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

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rugbyXV

Stan Wickham (3)
The front-row and back-row have established themselves as 'certain' starters. However, I'd like to see Fardy playing at lock with Higginbotham/Palu/McCalamn playing blindside. This would create a more versatile team with the blindside still being able to jump (Higginbotham is probably the better line-out jumper out of the 3). Although this isn't a big issue it would be interesting to see how it works. As for the backline, Genia has not had much of a run and Cooper deserves one more shot. If Foley got another go after how shocking he played in Mendoza and then Sydney, surely Cooper does. If Cooper simply doesn't perform, To'omua is our new #10 for the World Cup. Plus we didn't see much of To'omua in the #12 jersey against Argentina.

- Cooper and To'omua vs To'omua and Giteau
- Genia vs White
- Simmons and Fardy vs Simmons and Horwill
- Is higginbotham still capable

1. Sio
2. Moore
3. Kepu
4. Simmons
5. Fardy
6. Higginbotham/Palu/McCalamn
7. Hooper
8. Pocock
9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Speight
12. To'omua
13. kuridrani
14. Ashley-Cooper
15. Folau
16. Polota-Nau
17. Slipper
18. Holmes
19. Horwill
20. Higginbotham/Palu/McCalamn
21. White
22. Giteau
23. Tomane/Mitchell
 
gold heart

gold heart

Ted Fahey (11)
rugbyXV said:
The front-row and back-row have established themselves as 'certain' starters. However, I'd like to see Fardy playing at lock with Higginbotham/Palu/McCalamn playing blindside. This would create a more versatile team with the blindside still being able to jump (Higginbotham is probably the better line-out jumper out of the 3). Although this isn't a big issue it would be interesting to see how it works. As for the backline, Genia has not had much of a run and Cooper deserves one more shot. If Foley got another go after how shocking he played in Mendoza and then Sydney, surely Cooper does. If Cooper simply doesn't perform, To'omua is our new #10 for the World Cup. Plus we didn't see much of To'omua in the #12 jersey against Argentina.

- Cooper and To'omua vs To'omua and Giteau
- Genia vs White
- Simmons and Fardy vs Simmons and Horwill
- Is higginbotham still capable

1. Sio
2. Moore
3. Kepu
4. Simmons
5. Fardy
6. Higginbotham/Palu/McCalamn
7. Hooper
8. Pocock
9. Genia
10. Cooper
11. Speight
12. To'omua
13. kuridrani
14. Ashley-Cooper
15. Folau
16. Polota-Nau
17. Slipper
18. Holmes
19. Horwill
20. Higginbotham/Palu/McCalamn
21. White
22. Giteau
23. Tomane/Mitchell
Click to expand...



I like the idea of additional jumpers too but fardy was brilliant on saturday night so I am not sure about moving guys around at this stage - if it aint broke...

Not sure if I like the idea so much about introducing higgers or palu. Higgers will be found wanting in the eastern or western stands and palu will be lagging far behind the action in the northern or southern stands. ;)

Unfortunately genia is still injured. Love cooper but not sure if his confidence is there at the moment. Phipps deserves another crack with To'omua at ten.
 
ACR

ACR

Desmond Connor (43)
waiopehu oldboy said:
I kinda suspected it after the Sethficka test but after watching a replay of Sydney I'm now convinced that whereas McCaw is still putting in decent shifts, we need the pace & strength over the ball that Cane provides. Shag isn't gonna drop his captain, nor Read, so I'm afraid Kaino draws the short straw & drops to the bench.

I'm not a scrum expert but it's fairly obvious there's something terribly wrong with ours right now. Not sure if it's Woodcock or Franks causing the problem but whoever it is needs to either be benched for Auckland or given another crack but hooked if things don't improve.

Carter looked out of sorts, not as bad as v Scotland on EOYT but nowhere near the standard of Sopoaga at Ellis Park. Now that he's got to the 1,500 Test point milestone he needs to be rested, perhaps altogether, for Auckland.

SBW got injured early & really should've been dragged earlier. If Nonu can't start, Fekitoa must.

Savea also looked like a passenger. Call me a one-eyed Cantab but I'd restore Dagg to 15 for the get-us-the-fuck-outa-here clearance option he provides, move "paper cut" back to 14 & bring Piutau in at 11.
Click to expand...


Agree completely on all fronts. Cane has been the better player than McCaw for a while now. If it were a straight swap it would be easy but replacing the captain makes things difficult. Just see what SA are doing with De Villiers.

The 10 position looked amazing 6 months ago. Cruden, Carter, Barrett, Slade and Sopoaga rising. NOW, who do we pick? I would pick Sopoaga.

SBW hasn't earned a spot based on his years work. It is simple as that. Nonu, Fekitoa, even Crotty, are better options. I agree about the back 3 to a point. However, I can't remember Smith kicking the ball long at any stage. It was as much the AB's penchant for kicking up and unders at every goddam opportunity, to Israel Dagg, which without Smith or Read chasing is useless. I thought a tactical problem.

I would be happy seeing the back 3 stay the same, Savea was very poor on the weekend but hasn't played for a month+. He is our best 11 when in form, only way to get there is play him.

As for the scrums, I'll tell you what's wrong with them. We win all our own fed scrums, EASILY. NONE of the loosies push on opposition scrums. I think they purely want the defensive cover of loosies fanning out over giving up a couple of scrums. They have 3 players not pushing. Woodcock also, is well and truly on his last legs. We should see what Carl Hayman is up too, or pick Crockett.
 
Groucho

Groucho

Greg Davis (50)
Seb V said:
It only works with Horne and Cooper or Foley.

Dropping Gits or To'omua back isn't really going to increase counter-attack that much - and if you got Speight on one wing one of the best counter-attackers then that strategy does nothing.

Doubt Cheika will do the same thing if To'omua and Gits start the next match which is very likely.

I know its tough to say goodbye to Horne, a quality test player, but his skills aren't needed. There are better options.
Click to expand...


That's not a pro Horne argument, Seb V, just an observation of Cheika's defensive system, in which the fly-half drops in to perform the role of a second defensive full-back while the scrum-half performs the role of sweeper just behind the defensive line. I personally wouldn't be picking Horne anyway. I'd prefer AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and a flyer.

I bet he does still do it. It would be a major change to stop now.
 
A

alex5545

Bob McCowan (2)
This next game could be an absolute blinder, it's about time the Wallabies woke up and stopped been the whipping boys lol Finally a competitive Bledisloe. Though expect the ABs to come out exactly like they did last year at Eden Park with a complete angry physical game. ABs by 5 or less if the Wallabies turn up to play phsically otherwise a hiding is on cards in which case then I would say ABs by 20 plus.
 
A

alex5545

Bob McCowan (2)
ACR said:
Agree completely on all fronts. Cane has been the better player than McCaw for a while now. If it were a straight swap it would be easy but replacing the captain makes things difficult. Just see what SA are doing with De Villiers.

The 10 position looked amazing 6 months ago. Cruden, Carter, Barrett, Slade and Sopoaga rising. NOW, who do we pick? I would pick Sopoaga.

SBW hasn't earned a spot based on his years work. It is simple as that. Nonu, Fekitoa, even Crotty, are better options. I agree about the back 3 to a point. However, I can't remember Smith kicking the ball long at any stage. It was as much the AB's penchant for kicking up and unders at every goddam opportunity, to Israel Dagg, which without Smith or Read chasing is useless. I thought a tactical problem.

I would be happy seeing the back 3 stay the same, Savea was very poor on the weekend but hasn't played for a month+. He is our best 11 when in form, only way to get there is play him.

As for the scrums, I'll tell you what's wrong with them. We win all our own fed scrums, EASILY. NONE of the loosies push on opposition scrums. I think they purely want the defensive cover of loosies fanning out over giving up a couple of scrums. They have 3 players not pushing. Woodcock also, is well and truly on his last legs. We should see what Carl Hayman is up too, or pick Crockett.
Click to expand...


Yep I get the feeling Sopoaga is going to get another go and if he nails it he could very well become the first choice 10 for the World Cup since he is the form 10 right now. Also I think starting Cane at 7 and McCaw at 6 may go a long way to solving our breakdown issues with Messam on the bench for his mobility late in the game, will shag be tempted to try two opensides? Somehow I think we need Dagg to start as well because his boot is just too good especially in tight world cup games whether his attacking mojo is there or not, our wingers especially Ben Smith (who plays a de facto fullback on the wing anyhow) can make up the attack and counter attack.
 
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Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Brumbieman said:
Woodcock.

Spent almost every single scrum angling in massively, trying to con Barnes into pinging Kepu, but for once (and I suspect this is Ledesma's experience coming to the fore) our tighthead planted his feet and used the shoulder that Horwill had firmly planted on his arse, to rotate his upper body outwards and drive straight through the AB scrum, rather than getting shoved sideways and then pulled to the ground by Woodcock, which usually always ended up being a penalty against us.

Instead, he managed to depower his entire side of the scrum, because all the force was not being driven straight, but instead driving Woodcock's hips outwards, splitting him from Coles and so the pack was not tight. When the second shove from us came on, he was then poorly positioned and couldn't channel his 4/6s power in the right direction.

Barnes, is not Joubert though, and Owens is on the ball at scrum time as well.
Click to expand...

I wonder whether the "overuse" of Spidercam is part of a long term strategy to help "educate" referees in the dark arts.

It certainly showed up Mako Vunipola's inability to pack or push straight on the UK tour last year, and showed similar from the NZ pack on the weekend.

It can only be good for debunking the myth of a poor Wallaby scrum.
 
Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
emuarse said:
Because the RWC is the next challenge, barring a circus game in USA. Not all the combinations have been sorted out yet.
And by inserting some of the players mentioned above, the team could be (not saying would be necessarily) improved, and that is imperative to know before the RWC
Click to expand...

USA, Fiji and Wales will be easy games, even though the last two are in the RWC, and are ones to experiment with "combinations" if TGC actually doesn't know what are his best combinations by now.

Against the undisputed #1 ranked team in the World is not a time to experiment, particularly when we handed then their arses in the last meeting.

Many keyboard selectors haven't settled on their combinations for RWC, but I reckon TGC has. The various changes we are seeing are part of the "marketing" campaign to sell those combinations, and the strategy to manage the game time of his #1 squad as well as a strategy to keep the opposition coaches and analysts guessing.
 
BDA

BDA

Jim Lenehan (48)
Excuse my ignorance but what happened to Barrett? I assume the Blacks will go all out attack on Saturday. he seems like a good choice.

Also I wouldn't be surprised in Nadolo gets a run. He could create havoc for the wobs.
 
BDA

BDA

Jim Lenehan (48)
My team for Saturday:-

1.Sio
2.Moore
3.Kepu
4.Horwill
5.Mumm
6.Fardy
7.Hooper
8.Pocock
9.Phippps
10.To'omua
11.AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12.Giteau
13.Kuridrani
14.Speight
15.Folau

16.TPN
17.Slipper
18.Holmes
19.Skelton
20.McCalman
21.White
22.Cooper
23.Mitchell
 
R

rugbyXV

Stan Wickham (3)
BDA said:
My team for Saturday:-

1.Sio
2.Moore
3.Kepu
4.Horwill
5.Mumm
6.Fardy
7.Hooper
8.Pocock
9.Phippps
10.To'omua
11.AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12.Giteau
13.Kuridrani
14.Speight
15.Folau

16.TPN
17.Slipper
18.Holmes
19.Skelton
20.McCalman
21.White
22.Cooper
23.Mitchell
Click to expand...

I don't see how Skelton is viable if Wallabies play Pocock and Hooper. If Skelton is on the bench it means when he goes on we only have 2 line-out options (Horwill/Mumm and Fardy). I think without Simmons Wallabies need as many line-out options available. However, Skelton is our only lock left with Simmons injured and Arnold pulling out. Maybe Dave Denis...
 
Brumbieman

Brumbieman

Dick Tooth (41)
......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?
 
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