aus front row

[rugbysmartarse]

I'd like to see more of S Timani this season. He's a 1 cap wallaby, and certainly has the size and strength to be a great tight lock, plus he's handy around the park (especially with a head of steam).

 

[Braveheart81]

I'd like to see more of S Timani this season. He's a 1 cap wallaby, and certainly has the size and strength to be a great tight lock, plus he's handy around the park (especially with a head of steam).

His ever growing 'fro can only be seen as a positive in Australian rugby as well.

 

[TheBigDog]

1. Alexander - can play both sides and is better than the vastly, vastly overrated Robinson - he isn't much of a scrummager and his work around around the park? Half the time I see him standing next to the ruck with his hands on his hips
.

Couldn't agree more. Not so much because of his scrummaging but his effort around the field is well below par IMO.

I haven't taken actual statistics (I may though should he be picked as starting LHP for the Wallys) but he seems to give away an awful lot of penalties for the Tahs around the park. Just lazy things like not being fully onside or rolling out of a ruck area, for a lack of a better phrase I would call them 'Lazy fat man penalties'. I understand he's a prop and isn't supposed to be the most agile or nimble fellow around the field but seriously, he's meant to be the best prop in australia and highly regarded around the world and that shouldn't just be based on scrums. Someone needs to tell him to pull his finger out, put the big mac down and go for another run around the park at the end of training if thats what it takes to drill the laziness out of him.

Should his attitude around the park change i'd be more than happy to have him in the team but if I were a selector I'd be picking blokes who aren't cutting corners. People might think i'm being harsh but those are the types of penalties that cost teams at the end of games.

 

[Blue]

Slipper has been terrible this year. Doesn't even look vaguely like a test player.

Palmer is the man. Thankfully for everyone else Robbie is unlikely to realise this. He will play Kepu. That was his preference going into the RWC. Kepu's okay.

Aus is a hell of a lot better off right now than two years ago where you started test matches with Mafood and Daly. That was scarier than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the average Wob fan.

 

[fatprop]

1. Alexander - can play both sides and is better than the vastly, vastly overrated Robinson - he isn't much of a scrummager and his work around around the park? Half the time I see him standing next to the ruck with his hands on his hips.
2. Moore - absolutely undeniable selection.
3. Palmer - I'm sick of seeing the Australian scrum get shunted around. He'd bring a level of stability to TH that we haven't had in years, his work around the park would increase with inclusion in the Australian set up.
4. Pyle
5. Horwill (C)

16a. TPN - great in the last minutes of the game as a real cannonball against tired players. Needs to work on his lineout throwing - if this turned into an issue I'd replace him with:
16b. Hanson - offers a bit of the same cannonball ability that TPN does, but to a lesser extent, but does offer a solid scrum option and a better throw.
17. Slipper - serviceable scrummager, when he goes on in the end of the game will offer an excellent workrate around the park, particularly against already-tired players.

I am not sure if you are trolling or not, Robinson is the best scrummaging LHP in the country by quite a way. We have no other LHP near as destructive.

If you are really concerned about the Aus scrum being shunted Robinson has to start at LHP.

 

[Blue]

As a non Wob fan I would personally clean robbie Deans' boots after practice for the next year if he drops Robinson.

In fact, I think I might find a few people who whould lick them clean.

What an ueberbizarre notion to question the value of Fat Cat. Borders on the delusional.

"Drop Robinson" sounds almost as mad as "McCaw never cheats". Okay pushing it as little there, I know.

 

[Braveheart81]

Blue, you guys shouldn't select Battleship. He's rubbish. I think Willie Wepener is your best option for this season. :fishing:

 

[The Red Baron]

Blue, you guys shouldn't select Battleship. He's rubbish. I think Willie Wepener is your best option for this season. :fishing:

No no no, you have it all wrong. The Boks should bring back Smit, and keep Wepener on the bench. Then they won't have to select a prop in reserve, because Smit can go to prop if need be.

 

[Blue]

Blue, you guys shouldn't select Battleship. He's rubbish. I think Willie Wepener is your best option for this season. :fishing:

Genius.

Rumor has it Smit is on his way to Pretoria right now. They needed four business class seats.

 

[the sabanator]

You picked Palmer because you're worried about the scrum getting shunted around yet you've gone with Alexander over Robinson.

How exactly is Robinson not much of a scrummager? Can you name an opposing THP who has bettered him in the scrum?

Not in Australia, but against the strong overseas scrummagers his side hasn't faired much better than the TH. I'd pick Alexander simply because of his overwhelmingly better work rate, but I still think he's a superior scrummager to Robinson.

 

[Gagger]

By eye, I'm not seeing the Alexander legendary work rate this season that balances off the gazillion penalties. We're getting the stats together this week to start having a proper look

 

[Gnostic]

Not in Australia, but against the strong overseas scrummagers his side hasn't faired much better than the TH. I'd pick Alexander simply because of his overwhelmingly better work rate, but I still think he's a superior scrummager to Robinson.

On either side of the scrum Alexander isn't the scrummager that Kepu is. As Gagger says without his workrate around the field and his loose running he just doesn't have the advantages that either Kepu or Robinson does.

I wonder if Alexander's percieved reduced work rate and less conspicuous play is determined by the coaches focus telling him to get in tight and perform his core functions.

Kepu is a devasting broken field runner in the mould of Palu but that hasn't been seen at all since Foley went to the Tahs and he moved to THP. I am happy that this be the case as I believe he should be fulfilling his core duties first and foremost.

IMO the best front row would be:-
1. Robinson
2. Moore
3. Palmer

16. Hanson/Charles
17. Kepu

TPN just hasn't been up to the mark this year. The scrum remains strong but the lineout (which is the source of a greater volume of primary possession) is a lottery with him this year. I know that some will say it was much improved last week but the base couldn't have been much lower. He also must address his tackling technique. One can only admire his commitment and opponents must be in fear of getting smashed by him but, his technique has resulted in so many injuires to himself and he ends up playing at reduced effectiveness.

As an earlier poster said we must also look at the second row as the locks are as important to the scrum as the front row. so here I would suggest

4. Horwill
5. Sharpe
18. Pyle/Douglas

Douglas will no doubt attract as much comment as my previous ones regarding TPN and Alexander but the fact is that without him anchoring the TH Lock the Tahs scrum would not be half as solid/dominant. He is not praised enough for this and I think he is conspicuous in his absence from the flashy plays because he is burried somewhere at a ruck, right where he should be. Sharpe is still the premier lineout lock in Oz.

 

[cyclopath]

Couldn't agree more. Not so much because of his scrummaging but his effort around the field is well below par IMO.

I haven't taken actual statistics (I may though should he be picked as starting LHP for the Wallys) but he seems to give away an awful lot of penalties for the Tahs around the park. Just lazy things like not being fully onside or rolling out of a ruck area, for a lack of a better phrase I would call them 'Lazy fat man penalties'. I understand he's a prop and isn't supposed to be the most agile or nimble fellow around the field but seriously, he's meant to be the best prop in australia and highly regarded around the world and that shouldn't just be based on scrums. Someone needs to tell him to pull his finger out, put the big mac down and go for another run around the park at the end of training if thats what it takes to drill the laziness out of him.

Should his attitude around the park change i'd be more than happy to have him in the team but if I were a selector I'd be picking blokes who aren't cutting corners. People might think i'm being harsh but those are the types of penalties that cost teams at the end of games.

Of course, everyone's opinion is valid.
But...when it comes to such issues as work rate and conceding penalties, I would think a perusal of stats would be an essential starting point, particularly to assess carries, tackles, missed tackles etc, and of course penalties conceded.
To write off a player without a cursory look at those might be a tad premature.
I mean, Horwill seems to concede a few penalties too. But I'd probably check that before suggesting he get the arse.

 

[vidiot]

We'll learn a little more about some of the probables and possibles (Slipper, Hanson) and how they're going this season when the Waratahs then the Reds run up against the Crusaders in rounds 10 and 11.

 

[Slim 293]

Not in Australia, but against the strong overseas scrummagers his side hasn't faired much better than the TH. I'd pick Alexander simply because of his overwhelmingly better work rate, but I still think he's a superior scrummager to Robinson.

As a one eyed Brumbies fan I can state unequivocally that Benn Robinson is undoubtedly the best loosehead prop in Australia.

 

[Paradox]

No doubt about Fat Cat. I'm not convinced about Kepu though but hope I'm wrong.

 

[qwerty51]

We'll learn a little more about some of the probables and possibles (Slipper, Hanson) and how they're going this season when the Waratahs then the Reds run up against the Crusaders in rounds 10 and 11.

The Crusaders scrum isn't really that formidable now with Thorn gone. Several teams have done it over.

 

[Gnostic]

The Crusaders scrum isn't really that formidable now with Thorn gone. Several teams have done it over.

And Refs are concentrating very much on props staying straight. One more thing I would like to see is the flankers being made to stay properly bound, to their prop that is not the opposition prop.

 

[vidiot]

The Crusaders scrum isn't really that formidable now with Thorn gone. Several teams have done it over.

Lets hope the Tahs get on top of them then.

 

[qwerty51]

It'll probably be the only aspect of the game we win... like the Chiefs game