3rd Place Play Off - Wallabies v Wales.
- Thread starter Bowside
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P
proton
Guest
Aussie gonna kick arse watch OC beale and the maori do their thing Wales are all sht
Cardiffblue
Jim Lenehan (48)
Expecting a good speactacle then?
I'm as nervous as F@ck. I want this game to be the advert for game that the final won;t be
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
Why go fishing? What you wrote was arrant nonsense. Any idea how badly the scrum would have been monstered if Fainga'a had been hooker? He can't push bread on butter.
As for the comment on Burgess: Unlike the Queenslander, he has played very well with extremely limited opportunities. Why he wasn't brought on with 20 minutes to go to provide some spark around the ruck in a game we had to win is another one of Robbie's magical mysteries.
Burgess's 'minutes played' statistic clearly suggests the contrary...
Scotty
David Codey (61)
The scrum with tpn involved was very poor. I think I am correct in saying we would have a 50 percent or worse success rate with him at hooker against the big teams. I doubt fa'ainga would have been worse than this!
Tpn is one of the biggest disappointments of this rwc for me. Nowhere near what he is capable of.
biggsy
Chilla Wilson (44)
Agree barbarian, but also trying to keep the peace with Hawko.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsbQfJN366k
2min into the Clip......something happened...thats right Genia....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsbQfJN366k
2min into the Clip......something happened...thats right Genia....
biggsy
Chilla Wilson (44)
Mate i agree here,
Saia is not our strongest hooker but defends like a champ..
TPN forgot to hook in some games,
And I lost count how many times he went down in the Super Rugby this year....and that was not in the scrum, i mean went down after tackles or after the scrum was over..
Hawko
Tony Shaw (54)
I agree, but as I posted on another thread ...... WHY? Is he injured, depressed, what? Something is clearly very wrong. He's a brutal scrummager, and earlier in the year there was furious discussion over who would get the 2 jersey. No one is even mentioning the possibility now. I want to know why one of our best players is so out of form that he probably should be dropped?
vidiot
John Solomon (38)
Sadly, based on TPN's current form, the question of whether he should start or Fainga'a is actually a very real dilemma.
Either way this is not a strong front row, and the scrum is the obvious weakness for us tonight.
I hope that TPN has a great off season and a chance to really reset for super rugby next year.
Either way this is not a strong front row, and the scrum is the obvious weakness for us tonight.
I hope that TPN has a great off season and a chance to really reset for super rugby next year.
I've said it before, but my theory is he plays better when Sharon Flahive is around. How else do you explain the constant injuries when playing for the Tahs and none when playing for the Wallabies?
vidiot
John Solomon (38)
I know we like to whinge about other sides slowing the pace of the game, but has TPN just not had the base level of fitness after his injuries this year to keep up with Test rugby?
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
I don't know why more of the Oz RWC dirtrackers - even including Turner and Hodgson - didn't get to start.
The rebuttal would be that it is a test match and a country wants to win every one. I take that point before folks make it, but I wouldn't have been averse to more of the squad starting for a change.
After some of the poor scrums we had last Sunday, Oz is lucky that Wales THP Adam Jones is not playing as he is one of the best in the world IMO. It should not be too ugly in that department.
The absence of Warburton, well deserved IMO, is also key loss for our opponents. Not only does it rob them from having an ace fetcher, (one with an unusual body shape for that role), but also it moves Faletau from the no. 8 position where he has been a revelation in the RWC. He is not a fetcher and his place at 8 is taken by Ryan Jones who has played little meaningful rugby at the tournament.
I saw Faletau for the Dragons last season, in the Magners League, and thought that this young fellow would play for Wales after the RWC. To his credit Gatland chose him for the RWC trials, whereas I thought Delve would get a run, picked him for the tournament, and he started in all the big games in NZ.
Like Kiwi Keiran Read he proves that you don't have to be a 120kg bruiser as an 8 to run over people or knock them down. You just have to play big. He does, and is now one of the rising stars of world rugby.
10. Priestland, another RWC revelation, and who did more credit to Gatland and his selections, will be missed again and Hook will do the job once more with his running, Giteau style.
But scrummie Phillips will still be there and Oz will have to watch him sniping from around the rucks - as D'Arcy did not for Ireland. Like many others at the RWC, he has come back to his best form during the tournament.
Methinks that some of the Aussies will have to do this also to beat this intense, fit and composed Wales team.
.
The rebuttal would be that it is a test match and a country wants to win every one. I take that point before folks make it, but I wouldn't have been averse to more of the squad starting for a change.
After some of the poor scrums we had last Sunday, Oz is lucky that Wales THP Adam Jones is not playing as he is one of the best in the world IMO. It should not be too ugly in that department.
The absence of Warburton, well deserved IMO, is also key loss for our opponents. Not only does it rob them from having an ace fetcher, (one with an unusual body shape for that role), but also it moves Faletau from the no. 8 position where he has been a revelation in the RWC. He is not a fetcher and his place at 8 is taken by Ryan Jones who has played little meaningful rugby at the tournament.
I saw Faletau for the Dragons last season, in the Magners League, and thought that this young fellow would play for Wales after the RWC. To his credit Gatland chose him for the RWC trials, whereas I thought Delve would get a run, picked him for the tournament, and he started in all the big games in NZ.
Like Kiwi Keiran Read he proves that you don't have to be a 120kg bruiser as an 8 to run over people or knock them down. You just have to play big. He does, and is now one of the rising stars of world rugby.
10. Priestland, another RWC revelation, and who did more credit to Gatland and his selections, will be missed again and Hook will do the job once more with his running, Giteau style.
But scrummie Phillips will still be there and Oz will have to watch him sniping from around the rucks - as D'Arcy did not for Ireland. Like many others at the RWC, he has come back to his best form during the tournament.
Methinks that some of the Aussies will have to do this also to beat this intense, fit and composed Wales team.
.
Lance Free
Arch Winning (36)
I think TPN would go a whole heap better if he had the love of a good woman (not Sharon BTW)....
todd4
Dave Cowper (27)
Scrum should finally get on top today as half of them are Forcemen.....
(I'm claiming Ma'afu as a Forceman, or will be next year...
)
Ruggo
Mark Ella (57)
What you saying, he needs a root? Well get the hooker a hooker then he should be right.
R
RuckinGoodStats
Guest
Just a couple of numbers to consider for tonights game. Might pop back in an hour or so if any interest in some further numbers...
Points
•Wales are 2nd highest in average points for and 2nd lowest with point against.
•One of those strange stats is that all the tries conceded by Wales have been converted so a try scored by Wales’ opposition is effectively worth seven points.
•Both teams are conceding 0.8 tries a RWC game.
•Australia is 42% more likely to take a RWC penalty goal on the LEFT side of the field than the right side of the field.
•Australia is 38% more likely to score a RWC try in on the LEFT side of the field than the right side.
•Australia is 3 &1/2 times as likely to concede a try on the RIGHT side of the field than the left side of the field.
•Wales are twice as likely to take a RWC penalty goal on the LEFT side of the field than the right side of the field.
•Wales are twice as likely to score a RWC try in on the LEFT side of the field than the right side.
•Wales are almost three times as likely to concede RWC penalty that ends up as a goal kick from the RIGHT side of the field than the left side of the field.
•Wales are 66% more likely to concede a try on the LEFT side of the field than the right side of the field.
•Australia kickers: In RWC: O’Connor 77% (17 from 22) Cooper 50% (4/8) Barnes 80% (4/5) Beale 0/1. In 2011: O’Connor 71% (79 from 112) Cooper 67% (84/126) Barnes 53% (9/17) Beale 71% (59/83).
•Wales kickers in RWC: Hook 54% (7/13), Jones 92% (11/12), Halfpenny 1/2. In 6-nations Hook 76% (12/17), Jones 73% (8/11) Halfpenny 1/1.
•Drop goals if it comes down to it, in RWC (6-nations): 0/1 (Hook 1/3), Cooper 1/1 (5/8), Genia 0/2, Barnes 0/2.
Points
•Wales are 2nd highest in average points for and 2nd lowest with point against.
•One of those strange stats is that all the tries conceded by Wales have been converted so a try scored by Wales’ opposition is effectively worth seven points.
•Both teams are conceding 0.8 tries a RWC game.
•Australia is 42% more likely to take a RWC penalty goal on the LEFT side of the field than the right side of the field.
•Australia is 38% more likely to score a RWC try in on the LEFT side of the field than the right side.
•Australia is 3 &1/2 times as likely to concede a try on the RIGHT side of the field than the left side of the field.
•Wales are twice as likely to take a RWC penalty goal on the LEFT side of the field than the right side of the field.
•Wales are twice as likely to score a RWC try in on the LEFT side of the field than the right side.
•Wales are almost three times as likely to concede RWC penalty that ends up as a goal kick from the RIGHT side of the field than the left side of the field.
•Wales are 66% more likely to concede a try on the LEFT side of the field than the right side of the field.
•Australia kickers: In RWC: O’Connor 77% (17 from 22) Cooper 50% (4/8) Barnes 80% (4/5) Beale 0/1. In 2011: O’Connor 71% (79 from 112) Cooper 67% (84/126) Barnes 53% (9/17) Beale 71% (59/83).
•Wales kickers in RWC: Hook 54% (7/13), Jones 92% (11/12), Halfpenny 1/2. In 6-nations Hook 76% (12/17), Jones 73% (8/11) Halfpenny 1/1.
•Drop goals if it comes down to it, in RWC (6-nations): 0/1 (Hook 1/3), Cooper 1/1 (5/8), Genia 0/2, Barnes 0/2.
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