TRC Round 2: Australia vs Argentina @ Brisbane - Saturday 27 July 2019
- Thread starter Braveheart81
- Start date
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Weren't you one of the loudest calling for a selection panel? But now that we have one everything is still Cheika's doing. Someone might correct me, but it's my understanding that if there is disagreement about a selection Johnson has the casting vote? I'd actually say that the re-selection of LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) smells more of Johnson than it does of Cheika, like you I would have liked to have seen someone else given the start.
I don't have any issues with the content of this post and agree with most of it, except for the snipe about AAA above. I don't think an abductor injury to a front rower who has had a pretty tough year would be all that out of the ordinary. They were expecting him to be right this weekend but being a WC year I'd say they want to make sure our #1 THP is 100%.
I also didn't have any issues with the content of the Hooper/Wright post, in many ways you are right there. The point was that if you are going to have a whinge every time Hooper gets selected it's going to be a long year for you..and us!
In the modern game the back row is all about balance. Hooper is MVP almost every time he steps out, it doesn't matter that he isn't fulfilling all the roles of a traditional #7, he is doing a lot of the work a 6 or 8 would normally do, the challenge for the selectors is to find a player who fills that void, in this case a fetcher/pilferer. I can understand the logic in playing Hooper and Pocock together, they are/were our 2 best players and complemented each other very well, the problem is they were both short and with the lack of a proper ball running 8 or 6 that project always had a finite timeline.
Re the Banks/Hodge one, we are all a bit confused about that. However, it's no secret that the undecided starting spots are 6 (we thought), 9, 10, 14 and 15. So perhaps it's just a bit of further experimentation. Maybe Banks has already booked his spot so they're trying to work out the final outside back squad spots. Point is, I don't think we need to read too much into some of the selections at this stage.
Sio had the adductor injury. Ala'alatoa has some sort of foot injury. Suggesting that either are due to Cheika seems like a stretch.
People would probably be surprised that Hooper won more turnovers/forced penalties in Super Rugby this year than Wright.
Clearly Hooper is nowhere near as good in this regard as Pocock or other best in class pilferers but he is fine. We have pretty clearly played with a tactic for the last couple of years that no one really contests the breakdown unless there is a sign we can win it (dominant tackle, isolated player etc.) either with a counter-ruck or pilfer attempt.
Our problem against the Springboks is you would struggle to find a dominant tackle made by us all game. Where were those opportunities to attack the breakdown?
The same people who are lamenting that our forwards got bullied by the Springboks are then querying why we didn't have any breakdown presence but somehow failing to connect the two.
People would probably be surprised that Hooper won more turnovers/forced penalties in Super Rugby this year than Wright.
Clearly Hooper is nowhere near as good in this regard as Pocock or other best in class pilferers but he is fine. We have pretty clearly played with a tactic for the last couple of years that no one really contests the breakdown unless there is a sign we can win it (dominant tackle, isolated player etc.) either with a counter-ruck or pilfer attempt.
Our problem against the Springboks is you would struggle to find a dominant tackle made by us all game. Where were those opportunities to attack the breakdown?
The same people who are lamenting that our forwards got bullied by the Springboks are then querying why we didn't have any breakdown presence but somehow failing to connect the two.
Finsbury Girl
Trevor Allan (34)
According to Fox sports stats Wright had 11 FRMP (the highest in super rugby) to Hooper's 2.
I hadn't seen that one. That is impressive for Wright. Hooper had one more direct pilfer and topped the "tackle turnover" stat that Alloutrugby produces with 10.
Based on that Fox Sports one Wright would be ahead overall.
My position would still be that Wright has been heavily tasked to attack the breakdown all season. He had an impressive year, no doubt.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
SANZAAR stats have Hooper as the competition leader for 'tackles - turnover' with 10, and 7th for turnovers won with 12.
Wright is 5th for turnovers won with 13.
Hooper was also the standout leader for tackles completed.............
But overall there's nothing separating them for turnovers, but Hooper is the more dominant defender.
Joe Blow
John Hipwell (52)
I don’t think he is necessarily the answer. If Poey was at 6..........
BDA
Jim Lenehan (48)
I'm kinda of excited to see how the wallabies attack functions with Lilo at 10. The guy put in a really mature Super Rugby campaign. Mostly good decision making and has shown an ability to create tries. I'd say the same of Foley, but I think Lilo has been in better form than Foley this year.
I can only presume JOC (James O'Connor) is the back-up 10?
I'm fine with the team, although I personally would have started Tupou in place of Kepu.
I'm not reading too much into the dropping of Banks. Probably just a bit of rotation and I'm not sure he offers much off the bench, compared to the versatility of JOC (James O'Connor).
I can only presume JOC (James O'Connor) is the back-up 10?
I'm fine with the team, although I personally would have started Tupou in place of Kepu.
I'm not reading too much into the dropping of Banks. Probably just a bit of rotation and I'm not sure he offers much off the bench, compared to the versatility of JOC (James O'Connor).
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
or Beale
To'omua, Beale and JOC (James O'Connor) all have hairs all over it if Lilo goes down in the first 5. It's happened before, just sayin'!
I'm wrapped for Lilo though, hope he kills it.
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Is the wrapping to try and protect him from injury?
Rapt
can't blame autocorrect for that one - originally i wrote 'wrapt' and looked and it and thought it didn't look quite right. So just ran with wrapped!
RebelYell
Arch Winning (36)
Brumby Runner
Jason Little (69)
And that is precisely what I would want to see from my test No 7 BH, but it goes without saying that Hooper must be playing the style of game Cheika wants. My criticism is not of Hooper per se, but of Cheika and his at times unfathomable game strategies.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
BH i have been pretty skeptical of the Cheika bashers i will admit. But the last game was pretty stark. He talked a lot of change and we saw very little in terms of tactics. His post game comments in particular grate.
B