Richo
John Thornett (49)
If this was the June series, sure.
Wallabies 2012 Championship Squad
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If this was the June series, sure.
A
AlexH
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You would think he should be in the wider training squad at the very least. Just a good, no bullshit, hard running, hard hitting outside centre who has a decent enough pass to move the ball onto the finishers. He shits all over Horne for mine.
qwerty51
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Hooper and Pocock on at the same time would really weaken our lineout. Especially if Timani is also on at that time.
I think Robbie wants McCalman, he was the only Force player that played club rugby due to the Force awards night so it seemed pretty important that he got game time over the weekend. For the brief 30 mins he was on he was easily the best on the field as well.
He hasn't shown enough so far, another safe option
A safe option at Super Rugby level, but putting him into the test side to debut against the All Blacks would be a massive risk.
Aside from the bombed try in the first Wales test, Horne has been pretty good in the opportunities he's had for the Wallabies. As far as potential number 13s go, he hasn't done a lot wrong.
I completely get a lot of the criticism, but I also think that if we drop a player who scored 2 tries and didn't miss a tackle in a three test series, we're never going to go anywhere as a team.
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AlexH
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Yeah, you and fatprop are right in saying we probably should not blood him during the Bledisloe. Still, its always annoying when a bloke like Horne gets picked because he is basically the last man standing of the playable crop of outside centers.
I look forward to the day when Tapuai, Fainga'a, McCabe and Smith are all fit and in form. Then we cast the Rob Hornes and Berrick Barnes' of this world into test match obscurity where they should belong.
I look forward to the day when Tapuai, Fainga'a, McCabe and Smith are all fit and in form. Then we cast the Rob Hornes and Berrick Barnes' of this world into test match obscurity where they should belong.
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
Barnes is not a 12.
He had a solid games against the Welsh yes, but how many tries did we score?
Did we play Northern, or Southern Hemisphere rugby?
Cooper is a world class player, plays the game 3 or 4 phases ahead, and can ignite a back line. Before anyone comes back questioning this the Reds won the 2011 title because of his vision, they climbed the table on his return this year, and Link obviously sees and know what drives him (a coach needs to know his players).
As AlexH said a bit further back - Barnes had an excellent kicking game against the Welsh, everything else was just good - I commend him for that hence my belief he is more of a 15.
I see Taps as a 12, good D, knows Coopers game, and will only improve, the 13 I'm not sure thats appears to be the debate / confusion, based on Super 15 form alone I thought Andrew Smith deserved a chance and he's a 13, ACC has performed well there in the past though.
But again against Wales
how many tries did we score? Did we play Northern, or Southern Hemisphere rugby?
He had a solid games against the Welsh yes, but how many tries did we score?
Did we play Northern, or Southern Hemisphere rugby?
Cooper is a world class player, plays the game 3 or 4 phases ahead, and can ignite a back line. Before anyone comes back questioning this the Reds won the 2011 title because of his vision, they climbed the table on his return this year, and Link obviously sees and know what drives him (a coach needs to know his players).
As AlexH said a bit further back - Barnes had an excellent kicking game against the Welsh, everything else was just good - I commend him for that hence my belief he is more of a 15.
I see Taps as a 12, good D, knows Coopers game, and will only improve, the 13 I'm not sure thats appears to be the debate / confusion, based on Super 15 form alone I thought Andrew Smith deserved a chance and he's a 13, ACC has performed well there in the past though.
But again against Wales
how many tries did we score? Did we play Northern, or Southern Hemisphere rugby?
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
Good ???? - what is good, what is bad, I am not saying against Wales he was not deserved of MOTM, I'm not saying he cant play 12 and hasnt been good in the 12 Gernsey, I'm saying I dont think he is best suited to 12.
I like him a s a player and I preferred C Spenser to A Merhtens as well - different games.
Swat
Chilla Wilson (44)
Notably against france in 2010 when we had cooper at 10. I'm not saying it was because of cooper but rather that the only time I've seen our backline play like a team (and not rely on individual brilliance and counter attack) was when we had duel playmakers. Yes, Kurtley was at fullback that game but he wasn't needed to come in at first receiver so technically we had 3 playmakers (plus JOC (James O'Connor) on the wing). The point is, we had structure, we shifted the ball either side of the ruck with ease and cooper defended in the channel, and we walloped them.
GaffaCHinO
Peter Sullivan (51)
you have just described Cummins and he is in the Squad for all the reasons above. Hopefully he gets a run at the end of the year as I doubt he will during the RC.
In test match rugby I think Cooper looks better with a 12 who can alleviate the pressure, like Aaron Mauger did for the ABs
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Jiggles
Guest
Opinion is irrelevant. It doesn't matter whether Beale has performed better than Cooper at 10 this year, or the the redundant fact that Lealiifano is injured. Taking the best 15 Australia has had in the last couple of years and swapping him around with the best 10 Australia has had since Larkham in his pomp who has never played at 15, is a very Deans like move. highly ridiculous. Why weaken a known strength? Thats just experimentation for experimentations sake, which has no place in test match rugby.
It'd be like trying to put a very good tight-head in at loose head, in order to accommodate a poor loose-head at tight-head... Or like taking a rookie winger come full back and placing him at 12 in a world cup year, then scratching your head as to why the ball never makes it past the centres, or why that centre continues to run upright into contact, getting turned over again, and again, and again...Oh wait....
waratahjesus
Greg Davis (50)
How did coopers vision transfer from the 2011 reds success to the world cup? We failed to put away countries ranked well below us. He failed to create fluid back line play or keep composure long enough to build consistent pressure.
Cooper is a great player no doubt, but his ability is enhanced by Genia. Genias ability is more important to both the reds and Aus than cooper. Cooper is a game breaker but under pressure that ability can also work in reverse. When he finds Consistancy he is fantastic to watch, I'm yet to see that translate from superugby to the international arena and therefore it is completely justifiable in my opinion for Barnes to be along side him to take the pressure off and allow Quade to pick his spots rather than handle every possession.
Dave Beat
Paul McLean (56)
WJ, I put the World Cup lack of success down to the Game Plan - In my view it was 10 man rugby orientated alot of box kicks landing outside the opposition 20.
You are right it didnt transfer to the world cup, link had 2 season to work with the reds and understood what made them tick, Genia, Cooper, Taps has worked and would work.
They are the inside backs I'd like to see, # AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) for experience, A Smith because he was AUST most consistent 13 this year and played in a team that played rugby.
That didn't excuse his poor execution at many times during the RWC.
Our game plan might not have suited him but his error rate was far greater than it should have been.
Genia also had a really poor RWC which didn't help Cooper. Neither of them executed skills at anywhere the level they had been doing prior to the RWC.
At this stage, I would say Cooper's greatest problem at test level has been his consistency. So far, for every brilliant test match he plays, he also has a pretty average one.
waratahjesus
Greg Davis (50)
So the real discussion should be about what game plan we intend to use. If deans is persisting then cooper can keep playing club rugby.
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