Wales vs Australia, EOYT 2010, Millenium Stadium

[Groucho]

Haha. Don't want to sound like your 91 y.o. gradmother (god bless her), but It's all about channeling that agression isn't it.

I see this as a good thing the fact that he's manning up, now he's got to just beleive his own hype and follow through with it.

Like a lot of NZ's, it's Inherently in them to throw the shoulder into a hit and he does this often, when he goes too low he tends to get brushed off. I wouldn't be at all suprised to see QC (Quade Cooper) throwing that generous frame of his around at the tackle a little more to back up his new role as antagonist :angryfire:

It'd be a mistake to think that Cooper just taps the back of people's heads. I've seen him get involved in some aggro a few times on the field. He's definitely a "first-in-best-dressed" man when there is some biff on.

 

[Jnor]

Is that Bunbury in Oxford troxler? I know the place. I've got a mate who lives there. You're more than welcome to post here regardless of your origin - Taff, Pom or whatever?

Given he's a Force supporter I would guess that's Bunbury WA.

also, welcome aboard Troxler!

 

[DPK]

It'd be a mistake to think that Cooper just taps the back of people's heads. I've seen him get involved in some aggro a few times on the field. He's definitely a "first-in-best-dressed" man when there is some biff on.

Yep, two incidents spring to mind immediatly; vs the Barbarians at Wembley in 2008 he took on Pucciariello in a bit of a ruckus, and then this year vs Fiji when Giteau was cleaned up in backplay he took to the offending Fijian.

It's the same as his tackling, though. The intent is there, but the technique is atrocious. I reckon Steph is a better fighter...

 

[Blue]

Time will tell lad, lets give him a chance to back it up by making some solid tackles...

On another note, it's been reported by a few sources that the Welsh have decided to leave the roof open. Nice way to repay the 60,000+ Welsh fans.

Class personified

The Welsh media will have prepared them well. They'll all go believing the roof absolutely HAS to be open.

 

[troxler]

Yeah its Bunbury W.A, a couple of hrs south of Perth.

Cheers for the welcome.

Looks like the Welsh want the roof to remain open for tonights game.

http://rugby.com.au/news/aap/s-7075...pen_stadium_in_wale,143265.html/section/21893

When was the last game the Wallabies played in the wet??.

 

[Lee Grant]

Murrayfield was not exactly a desert in 2009 IIRR.

This will bring Wales back to the field, or perhaps that unintentional pun is not apt. I will be interested in how our team deals with it; in particular I will be looking at our fullback. Everybody, including me, is raving about Beale, but is he a man for all seasons? We may find out soon enough.

I read somewhere that it's drier today in Cardiff however.

PS welcome aboard troxler.

 

[Jnor]

I'm sure it'll be a wet track but fingers crossed we won't have to worry about a downpour...

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/wl/cardiff_forecast_weather.html

 

[Lee Grant]

Thanks for posting that Jnor.

So not Dublin all those years ago when the TV switched to the ground and my heart sank?

 

[Jnor]

As opposed to all those other times we've played in Dublin and its been positively tropical? Wheres T78?

On a side note I spent a couple of weeks in Ireland in 07 and we got 5 days in a row of great weather (even went swimming in the Atlantic near Limerick with some distant relations) and every single Irish we ran into was completely stunned at seeing the fabled 'sun' for more than 8 minutes. Poor guys...

 

[Groucho]

A Cardiff poster on the blog thread said the roof has actually been closed all week. Seems it was all just mind games.

 

[DPK]

The grass is painted on even when it's in good condition anyway. Will Rocky bring back the gloves?

If it is terrible (i.e. actual mud) conditions, prepare to see Cooper's long ball game go haywire.

 

[Sully]

Saw him against the Blues at Ballymore in a huge downpour. No problems.

 

[DPK]

Saw him against the Blues at Ballymore in a huge downpour. No problems.

It certainly was wet at that game (you mean the one in this years Super14, right?) but not muddy. There's a big difference.

 

[RugbyFuture]

It will be alright

with the A team there...

 

[Lee Grant]

Very funny RF.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Quade is as tough as my 91 year old granny. She smacks me in the back of the head all the time! Do that against the Frogs and some dirty GARLIC BREATHED snail-eater will bash him.

fixed

 

[Travi34]

change of topic...

whats Wayne Barnes like as a ref? likely to penalise our scrum? stickler for rules? or more of a flow?

ps... i predict giteau to go to Top 14/Europe after this S15 season... as he will no longer be a Wallaby...

 

[Brumbies Guy]

Looks good for the Wales game.

Hopefuly Giteau has another good performance! Here is something for the Giteau haterz, write down a set of goals you want him to achieve for the game on the weekend (ones that you think Barnes could achieve) and see how he goes. Rather than constantly saying he didn't meet the standards you made up after the game was played. Thats easy to do, oh look, Mitchell only made 2 line breaks, anything under 3 is pathetic....

And not to say he has my full support. If he looks good on the pitch and the stats back up his positive influence, i'll support him. But if he starts missing tackles and throwing poor passes i'll call for Barnes as well. But he is doing everything i would expect from him right now.

Anyone?

 

[farva]

Yeah its Bunbury W.A, a couple of hrs south of Perth.

Cheers for the welcome.

Looks like the Welsh want the roof to remain open for tonights game.

http://rugby.com.au/news/aap/s-7075...pen_stadium_in_wale,143265.html/section/21893

When was the last game the Wallabies played in the wet??.

Good man. There arent enough Force fans around!

Now getting back to the game, this is perhaps a timely reminder of last time we played Wales...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXLYBa5YIqw&feature=related

 

[DPK]

change of topic...

whats Wayne Barnes like as a ref? likely to penalise our scrum? stickler for rules? or more of a flow?

ps... i predict giteau to go to Top 14/Europe after this S15 season... as he will no longer be a Wallaby...

One of the best going around at the moment, in my opinion. Not the best in the world for scrum management but probably better than Rollaind last week. Probably the best player/captain manager amongst the worlds ref's at the moment.

Let's the game flow but is strict on the breakdown at the same time. Of course, all of this is on a good day. Refs have bad days just like the players they officiate.