Argentina v Australia II @ 5.10am 14/08

[wamberal]

The problems for Australia Rugby start well below the Wallabies. Stupid as is as stupid does supporting your competition

A couple of points. Just because junior players get paid by NRL clubs does not automatically mean they are lost to our game. Secondly, your assertion that selecting players with a league background is, by definition, stupid. Maybe the people who put their time into this sort of junior rugby development actually know what they are doing?

 

[Lightblue]

Rather bring To'omua back.... yeah I said that.

No

 

[Kenny Powers]

. Maybe the people who put their time into this sort of junior rugby development actually know what they are doing?

Based on recent results of the Tahs that would be a no they don’t know what they are doing. The uptick under Coleman is because he respects Shute Shield and players that perform at this level.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I disagree. Missed a few key tackles and our scrum really struggled compared to last week. He is not yet test standard. I thought Pollard looked better.
Tupou was once again way off the pace. AAA should start when fit. Wright is not a fullback and both he and Petaia still need to work on ball security. Foketi and Simone a big step down from Paisami. Arnold did not look test ready. Philip would have brought more.
Valetini is getting better but needs support. I thought Tate looked good when he came on.

JOC (James O'Connor) (James O'Connor) was ok at best.

JB, surely the weaker scrum cannot be attributed only, or in the main imo, to the hooker. It was Tupou who was multiple penalised, not Slipper or Lonergan. Still, we'll be better served with FF (Folau Fainga'a) and AAA against the Saffas.

Agree totally that Tom Wright is not a No 15. He probably doesn't think so either but with very few options that's where the coaches wanted him. He is a better winger, and better at wing than Jordan Petaia.

Foketi was fine I thought. The centre pairing was one of our few highlights and will only get better with more game time. I reckon Foketi could become a better team No 12 than either of Kerevi oe Paisami. Simone was dependable - made no mistakes in his time that I noticed.

In hindsight, Arnold should not have been in the 23. Injured or unfit maybe, but whatever we would have been better served with Philip.

Tate was pretty ordinary. Great 50/22 but Cubelli owned him late in the game.

JOC (James O'Connor) was not up to par. I hope we don't ever have to rely on him at test level again.

 

[Brumby Runner]

If we score that try and go ahead 17-14 in the first half maybe the game plays out differently? We just had too much inexperience in several areas and missed a few players that normally hold it together. The bench did not bring much outside of Tate and the yellow for McReight was not justified. Could easily have been a yellow for Kramer in the first half. Should have been.
Tough game for the Wallabies.

McReight was YCed for three breaches in the lead up to the try. I thought the ref said he was the culprit on each occasion but it could have been a team card.

One or two Argies certainly could have been carded but so could both of Tupou (diving on a player on the ground) and Koroibete (no arms tackle). Evened out over the game. I do think a couple of decisions went against us in try scoring positions. The second try by the Argie LH prop could easily, and probably should, have been our penalty for not releasing the ball in the tackle, while the Argie No 9 made his tackle on Petaia at least 1 - 2 metres before the tryline and should have released both the ball and the player which would have allowed Petaia to place it for the try.

 

[Drew]

Thought the same with the LHP and Petaias no try

 

[Adam84]

McReight was YCed for three breaches in the lead up to the try. I thought the ref said he was the culprit on each occasion but it could have been a team card.

1st infringement was Samu in on the side of the maul, 2nd was McReight collapsing said maul, and 3rd was Mcreight offside.

 

[Joe Blow]

I actually thought McReight was pretty good. Involved in everything and gave it 100%, as usual. Tight 5 got rolled.

 

[Adam84]

I thought Mcreight was good also, in a badly beaten forward pack. Still needs to learn to pick his times a bit better, but will be better for the experience.

Another positive is that Petaia has made it through consecutive tests now playing 80mins.

 

[Slim 293]

Tom Wright saved his worst game of the year for that one... I hope.

I thought Foketi looked alright at 12, and Ikitau was almost, almost faultless.

They looked ok in parts, but almost like a team that's gone through an almost starting team worth of changes...

 

[DELETE ACCOUNT]

Not sure what Arnold has learnt in France but he sure didn't bring any of it to this game.

 

[stillmissit]

The problems for Australia Rugby start well below the Wallabies. Stupid as is as stupid does supporting your competitionView attachment 14521

It goes to show that our lack of talent ID and ability to sign up youngsters on a more the better chance of getting a good un is poor to non-existent.

 

[Bullrush]

JOC (James O'Connor) is not a Test 10. Been saying this since at least last year. Play Lolo now so he gets decent time before the RWC.

 

[Viking]

I actually thought McReight was pretty good. Involved in everything and gave it 100%, as usual. Tight 5 got rolled.

I find McReight so hit and miss. Gives away too many penalties at the moment. Definitely has a bright future. If he plays more like his second half in the first test he'll be pushing Hooper. At the moment, Hooper is daylights ahead.

 

[Viking]

Biggest disappointment for me is Tupou. So much potential. We should be seeing so much more from him by now.

 

[DELETE ACCOUNT]

It goes to show that our lack of talent ID and ability to sign up youngsters on a more the better chance of getting a good un is poor to non-existent.

stop recruiting in the school yard to start with.

Let them grow into their bodies and skillset at clubland before thinking professional contracts. If they want to go to mungo ball then let them. The ones with passion for the game will stay and develop into better rugby players with some hardened competition.

 

[wamberal]

Biggest disappointment for me is Tupou. So much potential. We should be seeing so much more from him by now.

Needs to put his head down and his bum up and get on with the hard stuff. Stop seagulling for a while.

 

[DELETE ACCOUNT]

Biggest disappointment for me is Tupou. So much potential. We should be seeing so much more from him by now.

My bet is he will be on the first plane to Europe or japan the day after the RWC finishes. Seems to be motivated by $$$$ more than anything else.

 

[DELETE ACCOUNT]

Needs to put his head down and his bum up and get on with the hard stuff. Stop seagulling for a while.

Yep one or two big flash youtube type runs a game doesn't justify the time and money spent on him so far IMHO.

 

[griffins]

JB, surely the weaker scrum cannot be attributed only, or in the main imo, to the hooker. It was Tupou who was multiple penalised, not Slipper or Lonergan. Still, we'll be better served with FF (Folau Fainga'a) (Folau Fainga'a) and AAA against the Saffas.

Do you not think that maybe Tupou's natural inclination to bore in was accentuated by needing to help the very light Lonergan out in the middle?

On McReight, he did his core job pretty well (behind a beaten pack as noted elsewhere). However no one has mentioned the crucial turnover he conceded attempting an all or nothing one out pick and go afte Ikitau made that big first half break and linked with Foketi. That was another huge opportunity, with the Argentian line cut to ribbons and retreating, that we just cannot afford to butcher. Equally as crucial as the Slipper penalty call in the context of that first half.