RWC 2011 SF2: Australia vs. New Zealand

[Dan54]

Thats the truth of it. The one thing that sticks is the rubbing the hair, patting the head, the booing etc when we made mistakes. Very poor sportsmanship.

Bollocks, how about 4 more years? I not keen on head patting etc, perhaps you didn't see Pocock doing it?? I don't like booing EVER, but if I thought as a spectator I could get into Quades head I would be tempted. I thought Horwill was very good in his talk after game. Also very pleased to see both teams forming tunnels after game.

 

[pete88]

Very good point Chief! Was this the youngest team in the Cup, alongside Wales? Not sure why dipping out of a World Cup in the semi's, to the World No. 1 ranked team no less, would be viewed as a failure.

I agree on paper, but we have to have the attitude that not winning the tournament is not good enough. Critically evaluate everything, and fix our shit. As hard as we tried tonight there was a lot of shit.

 

[Blob]

I also thought McCaw was absolutely outstanding. Astonishing performance in context. The steal when he jump on Fai'inga's back and flipped over the top was the greatest thing ever.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Very good point Chief! Was this the youngest team in the Cup, alongside Wales? Not sure why dipping out of a World Cup in the semi's, to the World No. 1 ranked team no less, would be viewed as a failure.

OZ were the youngest team at the WC.

If Cooper can tighten up his game and better equip himself to deal with the sort of games like last week and tonight, then I think he'll be better in the future and a much more feared player.

Genia was under all sorts, OZ will need to settle on their best no8 and a blindside flanker that doesn't drift in and out of games like Elsom does.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

Bollocks, how about 4 more years? I not keen on head patting etc, perhaps you didn't see Pocock doing it?? I don't like booing EVER, but if I thought as a spectator I could get into Quades head I would be tempted. I thought Horwill was very good in his talk after game. Also very pleased to see both teams forming tunnels after game.

4 more years was one player, the booing was the large part of a crowd, mob mentality, ugly.

Having said that anyway you slice it, deserved victory by the ABs.

 

[chriscullen]

Thanks to all Wallabies supporters on here, the humility is a lot better many All Black fans if we had lost.
Even though the All Blacks played very well and the Wallabies didn't, I still was nervous as hell coming into the last 20.

 

[Karl]

I have to put this out there.

Deans as Coach has to shoulder some responsibility. His tactics and selections have made and re-made the Wallabies over the last 4 years. Frankly, as much as we as a nation and as Rugby lovers and as basically loyal and faithful followers have been prepared to dole out more rope and, not so much make excuses, as be patient and willing to assume that he was smarter and better than his detractors allowed, we need to ask if it's working.

I'm not so sure that it is. I'm wondering if we need a proper, old school strategic planning session around the Wallabies Brand. What does it mean these days? What does a Wallaby Team stand for? What SHOULD it stand for? What do our customers expect and deserve? What is our fuggin' mission statement and vision? Because when things get complex and intense, knowing who you are as a team makes some hard choices simple. They just seem lost, schizophrenic and rudderless. Trying to be all things to all people. Where's the purity of purpose?

This is a great opportunity to ask all of these questions and forge this young team on the Anvil of Their Essential Truth to take Bill back in FOUR MORE YEARS.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

OZ were the youngest team at the WC.

If Cooper can tighten up his game and better equip himself to deal with the sort of games like last week and tonight, then I think he'll be better in the future and a much more feared player.

Genia was under all sorts, OZ will need to settle on their best no8 and a blindside flanker that doesn't drift in and out of games like Elsom does.

He cant - this has been going on for all of the last 7 years.
What's plan B?

 

[Slim 293]

We were never going to win the world cup with mccabe in the starting team. Its not that he didn't try hard or do what was asked of him, he just wasn't good enough. It was evident to all and sundry against ireland, and again tonight when he neglected to throw that pass. It not his fault, he certainly puts his body on the line for his country and is probably a better rugby player than any of us ever were. But he is no nonu or tim horan, and thats what you need to be win bill. I dont know who else we could have picked that would have done a better job. Maybe we just dont have such a player.

I find the first statement to be utter rubbish.

McCabe was solid in the first half.

He's been criticized for not pushing th pass out wide. Maybe it was the wrong decision but a gap opened up midfield and straightening the attack looked like a good idea.

Where was the support play? The ABs had no trouble getting players there.

That's the fundamental difference between our teams.

We were never going to win the world cup when our halves supply no ball to our backs.

And if we are going to single out a player, Fainga'a offered less in attack and was terrible in defence.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I have to put this out there.

Deans as Coach has to shoulder some responsibility. His tactics and selections have made and re-made the Wallabies over the last 4 years. Frankly, as much as we as a nation and as Rugby lovers and as basically loyal and faithful followers have been prepared to dole out more rope and, not so much make excuses, as be patient and willing to assume that he was smarter and better than his detractors allowed, we need to ask if it's working.

I'm not so sure that it is. I'm wondering if we need a proper, old school strategic planning session around the Wallabies Brand. What does it mean these days? What does a Wallaby Team stand for? What SHOULD it stand for? What do our customers expect and deserve? What is our fuggin' mission statement and vision? Because when things get complex and intense, knowing who you are as a team makes some hard choices simple. They just seem lost, schizophrenic and rudderless. Trying to be all things to all people. Where's the purity of purpose?

This is a great opportunity to ask all of these questions and forge this young team on the Anvil of Their Essential Truth to take Bill back in FOUR MORE YEARS.

I agree and the first thing we get rid of is the idea there is a Wallabies Brand

 

[BRIX]

As long as attacking rugby is not promoted. And our halfback slows our own ball down by his indecision we won't get up next week either.

 

[barbarian]

What's plan B?

We CLEARLY had a plan B, we played noticeably wider in the first 20 minutes of the second half. It just failed, like plan A. Because the ABs were better, and would have dealt with plans C,D,E and F just as easily.

 

[BRIX]

Kicking away our own ball 31 times showed the lack of faith in McCabe & Co, unfortunately.

 

[Slim 293]

It's hard to execute any plan when the forwards are inadequate.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

We CLEARLY had a plan B, we played noticeably wider in the first 20 minutes of the second half. It just failed, like plan A. Because the ABs were better, and would have dealt with plans C,D,E and F just as easily.

I took the comment to be one directed to our future not our past.
There is no doubt in my mind that whatever this team had it within their capacity to throw at the ABs tonight would have been trumped.
I like it when you can say you were beaten by a better team and we were, no question.
It cant be good for the forum that there was no mind numbingly obvious refereeing error....

 

[Scarfman]

OK. Not good.

We were outplayed in every position, except maybe 4? Maybe 7? I sometimes think Pocock and Vickerman should put together a hard arses Barbarians team and regularly smack the Wallabies.

I thought Joubert did his usual thing of rewarding the dominant side, even if that dominance was gained through pulling at the ruck from the wrong side. However, the Wallabies were so comprehensively smacked tonight that not even Steve Walsh could have saved that one for us.

It turns out that the Wallabies attack minus the miracle try from Kurtley Beale offers nothing. Maybe if JOC (James O'Connor) played 12 like he should, we might have found something in attack. Actually, I'm tipping JOC (James O'Connor) for 10 within 2 years.

Anyway, poxy New Zeeland completely outplayed us, and I'm going to wear red white and blue for the next 7 days, and speak only French, and smoke Gitanes, and swap my Subaru for a D-Special, and shrug my gallic shoulders while I eat baguettes.

Please France, please.

 

[Grandmaster Flash]

I find the first statement to be utter rubbish.

McCabe was solid in the first half.

He's been criticized for not pushing th pass out wide. Maybe it was the wrong decision but a gap opened up midfield and straightening the attack looked like a good idea.

Where was the support play? The ABs had no trouble getting players there.

That's the fundamental difference between our teams.

We were never going to win the world cup when our halves supply no ball to our backs.

And if we are going to single out a player, Fainga'a offered less in attack and was terrible in defence.

I'll give you that no support was there, but why did McCabe run straight into a prop and not the gap?

 

[Riptide]

ABs were superb but I was disappointed in the performance of Elsom, Horwill and Vickerman. ABs ran it right up in there and I just felt these lads didn't front up. Perhaps last week's performance against the Boks took a lot out of them.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Keep the sube....I had one french car.

the old joke about Pierre le c**sucker comes to mind

 

[Dan54]

4 more years was one player, the booing was the large part of a crowd, mob mentality, ugly.

Having said that anyway you slice it, deserved victory by the ABs.

As In said I ndon'tike booing either, but I think if I saw QC (Quade Cooper) looking shakey I would be tempted to add to it, it's like cheering when someone makes mistake, not sporting, but don't tell me most crowds don't do it, and I heard plenty of booing when kickers take shot. That said I would like to add that Wallabies shouldn't be disheartened, and I hope we don't get anyone looking at players to blame.