Japan vs Wallabies, Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, Sat 4th Nov 4.40pm AEST

[Up the Guts]

Looking at whom we're playing in the next three weeks I can totally understand taking off those four players when we're about 30 in front. It also gave the coaching staff a good look at the depth in this squad; some were found a bit wanting.

Not saying it was the wrong decision to take them off. Just the way our bench was structured didn't really lend itself to playing our usual defence and attack patterns. This week if our fullback goes off then depending on who starts Hodge, Hunt, or Beale could all shift and we would still retain at least two other ball players aside from Foley and a fullback who's not out of position.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Inside Shoulder and TOCC have officially purged me out of this thread, I feel like I’m at a wake reading this shit.



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If only you read it more carefully and thoughtfully

 

[TOCC]

Oh dear.

there was a joke in there about 2/6 wins and the glass being 2/3 empty, apparently my sense of humour doesn't always hit the mark

 

[USARugger]

I honestly don't think there was much to take away from this test, or that we learned anything new.

Hodge having issues with his passing while running isn't news, but hey what's passing accurately to a no. 10, lol. Those balls that hit the deck could've had us in a lot of trouble against a better side.

Hanigan being ineffective isn't news.

Simmons being ineffective isn't news.

Our lack of depth to the point where we can't execute our patterns properly while only missing 2 of our starting backs isn't news.

Hodge being the obvious choice for any penalty kicking from the tee or out of hand isn't news. Hugh made a funny little argument on the most recent podcast about Foley having an 80% kicking rate in Super Rugby and Hodge only having 70% as evidence Foley should retain the kicking duties after a 9/9 performance from Hodge off the tee. Wonder how many 50+ yard shots Foley had to take during the Super season?

Speight looking far more effective against a bunch of 90kg players isn't news.

The soft tries at the end were disappointing and point to our ongoing depth issues and lack of consistency in the attitude of the playing group. You'd like to think if we're bashing a side around as badly as we were Japan that we'd be able to close the match out strongly as well, something we will have to be able to do *consistently* against sides that will not let us throw their forwards and backs all over the park.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I honestly don't think there was much to take away from this test, or that we learned anything new.

Hodge having issues with his passing while running isn't news, but hey what's passing accurately to a no. 10, lol. Those balls that hit the deck could've had us in a lot of trouble against a better side.

Hanigan being ineffective isn't news.

Simmons being ineffective isn't news.

Our lack of depth to the point where we can't execute our patterns properly while only missing 2 of our starting backs isn't news.

Hodge being the obvious choice for any penalty kicking from the tee or out of hand isn't news. Hugh made a funny little argument on the most recent podcast about Foley having an 80% kicking rate in Super Rugby and Hodge only having 70% as evidence Foley should retain the kicking duties after a 9/9 performance from Hodge off the tee. Wonder how many 50+ yard shots Foley had to take during the Super season?

Speight looking far more effective against a bunch of 90kg players isn't news.

The soft tries at the end were disappointing and point to our ongoing depth issues and lack of consistency in the attitude of the playing group. You'd like to think if we're bashing a side around as badly as we were Japan that we'd be able to close the match out strongly as well, something we will have to be able to do *consistently* against sides that will not let us throw their forwards and backs all over the park.

There goes the last 1/3 or the last 1/80th in Dunedin.

 

[USARugger]

There goes the last 1/3 or the last 1/80th in Dunedin.

If we could just bring that intensity from Dunedin/Brisbane into every test match we'd be feared the same way the AB's are by other international sides.

I think the depth issues are always going to be lurking around in some form due to the pole position of RU as a winter sport in Australia but the fluctuations in attitude and intensity on the park are inexcusable to me. Good sides do it consistently - it's their job to show up ready to play both mentally and physically.

 

[Derpus]

As I said - the results are irrelevant its the manner in which the results are achieved that matters until RWC 2019: and some dimwit wants to paint RWC 2015 as an unmitigated success: the only game in that tournament when we played to our ability was v England. Contrary to popular mythology, its not winning thats a habit its playing well that's the habit:if you're in the habit of playing well you win a lot of games. Conversely, when you don't have a habit of playing well (which we do not for a number of reasons) you lose games you should not lose: Scotland 2017, Dunedin. I don't think we played well as a team against Japan or the Barbarians or Scotland in RWC2015: I gather you think that since we won those games thats all that matters. We disagree.

Dear god man, if making it to a Rugby World Cup final after being tipped to lose in the group stages is not success what the fuck is? You'd be the absolute worst boss. We 'should've lost to Scotland, but we didn't. The only team that actually managed to beat us that year was undoubtedly a better side and one of the greatest test sides in history. AND we even beat them earlier that year.

 

[Braveheart81]

Hodge being the obvious choice for any penalty kicking from the tee or out of hand isn't news. Hugh made a funny little argument on the most recent podcast about Foley having an 80% kicking rate in Super Rugby and Hodge only having 70% as evidence Foley should retain the kicking duties after a 9/9 performance from Hodge off the tee. Wonder how many 50+ yard shots Foley had to take during the Super season?

If you go back through some of his Super Rugby goal kicking performances there are some shockers in there that have nothing to do with long range shots. Over time he may turn into our best goal kicker in all situations but I don't think you can say he is on the back of this one performance and I doubt he will assume the role immediately for the Wallabies.

 

[USARugger]

If you go back through some of his Super Rugby goal kicking performances there are some shockers in there that have nothing to do with long range shots. Over time he may turn into our best goal kicker in all situations but I don't think you can say he is on the back of this one performance and I doubt he will assume the role immediately for the Wallabies.

I doubt he will too. Was more poking fun at Hugh’s mental oversight. Can’t imagine that overall there’s much between them if the difference is 10% over the course of the season when one takes 45m+ penalties fairly regularly and the other doesn’t at all.

If we are gonna use Hodge for the long range shots I think we should start using him for all of them. Let him find his rhythm earlier on and he’s proven that at scale there’s very little difference between him and Foley other than the fact that Hode can kick 50%+ farther.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Dear god man, if making it to a Rugby World Cup final after being tipped to lose in the group stages is not success what the fuck is? You'd be the absolute worst boss. We 'should've lost to Scotland, but we didn't. The only team that actually managed to beat us that year was undoubtedly a better side and one of the greatest test sides in history. AND we even beat them earlier that year.

as long as the team exceeds the "tipsters" expectations they are on the right path