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Forgive the pun, but in all seriousness, is this type of appalling statement not a revelation of a nasty, dark side of the NZ character. "Our national insecurities are only relieved if we beat people at rugby all the time, and, if we fear we may not, we'll revert to virtually anything...

This would be a smart year to win it, as we don't get 2 Aus Bled games until 2017.

I suspect his 2015 place kicking % has been at a level that loses tight Test matches if - and we hope not - it stays at that level on Saturday. His kicking from hand has been far from assured as well, btw.

But wouldn't that particular 'experiment' - if the goal is to win the BC - be way better executed vs USA?

Latest: Rain Friday, showers all Saturday morning and early a/noon, clear by game time.

"The biggest challenge in rugby" Who recently said that? And Speight and Palu with little recent game time, let alone that that's Test time? And Poey - who was instrumental last week - not starting? And an erratic QC (Quade Cooper) who had a very limited 2015 season and is not place kicking at all well...

Very valid.....for one game. I am a major QC (Quade Cooper) 'loyalist' given what he's contributed to QLD rugby, which is immense, but the hard facts are that: - his recent injury record has not availed him of sustained periods of confidence-building games, and all 10s playing at a high level need...

You bet. Highly surprising set of selection calls. Palu has never really threatened the ABs, Gits as b/up 9, Poey not starting when this has been key, QC (Quade Cooper) starting where he'll be endlessly booed and no doubt nerve-racked, etc etc....looks to me more like a rotational team to play the USA than one...

4 weeks before a RWC is not, absolutely not, the time for 'development situations' solely looking onwards to say 2016 or further out. Every spare squad slot should go now to players who may be needed for - and are credible for - actual play in RWC 2015. I'll keep saying it, the single hardest...

BH, I get you and I clearly admire what Chek is doing and achieving, but I really do believe he has made a mistake, and a potentially quite serious one, of not breaking Gill into his early, wider squads and ideally giving him some game time even if he was subsequently not in the formal 31**...

Gill can play at 6. The gain of his replacement value for one of The Pooper plus his other values is IMO greater than the comparative gain of having the still-green McMahon (who did not have a great 2015 S15, unlike Gill who was outstanding in a shockingly coached team) as a straight 6 back up...

Surely if we are going with that number of backrowers, on a weighted basis of skills, experience, recent S15 form, ability to replace Pocock as a top-notch fetcher and can bring a really sound linking game as well as line-out value, Gill is the man, not McMahon. What has McMahon demonstrably...

Akin to saying they have fallen into the proven-as-ultimately-fatal trap of believing your own bullshit.

I am hoping your statement above RR means that a single, exceptional new HC candidate of undeniable calibre has been found and so no further interviews with the existing HC or other candidates were warranted. That is what I am hoping.

I get your drift BH and largely agree. But I don't think it's just that. To me, the absolutely, truly wonderful Wallaby stand out from Saturday was not so much the win, but the exceptionally intense, ferocious, all-of-80, gritty, convincing, 'strong team mind', 'all believing', never...

dru, no doubt, Smith has for a long time been like a PR extension of Ballmore's latest 'messaging' strategies. Accordingly, he could properly be accused of wild inconsistencies in approach - just one example during the Link era at the Reds was his regular and quite heavy critiquing of Deans and...

L - re Phipps: you know as a Tahs man that Phipps' passing shockers - of a type that can quickly lead to disastrous consequences - were not restricted to BC1 last Saturday. Just recall the very first minutes of the Clan v Tahs S15 SF this year, Phipps horror pass then to the groundsman nearly...

^^^ Re that press conference of Cheika's. Having endured the horrendous Deans' gobbledegook at such times during The Six Lost Years, how uplifting was it to have a coach that spoke straight, called a spade a spade, no bullshit, no PC crap, no cliches, every word made sense. And even more...

Cheika will have to somehow get Gill into or actively alongside the squad. If Pooper keeps playing like 'it' did last night, and is required to now do so as a key component of Cheika-ball for 80 mins most (key) games, an injury to 50% of it is likely at some stage, the physical intensity and...

It's years since the Wallabies have shown that sort of intensity, belief, passion, guts, just wonderful....a faith restorer.