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

[jollyswagman]

I am loving the fact that Shag spent a good deal of this week figuring out how the AB's were going to counter the Pooper.......queue Cheika's masterstroke...

DON'T PLAY THE POOPER!!!

Similarly, loving the way Cheika has held his cards until AFTER the AB's side has been named.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Crockett isn't starting, Woody is.

Whitelock is back in so the locks will pack tighter which will help us considerably.

Oops. I'm off to specsavers.

I still wonder whether the use (overuse) of spidercam last week was part of a strategy to "educate" referees, and to influence preconceived notions about the Wobbolies scrum.

 

[RedsHappy]

So Kane Douglas is really in your best match day 22 give his injuries and lack of game time?


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"The biggest challenge in rugby" Who recently said that?

And Speight and Palu with little recent game time, let alone that that's Test time?

And Poey - who was instrumental last week - not starting?

And an erratic QC (Quade Cooper) who had a very limited 2015 season and is not place kicking at all well? And where place kicking can decide Tests?

And Gits as back up 9?

 

[Viking]

I am loving the fact that Shag spent a good deal of this week figuring out how the AB's were going to counter the Pooper...queue Cheika's masterstroke.

DON'T PLAY THE POOPER!!!

Similarly, loving the way Cheika has held his cards until AFTER the AB's side has been named.

Are you allowed to change the squad last minute and actually play the pooper? Now that would be hilarious.

 

[jollyswagman]

Oops. I'm off to specsavers.

I still wonder whether the use (overuse) of spidercam last week was part of a strategy to "educate" referees, and to influence preconceived notions about the Wobbolies scrum.

Yep.....was wondering the same thing myself. If it was intentional then it a was a very clever thing to do......oh, and the gold field marking were a nice touch too

 

[qwerty51]

Are you allowed to change the squad last minute and actually play the pooper? Now that would be hilarious.

Sure you can, teams have to sent in to the officials 1 hour before the match. Any changes have such as injuries in the warm-up the other team have to approve I think.

 

[jollyswagman]

Are you allowed to change the squad last minute and actually play the pooper? Now that would be hilarious.

Now that would be blowing air at the cats ass

 

[KOB1987]

Are you allowed to change the squad last minute and actually play the pooper? Now that would be hilarious.

All teams warm up with a 24th man in case there is an injury during the warm up. Usually it's a loosie, I suspect it will be Phipps this week.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Make sense. No? Well nor does all the other second guessing on here

"I think both coaches have selected what they wanted given factors such as player management, their respective WC plans, and the situation at hand."

bugger me does this look like a U.N Counsel meeting to you? Its a fuckjin internet message baord, wft else are we going to argue about/pack a sook about/ruminate and germinate wild theories and conspiracies upon?

Don't make me send Hugh Jarse around to confiscate your self-awarded Prefects Badge. Again.

**FINAL WARNING**

 

[TOCC]

I think it's about getting a whole new tight 5 to finish the game and he was the only lock available*.

*that is worthy.

Douglas probably only gets 10 mins for Horwill. Mumm comes on for Skelton after 55.

Fair enough, I see Douglas as an experiment to see if he is worth considering for the RWC


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[TOCC]

I believe rain was predicted for this match, so perhaps that's part of the thinking in boosting the size of the pack and including more forwards on the bench..


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[Inside Shoulder]

I think this is a pretty savvy team selection on many levels: it gives some guys their last chance to win a spot - what better motivation - and it means that the AB's will not be encountering precisely the same structure as last week.
But it is a (calculated, hopefully) risk to play QC (Quade Cooper) in NZ in the from he has been in.

 

[RedsHappy]

I believe rain was predicted for this match, so perhaps that's part of the thinking in boosting the size of the pack and including more forwards on the bench..


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Latest: Rain Friday, showers all Saturday morning and early a/noon, clear by game time.

 

[Viking]

Cooper better have his kicking boots on!

 

[RedsHappy]

Fair enough, I see Douglas as an experiment to see if he is worth considering for the RWC


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But wouldn't that particular 'experiment' - if the goal is to win the BC - be way better executed vs USA?

 

[RedsHappy]

Cooper better have his kicking boots on!

I suspect his 2015 place kicking % has been at a level that loses tight Test matches if - and we hope not - it stays at that level on Saturday. His kicking from hand has been far from assured as well, btw.

 

[BDA]

I reckon this is pretty close to the team that Cheika would select against England if they played tomorrow (with the only changes being Simo in for Horwill and Mumm falling off the bench for Horwill).

 

[CarnTheBrumbies]

Really hope Speight has a massive game.

 

[JJJ]

I'd call that a wet-weather looking pack if not for the fact that we're basically conceding the lineout. The ABs should get a lot of mileage out of kicking for touch and I'm not sure there'll be much we can do about it. As far as scrums go this has to be Skelton's chance to stand up and prove the doubters wrong, given that he's the only difference in our tight 5 to last week's dominant scrummaging display.

I'm expecting the ABs to spend a lot more time trucking it up the guts, since that was their biggest tactical criticism last week and the conditions should suit it. Pick'n'goes and crashball from Nonu. If that's the case then playing a big, heavy forward pack makes a lot of sense.

 

[Slim 293]

My main concern here is White having one of his bad games and there's no one on the bench to bring on...........

Giteau is not a halfback.