Australia v Scotland, 3:00pm 17 June Sydney Football Stadium

[Kev]

The coach can only yell "faster" at the players so much.

The players have to push themselves at training - they quite clearly don't.

The evidence is in their performances.

Edit -this frustrating to watch week in week out.

I don't think that is a fair assessment. If the coach can only yell 'faster' then the coach is crap. I didn't see any fitness issues yesterday so I'm not sure what you mean by evidence is in their performances. We also scored three tries and defended okay so the boys are clearly putting what they trained to application.

Our screw-ups looked to have really have two bases:

• We got killed by their rush defence, which apparently this group of coaches have no plan for - this lead to dropped balls, turnovers and passes to no one.
• Also, I'm pretty sure the game plan was to play an extremely face-paced attacking style of rugby. When this wasn't working out, the coaches should have said to the boys during half-time to calm it down and just try to build some phases first. They clearly didn't do this as the wobs came out even more desperate to score off every phase in the second half.

 

[A mutterer]

The only word I can think that describes the effort yesterday is "passive".

No speed off the defensive lineout, no accuracy or speed to clean out.

Just lots of effort to get back into position and put your hand in the air.

Hanigan was a boy against men, Higgers tried hard, but was ineffectual - he still should have been left on for Hanigan. Hardwick is another man boy, we don't need two Hooper size units on the field at the same time

what's our options then? some bigger units who do fuck all? as you point out higgers was ineffectual.

i'll take the 2 lighter lads who will get gainz because they're putting in the hard work now.

 

[Juan Cote]

the team is on similar to the trajectory to the Wallaby team under Deans.

Mystery selections/non-selections, abysmal skills, lack of accountability for performance, straight jacket play, telegraphed option taking, poor leadership et al.

There is nothing to suggest that Cheika can turn this around.

Yesterday was about the best XV we've got, give or take. Latu for Moore? Timani for Higgers? Phipps for Genia? Shuffle the props? are all options but any of these changes won't bring much of an improvement, if any.

These are players Cheika has selected and it's his job to get the best out of them. He is failing badly.

I'm not suggesting he be sacked as, just like the players, the next best options offer no real promise of improvement.

Cheika saying there'll changes for next week, let's also hope he's thinking about what can change in the way the players are being coached, as it's not working either.

 

[mudskipper]

Wallabies lost their composure and failed to direct and effective plan with a under experienced squad.
What to say Wallabies had most of the ball and couldn't to cross the line. Many occasions opting to take small percentage plays which failed, even the Foley & Issy kick try just left Foley failing to convert from the corner. Whats the point? Athletic and lucky but no extras! Grubber kicks after controlling the ball all the way down field! Please dont...

Genia gave up 2 tries to Scotland and clearly underestimated Scotland's inside backs. This is not worthy of this level.

In the last 10 minutes when all could be lost the captain and team leaders failed to settle the team and lost ball multiple times which cost them any chance of to equalise or win with a needed 7 points. Some late changes added energy but too late and not enough on field understanding to score points.
Chekia is responsible, for this mess....

 

[Brumby Runner]

I don't disagree with that UTR but this June squad was largely developmental with an eye to the future, and that's why the Fardys of the world were left out. The RC squad will be the strongest available players.

Cheika figured that we could win these 3 games with such a squad. At the end of the day all we had to do to beat Scotland yesterday was execute the basics effectively. We tried, we failed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I take a different view KOB. I agree that this series should have been approached as a chance to develop our next group of players to take us through to 2019 and beyond, but throwing them into the deep end was always fraught and imo was a gamble by Cheika that has backfired. While I have resigned myself to not seeing Scott Fardy in Wallabies' colours again, it is a simple fact that he has been the standout No 6 in this country all year and should have been seen by our national coach as the starter for the test matches with the likes of Hanigan and Dempsey (though personally, I'd have preferred to have seen RHP in the mix) there to learn from him. That is a more successful development path than throwing a 20yo into the cauldron and expecting him to reach test standard on his talent alone.

In similar vein, Genia has been brought back to mentor and show a couple of up and coming No 9s the ropes, but their opportunities have been severely limited in the first two tests.

This all amounts to a failure by the head coach to make the right selections and then to manage game day operations to best effect. And I haven't even brought the selection of Nabuli into the discussion. This series must be seen as continuing Cheika's record of failure as a head coach. Assistant coaches also need to scrutinised as well.

 

[Dan54]

Ok, once again, haven't seen game yet, and wife who was at home was pretty critical of Wallabies, reckons she knows what I would of said watching (sigh), but reading the press this morning did Chuckles really have a crack at some of his players for not putting in an effort for the whole 80? And if so, is he f***en surprised? I know I say again and again in my post in S15 rugby I believe the Aus teams biggest problem is that they tend to go missing for parts of matches, so surely you watch that and don't pick the players that do, or if you do drum it into them that is not how you play the game, we all saw it against Fiji last week! And perhap don't pick players on the idea they will play "chucklesball" ie niggly stuff, but pick them because of their skills and most importantly their workrate!

 

[Strewthcobber]

Until we develop an international standard 9-10 combination our ranking slide will continue.
Regardless of how much we tinker with our back row.

Pretty much this. At least with 9 there's a couple of options that could conceivably step up over the next couple of years.

The ten stocks look so bare

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Well clearly he is being transitioned out. But in fairness, which hooker not already in the squad would you have ahead of him?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is Latu fit? If so then Moore should only be in the squad as 3rd choice to cover injury at training etc.
Is Ready fit?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Yeah - looked to be in the vicinity of 5000 in each of the lower tiers on all four sides and probably another 5000 in each of the upper tiers along the sidelines. I thought it was quite a satisfactory turnout, but doubt that next week will be as good. No need just yet for the Sydney fans to start offering a smorgasbord of excuses for a totally unsatisfactory test crowd.

I presume he's the 10 who in the Lions - Finn Russell according to Wikipedia

 

[Brumby Runner]

On form this year, ready is not ready.

Otherwise, TPN had a shocker against Scotland - just as bad as Genia. He is not consistent enough to be seen as the starting test No 2. Latu definitely needs to be given an opportunity (should have already happened) but probably off the bench to replace Moore after 50 or 60 mins.

 

[Strewthcobber]

The most depressing thing yesterday for me was it's been pretty obvious how to beat the Wobs for a while, and we don't appear to have made any progress.

* Rush defense and really pressure inside for mistakes
* Contested high balls to the wing where our 10 is defending
* Discipline defensive line after kicks, there's no return kick threat
* Give up penalties in defense because we have no goal kicker
* Attack every lineout

Jamie Joseph showed the world how to beat a Cheika coached side in 2015 and nothing seems to have changed

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[Slim 293]

Hey Cheiks,

Hanigan is a really handsome bloke and all...........

But it's time to swallow some pride, and break up the Sportscraft catalogue backrow we have going on right now and inject some physicality into there.........

You know what to do:

 

[Old Red]

Do we need to consider what many say, is our best developers of talent are getting it wrong at school boy level and we are seeing flow onto the next generation?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

On form this year, ready is not ready.

Otherwise, TPN had a shocker against Scotland - just as bad as Genia. He is not consistent enough to be seen as the starting test No 2. Latu definitely needs to be given an opportunity (should have already happened) but probably off the bench to replace Moore after 50 or 60 mins.

We're agreeing in everything except that Moore has to go now!
Let Latu start.
If Ready's not ready I suspect part of that is due to the Reds signing Moore - that was a backward move with little upside. I kept a close eye on Moore at the ground and most of his game involved walking.

Pretty much this. At least with 9 there's a couple of options that could conceivably step up over the next couple of years.

who are these 9 options?

 

[eastman]

Now to the coaching, no line speed in defence, passive tackling, no attempt to slow down the ruck, no attacking the ball. Just fan out and passively tackle again.

The problem actually was that we over-committed close to the ruck (a signature of Grey's defensive pattern) and left ourselves exposed on the flank a couple of times. It would have made more sense to not compete at the ruck and wait for Scotland to make mistakes- they weren't going to offer a whole lot in attack.

 

[todd4]

D

no foward domination against a soft team, wallabies lining up last in the rugby championship this year

Do we have to play in the Rugby Championship?

 

[Quick Hands]

The coach can only yell "faster" at the players so much.

The players have to push themselves at training - they quite clearly don't.

The evidence is in their performances.

Edit -this frustrating to watch week in week out.

I was at the ground, on the 22 at the end where Scotland were warming up. They were much more intense and everything seemed at a much higher speed than what going on at the other end. Scotland also ran their team run semi-opposed. It was very obvious and I was having a chat to a few people around me who noticed the same thing.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I was at the ground, on the 22 at the end where Scotland were warming up. They were much more intense and everything seemed at a much higher speed than what going on at the other end. Scotland also ran their team run semi-opposed. It was very obvious and I was having a chat to a few people around me who noticed the same thing.

that might explain our abysmal first half.

 

[Scooter]

People are critical of Genia's game and yes it wasn't good but there isn't a lot of test quality below him:

Brumbies: Joe Powell, Tomas Cubelli (Argentina), De Wet Roos, Ryan Lonergan

Waratahs: Nick Phipps (injured), Jake Gordon, Matt Lucas

Reds: Nick Frisby, James Tuttle, Moses Sorovi

Force: Ian Prior, Michael Ruru, Ryan Louwrens (injured), Mitch Short

Rebels: Nic Stirzaker, Ben Meehan, Mick Snowden (injured), Harrison Goddard

 

[Highlander35]

Clearly it's time for Harrison Goddard, who hasn't yet been spoiled by Super Rugby coaching.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk