Wallabies v France - June 14 Etihad Stadium

[Dave Beat]

just watched it again. We did good.

Yeah a real battle, not a spectacle. That was one hell of a captaincy effort for his first game - well done.

 

[barbarian]

If Genia had a game like that - slow to get the ball out and kicking it away too much - the reaction on this forum would be different.

Funny how different players are held to different standards!

White was very hot and cold, kicked a lot but showed plenty of spark around the ruck. With To'omua and Foley playing badly he was our main attacking threat in the end.

Spare me the chip on the shoulder stuff. Who cares about these hypotheticals? Of course people are always going to see things through tinted specs, it has been thus since Bill Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran.
.

 

[flat_eric]

The ARU need to take a leaf out of the FFA's book and play games at rectangular stadiums whenever possible. There would have been many neutral fans last night that won't be returning to a game of rugby any time soon. Not necessarily because of the spectacle that was served up on the field, but the absolutely dire and sterile atmosphere that was served up in a half full AFL stadium. It just does not represent value for money. However, play that same game at a packed out AAMI Park with sensational sight lines from every seat and I'd be singing a different tune. With a crowd of under 30,000 that would have been possible. But the ARU dropped the ball yet again.

 

[Ruggo]

Dire game to be at live, just woeful, especially at Etihad where you are too far away to see or hear the impacts. Two biggest cheers I heard in my end of the stadium were for darts that made it onto the pitch.

Hardcore fans can say purist rugby and a wins a win all you like but game attendances will plummet if we keep serving up that style of game. Game got better once subs came on but too late.

It looked like a terrible game to watch live at a terrible venue. Those who parted with their coin to attend it have every right to feel annoyed.

Next year play the game at that swank looking rectangular stadium. It looks capable of holding a decent crowd and the enhanced atmosphere of the venue will help compensate if the game turns out not to be a great spectacle. ARU seems only concerned about gate takings and not the bigger picture.

 

[Ruggo]

Genia has shown nothing this year too suggest he deserves the spot.. White will be there and deserves to be.

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You can hold that hope but I wouldn't be surprised if Genia is being rested. If he finishes Super Rugby strong I would not at all be surprised to see him take back the 9 for the first Bledisloe.

 

[barbarian]

ARU seems only concerned about gate takings and not the bigger picture.

Jeez these blokes can't win, can they. How were they to know the game would be a bad one to watch live?

If they put it in a smaller venue, sure it would be a better viewing experience. But they make less money, which means they cop it from us down the track for 'bad financial management' as our best players leave for the NH and our junior clubs have to pay more. Put it in a big venue and they get bashed for providing a bad 'viewer experience'.
.

 

[cyclopath]

If Genia had a game like that - slow to get the ball out and kicking it away too much - the reaction on this forum would be different.

Funny how different players are held to different standards!

Not by me. I've actually used this argument to describe his play this year.

 

[cyclopath]

Agree Scotty, it's hypocrisy central around here at times.

Horwill also had one of his best games of the year, apart from 2 early penalties, including smashing into rucks & mauls which was most peoples gripe about him and getting over the gain line . Is there one post here acknowledging this form turnaround? If so I haven't seen it.

Best I could find was mine -

Positives - scrums, most attacking lineouts (defensive ones a bit dusty with those penalties, but Kev a good steal), overall defence

I don't think many forwards were massive standouts (the front row get the bikkies because the scrum went really well, as is the way, but it was an 8 man job as I mentioned), but neither were they bad. The lineout was good, and he is part of that. It was that type of game. I thought Horwill played just fine. He did what good locks often do - worked, didn't do flashy stuff, but did the grunt work needed, so kudos to him. I think they often go unnoticed.

The backs were stilted, trying to play a plan that just wasn't pretty - kick, kick, kick to get out of their own half but often not well enough to then do anything much as France kicked it back better (mostly, I thought).

 

[Richo]

I don't get the Horwill love, to be honest. He was fine, but not as effective as Carter last week. Our clean outs were much more accurate in Brisbane, it seemed to me, and that contributed to the slower ball. French much better around the ruck, too, so we needed an even bigger performance from the pack and didn't get it.

That said, a win is a win. Next week will be a more free-flowing game. You heard it hear first.

 

[Scoey]

I don't get the Horwill love, to be honest. He was fine, but not as effective as Carter last week. Our clean outs were much more accurate in Brisbane, it seemed to me, and that contributed to the slower ball. French much better around the ruck, too, so we needed an even bigger performance from the pack and didn't get it.

That said, a win is a win. Next week will be a more free-flowing game. You heard it hear first.

I think our clean outs in Brisbane were more effective largely due to the French being slower to them and far less accurate at the rucks last week. I don't think there was an appreciable difference I'm the Wallabies performance at the breakdown over the two games. In that respect I think it's almost impossible to compare Carter to Horwill.


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[farva]

If Genia had a game like that - slow to get the ball out and kicking it away too much - the reaction on this forum would be different.

Funny how different players are held to different standards!

White had a bad game.
Last week he was quick to the ruck and threw it wide in front of our backs.
This week he was under pressure and it rattled him. He kicked and kicked poorly. He fiddled around behind rucks and this stifled our attack.
It was ten man rugby with our 9 looking for field position.

 

[barbarian]

I didn't think White's kicking was that bad. Certainly was as good or better than that by To'omua and Foley. And I thought he marshalled the forwards well, and had a few very educated snipes. I didn't think he was brilliant, but in a close, physical game he was OK.

 

[Richo]

I think our clean outs in Brisbane were more effective largely due to the French being slower to them and far less accurate at the rucks last week. I don't think there was an appreciable difference I'm the Wallabies performance at the breakdown over the two games. In that respect I think it's almost impossible to compare Carter to Horwill.

If you read my post, I did say the French were much better. But it seemed to me that we were less accurate too. I also thought McCalman was a downgrade over Palu in this regard.

 

[swingpass]

i havent watched the replay as yet. but from where i sat last night, halfway, first level, near the front i.e. good and expensive seats, the game was difficult to watch. a lot of that was the venue and poor atmosphere, but it was very difficult, no pretty much impossible to get fired up about the football, due partly to the game plan, partly the reffing, partly the much more intense effort by the french and mostly the poor execution by the wallabies (backs > forwards)
i except that test much rugby is won by inches and the defence from oz towards the end was great, BUT none of that takes away that it was a terrible game to see live.
nil nil can be exciting and great to watch, likewise 45 zip can be tedious, but both the converted and tyro rugby fan were underwhelmed last night. to quote the great Homer Simpson "craptactular" comes to mind.

the positives were the scrummaging again, three debutants, a win, Hooper.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Swing pass, I was in medallion club. Aisle 11, row A specifically. I found the view perfectly fine. Obviously not as close as AAMI but I could see all the play well.

 

[Dave Beat]

Much like watching a game of chess yesterday.
Hard to watch but I enjoyed because we showed discipline, yes there were kicks but we didn't gift them 3 points.
I reckon serious cred needs to go to Hooper to have his players on board for the full 80

 

[swingpass]

Swing pass, I was in medallion club. Aisle 11, row A specifically. I found the view perfectly fine. Obviously not as close as AAMI but I could see all the play well.

no, i had a very good view (from the other side) of the ground, just didn't get that excited about what i was seeing

 

[BDA]

A Few thoughts:
- major positive was our set piece. Lots of scrums and line-outs during the game. The Scrum was very good and the line-out was pretty solid. Slipper and Kepu had great games.
- Defence was also very good.
- TPN had a quiet game by his standards. I got the feeling Link has told him he wants him to pace himself a bit more than usual with a Rookie hooker on the bench. Would have helped if he'd had a few more of his trademark hit-ups.
- The wallabies controlled most of the match and really should have broken away at some point.
- didn't get to see much of Jones in his short stint but he seemed to do a pretty good job in adding to solid tight five performance.
-Horwill worked hard. Gave away a few penalties through perhaps over enthusiasm (the head hi was a bit unlucky) but had a few good runs and was decent at the line-out. I'd say Carter's performance last week probably gives him the upperhand for the position but good to see a bit of competition in that area.

lots to work on but Link is a great coach and i expect they'll tweak a few things for next week and score some tries.

With the series wrapped up I'd like to see some small changes to the line up for next week. Same starting tight five. I'd bring Genia onto the bench, maybe give Horne a run in place of McCabe. Maybe give Skelton a spot on the bench. We could have used a guy like that last night to bring a bit of impact in the final 20 minutes. Maybe bring Sio in too. I thought Higgers and Beale were decent with ball in hand when they came on, but I'd prefer to go with consistency with McCallman (who was pretty good) and Foley (who needs more test experience before the RC)

 

[Train Without a Station]

The Horwill head high was perhaps a little unlucky because he ducked but Horwill did grab him over the shoulder. Fair penalty. Nothing more than penalty though. The French player in my view was milking it hoping for more, considering there was at best, marginal neck contact and all the impact was over the shoulder.

 

[A mutterer]

while i thought we were far too conservative for lengthy passages and left points on the park because of it, i think we ground out an old school 'northern hemishperic' win last night.

i don't like that style of play but to be fair to the boys:

we've taken 6 on the trot
introduced a new captain (our second)
stabilised the scrum
maintained tactical discipline
learnt to play more than one style of rugby