Bledisloe 2 "Do or Die" Wallabies v Ab's in Sydney

[disco]

Well this is it for the Wallabies this is a massive game lose this match & it would be fair to say that 2009 has been a setback in terms of progress & we are well off this track they keep talking about.


Lose & it's goodbye to the Tri-nations & Bledisloe, win & it's crunch time again next week so the next 3 weeks could make or break this squad.

Mortlock being out probably isn't going to hurt us as much as it would have in the past a lot of people are calling for JOC (James O'Connor) to start but I think Deans will go with Cross.

Giteau has been talked up by the Aussie press all year but has failed to deliver in his last two outings & now he goes head to head with the golden boy of NZ rugby. If Giteau is the real deal then he has to deliver this weekend & put in a commanding perfromance.

Elsom is back & I'm sure he'll start who get's dropped is anyones guess but I have a feeling that Deans will drop Palu to the bench as Deans may opt for a 5-2 split otherwise he'll drop Palu out of the 22 completely but I have a feeling he'll go 5-2 split as Hynes didn't get a run in SA.

Anyway I'm confident that we can win the scrum & lineout battle but we really need to show up at the breakdown.

 

[Lee Grant]

This will be a race for the wooden spoon methinks.

It's quite an ordinary All Black team by their standards. They've lost 3 out of 6 this winter but their worst performance was in a win against Italy. We should have beaten them at Eden Park and were just one pass away from it IMO, but we can't count on the Kiwis maintaining their bad form.

So we should win in Sydney as we did last year, right? As Sportin' Life said: It ain't necessarily so.

We haven't been any better than they have been. Our players have not shown in the two 3N games to date that they have the ability to play with others in a way that they can play well, and nor are they helping other players to play well either.

A part of that must relate to present coaching but it's minority reason. If coaching is a reason then the blame has to go to coaches they have had in the past.

I was talking to George Ayoub at the Joeys game on Saturday just as a boy threw a pass to the grass and George said something like: "Just like the Wallabies - we used to be the best passers in the world 10 years ago and look at us now."

He's right - our blokes don't seem to have the skill to do basic stuff well enough that it holds up under pressure in a big game. For some reason too many Wallabies have gone through the system since they were kids and allowed to progress without getting basics suitable for the big occasion down pat.

I'm not just talking about passing either, running directly so that a pass is not always trying to catch up with you - or is odds on the be at your shoulder or further back, kickers doing banana kicks because they can't kick with the wrong foot, yarda, yarda.

It is of no joy that Kiwis are making the same noises about their players. To win Oz just has to play basic rugby well and results should come.




At least our scrums are better - and more important that the embarrassment of John Smit by Benn Robinson, which we knew Fat Cat was capable of when Smit wasn't conning the ref in best Bill Young style, was the steadiness of new THP Ben Alexander against the Bok scrum after Baxter went off.

Well done that man.

 

[disco]

This will be a race for the wooden spoon methinks.

Most people have been saying this but the Boks still need to win on the road which they haven't done well over the years, they have a good lead ATM but there is plenty of rugby left in this tournament.

 

[Aussie D]

I was talking to George Ayoub at the Joeys game on Saturday just as a boy threw a pass to the grass and George said something like: "Just like the Wallabies - we used to be the best passers in the world 10 years ago and look at us now."

He's right - our blokes don't seem to have the skill to do basic stuff well enough that it holds up under pressure in a big game. For some reason too many Wallabies have gone through the system since they were kids and allowed to progress without getting basics suitable for the big occasion down pat.

I'm not just talking about passing either, running directly so that a pass is not always trying to catch up with you - or is odds on the be at your shoulder or further back, kickers doing banana kicks because they can't kick with the wrong foot, yarda, yarda.

Could that be because our coaches have been looking for 'athletes' rather than rugby players?

 

[naza]

I don't like our chances.

The forwards aren't working well as a pack.
The inside backs have kicked hard won pill down everyone's throat.

We're not doing the things we need to do to win. We're not clinical. Our support play is shit. Composure lacking. We gamble in attack and defence. We can't dominate a ruck based game against the Bok or field position game against the Kiwis.

We have gritty defence, some individual flair and that's about it. NZ by 5.

 

[louie]

does anyone think the wallabies don't play enough?
i really think they should be playing more tour games so they can get some confidence and play together more.
also deans really needs to clear out some of the old horses. share, Baxter are useless to us in 2011. think ahead more.

 

[Cutter]

I'd rather we win as many games as possible this year before sweeping Baxter and Sharpe out the door. Baxter is probably the best performing tight head in the trinations at the moment. Sharpe can play well and needs to be reminded to do so. I assume that is why Chisolm was added to the squad.

I think we can win. I'm not sure that Elsom is the messiah though. We need to treasure possession, win our set pieces and use our backs. We need more numbers at the breakdown. I think our lineout will fix itself this week. Our scrum is something we dont need to worry about.

We have a very good backline who consistently underperform. Deans has talked about "playing what's in front of you". To date, they havent done that. Given the propensity for kicking, scrums and lineouts in our half will see the opposition wingers drop back a little bit further than usual. Run at them. See what happens. Mix it up.

If they follow the Cutter GameplanTM, Wobs by 12. If they dont, I hope the ABs do and annihalate them. I'd rather that than support an Australian team who kicks the way this one does.

 

[PaarlBok]

Some very good points all round. I am neutral here and my honest opinion.

Its all in the head. Thats where the Wallabies lack. They had it right in that first half against the All Blacks, lost their way and continue iwth it against the Bokke. Self believe and head stuff.

Another good point by louie "does anyone think the wallabies don't play enough?"

the CC and the NPC give our players change to play them back into form and to get injured ones back match & battle sharp. Carter as a example and all our players. If our coach have to fall back on his backup players they'll be sharp as can be.

 

[GC]

Pfffftttt......all this negativity. And just 2 away games lost.

Here's what's going to happen.

The world's best no.6 will be back, even if he is a little underdone.
The last 2 games have shown who the passengers are in the pack - they'll be gone this match (I'm looking at you Seagull and Baxter)
Horwill won't be on death's door, but will be fit and fired up.
The forwards will win battle at the ruck, after having their manliness called into question 1 too many times.
NZ have the only hooker in the world who throws into a lineout worse than TPN.
The backs will have front-foot ball and will carve the ABs up.
Gits will not have 3 bad games in a row.
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to be a revelation at OC (if not, Cross will be his usual reliable self)
JOC (James O'Connor) to continue on in the vain of last match's performance.
The Ref to shit all over the other team for once (or, at least, be fair and even handed)

Aus by 10, with a bonus point.

 

[disco]

I like your positive spin GC, I read on another website that Baxter, Sharpe, Moore & Brown will be starting from the bench this week if the training sessions are anything to go by.

If they are correct we'll see this 22 on saturday.

1.Robinson
2.TPN
3.Alexander
4.Horwill
5.Mumm
6.Elsom
7.Smith (c)
8.Palu
9.Burgess
10.Giteau
11.Mitchell
12.barnes
13.Cross
14.Turner
15.AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)

Res: Moore, Baxter, Sharpe? (Maybe Chiz), Pocock, Hynes? (Maybe Brown),Genia & JOC (James O'Connor).

Not sure if Deans is dropping players on form or resting them because he knows that we have 3 tough tests in a row & maybe this is the best time to rest Moore against an average AB's lineout & save him for the Boks.

 

[Cutter]

Selecting Cross is a defensive option. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to 13 and O'Connor to 15.

 

[disco]

Selecting Cross is a defensive option. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to 13 and O'Connor to 15.

I think JOC (James O'Connor) is a better bench option as he can cover so many positions & it's better to just replace one bloke without having to move any other player around.

That's what I've always thought anyway.

 

[Lee Grant]

I agree with Cutter - which probably means that Cutter will be proved wrong.

Sorry mate.


Cross is a 3rd choice 13 in my book and not much else. If he had the speed he had before a couple of broken legs on the dark side - different story.

Don't think TPN will start though he and Moore seemed to be having a "I'm worse that you are" lineout throwing contest in Capetown. Losing lineouts to good play by Matfield and Co is excusable because they are lineout champs, but too many throws that are too long or not straight is not acceptable.

Alexander will start at THP one of these days but I wouldn't put him against Woodcock straight off. Baxter is entitled to get a better scrum ref than Joubert was at Eden Park, and he had no particular problem against the Beast as Vickery did for the Lions.

Dunno that Deans will have a punt on the Rabbit, and another one on Genia - but Burgess had better pull his finger out a bit on Saturday night, otherwise he may be riding pine in the next game.

 

[Cutter]

I agree with Cutter - which probably means that Cutter will be proved wrong.

Sorry mate.

If we are wrong with the selection prediction, I hope Cross also proves us wrong on the field.

 

[Pfitzy]

I think we'll hump the ABs by about 24 points on our home patch. They're a bloody disorganised rabble and Carter won't save them if he does play (I'm assuming he'll be stuck in a Darlinghurst hairdresser and miss kickoff talking to the girls... or boys... whatever).

The forwards will smash them once the ref realises Al Baxter is the man and Woodcock is a dirty cheating prick (I'm a loosehead too, so I should know), and our lineout will put the nightmare of Capetown behind them to steal 50% of the AB ball.

Our backs will finally gel and cut the Kiwis to ribbons. It'll be moider!







Nah actually, we're fuct

 

[cyclopath]

I think we'll hump the ABs by about 24 points on our home patch. They're a bloody disorganised rabble and Carter won't save them if he does play (I'm assuming he'll be stuck in a Darlinghurst hairdresser and miss kickoff talking to the girls... or boys... whatever).

The forwards will smash them once the ref realises Al Baxter is the man and Woodcock is a dirty cheating prick (I'm a loosehead too, so I should know), and our lineout will put the nightmare of Capetown behind them to steal 50% of the AB ball.

Our backs will finally gel and cut the Kiwis to ribbons. It'll be moider!







Nah actually, we're fuct

Nice work, Nick. Covering both ends of the Bell curve in one post!

 

[Blue]

Wobs by 3 in a messy game. It's just the way things are at the moment. Couple of tries at most.

If Mumm starts at lock I assume he calls the lineouts. Has he ever done this in a first class game, let alone a tets? Bit of a worry no?

 

[Scarfman]

Mumm's got brains. Not so sure about poor old Kev.

 

[Moses]

Mumm played lock for the Tahs all of this year IIRR, with Caldwell at 4 and Mowen at 6 and TPN throwing. The setpiece was good, Mowen in particular stole more lineouts than any other S14 player. Baxter was also solid in the lineouts, single lifting Mowen on many occasions much like the Boks do with Victor and resulting in much of the stolen ball.

 

[fatprop]

Mumm played lock for the Tahs all of this year IIRR, with Caldwell at 4 and Mowen at 6 and TPN throwing. The setpiece was good, Mowen in particular stole more lineouts than any other S14 player. Baxter was also solid in the lineouts, single lifting Mowen on many occasions much like the Boks do with Victor and resulting in much of the stolen ball.

One of the key positives of getting Elsom back is his defensive lineout work at two. He, like Mowen, can be very disruptive at lineout time.