RWC 2011 SF2: Australia vs. New Zealand

[RedsHappy]

I though McCalman was much better than any other time in this RWC coming of the bench last Sunday.

Maybe DPK, but IMO you've got to select on a pattern of player calibre not one 'better' performance vs many mediocre to downright poor ones. In my mind, I'd prefer Higgers or Hodgson to come on (if they need to, which they will as surely Samo won't play 80) and deal with the likes of Kaino etc, than McCalman. Ditto if we have injuries to replace.

 

[tigerland12]

Rob Simmons is one of my favourite players and I believe he is going to be part of the Wallaby set up for a very long time......but jeez even I'm confused with his selection over Sharpe.

THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1QI4P0YqtM&feature=related

Sometimes I feel like Deans makes the same approach to justifying his selections

 

[chequebalance]

With all respect, how can we be so confident re 'reserves have little impact etc' if we don't know who's gonna get injured. If Horwill or Vicks has to come off, won't the Simmons v Sharpe call matter, maybe greatly?

Yea i see what you mean but I don't deal in hypathetical injuries, my head can't take it! I am more worried about QC (Quade Cooper), Bam or another outside back going down then a lock anyway. Sharp has had his bad games as well so not concerened with Simmo being there instead but feel sorry for sharpie and would just as easily have him there, but let's hope if heaven forbid anyone of our staters go down then the player who replaces them has a blinder as they all have the potential to.

 

[chequebalance]

Sorry Babar I should have just agreed with your post before I wrote mine but it took ages for my reply screen to load so didn't see it.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

Player v Player analysis for my money:
Woodcock v Alexander - Barely giving it to Woodcock based on experience and his increasing form throughout the tournament
Moore v Mealamu - Advantage Moore. He's been fantastic all year.
Owens v Kepu - Owens. Improving all tournament and sekope's ankle will struggle in the damp surface.
Vickerman v Whitelock - Advantage vickerman - unless he runs his mouth off and gives away too many penalties yet again
Thorn v Horwill - amazing battle - advantage Horwill though. Big bad brad has looked a bit slower.
Kaino v Elsom - Kaino by a fair bit. rocky is, as always, patchy. Kaino is sensational day in day out.
McCaw v Pocock - Advantage Pocock, but not by much. I would say Richie is about to put in the game of his life and it will be fairly heroic in light of the pain he is in. Pocock has found outrageous form.
Read v Samo - I give this to Read. I haven't liked Samo much this tournament (last weeks defense aside). he's appeared too non chalant at the back of the scrum for me at times.
Piri v Genia - Depends on what the 16 men in front of them do. I will rate this as even. both massively effective, but for entirely different reasons. Piri seems to have found himself as of late. Genia seems to have lost himself.
Cooper v Cruden - Cooper has been poor nearly all tournament. I see no advantage between either on defence, save for the fact that Cruden at least tries to tackle. Personally, I think people underestimate Cruden and I think he is going to put in a fantastic performance, helped on by Piri and Nonu on either side of him. I am not convinced that cooper is due for a good game. he has played two bad games in a row already this tournament. Won't call this one.
Nonu v McCabe - Nonu. Mccabes defense has been solid. his attack is predictable. I detest how he goes into contact with his arms raised and body upright. its as if he's falling top first onto his opposite and just asking to be held up.
Smith v AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/Faainga - Pretty even if its Smith v AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), advantage Smith if Faainga. Again, AF has good defence, but his attack is relatively non-existent for me. Smith has excellent defense, but adds attacking and creative spark - similar to AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper).
Jane v Ioane - I'm going to say advantage Ioane on this one. But Jane has impressed me as well. he's a big, quick and defensively effective winger, who has a height advantage over ioane. that said, ioane is ioane. will be another great battle in this game.
O'conner v Kahui - I'm not going to include JOC (James O'Connor)'s kicking in this comparison. strictly attack, defense and work rate. JOC (James O'Connor) played a great game against the boks. Kahui will beat him for strength and height. Speed is probably even. I think this battle will be won in their off ball efforts. I'll give it to JOC (James O'Connor).
Dagg v Beale/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) - Beale carrying a hammy. Im not convinced he'll be at 100% if he plays. Both great runners. both great under the high ball and both have pace. Advantage goes to Dagg for me against either player. strictly based on Beale not being 100%.

All Blacks win in my estimation by 1.

I'm going to call the all blacks to win this in the final few minutes and not by very much. The key will be the first 20 minutes (as with every game). The all blacks forwards are going to dictate how Genia plays.

Regardless, the Australia at the line (7.5) bet is looking pretty tasty.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

also - do not understand sharpe not starting let alone being on the bench.

on that note. not bothering to do a bench matchup, but based on who's named advantage to the all blacks everywhere but berrick barnes v donald.

Similar to last week and the wallabies scraped through. I don't think they've got another miracle on turf in them though.

 

[James Buchanan]

but Simmons and athletic and quick could be in the same sentence. (trying to work out the thought process)

The ABs are very athletic and agile, Sharpe isn't.

At least someone has grasped what I assume is Robbie's intention.

 

[blondie]

No Beale + no Barnes = no attack.

2 centres and a fullback that can't pass. The AB's will flood Cooper in defence knowing he's the only playmaker, McCabe will get held up every second carry. It won't matter who our wings are they'll never see the ball and if they do come off their wings as first or second receiver who are they going to pass it too, McCabe/AF ??? what a joke, end of phase. I can't understand such a conservative choice when Deans has gone with Cooper as flyhalf, he's trying to have his cake and eat it too. Barnes isn't just effective as a foil to Quade, but he runs holes (something AF and McCabe have never seen in their life). Cooper is at his best with at least one hole running centre who can take advantage of his bullet pass (Barnes, Taps).

Yes McCabe was heroic last week but forget his courage, and look at his performances, so one dimensional!!! Look at the evidence, when did he last make a line break? The All Blacks WILL score try's on the weekend, they have in every test bar 2 over the last decade. But will Aus? Common forget this defence orientation, look at realility last week was the arsiest win the wobblies have ever had, they were soundly beaten in almost every facet of the game except the breakdown which was a farce! It's no surprise that the 4 best ATTACKING teams are in the semi's but that seems to have been lost on the selectors, look at England and Ireland's demise. It wasn't long ago that we had the best attacking backline in the game but we've lost that focus.

Wait a minute...

Why am I wasting my time writing this? Our forwards will lose every set piece and Cooper won't be able to clear us out of our half, we will defend all day and the centre's attack will be irrelevant, that was Robbie's ingenious game plan last week wasn't it? C'mon people, this reeks of Australia in the last soccer world cup against De German's, foreign coach forces us to adopt a defensive policy, when all our games prior to the world cup have been based on attack. It goes against our grain as Australian's, whatever happened to the Aus mentality of having a go?!.

Praying for Beale to be fit, praying for McCabe's shoulder not to snap on first connection with Nonu's thigh, but unfortunately I'm not religious, I'm a betting man and the odds don't look good.

I'll save my Simmons rant for another day.

 

[Ruggo]

Kev has bettered Thorn on every occasion they have faced this year.

 

[Richo]

So, Blondie, you're optimistic then?

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

I am as big a Sharpe fan as the next guy. However, when he came on against SA he didn't exactly 'own' the lineout as i had hoped.

There are plenty of blokes there for lineout time, i think work rate and possibly scrummaging may have come into the decision.

 

[Boomer]

I'll take Simmons for the Reds over any other emerging second-rower in Oz. You can have a re-signed Timani any day. (Not to say you're from NSW.)

Abrasion? Vickerman was all over Sharpe for abrasion when in the same Colts team in 1997. Yeah, I know, that's only 14 years ago.

I'm grateful to have nothing to do with the baby blues from NSW.

There's nothing to say Simmons won't become a legend. He's far further down the road than Timani. But to put him into a sudden death playoff when he has been ordinary all tournament is perplexing.

There's been no aggression/abrasion from him during the World Cup. If anything, there are large patches of the game when he goes missing.

You might argue that Sharpe does a lot of falling over, on and through rucks - but on current form, he has been industrious, his defence has been solid, he is proven at the lineout and with the ball under his arm.

 

[Ruggo]

I'm grateful to have nothing to do with the baby blues from NSW.

There's nothing to say Simmons won't become a legend. He's far further down the road than Timani. But to put him into a sudden death playoff when he has been ordinary all tournament is perplexing.

There's been no aggression/abrasion from him during the World Cup. If anything, there are large patches of the game when he goes missing.

You might argue that Sharpe does a lot of falling over, on and through rucks - but on current form, he has been industrious, his defence has been solid, he is proven at the lineout and with the ball under his arm.

And the alternative argument is he has played more sudden death rugby this year in which he came out on the right side of. The inexperience argument in this case is a mute point.

 

[Boomer]

but Simmons and athletic and quick could be in the same sentence. (trying to work out the thought process)

The ABs are very athletic and agile, Sharpe isn't.

Yep, absolutely. But it's still a punt, innit it?

Simmons was awol for chunks of the pool stage.

I do have faith in Mad Professor Deans - he stuck with Vicks (another Mad Professor?) even though he was a penalty magnet in pool play. Vicks came right last week. Perhaps he's spotted another match-winning reversal of form.

I hope so.

 

[Garryowen]

I echo the thoughts of many on here re: Sharpe and Higgers, especially Sharpe. What a boon it would have been for both him and his team mates for him to run on for his 100th test.

However, the most concerning aspect of the team for me is the potential centre-pairing. We will have no penetration if McCabe and Fainga'a are the centres. I'm well aware that they were the centre pairing when we last played the All Blacks, however in that game they offered virtually nothing in attack and let both their opposites score tries.

Moreover, I have little confidence in Quade's form at the moment and neither McCabe nor Fainga'a can be relied upon to relieve the pressure on Quade in attack. This is even more important given we are probably going to be down a second playmaker given Beale's injury.

We cannot expect the All Blacks to waste both possession and position like the Boks did. But with an out of form 10 and a limited centre-pairing, I don't see how we expect to control possession or field position.

Having Berrick at 12 would have dealt with these issues.

 

[Boomer]

And the alternative argument is he has played more sudden death rugby this year in which he came out on the right side of. The inexperience argument in this case is a mute point.

Two games (at home) doth not a World Cup make.

 

[blondie]

So, Blondie, you're optimistic then?

Sadly, I feel our best chance is if McCabe goes down at about the 20 minute mark after the smash and bash of the first quarter. Beale being fit is close to a must.

I've thought since Benn Robinson was ruled out we've looked very vulnerable, all teams know we lack physicality and strength in the set piece.

Having said that, after last weekend I'm actually optimistic but only because it proved pigs can fly.

 

[Ruggo]

We can go back four years to the last time Sharpe started a sudden death RWC match if you would prefer to be RWC speciffic.

It is what it is.

 

[light]

Having Berrick at 12 would have dealt with these issues.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this I would be very, very rich.

IF Beale is out, JOC (James O'Connor) is going to have to play out of his skin at the back to help Cooper. Plain and simple

 

[blondie]

There's nothing to say Simmons won't become a legend. He's far further down the road than Timani.

On what evidence, Timani had a blinder to the second half of the Super XV, he has physicality that Simmons could only dream of. Gets one chance against the Samoan's to stop him from heading elsewhere and gets the punt and was part of a pack that got monstered. Simmons has had how many chances now for the wallabies? Remind me, what has he done? He might have potential but he's not far down the road if you ask me.