Wallabies 2024

[stillmissit]

I'd bring in Swain to the squad and Blyth on the bench. Hooper is not a lock and will ensure our scrum goes backwards at a faster rate. AAA if chosen, will get his backside handed to him again, he's been a good servant of the game but he is too small or not strong enough for the current players he's against. I have stated this before and received crickets or denial but I think it is obvious.
TT will be useful, not sure if Bell is fit enough yet. Nongorr on the bench or to start if Bell is still not ready.

 

[Sword of Justice]

Forgive me for writing on the game when I haven't and won't watch any of it. I've read all your comments though! I don't get Ala'alatoa's decline. He's a massive guy but so are the Bokke front row. We don't need his carrying we need his scrummaging, why has that declined? We're quite skinny in the tighthead now, especially after Pone hasn't played a season.

Calf and Achilles injuries in recent years, plus I think one more that I cannot remember.

It is just so much weight through the tendons.

 

[Wilson]

Forgive me for writing on the game when I haven't and won't watch any of it. I've read all your comments though! I don't get Ala'alatoa's decline. He's a massive guy but so are the Bokke front row. We don't need his carrying we need his scrummaging, why has that declined? We're quite skinny in the tighthead now, especially after Pone hasn't played a season.

I think he's really struggled to regain his form this season after last years injury, not too surprising for ruptured Achilles. I wouldn't be writing him off yet, but it might be a long road back to full form.

 

[Tomthumb]

Forgive me for writing on the game when I haven't and won't watch any of it. I've read all your comments though! I don't get Ala'alatoa's decline. He's a massive guy but so are the Bokke front row. We don't need his carrying we need his scrummaging, why has that declined? We're quite skinny in the tighthead now, especially after Pone hasn't played a season.

His technique has always been poor at tighthead. Used his strength to survive but since his injury last year that isn't what it once was

 

[Strewthcobber]

Forgive me for writing on the game when I haven't and won't watch any of it. I've read all your comments though! I don't get Ala'alatoa's decline. He's a massive guy but so are the Bokke front row. We don't need his carrying we need his scrummaging, why has that declined? We're quite skinny in the tighthead now, especially after Pone hasn't played a season.

He ruptured his Achilles tendon only 13 months ago

 

[stillmissit]

He ruptured his Achilles tendon only 13 months ago

A year is enough to get over that injury, particularly as a pro athlete with specialist rehab and planning. I am also not of the opinion that he is a huge guy, I saw him close up in a pre-season match against the Tahs and was surprised at his lack of size for an international prop.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Hmm it's a devastating injury which has wrecked athletes careers around the world. Don't actually think as a pro it is easier as he has higher expectations on his body than a regular weekend warrior.

Completely takes away power generation which as a Prop is a big deal. Secondary issues from limited training he can do around it as well which then effects his conditioning. Only so much upper body and hand cranks he can do.

It's an older guys injury and his pushing it uphill to get it back now. I just think his time has gone. We can't carry good blokes when losing like that sadly.

 

[Ignoto]

4. Hooper 7. Tizzano

After last week's showing, you can't have both Hooper and Tizzano in the same pack. Tizzano reminds me of M Hooper but unable to have as big of an impact.

I would be putting Blyth into the second row with Hooper or Uru at 7.

With how often the Boks slow the game down, we do not need a mobile 7 and we'd get more value out of the extra height and weight either Hooper or Uru bring.

 

[Tomthumb]

Hmm it's a devastating injury which has wrecked athletes careers around the world. Don't actually think as a pro it is easier as he has higher expectations on his body than a regular weekend warrior.

Completely takes away power generation which as a Prop is a big deal. Secondary issues from limited training he can do around it as well which then effects his conditioning. Only so much upper body and hand cranks he can do.

It's an older guys injury and his pushing it uphill to get it back now. I just think his time has gone. We can't carry good blokes when losing like that sadly.

Totally agree. Problem is they named him captain

 

[fatprop]

I understand the "theory"; plan for chop tackles with Tizzano to poach

But the chops didn't work and Tizzano was ineffective, but I don't see another solution

 

[stillmissit]

After last week's showing, you can't have both Hooper and Tizzano in the same pack. Tizzano reminds me of M Hooper but unable to have as big of an impact.

I would be putting Blyth into the second row with Hooper or Uru at 7.

With how often the Boks slow the game down, we do not need a mobile 7 and we'd get more value out of the extra height and weight either Hooper or Uru bring.

Look at how big Kwacca Smith is now. We need to compete with some weight and mobility, I would go for Uru as he strikes me as more mobile than Hooper.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I think if McReight isn't fit we just pick the best physicality option at 7 right now.

It'd be Wilkin for me and a shame Kemeny is gone overseas because I think you could push him into the jersey and just tackle everything that moves as a big athletic thing in attack.

 

[Marce]

Lmao

What's the best current XV???

1 Bell
2 Faessler
3 Tupou
4 Frost
5 Skelton
6
7 McReight
8 Valetini
9 McDermott
10 Lynagh
11 Koroibete
12 Kerevi
13 Ikitau
14 Kellaway
15 Wright
????
This team can't beat these Boks

 

[stillmissit]

Totally agree. Problem is they named him captai

I suspect Laurie would have had a say in AAA as captain. We need serious improvement in our forward performance and was surprised about the 'motherhood' statements Laurie made last week regarding our forwards, I expected some realistic evaluations of where we need to improve.

 

[LeCheese]

What's the best current XV???

1 Bell
2 Faessler
3 Tupou
4 Frost
5 Skelton
6
7 McReight
8 Valetini
9 McDermott
10 Lynagh
11 Koroibete
12 Kerevi
13 Ikitau
14 Kellaway
15 Wright
????
This team can't beat these Boks

I didn't say they could - but your comment that McReight was the only player injured/unavailable is just flat out wrong. You've even included two others in your best XV...

 

[LeCheese]

A year is enough to get over that injury, particularly as a pro athlete with specialist rehab and planning. I am also not of the opinion that he is a huge guy, I saw him close up in a pre-season match against the Tahs and was surprised at his lack of size for an international prop.

You are significantly underestimating the impact of such an injury. Excerpt from a study of pro basketballers below as an example:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214687320300054

2 out of 12 players failed to return to playing in the elite professional league following an Achilles Tendon Rupture, others returned after a mean recovery time of 10 months. When compared to players’ index Player Efficiency Ratings (PER), the mean PER reduction during the 10 games immediately following the players’ return was 7.15 (P < .000). Players on average took 1.8 seasons to reach their post-injury peak performance, with only 1 player returning to his pre-injury performance. Others suffered a mean PER reduction of 3.5 (P = .004) when compared to their index PER and 5.4 (P = .045) against their matched controls.

 

[Strewthcobber]

A year is enough to get over that injury, particularly as a pro athlete with specialist rehab and planning. I am also not of the opinion that he is a huge guy, I saw him close up in a pre-season match against the Tahs and was surprised at his lack of size for an international prop.

I don' think it is, and we have plenty of examples in Australian rugby to demonstrate it.

 

[Marce]

I didn't say they could - but your comment that McReight was the only player injured/unavailable is just flat out wrong. You've even included two others in your best XV...

That's the point. There's not too much diference between the best 23 and the last saturday team.

This was the starting XV that beat Uruguay 65-3 in 2015 RWC

1 Sio
2 Polota-Nau
3 Smith
4 Mumm
5 Skelton
6 McCalman
7 McMahon
8 Palu
9 Phipps
10 Cooper
11 Mitchell
12 To'omua
13 Speight
14 Tomane
15 Beale

This team at his prime would destroy the Schmidt's Wallabies. I remember that Cheika picked almost 2 players for each position so this was the second team, almost an Australia A in those days.

The current Wallabies starting XV can't score 65 points against Uruguay.

The main problem is that there's no more top class players in Australia. That's the ugly true. Valetini, Skelton and Koroibete are the only Aussie top class players nowadays

 

[stillmissit]

You are significantly underestimating the impact of such an injury. Excerpt from a study of pro basketballers below as an example:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214687320300054

OK if you are correct then why the hell was he playing, let alone captain of the team? Surely they are testing their strength and endurance and by the loss of strength, your post suggests he should have failed. Especially when he was up against arguably the best scrummaging team in the world.

 

[SouthernX]

That's the point. There's not too much diference between the best 23 and the last saturday team.

This was the starting XV that beat Uruguay 65-3 in 2015 RWC

1 Sio
2 Polota-Nau
3 Smith
4 Mumm
5 Skelton
6 McCalman
7 McMahon
8 Palu
9 Phipps
10 Cooper
11 Mitchell
12 To'omua
13 Speight
14 Tomane
15 Beale

This team at his prime would destroy the Schmidt's Wallabies. I remember that Cheika picked almost 2 players for each position so this was the second team, almost an Australia A in those days.

The current Wallabies starting XV can't score 65 points against Uruguay.

The main problem is that there's no more top class players in Australia. That's the ugly true. Valetini, Skelton and Koroibete are the only Aussie top class players nowadays

you can’t compare eras like this.
You’ll let nostalgia get in the way with your evaluations