New Zealand v Australia - Auckland - 23 August 2014

[ChargerWA]

Duh. Alcock.

And Dan Palmer on the plane, right away. He can start next week.

 

[Charlie Brown]

Im not sure how many of you saw the interview with Jonah Lomu on the Rugby club on Thursday night? One big thing he spoke about was self belief!
He expressed that for the first time he believed we had a team who "might" have the goods to give the AB's a descent tussle, but he felt that the Wallabies as a team have not had any self belief for a very long time. I think thats just one of our problems. We needed go forward from all the big boys, especially the tight five. I felt Kepu had a little bit of go forward in some facets of the game. We were completely outclassed in the loosey's. How can we compete with the physicality of there 4,5,6,7,8. When those boys are on, we don't have a chance. If you noticed these boys were lacking a little bit in the draw game, therefore we came up even. It wasn't that we played any better, they were having an off night. I am sure the AB's had a very hard week, and they came out firing. Lets hope Link gives our boys a tough week, so we can honestly give SA a crack. The first test for SA and Argentina was tight. Argentina, I felt were the more physical side and were all over the SA scrum. We might have to watch ourselves as we might come out last at the end of the Championships!

 

[Spewn]

Ok genius replace Palu with who? McCalman? I'm sure he would've had a massive impact out there.

You're obviously a fan of the big lumbering oaf experiment. Palu apparently irreplaceable. May be bring back Sharpie.

 

[Tomikin]

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

Melbourne :/

 

[TahDan]

You're obviously a fan of the big lumbering oaf experiment. Palu apparently irreplaceable. May be bring back Sharpie.

Genius - so Australia's depth at 8 is so strong that our only option is a retired lock?

 

[TahDan]

Im not sure how many of you saw the interview with Jonah Lomu on the Rugby club on Thursday night? One big thing he spoke about was self belief!
He expressed that for the first time he believed we had a team who "might" have the goods to give the AB's a descent tussle, but he felt that the Wallabies as a team have not had any self belief for a very long time. I think thats just one of our problems. We needed go forward from all the big boys, especially the tight five. I felt Kepu had a little bit of go forward in some facets of the game. We were completely outclassed in the loosey's. How can we compete with the physicality of there 4,5,6,7,8. When those boys are on, we don't have a chance.

Yeah, that's part of it, but I also think the team needs to learn to hate the All Blacks a bit... You just get the feeling they're just too in awe of them at times.

 

[tragic]

That's a cop out, 20 + mill people in Oz, 4 + mill in NZ.
Wallabies need a couple of country hard nuts in the tight five that can dominate, until they do it will be a difficult road.

Its not a cop out.
New zealand has more than double the number of registered rugby players than Australia and is second only to England in terms of player numbers.
So many of those hard nuts to which you refer grow up playing mungoball
The focus NZ has on its rugby is awesome but unfortunately its just not that big here in OZ.
No excuse though - that was a shite performance from the cattle we have!

 

[cyclopath]

I think it must be a coaching issue in Australia. All of our S15 teams seem to have the same issues, being held up in mauls and losing the ball and poor body height.

Not all of them this year. Waratahs game plan revolved a lot around fast recycle, dynamic carries with quick carrier assists / clean outs. They usually had guys running on their hips to shove them over the gain line. Higher risk, if the support is off the pace, but executed well, it works.
But Super form / game plans mean squat at this level, when the speed of the play from the Wallabies is so slow and flat-footed. No dynamism from anyone really, and easy pickings for the AB defence.
Historically, it has been a thorn in Oz sides. Passive carries.

 

[tragic]

Like to see David fucking Pocock do that!

So would I.

 

[TahDan]

Its not a cop out.
New zealand has more than double the number of registered rugby players than Australia and is second only to England in terms of player numbers.
So many of those hard nuts to which you refer grow up playing mungoball
The focus NZ has on its rugby is awesome but unfortunately its just not that big here in OZ.
No excuse though - that was a shite performance from the cattle we have!

This is true. Anyone who knows anyting about the sporting demographics of Australia know that in player population terms New Zealand is a vastly bigger rugby country than Australia. There's a reason that this game was hard to find in the paper in Melbourne and pretty well non-existent in other cities. Even in the Rugby "heartland" states of Qld and NSW the game is now behind AFL and soccer.

 

[Brumby Runner]

The player landed outside of the field, should that not be a lineout?

Depends if the ball crosses the plane of touch or not.

 

[Spewn]

Genius - so Australia's depth at 8 is so strong that our only option is a retired lock?

Yeah TD that's my serious suggestion along with Jesse Harris and Will Munro.

 

[FrankLind]

Its not a cop out.
New zealand has more than double the number of registered rugby players than Australia and is second only to England in terms of player numbers.

Where do you get your figures from? Here are some. You are way off.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rugby_union_playing_countries

 

[qwerty51]

It's not about the number of players it's about the ranking of athletes playing rugby in each country. In NZ, the best sportsmen are playing rugby. In Australia the best sportsmen play AFL and NRL. If rugby was as big here as it it is NZ we would have the likes of Inglis, Hayne, Thurston, Cronk, Gallen, Matt Scott, Cam Smith playing for the Wallabies.

 

[Redsman]

thats the facts... NRL got that many quality ball runners - you could nearly fill a wallabies back line with either origin teams backs...

anyway let the kiwis have their moment - hopefully we can get an equally blind ref to take charge at suncorp

 

[Brumby Runner]

Will Skelton on and there is an immediate impact.

Rinse cycle finished. Hooper gets meat. 5 tries needed in 14 minutes. Easy.

Some time since the game finished but I'd like to see your reasoning for saying Skelton was instrumental in Hooper's try. Saw big Will hit a ruck at 100mph on one occasion but otherwise the ABs kept him completely under contro; just like the rest of the team.

 

[Joe Blow]

You're obviously a fan of the big lumbering oaf experiment. Palu apparently irreplaceable. May be bring back Sharpie.

I think Higgers should be given a start at 8 and retain Fardy at 6. Also start with Skelton and have Carter on the bench. Hope TPN is back.
I have said it many times here, Palu really struggles in any high paced game and is a step or two behind the play.
Fardy also struggled to keep up as well but he should be retained.
There is no side in the world that could have held the ABs last night. Tough to watch.
To'omua was one of our best and Kuridrani added some go forward when he came on. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) back to the wing for now. Folau put his body on the line.
White had another forgettable test and surely Phipps gets his chance now.
Foley looked better at 10 than Beale but the Darkness had come back into second gear by the time he came on. Beales defense was uncommitted and in this regard Foley is definitely a step up.

 

[Spewn]

It's not about the number of players it's about the ranking of athletes playing rugby in each country. In NZ, the best sportsmen are playing rugby. In Australia the best sportsmen play AFL and NRL. If rugby was as big here as it it is NZ we would have the likes of Inglis, Hayne, Thurston, Cronk, Gallen, Matt Scott, Cam Smith playing for the Wallabies.

Or someone like Joel Selwood from Geelong. He's the sort of hard uncompromising forward we need.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Well this should officially end the Beale at 10 experiment. And for all you bastards who argue otherwise he hasn't played 10 well since juniors. And arguing he plays a loose 10 miss the point he isn't playing 10 but playing first receiver on front foot ball.

And yet to find his spot in defense. Is there really a non-tackling position in a rugby 15?

 

[Redsman]

I rewound and played 2 critical plays - one high shot of Folau by Jane - yellow maybe at least a penalty incstaed 80m try to ABs... POITE dickhead.

Kick for touch when winger was ON THE LINE and jumped up and hit it back in... PLAY ON - DICKHEAD officials...

Not saying this would have chaged the outcome but definitely big moments in the game -

thats why Rugby in Australia will never grow because REFs keep screwing the whole thing up...