Australia v Argentina 7 Oct 2017 in Mendoza

[Braveheart81]

Beale and TK were both pretty average/quiet.

I don't think either of them had a bad game though.

They did their job. Both made a couple of mistakes but also did a bunch of good things too.

If that is the standard of the worst performances in the starting XV then we're looking at very good overall performances by the team in my view.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I am amazed by some of the responses to my post about Kepu. So many jumping to his defense when as far as I am concerned he was never under attack. I simply observed that he had had a disappointing game and provided some areas where I thought he was lacking. It was one game only, after he has played a succession of good games, so no call from me for him to be axed or dropped, just an observation about that particular game. I suspect that he is probably suffering an injury, tiredness or some sort of minor illness, maybe all three.

No players are above a reality check when they put in a below performance. It should be noted and recorded as such.

 

[barbarian]

Fair enough BR.

Kepu is a really great example of the need for us to be patient with prop development. Made his debut at 22 in 2008, and has now put in arguable his best Wallaby season 9 years later.

There were some rocky moments along the way where he looked out of his depth at international level. But he has ridden them out and is now one of our most important players.

Think we should keep that in mind when we talk about Robertson, Faulkner, even Slipper. Their best years may be 5-10 years away.
.

 

[Derpus]

Fair enough BR.

Kepu is a really great example of the need for us to be patient with prop development. Made his debut at 22 in 2008, and has now put in arguable his best Wallaby season 9 years later.

There were some rocky moments along the way where he looked out of his depth at international level. But he has ridden them out and is now one of our most important players.

Think we should keep that in mind when we talk about Robertson, Faulkner, even Slipper. Their best years may be 5-10 years away.
.

Props are a pain in the ass man. 8 years of cultivation for 2-3 years of peak performance. So inefficient.

 

[Up the Guts]

Props are a pain in the ass man. 8 years of cultivation for 2-3 years of peak performance. So inefficient.

Worth the 8 years to see him go 60 against the Chiefs and bully McKenzie for the final 22m.

 

[Quick Hands]

I assume that most of us have done some long distance travel. Surely it is pretty obvious that the ridiculous travel schedule that these players endure will affect some of them. Who knows what sort of condition all of them are in, some of them are bound to be carrying minor problems.


Cut them a bit of slack when they are off their game a bit. They are not Supermen.

Over 30 hours in the air spread out over 3 days to get from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg, to Sao Paulo to Buenos Aries to Mendoza. After playing at altitude, it's a physically very taxing experience.

 

[dru]

Over 30 hours in the air spread out over 3 days to get from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg, to Sao Paulo to Buenos Aries to Mendoza. After playing at altitude, it's a physically very taxing experience.

That’s the gig though.

 

[wamberal]

That’s the gig though.

Yes, we all should understand it when it affects player performance. They are human beings, not machines.

 

[dru]

Yes, we all should understand it when it affects player performance. They are human beings, not machines.

It’s not the players input that bothers me. I do get concerned about how fitness IE S&C is managed on these occasions. The boys looked flat, starting with Mr Ever Ready (Hooper) blowing hard in less than 30min.

You’d they’ve reviewed it and have a (better) plan for the next time extended travel comes in to play.

 

[jimmydubs]

If we had any cash I'd say charter a plane and fly direct. Lots of charter operators in south Africa

 

[jimmydubs]

Fair enough BR.

Kepu is a really great example of the need for us to be patient with prop development. Made his debut at 22 in 2008, and has now put in arguable his best Wallaby season 9 years later.

There were some rocky moments along the way where he looked out of his depth at international level. But he has ridden them out and is now one of our most important players.

Think we should keep that in mind when we talk about Robertson, Faulkner, even Slipper. Their best years may be 5-10 years away.
.

I'd argue we shouldn't be picking them till later. Robertson a case in point. He's kinda ok but will havr some shockers in yhe next years if he keeps getting thrown in the fire and may end up on the scrap heap as a result . Keep and cherish the old guard who are peaking. Slipper should be coming into that.

 

[Derpus]

It’s not the players input that bothers me. I do get concerned about how fitness IE S&C is managed on these occasions. The boys looked flat, starting with Mr Ever Ready (Hooper) blowing hard in less than 30min.

You’d they’ve reviewed it and have a (better) plan for the next time extended travel comes in to play.

You're a hard man to please.

 

[Braveheart81]

Was Faulkner clearly better though? He did a couple of good things when he came on but also made an error. His scrummaging seemed reasonable but Robertson's has been as well.

You would certainly expect Slipper to come back in when healthy, particularly if he can utilise his bigger frame to his advantage without it hurting the rest of his game. He's not an 86 test Wallaby for nothing.

 

[Brumby Runner]

the older brigade just approaching prop maturity - Slipper, Cowan, Faulkner, Alexander.

 

[Joe Blow]

Was Faulkner clearly better though? He did a couple of good things when he came on but also made an error. His scrummaging seemed reasonable but Robertson's has been as well.

You would certainly expect Slipper to come back in when healthy, particularly if he can utilise his bigger frame to his advantage without it hurting the rest of his game. He's not an 86 test Wallaby for nothing.

Robertson has done a good job and the criticism is way off the mark. Faulkner was a step down for mine. He spilled a couple of balls that Robertson would have held on to. Scrummaging is a similar level for both - adequate.

 

[barbarian]

You would certainly expect Slipper to come back in when healthy, particularly if he can utilise his bigger frame to his advantage without it hurting the rest of his game. He's not an 86 test Wallaby for nothing.

The fact that he has already played 86 tests is utterly ridiculous.
.

 

[Braveheart81]

The fact that he has already played 86 tests is utterly ridiculous.
.

Yep. Still only 28.

Kepu actually drew level with him for test caps against the Pumas.

Kepu will presumably become our most capped test prop ever against the All Blacks on Saturday week.

 

[Strewthcobber]

If we had any cash I'd say charter a plane and fly direct. Lots of charter operators in south Africa

Do SANZAAR pay for travel and accommodation of TRC games like they do for Super rugby games?

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[Quick Hands]

It’s not the players input that bothers me. I do get concerned about how fitness IE S&C is managed on these occasions. The boys looked flat, starting with Mr Ever Ready (Hooper) blowing hard in less than 30min.

You’d they’ve reviewed it and have a (better) plan for the next time extended travel comes in to play.

I'm not sure that there is any training that can deal with this particular issue. And the way TRC works, we always finish with an away game in SA and then a 7 day break to get to Argentina for the last game.

There is no direct flight from South Africa to Argentina.

Most international flights from South Africa leave from Johannesburg - we haven't played SA in J'burg since TRC started, so we always have an additional domestic flight from either Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban or Bloemfontein to to there. The flight from Johannsburg doesn't go to Argentina, but to Sao Paulo in Brazil, so we have to change there for a flight to Buenos Aries. Then there is a domestic flight from Buenos Aries to Mendoza.

Note that since TRC started, we have never played the SA away fixture in Johannesburg , always in one of the other 4 cities. Even when it was still Tri-Nations, we haven't played in Jo'burg since 2008.

Also, since Argentina entered TRC we've never played them in Buenos Aries - always in either Mendoza or Rosario. In fact the Wallabies haven't played in BA since 2002

So nobody is doing us any favours in terms of where these games are played. Could be a conspiracy, more likely we draw less of a crowd than the ABs in South Africa and less of a crowd than either NZ or SA in Argentina so we are not at the bigger stadia. Much like we do to Argentina.

I'd be interested if there was a way of preparing for the ordeal of this travel - I suspect that there isn't though. The fact that you note that Hooper was looking flat (and nobody could possibly doubt his fitness and endurance) suggests that it's a function of moving across multiple times zones, from altitude to sea level and being in and out of airports and planes rather than fitness.

 

[jimmydubs]

About 500K and circa 11 hours to charter a big enough jet to fit in our entourage of 40-50 and fly direct to Mendoza. I guess that rules that out.
Unless we can do a deal with the plane stopping off in Colombia for some powder on its empty return to RSA.