France v Wallabies (RWC Warm-up), 28/8 1.45AM AEST

[Dctarget]

Just read that Tupou was our most capped player in this team with 48 caps, that's incredible. If we go deep in the RWC that'll be amazing.

 

[dru]

Just read that Tupou was our most capped player in this team with 48 caps, that's incredible. If we go deep in the RWC that'll be amazing.

Presuming that we step up into the massive opportunity that is presented to us (poor opposition in the Group, and not hitting the top 5 teams until late in the comp) we are pretty much gifted making it to the SF. Surely that is deep, but I would call that result pleasing not "incredible".

Of course we could fail at the group stage, I just don't think it likely.

 

[stoff]

Presuming that we step up into the massive opportunity that is presented to us (poor opposition in the Group, and not hitting the top 5 teams until late in the comp) we are pretty much gifted making it to the SF. Surely that is deep, but I would call that result pleasing not "incredible".

Of course we could fail at the group stage, I just don't think it likely.

I get the impression that if we went on Welsh or Fijian rugby forums they are probably posting the same thing word for word.

 

[Dctarget]

Presuming that we step up into the massive opportunity that is presented to us (poor opposition in the Group, and not hitting the top 5 teams until late in the comp) we are pretty much gifted making it to the SF. Surely that is deep, but I would call that result pleasing not "incredible".

Of course we could fail at the group stage, I just don't think it likely.

dunno why everyone thinks we're gifted a win against Argentina and England in the QFs.

 

[dru]

I get the impression that if we went on Welsh or Fijian rugby forums they are probably posting the same thing word for word.

Both completely entitled to. Does that mean that I shouldn't be hopeful as a WB fan?

dunno why everyone thinks we're gifted a win against Argentina and England in the QFs.

Hardly gifted. All I'm saying is that we don't/can't meet NZ, SA, Ireland, France, Scotland before the SF. That draw is definitely gifted. The claim that it would be amazing if we don't go deep makes no sense to me.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Can't really see where you are going with this. If your post is to suggest we replace McRight with T. Hooper then I disagree. I am not against a larger 7 and many here think Gleeson could be the answer. I think T.H. is a decent 6 who will get better as time goes on.
My issue is that we have to play the cards we are given and atm McRight makes a better 7 than the bit Gleeson has shown and I do not think he is an 8. So the question to you is what does your back row look like (keeping in mind that Leota is starting to look ok).

My preference is to play the same backrow given current timeframes and urgency, stick with Bobby V at 8 (altough I think we are wasting a great 6), Hooper at 6 and let's give Gleeson a go at 7 with McRight on the bench for one of the lesser matches and see if the hype has more substance than hype,

smi you have mentioned a few times that you think Rob Valetini should play 6 rather than 8. Have to say I disagree. Most of Valetini's best work in both attack and defence is in the middle of the park. That's where he effectively hits the ball up in attack, and where he hits hard in defence. I have rarely seen him play extensively on the blind side of set piece, even when the Brumbies had him in the 6 jersey, and that is commonly where we find most 6s stationed.

Rob is one of the few really world class players we have and his style of play suits the No 8 role in the midfield. I wouldn't be moving him away from that spot in any circumstances.

 

[Joe Blow]

Really? We have sucked for 20 years, how will this tournament change anything?

It might make it worse. We are going into the tournament for the first time at 0-5 and we are at our lowest ranking that I can remember.
If you think a spirited round robin by a young inexperienced side before getting bundled out will win people over you are mistaken.
The only thing that will be remembered is our result and where we finished.
I feel like Jones has got it wrong. He admits he tried to work with the base of the team the previous coach had but could not get out of it what he wanted. IMHO he did not give them time to adjust and he dropped his bundle, as he is more and more prone to do.
If we had such depth that we could can most of our senior players, all well regarded in the international game, and roll out a bunch of young up and comers and perform as well or better maybe one of the previous 3 coaches would have given it a shot?

 

[stillmissit]

smi you have mentioned a few times that you think Rob Valetini should play 6 rather than 8. Have to say I disagree. Most of Valetini's best work in both attack and defence is in the middle of the park. That's where he effectively hits the ball up in attack, and where he hits hard in defence. I have rarely seen him play extensively on the blind side of set piece, even when the Brumbies had him in the 6 jersey, and that is commonly where we find most 6s stationed.

Rob is one of the few really world class players we have and his style of play suits the No 8 role in the midfield. I wouldn't be moving him away from that spot in any circumstances.

BR: I think we disagree on what an 8 is and a centre runner and big hitter is not what I look for in an 8. If you accept that Kewiran Reid was up there with the best then I suggest his linking, covering D and his solid defence across the park. On top of that he had exception passing and offloading, he knew what breakdowns to attack and which to leave alone and he could see issues developing on the park and shut them down.
Bobby V is to my mind a great 6 playing, as you say, in the middle of the park, trucking it up, attacking breakdowns and good D. In this game he had 12 runs for 48 metres (4m a run), 2 passes and 1 offload. In defence, he had 7 tackles and missed 2. Don't get me wrong he is an excellent player but a great number 8 he ain't.

 

[stillmissit]

It might make it worse. We are going into the tournament for the first time at 0-5 and we are at our lowest ranking that I can remember.
If you think a spirited round robin by a young inexperienced side before getting bundled out will win people over you are mistaken.
The only thing that will be remembered is our result and where we finished.
I feel like Jones has got it wrong. He admits he tried to work with the base of the team the previous coach had but could not get out of it what he wanted. IMHO he did not give them time to adjust and he dropped his bundle, as he is more and more prone to do.
If we had such depth that we could can most of our senior players, all well regarded in the international game, and roll out a bunch of young up and comers and perform as well or better maybe one of the previous 3 coaches would have given it a shot?

As you may well know, I was no fan of Eddie taking over this close to RWC (or anytime really) and I think there is a chance he will be gone after this tournament. The team needed something to shake them up and he thought if he could pull this off he'd get = amazing guru status, if he doesn't well the next guy could continue with a young bunch who've gained some experience. Has he got it wrong? could well have and we'll know by the end of September.
Rarely do guys who develop teams get the kudos, it is usually the next guy who reaps the rewards of others' work and Eddie milked McQueen's great team.
Still excited to see what these guys can do with some provisos, improve discipline, support runners, improve D and be better at the breakdown NOT too much to ask is it?. A big hill to climb but what the hell have we got to lose?

 

[Tomthumb]

It might make it worse. We are going into the tournament for the first time at 0-5 and we are at our lowest ranking that I can remember.
If you think a spirited round robin by a young inexperienced side before getting bundled out will win people over you are mistaken.
The only thing that will be remembered is our result and where we finished.
I feel like Jones has got it wrong. He admits he tried to work with the base of the team the previous coach had but could not get out of it what he wanted. IMHO he did not give them time to adjust and he dropped his bundle, as he is more and more prone to do.
If we had such depth that we could can most of our senior players, all well regarded in the international game, and roll out a bunch of young up and comers and perform as well or better maybe one of the previous 3 coaches would have given it a shot?

We were ranked 9th in the world last year with these well regarded senior players

We lost 9 tests last year with these well regarded senior players

Stop acting as if these well regarded senior players didn’t help cause this mess

 

[Joe Blow]

We were ranked 9th in the world last year with these well regarded senior players

We lost 9 tests last year with these well regarded senior players

Stop acting as if these well regarded senior players didn’t help cause this mess

You must be Jones or his mum?
I am not acting about anything. Fact is EJ (Eddie Jones) said he would win the Bled and then the RWC with this squad. Its not working out so well.
We are going around in circles. Jones jumped the gun and ushered in a new era a few months early. Simple.
I hope they go well but am not holding my breath.

 

[RugbyReg]

Jones jumped the gun and ushered in a new era a few months early. Simple.

Or perhaps a few months too late.

 

[Namerican]

It might make it worse. We are going into the tournament for the first time at 0-5 and we are at our lowest ranking that I can remember.
If you think a spirited round robin by a young inexperienced side before getting bundled out will win people over you are mistaken.
The only thing that will be remembered is our result and where we finished.
I feel like Jones has got it wrong. He admits he tried to work with the base of the team the previous coach had but could not get out of it what he wanted. IMHO he did not give them time to adjust and he dropped his bundle, as he is more and more prone to do.
If we had such depth that we could can most of our senior players, all well regarded in the international game, and roll out a bunch of young up and comers and perform as well or better maybe one of the previous 3 coaches would have given it a shot?

No other team is doing this for this RWC, even Wales who also got rid of some senior citizens (those guys were 35, not 31). It doesn't make sense to me either to take this approach for a RWC. It is bound to fail.

You have a lot of healthy, in their prime or close, world class players available: Tupou, Skelton, Valteni, Arnold, Koro, Ikitau (if healthy), Bell, Kellaway.

Will all those guys be available and healthy next RWC? Probably not.

And you have an easy draw.

They should be fielding the team most likely to win games this RWC. Nobody can convince me that Donaldson is more likely to achieve this than some of the options omitted. Same goes for Holloway.

Or that your starting 6,7,9,10,12 combo should ever have less than 50 combined caps.

The results have been instructive: spirited but horrible.

Bird in hand is worth two in the bush IMO.

 

[KOB1987]

No other team is doing this for this RWC, even Wales who also got rid of some senior citizens (those guys were 35, not 31). It doesn't make sense to me either to take this approach for a RWC. It is bound to fail.

You have a lot of healthy, in their prime or close, world class players available: Tupou, Skelton, Valteni, Arnold, Koro, Ikitau (if healthy), Bell, Kellaway.

Will all those guys be available and healthy next RWC? Probably not.

And you have an easy draw.

They should be fielding the team most likely to win games this RWC. Nobody can convince me that Donaldson is more likely to achieve this than some of the options omitted. Same goes for Holloway.

Or that your starting 6,7,9,10,12 combo should ever have less than 50 combined caps.

The results have been instructive: spirited but horrible.

Bird in hand is worth two in the bush IMO.

History would suggest we should agree with you. However, not only do we have the weakest pool in RWC history, the whole thing is structured for us to build a team.

Look at our pool games, we go Georgia into Fiji into Wales - traditionally each of those is a step up from the previous game, and they're a week apart, so we run out largely the same team (barring injuries) for each game to build some structure and cohesion, and lift the intensity each game. After that we come up against Portugal, so will rest some players to iron out their injury concerns. Our 4ths accounted for them the other day pretty easily so our 2nds should walk through, giving the actual Wallabies a 3 week turnaround before the QF. In that game, even in the worst case scenario, we come up against a team that will be ranked roughly equal to us.

Of course the main game will begin at the semi finals, but the ABs and Saffers might be looking for the new Stephen Donald at that stage. Or they may have gone through without a major injury concern or a suspension. Who knows. The crucials for us will be to avoid injuries in key positions, and cards i.e discipline.

We definitely need some stars to align, but I feel Eddie is giving it the best shot that that happens by not selecting injured players and those short on discipline. I'm cautiously optimistic and looking forward to the tournament, regardless of how it ends for the men in gold.

 

[Joe Blow]

Or perhaps a few months too late.

He hasn’t been there that long yet. It’s been fluid……….I’ll give him that.