Bledisloe #2 - AUS v NZL, Eden Park, Auckland, August 15th

[Brendan Hume]

I think its important to remember that we won the game by denying the AB's the opportunities they generally get pay from - kick returns, fast phase play and turn over ball. They also had very little (if any) lineout ball in the Wallaby 22. Wallabies kicked the ball out well, slowed up the ABs ruck and won their own ball well. And while it's easy to forget in the afterglow of the victory that our hands were fucking atrocious and we did turn over a lot of pill in the first half; both teams were guilty of it and we didn't do it in areas that exposed us to great risk and we didn't lose the plot and give away a penalty - we trusted our scramble defence to do the job and it did.

 

[Pfitzy]

Rain for Auckland in the leadup. Need boots, many boots. Giteau, Mitchell will stay. To'omua to 10, sharpen the lineout work, and get the longest fucking boot studs for the pack you can manage.

 

[Viking]

With rain predicted for Fri & Sat I can't see us going with Speight when we'd need a good kicking game.

Also just saw Giteau is on the side not training today and Izzy is training alone with his calf strapped?

What the hell do we do if Izzy is out. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to 15?

That's a huge weakness in our squad, backup 15.

 

[Braveheart81]

I'd guess that it is very early to suggest Folau might be out. It would be uncommon not to have several players sitting out training on the Tuesday after a match.

My guess is that Beale would be the backup 15.

 

[Hawko]

I'd guess that it is very early to suggest Folau might be out. It would be uncommon not to have several players sitting out training on the Tuesday after a match.

My guess is that Beale would be the backup 15.

Warning! Incoming.

 

[Gnostic]

..but would leave us with only two lineout options.

We need three. No more, but there must be three.

On that note, i'd be having Fardy call it this week. Him and Moore ran the best lineout in Super rugby, why on earth would we not be utilising that?

You keep saying that but IIRC the Reds line out was superior to the Brumbies and Hanson the thrower with the best results. Not advocating anybody, just repeating things as fact doesn't make them right.

Its all about balance and continually pushing for selections that haven't worked in the past and don't necessarily work with the game plan and overall game dynamic that Chieka and Co is trying to produce isn't that constructive. Just like the continual references to Speight and Tomane, neither are effective kickers and the Wallabies were badly exposed last year having no effective exit strategy if the power game didn't suffice.

Same for the Tahs this year with Horne and Naiyavoro (and Folau) in the back three and Horne was better in all aspects of the running and defending game then the Brumbies pair and consistently so. That said as I said earlier regarding Horne (and Speight and Tomane) regardless of running and defence, unless they have developed an effective kicking game there is no way I can see a position for them barring injuries.

As for the lineout Skelton is there for impact in defence and attack. Every carry he takes two or three defenders, in defence the attackers avoid him. He is a big part of the power game as a started or a finisher. The stats show Mumm as playing the best game of his career for the Wallabies last year and perhaps that is what Chieka saw in him from the start when many of us did not rate him or understand his selection ahead of Luke Jones. As for it being only three jumping options being the reason why the Wallabies lost three lineouts on the weekend, I'd suggest a review of Moore's throwing as a big factor.

 

[jollyswagman]

So who would be the possible replacements for Izzy? AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Beale? Mitchell?

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at #15 would create room for the much debated Speight experiment?

 

[Brumby Jack]

http://www.betootaadvocate.com/head...wallabies-pending-investigation-into-haircut/


Good banter

 

[Braveheart81]

http://www.betootaadvocate.com/head...wallabies-pending-investigation-into-haircut/


Good banter

It's not even To'omua's worst haircut this year!

 

[Brumby Jack]

Agree.

Although if he starts with Tomane on the wing I hope they bring back the double Xzibit cornrows.

 

[cyclopath]

Agree.

Although if he starts with Tomane on the wing I hope they bring back the double Xzibit cornrows.

Pimp my Side.

 

[Pfitzy]

Forget ball running. It'll rain Auckland the two days leading up, so we need boots.

Pin the ABs back, get our lineout working, and choke the fucking life out of them in front of their fans. Win 12-3 and get our cup back.

That'll put the wind up the Poms no doubt.

 

[Jagman]

Forget ball running. It'll rain Auckland the two days leading up, so we need boots.

Pin the ABs back, get our lineout working, and choke the fucking life out of them in front of their fans. Win 12-3 and get our cup back.

That'll put the wind up the Poms no doubt.

That means White and To'omua have to start. I seem to recall White having a very good game for the Brumbies in Auckland in the rain.

 

[Viking]

Forget ball running. It'll rain Auckland the two days leading up, so we need boots.

Pin the ABs back, get our lineout working, and choke the fucking life out of them in front of their fans. Win 12-3 and get our cup back.

That'll put the wind up the Poms no doubt.

Trying to out kick the AB's is a recipe for disaster. They simply have better kickers then we do.

 

[Viking]

So who would be the possible replacements for Izzy? AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Beale? Mitchell?

AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at #15 would create room for the much debated Speight experiment?

I forgot about Mitchell as a 15 option. I'd imagine he would be first back-up for Izzy.

 

[barbarian]

Trying to out kick the AB's is a recipe for disaster. They simply have better kickers then we do.

Do they though? Dan Carter is no longer the 'superboot' he used to be. Their kicking was decidedly average on Saturday.
.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

People predicting Auckland weather??

1. Crockett (4 in a row for Woodcock oh God just make it stop. Eden Park farewell? wft is that shit? whatever happened to that "caretaker of the jersey" weepy bollox carry-on? more hollow PR twaddle?)
2. Hika Elliot. Need some starch in the forwards? This guy has so much starch he could wash the Mongrel Mob and make them come out white (they'll pick Coles though. Mealamu farewell on Eden Park? Just pick the alpha males, please ffs)
3. O.Franks and Laualala a half each.
4. Whitelock. fed raw meat and
5. Retallick. kept in cages all week.
6. Liam Messam. just hurt someone. (please do not move Mccaw to 6. It reeks of desperation)
7. Mccaw. (poor fuckin Cane)
8. Read wakey wakey
9. A. Smith. isnt he in the leadership group? no more embarrassing junior boy spacco shit. He knows what he has to do.
10. Sopoaga. oh yes. cometh the hour. its at Eden Park and that means one thing; JAAAAIIIILLLBREEAAAAAKK,, theyre coming from everywhere, Skudder off his shoulder, Nonu off his other shoulder, Savea up his arse, are the floodlights even on, I cant see a thing, everythigns gone all blaack
11. Julian Savea. The Bus ran off the cake last week, time to chunder up some diesel all over the hallowed turf.
12. Nonu. can fix the backline woes all by himself.
13. C.Smith
14. Skudder fuck yeah
15. Ben Smith. oh yeah. if Dagg gets 3 tenured years of making daft little 1-yard bunny hop runs then getting hammered then Ben Smith's tenure starts the day he starts doing that OH YEAH

 

[jollyswagman]

If they trot Dagg out this weekend then their kicking stocks will improve. Savea couldn't kick a bad habit and not sure about NMS.....can he kick?

Can we expect to see B.Smith moved to 14, Dagg 15 and NMS 11? (Savea gone?)

 

[Braveheart81]

4. Whitelock. fed raw meat and
5. Retallick. kept in cages all week.

I'm disappointed you didn't select Liaki Moli as a bolter at lock to add a combination of starch, jailbreak and most importantly, good material for you to work with on the forum next week.

 

[emuarse]

I think Gits is Cheika's #12 for the RWC and rightly so IMO. With the game this weekend there may be some validity to the argument to start To'omua at 12 for his aggressive / dominant defense and to keep Gits in cotton wool. We all know the buggers are going to be coming with all guns blazing so we may want to rest him up and keep his old bones out of the line of fire. Maybe this means resting him completely or putting him on the bench to cover #12 if To'omua needs to shift in to take over from QC (Quade Cooper) - who knows.

I see Giteau as the utility player for the inside back positions, also serving as emergency halfback if required. though there are not too many games where both the run on half and the finisher (there, I've used the word) halfback have been injured.