Australia v NZ. Bledisloe Cup Series 2024. Sep 21, Sep 28
- Thread starter Dismal Pillock
- Start date
dru
David Wilson (68)
Massive question.
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
Related question. Why is Australia the only team full of pro rugby players that needs an entire year to adapt to a defensive system?
Wilson
Phil Kearns (64)
Which bad kick was that?
The Ghost of Raelene
Simon Poidevin (60)
I think anyone can be a solution at 12. Paisami is all effort but he's definitely not the guy. He makes the wrong passing decision every time if there is the slightest pressure on him. He's predictable with his limited skill set. At least he's put the grubbers away that worked once so he wen't full Kurtley about it.
Iv'e sat on this game and re watched most of it and overall feel slightly better about it than the 1st Test. Structures looked to be forming and working. Few moments in the first half had TJ and Ardie getting frustrated.
Good to see a response from guys like Valetini who was poor a week ago but came out on both sides of the ball looking to impose himself.
Still a long way off being genuinely competitive on a regular basis with a Top 5 side. We can hang with them for 50 mins but can't sustain it. Can we put together a full 80 by the end of the tour? Would be a big step in the right direction.
- Need genuine pace out wide.
- White has to be done after seeing the team at least flow. We don't need a dummy half who eventually puts up a kick.
Tomthumb
Chilla Wilson (44)
I don't think they do to be honest
The system is highly flawed. Even if executed 100%, it allows the opposition time, space and momentum. The players are on a hiding to nothing
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
I think it’s because everyone has been taught a rush defense system but we are going back to Laurie’s 1950s system and it’s against all the players’ natural instincts. It could prove to be a master stroke but it certainly isn’t working at the moment.
The Ghost of Raelene
Simon Poidevin (60)
The current game is played with pace.
If you sit and play the bend don't break method of defence you will concede eventually against sides who have good ball retention. This is a defence type that works in age grade rugby as errors tend to lead to turnovers before a defence breaks down but not against top sides.
I think you need to put the pressure back on sides and attack with your defence.
You don't think the European sides won't love to just maintain possession and work down the field even if results in 3 points every time.
If you sit and play the bend don't break method of defence you will concede eventually against sides who have good ball retention. This is a defence type that works in age grade rugby as errors tend to lead to turnovers before a defence breaks down but not against top sides.
I think you need to put the pressure back on sides and attack with your defence.
You don't think the European sides won't love to just maintain possession and work down the field even if results in 3 points every time.
Last edited:
The Red Baron
Chilla Wilson (44)
I think this might be pretty close to the mark. The structural issues associated with the system automatically put the players under pressure, because the opposition is always working with front foot ball. No wonder the players are always so exhausted.
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Apologies to Tom Wright, it was Lolesio. Minute 52, it was the next 10 minutes the ABs scored 2 tries.
I have amended my original post.
Wilson
Phil Kearns (64)
Here I was thinking it was the 45th minute one from Pietsch right into Jordan's breadbasket that everyone was blaming Wright for on the night. Poor guy is copping it for everyone else's mistakes this week.
That said, I think the kick your talking about was actually Paisami (the one off a scrum where Reiko gets a hand on it), but that one was a piece of truly terrible reffing - Sam Cane puts a blatant shoulder charge on Paisami after the kick and it never gets looked at. Still can't believe that one was missed, Cane is running a lateral, slightly forward line (away from the ball) and just has no rights to step into Paisami's path, let alone take him out. Should have been a yellow card.
If Paisami wasn't taken out he would of made it to the ball well in advance of Ikitau, who was behind him and is first to arrive but beaten by the bounce. Would've allowed Ikitau to hold a wider line and cover that bounce if Paisami didn't regather
Proud Pig
Tom Lawton (22)
The defensive plan we are running with at the moment is a passive defense designed to soak up pressure and exploit the opposition's mistakes.
It is a perfectly acceptable if a little old-fashioned style of defense.
The problem with it is that it requires that you play an extremely disciplined mistake free game to implement it properly.
There is nothing to be gained by sweating on the opposition's errors if you are more likely to make a mistake than they are.
It is a perfectly acceptable if a little old-fashioned style of defense.
The problem with it is that it requires that you play an extremely disciplined mistake free game to implement it properly.
There is nothing to be gained by sweating on the opposition's errors if you are more likely to make a mistake than they are.
It only looks like a master-stroke if someone is wagering money on the opposition! It has been found out in every game.
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
Maybe we are being a little critical. It's just things, like at ~25min mark when he shifts to the blindside and proceeds to get himself bundled into touch. He then follows that up by giving away a penalty in the AB maul from the lineout with the ref clearly instructing him to be away. He then has a lazy no arms tackle on Barrett at ~29min and has another infringement in the maul at the 40mins mark - though to be fair on that one, the Wallabies were struggling to contain.
He's also just a bit passive in some of his work. I felt like some of his ruck work can be a tad lazy, like at the 15min mark where he was slow to support Frost and De Groot is able to flick the ball back. The ruck around the 31min mark likewise wasn't great. I can't recall him really carrying the ball much at all, often shifting it on.
But yes, his scrummaging was solid and his steal at ~17mins was also good. We don't know what the coaches are asking of him in terms of his role and how injured he was, so maybe he's doing all thats asked, but I personally still feel like he's off his best.
Last edited:
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
That really was a shocker. I also get the not rewarding the pinning the player in rubbish, but that early ruck of ours with the AB player flopping around proceeded by a knock on I thought was poor officiating. The AB player clearly impacted the ruck speed, irrespective of the tactics teams are using.
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
I just watched it again and you are 100% correct. So now it’s apologies to Noah Lolesio and I am not going to criticize Paisami with my newly amended post.
Last edited:
Wilson
Phil Kearns (64)
I still wouldn't criticize Paisami too much, the kick wasn't perfect but it was the right play and if it had the chase it was entitled to it would've likely come off positively - if there was one thing Paisami did well in this game it was kick chase, he was regularly up in the face of the receiver, particularly off his own kicks
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Yes, I said I wasn’t going to criticize him. If you do what the officials did (and me initially) and ignore the late and illegal hit from cane it was a shit kick. Once you factor that in it was a rehearsed play that should have ended better than it did. I am surprised the commentators and Wilson didn’t make a bigger deal out of it, although Wilson probably didn’t have eyes on it either.
TSR
Andrew Slack (58)
He is clearly underdone but he still had a number of other positive involvements in the game.