Wallabies v France, Paris, Sun 6th Nov 7am AEDT

[Mr Pilfer]

I'm not as pessimistic as you are, but I am on the spectrum. The issue is between selection policy and injuries. Don't think he has had an injury free period to prove whether he can select judiciously or not. Having said that I am not convinced the approach is correct but I am not paid to make those decisions and like all managers, he'll live or die based on decisions.

yeah that's right, injuries plus unavailability. I am sure Rennie would be very happy to lock in Cooper, Kerevi and Koroibete at 10,11,12 every game and not rotate them for example.

 

[Dan54]

Assuming Tate's head knock may be a contributing factor? We are so light on front rowers.... seeing Gibbon and Robertson as our reserves doesn't fill me with any confidence.

Seems Rennie hinted that his distribution not quite up where it could be?

 

[Tah Man]

Aside from the big break early in the game I thought he was pretty poor. I'm definitely not alone there.

This was the general sentiment from most pundits I've read. Will Genia and the guys on the Roar Rugby podcast said something pretty similar. Electric start but distribution and game management just wasn't quite up to where it could have been

 

[Adam84]

I think this is something that people are miles apart on.

Aside from the big break early in the game I thought he was pretty poor. I'm definitely not alone there.

Definitely not poor, but wasn’t great either and wouldn’t agree he was MOTM.

 

[Derpus]

At the end of the day the coaches don't know who our best players are in a lot of positions and neither do the supporters, which is why there is so much debate and hence the rotations. Yes it should have been settled a long time before now but we never got the answers we were looking for.
Classic example was Vunivalu, finally got 3 opportunities to lock in a spot and failed so he got discarded. Now it feels like Campbell is in a sink or swim situation where he really needs to nail this opportunity. Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase) (Nawaqanitawase), Gleeson, McReight may only get 1 shot to prove themselves as well. Donaldson will be lucky to get any

Yeah - by the players. It's hardly 'discarding' someone if they are a bit shit which Vunivalu was. It's test match rugby. Of course form needs to be rewarded and if no one performs then alternatives will be tried.

Most of our problems stem from the fact that our players are simply not very good right now. Rennie has given a lot of players a chance to cement a starting position and very few of them have grabbed that chance.

 

[Adam84]

Yeah - by the players. It's hardly 'discarding' someone if they are a bit shit which Vunivalu was. It's test match rugby. Of course form needs to be rewarded and if no one performs then alternatives will be tried.

Most of our problems stem from the fact that our players are simply not very good right now. Rennie has given a lot of players a chance to cement a starting position and very few of them have grabbed that chance.

i don’t think anyone disagrees with this concept, likewise poor form should be punished, I just don’t think Rennies selections have reflected that consistently, they’ve been haphazard and erratic at time

 

[Dctarget]

I'm getting cautiously optimistic about our scrum. Baille has played 36 minutes this season, they've lost Willemse. They have a rookie starting in Flament at 5 and a supreme athlete Woki, playing at 4 when really he's a 6. I predict Tupou to have an absolute blinder.

Beyond that, playing at Stade de France in front of 85,000 frogs? I predict France by 20.

 

[qwerty51]

Flament isn't a rookie.. he's famous for playing 10 for Loughborough Uni fifths... which commentators love to mention.

 

[Dctarget]

Flament isn't a rookie.. he's famous for playing 10 for Loughborough Uni fifths... which commentators love to mention.

Well he's kept on the bench at Toulouse by two discarded Australians.


Pls come back Meafou.

 

[Derpus]

i don’t think anyone disagrees with this concept, likewise poor form should be punished, I just don’t think Rennies selections have reflected that consistently, they’ve been haphazard and erratic at time

Yeah I suppose the counter-point is the continued selection of Wright which is pretty baffling. We've plenty of other wingers who would do a perfectly solid job without the brain-farts. Even someone like Muirhead.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I'm getting cautiously optimistic about our scrum. Baille has played 36 minutes this season, they've lost Willemse. They have a rookie starting in Flament at 5 and a supreme athlete Woki, playing at 4 when really he's a 6. I predict Tupou to have an absolute blinder.

Beyond that, playing at Stade de France in front of 85,000 frogs? I predict France by 20.

I console myself with the possibility of some champagne footy from the Frogs

 

[Ignoto]

Paisami was a goner after the Wobs set out to curb their indiscretions...

I mean, by that logic our most penalised player should be out as well. So Slipper should be on the bench?

 

[Slim 293]

I mean, by that logic our most penalised player should be out as well. So Slipper should be on the bench?

Paisami was our most penalised player on the weekend...

.. after the Wobs set out to curb their indiscretions...

 

[Tomikin]

I mean, by that logic our most penalised player should be out as well. So Slipper should be on the bench?

Fuck I haven't missed this place after the break between the All Blacks and Scottish test.

 

[D'Lite Full]

The 9 and 10 for France are a class above.

This is a great dress rehearsal for the RWC semis and final next year, which are all played at this venue.

 

[Viking]

i don’t think anyone disagrees with this concept, likewise poor form should be punished, I just don’t think Rennies selections have reflected that consistently, they’ve been haphazard and erratic at time

I don't think they are that bad when you really break it down and look at who's actually available and who was injured etc.

See if you can name an example? I'm sure there solid case for why he was selected. Even Tate, Wright, and Foley which are probably argued the most have solid enough cases for selection. (to be clear I would drop Wright and Foley in a second but I can see the reasoning behind there selection at least).

 

[gel]

This was the general sentiment from most pundits I've read. Will Genia and the guys on the Roar Rugby podcast said something pretty similar. Electric start but distribution and game management just wasn't quite up to where it could have been

It was almost as if he had to take a bit longer to read the game than other players (who have been constantly actively playing matches) for some unknown reason.

I have never seen his delivery slower than what it was in that match.

 

[emuarse]

He's the middle option who's solid at most things.

Probably the best tackler of the three.

Personally I think him and McDermott are very close behind White and it doesn't really matter which way Rennie goes. There's not a clearly better option. Clearly a lot of the fanbase thinks McDermott is far and away the better player and should be the starter though. It doesn't seem like a situation that will ever be reconciled because I can't see McDermott moving up the pecking order rapidly.

Mc Dermott offers a much higher X factor than White or Gordon.
I actually think White is not the half he used to be in this regard.
Unfortunately for McDermott, the forwards didn't provide him with much go forward from the rucks & mauls.

 

[Derpus]

'X-factor' < passing

 

[Merrow]

Mc Dermott offers a much higher X factor than White or Gordon.
I actually think White is not the half he used to be in this regard.
Unfortunately for McDermott, the forwards didn't provide him with much go forward from the rucks & mauls.

F@ck X factor. I just want a 9 to do their core job first. White’s pass is considerably better than Tate’s And he has better game management.