2017 Under-20 Competitions including Oceania & World U20s

[Happy to Chat]

Interesting re Stewart.
Cheika was talking him up on Tuesday.

Stewart needs time on the park not on the bench and should have played in the Oceania Games!


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[Inside Shoulder]

Sione Tuipolutu?

Rebels.
This is a problem: pretty sure I have been keeping an eye on this bloke since Schoolboy trials.
He really only has a crash ball - thats not a long term proposition at 12 and we need to be very careful about who we ignore by picking one trick ponies, if that is what he is.

 

[amirite]

Rebels.
This is a problem: pretty sure I have been keeping an eye on this bloke since Schoolboy trials.
He really only has a crash ball - thats not a long term proposition at 12 and we need to be very careful about who we ignore by picking one trick ponies, if that is what he is.

I do not understand the point you're trying to make. He actually distributed reasonably well, I just think he needs to play outside a distributing 12 (as a 13) or alternatively inside a distributing 13 (Conrad Smith type) or 15.

A winger who rightly has plenty of parallels drawn between him and Digby Ioane playing with Sione at 13 isn't an ideal pairing.

 

[Lee Grant]

There is a blog on the first game here:

https://goo.gl/e6SRfv​

Give it a click.
.

 

[Rebels3]

I do not understand the point you're trying to make. He actually distributed reasonably well, I just think he needs to play outside a distributing 12 (as a 13) or alternatively inside a distributing 13 (Conrad Smith type) or 15.

A winger who rightly has plenty of parallels drawn between him and Digby Ioane playing with Sione at 13 isn't a sound pairing.

Don't know what game people have been watching but Sione actually has some nice basic skills. A crisp pass either side of him and a nice offload game in the tackle. He's more (and not as talented as) Kerevi than Kurindrani. His distribution was good in the early hours this morning, the outside backs saw a lot of early and well directed ball. In fact the passing of the entire backline was very good, maybe a little too lateral if anything.

His game against the Tahs the other week, he showed some nice touches, unleashing Placid a few times into some space with a few draw and passes by squaring the inside man up. He's far from a crash merchant and i'd be disappointed to see him play anywhere other than 12. If anything his weakness is probably in spacial awareness in defense and has a knack for holting his movement after distribution.

 

[Dctarget]

Rebels.
This is a problem: pretty sure I have been keeping an eye on this bloke since Schoolboy trials.
He really only has a crash ball - thats not a long term proposition at 12 and we need to be very careful about who we ignore by picking one trick ponies, if that is what he is.

I don't think you've been watching him attentively enough. Sione has exceptional acceleration and a vile side step to match.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I don't think you've been watching him attentively enough. Sione has exceptional acceleration and a vile side step to match.

I don't know if its him -if he's playing Rebels seniors then its not him. The centres that worried me were the centre pairing for the Rebels U20 who were (I think) Vic schools 2 years ago (I think)

 

[The sage]

Stewart set the backs off pretty well for mine, the fact that they've got 2 carry-first backs in the centres (a crash ball centre and a winger) probably stilted the ball going wide. But, Stewart beat the "defensive corner" and put the Welsh under pressure numerous times. He also covered on D pretty well.

The wind was completely fucked, so I can excuse bad kicking providing it isn't there next game.

My surprise of the game was LHP Cody Walker, having never really noticed him before in any games I've seen. Held a scrum down well and kept busy.

I agree with your comments, but not surprised on Cody, he was one of the stand outs in the state series


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[The sage]

If Stewart is the best hope of the squad at 10 there are major issues and little hope. Indecisive,error ridden and dangerous options. Bar Perese's one significant moment of class a draw was likely and Stewart was the causal link.
On positives the hooker was great, Front row depth is excellent. Back row offers plenty of options and impact. Both half backs looked good.

Need another 10 option urgent




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That's why Yr lost, lost.



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[The sage]

That was amazing that he said it went backwards.

Added to that their fine try down the blind from the scrum, I think the final pass was pretty bloody forward and that is part of the reason Stewart was beaten; but we still won..


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[swingpass]

I don't know if its him -if he's playing Rebels seniors then its not him. The centres that worried me were the centre pairing for the Rebels U20 who were (I think) Vic schools 2 years ago (I think)

not Tuipolutu then, i think you are thinking of Paisami or Livadaris

 

[Getwithme]

I think it works well having two carry first centres. McNamara has played a lot of footy at 10/15 and is primarily a ball distributor. I like the make up of the side as is in terms of ball runners, distributors, jumpers etc etc. If they can keep that balance when changing personnel I think we should go great guns.

 

[Happy to Chat]

Well done boys!

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[Brumby Runner]

Stewart is comfortably the best 10 in the squad.

If his kicking had been better no one would be complaining about his game.

His passing was good and we got width on the ball often and the 5m channels on both sides was generally where we made our biggest inroads.

BH I have to disagree quite vehemently. While his kicking (especially drop kicks) were atrocious, the rest of his game was also very poor. His passing game, that you have commented favourably on, was very slow, pop gun stuff. I would have hated to be Tuipoluto in that game getting the ball consistently under all sorts of pressure. And then he is very timid in defense; seems to hide somewhere on the field when the opposition are in possession. On top of all that, he is error prone. Must have made at least 8 - 10 errors (not counting poor option taking) in that one game.

Unfortunately, Stewart is just the next iteration of the under-performing no 10s who look pretty but have no balls and very little talent who have become the norm in Aus Schoolboys and U20s rugby.

I have not been impressed at all with him when he's come on for the Reds, but against his own age group he looked extremely poor. I guess we'll continue to see him selected because there is little in the squad as far as 10s go. Jooste has been below par in all of his games this year and is probably better suited to 12 than 10, but, based on this and recent performances, I wouldn't want to be responsible for putting anyone in the 12 position with Stewart playing 10.

 

[Braveheart81]

I thought the ball got to the outside backs reasonably quickly and passing was quite accurate.

I will be very surprised if Stewart doesn't start at 10 against England.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Some other observations.

Ulese was just about best on ground. Great player.

Wright was very good at 7, made quite a few steals and defended strongly.

McNanara just does not look like a rugby player, but was one of the best in the backline, made some good breaks.

Swinton increased the urgency and physicality when he came on - should be a starter.

Goddard has a very iffy scrum feed. Could get penalised more often with a different ref.

No 5 (Hocking?) must be the most unfortunate player coming through the U20s at the moment - looks like Rob Simmons, plays like Rob Simmons and all in all has very little impact on the game.

 

[The Honey Badger]

Think all the subs did well. Not a bad effort by Johnson Holmes

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[Rebels3]

Some other observations.

Ulese was just about best on ground. Great player.

Wright was very good at 7, made quite a few steals and defended strongly.

McNanara just does not look like a rugby player, but was one of the best in the backline, made some good breaks.

Swinton increased the urgency and physicality when he came on - should be a starter.

Goddard has a very iffy scrum feed. Could get penalised more often with a different ref.

No 5 (Hocking?) must be the most unfortunate player coming through the U20s at the moment - looks like Rob Simmons, plays like Rob Simmons and all in all has very little impact on the game.

Remember no talent in Victoria

 

[Inside Shoulder]

That was a very odd game.
Australia are just flinging it from side to side. 2nd in from the touch line has a run and back we go.
Was there a single cut pass to a man running an angle or any decoy runners other than the out the back second man play?
For all of it simplicity it generally worked.

 

[Happy to Chat]

That was a very odd game.
Australia are just flinging it from side to side. 2nd in from the touch line has a run and back we go.
Was there a single cut pass to a man running an angle or any decoy runners other than the out the back second man play?
For all of it simplicity it generally worked.

The passing to and fro was much like you would see in a Sevens game, we will need to attack the line with a switch or a run off the inside shoulder if we want to surprise England at all. It was very one dimensional play by the backline last night. Perese needs to hold onto the ball in contact. I'd still prefer to see him on the wing. You can see the backline players are new to each other. It's a pity they never got together for the Oceania games, may have been a different team then. Hope they click before the England game.


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