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I wish I could un-see this post.

Cummins is out with a fractured hand.

This story from The Terror suggests that the ARU were NOT happy with JOC (James O'Connor)'s version of events. I guess we'll see. I've not yet seen anything in the media coverage that has suggested anything like the "gentle misunderstanding" that lots of people here are suggesting and hoping. As someone who...

This seems right to me. I'd imagine that Link's bigger conundrum right now is the 6-8 balance, since he has two guys who are better at 6 in Fardy and Mowen. Perhaps he will try to kill two birds with one stone and move Fardy to lock.

Bali doesn't bother me at all. Do what you want if you have a few free days.

You're right that we should wait for the ARU / Link comment. But if you can't see that there's a difference between "drunk on his bye week" and "rejected from flying and removed from the airport by police" then you're kidding yourself.

This blame-the-ARU crap is exactly that. Why do we NEVER hear this shit about Genia, Pocock or Hooper? JOC (James O'Connor) just seems immature and lacking in discipline. He should have a nice, long rest until the EOYT at the earliest.

JOC (James O'Connor) should be stood down from the tour. It's unacceptable. Who the fuck gets thrown out of an airport for drunken shit disturbing?

Connolly and Jones just like to get their names in the paper on a regular basis. Publicity hounds is all they are.

Likely we won't know until the 15 is released. There are a fair few permutations possible.

Good point. Which makes it rather weird that Sio was dropped. Surely they should have taken Robinson, Sio as LHP, Slipper, Kepu, Alexander as THP.

Why wouldn't Slipper play at THP? He's played there primarily for the Reds and for the Wallabies, IIRC.

I've been pushing for Robinson's recall too, and not because I think he'll magically solve the scrum problems. I was surprised that he was dropped, but figured there must be a good reason. Maybe there was at the time, likely we'll never know. What's happened since then is utterly embarrassing...

I'd like to see Carter get a gig on the EOYT. He's big, plays tight and seems like a pretty hard bastard.

The game plan is different, but the willingness to de-emphasise the set piece in favour of wider skills seems to me to be consistent.

Which means that Link should not be afraid of making changes, especially in the pack. The balance seems to be off everywhere -- in each row and across the whole unit. I agree that shuffling the players around can become an exercise in futility, but at the moment there are too many problems in...

Sai'a, Ant... they're all just flankers playing out of position anyway. ;)

At the Reds, McKenzie made an art form of preferring open play to set piece work. It was effective at Super level, in part because few teams feature both a dominant scrum and a dominant lineout. Also, Super rugby tends to be more ball in hand and the set piece is used as a platform more often...

Folau doesn't have high top-end pace but is phenomenally at beating multiple defenders when he has a bit of space. That's what's so intriguing about moving him to 13. But I think that might be a long-term option. I reckon at the start of the season we might see 9. Phipps 10. Foley 11. Crawford...

3. Fardy 2. White 1. Hooper