New Zealand v Australia - Auckland - 23 August 2014

[Pfitzy]

I was surprised at how easily our scrum folded while Simmons was in the bin, was chalk and cheese. Amazing.

it probably dampens the calls to have Fardy as a lock.

 

[Fireworks]

Seriously if I were Ewen, I would've got the boys in the sheds and played a motivational speech over some speakers at half-time!

 

[qwerty51]

I was surprised at how easily our scrum folded while Simmons was in the bin, was chalk and cheese. Amazing.

Yeah especially when the scrum was arguably better than theirs when it was 8v8. Even with 7 it was a shambles but a flanker shouldn't have that much impact

 

[Blue]

Jeez. Darkness descends.

Expected the Wobs to come up short but not to get slapped around like the red headed stepchild.

Dunno what now. Maybe get an insurance company to sponsor? What's AAMII up to?

The pack really looked second rate out there. It's all fair and well to say that players should put there body on the line but they seemed to be a second too late all night.

The speed of the AB pack as unit is quite frightening.

 

[Shiggins]

Where is Google translate when you need it?

Lol.

 

[qwerty51]

Couldn't agree more. I'm so sick of watching soft packs. For a decade we had to endure a pack with Nathan Sharpe in it and we still can't pick mentally harder men. The fact that there will be howls of protests in saying that about Sharpe will highlight the difference in NZ and Australian beliefs. Most NZers would agree with me.

I agree, as much as I love the bloke Sharpe was the definition of a soft tight 5 player. We need more locks with the aggression of the man in my avatar. Guys who didn't give a fuck about themselves or anyone else and just flung their body into anything black.

 

[Shiggins]

If we beat them in melbourne then we draw the Bledisloe and all of a sudden it's not that bad.

 

[jollyswagman]

Jeez. Darkness descends.

Expected the Wobs to come up short but not to get slapped around like the red headed stepchild.

Dunno what now. Maybe get an insurance company to sponsor? What's AAMII up to?

The pack really looked second rate out there. It's all fair and well to say that players should put there body on the line but they seemed to be a second too late all night.

The speed of the AB pack as unit is quite frightening.

Blue...you guys have the cattle to bury the darkness. Any chance we can borrow Bakkies from you through to the RWC. We need some hard men and you guys don't seem to have any trouble breeding those fellas over there.

 

[lewisr]

If we beat them in melbourne then we draw the Bledisloe and all of a sudden it's not that bad.

*Brisbane. And we still lose the Bledisloe.

 

[KOB1987]

accepting that Link isn't going to make too many changes from the 23, I'd go:

1. Slipper
2. TPN if fit/Charles
3. Kepu
4. Horwill
5. Simmons
6. Higginbotham
7. Hooper
8. Palu
9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12. Beale
13. Kuridrani
14. Horne
15. Folau

16. Hansen/Charles
17. Cowan
18. Alexander
19. Skelton
20. Fardy
21. White
22. To'omua
23. McCabe

and before you shoot me down about Beale over To'omua, please deliver a valid argument as to what the latter has delivered this series so far..

 

[KOB1987]

and yes I know that's basically the Tahs backline

 

[Shiggins]

*Brisbane. And we still lose the Bledisloe.

Not sure y I said Melbourne. That's ok. We will draw the series.

 

[qwerty51]

Horwill would not have done any better out there unfortunately. Higgers definitely in for Fardy who is struggling to repeat his 2013 performances.

I'd bring Phipps and Foley in too. McCabe is a shit winger, experiment did not work.

 

[jollyswagman]

If Ricciardo doesn't get himself on the podium on Sunday then this will go down as one of the most anti-climatic, miserable weekends of sport in a very long time for me. What could have been!

4am here in the US and I half a hangover and I'm fucking cranky.

 

[mudskipper]

Wallabies were put enthused out thought out of touch

 

[cyclopath]

If we beat them in melbourne then we draw the Bledisloe and all of a sudden it's not that bad.

If we go to Melbourne, and they don't, we'll still probably lose.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I agree, as much as I love the bloke Sharpe was the definition of a soft tight 5 player. We need more locks with the aggression of the man in my avatar. Guys who didn't give a fuck about themselves or anyone else and just flung their body into anything black.

Absolutely, guys like Vickerman would make all the difference (record against the All Blacks 7 wins from 29 games)

 

[Shiggins]

If we go to Melbourne, and they don't, we'll still probably lose.

Hahahaha. Thanks for making me laugh. I needed that.

 

[lewisr]

and before you shoot me down about Beale over To'omua, please deliver a valid argument as to what the latter has delivered this series so far..

TBH I don't care if its Beale or To'omua on the Bench but Foley definitely gives us structure that seemingly neither of them could.

Beale also looked 20 times better when he was dictating outside Bernard.

But I am still a fan of To'omua's straight running and kicking ability/ great defence.

Who knows, I just don't know what the answer is anymore.

 

[jollyswagman]

Not sure y I said Melbourne. That's ok. We will draw the series.

Nope, you said Melbourne. It easy....just scroll up an inch and nope, we still lose the series.