Bledisloe # 3 - Saturday 31st October, ANZ Stadium

[Gnostic]

Rennie face here says it all ..

I could have been coaching Uraguay or better yet Georgia. At least they have some passion about them. At least the Ozzie dollar should hold up and I can buy a nice house when I get out of this shit show.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Some inventive AB lineout plays. Pat T often as a decoy. He was solid although fairly quiet around the field. OFMG Whitelock REALLY stood up.

Sotutu v.classy.

Jordie still not a wingers arsehole. If he's not using his height to compete for bombs or even chasing the fucken things and he's not a strike winger then wft is he doign there? Just biff the Will Jordan freak in there already

Flapanara's guts and tenacity and defense etc are great but his pass is just getting worse and worse. It's basically a leaguie's hiff these days

Mins 40-70 were just a dishevelled shitshow from both teams. They really need to bin this 8 subs bullshit. It just rogers the flow. 3 max.

 

[Derpus]

Rennie face here says it all ..

 

[Viking]

Perhaps, but I hope JOC (James O'Connor) is right for next week.

Me too. To'omua would be handy too.

 

[Up the Guts]

I always go into tests with high expectations. But was this result seriously that unexpected???

Our run on side included BPA, Phillips, Wilson, Petaia & Daugunu all who have 6 tests or less. Then we had Lolesio, Simone, McDermott & McReight all debut. That’s more than a third of the team. We were playing the ABs. What did people expect.

Agree but, FWIW, I thought BPA, Wilson, and Petaia were among our best with Slipper. Simmons was also good when he came on.

 

[Viking]

Simone looked alright too.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

General observations:

• Mo'unga is a god.
• Lolesio isn't test ready and I think his best position is still 12. Is a great tackler, good runner of the ball and nice support runner. Kicking was a massive difference between the two sides.
• O'Keefe is awful. Doesn't understand that his job is to referee the game and not to have conversations with players. Also as the worst TMO have no clue why he doesn't want to use TMO. Didn't reward scrum dominance either.
• Lineout is still a massive issue for the Wallabies and allows for constant pressure on our defence.
• Not enough ball ended up in Petaia's hands. The more he touches the ball the better as he not only breaks the line but creates space for others.
• Was disappointed with DHP and maybe Maddocks deserves a run.
• A decent debut for Simone. Couple of sloppy touches but really has the all round game to develop more.

Sorry just one more regarding the refereeing. I'm starting to feel that due to the way the rules are written, World Rugby is placing a strong emphasis on refereeing consistency and by the book refereeing. I honestly believe that this does not need to be the case. We want our referee's to adjudicate the game so that it is fair but also free flowing; too often the sequence of events is scrum, penalty, lineout, scrum, penalty, lineout.. it's slow, takes too long and has no fatigue in the game.

Whether it is allowing our referee's to be more lenient by putting the whistle in the pocket (like they did in the last 8 minutes in Bledisloe 1), providing cleaners more time to get to the ruck or place a greater emphasis on actually stealing the ball not playing for a penalty, something needs to be done.

As stated before the match had played like Noah still proving super rugby ready - benefit is he sees what is required to get there - but gees hearing JOC (James O'Connor) injured I lost all hope...actually that was with To’omua out really as irae is not a test player imo

 

[Kenny Powers]

breaking records for poor performances since the retirement of the last amateurs. Our players, selected from schools for "special treatment" before they have proved a thing in the daily grind at adult rugby, do not learn to skills in depth. We have extremely gifted players running around with the same skill levels they had as school boys. When those amateur players retired, they were the last who were actually skilled beyond school boy level. NONE of the players in the wallabies outside George Smith in the professional era is even close to the skill of their amateur contemporaries.

My favourite post of the night. In the amateur days there was no special treatment, no contract straight out school, find yourself a Shute Shield club and prove yourself by improving! Higher honours came from this and plenty of competition for these rep spots.

This is where we a lacking most against NZ competition for spots coming from a tier outside of Super Rugby. Too many anointed schoolboy rockstars who haven’t had to prove their ability outside of schoolboys. We create a very narrow pool from which to select talent from. The player that improves himself post school but never walked out of school with a Super Rugby contract or was part of the ‘pathways’ these days does not get a look in.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Make the All blacks change and wear the wallabies Jersey after half time

See super rugby thread - I have hijacked this thread enough.

 

[rodha]

You obviously don't get it. What I am saying is that the blokes at Shute level are playing and executing skills better at their level with their peers. Yes its not as intense or hard, but it is relative.

I will say it outright, the Wallabies are frauds.

They are not able to execute basic skills within their professional peer group. They do not deserve to be ranked as a tier 1 nation. I seriously doubt if the Wallabies could compete consistently with teams in whatever they call the ITM cup these days. So we have a group of players who extract Tier 1 wages for being under performers who do not improve on any of their basics.

Or the simple explanation that your best athletes are playing League & another good chunk of potential talent have grown up playing AFL with barely an inkling of Union existing.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Petaia did a sweet fend on Hodgman as well. He’s class and for the benefit of the Wallabies I hope they settle on a 12 that can build a combination for years to come.

Guessing they'll platoon To'omua/Simone/maybe even Bieber with him at 2nd 5 through RWC? They really need a 2nd playmaker at 12

Poor Lolesio. It was like biffing Josh Ioane circa his first ponderous year with the Highlanders in there.

 

[tragic]

Agree but, FWIW, I thought BPA, Wilson, and Petaia were among our best with Slipper. Simmons was also good when he came on.

We spent years with our forwards being outplayed in every position (except maybe 7) and hanging in there due to the skills of our backs.
We finally get some starch in our forwards and develop a dominant scrum (which was our Achilles heel for so long) and then our backs fall short.
Bloody frustrating.
It’s telling that petaia is the only back on your list.

 

[Gervais_rugbylives]

We talk up these young players who we have barely blooded and then completely turn on them as soon as they have a bad game. It is obvious a lot of these boys are wallabies too soon, and a few won't be again because they are in there too soon.

The 23 today have shown that they have skills, but they are very young and don't have the heads yet. Rugby is a 50% head game.

Get some people listening in on AB training sessions and we can build and learn how to play the style that they play, because the the game suits this style best, and I don't think anybody will disagree with that.

 

[Viking]

I hope Petaia is ok after that knock, the run to setup the try was outstanding. Mo’unga must shit himself every time he runs toward him.

As good as he is, he still throws the 50/50 pass to often. He's thrown away of lost possession every game he's played.

 

[Derpus]

Guessing they'll platoon To'omua/Simone/maybe even Bieber with him at 2nd 5 through RWC? They really need a 2nd playmaker at 12

Poor Lolesio. It was like biffing Josh Ioane circa his first ponderous year with the Highlanders in there.

Its him or Jono Lance

 

[Dismal Pillock]

The look of a man who almost wishes he'd left the gas on at home.

 

[The Phoenix]

Guessing they'll platoon To'omua/Simone/maybe even Bieber with him at 2nd 5 through RWC? They really need a 2nd playmaker at 12

Poor Lolesio. It was like biffing Josh Ioane circa his first ponderous year with the Highlanders in there.

Hamish Stewart - great defender and organised Reds defensive line, good kicking game, brilliant offloader. He put the Reds outside backs into gaps all season.

 

[tragic]

My favourite post of the night. In the amateur days there was no special treatment, no contract straight out school, find yourself a Shute Shield club and prove yourself by improving! Higher honours came from this and plenty of competition for these rep spots.

This is where we a lacking most against NZ competition for spots coming from a tier outside of Super Rugby. Too many anointed schoolboy rockstars who haven’t had to prove their ability outside of schoolboys. We create a very narrow pool from which to select talent from. The player that improves himself post school but never walked out of school with a Super Rugby contract or was part of the ‘pathways’ these days does not get a look in.

I agree but if we don’t identify the talent early and offer them something they get contracted to league straight out of school and everyone criticises the development pathway for not securing the next generation.
We suffer from having a well paid and more popular alternative.
Damned if you do and dammed if you don’t

 

[KOB1987]

Its him or Jono Lance

Longer term it’s Harrison. Not sure I’d throw him into the cauldron at Suncorp but if he’s the best we have what else are we meant to do.

 

[Viking]

Hamish Stewart - great defender and organised Reds defensive line, good kicking game, brilliant offloader. He put the Reds outside backs into gaps all season.

Sounds a bit like Noah Lolesio and we just saw how that went.

Stewart is too fresh.

Simone was solid at 12. We just need JOC (James O'Connor) or To'omua to be fit for 10.