strategies for the tri nations

[Ash]

Who were the Wallaby coaches last year, with Deans? Jim Williams, Phil Blake, and Nucifora?

My guess as to the mid-week coach would have been Nucifora, current U20s coach.

edit: beaten to it by Joe Blow.

 

[TSR]

Chasmac,

I think our secondrow stocks have significantly improved and that will contribute greatly to our efforts at both scrum time and breakdown. I think people often under-estimate the impact of good hard locks on a teams ability to win the breakdown and the availability of Horwill & improvement of Simmons are big pluses for the WBs.

Also, we have good depth in backrowers who are in form and our frontrow stocks are healthier, even given the injury to Robinson (who was not his normal self EOYT last year after returning from injury). Remember, last year Slipper was only a reserve for Qld so played very little Super rugby and made his test debut & Kepu missed EOYT due to late return from injury. Robinson & Alexander both also came back late from injury.

The Munster game was played in abysmal conditions and, while you would like to think that professional rugby players are always on top of their game the reality is sometimes they have a bad day out. It is not the first time a B side has lost to a fired up provincial team.

Also, both Cooper & Beale's defence has improved and Digby Ioane gives us impact we lacked at time last year. Barnes is a loss and I am hoping Mitchell will make it back, but Giteau's much improved form is a plus.

I think the timing for Australia would possibly be better if the World Cup was next year, and our depth in key positions is still behind our key rivals. I won't for a second underestimate an outstanding AB side or even the ability of SA or England to rise to the occaison - but on the whole I think we have ever reason to be optomistic.

 

[Swarley]

Chasmac,

I think our secondrow stocks have significantly improved and that will contribute greatly to our efforts at both scrum time and breakdown. I think people often under-estimate the impact of good hard locks on a teams ability to win the breakdown and the availability of Horwill & improvement of Simmons are big pluses for the WBs.

Also, we have good depth in backrowers who are in form and our frontrow stocks are healthier, even given the injury to Robinson (who was not his normal self EOYT last year after returning from injury). Remember, last year Slipper was only a reserve for Qld so played very little Super rugby and made his test debut & Kepu missed EOYT due to late return from injury. Robinson & Alexander both also came back late from injury.

The Munster game was played in abysmal conditions and, while you would like to think that professional rugby players are always on top of their game the reality is sometimes they have a bad day out. It is not the first time a B side has lost to a fired up provincial team.

Also, both Cooper & Beale's defence has improved and Digby Ioane gives us impact we lacked at time last year. Barnes is a loss and I am hoping Mitchell will make it back, but Giteau's much improved form is a plus.

I think the timing for Australia would possibly be better if the World Cup was next year, and our depth in key positions is still behind our key rivals. I won't for a second underestimate an outstanding AB side or even the ability of SA or England to rise to the occaison - but on the whole I think we have ever reason to be optomistic.

Agreed. People have to remember that last year was a horror in terms of injuries. Plenty of players (specifically forwards) who are likely to make the RWC 30-man squad we're unavailable last year, including:

1. Benn Robinson (came back EOYT)
2. TPN (came back for the last couple of Tests, but only off the bench)
3. James Horwill (injury)
4. Dan Vickerman (overseas)
5. Sitaleki Timani (overseas)
6. Wycliff Palu (injured)
7. Will Genia (injured early and took a while to regain top form)
8. Quade Cooper (suspended for two Bledisloe Cup matches)
9. Rob Horne (injured)
10. Digby Ioane (injured)

That's a pretty substantial talent base to lose in one season.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Break out the champagne lads. This is our year. It looks like we just have to turn up to collect the silverware.

Three victories have got the rest of the rugby playing world absolutely rattled.

Who can forget the Bledisloe in Hong Kong? It completely obliterated recall of the fact that in the Deans era we were 1 and 9 against the All Blacks. And what a thrashing we gave them that night. If I remember rightly we kicked a winning goal from the sideline after the bell. That was probably the instant where our "massive mental advantage" first kicked in.

Then there was our triumph over the French. What an epic encounter that was. Who can forget the drama of the second half? In their desperation to stem the tide of wave after wave of Aussie brilliance the Tricoleurs did everything but tackle, but to no avail.

And finally the Reds overwhelming the Crusaders. And not just any Crusaders, but an outfit which had been conditioned and battle hardened for the final by not having played a game at their home stadium all year and by travelling to South Africa and back to round out their preparation.

We are body surfing an absolute tsunami of success.

URGENT NEWSFLASH​

The Tsunami Alert has been downgraded to a ripple which may register on the most sophisticated seismic monitoring equipment but will be undetectable to the naked eye.

 

[vidiot]

We are certainly making progress. The direction, however, is concerning.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

URGENT NEWSFLASH​

The Tsunami Alert has been downgraded to a ripple which may register on the most sophisticated seismic monitoring equipment but will be undetectable to the naked eye.

Love your work Bruce.