Wallabies 2023
- Thread starter RugbyReg
- Start date
No he wasn’t.
Marce
John Hipwell (52)
You are right. Everything in the garden is rosy until facing the Kiwis
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
That might be pushing the boat out a bit, but he was immense on the weekend I thought. Really like him in the Wallaby setup.
Yep like him in the setup but best lock in the world is a hyperbole, I'm not even sure he makes the top 15.
I'd take Itoje, Etzebeth, Rettalick, Willemese, Whitelock, AWJ, Arnold, Woki, Ryan, De Jager, Beirne, Rodda ahead of him right now.
Purce
Dave Cowper (27)
I have noted this too Reg.
He seems to get caught on his heels/flat footed quite a bit. Wonder if a little tweaking of his technique would make a decent difference.
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
Attitude or technique.
My take on Philip is sometimes his attitude and enthusiasm is actually an issue. There's been a few times this season where I've noticed a defensive error he's responsible for because he's too enthusiastic to be there.
One was a chase down field after a kick. He was first there and got easily stepped by the fullback or wing that retrieved the ball. He'd have been better off holding back a bit for another defender coming through so they were a joint defensive line that could apply more pressure to the ball carrier.
The other one that comes to mind was him being second widest in the defensive line and getting absolutely gassed by the back he was against. Now maybe there was no other player who could have made it out there to cover that spot in the defensive line but the defender also needs to realise he's set up in a mismatch and try and shift his position such that a faster player is covering that spot. From memory it was off fairly static ball.
That decision making is really important in my view as it undermines some of the great stuff he does.
One was a chase down field after a kick. He was first there and got easily stepped by the fullback or wing that retrieved the ball. He'd have been better off holding back a bit for another defender coming through so they were a joint defensive line that could apply more pressure to the ball carrier.
The other one that comes to mind was him being second widest in the defensive line and getting absolutely gassed by the back he was against. Now maybe there was no other player who could have made it out there to cover that spot in the defensive line but the defender also needs to realise he's set up in a mismatch and try and shift his position such that a faster player is covering that spot. From memory it was off fairly static ball.
That decision making is really important in my view as it undermines some of the great stuff he does.
qwerty51
Stirling Mortlock (74)
I've noticed this too. It's a bit like when a replacement comes on and it's too enthusiastic and follows the ball too much, ends up barely making any tackles.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
You don't want to knock that enthusiasm out of a player, perhaps just counsel him on decision making.
Dctarget
Tim Horan (67)
Think that's unfair on him. Think he suffers from the Hodge effect, long limbs make awkward travel but still going quick.
His break(s) on the weekend showed he has speed.
eastman
John Solomon (38)
I don't think it's attitude- based as he's generally pretty enthusiastic to get off the line and hit a defender
As Purce said I think it's a combination of poor technique and a lack of coordination/ athleticism to react.
eastman
John Solomon (38)
The Hodge- effect is a real phenomenon.
Great athletes who can at times appear to be, or actually be, exceptionally uncoordinated or awkward.
I don't know if anyone here watches AFL but Nick Blakey is the poster child of this.
liquor box
Peter Sullivan (51)
I prefer watching Kaitu'u but cannot really separate them as players at this stage of their career. I think Kaitu'u has more chance of improving if exposed to International play and if he doesn't work out FF (Folau Fainga'a) is a pretty decent stop gap measure.