OK. For the French v Australia B, with Cheika's apparent and strange lack of planning, and team training combinations apparently abrogated to the well known current Aussie coaching guru - Dingo Deans' Barbarians - and needing some element of consistency to guide the nascent Larkham structure (largely in the absence of Larkham coaching) - Foley was always going to be the better choice at
play maker back line decision maker.
And of course, it's a brilliant example of the reason that we should be actively develop Phipps-Cooper for the
A Team First 15.
@Gagger, finally caught up to all the posts, including your asservation to constant negativity and trolling.
Sheesh, my post (above) seems churlish in retrospect. Hell bloke, I'm a "Quade for PM", "Link was stuffed by the Flower Conspiracy", hairy mono-eyed Red. But I do my best to attempt a balance to my own bias.
And bloke, I feel for you. Aussie rugby interactive sites have been undergoing a serious deliberate trolling atmosphere for some 6 months at least. I honestly, not just saying, am having major trouble dialling in to Roar these days, thank Christ for G&GR!
The negativity IS off-putting. But man, I cant help it, even with my "bias-adjustor rose coloured glasses" on, there are elements with this EOYT from Cheika that I'm just not happy with. Not happy.
Tell you something I under-estimated with Cheik though - his ability to motivate newbies. Hell, he has to take a bow with that France test. And for me, he stays with the mid-week team to work his magic. Let the structure stuff run with the coaching team - Gray, Larkham, Ledesma - for just a couple of days.
And from THIS France test, my positives:
1. No, Foley doesnt NEED a second playmaker, not at least with Larkham (another positive) getting more effective in his role.
2. We ARE building depth, I personally think its early days and plenty more building is required (hence Cheika to head the French Barabarians thing, long term play). So the France test for the newbies, was a bit like the second NZ test for the first 15. Hey, a getting together on the concept that maybe these structures can work.
3. Grrrrrrrr, Foley. Good. Not saying any more.
4. Simmo doesnt really deserve a slot in the first 15. But bugger me if he isnt actually knuckling under into the Cheika/Larkham structures. Keep on going boys, major boost for the Reds!
[Edit: But you're a bit slow in sorting out Douglas. Now if I am going to (attempt) to support your prefered 10, the least you can do is to put Douglas onto the Simmo programme. You getting me? The success of the EOYT could be tested, by me anyway, on whether BOTH Simmo and Douglas return to the Reds with an attitude ready to bite heads off bats.]
5. The inner pod (1, 2, 3) in the France test was poor, imo. But it was made up by the outer pod (4, 5, 8?). Not as structured as the pods agin Wales, but an interesting development, given the outer pod needed improvement (hell, go Simmo! The Red mono-eye must out sooner or later.)
6. Kurindrani, getting back to his best. Oh yeah, Karevi-Kurindrani, yeah yeah yeah. (See my earlier point about Foley and a second playmaker.)
7. We won.