And to Wales

[Lindommer]

Not regularly - always.

Lee, that might be so, but "Rabbit always" isn't alliterative.

 

[RugbyReg]

hmmmm, away from tv, computer and phone this weekend.

I'll catch the recording when I get home Monday (maybe even Sunday night).

I trust one of you lads can start the TYS Player of the Year thread?

Thanks

 

[Lee Grant]

As expected Deans has rested a few players and rotated a few:

Waugh is starting at 7 with Smith on the bench
Mitchell holds his place at fullback
Cross returns at 13 and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) gets bracketed with Tuqiri on the bench
Ioane keeps his place on the wing
Burgess keeps his place despite having a shocker in Paris
Brown replaces Palu who has a sore shoulder
3M moves from lock to 6
Mumm goes from 6 to the bench
Chiz goes from the bench to lock
Robinson returns at LHP
Freier replaces TPN on bench
Dunning replaces Kepu on bench
Pocock is out of 22 to make way for Waugh starting.

15 Drew Mitchell,
14 Peter Hynes,
13 Ryan Cross,
12 Stirling Mortlock (c),
11 Digby Ioane,
10 Matt Giteau,
9 Luke Burgess,
8 Richard Brown,
7 Phil Waugh,
6 Hugh McMeniman,
5 Nathan Sharpe,
4 Mark Chisholm,
3 Al Baxter,
2 Stephen Moore,
1 Benn Robinson.

Replacements:
16 Adam Freier,
17 Matt Dunning,
18 Dean Mumm,
19 George Smith,
20 Sam Cordingley,
21 Quade Cooper,
22 Lote Tuqiri/Adam Ashley-Cooper.

 

[RugbyReg]

It will be interesting to watch Waugh this week. He must be like a caged lion at the moment. He's playing for his future one might think.

 

[rugbywhisperer]

As expected Deans has rested a few players and rotated a few:
Waugh is starting at 7 with Smith on the bench
Mitchell holds his place at fullback
Cross returns at 13 and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) gets bracketed with Tuqiri on the bench
Ioane keeps his place on the wing
Burgess keeps his place despite having a shocker in Paris
Brown replaces Palu who has a sore shoulder
3M moves from lock to 6
Mumm goes from 6 to the bench
Chiz goes from the bench to lock
Robinson returns at LHP
Freier replaces TPN on bench
Dunning replaces Kepu on bench
Pocock is out of 22 to make way for Waugh starting.

Who's on first?

 

[Lee Grant]

Wales hasn't changed their team much to get some consistency

15 Lee Byrne;
14 Mark Jones,
13 Tom Shanklin,
12 Jamie Roberts,
11 Shane Williams,
110 Stephen Jones,
9 Gareth Cooper;
8 Andy Powell
7 Martyn Williams,
6 Ryan Jones (capt),
5 Alun-Wyn Jones,
4 Ian Gough,
3 Adam Jones,
2 Matthew Rees,
1 Gethin Jenkins,

Replacements:
Richard Hibbard, John Yapp, Luke Charteris, Dafydd Jones, Martin Roberts, James Hook, Andrew Bishop.

14 Mark Jones who was injured a few weeks ago returns on the wing.
New wing star Halfpenny drops out of the 22
Lock Ian Evans who suffered a serious injury against NZ is replaced by Ian Gough
Lock Charteris is left on the bench for impact
9 Cooper was released by his English club after all, and will start
Reserve 9 Peel was not released by his club and is replaced by Martin Roberts

It's a very settled side compared to ours but it's understandable why we made changes, with the extra game we played on tour in Hong Kong and the travel whilst out Euro opponents stayed at home..

As we have seen in the autumn tests and 6N, Wales is the best team in Europe, and that is despite losing to the Boks and Blacks. If they play like they did in the 2nd half against the Boks and the first half against NZ they are going to roll us. However if those halves are reversed we should beat them.

What Oz will have to do is what NZ did last week: get more players to the breakdown quicker.

Barring the odd flukey try or missed goal the game will be decided as usual in the forwards.

Our scrum should be better than last week and surely Burgo will be better.

 

[Pfitzy]

That's the tight five I wanted to see. The back row also looks fairly balanced. I too will be interested to see Waugh's performance this week. Clearly he rates so low in Deans' estimate as to only be worth a crack at the 6N champs :nta:

 

[Lee Grant]

It will be interesting to watch Waugh this week. He must be like a caged lion at the moment. He's playing for his future one might think.

You're right there Nod. We all know that Pocock is the future and it's pretty inevitable that he will supersede Waugh soon, and eventually, Smith. The only thing I can be sure about is that there won't be anything left in the tank when he walks off the pitch. But he is up against a very good operator n Saturday, Martyn Williams, a non-stop skilful player and terrific cheat.

Who's on first?

Watts

 

[mark_s]

It will be interesting to watch Waugh this week. He must be like a caged lion at the moment.

It worked so well for ther 3rd game against the boks this year....

 

[Spook]

I expect Waugh to go mental. He must be very pissed off and will freshen things up. I'm a bit conerned about fatigue levels. Especially Moore, Baxter and Sharpe.

I read somewhere AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has a hip injury.

 

[Lindommer]

Moore and Baxter weren't in my side for that exact reason. We aren't on the ground with the squad so we can safely presume Deans and Co are quite aware of fatigue and injuries. Their selections notwithstanding, I wouldn't be the least surprised to see these three subbed early in the second half.

Has Sheehan had a run this tour? Not good to have a (fit) player with no game time. It'd be good to see Sheehan, TPN, Kimlin, Cooper, Rabbit and Turner get a lot of game time against the Baabaas. I'd also like to see Mumm, Pocock and Brown run on as I think they're the back row of the future.

 

[Scotty]

Moore and Baxter weren't in my side for that exact reason. We aren't on the ground with the squad so we can safely presume Deans and Co are quite aware of fatigue and injuries. Their selections notwithstanding, I wouldn't be the least surprised to see these three subbed early in the second half.

This may be part of the reason why Freier and Dunning are on the bench. They may not be the future of the Wallabies, but if Moore or Baxter have to go off comparatively early, these guys can come on and be relied on to do a satisfactory job.

 

[RugbyReg]

That's the tight five I wanted to see. The back row also looks fairly balanced. I too will be interested to see Waugh's performance this week. Clearly he rates so low in Deans' estimate as to only be worth a crack at the 6N champs :nta:

hmmmm good point. Like he played him against the World Champions in Jo Burg. Along with our best lock (McMeniman), best hooker (TPN) and best centre (Timana)

 

[Lee Grant]

Lindommer,

I agree with that.

I think all the Oz A players should start against the Baas. It's not as though there's a sheep station to the winners.

I'd also like to try out Alexander of the TH side for a bit of the game from the bench.

This team won't win the Baa-Baas game but I'd like to see:

15. Turner
14. Mitchell
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12. O'Connor
11. Tuqiri
10. Cooper
9. Sheehan
8. Palu
7. Pocock
6. Waugh (c)
5. Kimlin
4. Mumm
3. Dunning
2. Freier
1. Kepu

Sure, the lineout and scrum may not be much, and there's no leaders there except Freier and Waugh, but who cares?

 

[fatprop]

Lindommer,

I agree with that.

I think all the Oz A players should start against the Baas. It's not as though there's a sheep station to the winners.

I'd also like to try out Alexander of the TH side for a bit of the game from the bench.

This team won't win the Baa-Baas game but I'd like to see:

15. Turner
14. Mitchell
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12. O'Connor
11. Tuqiri
10. Cooper
9. Sheehan
8. Palu
7. Pocock
6. Waugh (c)
5. Kimlin
4. Mumm
3. Dunning
2. Freier
1. Kepu

Sure, the lineout and scrum may not be much, and there's no leaders there except Freier and Waugh, but who cares?

I would start Cordingley in his last game and make him captain, leave Turner on the wing

 

[Scotty]

I'd like to see us actually try to achieve something from the Baabaas game, and I don't see how we can do that by throwing a stack of players in that haven't actually played together before. I would change less of the team with the full bench to be used around halftime.

15. Mitchell
14. Ioane
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12. Giteau (c)
11. O'Connor
10. Cooper
9. Coordingly
8. Brown
7. Pocock
6. McMeniman
5. Mumm
4. Chisholm
3. Kepu
2. TPN
1. Robinson

Freier, Alexander, Kimlin, Palu, Burgess, Turner, Tuqiri

 

[Scotty]

Can we assume that the fact that Mitchell has been re-selected at fullback that this is an admission of error from Deans in having AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) there game in game out this year?

And we might further extrapolate that if AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is no longer seen as the answer at fullback, he is being considered a long term option at 13, meaning that Cross may be getting a last chance to show improvement in that position this weekend (I know it is a stretch). I hope that AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) ends up getting the bench position so that we can see him later in the game.

 

[Lee Grant]

Scotty,

As Spook said: AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has a hip injury and I'd warrant that it's why he's being bracketed with Tuqiri on the bench.

Yeah, Cross and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) are natural 13s and it's good to have some depth there with Mortlock at least not embarrassing at 12 and playing there because of the injury to Barnes.

As I've said before: without some of our players available this is a very limited Wallabies backline, and in many ways similar to the Waratahs situation of having to use the best backs available and giving out the jerseys afterwards.

Whearas the Tahs don't have too much in the backs cupboard, at least the Wallabies can look forward to Shepherd, Barnes and Tuqiri coming back and the young blokes on tour blossoming next year. Barnes is the key IMO.

 

[disco]

I hope they play all the young blokes against the baa baas.

 

[Scotty]

Whearas the Tahs don't have too much in the backs cupboard, at least the Wallabies can look forward to Shepherd, Barnes and Tuqiri coming back and the young blokes on tour blossoming next year. Barnes is the key IMO

Yep, and I'm starting to agree with you that Barnes should be 10 with Giteau at 12. At the very least these two are interchangeable, which keeps the opposition guessing.

Of course we need a couple more options, and we can only hope that Cooper can achieve some consistency in the S14 next year, because he has all the skills (except tackling) to make a great flyhalf. Same goes for the other young guys running around.