Wallabies V Boks Loftus Versfeld Pretoria 28/08/2010

[Lee Grant]

As I mentioned before: the A. Finger inclusion on the bench is peculiar, but I am not averse to both McCalman and Higginbotham, McCalman plays in the 2nd row for Sydney Uni and though he is not a giraffe, they will be avoiding lineouts, and he can replace one of the locks. This will probably be the older Sharpe because Mumm probably has better capacity at altitude and McCalman has a good engine on him.

Forget everything but engine and running the Boks off their feet. Let's hope that Deans gets the use of the bench right. But A. Finger ?? I didn't get it when I was walking the dogs tonight listening to the radio and I still don't get it.

Have a blinder Anthony and prove Deans right son.

 

[Joe Blow]

There is a lack of foresight in the selection of this team and it lacks balance both in the 15 and on the bench.
We start up front with Fainga'a and Maafu. S.Faing has done reasonably well but he is not in the same class as Stephen Moore.
Maafu has not fronted physically and is not in the best shape. Why is he even there? What can he offer against a better scrummaging Bok outfit?
Simmons probably should have been starting with Mumm on the bench to play the final 30 mins.
The first order of business against the Boks in Bok land is to man up at the coal face. If you can't do it in the first 20 minutes you will be sent packing with your tail between your legs.
The back row is reasonable and fast and I like having McCalman and Higges on the bench(finally). I wonder what he will do after all of the hype?

The backs.
We are starting with 5 players who can play 12 (Cooper, Giteau, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), JOC (James O'Connor) and Beale). So it makes perfect sense to slap another 2 twelves on the bench right?
Turner should have been there instead of Fainga'a or even better his place should have been taken by Simmons as the fifth forward.
Some odd selections in the 22 and unfortunately a very predictable first 15.

 

[Reddy!]

The balance just doesn't seem right yet in this team - and hasn't all year. The bench just compounds the problem. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the team changes once we get players back from injury.

Hynes or Turner would have been worthy for a bench spot - not to take anything away from A. Fainga'a but I don't see him being used at all.

I don't mind Higgers or McCalman on the bench because if the game plan is to run the Boks dead they will be effective players. Perhaps one of them could have started at 8?

 

[Ruggo]

If Barnes takes the field, run the bloody ball and not kick it. No problems with Fainga'a on the bench, it is Barnes who worries me more. Deffinatly no need for both and I would of not had Barnes there. I would much rather turner there instead. Burgess can go to facilitate the 5:2 split and Simmons to remain on the bench. It is almost like we have conceded the set piece which is piss poor. No sniping in the backline for Elsom this weekend. He must front up in the breakdown and support Bam Bam with everything he has got.

There has been talk of this being a race for second in the tri nations. Bull dust as we have a chance to bring the Mandella plate home.

 

[DPK]

Did we win the Cook Cup off the English? I'm pretty sure we retained it, but if we didn't and we dont win the Mandela Plate, the cupboard will be bare until the EOYT again this year.

 

[Gnostic]

Gnostic, take a bow, your knowledge of your hero coach's plans is near-perfect.

I was off with the 5:2 split that's about it. Considering the lofty heights we have seen from the teams Deans has put out I can see why he so obsessively sticks with the same team.

Any chance we had of attacking the wings as the ABs did to great effect last week is gone with JOC (James O'Connor) at 14. Deans - JOC (James O'Connor) is not a wing.

As with the CC test I will be watching and wishing for a result but I have no real hope of seeing a win or more importantly a REAL improvement in the mode of play.

PS:- Sorry I wasn't there to support you Scarfie, I am sure you were desolate but I was away for work and once you leave the built up areas the interweb becomes very unreliable.

 

[farva]

Ant can play 13. AC can cover the back three if needed. McCalman played lock through the S14s and he is capable there. Also, McCalman adds a lot of mongel to the forwards, that we are missing.
Barnes is the one guy there that confuses me. I would have thought that we would have been better served with another outside back. But it may be that with the injuries to Ioane, Shepherd, Davies and Hynes still recovering and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) forced to 13, Deans did not feel comfortable with any of the other outside backs in the country at this level. There is no point in playing someone there if Deans does not feel comfortable with them there (although then there is the question of why JOC (James O'Connor) is at 14, but thats another story).

 

[fatprop]

I want to know where we are going to get our go forward from and where are the dominant tackles at the advantage line are going to come from?

I expect the Boks to dominate the advantage line with big units coming around the corner at pace, both our wingers to be boxed kicked to death with JOC (James O'Connor) being targeted big time by taller more athletic units like JP Peterson.

 

[fatprop]

Ant can play 13. AC can cover the back three if needed. McCalman played lock through the S14s and he is capable there. Also, McCalman adds a lot of mongel to the forwards, that we are missing.
Barnes is the one guy there that confuses me. I would have thought that we would have been better served with another outside back. But it may be that with the injuries to Ioane, Shepherd, Davies and Hynes still recovering and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) forced to 13, Deans did not feel comfortable with any of the other outside backs in the country at this level. There is no point in playing someone there if Deans does not feel comfortable with them there (although then there is the question of why JOC (James O'Connor) is at 14, but thats another story).

I would have put either Turner (can play 15 and did well at 13) or Cummins (plays 13) or McAbe on the bench instead of Fainga'a or Barnes.

On Barnes, the last game I saw him play was at 10 for Uni two weeks ago, he cut up Eastwood, he was direct, put runners into space and kicked for goal really well.

 

[RedsHappy]

Did we win the Cook Cup off the English? I'm pretty sure we retained it, but if we didn't and we dont win the Mandela Plate, the cupboard will be bare until the EOYT again this year.

Cook Cup retained DPK via 1-1 Tests draw here. Though let's recall: 4 2010 games vs top England teams at home: Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 2. Disgraceful by any standard, and certainly by the 'old, high-and-proud expectations' school of Australian rugby, not the new, now-fashionable 'injuries, lack of depth, developing for the future, we're improving' school.

 

[DPK]

Cook Cup retained DPK via 1-1 Tests draw here. Though let's recall: 4 2010 games vs top England teams at home: Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 2. Disgraceful by any standard, and certainly by the 'old, high-and-proud expectations' school of Australian rugby, not the new, now-fashionable 'injuries, lack of depth, developing for the future, we're improving' school.

AKA "The Excuse Factory"

 

[RedsHappy]

On Barnes, the last game I saw him play was at 10 for Uni two weeks ago, he cut up Eastwood, he was direct, put runners into space and kicked for goal really well.

FP, as I think you and I exchanged some months back, I believe Barnes is a fine, fine player. But his confidence and relaxed mind have badly deteriorated in top games, and that is absolutely taking its toll on his competence in those games. He clearly needs an elite sports psychologist to work with, or the type of mental skills coach the ABs have full-time and consistently speak highly off. (Deans would not contemplate such a coach as he commenced his reign in 2008 convinced - as the master coach - he could basically do it all himself - in that fundamental mistake is rooted today's problems in the whole Wallabies coaching infrastructure.)

I am not all surprised he's playing really well/like the BB of old, when he's away from the searing pressure spotlight of the S14 and Wallabies.

 

[cyclopath]

Cook Cup retained DPK via 1-1 Tests draw here. Though let's recall: 4 2010 games vs top England teams at home: Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 2. Disgraceful by any standard, and certainly by the 'old, high-and-proud expectations' school of Australian rugby, not the new, now-fashionable 'injuries, lack of depth, developing for the future, we're improving' school.

Sorry, I might be missing your point, what games are you talking about? As far as I recall we played England twice this year...where do you get the other 2?

 

[DPK]

Sorry, I might be missing your point, what games are you talking about? As far as I recall we played England twice this year...where do you get the other 2?

The Aus Baabaa's games; I wouldn't include these games RH.

 

[RedsHappy]

Sorry, I might be missing your point, what games are you talking about? As far as I recall we played England twice this year...where do you get the other 2?

2 X Baa Baas v England. They were billed as serious games, were in effect Australia A (incl some Wallabies) against England's A team, and fans were asked to pay to see them. The point is that we should have done far better than just 1 win from these 4 total games. If these were not serious games to be taken seriously by our top players, then fans should not have been asked to pay for them, and the Australian rugby name should not have been used for them.

 

[Slim 293]

I'm with Gnostic in that I've really lost all hope for Deans...

The continued selections of players such as Brown and O'Connor is mind boggling and warrants some explanation...

As talented as JOC (James O'Connor) may be there's just no place for him in the squad... he's not a winger and shouldn't be playing there... not quite good enough for fullback and while I think he'll make a good future 12 he's not quite there yet either...

McCalman is not a test lock.... he's way too short... he might be able to play there in the Shute Shield but not at a Super 15 or test level...

So essentially we're going up against the Boks with only two locks... lame...

And of course the backline/bench is filled with more inside backs than we need...

It's really not surprising that Deans has such a terrible record... despite injuries to many key players and a fairly young team the Wallabies should be playing better but his selections and obviously inadequate support staff are not helping...

 

[Aussie D]

2 X Baa Baas v England. They were billed as serious games, were in effect Australia A (incl some Wallabies) against England's A team, and fans were asked to pay to see them. The point is that we should have done far better than just 1 win from these 4 total games. If these were not serious games to be taken seriously by our top players, then fans should not have been asked to pay for them, and the Australian rugby name should not have been used for them.

We won the first BaaBaa v England game though so it was 2 wins a draw and 2 losses.

 

[cyclopath]

I'm sure if the converse had been true, and we belted them in the Baa-Baas, that would have been accepted as evidence that things went OK.:
Tests are the measuring stick, others are not. We have not done well enough in the Tests - the results against England were poor - that was a shit England team.

 

[Bowside]

Deans must know somthing we don't. Either that or he's just a fool.

We really need to win this game, im losing faith in the green and gold.

 

[Scarfman]

The Trophy Cabinet is mostly in tact. Just a masive hole where the Bled should be, plus the Trinations and Bill.

http://www.rugby.com.au/qantas_wallabies/trophies/trophies_landing,96955.html