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Yes, Groucho, yes. Couldn't help but pick up this revealing quote from Toby Flood in his latest column for the London Daily Telegraph, as quoted (and prefaced upon) in the SMH: Connolly quoted too a week or so ago as reflecting that in that QF v England 2007 many of the younger Wallabies...

Just chatting to a few rugby medico mates, they are all amazed that McCabe could come back to a starting position like 12 in a huge game just a few short weeks from a shoulder dislocation. They say it usually, best case, takes 4-6 weeks for the inevitable muscular and ligament damage to heal...

From the BIL wikipedia entry:

You make many good and telling points IS. One of the characteristics of the recent JO'N era is how manipulative and intellectually dishonest the ARU's culture has become. No one ever, ever takes personal responsibility for any form of setback or negative outcome, especially ones that relate to...

Thanks Richo. Not 'unfair' in my book. I just honestly mate see such little hard evidence (as distinct from sycophantic media hype) of the types of elite team play in the Wallabies that we could ascribe as due to really good coaching, or to excellent coaching leadership in general. I just can't...

In Potential Celebration of the Calibre of Australian Rugby Players One thing that can be said with confidence if our Wallabies win their QF this Sunday: the victory will be overwhelmingly due to the personal calibre and fortitude of the individual players, and nothing else. Just looking...

Isn't the overriding issue: what does this Oct 1 team mean in terms of a selection strategy and player readiness for the QF event of Oct 8 or 9, just 7 or so days after we play Russia. We are likely to be then playing a rising SA. - we have no replacements at this time for multiple injured...

- you have said many time fp that you rate Deans 'a great coach' and you endorse most of his decisions, so we typically disagree on these sorts of issues; - I have lost track of the 40 man squad precisely (was Ben T in it?), but it was disbanded many weeks back and both Genia and Deans...

Thanks bh81. You may be right and my calcs above/below were perhaps too cautious, though this does appear (to me) a somewhat confused area of IRB regs. Regardless, I stand by my comments. If replacements will be needed for a must-win QF (and potentially beyond), then the maximum possible...

By not replacing this week in any form, either backs and/or a 7 etc, the other significant downside risk embedded in such a delay is the required acclimatisation period factor for a new incoming Test-level player. The entire environment in NZ, especially at RWC time, is radically different to...

tb, history would surely support your theory re RD's absolute unwillingness to admit error, or take any direct responsibility himself for the deficiency within the orbit of team performance. Those 'reversal' changes he does make, tend to have come months or years after his own choices have been...

It's a scary commentary on the uncertainty bleeding through most matters Wallaby as of today, but you'll have seen that B Dwyer is now advocating a change of captain for the next match to Genia, with Horwill in the reserves along with QC (Quade Cooper)!

A crucial point in there Bowside, thanks. Just on the highlighted matter above...if you read Link's latest SMH piece out today: (http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/stressing-the-point-behind-world-cup-upsets-and-controlled-chaos-20110921-1klb4.html) ....not only is it an...

Yes, that's why he's the greatest union coach in the modern game, period. Takes the hard decisions just at the right moment. Leadership. No teacher's pets and inexplicable indulgences that are only stopped after disaster has struck.

I posted as below something that may be relevant to this thread: http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/forum/threads/9368-RWC-Wallabies-v-Ireland-17th-September-2011?p=291922#post291922

Too right Langthorne (good to see you back btw). Doubly so when you realise how the ARU in every press release and in defence of RD's reign issues the line that 'hooray: we've gone from IRB rank 5 when RD arrived to now (2011) rank 2'. Ummm, it ain't that simple folks, and the above gloss is...

Thanks for that tb. Fascinating that Stu Wilson now declaims Richie McCaw as 'the prize jewel of rugby', period. Quade has dared to touch the jewel, that is the problem according to Stu via the NZ Herald. And our own NFJ is thus held in the highest esteem for his critique of Quade:

Apparently there is serious abuse building up on the Wallabies' Facebook page (and the moderators there 'pleading for it to stop' - they need to employ Scarfie down there, he'd soon fix it good and proper), and we can all enjoy Steve Hansen's 'caring and sharing' approach to it all...

Nothing whatsoever against TPN's high calibre as a player as he can be, but WJ what gobsmacked me on Saturday night was the impression I got from TPN's play as if, only half-joking, he'd arrived in Auckland that morning straight from a rehab bed. It appeared as though he'd had no strong...

Absolutely, and the weaker is the USA team we play, the less we'll get from it in terms of both toughness of play and the assessing of Robbie's latest intriguing selection policy. Two weak to weaker teams in the next two matches is not the ideal prep for a potential mega-clash with SA.