Search results

The thing is it gives QC (Quade Cooper) and his incredible distribution skills options depending on shape of play - piggies, McCabe, fast to JOC (James O'Connor), across to AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Ioane or set Genia for a dart, back to Beale, the options are endless, and make it murder to plan a defense system. Well that is my vision, without QC (Quade Cooper)...

I dunno. Bunce was an inspirational defender, who broke mainline and freed up the back line. Outside QC (Quade Cooper), with JOC (James O'Connor) roving in broken play, that can work and work well. For McCabe to match Bunce tho, we are going to want to see some sweet passes/offloads. As it stands tho I suspect Deans would...

Undercoverkiwi; This guy has a similar profile to McCabe and did ok.

Pretty sure JOC (James O'Connor) has been tasked with being a roving back, so somewhere between wing and centre as opportunities arise. Has the merit of offsetting QC (Quade Cooper) beautifully if it works. Gives us 3 centres - or 3 (4 potentially given QC (Quade Cooper)) fullbacks - as situation merits. If memory serves Lomu was given a...

It's possible they are inaccurate. As I posted elsewhere on Monday the tackle counts were screwed up, but those got fixed before SMH published. Slightly unrelated but still tri-nations and selection issues; Henry on selections pre RWC (maybe mods can move if this needs diff place?)

Deleted

Can't see the finances working myself, except possibly Japan. Travel is brutal now, add Argentina, Japan. Can't see it working without a much lighter S15 format. Might be more doable if SA wasn't in, but who wants that? The Bok injection to our game is huge. And imagine the slow news days...

Fixed it for you ;)

To be fair even the best line breaker in SuperRugby only averaged 1 per game, and he wasn't playing centre. McCabe, Elsom, and I think McCalman, were the only players to achieve decent gainline in tight vs Samoa. Bloody frustrating to watch. It was like seeing diggers achieve a beachhead...

He has a long way to go to catch Carter or Larkham in defense. I watched that Carter try a number of times, but for a different reason. While the commentators moaned about Coopers pisspoor attitude in not forcing Carter, I had been watching centre play. As some will know for some time I...

Coopers defense has come a long way this year in my view. Granted from an abysmal base that still makes him sub par. With an effective backrow-centre combination to lock down channels and ruck/maul and the depth of utility in our backs, it is going to be very hard for oppositions to pin down...

Bullrush - Tom Carter made more line breaks and tries than SBW but less try assists and line break assists. Looking fwd to the centre clash this Sat, will be very telling. No Fourie is a let off IMO.

Actually Tom Carter made more line breaks than SBW this year. And 1 more try. He was not even close in line break/ try assists however. But SBW is a far less reliable defender. He may have made himself look like a twit a few times, but to have not even had a chance at a call up was rough...

Pretty sure they are from here; rugby stats.com.au I was looking at them yesterday, but the tackle counts were all wrong, had about 3 total. The tackle counts are fixed and the rest of the data looks unchanged to me. I am inclined to think the stats are good. In fairness to Gerrard and...

That is a telling observation IMO Scotty. Pretty reassuring going into a RWC.

fair enough, and that's a well put rationale. That said we have had a few break throughs with the dark days, and done it with a young team. Like you I am not happy about IC, it is one of our bigger headaches IMO. We all have controversial views that's the fun of this board! for me the...

Harsh call Chief! For myself a finals appearance is vindication, a win is exceeds expectation for us. A loss in quarter finals, is that a career ender? Really? Henry went on to run the most successful AB team in history after 2007. McCaw was the Captain. Should he have been canned too...

The difference between Gits and Cooper, and I am staggered to find myself saying it after his first few seasons, his haircut, and brainless off field exploits, is that this year Cooper has proven beyond any sensible doubt that he is a true playmaker. Giteau, who has always been a class act to...

- Agree utterly mediocre. - Pretty sure the Samoa game was relatively recent plan. No excuse for underestimating their professional skillset tho. - There are school kids who probably know more about forwards dark arts than me, but my concern wasn't skillsets, it was the forward's commitment as...

3. Genia 2. Elsom 1. McCabe - only incumbent to show composure in face of rampaging Samoa. Honorable mention McCalman, Vickerman.