South Africa tour (and squad)

[Brumbies Guy]

Fixed.

Everyone is fixated on QC (Quade Cooper) and Gits being allowed to be creative, yet IMO Barnes can be just as damaging when he is working outside of the structure, or more to the point, creating the structure. I loved watching this bloke play for the first few years of his S14 and International career, yet now watching him fumble and kick without a clue is almost making me sick. As is his perpetual look of miserableness. You don't just forget how to be a good player.

As much as I think Deans is doing some good things, Barnes is clearly not fitting in, and is certainly not a happy camper. I've said it before that Barnes will be on the first plane to France after the RWC and if so, the ARU allowing that to happen is really just not good enough. This is RD's fault and problem to fix.

2007/08 Barnes, where are you?

Playing for Sydney Uni

 

[daz]

Playing for Sydney Uni

He went from playing for Syd Uni in 2007 to the RWC in France the same year? He was on the Reds books from 2006.....

 

[DPK]

He went from playing for Syd Uni in 2007 to the RWC in France the same year? He was on the Reds books from 2006.....

I think he's refering to Barnes' form on the weekend. He was quite good.

 

[daz]

Ah! My bad. I may have misunderstood the response. If so, sorry BG!

 

[H...]

Barnes was very good against the Boks last year in Brisveagas and against the ABs in Wellington when he dropped the sitter when he was over for the try. Even though he missed that try he was pretty good and deserved to start in front of Giteau in the 10 shirt who has never played well at 10 against top opposition. I would prefer Barnes in 10 any day before Giteau. In fact I would prefer they dragged To'omua from club ranks to play 10 before Giteau is selected there again.

I have no problem with hm playing fly half at test level and should probably be a clear choice when cooper is out and a clear choice for the bench when cooper is in.

I don't, however, think we should be playing him at inside centre, regardless of the fact that he provides the 2nd kicking option that everyone seems to fawn over.

It's interesting, it seems to be that the same people that advocate playing a small skillful kicker at 12 are also convinced that the new rule interpretations mean we should be running the ball from our own in goal area. If kicking has become a rude word, why on earth do we need to sacrifice go-forward at the 12 position so we can have a second freaking kicker?

 

[Joe Blow]

It's interesting, it seems to be that the same people that advocate playing a small skillful kicker at 12 are also convinced that the new rule interpretations mean we should be running the ball from our own in goal area. If kicking has become a rude word, why on earth do we need to sacrifice go-forward at the 12 position so we can have a second freaking kicker?

That is true. We need to be converting Horne to a 12 and plan on playing Morty there if and when he returns as well.

 

[Groucho]

That is true. We need to be converting Horne to a 12 and plan on playing Morty there if and when he returns as well.

Agreed on Horne. But Mortlock has failed repeatedly at 12.

 

[Joe Blow]

Agreed on Horne. But Mortlock has failed repeatedly at 12.

That was before this years 'new' law interpretations.
He might go a little better there now.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Watching the replay of the Uni vs Eastwood game confirmed for me that Barnes is the better option than Giteau at 10 at present. He was only only for 40 minutes but showed enough classy touches to seal it for me. He ran good lines, passed well and stayed in support. Gits isn't doing any of those things at 5/8 right now.

 

[H...]

We need to cut the Mortlock cord anyway. Let's move forward with this shit, not backwards. He's too old, will be a potential injury liability (Bernie, anyone?) and he we have enough players in the squad who aren't prepared to pass the pill.

 

[H...]

Watching the replay of the Uni vs Eastwood game confirmed for me that Barnes is the better option than Giteau at 10 at present. He was only only for 40 minutes but showed enough classy touches to seal it for me. He ran good lines, passed well and stayed in support. Gits isn't doing any of those things at 5/8 right now.

Sounds good. But there'll be fist-through-screen action at my place if he ever gets paired with Giteau again, I don't care who is wearing which number.

 

[Richo]

Sounds good. But there'll be fist-through-screen action at my place if he ever gets paired with Giteau again, I don't care who is wearing which number.

Nah, it's always smart to play a 5/8 at inside centre and an inside centre at 5/8. Keeps everyone guessing.

 

[Joe Blow]

We need to cut the Mortlock cord anyway. Let's move forward with this shit, not backwards. He's too old, will be a potential injury liability (Bernie, anyone?) and he we have enough players in the squad who aren't prepared to pass the pill.

I guess......but the only centre who was anywhere near as effective as Mortlock in his absence was Ioane.
We need at least one of our centres getting us over the advantage line and dishing out some offensive tackles......as offensive as possible!!!

 

[Gnostic]

I have no hope at all that the "group" to use Deans speak, has any idea at all of how shit their game is at the moment.

Reading this crap comment attributed to Peter Hynes is a real worry. Until they acknowledge the issue with the whole method of play their is not hope they will improve. How does he think they weren't that far off against the ABs in CC? The ABs never got out of second gear and the Wallabies attack if you could call it that never threatened to break the line on its own merit.

Hynes, who has just rejoined the squad after a further six weeks rehabilitation on his troublesome knee, was adamant the Wallabies were far better than their Bledisloe results indicated.

"In Melbourne the score did not reflect the game, and I really don’t think we are that far off," he said.

"You take away a couple of easy tries the Kiwis scored, granted we let them score them, and a couple of simple ones they scored in Christchurch and it is a different game. We just have to be harder on ourselves and make them work for everything.

"Often the difference between a good and a great team is that ruthlessness, the ability to close out a game. We are still a pretty young group so we have to find that and use it to strangle out the opposition."

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27574158-5016959,00.html.

The whole team should watch Dwyer speak on the Rugby Club last night especially the part about the attack being rated against the defence. (Paraphrased the conversation went) Marto attempted to say that the Wallabies showed they had a fluent attack if all parts worked by using the example of the Welsh game last year. Dwyer countered by saying yes the Wallabies executed well on that night but the Welsh defence was atrocious, hence the inferred conclusion is the Wallabies attack wasn't all that good and didn't need to be in that game. Fast forward to Brisveagas this year against the Boks and I still say that they were lucky to win that game as well as their attack is terrible but the win clouds the judgement of most of the pundits for some reason. Maybe the scribes and the critics should wait to comment until after the euphoria of the win has dulled and they can properly critique the game.

 

[RedsHappy]

Gnostic: I have no hope at all that the "group" to use Deans speak, has any idea at all of how shit their game is at the moment.
Reading this crap comment attributed to Peter Hynes is a real worry. Until they acknowledge the issue with the whole method of play their is not hope they will improve. How does he think they weren't that far off against the ABs in CC? The ABs never got out of second gear and the Wallabies attack if you could call it that never threatened to break the line on its own merit.

Gnostic, I think you will find that this is 'the line' the ARU PR people want players to issue in media Q&A like this. It's just so suspiciously homogenous from one current Wallaby to the next, is it not? I doubt they are encouraged to share their real feelings! They have to be positive I guess, but this form of positive is, as you say, so sadly unconvincing.

The whole team should watch Dwyer speak on the Rugby Club last night especially the part about the attack being rated against the defence..... Maybe the scribes and the critics should wait to comment until after the euphoria of the win has dulled and they can properly critique the game.

Couldn't agree more. I've often said in blog here after a game report that IMO we tend to fall into the habit of lauding Wallaby successes (which of course I'm not against in principle) without a careful-enough dissection of precisely what the opposition's weaknesses may have contributed to the outcome, or may have flattered our skills in particular situations. Then next week depression returns as we realise we weren't as good as all those glowing accounts inferred. This is not to be 'negative', but rather it's precisely the point BD made last night - the best, correct analysis of a team's capability is only made in also assessing the calibre - good or bad - of a particular opposition in a particular game situation. More cynically, I suspect what BD was really inferring (but didn't quite want to say) is that the current Wallabies can only achieve 'impressive' wins when the opposition has identifiable, significant weaknesses, either in general, or 'on the night'.

 

[H...]

I have no hope at all that the "group" to use Deans speak, has any idea at all of how shit their game is at the moment.

Reading this crap comment attributed to Peter Hynes is a real worry. Until they acknowledge the issue with the whole method of play their is not hope they will improve. How does he think they weren't that far off against the ABs in CC? The ABs never got out of second gear and the Wallabies attack if you could call it that never threatened to break the line on its own merit.



http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27574158-5016959,00.html.

The whole team should watch Dwyer speak on the Rugby Club last night especially the part about the attack being rated against the defence. (Paraphrased the conversation went) Marto attempted to say that the Wallabies showed they had a fluent attack if all parts worked by using the example of the Welsh game last year. Dwyer countered by saying yes the Wallabies executed well on that night but the Welsh defence was atrocious, hence the inferred conclusion is the Wallabies attack wasn't all that good and didn't need to be in that game. Fast forward to Brisveagas this year against the Boks and I still say that they were lucky to win that game as well as their attack is terrible but the win clouds the judgement of most of the pundits for some reason. Maybe the scribes and the critics should wait to comment until after the euphoria of the win has dulled and they can properly critique the game.

I read the telegraph (yes, I know but I was waiting for my coffee) article on that game on the monday morning and it was described as a "superb display"

What the hell

edit:v the boks I mean

 

[Linus]

Look I don't want to defend how bad the attack was in ChCh, but by the same reasoning that the game in BrisVegas was not all good the attack was not all bad.

It was highlighted by the fact that once in position to score nothing changed. It was obviously a plan to be simple and direct with few turnovers. The crap thing was once in the 22 we kept doing the same thing.

 

[Tangawizi]

Hynes must be pissed off to miss out on this sqaud. Declared himself fit and ready to go yesterday and Robbie has turned around today and told him otherwise.

Maybe he is trouble regaining his legendary 'deceptive' pace.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

You are kidding me, Hynes not selected? I'm gobsmacked.

 

[H...]

TURNER IN SQUAD

Now put him on the bloody paddock, Robbie.

Australia 28-man squad: R Elsom (captain), B Daley, B Robinson, S Ma'afu, J Slipper, S Moore, S Fainga'a, N Sharpe, D Mumm, R Simmons, M Chisholm, B McCalman, D Pocock, S Higginbotham, R Brown, W Genia, L Burgess, Q Cooper, M Giteau, A Fainga'a, B Barnes, A Ashley-Cooper, P McCabe, N Cummins, J O'Connor, L Turner, D Mitchell, K Beale.