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Good post, RH. I'd imagine that the current crop of assistants will be under a lot of scrutiny. Their contracts probably end after the EOYT, and it would make sense for Link to build his own team in earnest after that.

Agreed, BH. I don't think Cheika will drop Foley either, but a few posters have called for that to happen. Depth is increasingly important in Super Rugby and we now have that in the backs, to an enviable extent. But for the first time in a while, our forward stocks are looking a bit thin.

I think it was Lilo who got tangled up with Hooper, but Quade made a similar error, holding the ball too long and running his outside man into touch rather than straightening, giving the ball, and running support. Earlier this season, the Tahs were making a lot of mistakes with support runners...

My view on KB (Kurtley Beale) vs Foley shifted a lot over the latter stages of last season. I think that Foley, right now, is a better 10 than Kurtley -- he might not be a better rugby player, but he's better in that position. I also think Foley is a better investment: strong character, coachable, still...

Wow, I hadn't quite added up those numbers. 9 new players in 4 matches is pretty amazing.

This. Senior players, especially the captain, must step up and keep the team focused.

As I recall, the RWC 2011 worked out okay for the Kiwis.

Banning isn't determined by nationality, but by fucktardary.

My understanding is that the ref calling it in is intended to encourage a stable scrum prior to the ball going in. We'll have to see whether it works. It was certainly bloody weird on Saturday.

I raised the question about Horwill and, if you read my post, you'll note that I didn't say he should be sacked at all. I just don't think he's a lock for the job and I was wondering what others thought. He should, IMO, certainly see out the season.

What's people's opinion on Horwill's captaincy? He seemed not have a good line of communication with Joubert and didn't really articulate his concerns about repeated Kiwi infringements very well. I'd have though this an area he'd have improved by now. I'm not saying he should be demoted, but...

We're the like players, we need to get used to the new rules first. ;)

In a world of pork barreling, I absolutely agree. But I'd prefer the federal govt didn't subsidize professional sport with my tax dollars.

We seem to have this thirst for a back line messiah. I'm not at all surprised that To'omua was fairly quiet and lacked a bit of confidence. We need to persist with players who are clearly talented, but simply need time at the top level. We need to build a team that trusts each other, not hope...

3. Hooper 2. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) Daylight 1. Lilo (the charge down was as much Genia's fault as his)

Thank God that Will Genia isn't part of Gen Y. Otherwise we'd be screwed. Oh.

I didn't say carrier, I said threat. By that I mean someone who regularly busts tackles and creates line breaks. I think most of those guys are good ball carriers, but Hooper often breaks open a game. Having him rather than Gill ensures that the pack has that capacity. If Higgers weren't hurt...

Good old Waratah fan optimism! It's possible that size will matter a lot with the new scrum laws and that Cheika is thinking in that direction.

I'm guessing that's why Hooper has been retained. He's the only regular threat with the ball amongst the pack.

Folau played most of the season at 15 for the Tahs. It was only a game or two plus the Lions series that he played on the wing. For the Tahs, he was actually more effective at 15, IMO.