Wallabies V Ireland, Brisbane

[#1 Tah]

So for Wobs V Boks, July 24, Brisbane:

1: Robinson
2. Moore
3. Ma'afu
4. Mumm
5. Sharpe
6. Rock
7. Pockock
8. ??????
9. Burgess/Genia (depending on club form)
10. Cooper/Barnes (depending on court ruling)
11. Turner
12. Gits
13. Horne/AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) (depending on horne's fitness)
14. Ioane
15. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)/JOC (James O'Connor)

16. TPN
17. Daley/Slipper
18. Chizz
19. Hodgson
20. Genia/Burgess
21. Barnes/JOC (James O'Connor)
22. Beale/Mitchell.

 

[Reddy!]

There are too many Wallabies in this team who are guaranteed starting spots. Giteau, Elsom, Brown, J'OC, Chisholm, Ma'afu, Mitchell? and you could throw a few more in there. Deans always say nobody is safe but you always know they'll be there the next week. Like RedsHappy mentioned, it's what is happening in the background that needs to be revamped. The culture within the team is perhaps not a winning one.

I hope one day the Wallabies will follow what the Reds did this year; every player is on equal terms and has to earn his spot on and off the field. Each team was selected to play a particular team each round; the best team would be selected to execute a particular game plan. There was no love lost. Players then became very hungry to make the starting team and it create depth in the squad that probably wasn't and isn't even there.

 

[rsea]

We need some bull runners in the pack. We really missed Sharpe in this area.
Can Elsom and Brown stand up please? this means you

 

[Reddy!]

Reddy!, with your talent for rudeness, you should try a stint on Planet Rugby.

I did think we were having a discussion.

Well I am AC's 2nd cousin.

I will endeavor to discuss with you more often Groucho! ^_^

 

[Reddy!]

We need some bull runners in the pack. We really missed Sharpe in this area.
Can Elsom and Brown stand up please? this means you

The thing is, Sharpe isn't really a ball runner! And I didn't see Brown make a run at all last night, correct me if I'm wrong. We need the likes of TPN and Palu back, there just isn't anyone else worthy of this roll.

 

[DPK]

There are too many Wallabies in this team who are guaranteed starting spots. Giteau, Elsom, Brown, J'OC, Chisholm, Ma'afu, Mitchell? and you could throw a few more in there. Deans always say nobody is safe but you always know they'll be there the next week. Like RedsHappy mentioned, it's what is happening in the background that needs to be revamped. The culture within the team is perhaps not a winning one.

Someone mentioned it before (Cyclo? Cant remember), Deans has invested a lot of time into players, trying to refine them into better players; Brown, Barnes, Burgess, O'Connor and more recently Cooper and Genia just to name a few. It would be pretty darn stupid to just kick one of this lot out of the squad after spending so much time on them and sacrificing so much. That would be intolerable for me.

 

[rsea]

The thing is, Sharpe isn't really a ball runner! And I didn't see Brown make a run at all last night, correct me if I'm wrong. We need the likes of TPN and Palu back, there just isn't anyone else worthy of this roll.

Worthy or not they need put their hand up. Anyone see the Bok V Italy? the Boks have forwards hitting the line at pace from all angles. They look dangerous while we just look dour and impotent.

 

[Sully]

Possible problem- Too much fake dirt and not enough real dirt!

 

[RugbyReg]

are TNP and Moore back?

TPN must start if so, we need some ground makers. I'd be looking at:

15 Hynes
14 Turner
13 AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)
12 Gits
11 Diggers
10 Quade
9 Sanchez
8 Brown (cause no one else)
7 Pocock
6 Rocky
5 Sharpe
4 Mumm
3 Ma'afu
2 TPN
1 Robinson - (assuming he gets some game time in between now and then).

16 Moore
17 Slipper
18 Simmons
19 Higgers
20 Burgo
21 Barnes
22 JOC (James O'Connor)

 

[Richard D. James]

Well I am AC's 2nd cousin.

:lmao:


Classic.

 

[Ash]

You could see how the loss to England affected the game plan as it was very conservative with the Wallabies not really willing to pass the ball twice or more wider from a kick return and counter. Very conservative game plan and combined with some poor kicking no wonder the Wallabies struggled to score. The Irish won nearly every kicking dual quite comfotably. If you want to play conservatively you need to kick better than your oponents.

The Wallabies also rarely got quick ball, maybe because they struggled to really punch over the advantage line. Too often you see them taking an age to organise an ineffectual forward hit up. In those cases you should at least halve two phases set up and clear quickly to the second.

 

[Ash]

Oh and I thought that Chisholm didn't have a good game but I think his inclusion is part of the reason he scrum improved. Thought that some of the penalties against Daley were a little harsh and were probably due to a preconceived notion that the Wallabies would get hammered at scrum time.

 

[Sully]

Yes you should allways punish the dominant scrum!::angryfire: Chisholm was better than I expected. I have a sore throat from screaming at the fluff bunny who calls him self a ref!

 

[Scarfman]

Postives:

1. At least we're not talking about the scrum.
2. Lineout - thank Fanger and Mumm for that.
3. We beat Ireland by about the same margin we always beat them by.

Of the negatives (i.e., everyting else), I would prioritise:

1. Only got parity with Ireland's pack, which is a another world away from the 3N (Brown and Chis must go).
2. Giteau still ran sideways all night - Elsom yelled at him a lot but I'm not sure what he was saying (give him the bench).
3. Simple lack of skills across the park. (A couple of weeks to improve link between forwards and backs, backs kicking and catching).

 

[Scarfman]

And I'm putting this in a separate post:

In my opinion, Burgess was most effective when doing the little steps and offloading. His passes to Cooper (or to no-one at all) were truly abysmal.

 

[Richard D. James]

And I'm putting this in a separate post:

In my opinion, Burgess was most effective when doing the little steps and offloading. His passes to Cooper (or to no-one at all) were truly abysmal.

True, the one step backwards, two steps sideways ploy did create some chances (especially on the inside but no one was there), but he can't do that at every ruck. As you said, the service to the Quade when we went to the backs was shit., And that's one of his core responsibilities.

Awesome try, though.

 

[Reddy!]

fat prop posted this team on PR and I think it is probably the most well-balanced team we could field.

1. Benn Robinson
2. Stephen Moore
3. James Slipper
4. Dean Mumm
5. Nathan Sharpe
6. Scott Higginbotham
7. David Pocock
8. Rocky Elsom
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Digby Ioane
12. Berrick Barnes
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
14. Drew Mitchell
15. Peter Hynes

16. Faainga
17. Salesi Ma'afu
18. Douglas
19. Matt Hodgson
20. Luke Burgess
21. Matt Giteau
22. James O'Connor

 

[rugby_man]

Quade Cooper was outstanding last night I thought. He has come a very long way in the past 2 years. His footwork is amazing and his ability to attract players and create gaps is freakish.

 

[RedsHappy]

Quade Cooper was outstanding last night I thought. He has come a very long way in the past 2 years. His footwork is amazing and his ability to attract players and create gaps is freakish.

Indeed. The danger from last night though is that we are emerging as a circus dependent upon a single act. I think it's very probable that if Cooper had been out injured and say Barnes had replaced him, the Wallabies would have lost.

 

[Scarfman]

Cooper in attack was fantastic, given that the irish loosies were obsessed with shutting him down.

In defence ... Barnes would have done better. Peter Hewat would have done better.