Aus Babas v. Poms

[en_force_er]

I think after the second Baba game we need to stop worrying about artificially creating depth and let it grow itself.

The ABs had a ridiculous amount of depth for the 2007 WC due to the rotation policy and we ALL know how that went.

 

[JimboJoe1006]

First, I admit I didn't catch the game, just got home from work - however I have tried to catch-up on performances on here and elsewhere.

The backs are fine, haven't seen this much depth/talent in a long-time. Would like to see Mortlock have a serious crack again, and 9 is bit of an issue without Genia. However all is swell here.

Forwards are a joke. Very little depth from 1-8, alot of injuries however this is rugby and this is to be expected. Better now than this time next year anyway. Loose-forwards have some depth, Hoiles, Palu, Elsom, Hodgson, Pocock and Brown. A couple of these players are quite green-horn and cannot see them competing against SA, and even NZ at the breakdon - there was alot of standing around by Brown and Pocock on Saturday. I believe Waugh should be given a greater look-in, at least for the Ba Ba's.

Locks - Horwill, Shapre and Mumm are all good players. However, with the talent SA has at the moment Australia must lift - Vickerman is a key to return next year and Kane Douglas has alot of potential.

Hookers - Good, Edmunds is impressive. At full-strength Australia is very strong here - I would pick TPN ahead of Moore.

Props - hmmmm, Robinson is by far Australia's most important player. Alexander is v.overated at scrums, Cowan and Weeks are bolters. I rate Baxter who had a good season. Bring back the Fuse!

 

[Lee Grant]

Is Kennedy in the touring squad or has Johnson marked him as a player never to play for England?

He's not highly regarded by Johnson because he is an athletic lock with all the skills but not a hard man like himself.

 

[dbla]

In my eyes the only suprise woeful performance in the front row was weeks (everyone already knew cowan couldn't scrummage) and I don't think its all bad that the scrum went the way it did. It was a nothing game in which up and coming players like weeks and slipper now know exactly where they stand in terms of international scrummaging and hopefully this performance will be the kick up the arse they need to become better scrummagers. If it is as bad as tonight come saturday then I'll probably start to worry...

 

[daz]

I am just back from attending the game. I'm not going to say too much about the standard since most of you have already done so; suffice to say it was ordinary from both teams. As expected, our front row was excretable, and the Pom backs were about the same. The only other thing I will say is could someone please teach Cummins how to catch a ball and Cowan, etc how scrummage. Maybe Cummins and Tait should attend after school tuition...

The best part was the old midweek feel. Non-playing Wallabies were everywhere signing, chatting to fans, having a laugh. (All except Giteau, the snob, who stayed in the corporate area all night!) It was a great atmosphere. My son gathered about 30 autographs and as many photos and at no stage did anyone look shitty at having to mingle with the fans. After the game, Barnes directed the guys to do a meet and greet lap which was really well received by all who stayed back. I'm no naive country bumpkin but I have to say that it was great having that kind of personal fan access. The kids thought it was awesome.

Oh, and did I mention that the game was shocking? Yes, I think I did....

 

[dobduff11]

how did JOC (James O'Connor) play?

 

[daz]

The kid is a freak of nature. Just a joy to watch.

I don't know whether this should be taken too seriously, but it does seem significant that once he left the field (no doubt to rescue kittens, help old ladies across the road and just generally walk on a bit of water) our scoring dried to a trickle. Only 3 points from Barnes' boot post-JOC (James O'Connor), compared to the 25 JOC (James O'Connor) put on the board.

 

[BRIX]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27245610-23217,00.html

Deans defended the efforts of his front-row, blaming his own "meddling" for the weak finish by asking specialist tighthead Weeks to play at loosehead when Pekahou Cowan was replaced by James Slipper early in the second half.

"We asked Weeksy to do something that he hadn't done since high school which contributed to that 15 minutes of uncertainty (before he was yellow carded),'' he said.

Fair go on Weeks boys, he was playing out of position. I think the benifit of not having commentrary was the fact that you could hear the players communicate and I think the Baa's did that well in the first half. Too many changes too early on really shook us but who cares. Rather than discecting the game too much more, I'd rather say that I seek solice in the fact that Englands run on squad will not be too far off from who they fielded today.

This isn't a Saxons team guys, Varndell, Luke Narraway, James Simpson Daniel and them lot are playing Churchill cup. A full strength NSW scrum would have dismantled the Poms on tonights showing. While a spades a spade, we do need to muscle up in and around the breakdown.

Our backline have the potential to put 40+ points on this very transparent English outfit.

 

[Brumby Jack]

The English lock, Attwood, has been cited for 2 alleged stomping incidents.

 

[fatprop]

What do you expect when you choose LHPs on their workrate and don't commit players to the breakdown and the run one out.

 

[Scarfman]

There just seems to be something fundamentally wrong with the Wallabies forward pack coaching and developmental capability. If we look at the wonders McKenzie performed with this year's Reds pack - witness the Reds v Bulls and v Stormers games - whomever said appoint Link to coach the senior Wallabies forwards squads had an inspired and perhaps desperately needed proposal.

Totally agree. Why are we playing this kind of rugby? I thought we had got over it a couple of seasons ago. We get smashed in the breakdown every week - even by fucking Fiji - and we don't change. Deans is starting to impres me as the most stubborn coach of the modern era. He has a plan and some favoured players and sticks to it no matter how awful we become.

On the performances of the past week we deserve to come 4th in the Trinations.

 

[Reddy!]

Yeh I thought Weeks work rate was good around the ground, just got pushed around in the scrums.

Are we back to the days where our backline carries us in each and every match? Maybe we are, but at least we will be able to watch some good footy again

 

[Reddy!]

Agree Scarfy, he is stubborn. I honestly can't wait to see the back of him. Any other SANZAR coach would have been sacked if they had a winning record like us last year.

 

[Langthorne]

The golden rule when picking props is that scrummaging comes first. Break that rule and you look like a mug - I'm talking about you Robbie. Why would he ask a guy to play LHP when he hasn't done it for years? Did he even train in that position this week? It really shits me to see the Wallaby (Baa Baas or otherwise) getting reamed in the scrums.

The other problem is Deans' tactics with regards the breakdown. I have no problem with not committing numbers unneccessarily, but I think Aussie teams thrive on high intensity play, fast ball...a general blitzkreig style that puts the oppostion on the back foot. Small forwards (relative to SA, Eng, NZ) coupled with a lack of bodies committed (aggressively) at the breakdown is not a good combination.

JO'C, McCalman and Barnes all looked good. Most of the backs did well with the ball they got. Cummins and Valentine were frustrating at times.

In most cases the reserves didn't get enough of a run - maybe next time.

 

[rsea]

The golden rule when picking props is that scrummaging comes first. Break that rule and you look like a mug - I'm talking about you Robbie. Why would he ask a guy to play LHP when he hasn't done it for years? Did he even train in that position this week? It really shits me to see the Wallaby (Baa Baas or otherwise) getting reamed in the scrums.

The other problem is Deans' tactics with regards the breakdown. I have no problem with not committing numbers unneccessarily, but I think Aussie teams thrive on high intensity play, fast ball...a general blitzkreig style that puts the oppostion on the back foot. Small forwards (relative to SA, Eng, NZ) coupled with a lack of bodies committed (aggressively) at the breakdown is not a good combination.

JO'C, McCalman and Barnes all looked good. Most of the backs did well with the ball they got. Cummins and Valentine were frustrating at times.

In most cases the reserves didn't get enough of a run - maybe next time.

Good post and I agree with everything except comments about Barnes. I think he's still running out of ideas in attack and rather than going into contact his go-to is that stupid grubber. You can't afford to gift possession in internationals like that. Also I thought most of the reserves had a decent hit out.

 

[Lance Free]

What we conveniently forget is that we may not have our top 5 front rowers available, but the Poms are without a group of their top ones as well - Sheridan, Vickery, Mullan and Hartley. Which suggests that the depth in our front row stocks has been illusory.

Interestingly, the two props who were lambasted a few years ago as failures (and rightly so) are probably the only two left who are capable of providing a semi-stable platform to base our scrum on, neither of whom will be featuring this week (Dunning on form and le Fuse because he's 'damaged goods').

Fuse is probably the best scrummaging tighthead available but there's no way Deans will be picking him.....

 

[Scotty]

Seems to be a little over reaction here regarding scrums. Does no one remember how we went in the 3N last year? We pretty much smashed SA in the scrums and were even with NZ, except for the infamous Joubert/Baxter game. Yes, we don't have the depth, but that has always been the case for the Wallabies. We can still win the RWC next year if we have our best players on the park.

The scrums are less of an issue than the breakdown.

Now the question is who is going to play LHP this weekend?

 

[Scotty]

PS I wonder if JOC (James O'Connor) going off early points to him starting vs the POMs. It may be that Robbie is selecting between JOC (James O'Connor) and Hynes for the bench and starting position. I think Kurtley will be left out of the 22.

 

[DPK]

I thought Hynes actually showed some real pace last night, as opposed to deceptive pace. He looks really good in attack.

 

[rsea]

He looked good for a bloke who hasn't played in 3 weeks or so. Always solid, always looking to attack. Hasn't got the agility of JOC (James O'Connor) but has greater experience and defense which is key for mine