The Wallabies Thread

[Rebels3]

The game evolves and so do positions. This is one of my bug bares with Australian rugby, we used to be innovators and praised for being different. Now players are criticized for doing so. Where some teams love a point of difference one player brings, we see it as a negative.

What is a traditional 7??? People do realise a fetcher as a 7 is only about 20years old? As strange and earth shattering this might be to people but Richie McCaw and George Smith were pioneers of the position being played this way. Not some guy playing in the 50s, 60s, 70s.

Do we know what a traditional lock looks like? I do. Rob Simmons, Sam Carter not Maro Itoje.
A traditional hooker? Stephen Moore not Dane Coles or Agustin Creevy
A traditional prop? Rabah Slimani not Maco Vunipola
A traditional 8? It surely isn't what Kieran Read is offering
Beauden Barrett isn't a traditional 10, Aaron Smith not a traditional 9
A traditional winger used to be some skinny fast guy until Lomu turned up.
A traditional 12 was a big crash ball merchant

If we want a 'traditional' pack that solidly performs their core duties our pack would be

1 Robertson
2 Moore
3 Talaki
4 Simmons
5 Carter
6 Mumm
7 Pocock
8 McCalman

A good line out, go forward from 8. 2 good scrummagers and a good lineout thrower. A 7 that gets over the ball and a 30 point loss

 

[fatprop]

We could also have a traditional 10, who sits deep in the pocket, kicks all day not making a tackle

 

[Scrubber2050]

^^^^^
Or maybe a 20 point win.

We are not doing it very well ATM

 

[Joe Blow]

After last year the only way is up

 

[farva]

I like the selections.
Well done Cheika.

 

[fatprop]

^^^^^
Or maybe a 20 point win.

We are not doing it very well ATM

We are where we have been for a while, the only real change is an ascendant England and playing them 4 times last year

We win most at home (except for the ABs and an ascendant England) and we are competitive against the rest away, winning some and losing some

 

[mudskipper]

We could also have a traditional 10, who sits deep in the pocket, kicks all day not making a tackle

Maybe if we just had an inform Flyhalf...

 

[MonkeyBoy]

I guess you mean an Aus "traditional #7", because many countries don't run one, the fetching responsibilities are now just as much spread throughout the team and the 7 is required to be more of an all-rounder.

The butthurt isn't mine, I'm happy with the selections. My point was that Hooper can play in close, slow/pilfer ball and do it extremely well...if the coach wants him to. Fardy has discipline issues which have seen him stood down from Brumbies games, his play has been better his whinging at the referee and captain has been worse.

 

[Micheal]

The game evolves and so do positions. This is one of my bug bares with Australian rugby, we used to be innovators and praised for being different. Now players are criticized for doing so. Where some teams love a point of difference one player brings, we see it as a negative.

Seeing the NZers innovate the lineout this season it got me wondering:

Why doesn't the 9 throw the ball in?

They are essentially a specialist passer so I assume they could learn to throw with more finesse then the big brutes at 2.

They could also just follow the throw to be in a position to catch / pass once it comes down off the top.

 

[Rebels3]

Seeing the NZers innovate the lineout this season it got me wondering:

Why doesn't the 9 throw the ball in?

They are essentially a specialist passer so I assume they could learn to throw with more finesse then the big brutes at 2.

They could also just follow the throw to be in a position to catch / pass once it comes down off the top.

More quick throws and the occasional throw to 1 would be nice to be seen.

Innovative and smart aren't 2 words associated with Aus rugby atm. Reactive and predictable are.

 

[fatprop]

More quick throws and the occasional throw to 1 would be nice to be seen.

Innovative and smart aren't 2 words associated with Aus rugby atm. Reactive and predictable are.

They are about workrate off the ball, the ABs (and the Kiwi Super sides) usually send it two wide passes across the field and the rest of the team is working hard to support those runners

 

[MarkJ]

My memory could be failing me but I think earlier this year the Brumbies scored (or nearly scored?) off a lineout move that had the winger (Dargaville I think) throwing in to the lineout

 

[Rebels3]

They are about workrate off the ball, the ABs (and the Kiwi Super sides) usually send it two wide passes across the field and the rest of the team is working hard to support those runners

It's beautiful to watch as well, the broken field it creates makes for some amazing viewing.

 

[Rebels3]

Line outs are the least exploited area of the game, we will see a massive switch in the way they are conducted in the coming years. The proficiency of teams to go for the rolling maul in recent years, is just the first step towards this change.

 

[ACT Crusader]

The game evolves and so do positions. This is one of my bug bares with Australian rugby, we used to be innovators and praised for being different. Now players are criticized for doing so. Where some teams love a point of difference one player brings, we see it as a negative.

What is a traditional 7??? People do realise a fetcher as a 7 is only about 20years old? As strange and earth shattering this might be to people but Richie McCaw and George Smith were pioneers of the position being played this way. Not some guy playing in the 50s, 60s, 70s.

Do we know what a traditional lock looks like? I do. Rob Simmons, Sam Carter not Maro Itoje.
A traditional hooker? Stephen Moore not Dane Coles or Agustin Creevy
A traditional prop? Rabah Slimani not Maco Vunipola
A traditional 8? It surely isn't what Kieran Read is offering
Beauden Barrett isn't a traditional 10, Aaron Smith not a traditional 9
A traditional winger used to be some skinny fast guy until Lomu turned up.
A traditional 12 was a big crash ball merchant

If we want a 'traditional' pack that solidly performs their core duties our pack would be

1 Robertson
2 Moore
3 Talaki
4 Simmons
5 Carter
6 Mumm
7 Pocock
8 McCalman

A good line out, go forward from 8. 2 good scrummagers and a good lineout thrower. A 7 that gets over the ball and a 30 point loss

I'd say more like 30 years. Michael Jones and then Josh Kronfeld both played hard at the ball when it hit the deck and were pretty successful at winning opposition ball.

 

[mudskipper]

The wallabies play maker roll is a worry. Im concerned thst Foley cant link with o e of our most talented backs Izzy at club level ... so how can it get any better with a different scrum.hakf and outside backs... he will just kick... if it comes down to Foley or QC (Quade Cooper), please give me the later as at least he will try to create attack and use the players around him... NZ must be all smiles

 

[KOB1987]

The wallabies play maker roll is a worry. Im concerned thst Foley cant link with o e of our most talented backs Izzy at club level . so how can it get any better with a different scrum.hakf and outside backs. he will just kick. if it comes down to Foley or QC (Quade Cooper), please give me the later as at least he will try to create attack and use the players around him. NZ must be all smiles

NZ aren't playing us this series, they're playing the Lions.

 

[mudskipper]

NZ aren't playing us this series, they're playing the Lions.

But they will be soon enough

 

[Froggy]

There have been years passed when I've called for Cooper over Foley, but I struggle to see how anyone who has watched them both this year could make that call.

 

[cyclopath]

The wallabies play maker roll is a worry. Im concerned thst Foley cant link with o e of our most talented backs Izzy at club level . so how can it get any better with a different scrum.hakf and outside backs. he will just kick. if it comes down to Foley or QC (Quade Cooper), please give me the later as at least he will try to create attack and use the players around him. NZ must be all smiles

Can easily say, based on anything this year, I disagree with all of this and suggests you struggle to watch Super Rugby games with an analytical eye.