Reds vs Bulls Rnd 5 2012.

[meatsack]

Have Reds used their marquee signing this year? An international 10 could be interesting.... Do Toulon really need Wilkinson and Giteau (yeah gits isn't international, but imagine the headlines if Johnny came down)?

 

[RedsHappy]

I'll watch a replay but how exactly was Murphy no good in this game, defence was bad I take it? or lack of attack?

AS - he just looked quite out of his depth, in all respects (see my prior posts if you wish). And as if he thought: minute 1, this will be a camp fire, and, minute 5, he found a massive, burning furnace working at 1000 C. The latter consumed him. And this is a very tough place for an away debut at 10.

 

[RedsHappy]

i think you could say we were poor across the park

But, too, the Bulls were mostly superb at home I thought. Like in their pomp, but almost with a better, faster and more dynamic attack, and less reliant upon a kicking game. The omens as to how well they have gotten the generational change were big, at least tonight.

 

[Cave Dweller]

Stormers started well 7 - 0 already

 

[RedsHappy]

Well that was hard to watch. Bulls bigger better faster.
Positives for the Reds.
Morahan was better.
Holmes was good.
Negatives? Too many to mention.
Simmons lacks something.
Ball security non existant
etc etc

Genia may have to start at flyhalf next week.

Like the entire season so far, our ball security, accuracy of passing, and handling generally has not befitted us as champions.

How many attacking opportunities in 2012 have we only ourselves to blame for destroying? It would be a very dispiriting list, and it lengthened tonight.

 

[RedsHappy]

With QC (Quade Cooper), Harris, Lucas, Lance all gone, Morahan playing OK to badly, Diggers out for 3 more, and Dallan M disappointing (to be confirmed with a couple more games), I hate to say it, but I think objectively the Reds will be very seriously exposed on the downside for at least the period until QC (Quade Cooper) is back, and so are Diggers and Harris, at minimum. Our season hopes hang by a thread given that's 4-5 games away and our remaining top of the Aus conference will likely depend upon the luck of others' losses and not our ability to succeed across this crucial span of games.

We are now going down the slope of hope, and face the wall of worry. I love the team, I feel sad tonight, and I doubt I'll feel better in 24 hours.

 

[qwerty51]

Backline was poor but I don't know why you guys are worrying about that? You had a full strength pack (even on the bench as well) but they failed horribly, they were outmuscled and lost every collision just about. That's the real concern imo.

 

[RedsHappy]

Backline was poor but I don't know why you guys are worrying about that? You had a full strength pack (even on the bench as well) but they failed horribly, they were outmuscled and lost every collision just about. That's the real concern imo.

Valid, just I'd repeat: the Bulls' forwards were extra good and very skilfully brutal every single minute, to give them full credit. Higgers, Shipps, the only two Reds players for me that shone all match. Genia good in part, but diminished by Murphy's difficulties. Our forwards generally seemed shocked and disoriented and unprepared.

 

[The Red Baron]

I don't think I want to watch the replay.

 

[Gagger]

Surely this loss was just a symptom of an endemic failure at all coaching and management levels?...

 

[Nusadan]

I don't think I want to watch the replay.

Watching it now...

 

[mjw]

Surely this loss was just a symptom of an endemic failure at all coaching and management levels?...

When the tahs lose they still get a bonus point.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Some observations from the watching the replay:

The Bulls must have gone mad in the second half with almost a point a minute.

The old chip kick over the top should never be used against them, as evidenced by Potgeiters try.

Jonno Lances ankle injury looked horrific.

And finally, the Bulls PA system must be sick of playing the latest release song from Tina Turner of 'your simply the best'

Could the injuries that the Aussie teams are starting to suffer see a re-think on the 30 + 5 squad policy?

 

[gel]

Reds this season have not had that Desire that they had last season... When someone would make a break in attack last season, there would be support players there to take the pass that leads to a try - missing this year. When someone got tackled last season, there would be support players there to ensure a turnover was avoided - missing this year. When the opposition made a mistake last year (like a dropped ball even if not a knock on), there would be a mass charge on by the nearest reds to capitalize and get the ball - missing this year. These are all things that all the NZ teams do repeatedly, most Australian teams (except the reds last year) don't do regularly.

Perhaps a big loss is what we needed (the waratahs gave us that early last season). Perhaps it is something in the way the players are being prepared (do you prepare a championship title team differently to a team that have been easy beats for the last decade?). Perhaps the low confidence in the style of play is due to one man missing and that we really do have to have QC (Quade Cooper) of old back. I don't know.

What I do know is that the bulls really put it on last night and superbly punished the reds. I made comment in one of the other threads stating that this season has been very good with a lot of close games (this one notwithstanding now). If the norm so far continues, then there are going to be a lot of teams on a very equal footing where the for/against, tries scored etc will come in to play in finals time. IF the reds are in a position of equal points vying for one of the finals positions, then this one result will sink any finals hopes completely due solely to the unlikelihood of the other teams getting handed a pasting the likes of which had not been seen in Queensland since... Well actually not since the very night before when the LNP went in dry on the ALP.

After a sleep I thought I would feel better and my general feeling of being unsettled was due to an overly late night.

The feeling remains.

 

[No4918]

The decision to go with Finger & Daley initial proved very wrong and Simmons looks lost. How did Finger manage to lose the ball in his first 4 hit ups? Disappointing forwards effort. This was the loss they had to have, last week was the one they should've won.

I dont want to blame injuries but lets have a look at the injured/suspended list.

9. Lucas 10. QC (Quade Cooper) 11. Diggers 12. Harris 13. Finger 14. Seutia 15. Lance

Going to be very hard with those players out and the first 4 goal kickers and 10's. WTF? There could be a real chance Samo will have to play centre vs the Force.

 

[twenty seven]

Maybe an option is Genia to ten and Frsiby to nine...
Major blow with so many injuries to key positions.
Half team there and half just missing.
Higgers had a great game.
The alarm bell to wake some of them up from their premiership winning dream of last year might just happen now.

 

[fatprop]

Some observations from the watching the replay:

Could the injuries that the Aussie teams are starting to suffer see a re-think on the 30 + 5 squad policy?

The "30" is an accounting fallacy created by the ARU, they are all carrying larger squads, but not paying them

 

[vidiot]

I don't think I want to watch the replay.

I certainly didn't want to watch it live.

That was spectacularly bad.

Lance was the only positive in that backline and now he is broken, probably for the season. He made a series of tackles in the first half that kept the reds in theoretical contact, while the Bulls rampaged through Murphy's channel. Oh, I guess Shipperley tried all night too.

The real difference was the bulls pack, which was more like a wolf pack on a chicken with each reds runner. Superb individual performances but more than that they really did leverage off each other well in attack and defence.

Several of Links lineup changes were disasters.

Fainga'a just get turning the ball over from the opening whistle. Daly was playing above his weight around the park last year, last night he looked like the runt of the litter and Slipper's arrival was a relief. Murphy was never going to have an easy day with the complete dominance of the bulls pack, but he was unable to even slow the queue of bulls running through his channel.

 

[Reddy!]

Wow crazy scoreline, I didn't think this was possible in this new era of the Reds. Goes to show how quickly a zap of first choice talent from the team can stir things up.

The Bulls must be very happy about that win since the Reds have had the better of them over the past few years.

Perhaps there was too much reliance on Quade in times gone by, perhaps we should be looking at what the Brumbies are doing at the moment.

 

[Bruce Ross]

The "30" is an accounting fallacy created by the ARU, they are all carrying larger squads, but not paying them

And that is a disgrace; expecting young blokes to put study/career on hold to flog themselves for no recompense pursuing the dream of making it in rugby. Unfortunately it's symptomatic of the mire that Australian rugby at all levels is sinking into.