Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
1. Robinson 6.5 - scrum solid, started to see his linking game and made a couple of carries this week.
2. S. Faaingaa 4 - Scrum solid, lineout throwing poor, even before the rash of losses at the end of the game his throwing was wonky. Fell off a few tackles as well.
3. Ma'afu 4 - Scrum solid (surprisingly), but what does he offer anywhere else? He has had 1 prominent game away from the set peice all year
4. Sharpe 9 - His carries this year are much tighter and he invariably makes the gain line. Line-out work was excellent. COunter maul was again very good and the Boks obviously did their homework on this as Steenkamp's score showed when the quickly moved the ball away from Sharpe and Mumm to the flanks where Elsom and Brown should have covered.
5. Mumm 3 - Upright in the carry, fell off tackles and lineout went to shit when he was supposed to be leading it. Not helped by very poor throwing from Finger.
6. ELsom 5 - Won a couple of lineouts, made a couple of carries which didn't trouble the defence. His support of the ball carrier was much better this week. I remain ambivalent to Elsom. He just hasn't showed why he was the best 6 in Oz four years ago. He has been poor to average since his return and this was again fairly average.
7. Pocock 6 - His tackle rate is amazing. He rarely falls off an attempted tackle and remains the best on-ball opeside in the comp this year. He loses 1.5 point for drifting to far and too quick to leave a massive hole I could have scored from for Smiths try.
8. Brown 3 - Same old same old. No presence at breakdown, no assurance at the base of the scrum, poor carries that do not even make the gain line.
9. Genia 6 - The passing in the first half was quick and crisp straight from the ground. What happened, he got tired and started the meer cat and was lucky on at least three occassion not to get turned over at the ruck as the Wallabies failed to clear the ball.
10. Cooper 7 - Well contained by JDV and Houghard (sp) he still beat the centres for SA with the ball.
12. Giteau 5 - ran with the ball straight just once and made a half break. Still has crabs. I expected and remember him as a far better defender than he is showing.
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) 4 - As with Horne Giteau is doing him no favours. Neither AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or Horne are outright power runners like Mortlock and Herbert (either brother). Both need half a hole or a questioning defender to make the break (as Mat Burke (again either one) needed. He can be a very good 13 if he is given the time and half gaps. He is getting neither and hence barely makes the gain line. In defence he is getting caught out quite a bit but needs some time.
11. Mitchell 8 - The only Winger in the 22 showed what a winger's job is. Perhaps getting dropped and his (wrongly awarded) red card have him on notice that another poor game will see him dropped likely for good if Hynes and Ioane are fit.
14. JOC (James O'Connor) 5 - Before people say he scored 2 tries. Whoppee, what did he do to create those tries as a Winger? The only bit of god wing play we saw from him was the loop and support for Beale's attack from behind the line. JOC (James O'Connor) gets 5 for supporting the carrier for his first try, the Beale support and chasing a kick off hard. It doesn't deserve more. His defence is still suspect on the wing.
15. Beale 9 - He is growing in confidence with every game. He was easily the most dangerous back for Oz.
16. Moore 6 - why didn't he get back on when Finger was obviously struggling? Lineout throws he did were accurate, Carried over the gain line and the one scrum he had was very good.
17. Slipper 6 - The difference in the pack once Ma'afu leaves is amazing. He scrums better and is better around the park. The only reason I can see Ma'afu starts in front of him is that Slipper can cover both sides of the scrum.
18. McCalman 6 - agressive, got over the gain line. If he got more time he wold probably have got a better mark.
20. Burgess - Not used ( Sack Deans now)
21. Barnes - Not used (sack Deans now)
22. A. Fainga'a - Not Used (sack Deans Now)
26. Simmons 5 - didn't effectively cover for the loss of Sharpe. But as he does call the lineouts for the Reds either its a big ask and was let down by Mumm in that regard.
Coaching Staff -
Noreiga - Proves that you can make at least a coin purse out of a sows ear by getting a solid scrum out of Ma'afu and Fainga'a.
Graham - WTF does he do? The "Skills" are average at best. There are those who say players should need to be coached in the basics and to this I say BULLSHIT, but if that were the case I say Why is there a skills coach?
Williams - Jim you played 8 at test level and did so very well. Why does Brown still get a gig at this level. Can't you convince Deans that he offers nothing. The pack has started to hunt as a unit the issue are still some parts of the unit (that have been consistantly trotted out for over two years) are not up to the task.
Deans - The Myth of coaching. I begin to question if his provincial record was more to due with the blessing he had of a few players and settled sides at Canterbury. I remember more and more the idiocy and sheer pig headedness of his last stint as a national coach. Before the Deans supporters start yelling the same old tire excuses just ask yourselves where are the Wallabies a better team than they were when he got the job.
The answer is in just one phase the scrum. The Wallabies at every other phase of play are worse or the same as they were three years ago. Basic skills, breakdown play, line-out, set piece plays.
In Summary the Wallabies as a Team get a 5. They totally rely on individual brilliance in attack and do not create anything as a unit. Shut down the individuals and they will turn over the ball and then they are easy pickings as players are played out of position and in some cases just not up to test match rugby.
2. S. Faaingaa 4 - Scrum solid, lineout throwing poor, even before the rash of losses at the end of the game his throwing was wonky. Fell off a few tackles as well.
3. Ma'afu 4 - Scrum solid (surprisingly), but what does he offer anywhere else? He has had 1 prominent game away from the set peice all year
4. Sharpe 9 - His carries this year are much tighter and he invariably makes the gain line. Line-out work was excellent. COunter maul was again very good and the Boks obviously did their homework on this as Steenkamp's score showed when the quickly moved the ball away from Sharpe and Mumm to the flanks where Elsom and Brown should have covered.
5. Mumm 3 - Upright in the carry, fell off tackles and lineout went to shit when he was supposed to be leading it. Not helped by very poor throwing from Finger.
6. ELsom 5 - Won a couple of lineouts, made a couple of carries which didn't trouble the defence. His support of the ball carrier was much better this week. I remain ambivalent to Elsom. He just hasn't showed why he was the best 6 in Oz four years ago. He has been poor to average since his return and this was again fairly average.
7. Pocock 6 - His tackle rate is amazing. He rarely falls off an attempted tackle and remains the best on-ball opeside in the comp this year. He loses 1.5 point for drifting to far and too quick to leave a massive hole I could have scored from for Smiths try.
8. Brown 3 - Same old same old. No presence at breakdown, no assurance at the base of the scrum, poor carries that do not even make the gain line.
9. Genia 6 - The passing in the first half was quick and crisp straight from the ground. What happened, he got tired and started the meer cat and was lucky on at least three occassion not to get turned over at the ruck as the Wallabies failed to clear the ball.
10. Cooper 7 - Well contained by JDV and Houghard (sp) he still beat the centres for SA with the ball.
12. Giteau 5 - ran with the ball straight just once and made a half break. Still has crabs. I expected and remember him as a far better defender than he is showing.
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) 4 - As with Horne Giteau is doing him no favours. Neither AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or Horne are outright power runners like Mortlock and Herbert (either brother). Both need half a hole or a questioning defender to make the break (as Mat Burke (again either one) needed. He can be a very good 13 if he is given the time and half gaps. He is getting neither and hence barely makes the gain line. In defence he is getting caught out quite a bit but needs some time.
11. Mitchell 8 - The only Winger in the 22 showed what a winger's job is. Perhaps getting dropped and his (wrongly awarded) red card have him on notice that another poor game will see him dropped likely for good if Hynes and Ioane are fit.
14. JOC (James O'Connor) 5 - Before people say he scored 2 tries. Whoppee, what did he do to create those tries as a Winger? The only bit of god wing play we saw from him was the loop and support for Beale's attack from behind the line. JOC (James O'Connor) gets 5 for supporting the carrier for his first try, the Beale support and chasing a kick off hard. It doesn't deserve more. His defence is still suspect on the wing.
15. Beale 9 - He is growing in confidence with every game. He was easily the most dangerous back for Oz.
16. Moore 6 - why didn't he get back on when Finger was obviously struggling? Lineout throws he did were accurate, Carried over the gain line and the one scrum he had was very good.
17. Slipper 6 - The difference in the pack once Ma'afu leaves is amazing. He scrums better and is better around the park. The only reason I can see Ma'afu starts in front of him is that Slipper can cover both sides of the scrum.
18. McCalman 6 - agressive, got over the gain line. If he got more time he wold probably have got a better mark.
20. Burgess - Not used ( Sack Deans now)
21. Barnes - Not used (sack Deans now)
22. A. Fainga'a - Not Used (sack Deans Now)
26. Simmons 5 - didn't effectively cover for the loss of Sharpe. But as he does call the lineouts for the Reds either its a big ask and was let down by Mumm in that regard.
Coaching Staff -
Noreiga - Proves that you can make at least a coin purse out of a sows ear by getting a solid scrum out of Ma'afu and Fainga'a.
Graham - WTF does he do? The "Skills" are average at best. There are those who say players should need to be coached in the basics and to this I say BULLSHIT, but if that were the case I say Why is there a skills coach?
Williams - Jim you played 8 at test level and did so very well. Why does Brown still get a gig at this level. Can't you convince Deans that he offers nothing. The pack has started to hunt as a unit the issue are still some parts of the unit (that have been consistantly trotted out for over two years) are not up to the task.
Deans - The Myth of coaching. I begin to question if his provincial record was more to due with the blessing he had of a few players and settled sides at Canterbury. I remember more and more the idiocy and sheer pig headedness of his last stint as a national coach. Before the Deans supporters start yelling the same old tire excuses just ask yourselves where are the Wallabies a better team than they were when he got the job.
The answer is in just one phase the scrum. The Wallabies at every other phase of play are worse or the same as they were three years ago. Basic skills, breakdown play, line-out, set piece plays.
In Summary the Wallabies as a Team get a 5. They totally rely on individual brilliance in attack and do not create anything as a unit. Shut down the individuals and they will turn over the ball and then they are easy pickings as players are played out of position and in some cases just not up to test match rugby.
