Australia v Argentina, Sept 14th in Perth

[Richo]

I feel like the selection of THP is almost irrelevant in terms of our scrum if Simmons is playing tight head lock.

As has been spelled out, there are so many things wrong with our scrum right now that don't seem to be being addressed.

1. Our best prop in the last five years isn't in the squad.
2. We're playing a loose head lock at tight head lock who isn't known for his scrummaging ability.
3. Our number 8 is shifting his position mid scrum to pick the ball up in the preferred channel whilst our scrum is going backwards and under pressure.
4. Our number 8 is picking the ball up whilst the scrum is under pressure and passing it to our halfback who is about a metre away from him. This is pointless.

Yeah, kinda my point about bringing in Alexander. It's shuffling the deck chairs.

 

[Braveheart81]

Yeah, kinda my point about bringing in Alexander. It's shuffling the deck chairs.

Except we've replaced the sturdy yet slow deck chair with a flimsier model that folds at will. At least the flimsier deckhair shuffles around the deck a bit faster and with more purpose.

 

[Richo]

Either way, they're both the cheap deck chairs from Aldi.

 

[RoffsChoice]

1. Our best prop in the last five years isn't in the squad.
2. We're playing a loose head lock at tight head lock who isn't known for his scrummaging ability.
3. Our number 8 is shifting his position mid scrum to pick the ball up in the preferred channel whilst our scrum is going backwards and under pressure.
4. Our number 8 is picking the ball up whilst the scrum is under pressure and passing it to our halfback who is about a metre away from him. This is pointless.

Best LHP is playing club rugby. We have a THP at LH, a LHP at TH. Locks are being picked despite their inability in the scrum. Tactics are planned on the idea that we have a solid set piece, while some of those tactics make the already weak set piece worse.

My Wallabies confidence coefficient is at an all time low.

 

[RedsHappy]

From the G&GR Rugby News email:

"The other change to the starting team was the promotion of Ben Alexander to run-on tighthead in hopes of fixing the shaky Wallabies scrum."

Says it all, really.

With Blades obviously failing badly - even disastrously - as Wallaby set piece coach, let's watch on Saturday and see if we can detect any tell-tale signs that Link has in effect taken over that role himself for scrums, as if so that would represent progress of a kind.

The sooner Link realises that his fate will be governed in significant part by the calibre of his assistant coaches and, inter alia, he thereafter makes a pitch to J White to allow the recruitment of L Fisher as Wallaby forwards coach, the better.

And McKay needs to demonstrate very soon via visible improvements that he can coach and train the types of skills and execution needed for an effective, consistent Wallaby attack or justified doubts will emerge regarding the validity of promoting him to Test level.

Meanwhile, Wallaby kicking from hand and catching remains chronically average to poor, the team desperately needs a full-time kicking coach (ideally from AFL) in the mould of M Byrne.

 

[Joe Blow]

From the G&GR Rugby News email:

"The other change to the starting team was the promotion of Ben Alexander to run-on tighthead in hopes of fixing the shaky Wallabies scrum."

Says it all, really.

Alexander's posture and positioning in the scrum is infinitely better than Kepus and he offers much more around the paddock.
About 90% of the time Alexander's back is straight and with pressure from behind he can hold the scrum at least long enough to get our feed out of the scrum.
Kepus back is bent from engagement and no matter what pressure/ support he has from his lock he is prone to collapse or retreat immediately.
Alexander may not be the best test TH running around but he is probably our best option right now.
Getting Fat Cat and TPN back would certainly help our scrum over 80 mins.

 

[Braveheart81]

Alexander's posture and positioning in the scrum is infinitely better than Kepus and he offers much more around the paddock.
About 90% of the time Alexander's back is straight and with pressure from behind he can hold the scrum at least long enough to get our feed out of the scrum.
Kepus back is bent from engagement and no matter what pressure/ support he has from his lock he is prone to collapse or retreat immediately.
Alexander may not be the best test TH running around but he is probably our best option right now.
Getting Fat Cat and TPN back would certainly help our scrum over 80 mins.

They have different problems.

Alexander gets his back straight but him primary problem in the scrum is that too often he packs with his shoulders below his hips which either causes him to collapse or hinge.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

<snip>
Meanwhile, Wallaby kicking from hand and catching remains chronically average to poor, the team desperately needs a full-time kicking coach (ideally from AFL) in the mould of M Byrne.

Couldn't agree more. Been saying this for a long time and will continue to say it.

I have previously used the services of a AFL bloke to teach juniors how to kick. In a couple of sessions, he achieved marked improvements in punting, drop kicks and place kicking.

A country that has a major football code involving movement of an oval football, primarily by kicking, should not have any problems with kicking in other football codes that use ovoid footballs. It really beggars belief and smacks of elitist isolationism that Rugby ignores the potential to be gained from AFL.

 

[Braveheart81]

I think it's telling that Mike Pyke at 6'7 is now a deadly accurate kicker in AFL from a set shot.

Admittedly he was a back when he played rugby for Canada but his kicking was atrocious when he first came to AFL.

It shows what proper coaching and practice can do.

 

[Rob42]

Look at how good the argies scrum was vs the AB's last week. Let's face it, we're going to get dismantled come scrum time //

Yes. Mowen probably needs to have a word to the ref early to assure him that, off an Argentinian knock-on, we will accept any situation where we possess the ball as "advantage", even if it's 10 m back from the knock-on. Just don't blow that whistle, please, sir.

 

[scaraby]

I feel like the selection of THP is almost irrelevant in terms of our scrum if Simmons is playing tight head lock.

As has been spelled out, there are so many things wrong with our scrum right now that don't seem to be being addressed.

1. Our best prop in the last five years isn't in the squad.
2. We're playing a loose head lock at tight head lock who isn't known for his scrummaging ability.
3. Our number 8 is shifting his position mid scrum to pick the ball up in the preferred channel whilst our scrum is going backwards and under pressure.
4. Our number 8 is picking the ball up whilst the scrum is under pressure and passing it to our halfback who is about a metre away from him. This is pointless.

add in Our 5m defensive scrum trying to push instead of lock out while the no.8 stands up and tries to pick the ball up to then pass to 9 who then has to scramble to 10 or 15 to kick out. not in my manual that one............

 

[Braveheart81]

add in Our 5m defensive scrum trying to push instead of lock out while the no.8 stands up and tries to pick the ball up to then pass to 9 who then has to scramble to 10 or 15 to kick out. not in my manual that one....

Maybe the theory is that if we put as many of our players under pressure as possible it helps spread the load?

 

[ACT Crusader]

Best LHP is playing club rugby. We have a THP at LH, a LHP at TH. Locks are being picked despite their inability in the scrum. Tactics are planned on the idea that we have a solid set piece, while some of those tactics make the already weak set piece worse.

My Wallabies confidence coefficient is at an all time low.

Playing props out of position and a lock packing on the wrong side, no sureeely not 'our' Link. I swear that was only Deans who did that stuff....

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Didn't Graeme Henry do some form of reshuffling of Assistants Coaches responsibilities in 2010, where he personally took responsibility for Scrum and lineout (or something) and effectively sacked the bloke who's job that was?

Perhaps time for Link to do likewise with our 8 little piggies.

 

[Deputy Van Halen]

It's worth remembering that Link only got the job 2 weeks out from the first Bled, hardly enough time for a full clean out of assistants. An attack coach didn't exist so that was easy enough to fill.

I fully expect a few assistants will get the arse come the end of the RC but if not and Link persists with the people who aren't getting results? Well then it's open season.

 

[Bullrush]

Didn't Graeme Henry do some form of reshuffling of Assistants Coaches responsibilities in 2010, where he personally took responsibility for Scrum and lineout (or something) and effectively sacked the bloke who's job that was?

Perhaps time for Link to do likewise with our 8 little piggies.

I don't know if they sacked anyone or if Henry, Smith and Hansen just swapped some responsibilities around from memory....

 

[Hawko]

Didn't Graeme Henry do some form of reshuffling of Assistants Coaches responsibilities in 2010, where he personally took responsibility for Scrum and lineout (or something) and effectively sacked the bloke who's job that was?

Perhaps time for Link to do likewise with our 8 little piggies.

Its an attractive thought but only because we think Link must be a good forwards coach with the pedigree he has.

A couple of times in my business career when things were going badly in a particular area I tried to take responsibility for that area instead of replacing the section manager. It never went well.

Taking over a problem area for longer than about half an hour is totally counter-productive. It undermines the coach in that area, the players know that coach is not respected and it further fucks up morale. If I'm any guess at all I reckon morale in the team will be pretty low already. Best option is just to do with a coach what you do with an under-performing player. "Thanks for your efforts, but I'm bringing someone else in."

 

[I like to watch]

To be fair to Link,I assume the assistants that ARU appointed in their wisdom,have valid contracts.
The CEO might not be prepared to allow Link to recruit replacements, until the incumbents contracts expire.
Not sure if that would mark any difference at all ATM.

 

[Hawko]

Didn't Graeme Henry do some form of reshuffling of Assistants Coaches responsibilities in 2010, where he personally took responsibility for Scrum and lineout (or something) and effectively sacked the bloke who's job that was?

My memory says that the three wise men were not sacked but they merely swapped roles for a while. It was done because they felt they were getting stale in their old roles after a number of years. Didn't turn out so bad either.

 

[RoffsChoice]

I believe that Wayne Smith, Graham Henry and Steve Hansen often rotated coaching roles, but always kept the structure of Henry > Smith and Hansen