Wallabies 2020

[Braveheart81]

What is your fascination about picking Irae Simone? He's had a good season and I think he'll play test rugby this year but I don't think you're going to re-organise incumbent and well performing Wallabies into positions they don't regularly play to fit him in.

 

[Getwithme]

Positional stability is pretty important and in the past picking the best back players hasn't worked for us compared to picking the best in that position wrt players around them. Don't play JOC (James O'Connor) at 15. Don't play To'omua at 10. Don't play DHP on the wing. For mine it's got to be:

10. JOC (James O'Connor)
11. Korobete
12. To'omua
13. Petaia

15. DHP

Hardest spot is the other winger and halfback. Would love to see either Wright or Daugunu on the wing. At halfback it's more a case of starting Tate or having him on the bench due to his lack of test experience.

 

[Derpus]

White didn't exactly light the world on fire in his limited minutes, or last year (Perth excluded).

I reckon one position we definitely roll the dice on is 9.

 

[rodha]

re-organise incumbent and well performing Wallabies into positions they don't regularly play to fit him in.

No, it really isn't.

playing O'Conner at 15 is more-or-less no different to playing Beauden Barrett at 15.

In 2020 Highlanders did the dual-playmaking roles with Mitch Hunt at 15, Blues with Barrett at 15, Chiefs with Mackenzie at 15.

What do these players have in common? They are all 10's.

The game has changed a lot and attacking structures have evolved.

These days the 10 and 15 basically perform the same roles. The All Blacks had Israel Dagg playing as a '2nd 10' since 2010, Barrett has since taken up that role. It's handy to have two playmakers at either side of the ruck.

If you think about what makes the perfect fullback you need a similar skill-set to 10, the ability to put others into space but have a good enough turn of pace to take your own space when needed. And they all have great ball handling and kicking kills.

 

[Uh huh]

James O'Conner is effectively the same player as Beauden Barrett. it makes sense to play him at 15.

"Mum, can we have Beauden Barrett?"

"We've got Beauden Barrett at home."

Beauden Barrett at home:

 

[fatprop]

We always get caught up worrying about the show ponies

Unless we work out our pigs and a plan as to competing, it ain't going to matter

 

[Braveheart81]

No, it really isn't.

playing O'Conner at 15 is more-or-less no different to playing Beauden Barrett at 15.

Except JOC (James O'Connor) doesn't have the pace he used to and is far better suited to 10 these days.

To'omua is a much better 12 than he is 10.

You're trying to pick two players in non-ideal positions so you can fit Simone in at 12.

I don't get it and really doubt it will happen. Simone needs to beat To'omua for the 12 jersey.

 

[Derpus]

Except JOC (James O'Connor) doesn't have the pace he used to and is far better suited to 10 these days.

To'omua is a much better 12 than he is 10.

You're trying to pick two players in non-ideal positions so you can fit Simone in at 12.

I don't get it and really doubt it will happen. Simone needs to beat To'omua for the 12 jersey.

I agree with all of this unless Petaia is injured, in which case i can easily see Simone coming in at 12 and JOC (James O'Connor) going to 13. The only other 13 in the squad is Paisami and while i think he's great i don't think he's ready to start a Bledisloe.

Or, i guess, Hodge at 13. Yuck.

 

[cyclopath]

This fixation with shoe-horning players across the park into "not their position" is really odd, especially now we seem to have more options. If Petaia is out, play the other 13 in the squad. If they're not "ready" for Test rugby, they get someone in who is (Kuridrani). No more fullbacks on the wing please, unless they're Ben Smith. As Braveheart says, Simone gets in on merit at 12, not by shuffling a known Test 12 elsewhere. On this year's evidence, for me, O'Connor is a better 10 than anything else, To'omua a 12 (I have always thought this anyway). In NZ, for 2 Tests, I'd be going experience first.

 

[Tex]

"Mum, can we have Beauden Barrett?"

"We've got Beauden Barrett at home."

Beauden Barrett at home:

Yeah honestly, who would choose O'Connor over Barrett?

 

[Uh huh]

Yep. No more endless shuffling, no more sodding journeymen. Let's just see what happens when we play the best player in each position (or - at flyhalf - the least terrible).

 

[Uh huh]

Serious question: what's plan B at flyhalf? If O'Connor is an unmitigated disaster, what do we do? Shift To'omua and bring in Simone? Pick a rookie?

 

[rodha]

Except JOC (James O'Connor) doesn't have the pace he used to and is far better suited to 10 these days.

To'omua is a much better 12 than he is 10.

You're trying to pick two players in non-ideal positions so you can fit Simone in at 12.

I don't get it and really doubt it will happen. Simone needs to beat To'omua for the 12 jersey.

If pace is your criteria who starts for the Wallabies then? I would much rather have Tom Wright at 15 than past-it DHP. Either Wright or Maddocks. The lack of quality fullbacks in Australia right now is astounding. Even more reason to start O'Conner at 15.

 

[cyclopath]

Serious question: what's plan B at flyhalf? If O'Connor is an unmitigated disaster, what do we do? Shift To'omua and bring in Simone? Pick a rookie?

If To'omua is deemed by the coaches to be the 2nd best 10, then yes. If Lolesio is the next best, then him.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Is Harrison not in the equation? I'd love to see him get a run with To'omua at 12.

 

[cyclopath]

Is Harrison not in the equation? I'd love to see him get a run with To'omua at 12.

Well, he's in the squad but I think Lolesio would be ahead of him at the moment. I think they'll both be good in coming years.

 

[rodha]

Is Harrison not in the equation? I'd love to see him get a run with To'omua at 12.

How about let's not select 90kg To'omua over the 105kg Simone at 12. Besides it's fair to say To'omua has not performed greatly for the Wallabies over the last 2 years (2018, 2019) since his return from Leicester. Why should he be guaranteed a starting spot?

 

[Uh huh]

How about let's not select 90kg To'omua over the 105kg Simone at 12. Besides it's fair to say To'omua has not performed greatly for the Wallabies over the last 2 years (2018, 2019) since his return from Leicester. Why should he be guaranteed a starting spot?

See I just don't see that as a compelling argument. To'omua has never suffered for being small. If bigger was better we'd have Eto Nabuli on the wing and Reece Hodge at flyhalf.

To'omua has runs on the board, I don't think we can just flood the back line with rookies and expect it to work out. McDermott at 9, Petaia at 13 and Wright or Daugunu on the wing is more than enough inexperience for a Bledisloe cup team.

 

[Tex]

How about let's not select 90kg To'omua over the 105kg Simone at 12. Besides it's fair to say To'omua has not performed greatly for the Wallabies over the last 2 years (2018, 2019) since his return from Leicester. Why should he be guaranteed a starting spot?

depends on the role right? To'omua is the best tackling "small" back I've seen, maybe since Johnny Wilkinson. and he's got an A-grade boot from hand and tee.

 

[Tex]

Mates if one rookie is given a starting jersey in the Bledisloe cup without being the CLEAR favourite I'll eat a candle.