Australia v Argentina, Sept 14th in Perth

[nugget]

Argentina by 30

 

[Hugh Jarse]

C'mon Gaggerlanders, it is the final days before the test tomorrow night WA time.

The time to put up alternative teams and be miserable was earlier in the week.

Link has named the 23 to represent AUSTRALIA tomorrow night. Nothing posted on her is going to change that.

For better or worse, they are the Wallabies, and it is time for us to rally behind them.

Forget about the Soup Franchise BS. Iam, You are, We are Australian.

Nigel Owens runs a tight ship and will tolerate no nonsense.

We will win by 18 points.

Lilo will win MOM. Mowen will play poorly as a #8 but will have Owens eating out of his hand justifying his selection.

Honey Badger will get some meat.

Leguzimon will outplay Hooper, and Contemponi will play his last run on game for Los Pumas.

 

[Scotty]

Scotty you really are on an anti Mowen crusade. I'll admit his best position is not 8, but he really has not been as bad as you attempt to make out. His line out work and leadership alone merits his spot in the starting side.

If you really think he has been so bad, give some more specific examples, not 'he didn't do anything'.

In the first half he made at least 4 critical errors:

1. Inability to clean out when Folau got done for holding on in the 22
2. Hands in the ruck instead of providing effective clean out when cummins made a dominant tackle
3. Tunnel ball at the back of the scrum in the 22 handing the ball to the Boks, who almost scored
4. Inability to support his number 10 in trying to make a tackle on a Bok forward near the line when he was only 2m away

A critical error every 10 minutes. I can also think of a few in the second half - do I need to name them as well?

Fact is he has been poor in 4 straight games for the wallabies plus the super rugby final. He has been a part of a backrow that is getting dominated. In fact he is the one continuous element of the back rows in all of those games.

I can't see how he can keep his place to anyone at the moment, let alone be elevated to captain.

And before I get flamed please go and look at the tape.

 

[Slim 293]

In the first half he made at least 4 critical errors:

1. Inability to clean out when Folau got done for holding on in the 22
2. Hands in the ruck instead of providing effective clean out when cummins made a dominant tackle
3. Tunnel ball at the back of the scrum in the 22 handing the ball to the Boks, who almost scored
4. Inability to support his number 10 in trying to make a tackle on a Bok forward near the line when he was only 2m away

A critical error every 10 minutes. I can also think of a few in the second half - do I need to name them as well?

Alright, so this is a pretty laughable hit piece...... and many of the issues relate to the Wallabies' forward pack as a unit and their inability to support our ball carriers or pressure the opponent's ball..........

Since I have the "tape" in front of me..........

1. The Boks already had 3 players over Folau when Mowen went in for the cleanout. It's ridiculous to think Mowen, or anyone in our pack would've cleaned out all 3 of those players. The ball was lost before Mowen got involved in the ruck. Once again, it comes back to the issue of our forwards not being there to protect the ball.

2. The Boks had already counter rucked over the ball because Fardy had cleaned out past the ball and there were no Wallaby support forwards, and yes, Mowen gave away a penalty in a desperate attempt to get back an already lost ball. Relates back to the previous point.

3. Might need a timecode for that one, but the Wallabies scrum ball has been shooting out in all sorts of directions that it hasn't always been his fault.

4. Mowen was covering another Bok player. It's not his fault Quade couldn't complete that tackle, plus there were another two Wallaby players in a better position to provide support behind Quade.


I don't think Mowen had a good game, as none of our forwards really did...... but his general work around the ground, I felt, was an improvement on the week before........

But he was far from the "standout worst player" as you put it........

 

[Brumbieman]

Especially with Douglas, Simmons and Kepu also out there.

 

[Slim 293]

The real question is what have our locks been doing the past few games?

Sweet fuck all obviously........

 

[RoffsChoice]

C'mon Gaggerlanders, it is the final days before the test tomorrow night WA time.

The time to put up alternative teams and be miserable was earlier in the week.

Link has named the 23 to represent AUSTRALIA tomorrow night. Nothing posted on her is going to change that.

For better or worse, they are the Wallabies, and it is time for us to rally behind them.

Forget about the Soup Franchise BS. Iam, You are, We are Australian.

Nigel Owens runs a tight ship and will tolerate no nonsense.

We will win by 18 points.

Lilo will win MOM. Mowen will play poorly as a #8 but will have Owens eating out of his hand justifying his selection.

Honey Badger will get some meat.

Leguzimon will outplay Hooper, and Contemponi will play his last run on game for Los Pumas.

Reply just to make sure everyone reads this post again.

 

[cyclopath]

Especially with Douglas, Simmons and Kepu also out there.

Maybe suggest some plausible alternatives?
I mean serious ones. Apart from playing Ant "Keystone" Fainga'a, who would fix everything. Who is out.
We're plumbing some depths at the moment in terms of able bodies.

 

[Brumbieman]

Oh for sure, we're low on options.​

If Simmons and Douglas are as AWOL as they were last game, i'd be calling Sam Carter up and getting the Brumbies 2nd row pairing back together, and playing McCalman at, Gill at 7.

I reckon our pack would be much more accurate at the breakdown then, and McCalman brings rock solid defense and work rate.


Oh, and RE Kepu: Anyone, I don't care. I'd play Tony Abbot there again before Kepu ever gets another run in gold, his effort on the weekend was just astonishingly shit.

 

[Zander]

Kepu is a better tighthead scrummager than Alexander. His breakdown work is very sloppy however and has poor hands.

 

[lpd]

Unrelated in a way to this threat but Toby Smith, is he a viable Wallaby prop option in the near future?

 

[Zander]

Yes

 

[Scotty]

Alright, so this is a pretty laughable hit piece.. and many of the issues relate to the Wallabies' forward pack as a unit and their inability to support our ball carriers or pressure the opponent's ball....

Since I have the "tape" in front of me....

1. The Boks already had 3 players over Folau when Mowen went in for the cleanout. It's ridiculous to think Mowen, or anyone in our pack would've cleaned out all 3 of those players. The ball was lost before Mowen got involved in the ruck. Once again, it comes back to the issue of our forwards not being there to protect the ball.

2. The Boks had already counter rucked over the ball because Fardy had cleaned out past the ball and there were no Wallaby support forwards, and yes, Mowen gave away a penalty in a desperate attempt to get back an already lost ball. Relates back to the previous point.

3. Might need a timecode for that one, but the Wallabies scrum ball has been shooting out in all sorts of directions that it hasn't always been his fault.

4. Mowen was covering another Bok player. It's not his fault Quade couldn't complete that tackle, plus there were another two Wallaby players in a better position to provide support behind Quade.


I don't think Mowen had a good game, as none of our forwards really did.. but his general work around the ground, I felt, was an improvement on the week before....

But he was far from the "standout worst player" as you put it....

The main point is that while Genia has an average game (not as bad as some have said) and gets dropped/rested for it, Mowen has been equally as ineffective and gets promoted to captain!

Your defense of my points just proves that he wasn't effective - he either should have been there faster or done more when he got there. I didn't go looking for him in these involvements it just stood out to me that he was a common factor in many of our ruck losses.

He certainly isn't the only factor, but when you pack is getting hammered at the breakdown each week I think the first players that need to be assessed are the back row.

 

[Muttonbird]

Your trolling is getting quite clever nowadays, hats off!

Didn't mean to.

The situation reminds me of Brian McClennan's sentimental appointment to the Warriors in 2012. McClennan had had some success with the Kiwi's and Leeds but many saw him as a master motivator rather than a technically or strategically sound coach. He didn't last the year at the Warriors.

I'm saying you can succeed at a particular level where your weak points are not so exposed but at the very top level those weak points are exposed. Is this happening to McKenzie?

 

[TSR]

Muttonbird - IMO it is too early to say. Not everyone gets off to a fantastic start, especially when they are trying to implement broad, significant change.

I had my dummy spit at the Wallabies at the start of the week, but now I am optimistically looking forward to these guys stepping up to the challenge.

 

[Santiago]

Guys why so low on hopes?

Look at arg and me, we lost 73-13 vs SA

lost in argentina vs SA

lost in NZ vs all blacks

lost in argentina twice by rape against england

we lost so much yet i still have hope


I know that argie might not win but i still have hope to do so!

(IF ONLY ARGENTINA CAN HAVE A GOOD SECOND HALF)

argie is like: let's give the best first half ever then fuck it up second: roger that

first half oh ym god we can win we can win we cain

min 65

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Scrubber2050]

Kepu is a better tighthead scrummager than Alexander. His breakdown work is very sloppy however and has poor hands.

Kepu was the best tighthead in Australia one esteemed posrter declared a year or 2 ago - OMG

 

[Pedrolicus]

Anyone else getting excited for this match?

I just can't remember what it feels like to win anymore. Even winning ugly would be bliss.

 

[gel]

Guys why so low on hopes

Because like the cricket, swimming, tennis, league (we are NOT world champions at even that and we somehow tell ourselves that we are the best year in, year out) and just about any other game you wish to mention, our athletes do not give the impression they particularly care about doing much about their poor performances.

Your team cares.

Ours does not. If they did, they would have been doing something about their own declining lack of skills over the last 3 years without having to be told by someone.

 

[fatprop]

Kepu was the best tighthead in Australia one esteemed posrter declared a year or 2 ago - OMG

we ain't got one better at scrummaging (says a lot dun-it)