Round 5 : Reds v Force, Suncorp Stadium, 20 March 6.45

[TSR]

So you really want Vuni getting paid $1.8m for sitting on the bench.

If that’s the way it rolls out so be it. Think through the implications of what you are saying.

There are a couple of scenarios where that might happen.

1. He gets injured. In which case I want Droasese firing
2. He doesn’t turn out to be as good as hoped. In which case I definitely don’t want the Reds to feel obliged to pick him. And I want Droasese firing.
3. He turns out to be as good as hoped, but Droasese ends up being better. In which case I don’t want the Reds to feel obliged to pick him

I think Vunivalu will be great, and his profile with young league fans is a huge bonus, but there is no down side to Droasese causing selection headaches

Remember a lot of these guys we signed young/relatively cheap. When the start rolling of contracts it is going to be hard/impossible to regain the all. Plus NSW is already pronouncing they have a war chest to buy talent for next year. Twiggy will be looking to inject some youthful talent. Some of our talent will inevitably leave and, when they do, I don’t want us to go back to a rebuilding stage. I am hoping that all of Thorn’s efforts have produced a Crusaders like restructure where new talent is waiting in the wings.

And, on a final note, I want Australia to be competitive across the board in TT and attracting new fans. The more stars we have the better.

So, like I said, no downside.

 

[Equalizer]

Here's the pretty version of the team sheet. At this point in the season we are leading the league in Graphic Design.......aaaaaah woe me.......

 

[chiraag]

A bit disappointed in that line-up for the Force. Surely Anstee deserves a start if he's back to full fitness and we need his ability to break the line and create chances. Would've gone Thrush or Timani to the bench instead.

McIntyre has been pedestrian when starting - not engaging the defense, running sideways and shovelling the ball on. Our attack looked far better with Macgregor at 10 last week, as he was at least engaging the defense. Macgregor, Lance or Miotti surely have to be given a go as McIntyre has been found wanting. Happy for him to find form off the bench.

Kahui on the wing is a worry - surely doesn't have enough pace for that. Would've much preferred Placid or Olowofela there (or Kearney to allow Macgregor to start at 15 and give us a 2nd playmaker option). Happy to see Taefu given a go at 12, but think Kuridrani should've made way with Kahui shifting to 13.

Anyway, hope running out largely the same team results in things finally clicking and the Force putting in a good showing. Not receiving a drubbing would be a decent result given the current form of the 2 teams.

More pick and drives, Cubelli sniping, a functioning line out and McIntyre running straight to engage the defense would go a long way to helping. Would also like to see Taefu taking the shots at goal.

 

[Cancelled Account]

Kalani is a surprise addition. Good on him.
Pretty confident with the W if we played like we did last week.

 

[Adam84]

Daugunu is a big loss, he has one of the highest workrates in the backline and is constantly coming off his wing for extra carries. Other players will need to pickup the slack especially with two rookie wingers still finding their feet and confidence in super rugby.

 

[PhilClinton]

Sitaleki Timani back on Aussie shores to join dads army.

That Force team looks more like a charity veterans squad than an Aussie Super team.

 

[upthereds#!]

Australia seems to be the only place where once they reach 30 we say to great players piss off bring in the new kid.

Why can't the force be as happy with Timani as the Crusaders are with Romano?

I would say Exeter are a better team then the Force, and Holmes was good enough for them.

My vote is that Kearney is the top performing Fullback in Australia atm, and Kahui is having a better season so far then Simone, Moeroa, Hodge and even Paisami (had crackers at 13) as a 12.

Only hearing great reviews about the contribution of M.Steyn (36), F.Steyn (33), Pienaar (37), Alberts (36), Aplon (38) and Duplessis (38) back in South Africa.

I think we could use a few more experienced older heads, most with large numbers of international caps, instead of more and more teenagers who may or may not end up being professional standard

 

[PhilClinton]

Australia seems to be the only place where once they reach 30 we say to great players piss off bring in the new kid.

Why can't the force be as happy with Timani as the Crusaders are with Romano?

I would say Exeter are a better team then the Force, and Holmes was good enough for them.

My vote is that Kearney is the top performing Fullback in Australia atm, and Kahui is having a better season so far then Simone, Moeroa, Hodge and even Paisami (had crackers at 13) as a 12.

Only hearing great reviews about the contribution of M.Steyn (36), F.Steyn (33), Pienaar (37), Alberts (36), Aplon (38) and Duplessis (38) back in South Africa.

I think we could use a few more experienced older heads, most with large numbers of international caps, instead of more and more teenagers who may or may not end up being professional standard

Not sure whether to take this post seriously.

8 out of the starting 15 for the Force are 30+ and out of that 5 of them aren't even Australian and they lost to the Rebels, not sure whether this roster they have is working out.

If you read your post as a standalone you'd think the Force were winning the competition by 100 points.

If Kahui is really having a better season than the other centres you mention, is that why they shifted him to the wing?

Thank god your vote doesn't count for anything.

 

[Equalizer]

Not sure whether to take this post seriously.

8 out of the starting 15 for the Force are 30+ and out of that 5 of them aren't even Australian and they lost to the Rebels, not sure whether this roster they have is working out.

If you read your post as a standalone you'd think the Force were winning the competition by 100 points.

If Kahui is really having a better season than the other centres you mention, is that why they shifted him to the wing?

Thank god your vote doesn't count for anything.

You obviously thought the Force could just wave a magic wand and put together a championship winning roster in 1 year? We have just got back into Super Rugby. Last year we had our Rapid Rugby squad and stepped in at short notice to allow Super Rugby AU to go ahead. We have plugged some veteran talent into the squad to provide leadership and bring on some of the young talent. Most of our squad was decimated after 2017 and many prospects left for opportunities elsewhere. You can only sign players who aren't already contracted.

Improvements in sports related medicine and training show that athletes effective lifespans in sports are increasing, just look at Tom Brady and Lebron James. It's going to take 2 years before the Force get the squad back to a competitive level. The current team also needs time to gel and develop the trust and combinations to play better.

So thanks for your ageist opinions on our squad but we'll be fine in the long run champ.

 

[Jets]

Happy to see Taefu start at 12, very under rated player who always seems to play well. Regularly starts the season out of the squad and is a starter by the end of the year.

The wet ground at Lang Park will be right up Kearney's alley. He seems to be the only player who's really taking advantage of the 50-22 law. I expect him to be putting in some low skidding kicks on the weekend.

I think the Reds will win this but won't be an easy game. I think our centre pairing can only improve with time together, I'd give them a few weeks to fire before even thinking about changing things up. I don't think Stewart has offered much this year.

 

[PhilClinton]

You obviously thought the Force could just wave a magic wand and put together a championship winning roster in 1 year? We have just got back into Super Rugby. Last year we had our Rapid Rugby squad and stepped in at short notice to allow Super Rugby AU to go ahead. We have plugged some veteran talent into the squad to provide leadership and bring on some of the young talent. Most of our squad was decimated after 2017 and many prospects left for opportunities elsewhere. You can only sign players who aren't already contracted.

Improvements in sports related medicine and training show that athletes effective lifespans in sports are increasing, just look at Tom Brady and Lebron James. It's going to take 2 years before the Force get the squad back to a competitive level. The current team also needs time to gel and develop the trust and combinations to play better.

So thanks for your ageist opinions on our squad but we'll be fine in the long run champ.

I was trying to play the impartial observer, as thriving rugby in WA is great for Australia, but after the Force lost last weekend, I think it's clear their roster management is terrible. They're taking a leaf out of the Gold Coast Titans book, and they've been the crappest team in the NRL for years.

And this weekend, that is filtering into their selections. Jake McIntyre is horrible and should not be playing Super Rugby, they've shifted Kahui to the wing which blows my mind.

I take all your points on board regarding what the Force have gone through, but I don't know whether this balance of players is the right way to go about rebuilding the squad. Keep drinking the Kool Aid though, champ.

The retirement village will probably beat the Reds this weekend now that I've blasted them.

 

[Equalizer]

I was trying to play the impartial observer, as thriving rugby in WA is great for Australia, but after the Force lost last weekend, I think it's clear their roster management is terrible. They're taking a leaf out of the Gold Coast Titans book, and they've been the crappest team in the NRL for years.

And this weekend, that is filtering into their selections. Jake McIntyre is horrible and should not be playing Super Rugby, they've shifted Kahui to the wing which blows my mind.

I take all your points on board regarding what the Force have gone through, but I don't know whether this balance of players is the right way to go about rebuilding the squad. Keep drinking the Kool Aid though, champ.

The retirement village will probably beat the Reds this weekend now that I've blasted them.

How am I drinking the cool aid when I'm pointing out that the Force is what it is and that meaningful progress won't be made for a couple of years. Force fans know its not a quick fix and that there will be painful results to endure, but we also trust the plan in place to rebuild the club in the near future. I'll be sure to jump on if the boys pump the Reds Saturday......champ.

 

[Derpus]

Kahui to the wing is definitely a head scratcher. Not a lot of pace left in those old legs.

What happened to the Argie flyhalf?

 

[Set piece magic]

I'm expecting this to be a tough game, Force have been improving and bring a strong confrontational game which the Reds seem to struggle with

Big agree on this - the reds were completely haphazard against the rebels when they played territory, had a flat defensive line, made tackles and contested rucks. You can bet your bottom dollar the Force will play this way. We need to cut first half offloads, play territory and take advantage of their weak lineout. Once we build up on the scoreboard we can then start the passing and offloafing game. How the reds play in this game will show whether we have the ability to play to our tactical strengths or whether we over-rely on opportunism

 

[TSR]

Not sure whether to take this post seriously.

8 out of the starting 15 for the Force are 30+ and out of that 5 of them aren't even Australian and they lost to the Rebels, not sure whether this roster they have is working out.

If you read your post as a standalone you'd think the Force were winning the competition by 100 points.

If Kahui is really having a better season than the other centres you mention, is that why they shifted him to the wing?

Thank god your vote doesn't count for anything.

I don’t think anything you’ve said here takes away from the central point though. Across the board there is a shortage of age/experience across the squads. I don’t think it’s an inaccurate observation that we’d be better off if teams had a few more seasoned veterans and a few less up and comers who still aren’t quite to standard.

The Force are the outlier for sure and their problem is not enough guys in or near their peak, but I don’t think it makes the central argument wrong.

 

[upthereds#!]

Not sure whether to take this post seriously.

8 out of the starting 15 for the Force are 30+ and out of that 5 of them aren't even Australian and they lost to the Rebels, not sure whether this roster they have is working out.

If you read your post as a standalone you'd think the Force were winning the competition by 100 points.

If Kahui is really having a better season than the other centres you mention, is that why they shifted him to the wing?

Thank god your vote doesn't count for anything.

IMO the Holmes, Kahuis, Kearneys, Thrushs (and probably Timanis) aren't the problem

Every team has a hooker better then Kaituu, a LHP better then Robertson, a lock better then Mccauley, a no.7 better then Koteka, a 10 better then Mcintyre, a wing better then Ralston.

That's at least 6/15 starters who are the worst starters in their position in Super Rugby. I would say that is more damaging then the current performances of say, Kahui and Kearney.

 

[RugbyReg]

Kahui to the wing is definitely a head scratcher. Not a lot of pace left in those old legs.

What happened to the Argie flyhalf?

I had heard it justified as a defensive strategy to close down Vunivalu. That's quite the focus for someone who is starting just their 2nd senior game of rugby

 

[PhilClinton]

At the end of the day, full flight Vunivalu in space is going to beat 2021 Kahui 9.9/10

Bold strategy cotton, lets see if it pays off.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

At the end of the day, full flight Vunivalu in space is going to beat 2021 Kahui 9.9/10

Bold strategy cotton, lets see if it pays off.

Kahui been consistently good...age is just a number

 

[Jets]

IMO the Holmes, Kahuis, Kearneys, Thrushs (and probably Timanis) aren't the problem

Every team has a hooker better then Kaituu, a LHP better then Robertson, a lock better then Mccauley, a no.7 better then Koteka, a 10 better then Mcintyre, a wing better then Ralston.

That's at least 6/15 starters who are the worst starters in their position in Super Rugby. I would say that is more damaging then the current performances of say, Kahui and Kearney.

I'd argue that all the guys you named would be in the Tah's 23 if they were available this weekend with a few starting.