Wallabies v All Blacks, Sat 27th October 4.45pm AEDT, Nissan Stadium, Japan

[Joe Blow]

Our problem is above the neck. Cool heads win games. We push passes , we rush one out in defence. we miss tackles from pre empting attack lines. We are as skilful as them, we just have to get our heads right and find two more speedsters.

I thought both our wingers were great and will play a big part in the next 12 months.
Simmons had a good game. He’s a big lad and he has skills. Rodda had maybe his worst game in gold.

Have to say TTs form has dropped off lately. You barely notice hm out there. Could be having TPN alongside him will help at scrum time?
Surprisingly, for me any way, Kerevi was excellent when he came on but pushed a few passes. He made some big hits and was a handful for the defence.

 

[Muzza]

The ongoing selection of Ned Hanigan and the selection of Jack Dempsey epitomises what's wrong with Australian Rugby and the Wallabies.

Ned Hanigan has now been given 18 caps - so many more than so many better players. Learn your stripes in Super Rugby and NRC young man. No-one deserves such a free ride.

Jack Dempsey has worked hard to return from serious injury but should never have been picked for this game or the Spring Tour.

Thanks World Series Rugby for giving us a focus for this great game while RA keep fiddling while Rome burns.

The RS Board should read up on Seppuku.

I don’t think Dempsey should have been there due to how bad his injury was but I thought he was actually pretty good
I

 

[Kenny Powers]

Poite is an absolute joke as a referee, no credibility absolute zero. They have a tough job referees but the guy has zero credibility and even less integrity.

Latu gets a yellow card for open palm push to the face? Lets go back in time........ and who was the referee?

Not even a penalty!

Chekia has every right to be cranky and rightly ask questions of World Rugby.

 

[ForceFan]

Chekia has every right to be cranky and rightly ask questions of World Rugby.

Australian rugby fans have every right to be cranky and rightly ask questions of Rugby Australia.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

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[Dctarget]

Is that Tupou hitting him? These lads need to work out that keeping your temper is part of the game. If you lash out the opposition is beating you.

 

[Dan54]

Wondered if anyone noticed that DP. Certainly wasn't noticed by the coomentators on Fox, and I actually wondered if I had seen that! Seems Taylor got 2 hits in the face.

 

[Derpus]

No one played badly besides Poite but eh thats par for the course these days. The Auckland pub i was in was distinctly unimpressed with the yawn inducing yellow.

Thought the ABs were off their best, as if it mattered.

 

[zer0]

I missed it live, but am glad that Taylor's sledging mental disintegration was provoked rather than of his own accord, as I had first thought. I don't recall him being the sort that gets involved in that kind of carry-on (unlike Coles), so it certainly did seem unusual. The slap also wasn't a yellow card offence.

Overall this match felt a bit meh after the 100 minute victory of the good guys over the evil empire in the NPC final. That switch move off the scrum was sexy, though. Wish we'd try more of that. Big Karl and Laulala alos put the pedal to the metal at the scrums too, which I liked. They obviously have the power at full squad strength, so would also like to see some more offensive scrummaging going forward. Now if we had Akira running off that scrum.....

 

[Lorenzo]

Is it me or is Fox Sports getting worse?

Tonight they pushed this idea that the ABs scoring loads of points is a given, and that we therefore need loads + 1 in order to win. Horan was throwing it around, as was Greg Clarke. 'm not sure why they think it's so much easier to score lots than defend well, but.....

In the years 2000 through 2018, the ABs have 31 losses from their 240 matches. When they manage to score 30 or more, they have lost THREE tests. So the overwhelming majority of their losses have come when they are held to less than 30. The average score in their losses is 22-28. Average score when they lose to the wallabies is 18-24. In fact, the wallabies scored enough tonight to win 9 of the 12 tests we have either won or drawn this century.

Clearly in the first two tests we didn't score enough points, and you can't separate Attack and Defence in rugby in the same fashion that you can do in say, American Football, but it seems clear to me that the Defence is by some margin our biggest issue. Go some way towards fixing that and we are a fair way towards being back in business.

 

[Getwithme]

The annoying part about referee's like the one today was that he lacked consistency except with set piece. You either pick the penalty all the way through the game or you don't. Rugby Union is a pretty complex game in itself and it's just so frustrating watching the same infringement happen multiple times for it to only be penalised maybe once.

Angus Gardner is really good at it. Today just was so frustrating and makes me want to turn off.

 

[gel]

Clearly in the first two tests we didn't score enough points, and you can't separate Attack and Defence in rugby in the same fashion that you can do in say, American Football, but it seems clear to me that the Defence is by some margin our biggest issue. Go some way towards fixing that and we are a fair way towards being back in business.

Yes, but Grey's defensive system of "move forward not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling Twirling TWIRLING towards freedom" is so very far away from being anywhere towards fixed, sadly.

 

[Namerican]

Watched the game without commentary. Have to say, it is much better this way!

Overall I thought the game went about as expected. Aussie look so much better when they aren't shoveling the ball sideways. So many times they kill their own momentum by going wide when it isn't on. They have enough players that can make things happen if they just play straight up. Foley, Beale, Hooper, Folau, Genia, Kerevi, Korobiete, Dempsey etc. Just play normally and let them make things happen. You can't go wide recklessly against the ABs. A turnover is deadly. I felt terrible for DHP, he is getting the ball with zero chance of being able to do something. You shouldn't be getting the ball on offense where the best possible outcome is that you retain possession and don't turn it over. There were at least 6-10 situation like that today. It should not happen.

Also Simmons was immense and Hanigan I have to give some credit to as I always slag him. He played OK.

The starting hooker had one of his better games too.

 

[Dctarget]

Yes, but Grey's defensive system of "move forward not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling Twirling TWIRLING towards freedom" is so very far away from being anywhere towards fixed, sadly.

Gotta complement you on your references, over the years you've dropped in some pearlers from across all the seasons.

 

[Dan54]

Have to add that I thought Rob Simmons went last night, I actually didn't think Wallabies went to bad at all, this is a very good All blacks team ,and very hard to beat. So if I was a Wallaby supporter ,I don't think I would be too depressed today.

 

[Dan54]

Have to add my one moan from the test! Bloody Reiko Ioane, doesn't he know the rules from G&G rugby? As we couldn't see the Mitre 10 cup final live here in OZ, I kept off the PC, when I spoke to son on skype during teat etc he was not allowed to mention it (he lives in Italy so had seen it live), and then in after match interview Ioane said how he played well partly to do with Auckland winning the match BASTARD!!!!!

 

[Derpus]

I think we should start a petition to drop at least one yearly All Black flogging. If the best we can get from these games is 'well we played good, but its impossible to beat the All Blacks so heres your participation award' we should just do it less.

Fucking Latu. Either the best hooker in Australia or a sack of turds, with no indication which will turn up. The reserve front row didnt even look that strong in the scrum.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Foley and Simmons were both pretty damn good as well.

Edit: you beat me to it re Simmons.

Yep foley getting back to his best and Simmons after losing first line out throw never looked back and to my mind now justifies starting next test with Coleman, with rodda dropping back to the bench.

 

[Silverado]

I think we should start a petition to drop at least one yearly All Black flogging. If the best we can get from these games is 'well we played good, but its impossible to beat the All Blacks so heres your participation award' we should just do it less.

Fucking Latu. Either the best hooker in Australia or a sack of turds, with no indication which will turn up. The reserve front row didnt even look that strong in the scrum.

Yeah, Latu will be targeted as a loose cannon who will give you numerical advantage with little provocation. He struggles throwing straight, and hooker is one position where we have some depth.Also agree that our scrum was solid I. The first half, but fell away badly once finishers came on

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I was not convinced about folau as hooker b4 this test but his performance made me lot more confident he might be the real thing