RWC 2011 - Quarter final 3 : Springbokke v. Wallabies CLOSED

[chasmac]

15. Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs)
14. James O’Connor (Western Force)
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies)
12. Pat McCabe (Brumbies)
11. Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds)
10. Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds)
9. Will Genia (Queensland Reds)
8. Radike Samo (Queensland Reds)
7. David Pocock (Western Force)
6. Rocky Elsom (Brumbies)
5. James Horwill (Queensland Reds, captain)
4. Dan Vickerman (NSW Waratahs)
3. Ben Alexander (Brumbies)
2. Stephen Moore (Brumbies)
1. Sekope Kepu (NSW Waratahs)

Run on Reserves:
16. Tatafu Polota Nau (NSW Waratahs)
17. James Slipper (Queensland Reds)
18. Nathan Sharpe (Western Force)
19. Ben McCalman (Western Force)
20. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs)
21. Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs)
22. Anthony Fainga’a (Queensland Reds)

Boo to no Berrick Barnes in the starting team.

Interesting that we've now gone to a 4-3 split.

Higgers misses out.
Slipper covers 1-3
TPN covers 1-2-3-8 (poorly)
Sharpe covers 4-5
McCalman covers 6-7-8
Horwill covers 6
Samo covers 11-14 (?)
Burgess covers 9-11-14 (i'm guessing)
Barnes covers > 9
Fainga'a covers 12-13
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) covers 11-14-15

I think I would prefer Higgers to McCalman for offensive impact.
Also prefer Barnes to McCabe which is a big call as I have previously been dubious about Barnes.

If JOC (James O'Connor) is injured early, does Barnes come on simply for goal kicking duties (reshuffle backline and put McCabe or AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or QC (Quade Cooper) to wing)?

Is Digby going to fill in for Quade on Defence?

 

[Tangawizi]

Forecast for Sunday remains Fine with Light winds.

That's fine, as in not wet.

www.metservice.com

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

The team is a good one with plenty of options for tactical changes, Having Barnes as an option on the bench is fantastic.

The only thing i don't like is Vickerman starting he has given away too many stupid penalties. Hopefully he erases this by Sunday. Two bloody good options on the bench to cover him for how the game is being played out. We have McCalman for workrate and Sharpe for the set pieces.

The McCabe hate can leave this thread as far as im concerned. In the wet we will need some go forward and straight running to commit numbers to get to the break down.

Australia by 1.

Im fucking excited.

 

[Joe Mac]

2) Two working shoulders - Knowing how fragile McCabes shoulder is, what happens when he goes to tackle/pull of a dominant tackle and it pops out again? He'll have to come off and we're down a player for the bench.

Agreed, we also have no back-up fetcher on the bench. With Pocock's injuries and the glaringly obvious hole in our pack without a specialist 7, you would think Hodgson could get the nod over McCalman. Have we learnt nothing from the Ireland game?

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

Higgers misses out.
Slipper covers 1-3
TPN covers 1-2-3-8 (poorly)
Sharpe covers 4-5
McCalman covers 6-7-8
Horwill covers 6
Samo covers 11-14 (?)
Burgess covers 9-11-14 (i'm guessing)
Barnes covers > 9
Fainga'a covers 12-13
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) covers 11-14-15

I think I would prefer Higgers to McCalman for offensive impact.
Also prefer Barnes to McCabe which is a big call as I have previously been dubious about Barnes.

If JOC (James O'Connor) is injured early, does Barnes come on simply for goal kicking duties (reshuffle backline and put McCabe or AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) or QC (Quade Cooper) to wing)?

Is Digby going to fill in for Quade on Defence?

I like the idea if need be having QC (Quade Cooper) at fullback should injuries come into it.

 

[RedsHappy]

Just chatting to a few rugby medico mates, they are all amazed that McCabe could come back to a starting position like 12 in a huge game just a few short weeks from a shoulder dislocation. They say it usually, best case, takes 4-6 weeks for the inevitable muscular and ligament damage to heal even with the 'best type' of shoulder dislocation.

 

[fatprop]

There's two issues I have with McCabe starting of Barnes and its nothing to do with a kicking game.

1) Barne's experience - With such a green backline and team and a playmaker who doesn't adapt well to forwards going backwards, we need someone to guide them in the game.

2) Two working shoulders - Knowing how fragile McCabes shoulder is, what happens when he goes to tackle/pull of a dominant tackle and it pops out again? He'll have to come off and we're down a player for the bench.

how do we know that? all we know is that he was injured and has come through a fitness test - that you would have to assume would have put the injured shoulder through some serious testing.

 

[chasmac]

Comments in the SMH today regarding the ref;

Alexander is also eager to stay on the right side of New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence, who is officiating the quarter-final. Lawrence will have refereed Australia three times in their past five games, including their pool loss to Ireland in Auckland.

''All you can ask from a referee is to be consistent and he was. He's always been like that,'' he said.

''I've never been penalised [by Lawrence] and wondered what it was for. If you do something wrong, you accept that you have to be penalised, but if you do something right, you also want to be rewarded. Bryce did that. Ireland scrummed well and they were rewarded. We scrummed poorly and we were penalised.

''In Durban, we scrummed well and Bryce awarded us that day. He's one of the best at scrum time, definitely. We know what to expect. We've had him plenty of times.''



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...m-the-front-20111006-1lbpw.html#ixzz1a3DN2VqJ


Sounds like the team don't have a problem with Lawrence, is it only the supporters here on GAGR?
Or is it savvy media management from within the camp?
Good to see a low profile from the team and a well managed team announcement. No controversy thanks.

 

[No4918]

2) Two working shoulders - Knowing how fragile McCabes shoulder is, what happens when he goes to tackle/pull of a dominant tackle and it pops out again? He'll have to come off and we're down a player for the bench.

This can be the only reason i see for going with a 4/3 split for the first time. This is probably the first game there where it really would have the extra forward on the bench. Particularly if its wet.

 

[FANATIC]

The decision to put McCabe over Barnes is simply idiotic. Absolutely idiotic.

I just saw the teams names scroll on the banner on fox sports news and thought I saw Berrik not even on the bench! I almost stopped breathing out of sheer anger. Twitter confirmed that Barnes and Sharpe are on the bench. Now. if the Wallabies are without tries come half time I WANT TO SEE THESE TWO PLAYERS RUN OUT FOR THE SECOND HALF. What is the frigging use of of the 'worlds best backline' if they never get good quick ball. I now predict a scoreless game run be the ref and penalty goals. AUS 12 v RSA 6...... fingers crossed not the other way round

 

[Utility Back]

2 centres on the bench puzzled me at first, maybe they are unsure of the defensive impact of McCabe due to his shoulder. If he dislocated his shoulder, even temporarily 2 weeks ago, those ligaments are still healing and susceptible to another injury. Hence Fainga'a i suppose to come on. Also both starting centres are also outside backs.

Good to Sharpe back on the bench, i rate Simmons but Sharpey's in much better form and his ball carrying is always effective as long as he doesn't get too isolated for shit forwards to get there in time.

God i hope we win this game. And the next. And the one after that.

 

[Bowside]

Why no higgers. Makes no sense.

I wouldn't have picked mccabe but the game will be won or lost in the pack so it doesn't worry me.

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

Just chatting to a few rugby medico mates, they are all amazed that McCabe could come back to a starting position like 12 in a huge game just a few short weeks from a shoulder dislocation. They say it usually, best case, takes 4-6 weeks for the inevitable muscular and ligament damage to heal even with the 'best type' of shoulder dislocation.

Yeah really, i've done it myself and was back the following week. It just depends on how long it was actually dislocated for.

 

[Braveheart81]

I would have thought that AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is effectively the outside back cover which would mean that Fainga'a would come on to 13 if we had any issues at 11, 13, 14, or 15. I guess the other alternative if Beale went off is Cooper could go to 15 and Barnes to 10.

It must be planned that McCalman comes on for Samo at some point so that means Elsom and Pocock are pencilled in for 80 minutes.

Depending on the situation in the game, I hope Burgess gets given 15-20 minutes. His ball running and sniping round the rucks was superb last weekend. I really see him as a potential game breaker in a close match.

I imagine Squeeky Moore will be pushed for as close to the 80 minutes as possible given how much better he has been than TPN lately.

 

[Utility Back]

And then i realised no HIggers, but McCalman,

What The Fuck?!?!

 

[Joe Mac]

The McCabe hate can leave this thread as far as im concerned. In the wet we will need some go forward and straight running to commit numbers to get to the break down.

It's not McCabe hate. Its Robbie Deans hate.

He has a team full of superstars and fantastic depth at his disposal and he keeps fucking it up by chosing players who are too green for the contest at hand.

5-2 split would add huge value to this squad against the arguable the worlds most physical forward pack.

Rant over.

 

[chasmac]

The team is a good one with plenty of options for tactical changes, Having Barnes as an option on the bench is fantastic.

The only thing i don't like is Vickerman starting he has given away too many stupid penalties. Hopefully he erases this by Sunday. Two bloody good options on the bench to cover him for how the game is being played out. We have McCalman for workrate and Sharpe for the set pieces.

The McCabe hate can leave this thread as far as im concerned. In the wet we will need some go forward and straight running to commit numbers to get to the break down.

Australia by 1.

Im fucking excited.

I can see the Bokke centres doing to McCabe what the Irish did. They held him up in the tackle and got some valuable turnovers. I would assume there has been some coaching done to ensure this doesn't happen again. Big call given that the Bokke backrow and the centres are as powerful as the Irish.

 

[RugbyReg]

The team has been named lads. The Wallaby team.

They play the Springboks this Sunday in a knock out quarterfinal. They'll be home Monday if they lose. Time to forget about who should have been picked where and get behind the lads.

I've got every confidence they can beat the Boks this weekend. Let's start showing some positivity and support our team 100%.

 

[Ignoto]

how do we know that? all we know is that he was injured and has come through a fitness test - that you would have to assume would have put the injured shoulder through some serious testing.

Well we've seen how "tough" the fitness tests are by the Wallabies trainers - Palu and Mitchell!

 

[Richo]

The McCabe hate can leave this thread as far as im concerned. In the wet we will need some go forward and straight running to commit numbers to get to the break down.

Who hates McCabe? Last time we tried this "big centre gives go forward" option in the wet it didn't work so well, did it?

Edit: Not that this will lose us the game. I'm pumped for this one.