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

[Moono75]

The battle up front will be very interesting. Robinson talking up the scrum, should be cause for some fireworks!

Time for the Wallabies to get out of the nappies and put on some pants! Big game from Digby on the cards.

 

[Riptide]

Definitely strong support on this forum for TPN's selection, a selection I think is inconsistent with a ball control, territorial approach that Barnes at 10 suggests.

I hope to be proved wrong but the defensive AB lineout has been upgraded with Thorn gone and I fear his lineout throwing under pressure is a real problem unless going to the front.

This game will be decided on such fine margins and how teams adjust to Rolland (thought it was Owen for some reason) at the breakdown. He is quick to whistle, and doesn't communicate as much.

 

[qwerty51]

With Palu gone TPN's importance only becomes greater. He's now the best ball carrier in the side.

 

[cyclopath]

Why should you bother reading that,you know the author went to watch that thing with the mindset of trying to prove Henry wrong, and there you go. If I bothered, I could easily make an analysis of the RWC 2011 final (where in the mind of oh so many France were clearly the better team and were cheated of the win) and back them up with stills & stats of how the ABs were actually dominant and the penalty count was fair, etc.

It's all for naught because everyone will stick to their opinion, anyways, always only looking for facts that underline their side of the story or undermine the others'.

You guys won the Brisbane test because you had a very dominant 1st half and pulled your shit together when it counted. No excuses.

Still don't like Barnes as a ref,and penalising one team 4 times as much as the other one, no one can tell me that's insignificant.but here I go! So stooop!

Will be interesting how the ABs scrum goes without Thorn tomorrow.

Well I guess he tried to "balance" Sir Ted the Irrefutable who, by his own admission, provided a "balanced" view to the NZRU of only the French misdemeanours while conveniently ignoring any possible offence committed by his own steadfast lads. 42-6 he reckons. Yeah, OK Ted, that sounds pretty much on the money. Wonderful under-use of hyperbole.
As for how the 2011 final has anything to do with the 2007 semi-final, I'll have to remain mystified. I'm sure Scott made up many of the stills and stats for 2007 using Photoshop and "Pulleditoutmyarse" photo-rendering, making the comparison relevant. Funny to counter someone who has spent hours doing something painstakingly with "if I could be bothered". Ted was bothered, Scott was twice as bothered.
If you read Scott Allen's analyses with any care, you'll see he puts a rather large amount of time into them, and generally displays little bias. In fact, it seems to me the details are the gold for him, not the premise they might happen to support or refute.
Apart from that Test (for the sake of argument), Barnes is a generally good ref. But.........
Like many irrefutable truths in rugby here, Barnes can't ref, McCaw always cheats, TPN can't throw and Higgers cannot play tight. Despite evidence to the contrary at times.
Good luck to your lads tomorrow, not that I think they'll need it, somehow.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

That is awful. Let's hope that was a subject at training these last few weeks.

I'm more worried about what we do when receiving kick offs - but there may only be one of them tonight!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sandpit Fan]

Well that's not true, I remember getting a few restarts off the Welsh in the 3rd test.

From memory we got a couple back, but that was due to Wales dropping the ball or knocking on, rather than us getting the ball directly from the kick, which I think is what RGS measures on. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) did well getting right amongst them to put the pressure on.

 

[Scotty]

So much negativity over the "defensiveness" of the side. When we won at Suncorp it's not like the backs really won us the game. It was won on the back of the pack's efforts at the breakdown. We smashed them. Genia scored the first try from a snipe, then Samo made a solo run and another Genia snipe contributed to the third try. If the pack aims up again and the centres run hard the tries will come once again.

I agree with this, however all elements of the team need to be firing in attack and defense. If the forwards are knocking them backwards but we can't make breaks out wide it doesn't give our pigs a rest and doesn't put theirs under extra strain.

 

[kronic]

GAME DAY. FIRE UP!

 

[Muttonbird]

You're a substandard troll mutton.

Perhaps, but I'm not trolling on this occasion.

Barnes shut the ABs out of that match as he always does.

Something was happening on the ground there with Pocock, McCaw, and I forget who the other AB was but to suggest outright that Pocock was being held down to remove him from the game is ridiculous. The fact that he gets up flailing his arms in a hollywood fashion means nothing except that he was trying to milk the situation for his own benefit. How do we know who started that scrap on the ground. It could very well have been yet another Pocock illegality that Sir Richie was trying to bring his attention to.

Aside from all that, Quade Cooper has spent the best part of two years practising, in full view, the same sort of gamesmanship on Sir Richie by srcapping, shoving, and kneeing in the head but apparently that's all ok.

 

[Loki74]

I agree with this, however all elements of the team need to be firing in attack and defense. If the forwards are knocking them backwards but we can't make breaks out wide it doesn't give our pigs a rest and doesn't put theirs under extra strain.

True. I think when it comes down to it the backs are not so bad that they can't capitalise if our forwards get good ball. Ioane and Beale can certainly score given some ball in space and Genia is always dangerous. But as is usually the case it will come dowm to whether our set piece holds up and the forwards have some real mongrel in the rucks and mauls. Big test for guys like Dennis and Timani and Higgers who will have to play out of their skins in the tight stuff.

 

[Scorz]

I love that the AB's get ref advantage along with the favourites tag. Long may the conspiracy continue and be a demonstration of the love the iRB have for New Zealand.

 

[roo]

My apologies for not reading the whole thread to see if this has been mentioned but…...
After refilling the gas bottle, buying some lamb and inviting some kiwis over, I just realised that channel nine ARENT SHOWING THE GAME!
I seem to remember getting them to cave in a while back and put the game on at the last minute after a concerted campaign on the wide world of sports Facebook page.
Please go there and voice your discontent. For the love of the game and for Rugby Union in Victoria, South Oz and WA, I beg you all.
Cheers.

 

[roo]

I'm not asking for links etc (they're easy enough to find) but can someone at least tell me if it's even worth tracking down a stream and plugging in the TV?? Channel 9 has left me no choice but I'm not going to bother if my average adsl gives me an ever buffering, jerky rendition of this game….. Especially with a room full of baying kiwis.

 

[vismyr]

Well I guess he tried to "balance" Sir Ted the Irrefutable who, by his own admission, provided a "balanced" view to the NZRU of only the French misdemeanours while conveniently ignoring any possible offence committed by his own steadfast lads. 42-6 he reckons. Yeah, OK Ted, that sounds pretty much on the money. Wonderful under-use of hyperbole.
(SNIP)
If you read Scott Allen's analyses with any care, you'll see he puts a rather large amount of time into them, and generally displays little bias. In fact, it seems to me the details are the gold for him, not the premise they might happen to support or refute.

Rubbish. As Tordah clearly pointed out, its obvious that this joker went in with the clear goal of trying to discredit Graham Henry's opinions. And sorry...but I think a world cup winning coach's opinion has a little more weight than some nobody on a web forum. Anyway, as soon as I started reading the report, I knew what his "conclusion's" were going to be (and jumping straight to the end, I certainly wasn't disappointed).

Good luck to the Wallabies tonight. All Blacks by 15.

 

[Joe Blow]

Perhaps, but I'm not trolling on this occasion.


Aside from all that, Quade Cooper has spent the best part of two years practising, in full view, the same sort of gamesmanship on Sir Richie by srcapping, shoving, and kneeing in the head but apparently that's all ok.

He is originally one of yours and we are working hard to break some of his old habits, but do not fear, he is coming around.

 

[No4918]

Rubbish. As Tordah clearly pointed out, its obvious that this joker went in with the clear goal of trying to discredit Graham Henry's opinions. And sorry.but I think a world cup winning coach's opinion has a little more weight than some nobody on a web forum. Anyway, as soon as I started reading the report, I knew what his "conclusion's" were going to be (and jumping straight to the end, I certainly wasn't disappointed).

Good luck to the Wallabies tonight. All Blacks by 15.

Or you could read it and do your own research and dispute the claims with evidence. Too much work? Just easier to give a baseless opinion?

 

[flat_eric]

Why do Channel 9 refuse to show this game live on GEM outside of Brisbane and Sydney? Potentially the biggest game of the Australian rugby calendar this year and it can't even make its way on to the secondary channel. Our code has problems.

 

[vidiot]

And sorry.but I think a world cup winning coach's opinion

One thing Graham Henry is not is unbiased on this issue. It's not like he even pretends to be - and I don't blame him, he deserves the right not to be.

Getting hot and bothered about it being pointed out that his opinion is a questionable interpretation of the refs' questionable interpretations seems like an awful waste of energy, particularly of something in the distant past.

 

[vismyr]

Or you could read it and do your own research and dispute the claims with evidence. Too much work? Just easier to give a baseless opinion?

Why would I read something that is clearly biased against? As I already stated, this joker's article has no weight imho. Case dismissed!

 

[Mica]

I'm not asking for links etc (they're easy enough to find) but can someone at least tell me if it's even worth tracking down a stream and plugging in the TV?? Channel 9 has left me no choice but I'm not going to bother if my average adsl gives me an ever buffering, jerky rendition of this game….. Especially with a room full of baying kiwis.

Hey Roo, Just checked the guide for Melbourne and it looks like a delayed telecast starting at 11:30pm. Apparently there is a urgent need to televise the Karate Kid at the live time. I will jump onto facebook and give Channel 9 some stick, but really they make Channel 7 look like a gold plated telecaster. An option for you, if you have an Xbox is to get Foxtel on Xbox. It will cost you ~$29 for the month assuming you have Gold Live membership. I got it for the S15 and it is ok. No ads and better commentary than 9. If worst comes to worse at least you can have a barbie until 11:30pm and then watch the game. By that time your Kiwi mates will have sunk a gallon of pi$$ and will be in fine form for the game!!