Wallabies 2023

[Bullrush]

If anyone is interested, watch the second half of the latest Aoteroa Rugby Pod on Stan with James Parsons and Bryn Hall. They spend a couple of minutes giving their thoughts on the Wallabies game and just where the team is in general.

I think these guys have great takes on rugby.

Oh - Beaden Barrett drops in for an interview which I think is pretty good too

 

[qwerty51]

If anyone is interested, watch the second half of the latest Aoteroa Rugby Pod on Stan with James Parsons and Bryn Hall. They spend a couple of minutes giving their thoughts on the Wallabies game and just where the team is in general.

I think these guys have great takes on rugby.

Oh - Beaden Barrett drops in for an interview which I think is pretty good too

is it positive or negative before I watch?

 

[qwerty51]

He may not be better then McReight, but his a better pilfer and line out option. So might be a better balance for the backrower. When you carry Skelton you need two backrowers who are good line out options.

Ireland, France are playing with 4 options most of the time now.

Yep after Gleeson I had Wilkin as our second best 7 option

 

[Mr Pilfer]

Yep after Gleeson I had Wilkin as our second best 7 option

I really hope they start gleeson at 7 next week, that will be something to look forward to

 

[Bullrush]

is it positive or negative before I watch?

It’s neither. It’s just honest analysis of where they think the Wallabies are doing wrong as well as what they can be happy about.

 

[upthereds#!]

Not me. Not when we have a RWC in 4 years at home. Blood them if they’re good enough. Especially in the halves.

They are being blooded - Lolesio given plenty of chances, Donaldson had his and is in teh squad and now Gordon is getting his shots.

Lonergan replaced Gordon and Mcdermott is getting plenty of goes.

I'd say the halves ARE being blooded. Slowly, as is best.

 

[Linerunner2023]

Abit of common sense with Aus A and under 20s filtering back to club rugby now
Looking at some teams across Shute shield, QPR and JDC there is plenty of super rugby players, wallabies and Aus a guys back! And some from japan and MLR back in Aus
Perhaps guys like Donaldson and pietsch having not played and most likely not should also get a game or two in club rugby! Same with Suli

NZ do it well sending guys back to club rugby to play and get game time

 

[molman]

They are being blooded - Lolesio given plenty of chances, Donaldson had his and is in teh squad and now Gordon is getting his shots.

Lonergan replaced Gordon and Mcdermott is getting plenty of goes.

I'd say the halves ARE being blooded. Slowly, as is best.

Even players like Zane Nonggorr who is obviously not there yet, but now knows what the gap is and could be in the discussion in 4 years time. A lot more players getting a run through the A's program against Japan, the Pacific Islands etc.. again giving them a feel for not only the next level, but what it's like to travel, be thrown together with new players and have to find cohension, trust, implement new systems etc. in sometimes small time frames.

 

[Wallaby Man]

Abit of common sense with Aus A and under 20s filtering back to club rugby now
Looking at some teams across Shute shield, QPR and JDC there is plenty of super rugby players, wallabies and Aus a guys back! And some from japan and MLR back in Aus
Perhaps guys like Donaldson and pietsch having not played and most likely not should also get a game or two in club rugby! Same with Suli

NZ do it well sending guys back to club rugby to play and get game time

Lol NZ players play less club rugby than we do. They play NPC and the very occasional club game if there is strangely a week with no Super Rugby or NPC.

Can we just stop this narrative? Australian players play more amateur rugby than any other country.

 

[SouthernX]

Lol NZ players play less club rugby than we do. They play NPC and the very occasional club game if there is strangely a week with no Super Rugby or NPC.

Can we just stop this narrative? Australian players play more amateur rugby than any other country.

Sure about that statement?

Even if it’s true - the kiwis do a way better job (albeit with a better supported media) of letting everyone know AB#*** turned out to his local club on weekend and donned the jersey of club ****

 

[stillmissit]

Modern packs have evolved a lot. The footwork, agility and ball skills of modern forwards is pretty impressive. Think about some of the things players like Bell, Tupou etc. do in comparison to some of the players of yore.

The need to win collisions, the gain line coupled with the reduced ball in play time, changes to bench players etc. has been edging many teams towards a power game over the years. Lots of large powerful packs coupled with fleet and dynamic backs currently dominating.

As it should be, it was always what teams were aiming/hoping for. You need to allow for very fast backs with great foot speed that will beat a Jonah Lomu One on One nearly every time. Mind you they will get run over by him as well....

 

[Wallaby Man]

Sure about that statement?

Even if it’s true - the kiwis do a way better job (albeit with a better supported media) of letting everyone know AB#*** turned out to his local club on weekend and donned the jersey of club ****

Absolutely sure of it. They don’t promote it any more than we do, they just don’t promote untruths about players not turning up and key personalities in their rugby community surely don’t bitch about it like ours do.

If you trawl through the SS and Premier grade sides each week, it is littered with Super Rugby players that includes during the Super Rugby season. Obviously there is some players not involved but that more because they are carrying injuries or are held back as a game day reserve like a 5th prop in case one goes down in a warm up.

At this stage of the season, almost every non wallaby aligned Super Rugby player is playing for their club for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile the kiwi Super Rugby players have been in NPC preseason mode and will be playing NPC for the remainder of the season. Yes some of them still turn out for their club on occasion but someone like Jock Campbell will play for his club 10 times this season.

Id go as far as saying over a season Aus Super Rugby total club caps would triple what the NZ Super Rugby total caps would be.

During the season someone on the roar moaned about it on a Brett McKay article and Brett listed almost 15 players from the Tahs squad and wider squad that played club rugby that previous week.

 

[stillmissit]

He may not be better then McReight, but his a better pilfer and line out option. So might be a better balance for the backrower. When you carry Skelton you need two backrowers who are good line out options.

Ireland, France are playing with 4 options most of the time now.

Kevin, At the moment we have Holloway and Valetini one runs the lineout and the other is an option jumper. Our issue is not the lack of a big 7 (although I would like one, Wright?) the issue is the limited number of our team that can pilfer. The French are a great example of a pilfering team they have a centre name? who is as good a pilferer as I have seen.

 

[stillmissit]

Lol NZ players play less club rugby than we do. They play NPC and the very occasional club game if there is strangely a week with no Super Rugby or NPC.

Can we just stop this narrative? Australian players play more amateur rugby than any other country.

This has always been the case in NZ. 50 years ago when I played there our captain, who was also the AB captain, played about 3-4 games for us during the season. If not with AB's, Canterbury etc then he would play for us.

 

[SouthernX]

I agree with your statement @Wallaby Man from a super rugby player perspective but I thought the argument was ABs vs Wallabies. ABs have the depth they can allow Ardie Sevea to go back play for his local club… rugby australia not afforded that luxury because they don’t trust their depth.

 

[molman]

As it should be, it was always what teams were aiming/hoping for. You need to allow for very fast backs with great foot speed that will beat a Jonah Lomu One on One nearly every time. Mind you they will get run over by him as well....

You always wanted parity, but the ball in play time and deliberate slowing of pace through transitions coupled with with modern defence systems such as the blitz have seen things probably swing towards a more power game with the top tier teams such as France, SA for example. We saw this also with NZ last weekend and the impact of a player like Frizell.

I like the laws that are trying to speed things up, thought there still seems to be some inconsistency with application.

 

[stillmissit]

You always wanted parity, but the ball in play time and deliberate slowing of pace through transitions coupled with with modern defence systems such as the blitz have seen things probably swing towards a more power game with the top tier teams such as France, SA for example. We saw this also with NZ last weekend and the impact of a player like Frizell.

I like the laws that are trying to speed things up, thought there still seems to be some inconsistency with application.

Agree regarding speeding things up but the number of resets of scrum hasn't changed much and that is a major area slowing the game down.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Even players like Zane Nonggorr who is obviously not there yet, but now knows what the gap is and could be in the discussion in 4 years time. A lot more players getting a run through the A's program against Japan, the Pacific Islands etc.. again giving them a feel for not only the next level, but what it's like to travel, be thrown together with new players and have to find cohension, trust, implement new systems etc. in sometimes small time frames.

Completely agree. As grim as things look now, the 20's programme over the last few years has produced some good to excellent players, the A side being back up and running provides elite level game time and the hook up with Japan means that our boys get to do more of what they need: playing footy against good opposition with varying game styles.

 

[Bullrush]

Lol NZ players play less club rugby than we do. They play NPC and the very occasional club game if there is strangely a week with no Super Rugby or NPC.

Can we just stop this narrative? Australian players play more amateur rugby than any other country.

It’s not comparing apples to apples though. In Australia, club rugby is the step down from Super Rugby. NZ has the NPC in between club and Super Rugby so NZ rugby players aren’t as likely to go two steps ‘down’ to play club.

 

[kiap]

It’s not comparing apples to apples though. In Australia, club rugby is the step down from Super Rugby. NZ has the NPC in between club and Super Rugby so NZ rugby players aren’t as likely to go two steps ‘down’ to play club.

That just backs Wallaby Man's point.

He's precisely saying NZ players play less club ... because they've got other better options.