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

[jollyswagman]

Yeah its a tough one because I think Mitchell's left boot comes in handy (better boot then AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)'s) and more game time will do him good to get him up to speed. I think he was slightly off the pace last game (but so was Gits his first game back).

Resting AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and playing Mitchell and Speight would be better for RWC preparations.

Playing AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) would certainly be the safer option but not necessarily better as we don't know how Speight will perform yet.

So the question is. is it time to play safe or risk playing Speight?

IMO, it is time to risk it and give Henry a run. It wasn't too long ago we were counting the clock until he finally became eligible to play and now that he is "we" don't even want to give him a shot? At his best he is electric and could tear the likes of Wales & England apart out wide. The more players we force the opposition to be worrying about the better I reckon. Cooper, TK, Folau, Speight.....they can all turn a game on its head and may prove too much to handle for some. Mix that in with some cool old heads like Giteau & Mitchell and we may have something very special.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Not so crazy as you think. It allows us to do three things:

1. Put Kuridrani on notice that quiet is not quite good enough.
2. Allows us to test Speight in the cauldron that is Eden Park.
3. Doesn't greatly weaken the overall team.

Why are we experimenting in the decisive Bledisloe Cup match, and at Eden Park no less?
Rinse and repeat. Simple.

 

[Tahtrajic]

I don't usually do this before a game but most people are talking changes. I like the old adage don't make change for the sake of making change. Yes there we're a few issues but let the Darkness worry about the changes. As Check has said time and time he's looking for improvement each game. I'd give the players some stability and go again with the same team barring injury or fatigue.
Having said all that I'll have my 2 cents worth on changes.
Palu apparently had a great game for the Marlins in the Shute Sheild game on weekend. Speight could well get his chance this weekend if AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) struggles to pulls up from the game he really took and handed out some big hits. As for the 9-10-12 combo we could spend pages on this. I'd like to see Phipps-Foley-Tooma start, with White Gitts and Beale on the bench.
Forget JOC (James O'Connor) unless of an injury I don't see him getting a call.

 

[Tex]

Didn't add much to scrum viewing, you couldn't see binds or anything.

I thought the scrum analysis was better than it has been in the past. Someone must've put a rocket up Kearns' backside and made him say something about frontrow play other than the tired old "membership of the front rowers' union" gag.

 

[RedsHappy]

I just can't see us doing anything than going all guns blazing to try and break the Eden Park hoodoo and win the Bledisloe Cup.

The fact that AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) has cemented his spot would be entirely why I'd pick him rather than giving someone else a go.

If we'd lost in Sydney then sure, rest AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), but I think Cheika will be desperate to go for the win.

Maybe Speight will start instead of Mitchell. It would seem like his best shot to get to the RWC. Hard to see him being selected in front of Horne, Tomane or Mitchell without playing a game.

I get your drift BH and largely agree. But I don't think it's just that.

To me, the absolutely, truly wonderful Wallaby stand out from Saturday was not so much the win, but the exceptionally intense, ferocious, all-of-80, gritty, convincing, 'strong team mind', 'all believing', never relenting, never weakening, never deferring, totally fucking fired up......and so many more similarly inspiring words and truths that characterised the Wallabies' essential mode of play.

I have not seen that from the Wallabies in that way since well before the Deans' era (when, by the way, we never saw it). And, speaking personally, that's what I want to see. I literally couldn't sleep half the night after watching that game; in those dark hours I rediscovered all over again what it means to really love this game. My faith - so long gone through relentless, never-backed-up hype and endless mediocrity - came back that night.

This newly wonderful mode of play is the hallmark of a team that will start to deliver a fantastic combination of consistently good results and consistently good crowd affection, respect and engagement (this combination being the essential basis of sports code health). This is the mode of play that allows losses, but keeps banking precious assets for the future.

Cheika likely, deep down, won't expect to win at Eden Park. But what he knows is that if he gets the team close by minute 81, they continue to display over and over again this mode of Wallaby play and get better and better as a result of it, the belief within the team will genuinely build to be the type that is simply essential to win the big moments, and more importantly the big championships.

So Eden Park will be an important event of psychological building and construction work within the inner mind of the 2015 Wallabies. Winning there will likely be coincidental.

 

[Braveheart81]

I get your drift BH and largely agree. But I don't think it's just that.

I completely agree that Cheika would be focusing on the team doing all those things that he has tried to instill in them and agree that he isn't so focused on the result as he is in playing the way they want to play, doing it well and then hoping the result takes care of itself.

My main point was that I don't think Cheika is going to make any selection decisions outside of picking what he thinks is his best 23 available. He'll be wanting to put his best side out there to play as well as they possibly can and hope that is enough.

 

[Marcelo]

Would any of our other wingers have had the speed to score the try he did against Argentina? Not saying that he should necessarily be in the squad, but his pace does differentiate him a bit from the other options available.

Speight

 

[kiap]

Not so crazy as you think. It allows us to do three things:

1. Put Kuridrani on notice that quiet is not quite good enough.
2. Allows us to test Speight in the cauldron that is Eden Park.
3. Doesn't greatly weaken the overall team.

It's a worthwhile thought. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Mitchell on the wings boost the backfield kicking, though, and the Wallabies has good territory in Sydney.

 

[Viking]

Why are we experimenting in the decisive Bledisloe Cup match, and at Eden Park no less?
Rinse and repeat. Simple.

No. You cannot "Rinse and repeat." at this level. The All Blacks wouldn't.

Improve every game. Build on what works and change what doesn't. There are A LOT of improvements to be made and I think that starts with the back line.

 

[KOB1987]

OK folks you can eliminate McMahon and Lealiifano from your selection dilemmas for this weekend:

Wallabies ‏@Wallabies 4m4 minutes ago
Chrisitan Leali'ifano, Sean McMahon, Nick Cummins & Taqele Naiyaravoro join World XV squad to play Japan. http://ausrug.by/1L0B0SZ

 

[Fireworks]

NEWS | Samu Kerevi & Dave Dennis have joined the squad after Sean McMahon, Christian Leali'ifano, Nick Cummins & Taqele Naiyaravoro were released to joint the World XV squad to face Japan.

 

[the sabanator]

That World XV could run out a backline with a hefty number of Wallaby caps:

9. Burgess
10. Harris
11. Cummins
12. Lilo
13. Tapuai
14. Naiyarovoro
15. O'Connor

 

[KOB1987]

OH there's more at the bottom of the article - Dennis and Kerevi off to NZ with the squad:
30-Man Qantas Wallabies Squad for Bledisloe Cup match on Saturday, 15 August at Eden Park, Auckland.

Adam Ashley-Cooper - VC (Waratahs)
Kurtley Beale (Waratahs)
Quade Cooper (Reds)
David Dennis (Waratahs)
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)
Samu Kerevi* (Reds)
Tevita Kuridrani (Brumbies)
Stephen Moore - C (Brumbies)
Drew Mitchell (Toulon)
Ben McCalman (Force)
Dean Mumm (Waratahs)
Wycliff Palu (Waratahs)
Nick Phipps (Waratahs)
David Pocock (Brumbies)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs)
Scott Sio (Brumbies)
Will Skelton (Waratahs)
James Slipper (Reds)
Toby Smith* (Rebels)
Henry Speight (Brumbies)
Matt To'omua (Brumbies)
Joe Tomane (Brumbies)
Nic White (Brumbies)

 

[KOB1987]

So no Genia and no Horne still

 

[Lindommer]

Probably not fully recovered from their recent physical woes. I wouldn't risk them. Anyways, others are playing better in their positions.

 

[Groucho]

NZ v Aus would be the dream GF but to set it up you'll need to lose to Ringinland in your Pool then beat Samoa or Scotland in your QF & Argentina, France or most likely Ireland in your SF. We meanwhile will need to knock over probably France in our QF (in Cardiff of all places) then England or the Bokke.

I think we need to win our pool. If we lose then Au and NZ are in the same half of the draw.

 

[jollyswagman]

What is the issue with Horne at the moment?

 

[Braveheart81]

What is the issue with Horne at the moment?

He injured his calf against South Africa and has been out since.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I think we need to win our pool. If we lose then Au and NZ are in the same half of the draw.

Dead right. No team has ever won the RWC dropping a game anyway.

 

[Pfitzy]

Anyways, others are playing better in their positions.

Better than Horne is a stretch - particularly after the game when you were singing his praises!

But there are players who are playing well enough not to risk a return from injury. In this case, it should be like club rugby: back from injury, have a run off the bench or in reserve grade.