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pete88
Guest
No offence, only an Irishman who'd just watched his team spring a historic upset (two key words there) would say that. How come you have never won against Tri-Nations opposition at home?
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teach
Trevor Allan (34)
I was very impressed by the fast offloads and direction changes. And the speed and impact of the support players, superb. I am going to be showing that to my boys come pre season training.
Pocock would have done sweet FA out there tonight. he would have been by himself and isolated.
To a certain couple of strangely quiet (now) forum members who made the bets with me, I will settle for some Duty Free rum when you come over for the trout in January. I won't rub it in, much!
Pocock would have done sweet FA out there tonight. he would have been by himself and isolated.
To a certain couple of strangely quiet (now) forum members who made the bets with me, I will settle for some Duty Free rum when you come over for the trout in January. I won't rub it in, much!
For a guy who has played very little rugby lately, I don't think we can complain about TPN too much. I'd say he was in the better half of our forwards.
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pete88
Guest
Spot on Thomond, our lineout was never going to do much more than struggle with TPN throwing after a late scratch to Squeaky and with POC jumping against them. With TPN in a rythym as a thrower he's sometimes alright, but this was about 10 bridges too far for him.
Also, cracking analysis on McCabe by the Irish, he runs upright, straight in to contact and he's not big. Hold him up, get someone between him and his support and scream "MAUL" at the ref, worked a treat.
Also, cracking analysis on McCabe by the Irish, he runs upright, straight in to contact and he's not big. Hold him up, get someone between him and his support and scream "MAUL" at the ref, worked a treat.
J
Jonah
Guest
yeh aus got destroyed up front, dont think it was til about 60th min genia had ball on front foot at back of a ruck,
it was always going to be the case, they beat nz in 1 important game in 10 years, and they are suddenly best team in the world ?, , also ireland just copied the kiwis tactics from the 2nd half of there lose to aus last month.
it was always going to be the case, they beat nz in 1 important game in 10 years, and they are suddenly best team in the world ?, , also ireland just copied the kiwis tactics from the 2nd half of there lose to aus last month.
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pete88
Guest
True, I didn't mean to intimate that it was all down to POC giving TPN dirty looks, but there were issues due to pressure, and expecting much more than a scattergun effort from TPN given the circumstnaces would have been optimistic. That was my main point, should have emphasised it more.
I'd definitely be playing Barnes and Horne at 12 and 13 in the next two games with a view of giving them a crack in the quarters. McCabe and Fainga'a were found out massively tonight.
McCalman also needs to disappear. Regardless of playing out of position at 7, he offers the least physicality out of any of our forwards.
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) generally ran well with the ball, but several opportunities were stifled because he just doesn't ever pass.
McCalman also needs to disappear. Regardless of playing out of position at 7, he offers the least physicality out of any of our forwards.
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) generally ran well with the ball, but several opportunities were stifled because he just doesn't ever pass.
Thomond78
Colin Windon (37)
Watch him again; he dithers at the base. Picks it up, looks, thinks, then passes. Against a faster defence, it's lethal, because it puts massive pressure on the 10 - and when Sexton is under pressure, he retreats deeper and deeper (in the first 30, Sexton was frequently flat, and static, and shovelled ball off; thankfully, POC, Fez and SOB were making silk purses out of sow's ears). Murray is inexperienced, but has a much crisper pass, and - crucially - breaks every so often, to good effect. He can also pass fast off either side; Reddan can't, having to spin around on more than one occasion to get the ball away.
Sexton's kicking is, simply, not up to it; he's back where he was when he was costing us games in the 2010 6N, kicking 40% if he's lucky. He would be much, much better off at 12, letting ROG make the decisions - which ROG does brilliantly - and giving himself a chance to play as a 5/8. Two playmakers is much harder to shut down, and much easier to bring the strike runners in. And, if we end up playing Wales, that's important, because the Welsh defensive system is all about line-speed.
Give Murray game time against Russia; and, against Italy, start a 9/10/12 of Murray/ROG/Sexton. With them bringing Earls (who had a very good game, btw) and Bowe in on the shoulder, we could start to make hay.
Thomond78
Colin Windon (37)
Emmm... We have?
ACT Crusader
Jim Lenehan (48)
Also thought Reddan wasn't helpful with the quick ball that was being presented at the base for him to deliver.
twenty seven
Tom Lawton (22)
-A. Fainga'a defended well and the pass hethrew , well, the man should have been there - pure and simple. No single man lost us that match. If you talk about the woes there were plenty of others. Digby was missed as none of the backs put their hand up to break the line like he does. Forwards had bums up and heads down but were ineffective compared to the passion of the Irish. WHAT THE HELL were our coaches doing - changes/fresh legs were in dire need. Did they forget they had a job to do. Don't like conspiracy theories but is there a method in their madness!!
T
thedubs
Guest
Because those stats run right back to the early 1900's. Ireland have only become a decent outfit as a team since the start of the professional era. We were a very average team pre-1999. Before 1991 we were probably the equivalent of a Tonga or a Samoa.
And on a side note - Ireland beat Australia at home in the SH in 1979. First game we won 27-12. The second game was 9-3. 2 wins from 2 that year.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
My thoughts:-
1) Beale is an individual player and has not developed at all. He should not be starting in any team until he stops the low percentage chips and grubbers and actually looks to set up a team mate with his counter attacking runs.
2) Alexander - I said during the Super season that he was a scrum liability. He was hard done by as was Kepu by Lawrence who clearly has no idea about who was taking the scrum down. It is patently obvious that Lawrence has a predetermined opinion regarding both Australian Props, but in Alexander's case it was predictable. The only SH ref that Alexander doesn't have an issue with is ironically Kaplan. It is not an accident that the only times the Wallabies have been dominant and not penalised off the park in the scrums with Alexander at THP is under Owens or Barnes, as they do not ref him in Super Rugby to form the opinion on him. Lawrence is an attrocious ref, and always has been, but he is predictable and Deans played to his weaknesses and allowed this debacle to happen by selection. It is a pity because the glaring issues Alexander has had all year with his set up have largely been fixed and I thought he scrummaged strongly and held his own.
3) McCalman - as I predicted, all the effectiveness of a blow fly on the window. He might have a similar build to K. Reid, but that is where it ends. He has absolutely no impact in attack or defence. For instance even if he makes a solid contact in defence the attacking player, even if a back, drives past the point of contact and over the gain line. At ruck time he doesn't displace anybody. Given the performance he had if Elsom wasn't injured why did Higginbum replace him and not McCalman? Will it take another two years of under performance for him to be dropped/not considered ala Brown and Giteau. At least we will be done with Deans by then.
4) Was there a game plan? Yet again there seems no plan at all apart from "lets get out of our half "and certainly no plan B when kicking the cover off the ball doesn't work.
5)Usage of the bench - as others have said, if the bench players aren't on the field by 65 minutes especially when the game is in the balance why are they in the 22. May as well select 15 players and save on some match payments.
6) Fox commentary - are you blokes paid by the ARU? No? How about actually offering some critique for a change. I for one haven't bothered with the Rugby Club since the June tests simply because they are unable to offer any constructive critique of the Wallabies except to gush over how good the Wallabies are and applaud over the re-signing of Deans (and meekly accepting of the back room deal with JON) prior to them meeting the constantly changed KPIs of his employment. Not good for your ratings fellas, please ask some tough questions.
1) Beale is an individual player and has not developed at all. He should not be starting in any team until he stops the low percentage chips and grubbers and actually looks to set up a team mate with his counter attacking runs.
2) Alexander - I said during the Super season that he was a scrum liability. He was hard done by as was Kepu by Lawrence who clearly has no idea about who was taking the scrum down. It is patently obvious that Lawrence has a predetermined opinion regarding both Australian Props, but in Alexander's case it was predictable. The only SH ref that Alexander doesn't have an issue with is ironically Kaplan. It is not an accident that the only times the Wallabies have been dominant and not penalised off the park in the scrums with Alexander at THP is under Owens or Barnes, as they do not ref him in Super Rugby to form the opinion on him. Lawrence is an attrocious ref, and always has been, but he is predictable and Deans played to his weaknesses and allowed this debacle to happen by selection. It is a pity because the glaring issues Alexander has had all year with his set up have largely been fixed and I thought he scrummaged strongly and held his own.
3) McCalman - as I predicted, all the effectiveness of a blow fly on the window. He might have a similar build to K. Reid, but that is where it ends. He has absolutely no impact in attack or defence. For instance even if he makes a solid contact in defence the attacking player, even if a back, drives past the point of contact and over the gain line. At ruck time he doesn't displace anybody. Given the performance he had if Elsom wasn't injured why did Higginbum replace him and not McCalman? Will it take another two years of under performance for him to be dropped/not considered ala Brown and Giteau. At least we will be done with Deans by then.
4) Was there a game plan? Yet again there seems no plan at all apart from "lets get out of our half "and certainly no plan B when kicking the cover off the ball doesn't work.
5)Usage of the bench - as others have said, if the bench players aren't on the field by 65 minutes especially when the game is in the balance why are they in the 22. May as well select 15 players and save on some match payments.
6) Fox commentary - are you blokes paid by the ARU? No? How about actually offering some critique for a change. I for one haven't bothered with the Rugby Club since the June tests simply because they are unable to offer any constructive critique of the Wallabies except to gush over how good the Wallabies are and applaud over the re-signing of Deans (and meekly accepting of the back room deal with JON) prior to them meeting the constantly changed KPIs of his employment. Not good for your ratings fellas, please ask some tough questions.
T
thedubs
Guest
Ah fair point. The only problem I have is that Sexton brings gameplan A - ROG brings gameplan B. I wonder how they would mix if they played together for the full 80. But as I raised earlier, the gameplans look like they can mix. ROG will get second phase ball from the ruck, he can decide to kick it for territory, or give it to the creative axis of Sexton and BOD to carve up a midfield.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Mccabes inability to recycle possession might have played himself out of a starting jersey. The Irish definitely found him out.
Thomond78
Colin Windon (37)
I think that there are some players for whom the speed of test rugby means their decision-making comes under pressure; if it's not fast enough, it causes problems. The epitome of this is TOL; when it was five-second ruck-ball, which had to be restarted, in 2009, he was superb. When the new ruck interpretations shifted it back to the faster, 3-second ruck-ball, his decision-making came under too much pressure, and he suffered. Reddan is fast enough (usually) for HEC level; but I don't think his decision-making is fast enough for test rugby. He has a bad history of throwing intercepts, for example. I would say Sexton is the same at 10; fine for HEC, not for test speed. But he and ROG look very interesting together as a 10/12 axis.
This was Murray's fifth test. Before the start of August, he'd never got a cap. He's played under 100 minutes of test rugby; for mine, he's got it, and will only get better.
Gnostic
Mark Ella (57)
Actually it is just the other way around. The only time the Wallabies win is with a NH ref.
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