Can Samo go like crazy for an entire half? I'd be more inclined to drag him after about half an hour and give Higgers a crack just before the break.
Good chance to see if the ball gets passed by the 13 any more than previous players in that position??????
It goes without saying, (but I'll say it anyway), I'm pleased to see Harris on the bench!
Barnes was the best 10 available for the Wales series and played really well.
He deserved to retain that position for the first Bledisloe and his only bad game has been the second Bledisloe.
Horne was as good a selection as any. 13 is a problem position in Australia and no one was crying out for selection. Horne has been solid in every test. At least he has defended well.
Ready to fire up the LRJ's, Mr Doug.
We'll be needing them this time.
Barnes had a good Welsh series from a goal kicking point of view. The writing was on the wall after the Welsh series that that backline was not going to be anywhere near good enough to put enough points on the All Blacks to win. 99% of people on this forum could see it, but Deans couldn't. The lack of communication, the lack of accurate passing, the poor execution, the poor and aimless kicking, the poor ball handling, lack of direction all followed the Wallaby backs into the games against the All Blacks. There was zero excuse for what we saw from our backs against the All Blacks, they had enough game time and training to time to hone their combinations, and didn't.
We basically picked the Waratah backline, with the inlcusion of two creative players, another batshit boring player and chose to select the best 13 at 15/14, over players who had outstanding seasons in those positions. We got exactly what 99% people predicted and deserved, Waratahs in Gold and lessons in Rugby. In some ways, losing the Welsh series could have been the best thing for the Wallabies, it would have meant the deadwood would have had to be chopped out, .
Men in Gold vs South Africa,
All time
Played 74, Won 32, Lost 41, Drawn 1, Winning % 43.24%
Since ‘06
Played 17, won 11, Lost 6, Drawn 0, Winning % 64.70%[/quote]
Thanks Hugh, I'm feeling better already!!
Should be plenty of tries in our backline! Wobs by 15 to 20!
Our forwards were outclassed across the park by the All Blacks as well.
You're kidding if you think that any combination of players we could have put on the park were going to beat the All Blacks.
How many times have a team of debutants beaten the World Cup winning All Blacks?
Do you really think a team of (I'm speculating what you'd have picked)
Holmes
Moore
Slipper
Sharpe
Simmons
Higginbotham
Pocock
Schatz
Genia
Cooper
Ioane
Tapuai
Ashley-Cooper
Shipperley
Beale
would have challenged the All Blacks?
Whilst it is obviously an exercise in hypotheticals, I'm pretty sure a team that might have been in some pretty decent form in Super Rugby would have got its arse handed to it by the All Blacks.
As maligned as Robbie Deans is, if he'd taken the team that beat Wales 3-0 and said, this backline is all wrong, we need to get rid of 4-5 players and start again, he should have been fired on the spot.
Wallabies by 50, Perthfontein wont save us.
Holmes
Moore
Slipper
Sharpe
Simmons
Higginbotham
Pocock
Schatz
Genia
Cooper
Ioane
Tapuai
Ashley-Cooper
Shipperley
Beale
would have challenged the All Blacks?
Oh so you assume a victory for the Wallabies, just a question of by how much?Some serious reverse psychology there, Paarl.
Even without the Battleship, your mob should still be competitive enough to keep the score respectible.