2012 Rugby Championship Round 3 Game 1 Australia vs South Africa - 8 Sep

[Mr Doug]

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.

For Christ's sake Braveheart81, this thread is about the Wobs v's the Boks, you are living in the past, get over it, say something that's relevant, or go elsewhere!!

 

[ChargerWA]

Well i'm happy to finally see some improvements in Dean's selections of the backs. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to 13 and bringing in a proper winger (Ships) is a step in the right direction.

His Forward selections are still concerning though. I'm not too concerned about Lock cover. Dennis is an 80 minute player, as are Higgers and Gill if required. The starting props just haven't delivered, yet we perservere. Baby steps.

I was offered a ticket to this game and had a party invite as well, so was tossing up what to do. But looking at that backline i'm taking the ticket. See you sandgropers there.

 

[Lee Enfield]

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.

I would say that that team would have been quite competitive, it may not have beaten them, but it would have asked the All Blacks a lot more questions and made a real fist of it. I think that taking the same misfiring backline that struggled to score tries against the Welsh and expecting them to score tries against the All Blacks was pure Alice in wonderland stuff. Deans only has himself to blame for picking and persisting with players who were either a) not in form or fit b) who have been found wanting.

Pretty close to what I would have selected. I would have probably leaned towards Palmer over Holmes, but it would be close, the other would be on the bench. I doubt on form, I would have picked Beale at 15, I would have leaned towards Morahan. As for bench, I would have gone with Hansen/TPN, Holmes/Palmer, Pyle, Hooper, White, Harris, Beale.

 

[Braveheart81]

For Christ's sake Braveheart81, this thread is about the Wobs v's the Boks, you are living in the past, get over it, say something that's relevant, or go elsewhere!!

It was specifically in reply to a post relating to the team for the two Bledisloe tests.

Various people have questioned whether the players have faith in Deans. I can guarantee that if half the team was axed after beating Wales 3-0, he would very quickly lose the dressing room.

Team changes have to be gradual and you need to maintain cohesion and experience. If we blooded too many inexperienced players at once I am sure we would get smashed by top opposition. Performing in the Bledisloe Cup is a whole different kettle of fish to playing well in Super Rugby. If we suddenly had a whole host of players with less than 10 tests under their belts (and several uncapped players), we'd really struggle.

Like most people here I quite like the shape of the team for this Saturday. The selections are going in the right direction. I very much think the time you can make some big changes is at the start of a season but after that you really can only make gradual changes to your team. If you don't think that continued training with the same core group of players is going to turn them into a better team then you may as well give up.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Oh so you assume a victory for the Wallabies, just a question of by how much?

Right then.

No assumptions until I see the Saffer team announced.

I think it will still be a close and tough encounter regardless of the final Saffer 22 squad. I just can't see the Bokke getting done by anywhere near the Paarl Bok pessimism level, if indeed that they do lose.

The Jarses will be deploying all luckiness tokens this weekend, including the Mr Doug (c) LRJ's and despite this we still have an uneasy feeling in our stomach.

There is no such thing as an easy game against the Bokke, and Saturday night shouldn't be an exception to that rule.

 

[Lyall]

Again, people seem to be forgetting Quade past when they say that he relishes the Springbok encounters. Anyone remember our last game against the Boks? The missed tackles, the poor passes, kicking out on the full, and having a 22m restart charged down?

Was that the charge down where the kick was taken from 17 metres out?

 

[Lyall]

That is such a load of crap. There is no NSW conspiracy against Higginbotham.

There is in Queensland, we don't like him either!

 

[Scotty]

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.

It should not have been the team picked vs wales in the first place!

 

[Lyall]

How's Shipperley under the high ball?

And it will be interesting to see how many times he gets passed the ball....

 

[It is what it is]

How's Shipperley under the high ball?

And it will be interesting to see how many times he gets passed the ball..

Hopefully great and hopefully heaps Lyall.
Every time one of our fringe players such as Shipperley get their chance and shine, the chances of Deans giving the next one a chance increase.....hopefully.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

How's Shipperley under the high ball?

And it will be interesting to see how many times he gets passed the ball..

Outside Two-Fathers he wil be lucky to see any ball from the hands. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has already exceeded his annual allocation of pass.

He has special dispensation to make one pass per game until 2013 season when he will receive a new annual quota of pass.

Only way he will see the ball is from kick returns, or cut out passes from the #12.

 

[Dumbledore]

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?

Not enough Reds.

 

[tigerland12]

Not enough Reds.

I know right! Needs more Fainga'a(s)

 

[TOCC]

Outside Two-Fathers he wil be lucky to see any ball from the hands. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has already exceeded his annual allocation of pass.

He has special dispensation to make one pass per game until 2013 season when he will receive a new annual quota of pass.

Only way he will see the ball is from kick returns, or cut out passes from the #12.

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is the best outside centre we currently have in Australia, he should have been starting at 13 from the first game this season..

 

[Braveheart81]

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is the best outside centre we currently have in Australia, he should have been starting at 13 from the first game this season..

That would have been easy if more people were fit.

There weren't a lot of viable fullback options that were healthy.

 

[Waylon]

Wobs from Twitter

Pigs 8 -1
Samo, Hooper, Dennis, Sharpe, Timani, Alexander, Moore, Robinson

Backs 15 -9
Beale, Shipperley, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Barnes, Ioane, Cooper, Genia

reserves
TPN, Slipper, Higginbotham, Gill, Phipps, Harris, Fainga'a.A

or in English


Robinson
Moore
Alexander
Timani,
Sharpe
Dennis
Hooper
Samo
Genia
Cooper
Ioane
Barnes
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
Shipperley
Beale

reserves
TPN,
Slipper,
Higginbotham,
Gill,
Phipps,
Harris,
Fainga'a.A

Rob Horne playing left right out

Love it

Finally some progression

Shipperly.......some backs with speed and finishing. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) in 13. Love it

I would have played Higgers at 6

The front row will get towelled. It is sh1te

 

[TOCC]

That would have been easy if more people were fit.

There weren't a lot of viable fullback options that were healthy.

Granted.... But he wasn't starting fullback in the first game in Sydney

 

[TOCC]

I think the frontrow will get a pass mark, which will more or less hide the deficiencies currently present in there, definitely not the best prop combination

 

[Waylon]

I would liked to have seen a Harris/Cummins or Taps/Cummins bench. I have to agree with Gaffa, Cummins would have really relished getting on the paddock in front of his home crowd.

I'm still not sold on our pigs. I would have preferred Slipper to be in the starting lineup, with either Ryan or Alexander on the bench. Ryan has the edge on Alexander at scrum time, but Alexander wins on workrate. I always defer to the better scrummager, and Ryan looks like a prop!

Samo should have been given a license to hammer people, then be subbed just before or at half time. I don't want Samo coming back out onto the field after half time.

Finally, I hope we have our lineout sorted this week. Bekker might have problems constantly calling himself in the lineout, but he can really disrupt us on our throw.

Cummins doesn't score tries...even at super level. I have no problem with him coming into the training camp so the lads can pratice belting people in defence but it's imporatnt for the national teams chances that Cummins watches with the plebs from the grandstand

 

[Braveheart81]

Granted.. But he wasn't starting fullback in the first game in Sydney

He was fullback for the first two Wales tests because Beale was injured. Horne had a good series at 13.

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) suffers from his versatility. For Bledisloe 1 wingers were considered in shorter supply so AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) played there and Horne retained his place.

Realistically it wouldn't have made a scrap of difference. Having AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Shipperley at 13/14 vs Horne and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at 13/14 wouldn't have won us the game. Neither of them touched the ball much.