Gnostic's Player Ratings V England

[Gnostic]

:lmao: :'(

1. Robinson - 3 he is unfit and out of form. (But it can't be so he was touted as one of the saviours)
2. Moore - 6 Solid play.
3. Alexander - 6 his best game on this tour. Set piece work solid, arrived at the rucks with presence and carried well. Scrum still wobbly.
4. Sharpe - 6 a drop in his standards, still defended well and solid in the lineout, and still one of the few forwards who can consistantly make the gain line. Intensity just wasn't there today.
5. Chisholm 4 - his best game in an Oz jersey perhaps against decent opposition. Still failed to make the gain line on attack and falls off tackles.
6. Elsom - 5 why did it take until the second half for him to wake up. Not a Captain's foreskin.
7. Pocock - 7 A big drop from his usual efforts but still in a league of his own in this pack.
8. McCalman 3 - No penetration, missed tackles or got pushed off/stepped out off.
9. Genia 5 - Has been out of form all year, but is still a better passer than Burgess. Would still start with him but Burgess needs to get on earlier.
10. Cooper 1 - The encouragement award. Made a tackle with the shoulder that he didn't fall off. The technique was shit as he was almost upright but hey. Kicked all night which isn't why he is selected. He is a massive liability to the team in defence, the question is does he consistantly offer enough in attack to offset it? The last two games would answer no.
12. Giteau 2 - Actually ran straight when he was given the ball instead of it getting kicked. Managed to knock on in contract and was deservedly yellow carded.
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) 5 - Did have much of a chance really. Got the ball once in attack in half a space and made metres. Missed a couple in defence.
11. Mitchell - 3 beaten for pace, and caught out of position. Hasn't driven forward in the contact since before he was dropped - why?
14. JOC (James O'Connor) 3 - two tries or was it three originated down his wing? Missed 3 kicks (not that it made a difference in this game)
15. Beale 5 - Kicking way too much. The only back that appeared to have any pace in the Oz team. Defended well. Did I mention kicks too much.

16. Finger - Not used
17. Slipper - 6 made difference when Fatcat was replaced, but he is starting to get fat as well. WTF is happening with the conditioning.
18. Mumm - 5 Not really enough time - again
19. Brown - see Mumm
20. Burgess - 6 more energy than Genia but his passing and decision making around the ruck are not of Genia's standard. Better defender and more of a running threat since Genia's knee injury.
21. Barnes - 6 Lead the backline forward in defence and gave a bit more direction when he came on but the game was done.
22. Turner - Not used

Deans et al- Worst Oz Coach of the Pro era. No tactics, no plan B if there was a plan A. Poor selection, worse bench use. Even Kafe made a slip of the tounge during commentary and said "totally out coached today"

This game showed a marked improvement in the Wallabies pack defence. Scrum is a shambles but the backrow didn't unbind and the locks bound tightly this week so an improvement on that regard only.

The backs played as individuals with no depth in attack, no support runners and defence is woeful.

This team has made no progression since last year in relative performance. They are better than last year in some aspects such as handling, and breakdown play. However other key areas have regressed at a higher rate or at best remained static.

 

[Joe Blow]

I thought Stephen Moore was about an 8. He was everywhere and showed great intensity.
The rest are pretty spot on. The Wallaby rollercoaster continues after staying on the peak for a little longer than usual. Pretty disappointing.

However, this was a game England won and deservedly so. It was a far cry from their one point victory in June where Giteau missed kick handed them the test.
The Wallabies lacked muscle and intent (Moore and Pocock excluded). The game plan was shocking and there was little direction on the pitch where we never seriously threatened, once again because the Poms did not allow us to.

Still a long way to go. There will no doubt be wholesale changes for Italy but it will be interesting to see the starting 15 against France.

 

[Scotty]

Complete overreaction on player ratings. There wasn't much difference in our performance from last week (particularly in the forwards), however England played very very well.

 

[Langthorne]

There will no doubt be wholesale changes for Italy but it will be interesting to see the starting 15 against France.

Wholesale changes?! Really? That has not been Deans' style in the past.

I think that Moore, Sharpe, Beale and Elsom were a bit better than your ratings. Elsom's captaincy decisions were not good, but his play was. Deans has been the least successful Wallaby coach in terms of games won (well he is surely at the bottom), but I am only prepared to apportion some of the blame to him for the results, and particularly this result. The players were the ones who were on the pitch (even if some of them shouldn't have been).

 

[waratahjesus]

just going to throw it in there gnostic, when a team is being outplayed, running it isnt always the best option, Beale cant run everytime, he seems to have a good ability to run when he sees an opportunity, he reads the game very very well, but to say he kicked to much when he often had no support or players around him is quite laughable.

just cos a team runs the bal doesnt mean there going to win, we were hammered by a very hungry team last night, we were made to look like we didnt care at all. like we didnt want to be there, holding onto the ball would have given england better field position and we would have lost by more.

 

[Gnostic]

just going to throw it in there gnostic, when a team is being outplayed, running it isnt always the best option, Beale cant run everytime, he seems to have a good ability to run when he sees an opportunity, he reads the game very very well, but to say he kicked to much when he often had no support or players around him is quite laughable.

just cos a team runs the bal doesnt mean there going to win, we were hammered by a very hungry team last night, we were made to look like we didnt care at all. like we didnt want to be there, holding onto the ball would have given england better field position and we would have lost by more.

True to a point, but he ran from memory three times and kicked how many, including grubbers and chips which are not defensive kicks which would be called for under your scenario.

 

[vidiot]

running it isnt always the best option

Agreed.

But low percentage penalty attempts suck balls compared to lineouts, our throw, inside their 22, in the first 15 minutes. And chasing a high kick midfield into opposition who win that contest and the ensuing breakdown every time is a poor option, especially (but not only) when it is poorly executed.

In terms of the running option, we managed to not align and never looked like running through or even at the midfield, mostly because of the forwards struggling to go forward, but also because we weren't well organised and Giteau is either invisible or ineffective.

 

[Gnostic]

Wholesale changes?! Really? That has not been Deans' style in the past.

I think that Moore, Sharpe, Beale and Elsom were a bit better than your ratings. Elsom's captaincy decisions were not good, but his play was. Deans has been the least successful Wallaby coach in terms of games won (well he is surely at the bottom), but I am only prepared to apportion some of the blame to him for the results, and particularly this result. The players were the ones who were on the pitch (even if some of them shouldn't have been).

Agree there will not be wholesale changes, there will be some rotation perhaps which has been flagged by many here since the start of the tour.

 

[Gnostic]

Having just finished the Wales V Bok game I will say that had Wales had all their best on the pitch last week such as Lee Byrne, Oz would have lost. The marked difference those quality players made the the Welsh was well, .... marked.

 

[fatprop]

6. Elsom - 5 why did it take until the second half for him to wake up. Not a Captain's foreskin.

His first half was damn fine as well, his defensive reads stopped a load of England's attacking opportunities, as for asking JOC (James O'Connor) to try to kick goals, that is JOC (James O'Connor)'s job at the moment, he has the ability to kick them so why not give him the opportunity

 

[Joe Blow]

Wholesale changes?! Really? That has not been Deans' style in the past.

.

Wholesale changes in the way of rotation I mean. The side that is selected for France will be what Deans considers his best 22.

 

[vidiot]

I had no expectation either of the first two penalty attempts were going to be successful. I'll bet I wasn't the only one. Am I just negative or am I a better judge of a kick than Rocky? Did Rocky ask JOC (James O'Connor) and get the nod? Can JOC (James O'Connor) say anything but yes if he is asked and still keep positive?

 

[Gnostic]

I had no expectation either of the first two penalty attempts were going to be successful. I'll bet I wasn't the only one. Am I just negative or am I a better judge of a kick than Rocky? Did Rocky as JOC (James O'Connor) and get the nod? Can JOC (James O'Connor) say anything but yes if he is asked and still keep positive?

I agree Vidiot. After the first attempt it set the tone for the length from which his kicks would be makeable. He hit them all sweetly so that was the problem, the second and third decisions were just mystifying and when taken in context of the rest of his game as Captain doesn't say much for his leadership.

FP - Elsom did do what was required in the first half BUT there was a massive improvement in his performance in the second. Why? WHere was that when he took to the pitch? I would say that the second half was his best performance all year in fact.

 

[fatprop]

I disagree Gnostic, I think he was doing the same things, but those around him dropped off even more

 

[WB3]

JOC (James O'Connor) had limited opportunity in attack and was handed some difficult kicks. He didn't play very well but was not helped by those around him. The length of the field try scored down his wing appeared to me to be a result of him being positioned off his wing for attack and whoever was outside him drifting in, although my first instinct was to blame him. When I watch the replay I'll see for sure.

As for Beale kicking too much, I noticed the whole backline was pulling dinky little chip kicks, I assume in an effort to turn around the rushing English defence. It seemed as much a coaching problem as anything else and I think it was just an example of shitty tactics. Beale was OK last night but never had a platform to work off.\

And the forwards, aside from Moore and Pocock, were below par. Elsom, Sharpe and Alexander were OK at best but need to lift big time. McCalman and Chisholm were COMPLETELY anonymous. I literally saw 2 involvements from Chisholm and McCalman struggles to get over the gain line. Robinson had some good moments at the break down but was largely less effective than normal.

 

[Jethro Tah]

Complete overreaction on player ratings. There wasn't much difference in our performance from last week (particularly in the forwards), however England played very very well.

I'm with Scotty on this. This was the best that England has played in years. They played well v the ABs then kept the momentum going against a more beatable side. So I would say their actual performances were a bit better by their standards than how rated above but lost a few points because they came up against a side that was on song, if that makes sense.

 

[Reddy!]

I thought J'OC was invisible all match, including goal kicking

I actually think these ratings are fairly close. Did you guys not see how poorly we played last night? Why do you think England are able to play so well? Because we allow them to - England isn't missing tackles, we are.

 

[louie]

and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. It did. It's done to Robbie to me. Nothing else.

Rocky was better then what you gave. i'd give him an 8. His workrate was awesome.

Robinson, QC (Quade Cooper), JOC (James O'Connor), Genia, McCalman, Sharpe were all terrible last night.

Our forwards did nothing to counter at the ruck. England go the ball when they wanted without a fight.

You Suck Robbie

 

[cyclopath]

I had no expectation either of the first two penalty attempts were going to be successful. I'll bet I wasn't the only one. Am I just negative or am I a better judge of a kick than Rocky? Did Rocky ask JOC (James O'Connor) and get the nod? Can JOC (James O'Connor) say anything but yes if he is asked and still keep positive?

JOC (James O'Connor) is a kid, he thinks he can do anything. Poor decisions to go for those.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Shades of PdV clown like decision making last night.

It was quite obvious that the game plan wasn't working from about 5 minutes in and yet we did not change.

Captain Elsom has the responsibility to make a decision to change tactics on the field. If he doesn't change, then Dingo has to send a runner on to tell him to do so.

Like the Pom Generals in WW1, we continued to keep doing the same old thing, expecting the results to be somehow different each time we try to do the same old thing.

Neither Elsom nor Deans appeared to make any tactical changes last night. Poor leadership.