2012 Rugby Championship Round 4 Game 2 Australia vs Argentina - 15 Sep

[Torn Hammy]

Absolute dribble

Cooper was the most exciting thing in world rugby last year. The bloke has freakish skills and an amzing ability to put runners through holes and create overlaps..as well as amazing foot work, acceleration and pace.

Deans does not select backlines to compliment his talents.

Deans does not design game plans to exploit his abilities.

This is poor coaching.

If Deans wants to play 10 man rugby and bang it up the 12 channel, he should pick Barnes at 10 and kick it all day and get McCabe trucking it up. Cooper and McCabe just don't seem to gel

Cooper also got absolutely terrible service from Phipps....swivel passes from the ruck were common because Phipps had no idea where Cooper was or which way the play was going. When he did know, the passes were behind him, over his head, at his feet. Cooper had one eye on rushing into halfback because Phipps was a phase behind the game.

He had a kick charged down? I have seen the great Dan Carter have a kick or two charged down.

He threw a bad pass ?..... thank christ they were in an attacking mindset to counter. The last 3 tests have been worse than watching womens lawn bowls

It wasn't his finest game...but he hasn't played much with Phipps and he hasn't played with McCabe for 12 months.

He created space for Samo to cross the line in the first half. He put Sharpe into space to cross the line in the first half. He put Mccabe through a hole to score and start the comeback.

If a few of his backline colleagues were up to speed with where the holes were and where they should be running instead of standing flat with their hands on their todgers watching Cooper, he would have carved the Argies up and we would have put 50 on them. The holes were everywhere. The runners weren't. Playmakers can't do a lot without outside backs in motion running into holes and providing decoys.

The Australian backline is pretty disappointing at the moment. Cooper is the flint for sparking the fire

Agree.

QC (Quade Cooper) has fantastic vision and instinct and he uses this to 'play what is in front of him'. He can both spot a defensive weakness and also use his skills to exacerbate it. He does not play by numbers.

This hyper vision and instinct requires huge amounts of concentration and I think this is the reason, given the grubby, distracting, booing crowds, why he performed poorly at the RWC. He simply couldn't concentrate. I also think this intense concentration is often interpreted as disinterest or arrogance.

I also think nurturing and confidence will always bring out the best in him.

 

[Scotty]

How is it that a bloke who has produced when asked to is somehow less temperamentally suited to the role than a bloke who is unable to bench his ego for long enough to catch a thigh high bouncing ball?
One produced and one didn't.
QC (Quade Cooper) is a protected species around here.

You really think he didn't catch a ball because of his ego?

I'd be interested in you explaining that train of thought!

 

[Scotty]

I don't get how anyone would seriously consider bringing in Harris ahead of McCabe at 12 or Barnes at 15.

Maybe not right now but on the eoyt.

I am pretty sure of one thing - Harris would have been better at 12 than Barnes was.

 

[H...]

Agree.

QC (Quade Cooper) has fantastic vision and instinct and he uses this to 'play what is in front of him'. He can both spot a defensive weakness and also use his skills to exacerbate it. He does not play by numbers.

This hyper vision and instinct requires huge amounts of concentration and I think this is the reason, given the grubby, distracting, booing crowds, why he performed poorly at the RWC. He simply couldn't concentrate. I also think this intense concentration is often interpreted as disinterest or arrogance.

I also think nurturing and confidence will always bring out the best in him.

fantastic wind up, assuming it is one

if it isn't....

 

[Scotty]

According to wiki, Nonu is 106, Jamie Roberts 110, Steyn 110, JDV 103, SBW 108.

Giteau 85, Barnes 87, JOC (James O'Connor) 88.

Yet I seem to be one of few that thinks there's a problem with this equation.

Except for the all blacks boys I struggle to remember any of those ever outplaying the wallabies.

Ps do you really not see the potential in tapuai? Imagine a tapuai and McCabe centre pairing. Both can run hard and straight, with taps having the added advantage of a good short passing game. Very close in style to some of our great pairings.

 

[Torn Hammy]

fantastic wind up, assuming it is one

if it isn't..

You are trolling.

 

[Scotty]

Oh and

PPS taps is heavier than McCabe.

 

[H...]

Except for the all blacks boys I struggle to remember any of those ever outplaying the wallabies.

Ps do you really not see the potential in tapuai? Imagine a tapuai and McCabe centre pairing. Both can run hard and straight, with taps having the added advantage of a good short passing game. Very close in style to some of our great pairings.

if you're cool with 3 from 17, that's fine.

 

[H...]

You are trolling.

If booing puts a pro rugby player that far off his game, he needs a career change. Give me a fucking break.

 

[TOCC]

Players were lighter no doubt, but even 10-12 years ago, our backline still had guys like Burke, Mortlock, Latham, Sailor etc. who were all easily 100+ kg.

Those guys you all list are post 1999 RWC... In reference to Horan, he physically matched nearly any other player on the park in 1999.. Given his smaller stature, he may have struggle to do that in the post 1999 era.

1996 was the advent of professionalism, but the 1999 RWC was a definitive moment in which the Wallabies displayed to the rest of the world how to truly embrace professionalism and improve the fitness and physique of players..

 

[The Red Baron]

Is this thread located under a bridge or have all the trolls come out of hiding? Seriously, this is beyond a joke now.

H, size does not necessarily mean ability. Especially in the centres. There is so much more going on midfield than bash and tackle. Essentially, as someone said before, it is all about balance. A centre that gets over the advantage line and straightens up the attack is an ideal partner for a more creative, elusive player. It shouldn't really matter which one plays 12 and which one plays 13, as long as the balance is right.

 

[Mr Doug]

According to Chn 9 Gold Coast News tonight, the ARU is very happy with the inaugural Wallabies test at Skilled Park, and is considering having another in 2014!

 

[H...]

Is this thread located under a bridge or have all the trolls come out of hiding? Seriously, this is beyond a joke now.

H, size does not necessarily mean ability. Especially in the centres. There is so much more going on midfield than bash and tackle. Essentially, as someone said before, it is all about balance. A centre that gets over the advantage line and straightens up the attack is an ideal partner for a more creative, elusive player. It shouldn't really matter which one plays 12 and which one plays 13, as long as the balance is right.

105kg v 85kg is men v boys. Your argument would be alright if the opposition didn't have guys that are capable of doing all that our guys are capable of doing AND are 20kg heavier.

But hey, you want to roll with the approach that we never won shit with, good for you.

 

[The Red Baron]

105kg v 85kg is men v boys. Your argument would be alright if the opposition didn't have guys that are capable of doing all that our guys are capable of doing AND are 20kg heavier.

But hey, you want to roll with the approach that we never won shit with, good for you.

I'm sorry, but this is the definition of trolling.

If you read my post again, you will note that I advocated for balance. The only time I mentioned size was in one sentence. Here it is again: Size does not necessarily mean ability. The rest of my argument is about balance in the centres. It is the kind of thing you do when you attempt to build an effective team.

Now, I am not sure about this 'approach that we never won shit with'. In recent times the problems of the wallabies have gone far beyond the centres.

I have no idea what your caper is, but it would be nice to articulate your argument before launching into an attack on people.

I've had enough of this thread.

 

[TOCC]

105kg v 85kg is men v boys. Your argument would be alright if the opposition didn't have guys that are capable of doing all that our guys are capable of doing AND are 20kg heavier.

But hey, you want to roll with the approach that we never won shit with, good for you.

Which Wallaby back weighs 85kg?

 

[H...]

All of Giteau, Barnes (two players we've used extensively as "ball-players" at 12 in the past with zero success when it mattered) and O'Connor (someone that many people want at 12 now, it seems) are sub-90kg according to wikipedia. The same (unreliable, yes) source lists the recent 12s of other top 5 teams as averaging >105.

 

[H...]

I'm sorry, but this is the definition of trolling.

If you read my post again, you will note that I advocated for balance. The only time I mentioned size was in one sentence. Here it is again: Size does not necessarily mean ability. The rest of my argument is about balance in the centres. It is the kind of thing you do when you attempt to build an effective team.

Now, I am not sure about this 'approach that we never won shit with'. In recent times the problems of the wallabies have gone far beyond the centres.

I have no idea what your caper is, but it would be nice to articulate your argument before launching into an attack on people.

I've had enough of this thread.

But please, I need to hear more about this magical "balance" potion that cancels out our players being 20kg less than their opposite number!

 

[Scotty]

But please, I need to hear more about this magical "balance" potion that cancels out our players being 20kg less than their opposite number!

I want to hear about this magical player that we have that has the skills and size of nonu or sbw?

How big do you think Conrad smith is, by the way?

 

[Scotty]

But please, I need to hear more about this magical "balance" potion that cancels out our players being 20kg less than their opposite number!

Oh and will you change your mind about tapuai now you know he is 95 kgs?

 

[cyclopath]

Hey, H.........
Stop picking fights with every post you make.
It, and you, are becoming tiresome.