At Canes training yesterday Piri Weepu has put a tentative hand up for a Super Rugby return off the bench, Aaron Cruden ran freely, and Rodney So'oialo (remember him?) announced plans to play a club match. Will be interesting to see how they pair up who. Kirkpatrick when he brings his boots kicks well, but often leaves them on the bus. Will be very cold in that concrete stadium Saturday night so the Reds might have to keep it tight to keep warm or run a lot...
.....My main problem with this match is that I'm not sure if the Reds have the mental capacity at this stage in the season to get up for this game after the emotion of last week.....
Forwards: Albert Anae, Saia Fainga'a, Liam Gill, James Hanson, Scott Higginbotham, Greg Holmes, James Horwill (c), Van Humphries, Beau Robinson, Radike Samo, Guy Shepherdson, Rob Simmons, Adam Wallace-Harrison.
Backs: Will Chambers, Quade Cooper, Anthony Fainga'a, Will Genia, Mike Harris, Ian Prior, Ben Lucas, Luke Morahan, Dom Shipperley, Kimami Sitauti.
I would be happy with that team but think AWH is a chance of starting at 6 as he has been staeling a lot of ball off the opposition throw. Maybe Simmons on the bench to give him a bit of a rest.
I also think that link will be tempted to set quade free from an attacking perspective but let genia pull him back if it gets out of hand. I expect a very attacking game plan to come into play as soon as the Reds get their hands on the ball.
Reddy!, I think your concern is valid, on the mental fatigue front. The mental focus and concentration demands this season on QC (Quade Cooper) at 10 have been enormous, just as one example. I was close to the line on Saturday and my group all thought QC (Quade Cooper) was looking a bit more tired and tense than usual. Most commentators put his poor kicks from hand down to the pressure of that game, I sense it might be a bit more a factor of what he has had to invest mentally to get to this streak - he has been at the centre of almost every win.
Very, very few teams can keep up what the Reds have been achieving for say 8+ games straight, without any lapse through mental fatigue. It was this game and the next where a major rotation and rest for 'the engine room' could have been risked, just.
I remember the heartbreak I felt in last year's equivalent match when I looked at the half-way score, then looked again 30 mins later. The remarkable rebirth of 2010 seemed to be dying. Whatever, it will be fascinating to see what transpires in Wellington, especially if Shipperley plays, and adventurous rotational experiments are taken elsewhere.
Interesting viewpoint. I thought Cooper was under added pressure because Mowen and Waugh and then Dennis had an obvious brief to be in his pocket all night. That effectively cut off quite a few of his options and the one time they didn't was because they were 100% committed to a dominant scrum, which left the Tahs ponderous midfield to close him down and that was a mistmatch and a half.