S15 Rd 1 - Brumbies v Reds, Friday 13th February

[MrTabua]

I was shocked Karmichael became the captain. Before anyone else.

I think that was flagged before the season proper started.

I only just opened up this post so not sure what others have said but my completely unprofessional opinion is that K Hunt played very well.

As to captaincy, jeez, how is anybody in the squad going to tell the former 2011 Super Rugby winning captain to kindly stop being a penalty magnet?

Overall, Hunt is a winner. Centres and breakdown were v poor.

 

[MrTabua]

I'm trying to go to sleep but I can't. I'm too wound up. Here's another thing that struck me tonight. We don't even look strong enough to compete! It was like men against boys out there tonight.
Fuck!

Fret not.

We'll murder the bums next week!

Watch out Force. Thompson and the Red Eyed stare of JOC (James O'Connor) will destroy you.

 

[BabyBlueElephant]

Missed the game, how did Pocock get along? Amazing how much the Reds seem to have regressed and the Brumbies progressed in three years.

 

[MrTabua]

Duds included every Reds player not named Slipper or Kerevi, James Horwill and Matt To'omua's braids.

Tomane does not deserve to escape sanction for crimes to hair cuts.

 

[MrTabua]

Missed the game, how did Pocock get along? Amazing how much the Reds seem to have regressed and the Brumbies progressed in three years.

Reds defeated the Brumbs in the first game last year.

Early days.

 

[BabyBlueElephant]

Reds defeated the Brumbs in the first game last year.

Early days.

If you went back three years the Reds were the spine of the Aussie team, been a huge influx since then from the Brumbies. They've still got a very experienced tight five but bloody hell if you lose a game by that margin defence and breakdown must've been shoddy from them.

 

[MrTabua]

If you went back three years the Reds were the spine of the Aussie team, been a huge influx since then from the Brumbies. They've still got a very experienced tight five but bloody hell if you lose a game by that margin defence and breakdown must've been shoddy from them.

You make some good points.

And I counter our concerns about the Reds forwards' ability to impose themselves on games with one irrelevant point.

JOC (James O'Connor) is coming.

 

[No4918]

You make some good points.

And I counter our concerns about the Reds forwards' ability to impose themselves on games with one irrelevant point.

JOC (James O'Connor) is coming.

JOC (James O'Connor) is coming alright, coming up with a plan that will force the Reds to tear up his contract. RWCs just arent worth 4 months of this. Expect it to be implemented when he is told this week he is still 2 days away from being ready.

 

[Marcelo]

At least something good for Australian rugby. David Pocock is still free from injuries, right?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

RG is a nice guy from all reports but he's not a rugby coaches arsehole.

Dont be so sure: shit like that has to come from somewhere.

Looks to me like the Reds spent the entire off season working very hard on all the things that didn't work for them last year and have perfected them.

 

[TSR]

At least something good for Australian rugby. David Pocock is still free from injuries, right?

Injury free and played well. Although you can't really see it was a searching examination. Brumbies dominated the breakdown and Pocock was heavily involved. Had a few good runs and tackled well too.

 

[Marcelo]

Injury free and played well. Although you can't really see it was a searching examination. Brumbies dominated the breakdown and Pocock was heavily involved. Had a few good runs and tackled well too.

Yeah, he's one of my favourites players. I picked him in my Fantasy team.

 

[Ruggo]

Forget about blaming Graham. It's only round one for Christs sake. Horwill on the other hand, you dickhead. We badly needed you to step up, play composed and set the example for the cattle around you. Pretty poor in my view. We stank, plain and simple. Players need to pull their fingers out their arse's because that was just shit. Only saving grace is that it can only get better with the cattle to come back. Clinical Force rugby will destroy us next week if we don't see a major improvement.

Brumbies looked good, really good. They are very well balanced right across the park. Rory Arnold looks the goods. Really good involvement rate and between his towering height and Moore's top notch lineout throwing, they are going to be bloody formidable. Great to see Pocock back.

 

[fatprop]

The Reds pigs took all the lazy short cuts last night

I am still wondering how the Reds thought they could not commit units to the breakdown and not aggressively cleanout in numbers (with decent body height) and compete with ponies. The ponies compete hard at every breakdown and need to be moved off the ball viciously

Lazy runners, "accidental" falls on the wrong side while tackling, closing off and a few average driving mauls will only get you so far.

oh and a snippet from Growden's rumour rag

- A prime reason why a high-profile Wallabies player has hooked himself up to an overseas club is due to selectors telling him he was on current form at best only a '50-50' chance of making the Rugby World Cup squad.
Read more at http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/256005.html#jZ1YFo5vOZFcDJm5.99

I do think there was one unit out there last night that fit that description

 

[redstragic]

I am still shattered about last last night. Just went to bed after the game and sulked. The funk still not lifted this morning. Sucks I have to wait 7 days to watch the Reds make good on a shocking opening week.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[hench]

The weirdest thing for me (whilst a trial) was the week's before score vs the Crusaders. How? ???

The same Crusaders who lost at home to the Rebels?

 

[Braveheart81]

Ash raised the point a couple of pages ago and I agree with it. One of the major issues with Hunt playing so deep and then just shuffling the ball across was that the Reds had to take on so many breakdowns behind the advantage line. This meant the Brumbies were always charging forward towards the ruck and the Reds had to take a longer route to enter through the gate.

For a forward pack that was being beaten anyway, this just turned it into complete domination.

Almost impossible to pick out a Reds player who was better than his opposite number.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Forget about blaming Graham. It's only round one for Christs sake. Horwill on the other hand, you dickhead. We badly needed you to step up, play composed and set the example for the cattle around you. Pretty poor in my view. We stank, plain and simple. Players need to pull their fingers out their arse's because that was just shit. Only saving grace is that it can only get better with the cattle to come back. Clinical Force rugby will destroy us next week if we don't see a major improvement.

Brumbies looked good, really good. They are very well balanced right across the park. Rory Arnold looks the goods. Really good involvement rate and between his towering height and Moore's top notch lineout throwing, they are going to be bloody formidable. Great to see Pocock back.

I know what you're saying but that was a rabble. One of Harmichael's kicks - his first? It was very early on - was simply indicative of a team that had no plan.
It worries me cos its no good for oz rugby.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Ash raised the point a couple of pages ago and I agree with it. One of the major issues with Hunt playing so deep and then just shuffling the ball across was that the Reds had to take on so many breakdowns behind the advantage line. This meant the Brumbies were always charging forward towards the ruck and the Reds had to take a longer route to enter through the gate.

For a forward pack that was being beaten anyway, this just turned it into complete domination.

Almost impossible to pick out a Reds player who was better than his opposite number.

JOC (James O'Connor) will/would play flatter but I think fat prop's right about commitment in the piggies and he won't fix that.
Would Slipper be the only bloke who'd make a Wobblies team from that? - and even then that would be based on past efforts.

 

[Marcelo]

The Reds pigs took all the lazy short cuts last night

I am still wondering how the Reds thought they could not commit units to the breakdown and not aggressively cleanout in numbers (with decent body height) and compete with ponies. The ponies compete hard at every breakdown and need to be moved off the ball viciously

Lazy runners, "accidental" falls on the wrong side while tackling, closing off and a few average driving mauls will only get you so far.

oh and a snippet from Growden's rumour rag

- A prime reason why a high-profile Wallabies player has hooked himself up to an overseas club is due to selectors telling him he was on current form at best only a '50-50' chance of making the Rugby World Cup squad.
Read more athttp://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/256005.html#jZ1YFo5vOZFcDJm5.99

I do think there was one unit out there last night that fit that description

Who the f*ck is? Bernard Foley?