Wallabies 2023

[Members Section]

Sua'ali'i was put at fullback when Tedesco was concussed in the NRL semi-final. He went ok but Souths shut his impact down. Channel 9 froth over this kid but they are all Roosters men - Gus Gould, Fred Fittler, Danny Weidler etc. So much hype. Cooper Cronk on Fox is not much better.

Eddie's main challenges are 10 (incl goal kicking) and the front row but all other positions, if all fit, we have potential to be world class.

If you can still get 12-1, take it...but Aussies now at $9.00.

As much as it would never happen watching that game my honest thoughts geez just imagine he's opposite number in a wallabies jersey, i'd take him 9 times out of 10 ahead of Sua'ali'i

 

[Slim 293]

Besides, our front row/scrum was fine until our TH (can’t remember his name) buggered his neck just before the WC.

Ben Darwin, during the 2003 RWC SF win against the AB's...

 

[TSR]

So, how many overseas picks do we think Jones will get this year?

I thought that RA were on record as having wanted to reduce the OS selections.
I’d assume he would have been pretty adamant on Koroibete and Kerevi. I’m guessing he’ll also want the option to pick Cooper and one of the OS locks (although I think it is conceivable, but unlikely he could back the locals.) He may want an OS based hooker. I reckon that’s if. 6 at the most but it is conceivable he might only go with 2.

 

[Brumbieman]

Haha yeah, nothing like a teammate assaulting you to the point of hospitalisation to help you become a team player!

I was obviously being a little hyperbolic, but a couple of good right crosses and staring up from the grass on Coogee oval at an ice cold Phil Waugh asking ‘who’s the slow old dog now?’, followed by an immediate ‘pack your bags, go back to your club and check your ego’ from the coaching staff would have done him and the whole team a world of good.
I mean ( separate incident) but what kind of management structure would allow him to be out on the piss the night before, and then sleep through, the official team photo for their major sponsor at the sports showpiece, and still be taken along?

It still enrages me how poorly Deans managed that group of players and their egos - we got about 10c on the dollar to what they all could have been.

 

[Brumbieman]

I thought that Rugby Australia were on record as having wanted to reduce the OS selections.
I’d assume he would have been pretty adamant on Koroibete and Kerevi. I’m guessing he’ll also want the option to pick Cooper and one of the OS locks (although I think it is conceivable, but unlikely he could back the locals.) He may want an OS based hooker. I reckon that’s if. 6 at the most but it is conceivable he might only go with 2.

We only need Cooper and Kerevi. Ample depth in every other position, injuries aside.
There may be other options overseas in other positions but none are so clearly ahead of the Aus based options as those two.

 

[Highlander35]

I think you'll be relatively close to open season for the world cup, but the BILs tour will be the "come back or miss out" scenario, with no more than 2 selections.

 

[KevinO]

I think the reason we all feel bad for Rennie is because he is such a nice bloke so we all sorta adopted the Kiwi. But if cheika was at 38% win rate we would have had him drawn and quartered on free to air tv

Cheika win percentage after the 2015RWC was 40%, 2016-19 was dreadful by the Wallabies.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

It still enrages me how poorly Deans managed that group of players and their egos - we got about 10c on the dollar to what they all could have been.

Perhaps he wasn't allowed to manage that group of players & their egos as you'd like him to have? He had no issue dealing with smilarly inflated egos in the Crusader & AB environments.

 

[Slim 293]

Perhaps he wasn't allowed to manage that group of players & their egos as you'd like him to have? He had no issue dealing with smilarly inflated egos in the Crusader & AB environments.

Who were the similarly inflated egos at the 'saders back then?

His time with the AB's didn't go so well...

 

[griffins]

It should be noted that Eddie somewhat controversially omitted Owen Finegan (although did include Cockbain who was probably past it) from the 2003 RWC squad which ended his test career.

This was potentially his greatest crime against Aus rugby. Look at what Finnegan had done to the Lions 2 years previously.

 

[KevinO]

*I love JOC (James O'Connor) (James O'Connor) and his redemption story has been so heartwarming - I just wish he could have been given the proper guidance/slap down he needed at the time. The 3 Amigos could have been so much more than they become if they’d been humbled a bit more early on.

Late replys, catching up on thread.

A lot of JOCs issues and horrible guidance came from his Dad thinking he was the next Larkham.

 

[drewprint]

This was potentially his greatest crime against Aus rugby. Look at what Finnegan had done to the Lions 2 years previously.

Nah, his biggest crime was he should have had the Greatest Player of All Time (a fact validated by the only opinion that really matters, ie me) Chris Latham at 15.

 

[Slim 293]

Nah, his biggest crime was he should have had the Greatest Player of All Time (a fact validated by the only opinion that really matters, ie me) Chris Latham at 15.

He did, after Roff's injury in 2004...

Latham didn't really do anything to deserve the jersey prior to that, but from that moment on he was sensational.

 

[drewprint]

He did, after Roff's injury in 2004...

Latham didn't really do anything to deserve the jersey prior to that, but from that moment on he was sensational.

I meant at the 2003 World Cup. My comment was tongue in cheek though, he was still a bit flakey during that period.

 

[drewprint]

(Although I still would have had him there in '03 over Rogers.)

 

[Slim 293]

(Although I still would have had him there in '03 over Rogers.)

It's certainly a shame that neither Roff or Latham were playing well enough that year to claim the fullback jersey, and we were left with the all-NRL convert back 3 without a decent boot on any of them... against Jonny Wilkinson.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Who were the similarly inflated egos at the 'saders back then?

His time with the AB's didn't go so well...

Well there was this long-established AB who wore 21 in the '04 Super Rugby Final having sat out a few weeks after a freak injury involving a car seat & a toddler who really, really objected to being strapped into it...

Several others (as noted in this & related threads) have recounted their version of interactions with Deans in their autobiographies. I agree Deans indulged the three amigos to a ridiculous degree at times but that just doesn't jibe with his hard-arse reputation as a Crusader/ AB coach.

Edit: agree 100% with your final observation & there's a large body of opinion (myself obviously included) who believe that part of the reason for Mitchell & Deans' failure was them trying to impose a too-drastic culture change in the time available.

 

[rodha]

It still enrages me how poorly Deans managed that group of players and their egos.

It seems Jones himself predicted the future when he penned this article 10 years ago:

Deans needs strong leadership group to control aussie troublemakers | The Rugby Site's Blog

Australia’s biggest challenge is not the Lions, but making their twitter-mouths part of a team environment argues Eddie Jones

www.therugbysite.com

 

[John S]

It's interesting listening to Eddie's interview on Gold Digger. The biggest thing I've got out of it is how he's compared what the system was like when he first coached Aus to what it is now - and that you can't coach today like you could 20 - 30 years ago. Now whether that reflects on how he actually coaches is something else.

 

[stillmissit]

Wallaby debutants under Jones. The bolded ones are ones that never played another test under another Wallaby coach.

WHo are the young cameos? Bartholomeuz, Kanaar and Mackay could be closest to that but all were deep injury covers.

Graeme Bond (debuted v SAF 2001)
Steve Kefu (v Wales 2001)
Wendell Sailor (v France 2002)
Nathan Sharpe (v France 2002)
Matt Rogers (v France 2002)
Sean Hardman (v France 2002)
Dan Vickerman (v France 2002)
Adam Freier (v Argentina 2002)
David Croft (v Argentina 2002)
Matt Giteau (v England 2002)
Mark Bartholomeuz (v ITaly 2002)
Morgan Turinui (v Ireland 2003)
Lote Tuqiri (v Ireland 2003)
Dan Heenan (v Wales 2003)
Al BAxter (v New Zealand 2003)
Matt Dunning (v Namibia 2003)
John Roe (v Namibia 2003)
Clyde Rathbone (v Scotland 2004)
Radike Samo (v Scotland 2004)
Matt Henjack (v England 2004)
Nick Henderson (v Pac Islanders 2004)
Mark Chisholm (v Scotland 2004)
Stephen Hoiles (v Scotland 2004)
Rocky Elsom (v Samoa 2005)
Stephen Moore (v Samoa 2005)
Hugh McMeniman (v Samoa 2005)
MArk Gerrard (v Italy 2005)
Al Campbell (v France 2005)
Drew Mitchell (v South Africa 2005)
Adam Ashley-Cooper (v South Africa 2005)
Al Kanaar (v New Zealand 2005)
Lloyd Johansson (v New Zealand 2005)
Lachlan Mackay (v New Zealand 2005)
Greg Holmes (v France 2005)
Tatafu Polota-Nau (v England 2005)
Scott Fava (v England 2005)
David Fitter (v Irelnd 2005)

RR, the actual time they played is important, and I have no idea how to get this. I remember a big campaign against Eddie in the SMH? due to not bringing in new blood. Eddie claimed he brought in more youngsters than any other coach before him. That is true, the bit of the puzzle that's missing is time they played.