Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
I don't think the Brumbies are in a position to say "It's just the Cheetahs..."
The Cheetahs might be a stronger opposition than the Force...
As long as McCabe is 100% fit he should be selected.
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I don't think the Brumbies are in a position to say "It's just the Cheetahs..."
The Cheetahs might be a stronger opposition than the Force...
As long as McCabe is 100% fit he should be selected.
Bowside
Peter Johnson (47)
I would expect that they give someone else a go in smiths position. I'd still like to see kimlin at lock at some point to see if he is an option there for the wallabies.
When does Fotu Aluela get to town?
A backrow of Mowen, Vaea and Aluela would be powerpacked, but I suspect they would only last 55 minutes at best.
I like that jake white is bringing new ideas to australian rugby, and I hope that at the end of the season one of the young 7's at the brumbies heads to the tahs or rebel to further their careers.
When does Fotu Aluela get to town?
A backrow of Mowen, Vaea and Aluela would be powerpacked, but I suspect they would only last 55 minutes at best.
I like that jake white is bringing new ideas to australian rugby, and I hope that at the end of the season one of the young 7's at the brumbies heads to the tahs or rebel to further their careers.
mudskipper
Colin Windon (37)
They've got a bye next week anyway...
mudskipper
Colin Windon (37)
Fotu Auelua has been there for a few weeks... He is getting match fit and understand the team plays... He'll be amongst it soon enough... Hooper got a run and Fainga'a is injured...
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Dont get personal - particularly if you're going to put links up which show what you look like!
I think you might need to check the definition of a tackle because it certainly does not involve and cannot involve falling or diving on top of a player already on the ground.
There was nothing Charles could have done to stop that try and he left his feet long after the try scorer had grounded the ball. It was late and it was above the armpits.
Kaplan would have binned him and would have been right to do so: its dumb play because it achieves absolutely nothing and runs the risk of the ref seeing it my way. Since you are a Force supporter perhaps you ought to focus on how low a percentage play it was.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
He has played like that consistantly for the last two years. I was not surprised at all to see him outpoint his opposite. Just one reason why the Tahs were outright idiots to let him go with barely a whimper because they counted on Elsom signing. IMO the Brumbies got the far better deal, a rarely fit and in form Elsom for a player now named their Captain.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
Congratulations to Jake White. I am very happy to see some original thinking back in Australian Rugby. We once prided ourselves on playing smarter than everyone else and didn't try to compete against areas where other teams were clearly stronger in some bravo inspired dick waving exercise. Few teams would be able to compete for backrow speed and on-ball activity such as the Force bring. White didn't even try, with his heavily criticised backrow selection the Force backrow was largely taken out of the game. Given the ball carrying ability and the number of dominant tackles made by the Brumbies backrow I would even say they dominated their Wallabies rivals.
I wouldn't expect to see that line-up every week and would expect to see Mowen at 6 and Vaea at 8 again for a more balanced look. I do however expect Graham to continue with this backrow for the Force and I expect the same outcome each week as well. McCalman is all workrate to no effect and Hodgeson is not a 6. The Force lineout will be in deep trouble if Sharpe gets injured at any stage this season and really needs to be looking to the future and grooming somebody to try and step into those huge boots.
This game met my expectations in terms of execution and tactics, as with many others here I don't like To'omua at 10 (he just has not developed and looks much the same as Halangahu to me - ie 1 or 2 great games a year and then just servicable to mediocrity for the rest). The Force also look lost in the backs with the departure of JOC (James O'Connor) and Ripia and the tutelage of Graham. Lastly as my friend Redshappy likes to remind us all, the place kicking in Oz is woeful and costs so many teams from Super Rugby to Tests so many matches.
I wouldn't expect to see that line-up every week and would expect to see Mowen at 6 and Vaea at 8 again for a more balanced look. I do however expect Graham to continue with this backrow for the Force and I expect the same outcome each week as well. McCalman is all workrate to no effect and Hodgeson is not a 6. The Force lineout will be in deep trouble if Sharpe gets injured at any stage this season and really needs to be looking to the future and grooming somebody to try and step into those huge boots.
This game met my expectations in terms of execution and tactics, as with many others here I don't like To'omua at 10 (he just has not developed and looks much the same as Halangahu to me - ie 1 or 2 great games a year and then just servicable to mediocrity for the rest). The Force also look lost in the backs with the departure of JOC (James O'Connor) and Ripia and the tutelage of Graham. Lastly as my friend Redshappy likes to remind us all, the place kicking in Oz is woeful and costs so many teams from Super Rugby to Tests so many matches.
kiap
Steve Williams (59)
Absolutely. The Bulls-Sharks match last night was similar. Not much life in it at all until the last ten minutes when the Shorks ran it playing catchup rugby.
JJJ
Vay Wilson (31)
Disclaimer: tenuous speculation ahead
To be fair to the Force backrow Bryce clearly came into this game feeling he had a point to prove, which meant Pocock had to be damned careful at the ruck. Penalties to ruck turnovers ratio was always going to be skewed, so it wouldn't surprise me if he eased right off the contest. Especially since he's captain.
Can't say I blame either party. Pocock did what he had to do to avoid a yellow, and Bryce did what he had to do if he ever hopes to ref an RSA side again. If he can't then he doesn't have much of a future as a top SH ref.
To be fair to the Force backrow Bryce clearly came into this game feeling he had a point to prove, which meant Pocock had to be damned careful at the ruck. Penalties to ruck turnovers ratio was always going to be skewed, so it wouldn't surprise me if he eased right off the contest. Especially since he's captain.
Can't say I blame either party. Pocock did what he had to do to avoid a yellow, and Bryce did what he had to do if he ever hopes to ref an RSA side again. If he can't then he doesn't have much of a future as a top SH ref.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I dont see how reffing an RSA side, or not, is placed in some special category. He's clearly been passed fit to ref S15 and there cannot be any suggestion of his not reffing RSA S15 sides and if there is or was such a suggestion it would be totally unfair that he would be excluded from reffing RSA sides but could ref NZ or Aus sides.
Everyone should lay off Lawrence.
Everyone should lay off Lawrence.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
I thought Bryce was poor, again. However that was not to do with the officiating of the breakdown which was pretty much in line with the other games we have seen so far. What I thought was poor was his missing of knock ons etc. He just didn't seem to be in the right positions.
Your opening sentence basically acuses Bryce of being corrupt and making his mind up before he went out there to give a square up. I would never say that that was the case as there simply is no eveidence to even iimply that was the case, he is just another example of a potentially good Ref that has not been developed properly and had bad habits corrected which resulted in last years test performance.
He will ref RSA sides again but I doubt if he will travel to the Republic again or ref the Boks.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
If he is not to ref the Boks then he cannot, in fairness, ref at test level: just because he stuffs one game and they whinge cannot be allowed to determine whom he refs in the future - otherwise there'll be no end to it.
Chiefs and H'landers seem to me to have a lot more energy in their play than did the Force or Brumbies
Brumbies Guy
John Solomon (38)
He'll be out longer than than that
Charlemagne
Frank Nicholson (4)
All the NZ sides looked sharper than the Aus and SA sides, it seems that the first round is a bit of a warm up round, the Tahs and Reds looked very rusty. The supporters in SA have to get over the issue with Bryce, if he had a bad game it happens, but if he had erred on their side would they be have a go?
S
spooony
Guest
It is not Bryce. Bryce was used by others to further/cover up some of their own agendas. We were shit and deserved to go home. He was just the escape goat that was used thx to NZ who used it to try and neutralize Pocock. Unfortunately power of the media can make a crowd extremely hostile especially people that are stark raving mad rugby supporters who likes to shit on the ref when they lose. They do not care to look deeper into a matter and will go after anything reported on a tv screen
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