Giteau

[GC]

Is Horne ever likely to get over his chronic injury long enough to be a permanent fixture at 12? Sadly, I suspect not if someone with similar problems like Tahu is anything to go by.

How big is Kurtley now? Stirlo needs to take him aside and teach him the pleasures of lifting the knees, pumping the legs and running hard and straight (no euphemisms there). Combine that with his other skills and a new-found ability to tackle and he could be very very good at 12. Plus he's be ideal at setting Diggers up at 13 as his short passing game is pretty good.

 

[Running Rugby]

I don't think it is an easy decision whether to plat Giteau at 10 or 12. My thoughts are off first phase ball he is probably better at 12 where he can take the ball to the line a little wider. In this style of play he just needs a 10 who gives him the ball when he wants it and kicks well for territory (and probably takes some of the decision making process away from him). He also needs a 13 who can get over the advantage line.
Off phase ball, (going forward), you want the ball in Giteau's hands as often as possible and as soon as he wants it. He needs to be able to play first receiver here but also exploit wider defensive weaknesses when the opposition dictates it.
His greatest weakness at 10 is his continued habit of positioning himself too deep and in the pocket behind the breakdown.
I am a believer that Horne is potentially the perfect 13 for Australia. His ability to set up the outside man and lateral speed in defence makes him right for this role. I would like to see him work on his strength in contact and line breaking ability though as this could be his major role in the current Australian system.

 

[Lee Grant]

Good post RR

You could be right about Horne and his assessment as a 13.

I have mentioned him as a 12 prospect a few times, not because I think there is any great chance that he will be, but because I look around and can't see anybody else in Oz with the right attributes. There's not a lot of youngsters coming through either, though there are a few 13s that look promising.

Yeah Gits is often too deep and so is Barnes. One thing about Cooper, and even Beale, is that they are not afraid to play flat and pass flat in front of the tackle line - like a matador who gets close to the horns. But there is not a lot of value in that unless the receiver has aimed himself at a likely gap and has run from deep and timed his run so that he is where the flat pass is as it intersects his line of run.

If that is gobbley gook read "passers of the ball and the receivers of it should act like Barnes and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) did when AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) scored his wonder try against the Boks." It couldn't be defended.