Italy vs Wallabies, EOYT 2010

[TheTruth]

Hey, you're an Italian, Bullrush.

Thought your picture would have a mo

 

[DPK]

On a (relatively) hard n' fast track in Italy, and predicting we have the same amount of scrums as against England, even with the Munster loss I reckon we should put 15-20 on the Eye-ties.

Oh wait... I just remembered, I am Italian! Righto, our (Italy's) front row are going to reduce your lot to babbling infants, make Cooper look like a blind man in a brothel and just generally humiliate the pants off yous.

Eeeyyyyy!

 

[TheTruth]

Is Genia going to be OK on saturday

 

[Ash]

I heard that Genia has a soft tissue rib injury, but will be OK to play. Genia may not be in top form, but he's still a step up from Burgess for the first 60 minutes of the match.

Anyway, I'm more worried about our pack still. We just don't have it right now - Ben(n)s not in the best form, we can't get a good game from both our locks, our number 8 is ineffective. Rocky is up and down as well. Pocock and Sharpe has been the two consistent factor in our forwards, and with Moore back I'm hoping we'll at least have three (consistent factors). You need more than three consistent players for even workmanlike forward pack, though.

 

[Ruggo]

More than ever we need to treat our opponants with the upmost respect. I would not take Italy lightly.

Slipper in for Fatcat
Van in for Sharpe
Sharpe on to the Bench
TPN on to the bench for Fainga'a

1/ Slipper
2/ Moore
3/ Alexander
4/ Chis
5/ Van
6/ Rocky
7/ Pocock
8/ McCalman
9/ Genia (only if fit, don't risk him)
10/ Cooper
11/ Mitchell
12/ Gits
13/ AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
14/ Hynes/Turner (Hynes probably fresher after Munster)
15/ Beale

16/ TPN
17/ Fatcat
18/ Sharpe
19/ Higgers (if fit)
20/ Burgess
21/ Fainga'a
22/ Turner

Injury permitting, I would like to see Chis replaced with Sharpe and see how Van and Sharpe go as a combo. Van to shift into the tight head lock role. McCalman deserves a chance to redeam himself for last week but Higgers to get substantial game time to assess which is the better option for the French. Fainga'a is solid and by all accounts has not been bad in the midweek games. I would like him to get significant game time and reform the combination with Cooper that worked so well for the Reds this year. He and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) could provide a good defensive combination for the French. This week is the chance to give it a shot. Slipper to start on the merrit of his form.

 

[trophyhunter]

Is the capitalisation of He/Him/His when Barnes is mentioned some sort of deliberate elevation of him to god-like status?

The first paragraph is about Matt Giteau, I normally use a capital when talking about someone, whatever context it may be, Him/Her/Matt. I will stop if it is the incorrect way to do it. No one on the wallabies team deserves god like status at the moment except Pocock.

 

[Richo]

Grammar moment: you only use a capital on proper names, not on him/her. The only exception is God, because He smites those who don't give Him sufficient capitalisation.

 

[trophyhunter]

Grammar moment: you only use a capital on proper names, not on him/her. The only exception is God, because He smites those who don't give Him sufficient capitalisation.

No worries, shall adjust that in future posts. Giteau seems to be god like in his inability to be removed from the starting 15, maybe I was subconciuosly covering my bases

 

[RedsHappy]

Okay....here's what I find so funny about this game.....It's f**ckn Italy!!......
Here's an insight into the AB supporters mind-set....if the All Blacks ever lose to Italy or Scotland and maybe even Ireland then the coaches, the captain and vice-captain, the CEO of the NZRFU, the physios and waterboys, the commentators at Sky Sport and the bus driver would all be fired and maybe a couple of them have contracts put out on their heads.....You guys should really expect more from the Wallabies here.

Bullrush, although it can go to extremes, one of the many attributes I admire about NZ rugby is just this very point: the broad stakeholders of the game really hold your elites (NZRU, all key coaches, top players) accountable for results, and directly responsible for results of the highest standards. Excuses that are not robust and credible are rapidly dismissed, so an 'excuses' culture never emerges.

Unfortunately, in recent years as Oz rugby has not delivered at the national level, and also displayed very mixed results at regional level, this form of evaluation intensity and pressure for near-term accountability for top performance has virtually disappeared from the code's 'commentary and follower' culture here.

Even though the ARU has now, in late 2010, missed virtually every one of its pre-declared KPIs for the post RWC 2007 period in terms of major silverware won, Wallaby w-l ratio etc, there has been barely a peep out of any major media source re that (negative) milestone, many even die-hard fans have turned to a constant search for silver-linings from the Wallabies exasperating inconsistency, vs calls for managerial or coaching changes, etc. Comprehensive explanations (to me, excuses) are made for repetitive failure and fan disappointment, and no one really expects the ARU to apologise, or take fast remedial action, or articulate supervisory changes. And the 2011 RWC has become a device of the ultimate balm of speculative delayed gratification - 'that's what really matters, Tests can be won or lost on that path', as though this is a single, once-every-4-years, glory that will vindicate years of code decline and mediocrity.

I am a passionate fan of the Australian game, though not a liked poster here. I write what I do out of genuine concern, nothing else. I believe that once a strong culture of performance expectation and the tough-minded critiquing of performance, and especially of those employed as responsible for performance, departs a national code, a form of competitive and fans-departing decline is inevitable. This is because the code gradually becomes like a form of socialist commune, no one is _really_ responsible for anything, no one is accountable for hard, measurable outcomes so long as they have PC-like justifications for failure, evading hard facts becomes more the norm than owning up to them, etc.

 

[barbarian]

Disagree RH...

I like you

 

[fatprop]

After that effort today, I expect the run on team to be the same, with a couple guys getting a go from the bench

 

[TheTruth]

Grammar moment: you only use a capital on proper names, not on him/her. The only exception is God, because He smites those who don't give Him sufficient capitalisation.

and Regina (for all our english lads)

 

[TheTruth]

Does anyone know when team gets announced

 

[RugbyReg]

tonight

 

[Scarfman]

I Think The Team Is Announced Tonight.

 

[MrMouse]

I'm excited.

No wait, what's that other one? Scratching my balls.

I'm scratching my balls.

 

[Bullrush]

I'm excited.

No wait, what's that other one? Scratching my balls.

I'm scratching my balls.

LMFAO!!!

I'm in tears reading that....I can't wait for an opportunity to use that line when I'm having a beer with the boys. That's a beauty!!

 

[Scotty]

I Think The Team Is Announced Tonight.

What is With the Title?

 

[Lance Free]

Does anyone know when team gets announced

To be precise, announced at 10.30pm Brisbane Time from the Wallabies' hotel.

 

[Reddy!]

Pretty hard for anyone from Australia A to crack the test team given the games they have been playing mid week. I'm sure it doesn't give the coach too much confidence to select untried players over those already out there.