Sword of Justice
Nev Cottrell (35)
Breakdowns directly lead to every single facet of Rugby. It's the foundation of the sport.Breakdowns don’t directly lead to tries…
Breakdowns directly lead to every single facet of Rugby. It's the foundation of the sport.Breakdowns don’t directly lead to tries…
We really need to reimagine what a Wallabies pack could be with just brute force. Some combination of the biggest meanest guys we have - Skelton, Tupou, Holloway, Valetini, Arnold, Frost, Gleeson, Bell, Leota, Phillip, Rodda and the hooker with the best throw. *I will add to this Sio and Slipper. I added way more than one pack, so it’s bench guys too.We do have cattle though? That’s the point of picking those players. If you agree our style is more similar to NZ and they lost to Ire & Fra what’s the point in trying to replicate that?
Only NZ and Eng have knocked us out of the RWC since 1995. All 3 times England monstered our pack.
Who are we likely to play in the quarters again? Who dominated NZ last RWC in the semi?
Not beefing up the pack could be an incredibly naive thing to do this RWC. Thankfully I have faith Eddie is aware of current Test rugby trends and what works and doesn’t.
I think there is another reason why Michael Hooper might miss out on at least some tests. If the Wallabies start both Skelton and Valetini, and the coaches would probably be out of their collective minds not to do so in the important games, then it would be beneficial to have a genuine lineout jumper in 7 to complement the jumping lock (Frost imo) and No 6 (Holloway imo).Isn't Cane the current AB skipper? Why wouldn't he play?
My point is that this fetish on size and the power game isn't going to work for us. Australia trying to emulate Ireland or France with the cattle we have isn't going to work. I brought up the SA pack size because you used Kolisi to illustrate a some point.
Honestly, I'm done with you on this. You aren't going to change your mind, and I'm not going to change mine.
That may be true for most Aussie teams who have no idea what to do with sudden possession. But many Kiwi counter attacking examples disagree with you.Breakdowns don’t directly lead to tries…
Ah yes the heft and might of the enormous Brad Wilkin (104kg 1.87cm) and Siya Kolisi (105kg and 1.88cm) against those puny undersized weaklings McReight (102kg 1.84cm) and Hooper (101kg 1.82cm).You know it’s entirely possible in 2023 he actually is considered too small and previous performances in Test rugby are irrelevant? The trend of players getting bigger is a real thing, Test packs are more than 50kg heavier than they were 10 years ago. Every year the average has increased and going to lose power as he ages.
That’s just size, then there’s the difference in how the game is being and played and refereed which changes the effectiveness of pilfers. The ‘no hands on the ground’ interpretation has definitely nullified geniune fetchers effectiveness.
There’s a reason Kolisi is favoured over Kwagga Smith who would be the only other small 7 in Test rugby. Who else is performing well at Test level as a small 7 right now?
Well based on those statistics it shows that they aren’t always what gets someone in a side. Wilson is a good player no doubt and I’m not sure what else he has to do to get back in the RWC mix?In light of Reg's work rate stats (carries, turnovers, tackles per minute), where Wilson was 2nd, what specific areas do you feel he needs to improve? Inherently, to be in a position to make carries, turnovers, and tackles, you need to be putting in a hell of a lot of work off the ball.
Likewise, with his work in contact - he's averaging 6.2m per carry, leads the competition for total carries (three forwards in the top 10), and is third in the competition for total metres (the only forward in the top 10). The vast majority of his carries are to the line, not beating defends and making 15m+ breaks, so they can't be padding his stats too much.
Valetini and Havili, the two other forwards in the top 10 for total carries, don't feature in the metres top 10 list, so I can't do the metres per carry calculation for them, which would be good for some perspective. @RugbyReg you don't have those stats on hand by chance?
Not having a go, just trying to understand this viewpoint.
And not better at lineout jumping - a good article I read yesterday by Nick Bishops can't remember the site but it wasn't The Roar.Not better at lineout calling, not better at running a defensive lineout, not better at maul defence..
True, if you're big and average then you ain't gonna make it the difference is what they do with it. Wilson is a good 8 but it is the impact he has at that level that counts. If the game gets loose then he can do some damage, so apart from a bench spot there really is no place for him ATM in test rugby.Well based on those statistics it shows that they aren’t always what gets someone in a side. Wilson is a good player no doubt and I’m not sure what else he has to do to get back in the RWC mix?
Went and found it. It makes a pretty compelling case for Jed.And not better at lineout jumping - a good article I read yesterday by Nick Bishops can't remember the site but it wasn't The Roar.
I would assume it would depend on the terms and conditions in the loan agreement.If someone is on loan you would also pay their salary for that period wouldn't you?
So the insurance cost might have only been $100k but the salary required for someone on $1.5m a season was probably $600k or more.
Not really a shot Tazzy, but can you clarify the "loaning" and "loaning out" meanings please.I would assume it would depend on the terms and conditions in the loan agreement.
There could be two possible scenarios:
1) The club loaning the player pays the full salary or
2) They decide on an amicable split as the team loaning out the player may see it as an option to at least reduce their said wage bill to the player rather than paying him to sit around.
You know it’s entirely possible in 2023 he actually is considered too small and previous performances in Test rugby are irrelevant? The trend of players getting bigger is a real thing, Test packs are more than 50kg heavier than they were 10 years ago. Every year the average has increased and going to lose power as he ages.
That’s just size, then there’s the difference in how the game is being and played and refereed which changes the effectiveness of pilfers. The ‘no hands on the ground’ interpretation has definitely nullified geniune fetchers effectiveness.
There’s a reason Kolisi is favoured over Kwagga Smith who would be the only other small 7 in Test rugby. Who else is performing well at Test level as a small 7 right now?