Australia v South Africa - Perth - 6 September 2014

[PaarlBok]

^^^^ that's what I think too!

EDIT: Translated! (thanks Google Chrome)

Day Uncle, I am originally from Flower, but I'm from St Andrews schooled. Do you really believe that we will lose this game? Australia offers a different challenge - we will push them back. Do you think that will Heyneke Pollard again 10 jersey?

Google not 100% Bloem aint Flower its Osfontein , nearly the same as Perthfontein.

@ pixel, just asking Boet, had a mal weekend in Bloemfontein when Grey played Paul Roos. Went by bus with the parent supporters. 38 buses in total.

 

[Upthenuts]

poor AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), seems his biggest fans are kiwis, its where i would pick him. and its good as an AB fan to see Aus coaches. do a Cullen on him year in year out.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

poor AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), seems his biggest fans are kiwis, its where i would pick him. and its good as an AB fan to see Aus coaches. do a Cullen on him year in year out.

He only gets picked on the wing because we're short there. He's a world class 13 every day of the week.

 

[Upthenuts]

i guess that argument would have seen B smith on the wing and Dagg at fullback, I'm glad smith got 15 .
or for you guys put falou 14 beale at 15, foley 10,tumooa 12, kirindani 13, ACC 11. and argue thats the best exposure of class.
or have a backrow of gill higgers and hooper and accept you dont have the players to out muscle, and just run around all night like crazymen

 

[ChargerWA]

Ha, I quite like that ^^^

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I personally think we should try and beat the AB's and Boks with 80 minutes of interpretive dance.

 

[BDA]

Ok so its been about 5 days since iv posted on G&GR and after the massive disappointment that was Saturday's game, I'm ready to get behind the side again. I told my mate on Sunday "Wallabies 4 life". The team will always have my support but sometimes those bad losses sting. part of being a sports fan. Big game next weekend. The wallabies can win back some of the momentum and pride they lost last weekend, so it's an important game. Wont be easy either, but I do think the wallabies are capable of a big win.

my only comments on last week's game is that the All Blacks were great and we were shit. But that's what makes the All Blacks a great team, is that ability to put you to the sword when you're having an off day. A stumbling block for link's developing team and some lessons learned (for both the players and the coaching staff). onwards and upwards

 

[Marcelo]

TPN won't be available for Perth Test against Boks

 

[Richo]

TPN won't be available for Perth Test against Boks

That sucks. Say what you like about his line out throwing or constantly getting hurt, but the bloke puts his body on the line and sets a physical tone matched by few (or even none right now).

 

[Marcelo]

That sucks. Say what you like about his line out throwing or constantly getting hurt, but the bloke puts his body on the line and sets a physical tone matched by few (or even none right now).

Yeah, he should return for the match against the Argies

 

[KOB1987]

i guess that argument would have seen B smith on the wing and Dagg at fullback, I'm glad smith got 15 .
or for you guys put falou 14 beale at 15, foley 10,tumooa 12, kirindani 13, ACC 11. and argue thats the best exposure of class.

you've nearly got me with that back line for this game, swap Beale & Folau though..hard to drop Horne though, he has been pretty solid.

 

[KOB1987]

or have a backrow of gill higgers and hooper and accept you dont have the players to out muscle, and just run around all night like crazymen

and I was alluding to your back row concept yesterday, effectiveness can outweigh muscle..I'd swap McCalman for Gill though in this outfit

 

[KOB1987]

it's probably not a bad game plan for the Bokke actually..run the big guys out, i.e. the current back row but with Skelton & Horwill in the row. you have a 6:2 bench and after we've puffed the Bokke out a bit from trying to push us around you sub on Simmons for Skelton and Higgers & McCalman for Fardy & Palu and run the bejezzeez out of them.
In the backs you only have White and Beale or Horne on the bench, Phipps can cover wing if necessary.

 

[Scrubber2050]

I personally think we should try and beat the AB's and Boks with 80 minutes of interpretive dance.

We just need our own haka !!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever seen an Aboriginal Emu dance ???

It would be a real challenge and would put fear and dread into any opposition.

 

[Blue]

it's probably not a bad game plan for the Bokke actually..run the big guys out, i.e. the current back row but with Skelton & Horwill in the row. you have a 6:2 bench and after we've puffed the Bokke out a bit from trying to push us around you sub on Simmons for Skelton and Higgers & McCalman for Fardy & Palu and run the bejezzeez out of them.
In the backs you only have White and Beale or Horne on the bench, Phipps can cover wing if necessary.

"Puffing the big guys out"

They are not bigger. Not. See my comments on 20 other threads about this complete misnomer. There is little to no difference in size.

If there is one guy who will get puffed out it's Skelton.

This idea of running the big pack around is bullshit. It's a hangover from the 80's.

When you guys beat us it is inevitably because of creating space. It has very little if nothing to do with "running unfit big guys out".

I'd love to see McCalman outrun any one of the SA back rowers. I bet you he is slower than all of them.

By all means speed to game up. That is how you beat us. But it is for the purpose of creating space.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

"Puffing the big guys out"

They are not bigger. Not. See my comments on 20 other threads about this complete misnomer. There is little to no difference in size.

If there is one guy who will get puffed out it's Skelton.

This idea of running the big pack around is bullshit. It's a hangover from the 80's.

When you guys beat us it is inevitably because of creating space. It has very little if nothing to do with "running unfit big guys out".

I'd love to see McCalman outrun any one of the SA back rowers. I bet you he is slower than all of them.

By all means speed to game up. That is how you beat us. But it is for the purpose of creating space.

Fair point, but putting pace on the game is how the Wallabies have traditionally played their best footy -- which is what you're saying I guess. We're not and have never been a team that bludgeons the opposition. That's what England, Argentina and the Boks do (the reason the AB's are so successful is that they can be both the rapier and the sledgehammer). Our game is all about solidity in the set pieces, quick ball from the break down and getting it in the hands of the fast, creative players in the backs. Where Deans came unstuck was in failing to understand this. By the end he had us trying to defend our way to victory. Link gets it, Cheika gets it and most of us here do too.

 

[BDA]

My team:

1.Slipper
2.Hansen
3.Kepu
4.Simo
5.Horwill
6.Higgers
7.Hooper
8.Palu
9.Phipps
10.Foley
11.Horne
12.To'omua
13.Kuridrani
14.AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

16. Fainga'a
17. Cowan
18. Alexander
19. Skelton
20. Fardy
21. White
22. Beale
23. Tomane

I don't think its time for wholesale changes because a lot of these guys have performed very well for us over the last 10 months. However I do think that Link is trying to build a team culture where bad performances aren't tolerated and good ones are rewarded. With that in mind, there is a handful of guys that deserve a chance to bounce back (namely guys like Kepu and Palu who have been excellent this year). Others need to make way for guys knocking on the door.

Higgers, Phipps and Foley all did enough (IMHO) last week to deserve a starting spot. We should play an uptempo game against the Boks and those guys all suit that game plan. Whilst I haven't re-watched the game last week, I can't remember Fardy doing much of anything and given his role in the side he deserves to lose his starting spot. He should retain his spot on the bench because he's banked enough good performance to stay in the 23. Beale at 10 just didn't work. I think Foley and QC (Quade Cooper) are our 10s going forward. White's distribution was slow and his kicking was poor. If Genia was available White would fall out of the side altogether, but he's not.

I'd bring Horwill into the starting side as the pack could obviously use an old head. A Simo/Horwill pairing will give us a solid set piece. Carter falls out of the side altogether. He doesn't have enough good performances in the bank to save his spot. He'll get other chances this season but needs to be reminded that he needs to up his game if he wants to continue to start.

 

[chasmac]

My team:

1.Slipper
2.Hansen
3.Kepu
4.Simo
5.Horwill
6.Higgers
7.Hooper
8.Palu
9.Phipps
10.Foley
11.Horne
12.To'omua
13.Kuridrani
14.AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
15. Folau

16. Fainga'a
17. Cowan
18. Alexander
19. Skelton
20. Fardy
21. White
22. Beale
23. Tomane

I don't think its time for wholesale changes because a lot of these guys have performed very well for us over the last 10 months. However I do think that Link is trying to build a team culture where bad performances aren't tolerated and good ones are rewarded. With that in mind, there is a handful of guys that deserve a chance to bounce back (namely guys like Kepu and Palu who have been excellent this year). Others need to make way for guys knocking on the door.

Higgers, Phipps and Foley all did enough (IMHO) last week to deserve a starting spot. We should play an uptempo game against the Boks and those guys all suit that game plan. Whilst I haven't re-watched the game last week, I can't remember Fardy doing much of anything and given his role in the side he deserves to lose his starting spot. He should retain his spot on the bench because he's banked enough good performance to stay in the 23. Beale at 10 just didn't work. I think Foley and QC (Quade Cooper) are our 10s going forward. White's distribution was slow and his kicking was poor. If Genia was available White would fall out of the side altogether, but he's not.

I'd bring Horwill into the starting side as the pack could obviously use an old head. A Simo/Horwill pairing will give us a solid set piece. Carter falls out of the side altogether. He doesn't have enough good performances in the bank to save his spot. He'll get other chances this season but needs to be reminded that he needs to up his game if he wants to continue to start.

I like this team and your rationale.
One question I have in terms of combinations.
What are peoples impressions of a Foley / To'omua pairing.
Both individually very good but do their skill sets compliment each other? Particularly in attack.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I like this team and your rationale.
One question I have in terms of combinations.
What are peoples impressions of a Foley / To'omua pairing.
Both individually very good but do their skill sets compliment each other? Particularly in attack.

I think they do and our backline ran pretty well against France. I'd have no hesitation in playing them together against the Boks.

 

[Braveheart81]

@BDA - I like your team and those would be the changes I'd make. Some heads need to roll after the weekend's debacle and it can't just be 9 and 10 after the performance by our forwards.

Tomane is not in the squad though. His hamstring is still crocked. Presumably Betham would fit onto that bench.