disco said:
Until Kimlin & Hockings really come along then I think we need Sharpie as I see MMM purely as a blindside flanker at test level. Mumm is a good player but i'm not sure he is a full time test lock either he will probably battle for the 6 jersey with MMM.
James Horwill has clearly been our best player this season it was a shame we only saw him team up with Vickerman once.
I've got high hopes for Kimlin he's a big raw boned ranga who goes hard & will be a good locking partner for Horwill in the future.
Well said that man on all points.
I've said before that 3M should be considered only as a 6 in internationals and ditto for Mumm. At the S14 level - fine, if needs be. I also think that Kimlin is in the same category. Elsom's contribution this winter has been assessed too harshly on this forum, but, notwithstanding his impending departure, I have fewer worries about the future of our 6 jersey than any other.
What we need is two tight head S14 locks in the Oz 2nd row at scrum time - and I am sure that this is one of the reasons why disco regretted the infrequent teaming of Vickers and Big Kev. Whatever the other merits of Oz locks other than Big Kev are, we still need one of them to show they can make a difference when they pack down and engage.
On other matters:
I was pleased with the debut of Richard Brown and one can see why Deans preferred him to Hoiles, who duplicates much of what Smith does at the Brumbies, let alone, the Wallabies.
Some of the assessments on the Wallabies are a bit harsh but all the same, the closeness of the score has put too bright a light on our performance. The All Black team this year is not a great one compared to others they have had in the professional era - nor could it be this year. We should have played better against them in the last two Bledisloes.
Whilst one has to say that it was a good turnaround from JHB one can also say: it had to be. A fairer assessment of improvement over the season would be by comparing performances at SunCorp with those at Eden Park.
I saw little improvement comparing theses two tests apart from the lineout.
We are all fond about talking about this player or that one and analyse their individual games - often noting only individual efforts as being key and not recognising, often because we haven't thought about looking for it, how good a player is in contributing to a team effort in the various elements of our game and to the general team dynamic.
In particular there were two items were we were found wanting at SunCorp:
? a lack of alertness at key moments. One of our most important men, Sam Cordingley, seemed either half asleep or completely knackered in the second half (which begs the question of why Sheehan with a fresh brain and legs wasn't used). A raid down the tram-tracks at lineout time seemed to be a surprise rather than something to be expected.
There was a lack of care in other matters, and by other players, also, particularly realigning in defence and chasing kicks. The list is long.
I want us to start picking players who are super alert, super ready and are super anticipators in whatever has to be done on the park starting with simple things like getting up off the ground early.
? being raped at ruck time. Now and then this year we have had 2 or 3 men counter-rucking whilst the other team stood on the spot protecting their ball and they lost it accordingly - but too often, and especially in Auckland, JHB and Brisbane we have be rodgered in the counter-rucking department.
I am tired of our players being too nice in the physical contests. I want to see them swarming in, together and even against the odds, and if they don't quite make the back gate entry, then test how big the ref's envelope is a bit more. They should show more mongrel, more often especially in the last 20 minutes.
But I fear that I have digressed.
