Wallabies Tri Nations

[#1 Tah]

just back from watching Souths play Gold Coast. Slipper and Daley prominent in a strong Gold Coast scrum. Daley off after about 50. Don't think he was injured.

Ant Fainga'a excellent for Souths. Cooper came on at half time and was brilliant. Set up three tries with beautiful cut out passes and scored a cracker stepping through the defence. Three conversions too. 2 from out wide (one from the left touch line and one from the right touch line), and one from in front.

Went to Uni V Para today, Burgo had another good game, Huxley had a blinder, Dennis was good, Yanayanatawa and Tilse did well and Whittiker had a few good runs. Trist, Mitchell, Hodge and Carter were great. TPN was giving the post match talk to Para and said he had fun. I spoke to him afterwards and said he had done his ankle again, and was scrummaging on one foot at the end. He is getting surgery week after next. After the game they all got into a massive huddle and congratulated each other. I managed to get a photo from my phone after the huddle, but while they were still talking.

 

[RugbyReg]

is that Tommy Carter refusing to be a part of it and walking away?

 

[chief]

After how Ma'a Nonu has played in tonight's match. Giteau and Cooper are not the guys to combat him. We need Cooper so give me Fainga'a to counter it any day. The All Blacks are worrying.

 

[#1 Tah]

is that Tommy Carter refusing to be a part of it and walking away?

no, he turned around and went back after he realised what they were doing

 

[daz]

After how Ma'a Nonu has played in tonight's match. Giteau and Cooper are not the guys to combat him. We need Cooper so give me Fainga'a to counter it any day. The All Blacks are worrying.

Agree. The ABs look the goods. Again. As usual. The bastards.

But you know, watching the game tonight I started wondering if I had got this prediction wrong on the Boks walking off with the trophy. Sure the Boks have good strength and physicality but how many times tonight did those dancing AB feet twinkle on through the defensive line? Without possesion, they had nothing. They couldn't counter and by the 50th minute they were out on their feet. Run/tackle/run/tackle.

Go for parity with the fronts and let the backs do their thing. The main thing will be the backs ability to read QC (Quade Cooper). With Genia and Ant Finger on either side to pick the lines and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) running at speed out wide, plus Higgers/Mcalman/Elsom/Pocock hitting the breakdown hard to keep the Boks on the back foot, well, it could be beatiful to watch. It sure as hell worked for the ABs tonight. I wonder if the Boks are a bit one-dimensional. I guess we will find out.

On the other hand, the million dollar Men of Gold might not show up, in which case it could be messy.....

 

[Langthorne]

A little point about Palu Vs Brown. Are we sure Palu would be preferred if he was available? Most posters here would, but it is not certain. There have been many tests where Brown was preferred over Palu, when Palu was avialable.

 

[TOCC]

Jim Williams was up at the Sunnybank vs Norths game to watch Rob Simmons play, but Leroy Houston turned in a star performance apparently with a match winning try as well.

If it werent for so many backrowers in the squad already i would have thought Houston might stand a chance, wonder who they are looking at then, maybe another prop?

 

[Reddy!]

I wonder if the Boks are a bit one-dimensional. I guess we will find out.

Really? I thought the Bokke are famous for one dimensional play, it's their strength. When executed perfectly, which they can, it's the perfect game plan for the big tournament matches. However, you are right in that if their game plan gets beaten, they don't have a plan B.

Anyway, I'd just like to throw in that Bakkies Botha is a massive tool, doesn't play in the spirit of the game. I'm not quite sure what he is trying to prove, everyone knows he is a hard, tough footballer.

 

[fatprop]

Really? I thought the Bokke are famous for one dimensional play, it's their strength. When executed perfectly, which they can, it's the perfect game plan for the big tournament matches. However, you are right in that if their game plan gets beaten, they don't have a plan B.

Anyway, I'd just like to throw in that Bakkies Botha is a massive tool, doesn't play in the spirit of the game. I'm not quite sure what he is trying to prove, everyone knows he is a hard, tough footballer.

I disagree, the Boks can play tight or chuck it around (that is A & B to me). They have taken us apart on numerous occasions using A & B.

 

[Reddy!]

Geez, Reddy!, everything isn't Qld vs the World FFS.

With posts like that, sometimes it feels like it

Haha but yeh I was just teasing Farva, he is a world famous Western Force fanatic over at PR, everyone knows that.


I reckon if Deans is going to play some of these young Reds players in the Tri-Nations, he should do it for the Bok test at Suncorp where they hopefully won't be too much out of their depth (Suncorp being their home ground and having beaten the Bulls and Stormers there). If it goes tits up, revert to experience for the All Blacks.

 

[Reddy!]

I disagree, the Boks can play tight or chuck it around (that is A & B to me). They have taken us apart on numerous occasions.

Touche.

 

[#1 Tah]

I have come to the conclusion that the boks are easy to beat. Counter attack, get on the front foot early and dominate at the set piece. They dont have a back up plan, and if they want to play running rugby, Beale, JOC (James O'Connor), AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Ioane will tear them a new one. (so would Turner and Mitchell)

 

[Joe Blow]

I have come to the conclusion that the boks are easy to beat. Counter attack, get on the front foot early and dominate at the set piece. They dont have a back up plan, and if they want to play running rugby, Beale, JOC (James O'Connor), AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Ioane will tear them a new one. (so would Turner and Mitchell)

That's the spirit!

Hope you are right.

 

[cyclopath]

I have come to the conclusion that the boks are easy to beat. Counter attack, get on the front foot early and dominate at the set piece. They dont have a back up plan, and if they want to play running rugby, Beale, JOC (James O'Connor), AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Ioane will tear them a new one. (so would Turner and Mitchell)

Nice thought, but I reckon, Habana, Fourie, JDV (in position), Aplon, Kirschner (who did well last night in this facet I thought) and others would be quite capable of dishing out the counter-attack. They stuck stubbornly to a failing game plan last night and were rightly reamed by the Blecks. All Blacks ran hard, with intent all night. They attacked from close to the ruck from depth, and wide from depth too. Apart from Cowan there was precious little aimless kicking from them, as opposed to high ball after high ball from the Bokke, with a few "I have no idea what the fuck to do so I'll have a long range droppie attempt" type plays from Steyn.
I would be dismayed if we play the same idiotic kicking patterns as last year - we don't do it well, our lineout is not that good, and our kick chase is usually insipid at best. We have some good broken play runners, use them, but look how the Blecks used them. Watch the linking game of McCaw - just superb. Kaino, Read, Donnelly and Thorn hit everything, and backed up. Of course it helps if your 12 is a huge mofo who runs straight, can pass and even kick occasionally, as opposed to the Crustacean we have. (Or Arthropod for the pedants).

 

[RugbyReg]

Jim Williams was up at the Sunnybank vs Norths game to watch Rob Simmons play, but Leroy Houston turned in a star performance apparently with a match winning try as well.

If it werent for so many backrowers in the squad already i would have thought Houston might stand a chance, wonder who they are looking at then, maybe another prop?

How did Greg Holmes play? I see he scored a double!

 

[Scarfman]

Both teams looked better than we have played this year. But all is not lost. The ABs showed us how to beat the Boks - tire them out. If we defend well for the first 20 minutes of each half, we might see some spaces opening out wide. And the other good thing is that we are always in with a chance to beat the ABs at wide vs wide. Put some points on them early, and they tend to get rattled.

Unfortunately, if these teams continue to hit the tackle area like last night, and we continue to hit the tackle area the way we have, we won't win a game.

 

[matty_k]

If I was Robbie I'd be speaking to Link. It sounds like the exact game plan the Reds used against the Bulls.

 

[RedsHappy]

If I was Robbie I'd be speaking to Link. It sounds like the exact came plan the Reds used against the Bulls.

matty_k. Yes. The ABs game plan last night had some notable similarities to that used by the Reds v Bulls. And some similar impacts: Bulls forwards tired badly as Reds held so much possession, Bulls defence started to crack in second half, lots of dynamic wide play by Reds wasn't matched by Bulls backs, etc. The Reds game plan was both right and just as importantly, was executed right.

I came away from last night more optimistic that we can beat the Boks again at Suncorp, but less hopeful that we'll win one game against the ABs unless we improve dramatically in almost all departments vs the June displays.

 

[Reddy!]

And the other good thing is that we are always in with a chance to beat the ABs at wide vs wide. Put some points on them early, and they tend to get rattled.

Except for those 5 times in the last 2 years where they came from behind to win, hey?

 

[Scarfman]

Good point.