Argentina v Australia TRC Round 4 Sunday 8 September 5am (AEST)

[Froggy]

While no-one was great, I think quite a few players, particularly among the starters, had pretty solid games. It just seemed to me that the fast game the Pumas played, lots of passing and offloads, lots of changes of direction, just keep the speed of the game up completely demolished the Wallabies. It seemed plenty of individuals were trying hard to defend, but as a team they just completely lost all structure, and looked like they had absolutely no idea how to react to it. The Pumas were trying to do that in the first half but dropped a lot of ball, but once they improved their accuracy in the second half we were just completely lost.
I thought the starting front row were good, Williams is a worker and I thought Donaldson offered more than Lolesio, particularly with his long kicking game. And Tate showed exactly why he's the right guy to bring on late.
I have been a huge Slipper fan, but I'm afraid the fat lady has sung, it's all over. I would be cutting AAA some slack, but he certainly hasn't come back from injury at the level he was before.
Very tough day, and while there were a million things to criticise, I thought our inability to react to the Pumas speed in attack was the most telling.

 

[TSR]

I understand a lot (maybe most) aren’t going to see it this way but I thought there were a decent number of positives to take from the game.

The difference between minutes 10 - 30 and the rest are stark but shows what the team could be capable of.

 

[Tomthumb]

No, any game you concede 67 points like that, I can’t agree that players were putting in effort. They quit in the second half when it got a bit too hard, and it’s an indictment on both the players and the coaches

 

[Shiggins]

that yellow to Kellaway at the end was harsh. 9 dummied. then they ask if it's a panalty try hahaha. he threw it into touch

 

[Shiggins]

there are about 6-7 moments in this game where we made some very poor decisions and execution that you can point to which turned this game around. the most outstanding is that the wallabies just didn't look like they wanted to play in the second half. poor defence from the forwards, slow, not chasing kicks. looked like they ran out of steam. that was the most disappointing thing.

no idea why we are playing jorgensen. unless Toole isn't fit. that is the only reason he would start over Toole.

winning 2 games in Argentina was a big ask and winning one game I take all day. but the effort in the second half of that game just wasn't there which is very disappointing.if we lose that game by 10 it's not a step backwards. getting 67 put on us is a step back

 

[Dan54]

I thought Tupou was by far the busiest he has been in a game for about 3 yrs. I assumed he was given instructions (and maybe a kick in the arse) to drain the tank and when he ran out of gas, so be it, they would sub him.

Yep TSR, not dig at Taniela, but where game has got to, empty your tank and don't worry about lasting 80,just send shudders through me. I know that's more or less how Boks bomb squad works. Just showing my age where we wanted players to be able to play for 80 minutes.

 

[Marce]

You clearly love to play the antagonist and the Wallabies are easy prey. Far enough - that’s part and parcel of a public forum. But it’s been made very clear that Kerevi, Skelton et al have opted out of the Wallavies for whatever reason. You and others repeating ad nauseam that they should be picked is pointless.

Look at my messages in both games. I supported the Wallabies in both. I celebrated the victory and I suffered in the defeat.

So say something about me at this point is pointless. If I and others name Skelton, Rory and Kerevi is cause there are not magic solutions. You only can pick what you have. In a long term solution you have to change your policy and call some overseas players or offer them the deals they deserve.

If you can offered a bunch of money to Eddie Jones and Sua'ali'i, you can offer big contracts to those 3 players.

Tizzano, Stewart, Angus Blyth and the others are good kids. Just not good enough to play test rugby, they aren't top class and not gonna be the new Skelton in 1, 5 or 10 years

 

[rugbyAU]

Just think about all the pastings the AB’s have given us over the years, and then realise we just conceded more points today that any of those

this is the all time low point of Australian Rugby. 67 points, there is no way back from this

Agreed

 

[Shiggins]

when Donaldson took the mark and kicked the ball right up to the pumas 22 no one chased. it was such a good kick and would have been good gain if we chased and didn't let Argentina take a quick throw or at least put pressure on it. how is there no chaser? where was MK ? moments like this just show it's a lack of coms, knowing their role or effort.

 

[Shiggins]

Tizzano,..Just not good enough to play test rugby, they aren't top class and not gonna be the new Skelton in 1, 5 or 10 years

how anyone can say tizzano isn't good enough is beyond me. kerevi has been average for 2 years. he isn't the kerevi of 5 years ago.

 

[drewprint]

Logged in this morning expecting to see a white hot Marce and have not been disappointed. Blowhard levels cranked up to 100.

 

[Marce]

how anyone can say tizzano isn't good enough is beyond me. kerevi has been average for 2 years. he isn't the kerevi of 5 years ago.

Until 2022 he was bloody good. A smart Union would keep him like IRFU did with Sexton or Bundee Aki. But you have your best inside centre playing rugby in Japan meanwhile you wasted a lot of money in Eddie Jones and others

Tizzano is good, he would be a great 7 for Scotland like Jack Dempsey or the current Wales. But Australia used to have the best openside flankers in the world not too long ago with George Smith, Pocock or Hooper. Tizzano isn't at that level and against a 100% fit McReight he has no chances. So the kid put 100% effort, he just isn't the level of openside flanker Australia had when it was a world beater. That's all, I like him

 

[TSR]

Look at my messages in both games. I supported the Wallabies in both. I celebrated the victory and I suffered in the defeat.

I’m not questioning who you support. You claim you support the Wallabies. I don’t know you so happy to take you at your word. But you do persist in posting streams of antagonistic posts. You’re far from the only one and it’s understandable with how things are going. But you seem to be the most prolific, so if you’re going to post incessantly things that clearly annoy people than I don’t see how you can be surprised you get push back, regardless of who you support. Doesn’t mean you have to stop on my account - but don’t act slighted.

With regards to the specific posts about picking Skelton, Kerevi etc I do find them annoying to the point I probably over-react at times - not just from you - because it seems pretty obvious Schmidt tried to engage them and it hasn’t worked out. That might not be their fault - but it hasn’t worked out so why just keep repeating the same pointless post.

We might as well go back to when people used to post things akin to ‘why don’t we pick players like Retalliick & Nonu’.

Whatever the reasons we can only pick the players who are available and those two aren’t.

 

[Derpus]

God damn that's a shellacking. Wow.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I thought we were past this mindset with Kolbe and Arendse dominating but I guess not

In isolation, or on the end of the SA backline Toole is a great option.

We are a tiny team at the moment, especially with the reserves on.

Selecting Toole for Koro makes that problem worse. We are left with even fewer bigger bodies

 

[Confucius Say]

If an under 9 team you coached were up by 20-3 and then got 64 points to 7 put on them you’d be doing a lot of soul searching. But you’d put it down to kids having an off day and not believing in what they could achieve when it got tough.

This is a national team that showed no plan or intent to turn that humiliation around. Not one of those playing put their body on the line with a big hit in defence or a smart plan. WTF were they saying to each other after each try?

 

[Tomthumb]

Lack of size is not why we lose. Lack of skill, lack of determination, lack of excision, lack of vision etc is why we lose. It’s schoolboy level thinking to pick a winger because the scales read a higher number.

 

[capalaba]

I would be cutting AAA some slack, but he certainly hasn't come back from injury at the level he was before.

Mate the fat lady lost her voice after the second game v Wales. Instead of resting him, dropping him, giving his injuries time to heal, the HIA knock, crank on his neck and I think knee injury. I believe the test match stat meant more to Aussie rugby than winning the game with our best 23.

 

[LevitatingSocks]

Yep TSR, not dig at Taniela, but where game has got to, empty your tank and don't worry about lasting 80,just send shudders through me. I know that's more or less how Boks bomb squad works. Just showing my age where we wanted players to be able to play for 80 minutes.

Bit of a compounding effect really. The Springboks pack can play with more intensity knowing they'll have near equal quality replacement because South Africa have fantastic depth.

We lack both depth and fitness and thus have to sacrifice either intensity or player quality when the replacements come on to some degree.

It's early in my opinion to sledge Laurie Fisher. Schmidt has had the team together for a short period of time and chopped and changed personnel. The way the Pumas play in attack will punish any defense that doesn't have trust or cohesion that comes with time.

It's still early in this cycle, let's not panic.

 

[Marce]

Whatever the reasons we can only pick the players who are available and those two aren’t.

No cause Kerevi or Skelton are just names. In the future the best Aussie player overseas could be McReight and you have to define your policy. If you are going to keep them or pick overseas.