Picking players out of position

[ChargerWA]

Wallabies last Saturday.

JOC (James O'Connor) picked to play at 14 after playing 10/12 all year. (Davies in for injured JOC (James O'Connor))
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) picked at 13 after playing 14 all year.
Pat McCabe picked at 12 after playing at 14/15 most of the year.
Giteau picked at 10 despite not playing 10 all year (even when wearing the 10 jumper for alot of games due to the tri-halves).
Kepu picked at 1 after playing 3 all year.
Alexander picked at 3 after playing 1 all year.

That is over a 3rd of the run on team playing out of position or the position they have primarily played for the last year.

Does this point to a lack of co-operation between the S15 coaches and Robbie Deans, or does it point to Robbie Deans having a penchant for picking players out of position.

I don't necessarily think it is always a bad thing, and sometimes it is worth picking a player out of position just to get them on the park, ala JOC (James O'Connor) at 14 last year.

But watching the AB's tonight, every player in the run on team was playing in the position they played throught the S15 (excluding Guildford who played 14 in stead of 11, but that is the probably the easiest switch)

Are we doing it wrong?

 

[Brumbies Guy]

JOC (James O'Connor) played last week?

 

[tigerland12]

The only one I have a problem with is the Kepu/Alexander one

 

[ChargerWA]

JOC (James O'Connor) played last week?

Right you are. I was thinking ahead to this week, where it doesn't improve the ratio as Cooper will come in for Giteau but so will JOC (James O'Connor) for Davies.

 

[waves]

I'd like to see 12.McCabe switch with 14.O'Connor also 1.Kepu and 3.Alexander switching sides on the scrum, Fine with AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) choice though.

 

[Prodigy]

Yeah, I thought that it was a bit strange with Sekope Kepu playing loosehead, while spending most of his playing time this year as a tighthead prop. And there is the constant on here about Ben Alexander preferring to be a loosehead prop.

I also would have thought Anthony Fainga'a would have been the preferred option at 12, if JOC (James O'Connor) was going to be on the wing..... it isn't as if Pat McCabe is a great playmaking option....

I also like the idea of AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) at 13.

 

[vidiot]

Looking forward to the frantic scrambling of front row deck chairs when the all blacks give our scrum an enema, If Alexander doesn't play his way out of the side tonight.

Anyway, it seems like the front row reversal is all part of a Baldrick inspired cunning plan:

"One thing we have stressed to guys is they have to be able to play both sides," Moore said."Pato (scrum coach Patricio Noriega) has made Benny and Keps aware that they have to be able to play loose and tight. Keep working on both all the time. You never know when you are going to have to play on either side of the scrum.

 

[Scarfman]

Charger, don't you know there is no point starting a Robbie Deans thread? All of us who can see things as they really are will point to reality, and the lunatic Deans fringe will post some nonsense about building depth.

 

[Ruggo]

The only one I have a problem with is the Kepu/Alexander one

My thought behind this move is that Benny A is just caretaking for James Slipper and wants Kepu to settle in at loose head where he will be used consistantly.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Charger, don't you know there is no point starting a Robbie Deans thread? All of us who can see things as they really are will point to reality, and the lunatic Deans fringe will post some nonsense about building depth.

You might end up with egg on your face, Scarfie. The most highly paid and therefore wisest man in Australian rugby has wisely recognised that the second most highly paid man in Australian rugby has thus far made no discernible progress in building a consistently competitive team, and has therefore wisely determined to keep him on until 2013.

It is by no means beyond the bounds of possibility, though admittedly highly unlikely, that by 2013 we will have a national side that will be capable of absolutely flogging Samoa. Revenge will be sweet.

To paraphrase another great man: "Until you have been paid a million dollars a year you can't comprehend what it takes to coach the Wallabies or to run the ARU."

 

[Jnor]

Charger, don't you know there is no point starting a Robbie Deans thread? All of us who can see things as they really are will point to reality, and the lunatic Deans fringe will post some nonsense about building depth.

Thanks for making the choice a simple black and white one, scarf. It was always a bit hard for me recognising that sometimes RD might make some sensible decisions that could have positive impacts (like putting AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) back at 13) and some downright weird ones that make no sense to me at all (like swapping Benny A and Kepu).

 

[Sully]

made no discernible progress in building a consistently competitive team

You're Funny

 

[Scarfman]

Jnor - Robbie is definitely thinking about things his own way. He is unpredictable, I'll give him that. But quite clearly, he likes to pick what he sees as the best 22 players, then finds ways to slot them into the team. Personally, that's not how I would do it.

Pato's idea that his props should be able to play both sides also seems to fly in the face of convention, and frankly, elementary knowledge about scrummaging. I haven't seen that approach in any other top scrummaging side, but maybe Deans and Noriega know something the others don't.

 

[antipodean]

I don't understand this thread, it's not like Deans has form for picking fullbacks as centres.

 

[Reddy!]

i like deans, he stutters

 

[Gnostic]

Jnor - Robbie is definitely thinking about things his own way. He is unpredictable, I'll give him that. But quite clearly, he likes to pick what he sees as the best 22 players, then finds ways to slot them into the team. Personally, that's not how I would do it.

Pato's idea that his props should be able to play both sides also seems to fly in the face of convention, and frankly, elementary knowledge about scrummaging. I haven't seen that approach in any other top scrummaging side, but maybe Deans and Noriega know something the others don't.

Given the comments that have been made here and elsewhere (and not just on the interweb) I wonder how much of this is Pato's idea. Tied into this is the walkout by Foley so he could go and be assistant coach at a Super side.

IMO it appears that a loose game is the pre-requisite for a Deans prop and a long second comes scrummaging. If we accept this as fact it makes the selections of the front row easier to understand. Alexander it appears will run freely and play loose no matter if he plays TH or LH. Kepu on the other hand was noticably less noticeablke running the ball when he was at TH for the Tahs.

The only part of Kepu's game last week I was disappointed in was the fact that he went past the ruck on too many occassions grappling with an opposition player he was already past in the ruck.