...

Thanks for those ruck stats Force Fan. It was my impression that Palu was quite well involved, relative to others whilst he was on, and certainly not the bag of shit so many people seem to be suggesting. I agree with most posters that Pocock is one of our best players, and should start all...

I think Lealifano is very unlikely. I suspect the fact that Chieka has not chosen to play him at all means he will not make the squad. I would add that one of the reasons people are calling for him is because the other contenders have been patchy - but that does not mean he would be a better...

WARNING: This might take some time (I'm not joking, this is going to rival RedsHappy at his best :)) Overall, we played at a similar level to last week, but instead of wild passes and pop gun kicks, we managed to miss straight up tackles and make a few disastrous short kicks. The Kiwis, on the...

3. Fardy 2. Folau 1. Kepu

I would have no issue with Chieka playing the same 23 this week, but if he is about rewarding form and bench impact, it would seem obvious to start with White and finish with Phipps at 9. If he was always planning on playing Cooper over Foley, again, no issue here (it is not like Foley has...

I'm going to have a crack at a RWC 31, with the controversial picks in italics. I think we've got to have 5 props, 3 hookers and 3 scrum halves. Props: 1. Sio 2. Kepu 3. Holmes 4. Slipper 5. Faulkner Hookers: 6. Moore 7. TPN 8. Hanson Locks: 9. Skelton 10. Simmons 11. Horwill 12. Mumm (can...

I agree that our kickers may need to put in more time, but practice does not necessarily make perfect. It does tend to make permanent, hence the need for practice to be guided, at least to some extent, by an expert instructor.

They have pretty great depth across the park, but fortunately can only have 15 on the field at once, just like us (unless one of us is sent off for slapping of course).

Love those stats ForceFan. Often a single word in single inverted commas, as in 'dominant', would suggest 'some people would describe it as dominant, but I'm not so sure'. A "couple" of 'dominant' tackles could be read something like: "He made about 2 (but who cares as it is not important) of...

SANZAR appealing their own decision? I thought that the situation couldn't get more farcical, but yet again they prove me wrong.

The Kiwis are beatable, but it won't be easy. One positive is that the Springboks had them on toast for much of the match on Saturday, but they switched off at critical moments, and then were a bit unlucky with the uncontested scrums. We absolutely must select our strongest available side, as...

Despite the risk of nuclear intervention, I chip in. I thought Foley did ok. He did miss a few tackles, which is never good, but they were not in a situation that proved a major problem. The Kiwis would probably have made more of them. His distribution and running were both fine. His kicking...