2012 S15 Australia Conference

[Tangawizi]

Well at least the fact the we're all getting our arses handed to us by the teams from the other conferences is keeping things tight on the Oz Ladder....

Seriously need to turn this shit start around.

 

[disco]

Look back at other seasons the kiwi sides & saffas also have their bad weeks. It's a very long season this year & there is a break halfway through it. Every side has injuries it just seems that the all the Tahs, Reds & Rebels seem to have injuries to all their test playing backline stars where the tries are scored & created.

Don't worry the Aussie teams will have their good weeks at some stage.

 

[Riptide]

Aussie teams just lack the depth of talent of Kiwi and SA sides to sustain the significant injuries losses and still be competitive on the road. It's just the way it is. The Chiefs had a horrendous injuries and didn't miss a beat. The Crusaders remain competitive even with their losses and injuries.

 

[Langthorne]

At this stage it looks like we'll only have one team in the finals, and almost all the conference teams are in with a chance at it. How much will the Waratahs regret their mistakes against the Reds and Force?

 

[Braveheart81]

Won't the other conferences be happy when the Aussie conference winner gets to host a Semi Final against the 6th place team that probably scored more competition points than they did.

 

[MrMouse]

Aussie teams just lack the depth of talent of Kiwi and SA sides to sustain the significant injuries losses and still be competitive on the road. It's just the way it is. The Chiefs had a horrendous injuries and didn't miss a beat. The Crusaders remain competitive even with their losses and injuries.

It's been done a million times but you have to ask how much this has to do with having another tier below Super Rugby. I know, I know, it's a broken record but come on. ITM/Currie Cup means that a) it's not as big a step up b) you can see how youth players and older hard heads are developing on an equal playing field c) it provides a bunch more rugby.
It doesn't matter how you do it, but I'd probably go with City and Country from each state if I wanted it to be parochial and partisan, and get some fans (including regional fans) involved. Anyway, it's been hashed, rehashed, dug up from the grave and pecked at, strung out to dry and then powdered and transformed into a mild narcotic and still the ARU wants none of it.

 

[MrMouse]

Won't the other conferences be happy when the Aussie conference winner gets to host a Semi Final against the 6th place team that probably scored more competition points than they did.

Probably.

If the choice was that or another wildcard who might be a lot tougher, they'd be daft not to take us on.

 

[chasmac]

The broadcasters must be pretty crapped off with the ARU. From what i can gather big JON leads the charge in the meetings with the broadcasters, getting increased sponsorship from them. Meanwhile he's asked the Kiwi's and saffers to compromise their Curry Cup and the ITM in order to get the big bucks for S15. Then once this is locked down, he starts trimming the spending on player contracts and reduces the squad sizes for the Aussie S15 teams.
Whilst all of this is good business for the ARU, I think that he has tipped the balance too far in the ARU's favour. IE the broadcasters are not getting a good deal as the Aussie teams are not putting in a good enough showing; partly due to their lack of depth. The 30 man squads for the Aussie S15 teams is too austere for the extended competition, given that the feeder comp below the S15 is club rugby.
Let's hope that the gouging that JON has put in place ends up benefitting Australian rugby through a better balance sheet, and that it doesn't get transferred into his own bank account via large employee bonuses at ARU headquarters.
If I was the broadcaster, or the Kiwis or the Saffers I would be looking to get square with the ARU in the boardroom. Hope the long term effect isn't that we undermine the S15.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Anybody see the Canes v. Cheetahs game? Holy crap what a spectacle of rugby that was. The first 40 minutes was breathtaking. Those Cheetahs are fantastic to watch when they decide to throw the pill around a bit and their pack are absolutely no mugs.

 

[PaarlBok]

Australian Conference

Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA BPts Pts
1 Brumbies 5 3 0 2 124 124 0 10 11 2 18
2 Reds 6 3 0 3 120 180 -60 11 20 1 13
3 Waratahs 6 2 0 4 140 143 -3 14 12 5 13
4 Force 6 2 0 4 151 169 -18 15 18 4 12
5 Rebels 5 1 0 4 93 151 -58 6 19 2 10

Fixtures:
5 Rebels v Blues AAMI Park, Melbourne 11:40

6 Reds v Brumbies Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 11:40
6 Force v Chiefs NIB Stadium, Perth 13:40

 

[Braveheart81]

The best bit about this weekend is that the Tahs are guaranteed four points and there is a moderately smaller chance that our team will make it through the weekend without someone suffering a season ending injury.

 

[MrMouse]

The best bit about this weekend is that the Tahs are guaranteed four points and there is a moderately smaller chance that our team will make it through the weekend without someone suffering a season ending injury.

Fucking jinx. Thanks Braveheart!

 

[Slim 293]

If the Brumbies had beaten the Sharks it would've set them up pretty nicely... 'tis a shame...

 

[PaarlBok]

If the Brumbies had beaten the Sharks it would've set them up pretty nicely... 'tis a shame...

They were pretty much lucky getting that win against the Cheetahs.

 

[Slim 293]

They were pretty much lucky getting that win against the Cheetahs.

Rubbish. They were the better team over 80 minutes.

 

[Brisbok]

Rubbish. They were the better team over 80 minutes.

Just like the Sharks deserved their win. Back to your original post though, I'm sure every team has an "IF" moment that could've made the world of difference IF it had happened.

IF McKibbon hadn't aimlessly kicked the ball back to the Reds in the 79th minute and IF they had kicked more of their penalties against the Highlanders, the Waratahs would be set up quite nicely.

IF the Reds hadn't lost two flyhalf's in one game perhaps their position would be quite different.

IF the Force had beaten the Rebels they would be sitting 1 point behind the Brumbies with the 4 points for the bye week waiting to be allocated.

 

[Slim 293]

Just like the Sharks deserved their win. Back to your original post though, I'm sure every team has an "IF" moment that could've made the world of difference IF it had happened.

IF McKibbon hadn't aimlessly kicked the ball back to the Reds in the 79th minute and IF they had kicked more of their penalties against the Highlanders, the Waratahs would be set up quite nicely.

IF the Reds hadn't lost two flyhalf's in one game perhaps their position would be quite different.

IF the Force had beaten the Rebels they would be sitting 1 point behind the Brumbies with the 4 points for the bye week waiting to be allocated.

I never said they didn't deserve to win.

All I stated was...

If the Brumbies had beaten the Sharks it would've set them up pretty nicely... 'tis a shame...

 

[tigerland12]

Rubbish. They were the better team over 80 minutes.

C'mon mate that game could of easily gone either way.

 

[Slim 293]

And it went the way of the deserved winners....

I can't believe we're still indulging Paarl over a match from a month ago...

 

[fatprop]

We analyse the key statistics contributing to the poor start of the Australian Super Rugby sides

• April 05, 2012 6:30AM

Rocky waters ... The Waratahs have only recorded two victories from six matches. Source: News Limited
It's hardly been an ideal start for the Australian Super Rugby teams in 2012, with the five franchises claiming just three victories from 12 matches against New Zealand and South African opposition.

​

After a disappointing round six - where Melbourne Rebels, New South Wales Waratahs and the Brumbies were beaten by the Highlanders, Chiefs and Sharks respectively – Fox Sports rugby commenator Greg Clark said the Australian teams had to get moving or risk seeing the season pass them by.
"All Australian teams need to find start performing on the road if they're to be in with a shout this year," Clark told Fox Sports News.

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The scratchy start to the season from the Aussie franchises has not been lost on foxsports.com.au's loyal rugby users either, with Vince of where else but gods zone just one to voice a scathing opinion.
"So the team expected to come fifth in the NZ conference whips the fourth or fifth best team in the Aussie conference. As we have said before, the SA and NZ are handicapped by only playing these fools once or not at all. Cheap points."




Much has been made of the huge injury toll that is affecting all five Australian sides, the Reds and Waratahs in particular, but that can only shoulder some of the blame.
So, just where are the Australian sides letting themselves down? With the help of our friends at Fox Sports Stats, we've attempted to isolate the key areas where dramatic improved is required.

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Brumbies
The Brumbies have surprised plenty of pundits on their way to the top of the Aussie conference. They have accounted for two of three Australian victories over South African or New Zealand opposition, with narrow wins over the Cheetahs and Highlanders in Canberra.
Under Jake White, the Brumbies have developed a solid all-round style, which is reflected across many of the key defensive and attacking stats.
The Brumbies are ranked inside the top four for average linebreaks, tackle busts, run metres and offloads.
However, they're only managing to turn those impressive statistics into an average of two tries and 24.8 points per game – ranking them ninth and eighth in the competition respectively.

Queensland Reds

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Ewen McKenzie’s side have been worst hit by injury, particularly in the inside backs where Quade Cooper has been joined on the sidelines by Ben Lucas, Mike Harris, Anthony Fainga'a and Jono Lance.
Although Will Genia has been doing his best to steer the ship in the midst of the chaos outside him, the lack of consistency at five-eighth (something the Reds had with Cooper in 2011) looks to be a creating a number of problems.

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The Reds are making an average of 9.3 handling errors (12th) per game and although their missed tackles stats aren't too bad, a combination of a lack run metres (517, 11th) and kick metres (412, 14th) is seeing them struggle to clear their own half.
That continued pressure teams are building against the Reds looks to be the prime reason they’ve given up an average of 30 points (13th) and 3.3 tries (14th) per game.

New South Wales Waratahs

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The Waratahs have made yet another bumpy start to the season, with impressive victories over the Rebels and Sharks failing to overshadow lacklustre performances against the Force and Chiefs.
As was evident in last week’s loss to the Chiefs, the problem for the Waratahs is not in the creation of try-scoring opportunities, but in their finishing.
Michael Foley’s side are averaging plenty of metres (555, equal fourth) making few handling errors (7.2, second) and turnovers (14, third). This, however, has resulted in just an average of 2.3 tries (eighth) and 23.3 points (10th).

Western Force

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The Force enter round seven on the back of a morale-boosting 26-point hammering of the Reds at nib Stadium.
The victory was their first bonus-point win at the venue and showed that they have a little more in their arsenal besides an all-Wallabies backrow.
Their defence, however, remains a concern. The biggest worry for coach Richard Graham is that their defensive workload – they’re only making an average of 100 tackles (13th) per game – isn’t all that high.
Despite that, the Force are still giving up an average of 21 missed tackles and 4.8 linebreaks, which has seen them give up an average of 28.2 points (11th) and three tries (13th) per game.
The workload-to-points ratio suggests the Force are having trouble defending against the counterattack, something that was a feature of their losses to the Rebels and Hurricanes.

Melbourne Rebels

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No matter what way you look at them, the Rebels' stats don't make for pleasant reading. The men from Melbourne have managed just the one victory so far this season, while slumping to heavy defeats to both the Waratahs and Highlanders.
Coach Damien Hill added former Wallabies assistant and tackling guru John Muggleton to his staff over the pre-season, but his defensive nous looks to have made little impact so far.
The Rebels are, easily, still one of the worst defensive teams in the competition. Hill’s side are ranked No.1 for the average most linebreaks and missed tackles conceded per game, and No.2 for the average tackle busts.
The Cheetahs – who manage to score plenty of points while also conceding them – are the only side conceding more average points per game. But, in terms of tries conceded per game, the Rebels are in a class of their own with 3.8 – half a try more than any other team in the competition.

Time to be a conundrum as I reckon despite the results all the Aus sides are playing better than last year apart from the Reds.

Are any of them looking like winners? Nup

But we are seeing solid set piece, tight games and a good set of young players coming through. Now I know some on this board like to deem KPIs about winning as the only criteria, but I just want to see individual improvement, better structure and attitude, attitude, attitude.

And so far I reckon we are seeing that through my rose coloured glasses.

I like the decision making we are starting to see as to when to counter ruck (and then doing it effectively), I like seeing our forwards doing the heavy lifting (not trying to be backs) and sides being punished for allowing their players to get isolated (it is requiring technique at the breakdown (see some of Rob Horne's efforts as how not to do it) and requiring real effort and smarts).