2012 Rugby Championship Game 1 Australia vs New Zealand - 18 August

[Braveheart81]

Surely the Wallabies will lose any arguments about which team is the most macho.

 

[ACR]

It is out of respect for the Wobs, that the Lords of Darkness have selected their old warhorse, and not one of the exciting young colts, to go head to head with Bam Bam in the Bledisloe opener.

Sam Cane or Matt Todd or Tanerau Latimer or Karl Lowe would all get dominated by Pocock. It's time now for Pocock to dominate McCaw. He may well do and I look forward to watching it.

Anyone up for skipping Friday this week?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Hopefully the Wallaby pack can get some go forward early in the game and give the Genia/Barnes combo a chance to attack the line on the front foot. That is our best chance of winning I think. If we get the AB defence walking back a bit, opportunities will open up for the likes of Ioane and Beale to hit the line at pace. That's the theory anyway.

I agree with Gags that McGahan is looking to put a bit of starch into the Aussie defence and forward play in the loose. That would absolutely be welcome as I think our guys don't relish the physical confrontation often enough. You've still got to score though and that's where I think our problem will be.

I hope like hell I'm wrong about my negative thoughts though.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

...snip.... He still doesn't have the same work rate, support play, aerial prowess, ball running or even mongrel. ..snip..

Yeah but as part of his NZRT retirement and resettlement training, Sir Richie has qualified as a Glider Pilot, IIRC.

How is our Bam Bam going to be able to compete with that sort of aerial prowess?

Mind you with him moving to Canberra, where there are plenty of hot air currents and thermals especially around the Parliamentary Triangle, he will be well placed to make use of any gliding tips passed on from Sir Richie.

 

[Nelse]

Are we really gonna start name calling? The thread seemed pretty good up until that..

Everyone's getting sick of ragging on the Wallabies, they decided to go against the opposition.

I'm looking forward to saturday nights game. There's an article on Rugby Heaven saying its $BW's first game in Sydney since he swapped codes? I thought he must have had at least one since then

 

[Hugh Jarse]

..snip...
Anyone up for skipping Friday this week?

Are the Darkness staying in Manly and training at Fortress Brookvale as usual?

Any open training sessions, or just a Closed Captain's run at Homebush?

 

[Braveheart81]

There's an article on Rugby Heaven saying its $BW's first game in Sydney since he swapped codes? I thought he must have had at least one since then

There was no Bledisloe in Sydney last year, the Crusaders played the Waratahs in Nelson (I think it was) in 2011 and the Chiefs played the Tahs in Hamilton this year.

 

[Brumbies Guy]

There's an article on Rugby Heaven saying its $BW's first game in Sydney since he swapped codes? I thought he must have had at least one since then

Played there for Barbarians in 09

 

[Jiggles]

You can always count on a little Sir Darkness bashing to get the kiwi's all hot and bothered

 

[Bullrush]

You can always count on a little Sir Darkness bashing to get the kiwi's all hot and bothered

Oh...so THAT'S what gets you to bed at night.

Actually, I wouldn't like it if Kiwi's started saying that Pocock is just a cheating prick in yellow. These guys don't engage in dirty play - eye-gouging or biting or testicle grabbing - and are some of the best players in the world at a game I love, not to mention being pretty decent guys off the field as well it seems.

The discussion here is mostly civil and intelligent and that's why I like it here...

 

[Hawko]

Are we really gonna start name calling? The thread seemed pretty good up until that..

I agree with the sentiment. But if you think that the thread has been pretty good up till now I reckon you have missed at least two thirds of the pages.

 

[Gagger]

mcaw is just some cheating arsehole in black

1 - this is both trolling and playing the man

2 - you starting a stoush with someone different in every third post of this thread has worn thin

lift your game please

And if this thread goes further into "McCaw's past it / no he's choice bro" all involved can have a rest FFS!

 

[Braveheart81]

Dammit. I was about to get into a detailed criticism of McCaw's pitch and yaw control.

 

[FrankLind]

Geogre smith was a real linkman mcaw is just some cheating arsehole in black

8 -7.

 

[Grandmaster Flash]

OK gonna transform some feeling from "Waratahs positivity thread" into this lovely discussion.*

1/ Woodcock, Mealamu and Hore are past it.
2/ "Methuselah" Sharpe and the best exponent of shifting bodies in world rugby, Sitaleki Timani, will eat up the weak Crusader locks.
3/ Finally we have a back row that complement one another and can actually compete with their AB counterparts.
4/ Genia is the best halfback in the world.
5/ Barnes is Australia's best test 10.
6/ The hard-nosed defence of Ant and Horne will stifle the oversized and awkward AB pairing, while their straight, hard running styles will get over the advantage line to allow for Beale and Digby to feast on huge amounts of space created.
7/ No 7 cover for the ABs on the bench. Deans, master of tactical replacements, will up the tempo midway through the second half with Moore, Slipper, Hooper and man-mountain Samo

*I have not read the Tahs thread.

 

[Bullrush]

I agree with the sentiment. But if you think that the thread has been pretty good up till now I reckon you have missed at least two thirds of the pages.

LOL...well maybe. But none of it earlier seemed to just play the man for the sake of it. Most people are being critical of individuals for what they bring to the table in terms of their playing ability.

Anyway.....back to the topic.

I truly hope none of the AB staff are taking the Wallabies as lightly as some of their fans are. Not a lot of Wallaby teams are push overs and many of these guys will lift their games for this Test.

I think that the ploy of having Beale come into first receiver may either be fantastic or pretty average. Most of you guys probably know by now that I think Beale has the potential to be the best 10 in Australia BUT from what I've seen, he's at his best when he's had time to settle into that role. Chucking him in at 10 as a last option or just irregularly is a bit hit-and-miss IMO. I can see why RD is doing it but I really hope KB (Kurtley Beale) gets another opportunity next year to really push his case for first-five.

 

[Scorz]

Scorz, I wouldn't play DC at 12. He was near woeful at 12 for the Crusaders by his standards. Either at 10 or on the bench with Cruden starting. Honestly I would start Cruden and if it went belly up you have world class on the bench. Can't go wrong either way I think.

You think DC's best showing at 12 was ever going to happen outside the pretender Tom Taylor.

Impossible.

Outside Cruden, it's possible.

 

[Scorz]

Bam Bam will play all over Sir Richie on the field.

Like he did at the RWC when McCaw was one-legged?

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Surely the Wallabies will lose any arguments about which team is the most macho.

i Dunno about that

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^ Fresh from winning the IRB Oceania Women's 7's tournament in Fiji.

Where are the other 4 players from the grand final?