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Baxter remains an excellent tighthead prop. Against any team except the ABs, Poms and maybe the French he's quite likely to dominate. It has always been so. His exit from the world stage was the result of his targeting by those teams, and on some famous occasions he actually got the better of them.

Pat McCabe is a very interesting experiment at 12. I like Deans' thinking on that one. McCabe can now cover any position from 10 back and very nicely too, making him an almost certain bench selection. It does mean that he's settled on JOC (James O'Connor) on the wing, and thinking about it I can see the sense in...

If we didn't give our backup players a run in this game, we'd have to in a Tri-Nations game. There is a world of difference between experimenting at the start of a test season, and falsely claiming your entire first XV is injured at the start of an important tour. There would be no problem at...

Having too many players was the main objective of adding two new Super Rugby franchises.

You will, Oscar, you will.

I believe we need a second playmaker because sides will try to (and like the Crusaders, sometimes succeed in) shutting Quade down. I'm not saying that in a cautious kind of way, in that we need a fallback option. I'm saying that it will open up opportunities for our second playmaker to cause...

I wish I'd made that post.

An interesting example of how technology has been used t increase performance is the French scrum machine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMlNdh3gXLU

Stupid, stupid article.

But kicking it out isn't a territory kicking competition. They can't kick it back if it is out. And the back three can't counter, if it is out.

You whooshed me! :)

We probably have to beat them at home to win the RWC. We may as well get started in the Bled then.

I think you're right.

Lee, it's ironic then that the touring party contains so many of their flair players.

Excrement seems a bit harsh.

Slow, then?

Another Sun Tzu principle is that "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." Playing your best players all the time is equivalent to making a frontal attack for the duration of a long war.

I'm sure I've read this 39 times. ;)

Quade: a ninja in attack, invisible in defence.

It would be vastly more self-serving to stop promoting players that you coached all year, and have played beside for your whole career, simply because they're going elsewhere. Larkham has nothing to 'gain'. I'm sure the thought didn't cross his mind.