The positives & failings from Bledisloe 1 2011

[disco]

I'm actually in a different frame of mind to most people who have come on here & posted straight after the match.

Sure we didn't win & the scoreline did blow out but I actually liked a bit of what I saw from the Wallabies tonight.

Scrum: I thought was very good when Moore was on & hopefully with the return of TPN will be even better.

Lineout: Until the AB's stole 2 of our throws we were definetly on top although our defence at the front could be so much better.

Breakdown & Defence: I've merged these two areas as they both improved in the 2nd half.

1st half- was really static & our boys were happy to sit back on their heels & allow the AB's to attack & recycle rather easily.

2nd half: Was much better as the boys got off the line & really attacked the breakdown with success. Why couldn't they make this decision 15 minutes into the 1st half rather than wait for oranges?

Attack: We were dangerous but the AB's tackled like men possesed & snuffed out a couple of very good raids. Quade probably kicked away good ball inside the attacking 22 which was annoying.

The bench: Higginbotham definitely made a big impact & Vickerman showed a lot of grunt but we really need players like Slipper, TPN & even Barnes back on board.

 

[Slim 293]

Alexander owned Crockett at the scrum, and was clearing out rucks all night, including smashing Kaino for loitering offside around the ruck.

Needed more of that from some of our other forwards.

Anyways, was impressed with his performance.

 

[qwerty51]

Main positives for me were the two props, Alexander and Kepu who had great games. Scrummaged very well and were busy and effective around the park. Apart from that there wasn't much else apart from Vickerman and Higginbotham's performances from the bench, those two probably earned themselves starting spots next week although Vicks isn't going...

 

[disco]

Our biggest problem tonight was the static defence. If they got off the line & really attacked hard in the tackle early we would have been in it at halftime.

We need to win in SA otherwise we'll be 1 from 4 this season & it's most likely bye bye Tri-nations for another year.

I'm confident we can win our next two games.

 

[disco]

Main positives for me were the two props, Alexander and Kepu who had great games. Scrummaged very well and were busy and effective around the park. Apart from that there wasn't much else apart from Vickerman and Higginbotham's performances from the bench, those two probably earned themselves starting spots next week although Vicks isn't going...

Ditto re: Vickerman & Higgers.

I think Simmons should have a rest & play Horwill, Sharpe & Vickerman next week.

Drop McCalman & start Higgers with Samo on the bench.

 

[Slim 293]

Main positives for me were the two props, Alexander and Kepu who had great games. Scrummaged very well and were busy and effective around the park. Apart from that there wasn't much else apart from Vickerman and Higginbotham's performances from the bench, those two probably earned themselves starting spots next week although Vicks isn't going...

I would keep Higginbotham on the bench.

His loose play makes him an ideal impact player late in the game.

I'd rather see Samo come straight into the side at 8.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

We clearly need a new 8. I like McCalman, but the poor fella just isn't up to the job at this stage of his career. Samo and/or Higgers to take the job. Cliffy is probably cactus at this stage.

I'm also still worried about the midfield. McCabe was alright, but we looked very, very static in attack in that area today.

 

[Happy]

I thought our scrum was good. Someone said "parity" but I thought we shaded them at scrum time. Our line out was fine until Simmons went off. Why didn't we just throw it down our side like the Blacks did?

Cooper had a poor game, mainly because he seemed to be in panic mode all the time in attack in the first half. We were trying ridiculous things to score instead of playing with patience and building pressure. That did improve later but by then the game was gone.

The first half was one of those times when nothing goes right, the bounce of the ball, etc. Surely we can't have another of those in a hurry.

Apart from that, poor defensive effort and alignment. Most of our stars had average to poor games.

I think we will win in Africa and in Brisbane.

 

[cyclopath]

I know we don't have a Nonu, but contrast what he did to what McCabe does. And I am not having a go at Pat so much as noting what we are lacking. Big, fast and skillful. Not sure where we'll find it. Scrum and line out was mostly good, I will agree. I' d love to see Palu fit.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

It was only 3 tries to 2. And we should have scored 4 with the amount of ball we got inside the NZ 22. Not too far off the pace, but still not at their level.

 

[Fredfreduels]

The New Zealand grounds look great for the World Cup.

 

[Fredfreduels]

We clearly need a new 8. I like McCalman, but the poor fella just isn't up to the job at this stage of his career. Samo and/or Higgers to take the job. Cliffy is probably cactus at this stage.

I'm also still worried about the midfield. McCabe was alright, but we looked very, very static in attack in that area today.

I am more worried about AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper).

 

[kiap]

Unusually I find myself agreeing. Workrate is well and good but it's useless without impact in the forwards. The front row weren't too bad against good opposition. Locks were okay but not dominant. The backrow starters had a bad night.

We need to promote players who provide more mongrel. Vickerman can add it, just needs more game time under the belt.

McCalman surely must be dropped now. I want to see Samo get an opportunity at 8.

Higgenbotham is going well off the bench but he is more of a 6 who can cover 8. He's gotta be unlucky that Elsom has (c) next his name because Rocky is well short of a gallop.

And here's some more sacrilege: Pocock needs to up his game. He'll get plenty more chances but let's see him grab them. In the meantime promote Robinson to the bench over Hodgson.

 

[FrankLind]

Our biggest problem tonight was the static defence. If they got off the line & really attacked hard in the tackle early we would have been in it at halftime.

We need to win in SA otherwise we'll be 1 from 4 this season & it's most likely bye bye Tri-nations for another year.

I'm confident we can win our next two games.

Disagree with your assessment of the game. I think the ABs dropped in intensity after the first 30 because they had a nice lead.

What I saw is the Aussie forward pack cannot live with our physicality when we take it up a notch.

If we had maintained that intensity, the score would have been a blow-out.

 

[barbarian]

Disagree with your assessment of the game. I think the ABs dropped in intensity after the first 30 because they had a nice lead.

What I saw is the Aussie forward pack cannot live with our physicality when we take it up a notch.

If we had maintained that intensity, the score would have been a blow-out.

So why didn't you? Putting 60 on us just before the RWC would have been a big nail in our coffin. Obviously if you maintain that intensity it will be a blow out, but there was a reason why it wasn't. You cannot maintain that intencity. No-one can.

 

[Beefcake]

While QC (Quade Cooper) didnt have the best game, this was not helped but the team around him.

Perhaps QC (Quade Cooper)'s creativity is far too illusive for the square players around him i.e current Aus blackline as opposed to Genia and Ioane who continue thrive off his trickery and deft touches. Its no surprise that when the mettle of this team was tested against the best (All Blacks), the Reddish tinge the wallabies was supposed to have, infact was shaded and blurred by other provinces such as the Brumbies.

How does Pat McCabe, who had patches of good games and Cooper, who played wing in an abysmal season for the Brumbies become the frontliners for the nations top team? Particular as tonight they offered nothing constructively to complement QC (Quade Cooper) as it was only back three that had any clue.

From memory of the game, mainly the Reds players significantly impacted the game. And surely where are the form players less the injured?

And wheres the confidence the players talked about all week. No walk with the talk and were found out convincingly.

And most worringly, the All Blacks were terrible in the 2nd half and still the Wobblies couldnt take advantage.

Eating humble pie before fronting any media to avoid heightening expectations that they could win. Theres one team, the All Blacks who has that expectation, and that team has justified this with results.

Maybe that Reddish tinge of a team may assemble in SA next week?

 

[Ruggo]

James Horwill. Yep I am a little bias but it is hard to doubt the athletisim and ticker of the big fella. He is the tight five version of David Pocock. Another game down and he is still going strong. For me, that is a big positive.

 

[disco]

Disagree with your assessment of the game. I think the ABs dropped in intensity after the first 30 because they had a nice lead.

What I saw is the Aussie forward pack cannot live with our physicality when we take it up a notch.

If we had maintained that intensity, the score would have been a blow-out.

Our forwards were not the problem they gave our backs a good platform tonight which is clear by the try scoring chances we wasted. You don't spend 6.28 minutes inside the opposition 22 without getting over the advantage line.

The team (not the forwards) did not show up in defence for the 1st 40minutes & gave up points which the AB's didn't.

 

[amanda]

Perhaps it was nerves as the commentators suggested. Nevertheless, I was astounded to see forwards hit the ball up on their pat malone, with support for the ball carrier lagging. It meant the ABs were able to get turnovers or at least slow our ball. Consequently, we rarely made the gain line in the first half.

I guess the most disappointing thing for me is that

a) Elsom didn't rally the troops. It must have been a head-in-the-game situation: surely, surely it was not the game plan to send isolated men at the defence. That said, it improved a great deal in the second half and Vicks and even Higgonbotham injected some spite at the breakdown.

b) Cooper didn't handle it at all. If things aren't working, it's his job to adapt. He needed to find a way for the team to get over the breakdown.

It's nice the young Wallaby backs have enough confidence to risk "magic" plays, but under conditions where we haven't hit the gain line and/or are getting slow ball, that magic is going to be even lower percentage than usual. To the point it is almost senseless to try it.

Note that our first try came from turnover ball where the backs *did* have some space to work their flair. And note that things worked better for the youngsters at the tail end of the second half when our forwards were being more aggressive (and maybe the number of changes the ABs made helped in this are, too).

Genuine positives:
Stephen Moore: That guy always looks as though he's playing rugby!
AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper): I thought was good in the circumstances - and he was given pretty much nothing to work with.
Genia seemed to keep his cool.
Kepu and Alexander were good at scrum time but also had some presence around the field. I remember a kick fairly early on that went into touch in the AB's 22. Alexander was the only chaser???


If the forwards work as a unit and think "advantage line, quick ball" at every ruck, I'm sure we'll be marvellous. The blokes out wide will capitalise.

 

[disco]

Beefcake that 1st post is going to start some brew ha ha's with some of the crew.

I would like Deans to start with Ant Fainga'a next week because he knows Quade so well & I think we need a defensive leader.