New Zealand vs Australia Oct 11 2020 Bledisloe Cup

[Penguin]

So

Solid - enough to retain his spot.
I wouldn’t say one of our best though.
It’s a position in which we lack depth - and has been for a long time.

He had a more effective game than his opposite. Strong defence, set up Korobete for his try. Kept the defence guessing by mixing up his game and controlled the tempo for periods. Did everything that's asked from your flyhalf.
Except miss a couple of goals and not call for a drop goal in the last minutes.

 

[rodha]

The Wallabies really targeted and swamped Mo'unga to limit his impact. To'omua was right up in his face the whole game.

He took quite a few cynical late shots which seemed to put him off his game a bit. Sign of good coaching though, as Rennie would've made sure to target Richie. The Wallabies were a bit like the niggly in-your-face Chiefs teams of old, 2012-2013.

 

[Blue]

Wright won't fix ball retention. He might help win us some more - although winning turnover ball doesnt look to be a priority. The rush defence worked well.

I don't think you change any players. Just make it a focus at training and trust the boys to improve their execution.

Spot on. You often hear coaches talk about lack of accuracy at the collision. It can mean a lot of things but it's about timing, putting in the right amount of bodies at the right time, accuracy of the cleanout, awareness of players to anticipate their team mate being isolated well before he hits the deck. I thought a few times it was visible how the bloke who should have gone in for the cleanout hung back for the next phase. It showed a bit of a lack of awareness. I reckon this is at the top of Rennies' checklist for the week.

 

[TSR]

If I look at the things we did badly they are all systemic issues (IMO).

Our breakdown presence has been soft for a long while.

Our short kicking game was outlawed - so consequently it needs work.

Our lineout throwing has been an ongoing issue for 4-5 years.

Our composure at the death has been absent.

None of these things are going to get turned around in a week and I don’t really see a couple of player changes making big differences.

I thought our forwards did lots well, but all of them need to improve there work at the breakdown. I think guys like Lolesio, Harrison & Simone could bring improvement to our kicking game - but none of them could have turned in the defence performance To'omua did. I’m not sure Uelese will improve our lineout throwing.

With JOC (James O'Connor) & To'omua out on the field we should have had the composure to kick the field goal when we were set up in front of the posts - so that one was a bit disappointing for me.

If Petaia is 100% fit then maybe bring him in - but I think he either starts or is left out. I like the balance of the bench.

But I’d personally be really happy to see the same guys given another crack.

 

[Blue]

The Wallabies really targeted and swamped Mo'unga to limit his impact. To'omua was right up in his face the whole game.

He took quite a few cynical late shots which seemed to put him off his game a bit. Sign of good coaching though, as Rennie would've made sure to target Richie. The Wallabies were a bit like the niggly in-your-face Chiefs teams of old, 2012-2013.

One.

 

[BDA]

I for one will be pretty annoyed if anyone who left Australia is brought back, this game is the perfect opportunity to say thanks but no thanks, we will breed our own test players in our own country. Seek as much money as you want overseas but we will select those who stay.

If NZ are considered the best in the world and we stuck it to them at home, why bring in players from overseas?

Thats all well and good but if LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) or phillips get injured tomorrow then what. Our third best lock is Rob Fuckn Simmons FFS. There is still a talent gap in that area and we cant expect LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto)/Phillip to play 80 minutes of every game this year.

 

[Up the Guts]

If I look at the things we did badly they are all systemic issues (IMO).

Our breakdown presence has been soft for a long while.

Our short kicking game was outlawed - so consequently it needs work.

Our lineout throwing has been an ongoing issue for 4-5 years.

Our composure at the death has been absent.

None of these things are going to get turned around in a week and I don’t really see a couple of player changes making big differences.

I thought our forwards did lots well, but all of them need to improve there work at the breakdown. I think guys like Lolesio, Harrison & Simone could bring improvement to our kicking game - but none of them could have turned in the defence performance To'omua did. I’m not sure Uelese will improve our lineout throwing.

With JOC (James O'Connor) & To'omua out on the field we should have had the composure to kick the field goal when we were set up in front of the posts - so that one was a bit disappointing for me.

If Petaia is 100% fit then maybe bring him in - but I think he either starts or is left out. I like the balance of the bench.

But I’d personally be really happy to see the same guys given another crack.

I’m happy with To'omua at 12 for the defensive solidity that he brings. We’re not going to beat NZ if it descends into a free for all Harlem globetrotters type game. D up and try and suffocate them.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Matty looked pretty groggy after one of his trademark hits. Didn't have a head check, but will be interesting if he's not fit for next week.

 

[Pfitzy]

One.

Wilson hit him hard after the ball was gone. Was bloody obvious and the ref did nothing about it except half-heartedly put his arm up then put it down again.

That didn't put him off his game. Mo'unga doesn't look as good when he's not riding the wake of a Crusaders pack as it beats up on a bunch of also-rans, or when he can't dance through a broken defense.

 

[Pfitzy]

Matty looked pretty groggy after one of his trademark hits. Didn't have a head check, but will be interesting if he's not fit for next week.

Head or shoulder? Looked winded, almost.

 

[Blue]

Wilson hit him hard after the ball was gone. Was bloody obvious and the ref did nothing about it except half-heartedly put his arm up then put it down again.

That didn't put him off his game. Mo'unga doesn't look as good when he's not riding the wake of a Crusaders pack as it beats up on a bunch of also-rans, or when he can't dance through a broken defense.

This looked more like the Richie vs the Poms.

 

[mark_s]

Great game and (for a very nice change) a pleasure to watch as a wobbs fan. What a relief that was from the shit show that 2020 is.

We got beaten at the breakdown, pretty much by Sam cane on his own and made too many mistakes (ESP. At line out) but otherwise I thought we matched the ABs overall and a draw was a fair result for both teams. I don’t think we had a bad player, the new players really stood up. Great to see daytime rugby as well. Keep it coming please, especially in NZ

 

[The Honey Badger]

That was a phenomenal performance IMHO. One of the great Tests. Every Australian player looked as though he knew what his role was, and the game plan was really good.

I hope that we have other plans for other conditions. Better execution of rehearsed moves. (Lineout move that failed for us but same move worked perfectly for the blacks ). I would like to see some more expansive play rather than just throwing props in motion at the line. Dont think that game plan was ever going to yield 4 tries. Kicking game needs fine tuning.

That said, was still pretty enjoyable viewing.

 

[BDA]

I would also swap Ala'alatoa and Tupou. AAA was a rock when he came on, as he always is, and would be best when the going is tight at the beginning. TT on the other hand would relish the last 30 minutes where his unmatched attacking flair would cause no end of trouble.

Honestly I think benching Tupou would be madness. He offers so much impact on attack and defence. He was one the only blokes out their winning the collisions in the first quarter. You want him playing at least 60 minutes. He definitely needs to work on his clean-outs but as far as i'm concerned the number 3 jersey is his moving forward if he keeps playing like he is. Based on Rennie's comments after the game that the wallabies needed to be more physical, I cant see him dropping Tupou

 

[Zero_Cool]

I think the thing that will save To'omua is that we probably can't move O'Connor after that outstanding game. If O'Connor was good but not exceptional they might consider moving O'Connor to 12 and bringing in Lolesio. But if we aren't moving O'Connor out of 10 then we're looking at Jordie and Hunter in the centers, or bringing in Simone or Ikitau and I suspect that's not going to happen.
So I think To'omua will stay at 12.

 

[Derpus]

Save To'omua? He played well. Im certain Rennie will have told him to employ the short kicking game. And even though it didnt lead to a try it did pin them back.

 

[Sully]

Wilson hit him hard after the ball was gone. Was bloody obvious and the ref did nothing about it except half-heartedly put his arm up then put it down again.

That didn't put him off his game. Mo'unga doesn't look as good when he's not riding the wake of a Crusaders pack as it beats up on a bunch of also-rans, or when he can't dance through a broken defense.

No one does.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Loved the game - was literally on my feet for 20mins.

Does Petaia fit on the bench next week? Probably for Hodge, with Petaia covering wings and 13. People will say ‘you can’t drop Hodge’ after his near miss, but you really can’t keep Petaia out of the side for a bloke who’s biggest tick is the off chance he gets a shot to win the game from over 50m.

I would drop Noah off the bench before hodge

 

[BDA]

Bit surprised at some of the negativity re To'omua. I thought he played his role well today. In general I like what he offers us at 12 - experienced, not afraid of contact, strong defensively, gives us a second playmaker and his kicking in general play can be very effective. A few of his kicks tonight weren't the best option in hindsight but he also made a very nice kick in the first half on attack which resulted in a line-out on the All Blacks 5 metre line. Honestly I dont mind that they were keeping the defence guessing with the odd kick behind the defensive line. It's a refreshing change from the Chieka "Run the ball at all times" game plan.

 

[dru]

Honestly I think benching Tupou would be madness. He offers so much impact on attack and defence. He was one the only blokes out their winning the collisions in the first quarter. You want him playing at least 60 minutes. He definitely needs to work on his clean-outs but as far as i'm concerned the number 3 jersey is his moving forward if he keeps playing like he is. Based on Rennie's comments after the game that the wallabies needed to be more physical, I cant see him dropping Tupou

Why do we react like the front row on the bench are somehow second rate? I would “bench” the whole front row, though I would call it rotation. But it’s not a big issue.

Lolesio out for me, if he won’t get game time we can’t afford the luxury. I’d bring in Petaia to replace Lolesio, though would understand going 6/2 and possibly bringing in another loose forward.