James Slipper

[Red Rooster]

I tend to agree with Gnostic. Best prop in Oz? Doubtful. Best in the touring party? Likely.

That being said, my biggest bugbear is, much like Alexander, he plays too loose. Especially for a tighthead prop. You don't really seeing him carrying defenders in those tight runs, 2m off the ruck like Daley and Weeks did so regularly for the Reds this year. As a former team mate of mine said, on the topic of playing alongside those two last year at the Breakers, 'Daley does all the tight work you could ask for, then Slipper is amazing because he is like having another loose forward'. While I think that is great, muscling up in the tight is the biggest deficiency in the wallaby forwards at the moment.

It interesting the comments you make about Daley - he was MOM v Munster for me and as we have not seen him play since June I had forgotten the impact and aggression Daley had for the Reds (and Wallabies).

 

[Train Without a Station]

Obviously Daley's scrummaging does need to improve, but the guy does the work a prop is supposed to do, not seagulling at outside centre like Alexander.

 

[Gnostic]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ing-in-ignorance/story-fn6atwd0-1225961721272

Good story by Wayne Smith. I like the Frog's comment about taking footballers and turning them into props, that is exactly what Deans has been looking for in his selections for the front row. But neither Smith nor the other commentators have mentioned the obvious, there are a few strong scrummaging props in Oz, that never get a look in at test level purely because they are shall we say "Pot Plants" and not just The Pot Plant (thanks FP for the descriptor).

As Bill Young said until the scrummage is taken seriously and made a priority with the selectors continuing to choose ball players and runners instead of scrummagers get used to the international embarassment that is the Australian Scrum.

I will say though that an improvement in core strength training as I have mentioned on another thread would make a tremendous difference to players like Alexander. It appears to me that there is a huge amount of speed, endurance and mobility work to the detriment of outright strength.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Slipper has bags of potential, but I think we're at the point where we have to sacrifice a bit around the paddock for a TH who can anchor the scrum. It's our one glaring weakness that always makes me nervous watching the boys. Think about how many extra wins there would be this season without giving away so many points and/or penalty tries from a poor scrum. I love what Benny A gives us in the loose, but he's not fulfilling his primary job and thus should be told to go away and get it sorted out before he will be considered for selection again.

 

[naza]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ing-in-ignorance/story-fn6atwd0-1225961721272

Good story by Wayne Smith. I like the Frog's comment about taking footballers and turning them into props, that is exactly what Deans has been looking for in his selections for the front row. But neither Smith nor the other commentators have mentioned the obvious, there are a few strong scrummaging props in Oz, that never get a look in at test level purely because they are shall we say "Pot Plants" and not just The Pot Plant (thanks FP for the descriptor).

He writes well but its a load of garbage.

Smith doesn't acknowledge the putrid state of refereeing of the scrum. The timing of the engage calls is a farce. The inability of experienced internal referees to recognise boring in (Wales & Italy tests) & props engaging with shoulders below hips (France test) is a blight on the game. Its quite obvious that the refs are being played like a fiddle by our opponents. They know they will get the penalty when the scrum collapses. So they collapse it.

He harshly criticises Jim Williams & Robbie Deans for denying we have a problem. Williams & Deans are doing the right thing. We need to fight the crap being flung at us by the media & NH types who are grossly exaggerating our scrum woes. I honestly believe the biggest problem we have with the scrum is an image problem. Of course Williams & Deans contributed to this problem by selecting the scrummaging abomination Ben Daley for the England tests in June.

And I'm so over people who think the scrum is just about the props.

 

[JJJ]

If we really wanted to fix the scrum we'd ban props from touching the ball for a couple of years.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Naza agree wholeheartedly with your last sentence. It's not just the front row that contributes to the success or otherwise of the scrum.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Agreed Naza. A large portion of the Welsh debacle would have do be contributed the lack of support given by all 3 loose forwards.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I think that for the good of Australian rugby, slipper should be immediately transferred to the tahs, in order to form a long standing combination with robbo and TPN ;-)

 

[TOCC]

I think that for the good of Australian rugby, slipper should be immediately transferred to the tahs, in order to form a long standing combination with robbo and TPN ;-)

Better off staying at the Reds and playing in the 3 extra finals matches that the Tahs won't play

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Better off staying at the Reds and playing in the 3 extra finals matches that the Tahs won't play

Haha, touché

 

[cyclopath]

I love it; provincial baiting has begun early this pre-season!!

 

[TOCC]

Well I guess now that the international season is over we can only look forward to bringing back the annual tradition of Tah bashing

I must say, the QLD vs NSW match should be one of the most interesting in the past 5 or so years... With names like Beale, TPN, Genia, Cooper, Ioane, Horwill, Palu and Schmoo on the field, there should be some fireworks.

The scrum will be a spectacle in itself..Robinson, Slipper, Baxter etc

 

[Groucho]

Well I guess now that the international season is over we can only look forward to bringing back the annual tradition of Tah bashing

I must say, the QLD vs NSW match should be one of the most interesting in the past 5 or so years... With names like Beale, TPN, Genia, Cooper, Ioane, Horwill, Palu and Schmoo on the field, there should be some fireworks.

The scrum will be a spectacle in itself..Robinson, Slipper, Baxter etc

I think a Waratahs scrum of Robinson, Nau, Baxter, Douglas, Vickerman, Mumm, Waugh and Palu is at least as strong as the Wallabies scrum, and will be better coached.

 

[vidiot]

We'll have ample opportunity to compare the size of our ...... scrums in the local conference of the super 15.

 

[RugbyReg]

some nice front row battles:

1 Daley 2 Fainga'a 3 Slipper
1 Robinson 2 TPN 3 Baxter
1 Alexander 2 Moore 3 Ma'afu
1 Sommerville 2 Freier 3 Weeks
1 Cowan 2 Charles 3 Fairbrother

 

[Slim 293]

I noticed when our scrum was going backwards that Ben McCalman had his fucking head sticking out doing nothing...

I think his time with the Wallabies is up...

 

[TOCC]

McCalman will be better for the experience of Super and Test match rugby in 2010, a better improved McCalman will be back in 2011, he will have to start from scratch and prove his worth throughout the Super Rugby season though, his far from a first pick at test match level, especially with Palu back.

 

[Moses]

Well I guess now that the international season is over we can only look forward to bringing back the annual tradition of Tah bashing

What a lovely avatar you have there TOCC, very TAH of you

 

[Jnor]

So is provincial S15 trolling what gets done around here until more rugby rolls around?

Have to admit in the last couple of weeks I have been wondering exactly what we do once the internationals finish...

Oh, and the Tahs pack is gonna destroy the rest in our conference 8)