Swat
Chilla Wilson (44)
Prediction: SOB barges straight over TPNs missile tackle, then realises he has no legs
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Prediction: SOB barges straight over TPNs missile tackle, then realises he has no legs
BDA
Jim Lenehan (48)
It's not like the loss of Pocock would open the door for the Irish to dominate the breakdown. The Irish don't really have a specialist no.7 anyway. McCalman will do fine. If he was playing opposite McCaw or Brussow I'd probably be worried.
On the topic of McCalman's place in the side, my general reaction to him is 'Meh'.....He's fairly big, he generally gets over the advantage line, he works fairly hard, he's not completely ineffective a the breakdown....meh.
He's certainly a player who wont let you down. He showed last year that he can step up to the plate when we need him, but I think people want someone more, if I can use the word, 'decisive' in the team. Robinson is a 7, Palu is an 8. At test level McCalman is a wishy washy backrower. There is nothing wrong with him, its just hard to get excited about him for any particular reason.
I'm happy for him to maintain his position until Palu is ready to replace him, and I'd have no problem with him filling in for Pocock in this game
On the topic of McCalman's place in the side, my general reaction to him is 'Meh'.....He's fairly big, he generally gets over the advantage line, he works fairly hard, he's not completely ineffective a the breakdown....meh.
He's certainly a player who wont let you down. He showed last year that he can step up to the plate when we need him, but I think people want someone more, if I can use the word, 'decisive' in the team. Robinson is a 7, Palu is an 8. At test level McCalman is a wishy washy backrower. There is nothing wrong with him, its just hard to get excited about him for any particular reason.
I'm happy for him to maintain his position until Palu is ready to replace him, and I'd have no problem with him filling in for Pocock in this game
R
Richard D. James
Guest
The crowd support will be interesting as well. There are a lot of Irish around Auckland today and we know who the Kiwis at the game will be cheering for. Will basically be a home game for Ireland so we will have to make sure we are prepared for that.
Could be good practice for later in the Cup though, if we are good enough to make it that far. It's not often an Aussie team wins at Eden Park, even in Super Rugby.
Could be good practice for later in the Cup though, if we are good enough to make it that far. It's not often an Aussie team wins at Eden Park, even in Super Rugby.
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
Whilst IMO we are a better team in September 2011 than in June 2010, i vividly recall the Aus hubris prior to that 2010 Test v Ireland. We were (yet again) in the self-praising mode 'building something special, it's all coming good (Mark III)', and, boy, I was at that game, and we struggled (at 'the fortress') v Ireland's then severely depleted Test side. From memory the win was by no means assured until late in the game, and the win margin was by no means that of a dominant, confident victory.
gone
Ted Fahey (11)
To be fair it was a severely depleted Wallabies team too, just look at the front row...
15 James O’Connor Force
14 Drew Mitchell Waratahs
13 Rob Horne Waratahs
12 Matt Giteau Brumbies
11 Adam-Ashley-Cooper Brumbies
10 Quade Cooper Reds
9 Luke Burgess Waratahs
8 Richard Brown Force
7 David Pocock Force
6 Rocky Elsom [c] Brumbies
5 Nathan Sharpe Force
4 Dean Mumm Waratahs
3 Salesi Ma’afu Brumbies 3
2 Saia Fainga'a Reds 3
1 Ben Daley Reds 2
Reserves:
16 Huia Edmonds Brumbies
17 James Slipper Reds
18 Mark Chisholm Brumbies
19 Matt Hodgson Force
20 Josh Valentine Brumbies
21 Berrick Barnes Waratahs
22 Kurtley Beale Waratahs
Groucho
Greg Davis (50)
RedsHappy, I really don't understand this 'self-praising' criticism. We're sports fans. It's entirely natural for sports fans to speak positively, and optimistically, about their team.
And neither are we the worst team in the world. In fact we're one of the best.
There will be a lot of long faces if we win this thing. And some of them will be in the living rooms of our own fans.
Tangawizi
Peter Fenwicke (45)
Plenty of Irishmen about in the streets of Auckland. Expecting us to be soundly out-cheered in the stands.
Plenty of Kiwis adopting the Irish too. But I just think that with all the stick Quade's been copping in the media for the last couple of week's he'll want to put in a performance to shut them up - and that Ireland will be on receiving of a masterclass in halves play from him & Genia tomorrow night.
Plenty of Kiwis adopting the Irish too. But I just think that with all the stick Quade's been copping in the media for the last couple of week's he'll want to put in a performance to shut them up - and that Ireland will be on receiving of a masterclass in halves play from him & Genia tomorrow night.
Groucho
Greg Davis (50)
13 pages of "live Chat" and has not started, why the nervousness?
We've hardly begun. Tr-Nations games reach fifty pages on here before the game starts. I predict this'll hit 25 by kickoff.
Not if it pisses down, as predicted. And neither do I want them to. Play to the conditions.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
I said at the beginning of the season that the role of the 7 had changed because of the alteration in refereeing of the breakdown. Brussow and Pocock are the exceptions because they are exceptional. There is not hwoever another "fetcher" playing in the world that I can name who is not now a liability to their team in terms of penalties, and other areas of the game.
I too would have prefered Beau Robinson to be in the team to cover this eventuality, but on the instruction he has to keep his hands out of the ruck as he like Hodgeson gives away shit loads of penalties at this phase eg V Samoa. What Robinson gives however is massive workrate which is effective. I have had doubts over McCalman since last year when his workrate became less and less effective.
At the start of the year I postulated that a backrow with a fast linking player able to drive counter rucks would be preferable to a "fetcher". Indeed this would be a return to a traditional backrow balance.
This match will be fascinating because if SOB is played at 7 and McCalman at 7 I see both backrows as unbalanced, both play and run the lines of a 6 in all the games I have seen. The game I am looking forward to most with regards to backrow play to test this idea is NZ V France. I rate Dusatoir 2nd only to Juan Smith.
I too would have prefered Beau Robinson to be in the team to cover this eventuality, but on the instruction he has to keep his hands out of the ruck as he like Hodgeson gives away shit loads of penalties at this phase eg V Samoa. What Robinson gives however is massive workrate which is effective. I have had doubts over McCalman since last year when his workrate became less and less effective.
At the start of the year I postulated that a backrow with a fast linking player able to drive counter rucks would be preferable to a "fetcher". Indeed this would be a return to a traditional backrow balance.
This match will be fascinating because if SOB is played at 7 and McCalman at 7 I see both backrows as unbalanced, both play and run the lines of a 6 in all the games I have seen. The game I am looking forward to most with regards to backrow play to test this idea is NZ V France. I rate Dusatoir 2nd only to Juan Smith.
RedsHappy
Tony Shaw (54)
My loose expression. By 'self-praising' I mean/meant when the Wallabies/ARU media machine (not the fans per se) start the public hubris roll pre games: over the last few years, this has almost always correlated with a disappointment immediately thereafter, and was regularly premature when viewed by the actual results delivered after cocky and over-bullish declarations. I wish/wished they'd just shut up and wait with this tone at the very least until after we had won a real continuous sequence of excellent victories. A perfect example (if you seek it) was pre Bled 1 this year, we had KB (Kurtley Beale) quoted all over the place with 'we can tear any defence apart' etc. And other players were on similar quoted tracks then. Soon came the result.
Re the long faces in fans' living rooms barb if the WC is won by Aus. Not in my case. I'll be thrilled if we win this WC (though that doesn't mean I''l be seduced into some state of uncritical Wallaby ecstasy that will mask past mistakes or poor management choices etc, and indulge future ones after one glorious orgasm every 4 years and not much in between). I've been at pains to concede recent Wallaby and Wallaby management improvements and why IMO they have occurred and brought serious benefits (at long last).
T
thedubs
Guest
Although Ireland dont have a specialist 7, its worth remembering Irelands centre pairing of BOD and D'arcy are an additional set of flankers in essense. If they get the chance they'll turn it in an instance and will have the likes of Earls, Heaslip, Bowe and O'Brien waiting to hit the open australian flanks.
Heaslip is also a turnover machine. One of the reasons why Jennings isnt a complete necessary in the team, Heaslip almost fulfills the groundhog work too of the 7 jersey.
Also don't forget with Irelands "maul-turnover" tactic, Australian ball is no given in their own rucks with or without Pocock.
Heaslip is also a turnover machine. One of the reasons why Jennings isnt a complete necessary in the team, Heaslip almost fulfills the groundhog work too of the 7 jersey.
Also don't forget with Irelands "maul-turnover" tactic, Australian ball is no given in their own rucks with or without Pocock.
Joe Blow
Peter Sullivan (51)
Must have been keeping their "maul-turnover" tactic in the back pocket against the Eagles?
T
thedubs
Guest
It worked fairly well against England - How did the Wallaby defence fair against them in HQ?
Its a standard Rugby League choke tackle. Usually worth a turnover a game. Nothing special and verymuch overhyped.
Joe Blow
Peter Sullivan (51)
I am not familiar with it.
Hope Pocock plays because he can be a point of difference for us at the breakdown.
Rocky is starting to run into the form that he was in when he played in your neck of the woods. The backrow battle should be fascinating.
Can't wait for this one!
Cassius88
Sydney Middleton (9)
I understand what you're trying to say, but your post is convoluted by long sentences and too many parentheses. I agree with your point regarding statements that the Wallabies were building to something in previous years, but I actually believe we have arrived at that 'something' we have been building towards.
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