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Wallabies 2023

Namerican

Bill Watson (15)
I don't think White went rogue and decided to run his own show. He would have been doing what he was told.

We've long past the days where the nine can select on their own, willy nilly, whether to pass or kick. They make that decision at times, but the overall preference has been passed down to them by the coaches. If White disregarded that he'd be pulled from the lineup and they'd replace him with a guy that follows instructions.
 

stillmissit

Peter Johnson (47)
I find it really interesting that it's our pivots or backs that always get so much focus when people start talking player musical chairs but it's up front where the game is won and the platform set. I have this perpetual feeling that we really undervalue our forwards in Australia.
This is very true and one of the real weaknesses in our rugby {apart from McQueens time). Forwards win matches the backs decide the score is true.
When I arrived in Australia from NZ it shocked me that what I had learnt in SA and NZ about controlling the ball and how to win it back were not practised in Aust. Tight scrummaging and broken play were very different.
It has improved a lot since that time but we still take little interest in the tough stuff done by forwards.
 

Highlander35

Steve Williams (59)
I can tell you the guy I was speaking to knows more about rugby and the players involved than Slim Pickings and all his wet behind the ears mates put together.

I appreciate your commentary, but to be frank, by not dropping a name (or alternatively, confirming that they are currently part of the National/State set ups or pathways), all you've said is that an elder statesman, who has been involved in high performance rugby at some point during his career, thinks we should pick the nippy running halfback and move the big islander winger to the centers.

There would be at least half a dozen blokes who've had one too many at virtually every rugby function who would spout the same.
 

Linerunner2023

Watty Friend (18)
What’s the process now with Aus a game done? No more games scheduled after this week will jones just pick a 40 odd man squad to keep going?
will Aus a players now go back to club rugby unless called upon?
only one to come in def will be tupou
Wilson, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Neville may come in! IFL looked good, Folau Fainga'a or Lonergan a chance only as there is no good hookers
 

whitefalcon

Ron Walden (29)
Dunno about big chance you'd assume Longeran, McDermott and White are top 3 (if we take 3). If one of them get injured then he could be in.
I'm surprised Lonergan isn't on the bench this weekend. You'd think it would be the perfect time to make a debut if he is a chance for the RWC. Maybe Eddie is only going to take two halves?
 

rodha

Dave Cowper (27)

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Does anyone believe a metric regarding the % wins for a specific player in a team effort of 23 people is anything other than a convenient data point to use to either promote a player someone likes, or condemn one they don't?
There are so many variables in a rugby Test, it just sounds like a nonsense to me.
It certainly wouldn't fly in a scientific statistical analysis.
 

Brumby Runner

Jason Little (69)
I'm not sure. Regardless whether we opt for that tactic to that degree again our kicking needs to be a lot better. Box kicking and kicking for territory will always be an important part of the game.

White wasn't great. He kicked 14 times and few of them were good.

Cooper kicked 7 times, Hodge 3, Ikitau 1 and our back three only kicked 3 times between them.

More of the box kicks needed to be contestable.
I don't think the kicks were all necessarily non contestable. Many times the chasers just stood back about 5 - 10 metres rather than getting up to contest the ball. As a tactic, it failed for whatever reason, but it certainly looked to me that the plan was to allow the kick to be received and then to put the catcher away in a quick tackle/ruck situation but it just didn't happen. Incidentally, I would guess that all of Nic White's kicks were from first phase, certainly the majority of them and some of Quade's too. Just too much kicking away possession without even attempting to do anything with it. Box kicking (in the right parts of the field), and kicking for territory are certainly part of the game, but should not be the main component as it was against the Saffas. Ball in hand is when you score points if you are good enough.
 

Brumby Runner

Jason Little (69)
In this game I think most of them were just poorly executed. They were going way too deep to allow us to compete for the ball. A telling factor was that only a couple of them allowed us to lay a tackle immediately (the next best thing after being able to compete for the ball).



I don't think this was because they ran it from everywhere instead. It's primarily because most of South Africa's long kicks were to touch not keeping the ball in play. They combined contestable kicks with kicks for touch.

We only kicked twice more than South Africa (and that includes the Gordon grubber at the end etc.) but most people's perception of the game was probably that we kicked the ball way more than South Africa did.

Not at all BH. Our kicks were mostly on first, second or third phase so we had very little time in possession (37% I believe). The Saffas did a whole shitload more with the ball before they kicked, or actually scored tries when they ran it. No surprise at all that the kicking stats are somewhat equal. The issue is what the respective sides did with the ball when thay had it.
 

Sir Arthur Higgins

Dick Tooth (41)
I came across this on reddit, as you said every coach since Deans had suffered the same systemic problems - what makes them think he'd do any better with the current Wallabies than Rennie did?

https://www.reddit.com/r/RugbyAustralia/comments/14wlqn6
Deans was a great coach and I’ve said before he was much maligned by people on this thread and in aus rugby press for preaching “we’ve got to play what’s in front of us”
He was a great coach and still is it seems!
Lions loss hurt admittedly.
 

Shiggins

Simon Poidevin (60)
I see this all too often. Jake Gordan could have got to this ball first but pulls out like he is worried about the Tongan player coming in. Maybe it's the way his body was and he didn't have the strength to reach but it doesn't look good. Our players don't seem to play for the jersey sometimes.
 

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cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
I see this all too often. Jake Gordan could have got to this ball first but pulls out like he is worried about the Tongan player coming in. Maybe it's the way his body was and he didn't have the strength to reach but it doesn't look good. Our players don't seem to play for the jersey sometimes.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
This is not one of those times.



WTF are we supposed to glean from a blurred stillshot??:rolleyes:
 
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