Wallabies 2025

[Major Tom]

Follow up question. 70th minute of the first lion's test. We have a goal line scrum on our line, and we are defending a 1 point leader.

Ellis Genge packing down for the Lions

Who will Schmidt want at TH at that particular moment in time?

Anyone that can highlight Genge angling in. He got away with it so much last time he toured Aus.
But yes, I'd want Tupou there in a heartbeat!

 

[TSR]

Follow up question. 70th minute of the first lion's test. We have a goal line scrum on our line, and we are defending a 1 point leader.

Ellis Genge packing down for the Lions

Who will Schmidt want at TH at that particular moment in time?

I don’t actually think Tupou’s scrummaging is that exceptional at the moment. It’s from my view the Tahs scrum hasn’t been any better than passable. Both the Reds scrum & Brumbies scrum appear to be giving oppositions more trouble.

Tupou isn’t going to go backwards - and I completely get that’s largely the point but most loose heads seem to be handling him okay.

Maybe I’m not watching closely and I’m happy for anyone to post stats which show I’m wrong. I’d be happy to be wrong.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I don’t actually think Tupou’s scrummaging is that exceptional at the moment. It’s from my view the Tahs scrum hasn’t been any better than passable. Both the Reds scrum & Brumbies scrum appear to be giving oppositions more trouble.

Tupou isn’t going to go backwards - and I completely get that’s largely the point but most loose heads seem to be handling him okay.

Maybe I’m not watching closely and I’m happy for anyone to post stats which show I’m wrong. I’d be happy to be wrong.

The Tahs have the worst second row in the comp so from a front row discussion it's kind of meaningless.....

 

[Sully]

Anyone that can highlight Genge angling in. He got away with it so much last time he toured Aus.
But yes, I'd want Tupou there in a heartbeat!

Oh good, games. One minute to go and the Lions have a lineout on the 22 metre line. Which tighthead prop do you want to watch them truck it 22 metres to score while jogging beside them?

 

[Wilson]

Oh good, games. One minute to go and the Lions have a lineout on the 22 metre line. Which tighthead prop do you want to watch them truck it 22 metres to score while jogging beside them?

In that hypothetical it doesn't make much difference which tight head we pick, the rest of the pack are equally responsible for the failure.

More broadly, I don't think enough tightheads have pushed past the value current day pot plant Tupou offers, even if that's a big dip on his peak form. I do think it'll count significantly against him for contract negotiations and Rugby Championship selection, but for the Lions tour I expect he'll still be in the first 23. How they use him might have to change, but there's also plenty of time for it to click for him between then and now.

 

[Adam84]

Follow up question. 70th minute of the first lion's test. We have a goal line scrum on our line, and we are defending a 1 point leader.

Ellis Genge packing down for the Lions

Who will Schmidt want at TH at that particular moment in time?

70th minute… Tupou was struggling to make 40mins in test rugby last year

 

[Adam84]

In that hypothetical it doesn't make much difference which tight head we pick, the rest of the pack are equally responsible for the failure.

More broadly, I don't think enough tightheads have pushed past the value current day pot plant Tupou offers, even if that's a big dip on his peak form. I do think it'll count significantly against him for contract negotiations and Rugby Championship selection, but for the Lions tour I expect he'll still be in the first 23. How they use him might have to change, but there's also plenty of time for it to click for him between then and now.

To be honest it’s his error rate, loose carries and penalties which are an issue currently. If he was just scrummaging and tackling it would be less of an issue, that’s where some of these other props are performing better.

Yeah that might be harsh, but he is getting paid to a high standard so people are holding him to that.

 

[Wilson]

To be honest it’s his error rate, loose carries and penalties which are an issue currently. If he was just scrummaging and tackling it would be less of an issue, that’s where some of these other props are performing better.

Yeah that might be harsh, but he is getting paid to a high standard so people are holding him to that.

I don't necessarily disagree on his error rate, but if that's what Schmidt is working with he can simply not use him as a carry option. The scrum value is still there. The penalties are probably the bigger worry though, that's where he potentially becomes a liability.

He's set to be rested this week or next, I wonder if he might come back via the bench to put the rocket up and see if the tahs can get more out of him. Will require a big step up from Botha and/or Amone for that to work though, outside of the first round performance from Amone, neither have looked particularly good this year.

 

[Strewthcobber]

70th minute… Tupou was struggling to make 40mins in test rugby last year

Coming on at 18 for AAA in this hypothetical

 

[dru]

Follow up question. 70th minute of the first lion's test. We have a goal line scrum on our line, and we are defending a 1 point leader.

Ellis Genge packing down for the Lions

Who will Schmidt want at TH at that particular moment in time?

So you've been setting up a gotcha?

I'm completely with whoever is called onto the bench. For me right now it's not Tupou even if he makes the squad. I wish Tupou was on form but he isn't. Our depth at prop has not been as strong as this for as long as I can remember.

But your gotcha has morphed into who Schmidt wants. You'd have to ask Joe, but right now if he is looking at form it isn't Tupou. imo. What I'd hope is that Schmidt gives Tupou a right kick up the arse in an attempt to start getting the bloke focussed and serious. What happens next is up to Tupou. What I really really do NOT want is Tupou listening to social media threads suggesting he is locked in due to creative hypotheticals.

Tupou sorts his shit out and he is starting. Not #18 but #3. But he does have to actually do that, not simply ride on his background.

Me personally, I'm not selecting him right now, what Joe does is a different matter entirely.

 

[Major Tom]

To be honest it’s his error rate, loose carries and penalties which are an issue currently. If he was just scrummaging and tackling it would be less of an issue, that’s where some of these other props are performing better.

Yeah that might be harsh, but he is getting paid to a high standard so people are holding him to that.

The fact remains, he shores up the wallabies scrum better than any other TH we have. I’m happy to go with Nongorr if he can do the same but frankly it’s a risk (we struggled against SA last year). Id have him coming off the bench that’s where I think he probably played his best test.

 

[Major Tom]

Oh good, games. One minute to go and the Lions have a lineout on the 22 metre line. Which tighthead prop do you want to watch them truck it 22 metres to score while jogging beside them?

Has he got a history of not pushing against a rolling maul or is just that one time a couple of weeks ago?
If that’s the case I’d take those odds that he would get into the maul.
I’d also basking Williams, Uru and Skelton to swim through the middle to stop it.
But this whole exercise is basically do we think our scrum can handle the lions scrum? AAA can manage alright, Nongorr probably can too nowadays too and De Lutis I back to last 10mins with skeleton behind him and BPA next to him. Robertson will get absolutely folded. But Tupou has proven he can more than handle it. Anyways, I think we’re worrying about the wrong side of the scrum.

 

[Adam84]

The fact remains, he shores up the wallabies scrum better than any other TH we have. I’m happy to go with Nongorr if he can do the same but frankly it’s a risk (we struggled against SA last year). Id have him coming off the bench that’s where I think he probably played his best test.

I've said a few times he will be in the B&I Squad...
But that's not without its criticisms if he continues to do loose carries, give away penalties and just stupid/lazy stuff outside the scrum at Super Rugby level. Test rugby needs props to be able to do more than just scrum these days, or very least they can't be a liability outside the scrum.

 

[TSR]

I agree that Tupou remains the surest bet in the scrums.

I’ll admit I’m concerned with some of his ill discipline at the moment we may get to see how that scenario with the driving lineout plays out.

 

[BDA]

One of the issues with tupou is that with his current fitness you cant really put him on the bench...if your starting tight head goes down in the first 20 mins he's just not going to get over the finish line. Your best bet is to get 35 45 mins out of him until he runs out of gas. But honestly he's totally capable of that if he pulls his finger out and is motivated and if anything is going to motivate him its gonna be a lions series (and schmidt).

 

[Mr Pilfer]

Who cares about the scrum Robertson’s runaway try on the weekend should get him the gig

Loving the depth in second row and back row this year and now we have 3 fly half’s who I think are test standard

 

[HogansHeros]

Who cares about the scrum Robertson’s runaway try on the weekend should get him the gig

Was having dunning flashbacks

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Oh good, games. One minute to go and the Lions have a lineout on the 22 metre line. Which tighthead prop do you want to watch them truck it 22 metres to score while jogging beside them?

Our ball or their ball for the lineout? If it's our ball, we overthrow the lineout confidently and Marcus Smith dives on it. Lions rumbled four phases tic tacking about a 5m gain when advantage is called for Offside and we all know Rugby advantage never ends until someone scores these days.


Smith slots the goal to take the score to Lions 31 Wallabies 15

 

[John S]

Was having dunning flashbacks

As long as he doesn't try a droppy

 

[dru]

Who cares about the scrum Robertson’s runaway try on the weekend should get him the gig

Loving the depth in second row and back row this year and now we have 3 fly half’s who I think are test standard

I do understand the enthusiasm, but .... A Hooker must first have excellent competence at the line out, a THP must first have excellence in anchoring the scrum. [For what it's worth, Robertson would be in my WB squad and ahead of Tupou right now, but he still must lock the scrum.]

One of the issues with tupou is that with his current fitness you cant really put him on the bench...if your starting tight head goes down in the first 20 mins he's just not going to get over the finish line. Your best bet is to get 35 45 mins out of him until he runs out of gas. But honestly he's totally capable of that if he pulls his finger out and is motivated and if anything is going to motivate him its gonna be a lions series (and schmidt).

I don't know. The Springbok bomb squad is not (primarily) designed for backing up possible early injuries. It's a risk, but how much?

I realise my reticence at the moment to include Tupou is kind of contrarian. My main issue is that he really needs to prove and to demonstrate his pay cheque let alone WB selection. My secondary issue is that Australian rugby is actually reasonably well served with decent props in 2025 so we don't actually need to make compromised selections. I suspect that as we approach the end of the SPR season I'll be looking back to today and wondering what the issue was. Hope so.