Australia v Argentina, Sept 14th in Perth

[tigerland12]

Surely someone who is going to be a certainty should be captain. Slipper or Moore would be my votes.

Mowen is struggling to hold his spot right now, don't see how that warrants captaincy, regardless of how good of a leader he is.

 

[Braveheart81]

Surely someone who is going to be a certainty should be captain. Slipper or Moore would be my votes.

Mowen is struggling to hold his spot right now, don't see how that warrants captaincy, regardless of how good of a leader he is.

Maybe Link doesn't see it that way.

Realistically, Mowen is probably struggling to hold his spot at number 8 but probably not in the forward pack.

Our best performing forwards this season are currently Slipper, Mowen, Fardy and Hooper. I'd guess that Fardy will move to lock and Mowen to 6 and a lock gets dropped before Mowen does.

Kepu has been roundly criticised for his performance on Saturday but Simmons playing behind him in the scrum has largely gotten off scot free.

If Simmons is going to play I think he has to be the loose head lock. Timani is over in Perth now and I think Link has to just pick the locking combo that he thinks will help the scrum at most.

Which combination is that? Fardy and Timani? Douglas and Timani? Fardy and Douglas? Simmons and Timani?

Did Link pick Simmons and Douglas out of position? Should they have been playing on opposite sides of the scrum?

 

[Slim 293]

Mowen's inclusion is also important for our lineout........

Bled II is evidence if that......... And it's one area of the game where we can target the Pumas.........

Also, if we play Timani and put Simmons to the bench we'll be down one dominant jumper..........

 

[Braveheart81]

Mowen's inclusion is also important for our lineout....

Bled II is evidence if that... And it's one area of the game where we can target the Pumas...

Also, if we play Timani and put Simmons to the bench we'll be down one dominant jumper....

True.

I'd argue that the Pumas targetting our scrum is greater risk to us than us targetting their lineout is to them.

If we get through this weekend without one of our props spending 10 minutes on the sideline I will be very surprised and happy.

Of course if we try to fix the scrum and it doesn't work and we stuff the lineout at the same time then it could turn a bad situation into a disaster.

 

[Ignoto]

But the Brumbies played more test like rugby than any other Aus side

The Brumbies key players of that game plan failed to execute it when it mattered most. That's not to say I don't agree with the gameplan you and Braveheart have been suggesting. There's a critical aspect of that gameplan and thats putting pressure on the opposition team once you're inside their 22-50 to force a mistake/turn over. The way our forwards have been playing, nothing suggests to me that they can achieve this type of pressure at the breakdown or in defence.

 

[fatprop]

The Brumbies key players of that game plan failed to execute it when it mattered most. That's not to say I don't agree with the gameplan you and Braveheart have been suggesting. There's a critical aspect of that gameplan and thats putting pressure on the opposition team once you're inside their 22-50 to force a mistake/turn over. The way our forwards have been playing, nothing suggests to me that they can achieve this type of pressure at the breakdown or in defence.

true, but the other options are worse

if our forwards continue, then it won't matter but playing catch and pass in our own 22 isn't going to work; and having a 10 run laterally throwing potential hospital passes is insane

so I don't see any other options

 

[RoffsChoice]

I'd say a back 5 of Simmons, Fardy, Mowen, Gill, McCalman has 5 lineout takers in it. That also means we could swap one of them out for a non-jumper and still have four jumpers.

Mowen needs to be on for the 80 if our lineout is to survive. Fainga'a has thrown well this season and honestly Moore has been poor lately.

After a bit of review, I no longer believe we need to call up any props. Sio at LHP, Slipper at THP will be as good as we can get at the moment at both the set piece and around the park.

So a forward pack of Sio, Fainga'a, Slipper, Fardy, Simmons, Mowen, Gill, McCalman may well work.

Genia needs a rest and I like a good 9-10-12 combination so I say White, To'omua, Lealiifano.
JOC (James O'Connor) is good on the wing, Cummins was poor last week and Folau is very good at both attack and defence on the wing. We need a big boot at fullback so I say Mogg at fullback. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) needs a rest and Kuridrani deserves a chance against an opponent that isn't the best in the world.

So a backline of White, To'omua, JOC (James O'Connor), Lealiifano, Kuridrani, Folau, Mogg.

The bench needs to make an impact and I think Moore, Genia and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) will be pretty damn hungry off the bench. Kepu should be dropped but I don't think Anae will be picked, so he gets lucky and stays on the bench. He won't get on.
Timani and Hooper as the other forwards on the bench. Cooper as the backup 10.

A bench of Moore, Alexander, Kepu, Timani, Hooper, Genia, Cooper, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper).

 

[Braveheart81]

If Fardy and Simmons are our locks I think our scrum will get demolished regardless of which props we pick.

I just can't see those two in combination having the grunt and technical scrummaging ability to provide the platform our front row needs.

 

[Hawko]

Mowen's inclusion is also important for our lineout....

Bled II is evidence if that... And it's one area of the game where we can target the Pumas...

Also, if we play Timani and put Simmons to the bench we'll be down one dominant jumper....

If the backrow is Mowen, Gill, McCalman then we will have four jumpers. We CANNOT afford to have Simmons at tight head lock until he learns how to scrum properly. And with the amount of experience he's had at the top level, its unlikely he can get out of his ingrained bad habits.

Maybe Link doesn't see it that way.

Realistically, Mowen is probably struggling to hold his spot at number 8 but probably not in the forward pack.

Our best performing forwards this season are currently Slipper, Mowen, Fardy and Hooper. I'd guess that Fardy will move to lock and Mowen to 6 and a lock gets dropped before Mowen does.

Kepu has been roundly criticised for his performance on Saturday but Simmons playing behind him in the scrum has largely gotten off scot free.

If Simmons is going to play I think he has to be the loose head lock. Timani is over in Perth now and I think Link has to just pick the locking combo that he thinks will help the scrum at most.

Which combination is that? Fardy and Timani? Douglas and Timani? Fardy and Douglas? Simmons and Timani?

Did Link pick Simmons and Douglas out of position? Should they have been playing on opposite sides of the scrum?

I agree. Kepu would have gone better with Douglas at THL, whether that would have been good enough we'll never know. But Simmons scrummaging was just awful and for all the media attention that got, you'd think they were members of his extended family.

With regard to the pack, we have to fix the scrum as first priority. Second priority, but still bloody important, is their work around the park. Fardy and Timani is my call.

 

[SammyP]

But the Brumbies played more test like rugby than any other Aus side

Which is apparently one of the reasons that White wasn't selected as coach (I'm ignoring the nationality issue as I have always believed it should simply be the best man regardless of nationality). Test rugby isn't entertaining enough.

 

[SammyP]

I

I'm not even going to check the backs, because we're fucked regardless if the forwards don't step up. But I must say, it's pretty bloody impressive that you've managed to purge the entire starting team of any reds players whatsoever. Kudos! Especially considering Slipper and Simmons were far from the worst performing forwards.

Sekope Kepu was one of the worst on the field and yet you've kept him? Timani had the shittest Club game on the weekend and yet he's fast tracked in at 4? Hooper did not prove to have any effectiveness against a big, brutal, physical forward pack but he's one that gets to keep his spot? How is that 'simply' the best team?? There is nothing simple about selections this weekend. A debatable team at best from me would be:

1. Benn Robinson
2. Stephen Moore
3. James Slipper
4. Rob Simmons
5. Scott Fardy
6. Ben Mowen
7. Liam Gill
8. Ben McCalman

16. Saia Fainga'a
17. Scott Sio
18. Sekope Kepu
19. Kane Douglas
20. Michael Hooper

This isn't a matter of throwing half the team out and bringing in people who weren't even in the first training camp. It's about trying to figure out what isnt working and what has. Mowen was great at 6 against the BILs. 8 is a lacking position but McCalman at least has some aggression. Slipper plays 3 for the Reds and does so effectively. Fat Cat will have enjoyed his time off and knows where the team were headed after he left camp.

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I like the looks of this line up.

 

[fatprop]

Which is apparently one of the reasons that White wasn't selected as coach (I'm ignoring the nationality issue as I have always believed it should simply be the best man regardless of nationality). Test rugby isn't entertaining enough.

neither is losing by 40 being entertaining

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Some of this for the piggies perhaps?

 

[SammyP]

neither is losing by 40 being entertaining

Couldn't agree more. An ugly win is better than a pretty loss in my book.

 

[vidiot]

neither is losing by 40 being entertaining

There were tries a-plenty. I'm sure someone found it entertaining!

 

[ACT Crusader]

Simmons and Fardy would be a step backwards in my view if you are trying to raise the physicality stakes.

The best combination from OZ this year has been Horwill and Douglas. Given Horwill's injury (and might I add form slump since Lions I) I think a Douglas and Fardy/Timani starting combination with Simmons the bench option. Simmons showed something in Bled II, but from my armchair that seemed more an abberation, but until he can consistently perform like that - which to date you have to be honest he hasn't since he was first picked for the Wallabies - then he should fill the bench role.

 

[vidiot]

Kane Douglas was in pretty good form last year, but he has hardly been the messiah in any appearance this year. Not sure why he isn't at tight head lock though..

 

[Ash]

Kane Douglas has been really struggling since around the Lions games, where I thought he was rather poor.

That's the issue in the second row - Douglas is in worse form than Simmons (who at least went well in Bled 1), and Timani was really poor for Southern Districts vs Uni.

Pretty sure we packed a few scrums vs the Boks with Simmons off the field for blood and we got rogered win them too, with Fardy and Douglas in the second row (exactly the same as with Simmons and Douglas).

I suspect it doesn't matter who we pick at scrum time from the locks, we will struggle. Scott Allen showed pictures of Timani packing poorly and too high a year ago in his analysis of our scrums last week. All of our locks seem to be not providing the support our props need.

I was also completely puzzled by Douglas at LH and Simmons at TH, though. Made no sense to me.

 

[Bowside]

Time for some second row bolters?

How about link picks Skelton and that bloke from Eastwood.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Los Pumas:

1. Marcos Ayerza
2. Agustin Creevy
3. Juan Figallo
4. Manuel Carizza
5. Julio Farias Cabello
6. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (c)
7. Pablo Matera
8. Juan Manuel Leguizamon
9. Tomas Cubelli
10. Nicolas Sanchez
11. Juan Imhoff
12. Felipe Contepomi
13. Gonzalo Tiesi
14. Horacio Agulla
15. Juan Martin Hernandez

16. Eusebio Guinazu
17. Nahuel Lobo
18. Juan Pablo Orlandi
19. Mariano Galarza
20. Benjamin Macome
21. Martin Landajo
22. Santiago Fernandez
23. Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino