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Yep, good point on Heaslip whom I overlooked and is a very fine player. O'Brien will probably not start if Ferris is fit. Kidney has favored a 6,7,8 of Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip until Ferris knee gave way again. I'd still take a healthy Rocky over either Ferris or SOB.

You win as much as you deserve, and no more. NZ found a way to win in 10 of the last 11 encounters.

Try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPj95D0_n9w&feature=related

There is a decent article on him here (in the tabloid Daily Mail rag of all places) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2022607/Meteor-Manu-takes-bow-Tuilagi-nearly-kicked-country.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Disagree. NZ are the best side in the world and still the mark by which we measure excellence in the game, and so it's only reasonable to expect a very tough game. But "shitting our pants" is hitting the bottle of hyperbole a litte too hard. Kiwis too are nervous facing this Wallaby team, even...

I'm not worried and disagree with the "cotton wool" approach. It leads to undercooked players and combinations. Nobody in their right mind would suggest that Ireland be taken lightly. They are a good side that, if firing on all cylinders, can beat almost any team that isn't at their best...

Couldnt be further from the truth. In person, Hansen is quite quiet and perks up when the subject gets to players and rugby. All of these coaches have a microphone being shoved down their throats all the time and the media are looking for stories. They will take the slightest piece of color...

ABs win 25-19 .. with ABs power and bench closing out the game.

Expect to see Woodcock (if fit), Cowen at 9, Sivi on LW, Jane or Toeva (if fit) on right and it's interesting that Henry is persisting with Williams at 5 who has been consistently poor at re-starts and ineffective in the tight where he has little impact at the contact area. It's a big game for...

I'm disappointed that Gits and Sharpe are not in the 22 but can understand the reasoning behind Sharpe more so than Giteau. If Deans sees the Queensland lock combination as his best pairing and wants more physical impact off the bench, then I can see the logic behind Vickerman as the bench...

Surprised to read that Williams is not taking responsibility for the breakdown. That has always been his purported area of core competence, to use some good jargon-speak. When he held that responsibility, Munster were the sharpest operators at the breakdown in Europe.

Dont be silly. It's so much more fun to bleat "cheat", complain about the ref and say what an ass McCaw is after the Wallabies have been defeated by NZ.

Link is the one coach I feel would be able to isolate NZ weaknesses and nullify strengths. But as has been said already, that's not how Deans coaches. Frankly, this Wallaby team is good enough to open up holes in the NZ defense and exploit them. Generating some fast ball off multiple phases...

I'd like to see how he goes against NZ or a first Bok XV for at least 40 minutes. I doubted he'd be able to compete at this level so quickly after such a long absence but I'm now think he'd go well and erase all doubts.

I was highly unimpressed by the NZ defense and their re-starts. Despite being dominated at scrum time and breakdown, the Boks made too many easy yards just running up the gut of the AB defense just wide of the ruck. NZ was quite slow in re-aligning defensively. The AB defense for the Bok try...

England also get to play Scotland, Wales and Italy who are all relatively crap of late compared to their 3N competition.

Ranger is not injured. Too many proven Test quality players ahead of him in the pecking order, plus he is seen as an out more as an out and out winger and the squad has two of those already in Sivi and Gear.

Likewise. There is the issue of Mils looking quite vulnerable in the Super15, but Mils experience will have to get the nod against his competition (Dagg, Toeva who are both coming back from injury anyway). The AB lineout can be viewed as being their weak spot along with questions on their...

Yes. A comparison of tight head lock or the middle lineout jumpers is probably much more appropriate.

NZ still have a somewhat competitive fight for starting places at 1, 5, 9, 12, 11 and 14 and bench in that one could credibly make the case for any one of two different players to start in those positions. That is enough to ensure intensity doesn't drop in any game coming into the tournament. If...