New Zealand v Australia - Auckland - 23 August 2014

[Quick Hands]

I think you're being a bit harsh there. Look at his number of runs this week and last, and the metres gained. This week - 10 runs, 180m (from one stats site - I don't treat them as gospel). Against the best team in the world.
He has some issues with decision making at times - when to offload, when to kick, when to just go, but his ability to make metres through the best teams is not in doubt.
Over on the Fern, he is well regarded by many Kiwis, but many also have reservations about his all round game, compared to, say, Ben Smith. If Folau stays in rugby, given a couple more years, he'll be pretty damn complete.
But he isn't a flat-track bully.

I'm not criticising him in general - I've been one his biggest fans since the first talk of him coming to rugby, when the majority doubted he would make it. I'm only criticising his option in that instance. He wouldn't have done it in league either. It's why I was so surprised at his option.

 

[cyclopath]

I'm not criticising him in general - I've been one his biggest fans since the first talk of him coming to rugby, when the majority doubted he would make it. I'm only criticising his option in that instance. He wouldn't have done it in league either. It's why I was so surprised at his option.

My post was replying to someone else. Unless you are, in fact, Inside Shoulder too?

 

[Marcelo]

And what about TPN's injury? Wallabies need him against Boks

 

[Quick Hands]

My post was replying to someone else. Unless you are, in fact, Inside Shoulder too?

Not last time I looked.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I'll say it again and I'm sure it will happen by RWC 2015, Beale is best utilised as a back 3 player..

KB (Kurtley Beale) is exceptionally timid in defense. He is more inclined to stand aside and watch the opposition run past him and then chase. If he's feeling even more exposed like eg when Savea was his to tackle, he will go for the intercept like last night. Until he hardens up and gets the guts to go into a tackle, and I'm starting to think he neber will, he is at best a late replacement at 12 or further out. If he starts anywhere, against the ABs especially, he will continue to disrupt the whole backline defensive structure as others try to cover for him.

 

[ACT Crusader]

OZ are lacking combinations in key areas - 6,7 and 8; 4 and 5; 9/10; 11,14 and 15. Going into Bled 1 these were all either brand new combos or ones that had very limited test time together.

IMO it's pretty hard going against experienced teams when you hardly know what the fella right next to you does.

It's not necessarily a cattle issue (some of the posts are very reminiscent of the Deans days), but building those combinations so you know which way player x will react when such and such happens is vital to any team success. It's those little things that often make all the difference.

Sure players have to be good enough, but for example if a converted centre plays wing then stick with it to build the combo, but if he's just keeping the jersey warm until player y or z are available then it's going to be tough building something to beat the top sides consistently.

 

[Pfitzy]

Beale, like the earlier iteration of Cooper, doesn't put his head lower than chest height. It's a shame because, with his foot speed, he has the ability to get right into the cheek-to-cheek and put a guy on the deck from the side.

Cooper has fixed this to a large degree.

Beale still has the instinct to go for the high shot, maybe try a strip (e.g. Mogg), and get bumped off. He also waits on his heels, doesn't seek to take space, and as a result is never going to get into good position to limit an attacker's opportunities.

In other words, it's not just his tackling that is bad. It's his defence

 

[Kenny Powers]

Not sure if has already been mentioned but watching the replay today;

First scrum of the game the Wallabies are smashed on their own feed. Next scrum is 5 metres out, AB feed and the Wallabies only pack 7 with Simmons in the bin. What did they think was going to happen, why didn't a back pack in?

The two rolling maul tries from line outs no backs moved into help stop the rolling maul.

Do the backs some type of restrictive workplace agreement preventing them from ever doing forwards work.

They would have been a good chance of being the best Wallaby forward on the field!

 

[Brumby Runner]

Not sure if has already been mentioned but watching the replay today;

First scrum of the game the Wallabies are smashed on their own feed. Next scrum is 5 metres out, AB feed and the Wallabies only pack 7 with Simmons in the bin. What did they think was going to happen, why didn't a back pack in?

The two rolling maul tries from line outs no backs moved into help stop the rolling maul.

Do the backs some type of restrictive workplace agreement preventing them from ever doing forwards work.

They would have been a good chance of being the best Wallaby forward on the field!

Don't think it is that simple. The first scrum after Simmons was carded, Horne went into 6 and it ended up a mess, AB penalty iirc. The next scrum, as you say was 5m out. If a back went in, it would leave the backline defense one man short (two if you count KB (Kurtley Beale)). Probably wouldn't have stopped the push over as evidenced by the first scrum collapse, or would have gifted the ABs a certain overlap if they went to the backline. It was just a case of an almost certain try to the ABs, just a question of how they scored it.

 

[lewisr]

Don't think it is that simple. The first scrum after Simmons was carded, Horne went into 6 and it ended up a mess, AB penalty iirc. The next scrum, as you say was 5m out. If a back went in, it would leave the backline defense one man short (two if you count KB (Kurtley Beale)). Probably wouldn't have stopped the push over as evidenced by the first scrum collapse, or would have gifted the ABs a certain overlap if they went to the backline. It was just a case of an almost certain try to the ABs, just a question of how they scored it.

Isn't it funny how when it's the kiwis, 15 on 14 men with a scrum in the 22 is a certain try.

But when it's us in the same position (i.e. bled 1) we just can't convert the situation to a try.

EDIT: It legitimately shits me to tears the way I so often sit here, watching a footy match involving two non kiwi sides, and tell myself "if that was the kiwis, they would've scored a try".

 

[Joe Blow]

Horne packed in the following scrum and it really didn't help much. I was surprised at what a difference Simmons makes when packing on the TH side. Why can't he bring that level of grunt to general play?
We end up having Palu playing as a 3rd lock and Fardy also covers some of the tight work which leaves Hooper on his own at times in the back row role.
Our locks are too similar. We need to have a pair of locks that cover all the bases, compliment each other and work as a unit.
I would start Skelton with Simmons and have Kev on the bench. He can play both roles. Or carry an extra 5/6 like Jones on the bench. Neither of our current locks have any kind of offload game either. The best locking pairs in world rugby have at least one ball player. Skelton brings that as well.
I know I will get knocked down but Higgers needs to be given a start at 8 with Palu on the bench. Lets see what he can do and how the back row will perform with a true link player. Higgers has all the attributes of Read. They just need to be given direction.

 

[barbarian]

Putting Higgers in to start at 8 after a 30 minute spell that was at best decent, and a Super season of utter dross, is the very definition of an over-reaction.

 

[Joe Blow]

Putting Higgers in to start at 8 after a 30 minute spell that was at best decent, and a Super season of utter dross, is the very definition of an over-reaction.

Link obviously rates Higgers as his reserve 8. It's not so crazy. Less so than throwing Beale into 10 after not having played the position all year.
Higgers plays 8 week in and out and has played test rugby well in the past.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Although I accept you might be semi-serious at best. No?

68% serious.
I'm not in love with him anymore.
He may be suffering from playing behind/outside a dysfunctional midfield - but the magic had gone for me from the s15 semi final.
Edit: I see Dwyer puts it down to that.

 

[aeneas]

What's the mood like here today? Has the wailing and gnashing of teeth ended yet?

I honestly don't think you're team is that far away from being extremely good, get the 9-10-12 combo right and you are 99% there.

If AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is going to continue with this modern day union version of Michael Hancock perhaps he should be moved to the wing where not passing is less of an issue.

 

[KOB1987]

just read Bob Dwyers piece. He reckons:

9. Phipps
10. Foley
11. Horne
12. Kuridrani
13. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
14. Beale
15. Folau

 

[Inside Shoulder]

What's the mood like here today? Has the wailing and gnashing of teeth ended yet?

It should never end.
That's part of the problem - we're always looking for the positive which morphs into accepting less than the best.

 

[fatprop]

KB (Kurtley Beale) is exceptionally timid in defense. He is more inclined to stand aside and watch the opposition run past him and then chase. If he's feeling even more exposed like eg when Savea was his to tackle, he will go for the intercept like last night. Until he hardens up and gets the guts to go into a tackle, and I'm starting to think he neber will, he is at best a late replacement at 12 or further out. If he starts anywhere, against the ABs especially, he will continue to disrupt the whole backline defensive structure as others try to cover for him.

He isn't the only back we have had that has those "abilities" there is one wounded in Qld that shows the same core skills.

But I agree that Beale needs to bend his back more.

Foley can get run over, but he doesn't shirk and he puts his body on the line

 

[Train Without a Station]

He isn't the only back we have had that has those "abilities" there is one wounded in Qld that shows the same core skills.

But I agree that Beale needs to bend his back more.

Foley can get run over, but he doesn't shirk and he puts his body on the line

Quade's tackling technique was poor. He was able to drive a hit but they were very rare. Beale is compounded by the fact that he is a horrible defender as well as tackler.

Quade at his worst made a player at least make a decision whether he would take him on or shift the ball. Beale hangs off players and let's them dictate the terms every time. Even with Cruden he ran around like a heard chook and only committed once he had the outside shoulder and was in the process of offloading.

 

[fatprop]

Quade's tackling technique was poor. He was able to drive a hit but they were very rare. Beale is compounded by the fact that he is a horrible defender as well as tackler.

Quade at his worst made a player at least make a decision whether he would take him on or shift the ball. Beale hangs off players and let's them dictate the terms every time. Even with Cruden he ran around like a heard chook and only committed once he had the outside shoulder and was in the process of offloading.

They both have that "Campese" attitude of the want to stay in play being more important than ending up at the bottom of a ruck

So a tackle becomes an upright holding process until someone arrives, or a ball rip, or no tackle at all but an intercept attempt.