Wallabies 2023

[Joe Blow]

JB, are you suggesting in terms of attacking one of our best players? He had an off night and MarkyMark would have been the same apart from a quick tap and an intercept, the ball didn't make to the wings where they could do much with it, the Arg D just had to slide and their D was pretty good

Koriebete was fine. He was not involved as much as usual but still went looking for work. For anyone to suggest that his position is under threat or even close to up for grabs is having a laugh.
If we had a few more MKs we would be in much better shape.

 

[Dctarget]

Koriebete was fine. He was not involved as much as usual but still went looking for work. For anyone to suggest that his position is under threat or even close to up for grabs is having a laugh.
If we had a few more MKs we would be in much better shape.

fun question, how many Marikas would you take if we had infinite Marikas?

I think I'd comfortably convert Marika to hooker, flanker like Botia, both wings, fullback probably both centres.

2. Marika
6. Marika
7. Marika (c)
11. Marika
12. Marika
13. Marika
14. Marika
15. Marika

 

[LeCheese]

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

The old 'Team Lomu' on Jonah Lomu Rugby.

 

[griffins]

2 games in and many are already jumping off the EJ (Eddie Jones) (Eddie Jones) train. Rennies position was untenable and Jones should be given a little slack while he beds in his players and game plan. We should look for measurable improvement over the next 3 tests rather than silverware and wins considering the opposition.
If we make the semis or better at the RWC all will be singing a different tune. We are no longer the rugby powerhouse of the 90s and early 00s.

What would you say the gameplan is at the moment? It looked like "low possession rugby" vs the Boks but after Argentina I genuinely don't know what we're trying to do. Unless the plan is to do nothing well.

 

[Joe Blow]

What would you say the gameplan is at the moment? It looked like "low possession rugby" vs the Boks but after Argentina I genuinely don't know what we're trying to do. Unless the plan is to do nothing well.

I’m not sure either. It looks as though he intended to instil a similar plan to that which he had with England initially, and it did not work. Let’s see what he comes up with now. Defence is obviously a big issue and that needs attention.
As always the basics of catch and pass along with holding on to the pill are problems as well. Discipline too. All the hallmarks of recent Wallaby sides.

Rome wasn’t built in a day

 

[griffins]

I’m not sure either. It looks as though he intended to instil a similar plan to that which he had with England initially, and it did not work. Let’s see what he comes up with now. Defence is obviously a big issue and that needs attention.
As always the basics of catch and pass along with holding on to the pill are problems as well. Discipline too. All the hallmarks of recent Wallaby sides.

Rome wasn’t built in a day

I'm not here forthe Rennie argument I promise, but a lot of the nice detail from our attack has disappeared. We looked desperately one dimensional outside of that very clunky switch to the shortside play we ran a couple of times without success.

Defence and lack of on ball threat (besides Skelton!) are certainly longer running themes without an obvious solution.

 

[Tomthumb]

The new world ranking

Take that Wales

 

[Tomthumb]

I agree, but Rennie had them firing about as well as possible so it made no sense that they canned him.

They lost 9 tests last year

 

[Tomthumb]

Also two 20 point wins at home back to back in 2021

Also a winless European tour in 2021

 

[Tomthumb]

I'm not here forthe Rennie argument I promise, but a lot of the nice detail from our attack has disappeared. We looked desperately one dimensional outside of that very clunky switch to the shortside play we ran a couple of times without success.

Defence and lack of on ball threat (besides Skelton!) are certainly longer running themes without an obvious solution.

One guy had 3 years with them, the other has had 3 weeks

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The situation does look pretty hopeless. We’re a massive chance to 0-5 going into the RWC. We might win a couple of games there.

 

[griffins]

One guy had 3 years with them, the other has had 3 weeks

See my first sentence? I just hope the payoff is worth it.

 

[Highlander35]

At the end of the day you have a pool you should go 4 & 0 in and a quarter final that can't be against NZ, France, South Africa or Ireland.

Who knows what happens once you hit the semis.

 

[Tomthumb]

At the end of the day you have a pool you should go 4 & 0 in and a quarter final that can't be against NZ, France, South Africa or Ireland.

Who knows what happens once you hit the semis.

Exactly, England I’m 2007 and France in 2011 had no business being anywhere near the final

 

[molman]

I think the starting XV for RWC time is more or less settled in EJ (Eddie Jones) (Eddie Jones)'s head. I don't necessarily think it should be, but I anticipate a team (presuming fitness) of roughly the following

Kellaway, Nawaqanitawase, Ikitau, Kerevi, Koroibete, Cooper, White, Slipper, Porecki, AAA, Arnold, Skelton, Holloway, Hooper, Valetini.

I think then there will be two bench arrangements planned, a 5-3 consisting of:

Hooker, Bell, Tupou, Frost, Samu, McDermott, Gordon, Petaia

and a 6-2 consisting of:

Hooker, Bell, Tupou, Frost, Leota, Gleeson/McReight, McDermott, Hodge

Which leaves 7 additional spots.

Extra front row (Hooker, Gibbon, Fa'aumasili), extra lock (Phillip/Neville), extra halfback (Lonergan) and either two outside backs (Foketi & Wright) or one of those two and an extra loose forward (which may be where Eddie goes silly and picks Kemeney rather than whoever misses out on the 6-2 bench named above).

Anyone else selected will "probably" be considered injury cover.

I think this is probably not too far off, dependent upon how some of these players (Petaia/Kellaway) go with their returns from injury.

Couple this with some of those who don't make it close to hand in the Barbarians squad. At this stage there is as much a need to maintain some consistency and build cohesion, trust, systems etc. as there is to swap in players who haven't performed.

 

[molman]

I need to learn the sarcasm emoji

Nah, it was clear.

That said, I actaully agree with @stillmissit in that I'm really starting to feel the idea of a 7 pilfer role is becoming a little dated. We're not good enough over the ball 1-15 and I made a comment/observation elsewhere that you can see some of the northern teams really building those skills in their juniors such as the U20's.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I’m pretty sure the JB is saying it’s a new low for BR to pick on Koroibete for having an off night in a game that everyone else had an off night as well - except I believe for Slipper, AAA, Valetini, White, and Tom Wright apparently had a much better game than the shocker everyone else saw. I’ll give him Ikitau though, he wasn’t out there long but gutsy.

Give it a rest please KOB. You're sounding like a broken record, and I'm sure you are familiar with that.

 

[rodha]

The Lord Laurie echoes everything I have said earlier on here:

“From watching the game, I don’t know that they have great clarity themselves at the moment,” Fisher told The Roar Rugby Podcast on Tuesday of the Wallabies.

“They have a new defensive coach [Brett Hodgson] who’s never coached rugby union, hasn’t played rugby union.

“He’s obviously working on connection and kick chase and first phase. Is he also talking about what is our contest policy between the 15s, what do you do in our own 22? I saw guys having a crack, but I didn’t see a designated policy of how we’re going to get some pressure on their ball.

Fisher was asked if it might be an easy fix for Jones, but he suggested the turnover in staff made that unlikely.

“It can be simple (but) I don’t think it is with the Wallabies at the moment,” said Fisher. “There’s a lot of change in coaching personnel – new attack coach, new defence coach, new scrum coach, new maul coach, new lineout coach, new head coach. There’s a lot of change there.

“I’m not in the environment so I don’t know how the information is coming in and how that all gets shared around. I think if you had a team that were well honed in what they were doing, and you had a bad day, then it can turn around in an instant. But we’re still discovering ourselves really which is not an ideal part of where we are at the moment.”

 

[KOB1987]

The Lord Laurie echoes everything I have said earlier on here:

“From watching the game, I don’t know that they have great clarity themselves at the moment,” Fisher told The Roar Rugby Podcast on Tuesday of the Wallabies.

“They have a new defensive coach [Brett Hodgson] who’s never coached rugby union, hasn’t played rugby union.

“He’s obviously working on connection and kick chase and first phase. Is he also talking about what is our contest policy between the 15s, what do you do in our own 22? I saw guys having a crack, but I didn’t see a designated policy of how we’re going to get some pressure on their ball.

Fisher was asked if it might be an easy fix for Jones, but he suggested the turnover in staff made that unlikely.

“It can be simple (but) I don’t think it is with the Wallabies at the moment,” said Fisher. “There’s a lot of change in coaching personnel – new attack coach, new defence coach, new scrum coach, new maul coach, new lineout coach, new head coach. There’s a lot of change there.

“I’m not in the environment so I don’t know how the information is coming in and how that all gets shared around. I think if you had a team that were well honed in what they were doing, and you had a bad day, then it can turn around in an instant. But we’re still discovering ourselves really which is not an ideal part of where we are at the moment.”

What did Scott Wisemantel and Tattsy Taylor have to say? Or Dave Rennie himself even?