Bledisloe #1 - AUS v NZL, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, August 8th

[jollyswagman]

And the definition of madness is..

.......not including George Smith in the RWC squad.

 

[Strewthcobber]

BUT if we start Horwill or Mumm at lock surely it will not affect the set-piece allowing us to start Hooper and Pocock.
.

Horwill yes, but when was the last time Mumm packed at lock against an international level scrum? We have no real idea how he'd go

edit - looked it up, 5 years ago. He started at lock for most of the 2010 domestic season, before losing his spot to Chisolm and that was partnering Nathan Sharpe. So there's quite a good chance our scrum wasn't that great, but it may not have been his fault.

 

[daz]

I prefer to boil it up

In the modern world, it's all about talking about our emotions and "feelings". I prefer to internalise my pain and explode at a random point down the track.

Should we lose, I'm just going to wait until RU OK day, and when someone asks, I'm going to fucking unload and hit as many people as I can with the shrapnel.

 

[Viking]

Horwill yes, but when was the last time Mumm packed at lock against an international level scrum? We have no real idea how he'd go

edit - looked it up, 5 years ago. He started at lock for most of the 2010 domestic season, before losing his spot to Chisolm and that was partnering Nathan Sharpe. So there's quite a good chance our scrum wasn't that great, but it may not have been his fault.

Yes I'm curious to see how Mumm goes at scrum time at lock. It's an unknown, but hasn't he spent most of his time the last 2 years playing lock up North?

 

[BDA]

I'm not sure Mumm is being looked at as a serious lock option. Maybe against the minows, but suspect he's in the same boat as Fardy (probably his understudy). I strongly expect that Douglas and Carter will fight it out for the 4th lock spot in the squad. Douglas appears to be Cheika's preference.

 

[BDA]

Personally I wouldn't go with Pooper. I actually think impact of bringing a second 7 into the game at around the 50 minute mark seems to be having a positive influence on our second half performance, an area where we have traditionally failed against the kiwis. I like the idea that the workrate of our pack actually increases as the game rolls on.

 

[swingpass]

. I prefer to internalise my pain and explode at a random point down the track.

this is exactly my MO also, especially if i am dealing with an inflexible nonsensical bureaucracy.

 

[Viking]

I'm not sure Mumm is being looked at as a serious lock option. Maybe against the minows, but suspect he's in the same boat as Fardy (probably his understudy). I strongly expect that Douglas and Carter will fight it out for the 4th lock spot in the squad. Douglas appears to be Cheika's preference.

Why is this? I thought Mumm played the majority of his career at lock with only a handful at 6... or is it the opposite?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Personally I wouldn't go with Pooper. I actually think impact of bringing a second 7 into the game at around the 50 minute mark seems to be having a positive influence on our second half performance, an area where we have traditionally failed against the kiwis. I like the idea that the workrate of our pack actually increases as the game rolls on.

I think this is probably right. Having them on the paddock at the same time is clearly working, but so did McCalman and Fardy starting. I'd be going into this Bled with the same back row as we fielded in Mendoza and see how it measures up.

 

[emuarse]

I for one am totally mystified as to how a simple incident that lasts mere seconds and for which there is extensive video to examine over and over again in slo-mo and with magnifiers can possibly lead to a hearing that lasts so long or is so complex that it requires - incredulously - an adjournment for even more time to think and consider.

The only possible positive could be like a recent, similar hearing where the adjudicating powers needed formal confirmation that Hooper would realistically be considered for play this Saturday and so in that event such would count as one week of some final suspension penalty.

The adjudicators have to be paid for sure. If it was voluntary basis, decisions would be made in 10 minutes.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Yeah if I were Cheika I'd be saving one of the opensides for the last quarter or if things haven't gone well in the 1st half, to come on after oranges.

I can see it now in the dying seconds of the game, a fresh Hoopah winning a penalty at the breakdown 35m out from OZ try line after the AB backs try running it out. Foley steps up to the spot and slots over the 3 points. Game over, OZ lose by 17 instead of 20

Do we really have to wait another 8 days???? Don't answer that Hoopah

 

[Groucho]

Thoughts on the selections for the two Bleds:

• Smith and Faulkner have been selected for the RWC squad, it's time to see how good they are as they'll both be required in England some time later this year. One gets a run from the bench the first week, the other the following week
• Slipper desperately needs some time in rehab. I'd risk giving him three weeks off to attend to his niggles.
• The backup second-rower spot needs to be sorted out. I'd have Horwill for one match and Mumm or Arnold the other.
• Higgers gets a final chance to see if he's up to test rugby. These two matches are a golden opportunity to tie down his spot in the RWC squad as the backup 6; I'd start him for one of the tests as BSF.
• DO NOT START HOOPER AND POCOCK TOGETHER FOR EITHER MATCH! We'll get murdered at the set piece.
• Palu should get a start at 8 for the second game to see if he's regained fitness.
• Leali'ifano's Super form this year warrants a start at 12, I'd have him there for both matches.
• Foley starts one match, Cooper the other.
• Is Genia up to a bench spot for either test?
• Speight's Super form warrants a start in at least one match.

The performances of Higginbotham, Leali'ifano and Speight against the ABs should clear up their selections, or not, in the RWC squad.

While I don't disagree with any of that analysis (quite the contrary) I think the time for experimentation has finished now. The Bleds are the start of the pointy end of the year, and are almost as important as the World Cup itself. We should play our A team.

We also want to continue to have our bench make a major impact late in the game. That's a point of difference.

We certainly don't want to line up against England with combinations not having played together for three months.

 

[Groucho]

I'm not saying that I would pick them today but 3 years ago, are you saying you would have taken Speight over Ioane.
My point is simply that Speight has, to date, proven nothing at Test level.

Agreed. Three years ago I would have picked Digby. But not for the past three years. Perhaps we're on the same page. On the other hand, Speight can't prove anything at test level without playing tests. He's a bit of a special case because of his suspension. Cheika might always have intended to play him. We'll see.

 

[kiap]

And the definition of madness is..

Einstein actually got that wrong (if indeed that well known folksy quip is rightly attributed to him).

The SkyPilot™ actually does play dice with the universe.

To be fair, in this case, picking Higgers would likely come up snake eyes, but the point remains.

 

[TGFan]

When is the squad named?

 

[KOB1987]

31-man Qantas Wallabies Squad
Round Three of The Rugby Championship in Sydney on Saturday, 8 August
Bledisloe Cup match one

Adam Ashley-Cooper - VC (Waratahs)
Kurtley Beale (Waratahs)
Quade Cooper (Reds)
Scott Fardy (Brumbies)
Israel Folau (Waratahs)
Bernard Foley (Waratahs)
Matt Giteau (Toulon)
Greg Holmes (Reds)
Michael Hooper - VC (Waratahs)
James Horwill (Reds)
Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)
Tevita Kuridrani (Brumbies)
Christian Lealiifano (Brumbies)
Stephen Moore - C (Brumbies)
Drew Mitchell (Toulon)
Ben McCalman (Force)
Sean McMahon (Rebels)
Dean Mumm (Waratahs)
Wycliff Palu (Waratahs)
Nick Phipps (Waratahs)
David Pocock (Brumbies)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs)
Scott Sio (Brumbies)
Rob Simmons (Reds)
Will Skelton (Waratahs)
James Slipper (Reds)
Toby Smith* (Rebels)
Henry Speight (Brumbies)
Matt To'omua (Brumbies)
Joe Tomane (Brumbies)
Nic White (Brumbies)

 

[KOB1987]

Palu in, Higginbotham out

 

[KOB1987]

And Smith is there!!!

Oh, it's Toby Smith..

 

[KOB1987]

No Will Genia
No Rob Horne

and NO Kane Douglas..surprise, surprise

 

[Pfitzy]

Tactical genius! With a 16-man reserves bench we're SURE to finish over the top of them