Tri Nations - AUS v SAF 23rd July 2011.

[rugby_man]

I would have liked to see this side:

Australia
1. Sekope Kepu
2. Stephen Moore
3. Al Baxter
4. Nathan Sharpe
5. James Horwill
6. Rocky Elsom [c]
7. David Pocock
8. Ben McCalman
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Digby Ioane
12. James O'Connor
13. Anthony Fainga'a
14. Lachie Turner
15. Kurtley Beale

16. Saia Fainga'a
17. Ben Alexander
18. Rob Simmons
19. Scott Higginbotham
20. Luke Burgess
21. Matt Giteau
22. Adam Ashley-Cooper

Notes:
* I included Matt Giteau on the bench because I still believe he has something to offer the team, even though he hasn't been in form.
* I, personally, like the idea of having a second ball player at inside centre instead of a hard running centre. I think it allows us to play expansive rugby and utilise the speed we have out wide in our back 3. I'd like to see Anthony Fainga'a at outside centre as he can straighten the attack as well as hold the defence when we look to play out the back and go wide through Kurtley Beale. Fainga'a can also act as James O'Connor's bodyguard in defence, although O'Connor seems to have no problem playing with his tackling. Will Genia and Quade Cooper are instinctive players and with the addition of O'Connor as an extra play maker, it gives the Wallabies an extra dimension in attack out wide.
* Having Lachie Turner on the wing gives us speed and he is a good finisher, especially when you put him outside Genia, Cooper, O'Connor etc.
* Pat McCabe is a bit unlucky as I thought he did well on the weekend, but I just think with the team I named, we could really move the opposition defence around, running their big blokes all over the park.
* Al Baxter has played well this year and I would have him start to be honest. James Slipper would be my choice but he is currently out injured.

 

[Scotty]

Not sure if this article has been posted yet? About Elsom's selection on the basis of his captaincy alone. I think there are only two guys in the wallabies that deserve selection on the basis of reputation and the lack of alternative - Pocock and Genia. If Elsom continues to ruck watch and lead poorly in this game, where do we go? I hope he improves dramatically.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...-test-as-captain/story-e6frg7mf-1226098608843

On-field against Samoa, eyebrows were raised at Elsom's decisions to four times spurn easy shots at penalty goal in the first quarter to instead kick for the corners in search of tries. In his defence, if he was flouting the game plan by being so bullish surely the world's most overqualified waterboy, David Pocock, would have been sent out with terse instructions to get back to basics.

Off-field, there were more raised eyebrows when Elsom blamed the side's stuttering attack for everything going pearshaped against the islanders. "If you attack effectively, the defence looks a lot worse and the breakdown is a lot easier . . . it's the opposite when you don't and that's what hurt us," he said.

Yes, all of that is true, but it is a tail-wagging-the-dog explanation. Almost all rugby battles are won and lost up front and, while the Wallabies backs certainly didn't distinguish themselves with their creativity or variation, the brutal fact is the platform established by their forwards was shaky at best.

At the moment, there are no more than dull murmurings about Elsom not being held to the same standards of accountability as everyone else, but those whispers could grow dramatically louder if he and the substantially beefed-up Wallabies don't lift their game against South Africa.

In every sense, this is shaping as the most important match of Elsom's career.

 

[Scotty]

From all reports Elsom is a bit of a introvert, this might not help him in terms of PR and media commitments, but there is nothing stopping a player who is introverted being a good leader.

There are numerous examples of introverted coaches/captains across the years..

Likewise your media darlings don't necessarily make the best captains.

Agree with this, but he has to be able to deal with the referee appropriately. Sometimes he comes across as very aggressive.

 

[vikingbrad]

Crikey, man - think about it! An attack of the sniffles now could kill off our RWC campaign!

Via Twitter, SA moved their raining indoors today (Wed) and Wallabies out on a very wet pitch in eastern suburbs. A good sign!

And latest tweet from JOC (James O'Connor), kurtley beale ruled out of training because he can't swim

 

[Blue]

Not sure if this article has been posted yet? About Elsom's selection on the basis of his captaincy alone. I think there are only two guys in the wallabies that deserve selection on the basis of reputation and the lack of alternative - Pocock and Genia. If Elsom continues to ruck watch and lead poorly in this game, where do we go? I hope he improves dramatically.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...-test-as-captain/story-e6frg7mf-1226098608843

Welcome to John Smit land. It's a strange and frustrating place to be in.

 

[Blue]

Via Twitter, SA moved their raining indoors today (Wed) and Wallabies out on a very wet pitch in eastern suburbs. A good sign!

And latest tweet from JOC (James O'Connor), kurtley beale ruled out of training because he can't swim

I watched to Boks train in a torrential downpour two days ago. Didn't seem to bother them.

 

[No4918]

Not sure if this article has been posted yet? About Elsom's selection on the basis of his captaincy alone. I think there are only two guys in the wallabies that deserve selection on the basis of reputation and the lack of alternative - Pocock and Genia. If Elsom continues to ruck watch and lead poorly in this game, where do we go? I hope he improves dramatically.

Any reason you don't like Horwill? Only thing i can see against him is that he wasn't around the team last season.

I don't see Pocock being ready for a year or 2 yet. Would be a big call to throw him the job without knowing how he will handle the role and if it will affect his play like it has Rocky's. Barring injury though there is no chance Rocky is suddenly going to be dropped prior to the WC, despite what the journalists think Deans just won't do it.

 

[Richo]

Our lock stocks are pretty good and Horwill has been crocked relatively frequently.

 

[barbarian]

Any reason you don't like Horwill? Only thing i can see against him is that he wasn't around the team last season.

I don't see Pocock being ready for a year or 2 yet. Would be a big call to throw him the job without knowing how he will handle the role and if it will affect his play like it has Rocky's. Barring injury though there is no chance Rocky is suddenly going to be dropped prior to the WC, despite what the journalists think Deans just won't do it.

He is not talking about captaincy, merely players who should be selected regardless of form every time. I agree with him that Elsom does not have the class to be selected no matter what, especially considering the form of Higgers at the moment. He was getting there at the end of 2010 though.

 

[Scotty]

What Barbar said.

Horwill would be my choice as wallabies captain if Elsom goes down. He has gotten better and better as a leader this year and has shown he can handle the referees very well.

 

[MrTimms]

Horwill would be my choice as wallabies captain if Elsom goes down. He has gotten better and better as a leader this year and has shown he can handle the referees very well.

Too right. His handling of the Ref when the Waratahs were camped on their 5m line, scrumming the hell out of them won them that game.

 

[Iluvmyfooty]

Only if we win this weekend... otherwise there may be some brawls on here judging by the last week.

Irrespective of whether we win this week there will still be all ins come next week - Robbie's tactics, the ineffective forward passing etc etc etc

 

[Richo]

Too right. His handling of the Ref when the Waratahs were camped on their 5m line, scrumming the hell out of them won them that game.

I doubt the Rock would have achieved the same result.

 

[No4918]

Too right. His handling of the Ref when the Waratahs were camped on their 5m line, scrumming the hell out of them won them that game.

You could also say Phil Waughs ineffective captaincy lost you the game. There is a couple of dozen posts in the Deans reappointment thread about respecting your opposition and taking points when on offer.

 

[tranquility]

I reckon Hodgson is one bad game away from losing his bench spot, especially if we contunue to play a 5:2. This would then give Beau the opportunity to vie for the spot in a 4:3 split.

Show us all how good you are this weekend Matty!

 

[Ruggo]

You could also say Phil Waughs ineffective captaincy lost you the game. There is a couple of dozen posts in the Deans reappointment thread about respecting your opposition and taking points when on offer.

The irony is if Ritchie had of called for another scrum intead of taking the three in the final, it could of ended badly for the Reds. That was the turning point in that game just after Thorn bombed that try.

 

[RedsHappy]

What Barbar said.

Horwill would be my choice as wallabies captain if Elsom goes down. He has gotten better and better as a leader this year and has shown he can handle the referees very well.

Could not agree more. I cannot think of one dimension of what would commonly be thought of good captaincy in elite rugby that Horwill was not good to outstanding at during 2011, including dealing with media, fans and sponsors.

He is perfectly poised and prepared to take over as Aus captain should circumstances permit. I was especially impressed by his captaincy (always closely coupling with Genia and Cooper) in very tight games where in the last 10 or so mins any result looked possible, or it appeared the Reds were headed for a loss. Two fine examples: v Cru match 1, and v Force match 2. In both cases Horwill and the senior Reds players, under real pressure, orchestrated lengthy, multiphase plays in the final 5-7 mins whereby the Reds forwards gradually marched back up field towards the opposition's line, carefully working in tight, holding possession and yielding nothing in errors as each metre was painstakingly gained. In the case of the Cru, the pressure applied and the proximity to the line led HRH Richie to make the crucial ruck error (which clearly the Reds were hoping for), Cooper kicked for the match. V Force, that successful upfield aggression and momentum led to the Reds line out steal near the Force's line, beautiful and well-planned Cooper long pass to Shipperley, game to Reds by a nose. Horwill visibly led both these plays.

 

[DPK]

Are you saying Horwill is telling Cooper what to do?

 

[RedsHappy]

Are you saying Horwill is telling Cooper what to do?

DPK, not quite 'telling Cooper what to do' but directing the general play and much talking to forwards, Genia etc as needed as the marches upfield successfully progressed. Most of the essential work in my two cases was down to the Reds forwards working as a tight pack going forward in disciplined phases, Cooper just iced the cake in these instances.

Perhaps to add a general point here, I do know from reliable sources that Cooper and Genia have tremendous respect for Horwill's leadership in 2011. I mean, you don't win 15 out of 18 matches over 5 months without an element of good, consistent captaincy, do you?

 

[Elfster]

One reason for not having a Queenslander as captain, is that with the quite bad weather Queensland experienced earlier this year (in fact the weather was that bad it gave a fair few of us a tax!), the Gods may similarly inflict the Wallabies with equally dire weather wherever they next play....

Or something like that.