Aus vs NZ - 1st Test Sydney 17Aug2013
- Thread starter Kaz
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Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
Ah, Australia's new immigration scheme:
We'll take EVERYONE who doesn't come by boat or plane
We'll take EVERYONE who doesn't come by boat or plane
jamey jones
Frank Nicholson (4)
Team to face New Zealand
This is strictly my opinion and new one elses
1. Benn Robbinson
2. Stephan Moore
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Hugh Pyle
5. James Horwill
6. Ben Mowen
7. Michael Hooper
8. Dave Dennis
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Joe Tomane
12. Christian Leali''ifano
13. Adam Ashley Cooper
14. Israel Folau
15. Jesse Mogg
16. Tatufu Polata Nau
17. Scott Sio
18. James Slipper
19. Scott Fardy
20. Liam Gill
21. Nic White
22. Tevita Kuindrani
23. Matt Tumoua/ James O'Connor
This is strictly my opinion and new one elses
1. Benn Robbinson
2. Stephan Moore
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Hugh Pyle
5. James Horwill
6. Ben Mowen
7. Michael Hooper
8. Dave Dennis
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Joe Tomane
12. Christian Leali''ifano
13. Adam Ashley Cooper
14. Israel Folau
15. Jesse Mogg
16. Tatufu Polata Nau
17. Scott Sio
18. James Slipper
19. Scott Fardy
20. Liam Gill
21. Nic White
22. Tevita Kuindrani
23. Matt Tumoua/ James O'Connor
lewisr
Bill McLean (32)
Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
When does the Japanese Season start?
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
I think they have a couple of seasons / series / divisions, they don't conflict with ours.
Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
With respect to George Smith, when is the last safe moment that we can use him here for the Wobs, and when will Suntory want him back on deck?
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
I know, but how good would it be seeing the two 7's compete in a Bledisloe again.
I liked the
Brumbies front row on the weekend,
Locks Kev, and Pyle as locks,
Backrow MMM, Gill, Mowen,
Genia
Cooper
JOC (James O'Connor)
Lilo
Kuindrani
Folua
Mogg
Reserves
Backs - White, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Horne.
Forwards - Hooper, TPN, Fat Cat, Slipper, Simmons,
Cooper, and Lilo can both play 10 (& JOC (James O'Connor)?) so I have not included To'omua.
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), can play 13, 14, 15, and Kuindrani has been play awesome rugby.
Horne is not in the 40 but his stats "No evidence here as to why Rob Horne was left out. His numbers are clearly better than both Harris and Fainga'a" and he covers 12, 13.
USARugger
John Thornett (49)
Sorry but there is no logical reason to replace AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) with a debutant in Kuridrani (short of injury). AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is the best 13 in Australia and played well during the Lions series.
He can play 14 or 15 - out of position. Just because you could start using the electric kettle to make Hot Toddys at 7am doesn't make it a good idea.
He can play 14 or 15 - out of position. Just because you could start using the electric kettle to make Hot Toddys at 7am doesn't make it a good idea.
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
I can't argue with those comments.
However I have liked what Kuridrani has done this year, maybe it's EOY tour but I'd like to see him play outside of QC (Quade Cooper) and Lilo.
I'm not and have never been a fan of playing players out of position, but bench players need to provide a bit of utility, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) brings this.
KEV = HORWILL ?
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
Yep, Big Kev is Horwill
As USA said hard on AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), and I agree with his comments I've tried to look at balance in the 23 so over the full 80 we stay strong.
You've named him as both your second rowers
Very diplomatic benching one of manly's favourite sons too Dave! Think Hoopers breakdown work has suffered a bit after leaving the brumbies. Gotta say from the games and from the current players that I know from down at the club opinion, Laurie F is the man in that area.
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
Tah fixed.
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
Thems' the breaks and you cant ignore Gill, I'd love to see Smith but that want happen - The 2 apprentices would learn so much from Smith if he was involved (maybe the ARU top up for Smith
) .Hooper has a far better ball in hand game than Gill, but Mowen, and MMM, can cover a little of that broadly.
Gill's pilfering has been superior this year.
If you look at the impact Smith had on the game against the Bulls, the turnovers kept the Brumbies in the game - it was almost an average of 1 very 10 minutes.
Please note as I said above though with regards to AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) - balanced team who looses nothing over the full 80. Hoops in the last 30 could be very telling.
Rassie
Trevor Allan (34)
Didn't the Lions beat up that team
USARugger
John Thornett (49)
I've liked the look of Kuridrani this year as well and was upset when he wasn't named in the training camp for the Lions. I'd love to see him get some time in the coming months. I just don't believe there are grounds to dismiss AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) from the starting line up for the Bledisloe tests. He can play 14 and 15 when he has to but is leagues better at 13 and has been the 'rock' keeping our back line solvent in the face of adversity for a while now. For that reason moving him out of the 13 jersey makes me much more uneasy than shifting just about anyone else.
We also already have the best utility back sub in the world with JOC (James O'Connor) (although personally I'd like to see him starting at 14). Most of our other potential backs subs provide sufficient utility as well. Ie, Cooper can cover 10/12 or even 15 at a pinch, Mogg can cover Wing/15, Tomane covers Wing/13, CFS can cover Wing/13, Foley covers 10/15, etc.
It is definitely a personal philosophy and not fact or even provable but I always default towards weighting making sure a 'starter' is cemented in their position and allowed to specialize over maximizing bench utility at the expense of the former. Injuries are simply (just about) impossible to predict and while you should hedge against it you should not build your selections around it.
I would like to see someone else given a shot at 11. Not to say he was bad but I was disappointed by Tomane during the Lions series when considering it as a whole. Quiet for the most part and still made some basic mistakes. Don't throw him in the wilderness for good but time to rotate Cummins or somebody else in and see how they go. This is especially true if Link has any intentions of playing Folau at 15 where he will be somewhat less available for the midfield crashes. Tomane is much more of a 'classic' winger than the other 11s selected under Deans (lower work-rate, stays more or less fixed towards his sideline instead of roaming actively) which made me scratch my head a bit when he got selected in the first place.
Hooper's 'ball in hand' game has become a little overblown. He's very fast and powerful for his size but is not a great distributor. In fact I believe Gill is a much better link player and has even executed some cut-out passes during loose play this season that would make some Wallaby backs blush. Better running game for sure but not better 'ball in hand'.
I was surprised by Chibbas exclusion in favor of S. Finger. I don't think there's too much between them st the current moment but I think Chibba has a higher ceiling. I would have liked to see him given some more time at test level to see if he can grow there. Saia has had loads of chances and if he's proven anything it is that he is a very 50/50 performer. TPN (so does Saia, you can put your knives back now) still has line out yips and that just isn't okay for a hooker playing any level of professional footy. You don't select 9s who can't pass, 10s who can't distribute, locks that can't jump, props that can't scrummage, or hookers who can't throw. Doing so would be...well it would be sort of like living in the past, now wouldn't it?
Sorry for the wall of text - haven't been posting much recently but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about our Wallabies
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