Scotland v Australia - Sunday 26 November 1:30am AEDT

[TOCC]

The most disappointing part of the test match is watching Simmons give up on a chase and Kerevi's complete lack of urgency in getting back into the defensive line.

To me it's not just Kerevi's poor defensive judgement and skills, this goes to his attitude to defense, which means he will not improve. Chekia needs to rule a line thru him and Simmons.

I suspect it is the standard Australian story - progressed thru various junior rep teams as he could just run over the top and had good attacking skills, no attention to defensive skills and when they get to the Wallabies they have to be hidden in defense. They just grow up with the attitude that defense and tackling is not in their job description.

Kerevi is just the latest in a conga line of indulged schoolboy rock stars who's defensive short comings are overlooked and not addressed - Beale, Foley, Quade, Aiden Toua.

Mate I think that’s rubbish, Kerevi certainly has defensive deficiencies, but to claim it’s because he is an indulged schoolboy rockstar and just gave up is utter crap and unnecessarily attacking a players character, which this site isn’t about..

I find it bloody ridiculous that folllowing that loss, your issue is a scathing attack of Kerevi, despite the performance of the whole forward pack and the halves... the game wasn’t loss at 12 mate..

 

[Up the Guts]

Mate I think that’s rubbish, Kerevi certainly has defensive deficiencies, but to claim it’s because he is an indulged schoolboy rockstar and just gave up is utter crap and unnecessarily attacking a players character, which this site isn’t about..

Agree was a bit of a ridiculous comment. In spite of his sometimes poor defence I've always found Kerevi's attitude to be one of his greatest attributes. Watch the try England score when Beale gave up, Kerevi was the closest man to try scorer when he put ball down despite having made a 30m break beforehand.

 

[dillyboy]

Come on Italy is teir 1 so is Wales.. It's a shit result but we will always be teir 1

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I'm not saying that they're not - but with the drivel we're dishing out I'm saying maybe we don't deserve to be....

 

[Derpus]

Mate I think that’s rubbish, Kerevi certainly has defensive deficiencies, but to claim it’s because he is an indulged schoolboy rockstar and just gave up is utter crap and unnecessarily attacking a players character, which this site isn’t about..

I find it bloody ridiculous that folllowing that loss, your issue is a scathing attack of Kerevi, despite the performance of the whole forward pack and the halves. the game wasn’t loss at 12 mate..

Not disagreeing with you here at all. Just pointing out, our record with Kerevi starting in the team is startlingly bad.

 

[wamberal]

I have to admit that I would be playing Khunt at 12. Beale on the bench, when Izzy returns.

 

[Derpus]

I have to admit that I would be playing Khunt at 12. Beale on the bench, when Izzy returns.

Why wouldn't you just revert to the formation that helped us beat NZ?

 

[Viking]

Wallabies had lost that game before Kepu even went off, they were playing woeful in the first 30mins, they had one play of consistent phases which lead to a try but besides that they were forcing passes, missing tackles, inaccurate at the breakdown and weren't chasing kicks. They may have had a chance had Kepu remained, but the performance in the second half wasn't just because they were physically down a man, for a few players when they saw that red card they emotionally and mentally checked out.

I agree there. I think it was likely we would have lost with 15 man anyway. But my main point was that our poor defence and having 3 poor tacklers in the backline was greatly exposed with a man down. We were always probably always going to lose, but it should never have been THAT easy for Scotland. They were literally scoring tries at will.

 

[Brumby Runner]

On what evidence would Hunt justify selection at this point? How would his proclivity to miss tackles help the Wallabies in any way? What brilliant attacking prowess has he demonstrated in his games so far that would lead us to believe he can open up defenses and set up try scoring moves?

 

[Brumby Runner]

My preference would be to see both Beale and Hunt relegated to bench players only. The number 12 spot next year should go to someone like Duncan Paia'aua who is an all round excellent player (he can tackle as well as set up attacking play) unless my nightmare continues and Foley remains in the 10 spot, in which case Lealiifano would be an option too at 12. CLL should in reality be a permanent replacement for Foley at 10.

 

[Viking]

I agree 15 players who all tackle well would be great...but, it's interesting to watch other teams in defence and quite a few move players around as well. It's easy to dismiss it as hiding them, but there is some advantage in placing key attacking players in certain positions, otherwise why would many teams do it? We should do it better. I think it's too many players shuffling, aided and abetted by relatively poor one-on-one tacklers as you say. I don't believe it cannot be made to work - look at the ABs - but clearly we are not making it work well enough or consistently enough. We've been saved by good cover in a few games, but it's tenuous. Kicking - Mick Byrne may have made a few small gains, but the decision making around kicking and especially accuracy remain very sub-standard. Again, peeling off 60m downfield kicks is awesome, but a 30-40m one into the exact right place might be even better. Neither is no good!

You probably won't have all 15 players amazing tacklers, it happens. For example Barrett is a must in any starting XV, you wouldn't turn him down for average 1 v 1 tackling.

But it needs to be done right. And some positions just can't handle it. 10, wing, fullback would be the easiest to tolerate poor tacklers, but the in Centres? That's just crazy. Who the hell shifts around their centres? We are surely the only one's at international level.

Plus having a 10-12 next to each who are both poor tacklers is a nightmare.

We just don't play smart anymore.

 

[cyclopath]

You probably won't have all 15 players amazing tacklers, it happens. For example Barrett is a must in any starting XV, you wouldn't turn him down for average 1 v 1 tackling.

But it needs to be done right. And some positions just can't handle it. 10, wing, fullback would be the easiest to tolerate poor tacklers, but the in Centres? That's just crazy. Who the hell shifts around their centres? We are surely the only one's at international level.

Plus having a 10-12 next to each who are both poor tacklers is a nightmare.

We just don't play smart anymore.

Agree. Moving a couple around is no big deal, and a common practice. Playing 4-dimensional chess in defence is not smart.

 

[Up the Guts]

My preference would be to see both Beale and Hunt relegated to bench players only. The number 12 spot next year should go to someone like Duncan Paia'aua who is an all round excellent player (he can tackle as well as set up attacking play) unless my nightmare continues and Foley remains in the 10 spot, in which case Lealiifano would be an option too at 12. CLL should in reality be a permanent replacement for Foley at 10.

As good as Beale is I'm with you on DP to 12 if he can replicate his NRC form at Super level. Trying to cram a backline full of our 'best players' and playing them out of position doesn't seem to work consistently. LIlo at 10 would be amazing if he's up to it.

 

[RugbyReg]

2017 is over.

2018 commences again with Super Rugby.

I think all player discussions start again on the back of Super form including the likes of Duncan Paia'aua, David Pocock, Isi Naisarani, James Slipper, Tolu Latu, etc.

 

[Jagman]

The commentators on the NRC said Naisarani isn't eligible until 2019.

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[Derpus]

The commentators on the NRC said Naisarani isn't eligible until 2019.

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Pretty sure it's late 2018, perhaps before EOYT.

 

[Tomikin]

I have to admit that I would be playing Khunt at 12. Beale on the bench, when Izzy returns.

Hunt has been crap by his standard since returning from injury no way he displaces Beale at 12

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[Scrubber2050]

2017 is over.

2018 commences again with Super Rugby.

I think all player discussions start again on the back of Super form including the likes of Duncan Paia'aua, David Pocock, Isi Naisarani, James Slipper, Tolu Latu, etc.

Reg - truer words have never been written. When you say ALL. Sio, Kepu, Simmons, Coleman, Carter, Rodda, Tui, POCOCK, McCalman, Hanigan, Hooper, Genia, Frisby, Phipps, Foley, Cooper, Hodge, Kerevi, TK, Robertson, Koro, Hodge, Arnold, AAA, Enerver, Lilo, Beale, Folau, Hunt and the rest Trouble is, that won't happen. Chek will chose his favourites and continue with some bizarre selections. The rollercoaster will continue

 

[Gnostic]

Well it wasn't a resounding success but 'abject failure' is a bit over the top too. It started with a low pass, and the 6 games from Dunedin through to Brisbane deservedly promoted us from 5th to 3rd on the rankings. The tour was an abject failure, I'll give you that, but it wasn't representative of the whole season.

The games against the Saffas have to be put into perspective of just how poor they have become with the quota system and political interference. There is no doubt they played well in Dunedin and Brisbane, but the second has to be put into perspective also as the ABs were without Barrett, Retalick, Franks and a couple of others. No in the last 18 months as I stated we have seen the Wallabies concede record points against both Tier 1 and Tier 2 nations on their way to this tour which has results again in new record losses to England and Scotland. I had really hoped that following Dunedin and Brisbane they had turned a corner, but every game since including the Japanese win shows those two games to be statistical anomalies and the team just has not improved at all under Cheika since 2015. In fact I would go so far as to say they are degrading in terms of defence and discipline.

 

[Gnostic]

Agree. Moving a couple around is no big deal, and a common practice. Playing 4-dimensional chess in defence is not smart.

I can't fathom the 4th dimension, but 3D chess can be done, but with players who like to knock the ball out with their hand we don't have the players capable of checkers let alone normal chess, 3D chess in the immortal words of Mr Kerigan "they're dreamin"

 

[cyclopath]

I can't fathom the 4th dimension, but 3D chess can be done, but with players who like to knock the ball out with their hand we don't have the players capable of checkers let alone normal chess, 3D chess in the immortal words of Mr Kerigan "they're dreamin"

Time = 4th dimension