April Wallaby 30 Man Squad

[Train Without a Station]

Brumby runner interestingly on ESPNSCRUM last weekend your 9,10 & 12 made 35 tackles compared to the Reds 9,10,12 = 15. Your no9 was 6th on the tackle count. Brumbies defence is obviously the responsibility of all. I wonder tho if that's going to effect their attack. This weekend should tell a few tales but won't be end of either team this season. Great to see 2 Aus teams going so well, looking forward to sat night.

It doesn't say that Brumbies defence is the responsibility it all... It says (providing tackles success rates were the same) that they received more traffic. Irrelevant Statistic. Also, if the 9, 10 and 12 are going "looking" for tackles, they are leaving mismatches and their forwards must not being doing their job.

 

[Paradox]

JOC (James O'Connor) is a great defender. Probably the best out of that bunch.

I'd say To'omua has the best stats. Plus he makes dominant tackles. Stole this from PR (tackling completion):

To'omua 87.5%
Foley 76.9%
Cooper 74.3%
Beale 65.6%

No O'Connor unfortunately.

 

[Paradox]

It doesn't say that Brumbies defence is the responsibility it all. It says (providing tackles success rates were the same) that they received more traffic. Irrelevant Statistic. Also, if the 9, 10 and 12 are going "looking" for tackles, they are leaving mismatches and their forwards must not being doing their job.

I think you might want to also look at the number of tackles made by the forwards in comparison in the same match. Some very high numbers in there.

Alexander 16
Moore 21
Palmer 11 (51 mins)
Kimlin 10
Carter 20
Mowen 14
Smiler 4 (51 mins)
Smith 22
Fainga'a 13 (in 12 mins )

 

[Paradox]

You have to be very accurate on D. Perhaps, like Beale, Kurtley is actually quite good away from the line.

No actually he's not.

 

[Scoey]

I prefer the lighter shades, because it provides consistency with (most of) our other athletes. If it's gold for them then it's gold for us. Calling it yellow's the problem.

What's in a name? A colour by any other name would still look just as yellow?

 

[USARugger]

I haven't got an issue withthe Ink - don't like it & don't dislike it. but Grown Men fussing with their Hair - and in (Ma’a Nonu's case; His Eyebrows), is wayyyy to Metrosexual for my tastes.

Having said that - the 'gang/ggangsta' nonsense spread about by some high-profile players is a major turn-off. If that was allowed to go too far, my kids would NOT be playing Rugby.

If you think Digby is perpetuating 'gangsta' nonsense I have a few neighborhoods here in Philadelphia I'd love to show you.

Edit: Seriously, Michael Jackson is about as far from gangster as you can possibly get.

Edit Edit:​

​

Exhibit 1a: Guy Who Killed a Dude (then tore his pec muscle, huffed a bunch of deer antler spray and won a Super Bowl all in a few months) vs. Digby's Haircut

 

[USARugger]

One last thought on Cooper - when he made his rant lasy year, NOT ONE Player, made any attempt to defend or cover for him. That suggests his comments lay well outside the perceptions of others in the squad. Could it be that RD is simply aware of a significant section of the Wallaby squad who have said "Enough is enough"?

Why the fucking hell would anyone step up to defend him and risk their entire career after watching what happened to QC (Quade Cooper)? Pretty sure if anyone had stepped up to bat for him they would have been exiled from Australian rugby for being daft as a brick. The (largely NSW-driven) media backlash was so immediate and so volatile that any player thinking defending him was a good idea should have been referred to a neurologist to check for frontal lobe tumors.

 

[Slim 293]

Why the fucking hell would anyone step up to defend him and risk their entire career after watching what happened to QC (Quade Cooper)? Pretty sure if anyone had stepped up to bat for him they would have been exiled from Australian rugby for being daft as a brick. The (largely NSW-driven) media backlash was so immediate and so volatile that any player thinking defending him was a good idea should have been referred to a neurologist to check for frontal lobe tumors.

Although it's been widely reported that the majority of the Wallaby playing group have not been happy with the three amigos.........

 

[USARugger]

Although it's been widely reported that the majority of the Wallaby playing group have not been happy with the three amigos...

Which is still entirely speculation. The whole Quade at the Reds vs. Quade in Wallaby camp has been done over a thousand times on here. Only real answer is that nobody really knows, unless someone is best friends with a player and has been holding out.

Going back a little to my other post about transparency from the ARU and Wallabies. If there is truly a rift between Deans and QC (Quade Cooper) or whatever it is that may keep QC (Quade Cooper) out of the Wallabies somewhere-in-between-red-and-green colored jersey then why the fuck was he given the highest contract (reportedly) in Australia after all of that went down?

 

[Athilnaur]

I'd say To'omua has the best stats. Plus he makes dominant tackles. Stole this from PR (tackling completion):

To'omua 87.5%
Foley 76.9%
Cooper 74.3%
Beale 65.6%

No O'Connor unfortunately.

672 mins played 32 tackles 1 missed. 96.9% Not bad in a team getting smashed up eh? he also made 558metres. For comparison Cooper 310m. To'omua 361. Foley 454m.

Scanning my eye over the profiles the most similar player to JOC (James O'Connor) for try assists, offloads, linebreaks, metres is Cruden, but JOC (James O'Connor) has had a higher workrate in runs kicks rucks while Cruden has tackled a fair bit more. Cruden's tackle completion is 83%.

JOC (James O'Connor) might not have the size to stop the Tuilagis, but he is the best of our defensive options except perhaps Archies dad. Add in his kicking (most metres save Steyn, Pieterson, Catrakilis) and his known ability to play extremely well under pressure. A few more games like Quades last week and maybe Deans will think hard. But then JOC (James O'Connor) doesn't play outside the best 9 in rugby, and his side is struggling.

 

[USARugger]

Athilnaur Anyone who says JOC (James O'Connor) isn't a good defender is just flat out wrong.

He makes consistently good reads, has excellent form and has a body-type that allows him to generate huge amounts of power with his low COG even before he tacked on the extra kgs.

 

[Athilnaur]

Yeah, he copped some flack missing tackles on Carter and McCabe last year so I think that colours people's thinking a bit.

 

[Slim 293]

Which is still entirely speculation. The whole Quade at the Reds vs. Quade in Wallaby camp has been done over a thousand times on here. Only real answer is that nobody really knows, unless someone is best friends with a player and has been holding out.

Going back a little to my other post about transparency from the ARU and Wallabies. If there is truly a rift between Deans and QC (Quade Cooper) or whatever it is that may keep QC (Quade Cooper) out of the Wallabies somewhere-in-between-red-and-green colored jersey then why the fuck was he given the highest contract (reportedly) in Australia after all of that went down?

The same reason the Folau got a top up to play for the Tahs......... the ARU wanted their new commission.........

 

[Groucho]

No actually he's not.

He is. He's saved many tries for the Wallabies with good cover defence.

 

[Groucho]

What's in a name? A colour by any other name would still look just as yellow?

It's because it's traditionally been used as an insult by the supporters of other rugby nations, in much the same way as we insult the All Blacks by calling them the New Zealand Rugby Team or the AIGs.

If an All Black player went on TV and called them the AIGs, the country would go into meltdown

 

[Slim 293]

He is. He's saved many tries for the Wallabies with good cover defence.

But that was at least a couple of years ago........

His defence in his few games at fullback last year for the Wobs was terrible......

Like a lot of things, it's something he needs to work on again.........

 

[Groucho]

But that was at least a couple of years ago....

His defence in his few games at fullback last year for the Wobs was terrible..

Like a lot of things, it's something he needs to work on again...

Could you provide some examples?

 

[Slim 293]

Bledisloe 1 of last year.......

 

[Groucho]

Bledisloe 1 of last year...

That was clearly his worst game as a Wallaby. But the whole team was poor that day.

 

[Pete King]

He is. He's saved many tries for the Wallabies with good cover defence.

yep and he makes good tackles out wide, 1 on 1. by far his best position is 14. He is still able to be used as a kicking option, can take the ball one pass of the lineout to get us over the ad line with his strong leg drive. He can pop up on 5,6 phase ball from the blind wing and slot into first reciever. All without the burden of having to control the whole game