RWC 2019 1/4 Final England vs Australia

[Strewthcobber]

In regard to the Pooper. Don't England also have limited line-out options? Are any of there back-row specialist jumper? I heard they are not.

If that is the case, I see no reason why the Pooper won't be starting. Dempsey's form has been mixed and the other option in LLS has not impressed either.

If they go that way, Tom Curry is a genuine lineout option, though not the tallest out there. Underhill and Vunipola are more limited and in line with our backrow options

 

[BDA]

I think we'll see the same pack that started against Wales.

Given the lineout's functioning well, given that we have quite a few ball running options in the tight five, and most importantly given that Cheika seems intent on playing an expansive running game for 80 minutes I think our best bet is to play the Pooper. ​

Pocock seems to be making some small adjustments to how he's playing under the current refereeing. Given that he's made more tackles and hit more rucks than any of our other forwards at the WC, I'm not sure who would pick up that slack if he's not selected.

I suspect no-one. It certainly ain't gonna be Dempsey who's done fuck all tackling in his recent games. ​

I presume the game plan will be to run England off their feet (if Cheika ever has an actual game plan). Play a running game and hope that we can come home with a wet sail in the final 20 minutes. To be honest, if the weather permits us to play a ball in hand game, we could potentially be a bad match up for England. Unfortunately our ruck work on attack is pretty rat shit and I think our only chance of retaining enough ball to even come close to challenging England is if we have both Pocock and Hooper on the field. I honestly think we get steamrolled without them.

Tupou should be on the bench ahead of Kepu. We aint gonna beat England by playing it safe.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'd start To'omua. It shouldn't be a surprise where the majority of England's attack will be coming from. It'll be Vunipola and Tuilagi running straight down that 10/12 channel. To'omua is not only our best defender at 10/12, but our form no.10.

 

[Froggy]

I agree with Seb V, which is why in my side above I selected Kerevi and TK in the centres and Koro and Petaia on the wings. That's a backline built around attack, and if our forwards can give us enough good ball, I think it could cause thePoms some headaches.

 

[BDA]

I honestly can't work out why people are talking up Dempsey. The stats show that against Georgia he got through much less work than our other backrowers and made less than half as many run metres as Isi. He certainly hasn't shown enough to force himself into the starting side.

 

[Blue]

PLEASE knock the poms and their sense of entitlement over.

I was at the Argie England game. The sheer fucking arrogance of the Pom supporters is something else. I forgot how bad their travelling mobs can be. The utterly appalling behaviour by some of them in the streets of Tokyo that night was even worse. Pulling your pants down in public is not exactly how you show the Japanese public respect.

I honestly don't know what game plan Aus can conjure up to beat them, but I hope Cheika can come up with something.

Please.

 

[Tex]

We all said the Welsh were going to play "stagnant NH rugby blah blah blah" but they were uptempo and drilled us from the get go. England have the firepower to do just that, if not moreso, and I expect them to run us ragged.

 

[Blue]

I honestly can't work out why people are talking up Dempsey. The stats show that against Georgia he got through much less work than our other backrowers and made less than half as many run metres as Isi. He certainly hasn't shown enough to force himself into the starting side.

The Pooper is your best bet against the English style of rugby. The Poms throw their big bodies into the collision. LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) and Dempsey are not the answer.

 

[Up the Guts]

PLEASE knock the poms and their sense of entitlement over.

I was at the Argie England game. The sheer fucking arrogance of the Pom supporters is something else. I forgot how bad their travelling mobs can be. The utterly appalling behaviour by some of them in the streets of Tokyo that night was even worse. Pulling your pants down in public is not exactly how you show the Japanese public respect.

I honestly don't know what game plan Aus can conjure up to beat them, but I hope Cheika can come up with something.

Please.

This is the sort of anecdote I need to justify my hatred of the Poms.

 

[Derpus]

We all said the Welsh were going to play "stagnant NH rugby blah blah blah" but they were uptempo and drilled us from the get go. England have the firepower to do just that, if not moreso, and I expect them to run us ragged.

Wales play absolute garbage rugby that is awful to watch but clinical and anathema to Cheekball.

Dropkick in the first few minutes? Fuck that.

England have the same defensive game but are also capable of creating in attack. I think we are fucked. Fingers crossed though.

 

[Up the Guts]

The Argies did pretty well to nullify Vunipola and Tuilagi. Vunipola spent most of the first half on the deck whinging about his ankle. We know Tuilagi is going to be running route one, just a matter of stopping him.

 

[BDA]

Can everybody please start praying to whatever higher power you believe in that the rain pulls up for this game. The current weather forecast shows that the worst of the rain will be pulling up on Saturday with only possible showers on Saturday night.

I don't think we can in this if it's bucketing down for 80 minutes.

 

[Dctarget]

I think Vunipola and Marler are injured which helps England a little.

Edit: Us, I mean us.

 

[Blue]

Wales play absolute garbage rugby that is awful to watch but clinical and anathema to Cheekball.

Dropkick in the first few minutes? Fuck that.

England have the same defensive game but are also capable of creating in attack. I think we are fucked. Fingers crossed though.

Poms have a pretty skilled backline for the first time since forever. That is why they scare me.

 

[Up the Guts]

Can everybody please start praying to whatever higher power you believe in that the rain pulls up for this game. The current weather forecast shows that the worst of the rain will be pulling up on Saturday with only possible showers on Saturday night.

I don't think we can in this if it's bucketing down for 80 minutes.

I think the stadium has a retractable roof.

 

[Blue]

The Argies did pretty well to nullify Vunipola and Tuilagi. Vunipola spent most of the first half on the deck whinging about his ankle. We know Tuilagi is going to be running route one, just a matter of stopping him.

Vunipola has been on poor from of late. Hardly got across the advantage line against Argie. When on song he is destructive.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Hooper is the captain of the team and has been one of our best performers through the RWC. He will be starting.

I could re-list the options involving both Pocock and Hooper and flip their numbers around. It won't make any difference to the way either play.

I don't see any option where Pocock starts and Hooper is on the bench though. It just isn't going to happen and shouldn't happen.

It just isn't going to happen but in my opinion it should. I reckon a combination of Dempsey, Pocock and Naisarani is better than any combination of Hooper, Pocock and one other.

 

[fatprop]

It just isn't going to happen but in my opinion it should. I reckon a combination of Dempsey, Pocock and Naisarani is better than any combination of Hooper, Pocock and one other.

Well, the form 7 is Hooper so I reckon a combination of Dempsey, Hooper and Naisarani will be the best we can put out.

But Dempsey has only had quality moments, not a quality shift so I think it may be argued that Pocock will contribute more quality efforts than Dempsey over a shift.

The issue being England's lineout is quality and even with both Dempsey and Naisarani starting, neither is a lineout threat, they are bailout options.

Eddie will force us to the front to keep the backs from getting front foot ball and then post a disrupting unit there as well

 

[Derpus]

It just isn't going to happen but in my opinion it should. I reckon a combination of Dempsey, Pocock and Naisarani is better than any combination of Hooper, Pocock and one other.

Pocock has not been anywhere near as good as Hooper

 

[Braveheart81]

For me the question of who to play in the backrow depends on what our tactics are for the first half or so.

I tend to think we need to play the siege mentality game, try to bash them through the forwards, limit our errors and play field position. We need to still be on contention when the game opens up in the last 30 minutes.

I'd be starting Dempsey, Hooper and Naisarani with the plan that Dempsey has got to carry strongly because he's going to get replaced shortly after half time by Pocock.

I genuinely think a fresh Pocock coming on in the second half will have a field day at the breakdown. In the first half he is absolutely going to be a target to get smashed at the breakdown by fresh forwards hoping to limit his impact.

I think Cheika will revert to Pocock, Hooper and Naisarani as he has picked in our two big pool games.

 

[Viking]

Pococks effectiveness at the breakdown will vary depending on the ref too. He would have carved up in the scotland/Japan game.

Who is reffing this game?