2012 Rugby Championship Round 6 Game 2 Argentina vs Australia - 6 Oct

[Jiggles]

Yep, that was a shocker. Would have liked to see Harris step in and run an inside line once it became apparent Taps was sliding across, but hey.

Running lines?!?! Wallabies!?!? Don't be so outrageous!!!

 

[randalf8]

Well I'd agree he stuffed arty opportunity but he is the only centre to have actually created something almost all year. He actually beat his marker prior to not passing. He beat numerous tackles tonight in tight situations,
Offloaded in the tackle, yes it's possible, a few times, ran good lines, dropped some he should have taken but anew weren't his fault either. He defends and tackles well and has an important left foot which we badly need.

If you think AUS rugby will develop with workman like payers such as McCabe, Horne and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) then that's cool. I actually want to see rugby players who can do all of the above, not league players in a wallaby jersey who die with the ball every tie they get it or have absolutely no ability to get others into the game.

A centre like Taps is vitally important, I'd have thought the past 5 years of picking plodders would have deemed that pretty fucking obvious.

Fuck me this forum is full of straw-man arguments.

Disputing the suggestion that Tapuai cemented his place with his performance this morning is not the same thing as wanting workmanlike players or "plodders" at every position. Fucking hell that's such a leap from one to the other. He didn't have a Timana Tahu style debut but I honestly didn't see anything that would convince anyone other than

a) die hard fan of his; or
b) someone desperate for hope of some kind to cling on to;

that he is a certain long term solution to any of our problems.

In summary, he was alright.

 

[Bernie_Larkham]

We all see different things and thank Christ for that

From what I have seen of Taps he has far more all round game than any centre in AUS right now. That isn't a big statement IMO. He can and offers so much more than wheat has been selected.

Do I think he can be a long term solution? You bet. Is it based purely on thi match? No but if you didn't see his potential I won't argue any further. he wasn't perfect but he did offer things we haven't seen for a few years.

 

[barbarian]

Yeah agree randalf. I would have liked to have seen a bit more from Taps, he was nothing special. I would still be picking AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) ahead of him for now, although Taps is still a great prospect.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Imagine the apoplexy if that was Horne who blew a 2 man overlap.

Forget the inside line, taps should have taken it straight at the defender and passed outside.

 

[What2040]

Fuck me this forum is full of straw-man arguments.

Disputing the suggestion that Tapuai cemented his place with his performance this morning is not the same thing as wanting workmanlike players or "plodders" at every position. Fucking hell that's such a leap from one to the other. He didn't have a Timana Tahu style debut but I honestly didn't see anything that would convince anyone other than

a) die hard fan of his; or
b) someone desperate for hope of some kind to cling on to;

that he is a certain long term solution to any of our problems.

In summary, he was alright.

Have followed Taps during and since his schoolboy days. I think he's terrific overall. His performance was OK but it always pisses me off when a try goes begging when a bloke (any) hogs the leather - was equally critical of Horne when he bombed one.

 

[The Red Baron]

Yeah agree randalf. I would have liked to have seen a bit more from Taps, he was nothing special. I would still be picking AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) ahead of him for now, although Taps is still a great prospect.

I remember people lambasting Timani, and wondering why he made the test setup. After a period of time, he is starting to fulfill the potential that people have seen in him.

Shipperly is one player I view as promising, and the 'solid' argument was made (admittedly not by you Barbs) when Ships was dropped and Cummins took his spot. Cummins had a solid game last night, however dropped a couple of highballs. Do I therefore think that he is not cut out for international rugby? No way. Given time, Cummins (and Shipperly) will prove to be fine performers on the international stage.

I understand that some of us Queenslanders have been talking up Taps. With the amount of talent the guy has, I think this is perfectly understandable. Considering the Wallabies have had a range of issues in the centres, is it wrong to advocate for a guy that shows talent?

I agree that Taps wasn't anything special last night. It was his first run on test match. Apart from a couple of errors, and a bit of ball hogging, he acquitted himself quite well. I could argue that Rob Horne, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Fainga'a, and anyone else who has played 13 for the Wobs recently would have conducted themselves in the same way as Taps last night, given the situation.

You are right Barbs, Taps is a great prospect, and I saw nothing that warranted dropping him. I also like him at 13, placing me at odds with other QLD'ers. How about we give him a couple of games to see his full worth, like we have with Timani, Douglas, Shipperly, Horne, Fainga'a, Harris, Dennis, and a whole host of others.

 

[barbarian]

I suppose the difference between Taps and Timani is you would think Taps was merely a fill-in for AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), where Timani was a first choice selection.

Look I agree he was OK, especially for his first run-on with no combination with his inside men. He is definitely a talented player and I expect him to be a long-term Wallaby. But when AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) comes back I would be picking him at 13 with Taps on the bench.
.

 

[Scotty]

JO'C looks like he's playing for the wrong super team if he wants to have a future at 10. I wonder if he's on the phone with Link?

One the rugby club he spoke about wanting to play 2nd ball player role for the wallabies. I think he meant from either 12 or 15, but seemed to prefer 15.

 

[Jiggles]

Red Baron - I thought his overs line in the Ioane try was fantastic. We haven't seen that from the Wallabies this year IIRC, and if he didn't run that line that try wouldn't have been scored.

 

[The Red Baron]

Red Baron - I thought his overs line in the Ioane try was fantastic. We haven't seen that from the Wallabies this year IIRC, and if he didn't run that line that try wouldn't have been scored.

Yes, that was an excellent line. He ran a great angle, and it was perfectly timed. However, I think that Beale should get a hell of a lot of credit for that play. He created the right amount of subterfuge, and then gave the ball to Diggers at exactly the right time. The wider line that McCabe ran in that play was also good.

Finally a well worked, well executed backline play!

 

[Jiggles]

Holding the ball up like Beale did was pretty good. In all I thought his performance was improved this week, but there were still a few little kinks in his game I didn't like. Namely the stutter step at the line, it seems to me he is not sure what to do i.e. 'do I hit a runner or take on the line or what?' To be fair I am going to put that on Deans and a lack of structure though. If the team had some phase structure and runners knew their role, coming from depth with pace, then I think Beale would be much more decisive.

 

[I like to watch]

Red Baron - I thought his overs line in the Ioane try was fantastic. We haven't seen that from the Wallabies this year IIRC, and if he didn't run that line that try wouldn't have been scored.

Never seen a overs line run like that before!
Revolutionary

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

A great gutsy effort in the pigs and mostly woeful in the backs. Apart from that fantastic try from the scrum, we did very little in attack. That's to be expected in many ways, given that a few of these guys probably introduced themselves in the dressing sheds beforehand. That and the fact that we have an (at the moment) halfback without a test standard pass feeding them the ball. The defence was extremely committed though and it showed the great attitude that the boys brought into the game.

The most pleasing aspect of this whole RC series has been how most of the time the pack have really fronted up and broke even or better against several high quality sets of forwards. If we can ever get our backs together for long enough this could develop into something pretty good.

 

[Braveheart81]

I think Beale has been the best 10 we've had this season. He should certainly stay there.

 

[Jiggles]

Never seen a overs line run like that before!
Revolutionary

You're right its been happening so much this year with tries being scored left right and centre! Our backline has been DA BOMB!

 

[Scotty]

I suppose the difference between Taps and Timani is you would think Taps was merely a fill-in for AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), where Timani was a first choice selection.

Look I agree he was OK, especially for his first run-on with no combination with his inside men. He is definitely a talented player and I expect him to be a long-term Wallaby. But when AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) comes back I would be picking him at 13 with Taps on the bench.
.

I can't see how AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has earned instant selection. The biggest disappointment of Taps last night was that he 'did a AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)'. Ashley Cooper hogs the ball so much the move is named after him!

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) isn't even first choice for the Tahs at 13, what makes him the automatic first choice for the wallabies.

I want the wallabies to move forward, not backwards. We know AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) limitations, we know Horne's limitations, we need to find out more about Tapaui's.

 

[No4918]

So much talk of Taps bombing a try when Beales air swing attempting a grubber with an overlap goes unmentioned. By the time Taps was around his opposite (a feat in itself for a wob 13) there wasn't enough space for the two players on the line and one could have come in. Where improvement is needed is not all of a sudden getting impatient but just taking the ball to ground and building the next phase. Any missed half chance at the moment sees the players (and fans?) lose focus and invariably turn the ball over at that point or on next phase.

And who else thinks the whole bombing a try call by commentators is way overstated generally?

 

[rugbyisfun]

Of course it does. I can imagine having a tantrum like yours if the players completely gave up and looked like they couldn't be bothered, when they've clearly done their best I'm not going to be too upset. Plenty of positives to come out of today, the forwards actually won the collisions, the scrum got on top, Higgers showed he can play a proper game at test level, Beale is getting his confidence back, Timani showed his earlier performance wasn't just a once-off, Hooper continues to amaze. On the other hand we gave away some silly penalties, Phipps isn't up to it, handling was largely poor - in slippery conditions - and Digby had a shocker. There are definitely coaching issues, but this isn't the sort of game that would have me throwing forks. Still, I'm sure the Wallabies are very sorry for winning in a manner that failed to meet your standards.

Thank you for clarifying my position. Im not going to bother with a long-winded response. Read your own replies and you will understand why.

 

[Braveheart81]

So much talk of Taps bombing a try when Beales air swing attempting a grubber with an overlap goes unmentioned. By the time Taps was around his opposite (a feat in itself for a wob 13) there wasn't enough space for the two players on the line and one could have come in. Where improvement is needed is not all of a sudden getting impatient but just taking the ball to ground and building the next phase. Any missed half chance at the moment sees the players (and fans?) lose focus and invariably turn the ball over at that point or on next phase.

And who else thinks the whole bombing a try call by commentators is way overstated generally?

The two incidents were pretty different. Beale was a lot further out from the line and the tryline was by no means open.

Tapuai really just needed to draw his man and pass. Harris could have gone inside or wherever and Cummins was unmarked on the wing.