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Big job getting the heads exactly right for this match for Cheika. This is the biggest game of rugby most of these fellows will ever play in their career, that can do all sorts of things with the mind, positive and negative.

3. Pocock 2. Fardy 1. Douglas HM Mitchell, Foley, Hooper

A couple of thoughts (most of which have no doubt already been expressed) Firstly, Slipper hasn't looked like his 2014 version all year, I think there is a real possibility he's playing injured. Makes the return of Sio v. important. Likewise, Folau is way below his best, either we leave him out...

3 Douglas 2 Fardy 1 Giteau HM. everyone else!!

Slipper Moore Holmes Simmons Douglas Fardy Pocock McCalman Genia Foley Mitchell To'omua Kuridrani AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) Beale TPN Sio Kepu Mum McMahon Phipps Cooper Speight

3. Foley 2. Pocock 1. Kepu HM, Where do i start? Sio, Moore, Hooper, Giteau, Beale

3. McMahon 2. Phipps 1. McCalman

On a final note, I thought Phipps was very good last night. His passing was crisp and accurate ( don't recall a misdirected one) and given the ball we had, he would have thrown as many passes as most halves do in two games. He defended well, had a great little snipe to put Mumm in for his try...

Looking at individuals last night, I thought those to advance their case were McCalman, McMahon, Phipps and Beale. Those who set their cause back were Palu, Skelton & Cooper (see above). The rest, nothing much changes.

We saw the real Quade Cooper last night, brilliant and awful! For the fans, there were some good attacking runs, and his exquisite passing game. The flick to Tomane for his try, the great pass to Beale off his own break for To'omua's try, and the best of all, that long flat pass to Mitchell...

Not if the ball carrier had disengaged from the maul

Quick Hands, that's the point I was making. Contrary to what's being said here, a maul can continue without opposition players, however quite clearly the ball carrier had disengaged, he wasn't bound, barely had his hand on another player, therefore the maul was over. I agree with others here, it...

As regards the laws and that rolling maul. The laws of rugby 17.4 (f) clearly state that when all the players from the defending team leave the maul, such that there are none left, the maul can continue and the offside rules still apply ( there must be at least one defending player for the maul...

TWAS, I agree with you, but move on, man, move on. It's happened, and it ain't gunna change!

We only have 2 hookers and scrum halves, five wings, Douglas is in over Horwill, Genia over White and Palu over (insert your favoured player here). I understand the concerns (agree with quite a few), but we have now had 22 pages of argument, outrage, throwing toys out of the cot about this...

I reckon Douglas will start! Can't see why he'd be selected otherwise. I agree Horwill had done enough to be selected and would have picked him, but Cheika has done what he thinks will win the WC, and it's his nuts on the line, not ours. I don't think Mumm's selection is relevant, he won't start...

I don't get the two hookers thing, but let's get over this forfeit business. All we need are three experienced front rowers, and if, for one game, Sio or Smith had to be a reserve number 2 (and not come unless there is an injury) the world won't end, and by the next match we'd have a...

As a devoted Tahs fan dating back to the first game I saw in 1967, the sad thing about this is that I can't even hate the Reds anymore. I spent my playing career regarding them as public enemy number 1, can't really do that now. It's bad for Australian rugby. In the case of RG, he's in a no...

Coopers tackle goes back to his tackling style. If you look right back over his career, he tends to tackle up high, around the ball rugby league style, sometimes even jumping up into the tackle. With that natural inclination, there is always going to be a high chance of it going wrong...

TWAS, the point I was making was that the problem may not be (and wasn't in the examples I quoted) the AB's beating us to the throw, we fucked up without their help!