Wallabies v Ireland

[disco]

I have poor memories of Lansdowne Road so I'm hoping Croke park will provide better ones.

Yep our last match in Ireland was all over inside 20 minutes, they carved us in the backs and ROG kicking for the corners kept us pinned for the entire match. Our lineout & general play kicking must improve if we are any chance.

Our forwards are a lot better this time around but our backs need to fire & we must win the battle of the breakdown.

 

[Thomond78]

The good news is...

It's been pissing rain here for a month. September was lovely, and the ground dried out a bit, but August was a washout, October went that way too, and there's been flooding way too early in the winter. Large chunks of the country are under water when I've never seen them flooded before, and the ground will be farking sodden.

Forecast is for rain all this week, btw. Heavy, too.

 

[Cutter]

Surprised by how many are calling for Smith to be dropped for Pocock, particularly after the uproar when Pocock got picked for the Sloe.

Smith is still the better player, and should be playing against the better teams.

Agreed. I thought he played ok on Saturday too. Was always putting pressure on Wilkinson, put in some good hits and, apart from turning it over in attack once, didnt seem to make many errors.

Thomo - the rain will increase the importance of our scrum and your lineout. I understand Hayes is out and expect us to control the scrum. Unless we change something dramatically, I am worried about our lineout though.

 

[Thomond78]

Surprised by how many are calling for Smith to be dropped for Pocock, particularly after the uproar when Pocock got picked for the Sloe.

Smith is still the better player, and should be playing against the better teams.

Agreed. I thought he played ok on Saturday too. Was always putting pressure on Wilkinson, put in some good hits and, apart from turning it over in attack once, didnt seem to make many errors.

Thomo - the rain will increase the importance of our scrum and your lineout. I understand Hayes is out and expect us to control the scrum. Unless we change something dramatically, I am worried about our lineout though.

Cutter - lot easier to drop scrums if it's soft and slippy underfoot.

"Sorry, ref, slipped, but, Jesus, look at it underfoot; what can we do, like...?"

 

[cyclopath]

Surprised by how many are calling for Smith to be dropped for Pocock, particularly after the uproar when Pocock got picked for the Sloe.

Smith is still the better player, and should be playing against the better teams.

Agreed. I thought he played ok on Saturday too. Was always putting pressure on Wilkinson, put in some good hits and, apart from turning it over in attack once, didnt seem to make many errors.

Thomo - the rain will increase the importance of our scrum and your lineout. I understand Hayes is out and expect us to control the scrum. Unless we change something dramatically, I am worried about our lineout though.

Cutter - lot easier to drop scrums if it's soft and slippy underfoot.

"Sorry, ref, slipped, but, Jesus, look at it underfoot; what can we do, like...?"

Kaplan will just penalise us anyway if the scrums go down, so each way win for you guys there I'd say.

 

[Hugonaut]

In terms of real defensive weakness, Fitzgerald would worry me more.

Thomond78, that's a ludicrous statement. You can't really believe that, can you? You seem so sensible ...

 

[Thomond78]

Hugonaut, we know how to deal with O'Gara; he'll never duck out of a tackle, he's just a bad tackler, and, as he weighs about 2kg carrying a 1kg bag of sugar, gets boshed. But, we know how to deal with that, and can even use it to our advantage (as with the GS game in Cardiff this year).

Fitzgerald, however, ducked out of that one. That's bad. And if it goes wrong on the wing, you're tubed.

 

[Spook]

Hugo is from Leinster. Thomo from Munster. This should be good - I'm off to get some popcorn.

I think Fitz is a good defender as well actually.

 

[Spook]

Why not BOD at 12, Bowe at 13? Then you could have Earls and Fitz on the wings.

What is the story with Kearney? Haven't seen much of him since the Lions. Cheika has been starting Nacewa quite a bit.

 

[Thomond78]

Why not BOD at 12, Bowe at 13? Then you could have Earls and Fitz on the wings.

What is the story with Kearney? Haven't seen much of him since the Lions. Cheika has been starting Nacewa quite a bit.

Why he's been doing so, Christ knows. But I Lee Grant...

Bowe on one wing, Earls on the other. Wallace at 12 would be tempting, as he's been good for Ulcer this year, but I'm still not sure about him. Leinster wingers being converted into centres? Sorry, too many Shane Horgan-shaped mental scars from the Coodercide to consider that one, thanks all the same...

 

[Newb]

Why not BOD at 12, Bowe at 13? Then you could have Earls and Fitz on the wings.

What is the story with Kearney? Haven't seen much of him since the Lions. Cheika has been starting Nacewa quite a bit.

Why he's been doing so, Christ knows. But I Lee Grant...

he is an aussie boy at heart don't you know :fishing

 

[Hugonaut]

Sorry, too many Shane Horgan-shaped mental scars from the Coodercide to consider that one, thanks all the same...

Can agree wholeheartedly with you on that one Thomond78!

Not sure that Fitz is any sort of centre, although you'd have to say that he'd be more comfortable as a 13 than as a 12. Between Wallace and D'Arcy, form would dictate that Wallace starts, as he has been playing well for Ulster and D'Arcy hasn't been playing well [at all] for Leinster. Kidney has shown that he's not averse to an O'Gara/Wallace axis at 10/12, even though it's quite undersized for current international standards.

John Hayes will actually be available for selection. The Magner's League runs a mickey mouse citing/disciplinary system where players are disciplined by their home union; Hayes was initially banned for 6 weeks which was reduced on appeal to 5 weeks, a sentence which expires on the day before Ireland vs Australia. A triumph for justice!

Kearney is a slow starter this season – possibly a Lions hangover – and Nacewa is getting picked for Leinster because he's performing better. Rob also has seemingly forgotten how to pass ...

The biggest topic of conversation regarding selection is O'Gara's cr*p form. He had a poor 6 Nations by his standards [although he took his Grand Slam-winning drop goal opportunity with aplomb] and obviously had a horrorshow when he came on for the last 10 minutes of the second Lions test. However, he had actually played pretty well on that tour, and it was very much neck and neck between him and Stephen Jones for the OH slot for the first test.

I actually thought he had a very good chance of being selected for the second test, as Jones didn't set the world alight with his first test performance. However, Geech stuck with the Welshman and his confidence was repaid in full, because Jones had a blinder and kicked 100% of his attempts.

Since he's been back with Munster though, ROG has been stinking it up. I can't recall him ever playing worse, and if Kidney is selecting on form, there'd be no possible chance of him starting. With that said, it's fair to say that Kidney has too much respect for both ROG and Australia to automatically switch to Sexton as a debutant outhalf. Going to be very interesting to see how the selection pans out.

 

[rustycruiser]

So start ROG against the Aussies, Sexton against Fiji, and depending how both fair, make the decision between the two for SA and the 2010 6N?

 

[Thomond78]

Hugonaut, the original six weeks (which was fair enough if not harsh - because if a guy has tried to pull down a maul is still grabbing at my ankles while Leo Cullen is trying to pull me out, sod him, he's going to get a boot and good luck to him; if I split him, fair enough, I have to walk, but it's fair goes) would have run out on the day before. The five weeks ran out last Saturday. Hayes was available regardless.

 

[Thomond78]

So start ROG against the Aussies, Sexton against Fiji, and depending how both fair, make the decision between the two for SA and the 2010 6N?

Something like that; I'd reckon it'll be more like the days of early ROG and Hunfreeze, with the one coming on to mix up the game if the other's not playing brilliantly.

 

[Hugonaut]

Hugonaut, the original six weeks (which was fair enough if not harsh - because if a guy has tried to pull down a maul is still grabbing at my ankles while Leo Cullen is trying to pull me out, sod him, he's going to get a boot and good luck to him; if I split him, fair enough, I have to walk, but it's fair goes) would have run out on the day before. The five weeks ran out last Saturday. Hayes was available regardless.

You're correct regarding the length of the ban, my mistake. I thought that the length of the ban was about right, I was more making the point that the way the Magner's disciplinary system is handled through the cited player's home union is totally bush league.

It was totally out of character for Hayes, but spare me the guff about "fair goes" for stamping on somebody's face, especially your opposite number when you're getting hosed. It's not fair goes at any stage, not when Johnny Sexton did it to Mafi, and not when John Hayes does it to Cian Healy.

To paraphrase Whitney Houston, "Stamping on people's faces is wack."

 

[Thomond78]

Hugonaut, the original six weeks (which was fair enough if not harsh - because if a guy has tried to pull down a maul is still grabbing at my ankles while Leo Cullen is trying to pull me out, sod him, he's going to get a boot and good luck to him; if I split him, fair enough, I have to walk, but it's fair goes) would have run out on the day before. The five weeks ran out last Saturday. Hayes was available regardless.

You're correct regarding the length of the ban, my mistake. I thought that the length of the ban was about right, I was more making the point that the way the Magner's disciplinary system is handled through the cited player's home union is totally bush league.

It was totally out of character for Hayes, but spare me the guff about "fair goes" for stamping on somebody's face, especially your opposite number when you're getting hosed. It's not fair goes at any stage, not when Johnny Sexton did it to Mafi, and not when John Hayes does it to Cian Healy.

To paraphrase Whitney Houston, "Stamping on people's faces is wack."

Deliberately on someone's face, agreed; however, unless Cullen is transparent, it was a lash out. I've done it and received it, including being split on the face, and basically, shit happens. Had to go, I'd have given him four weeks.

Of course, how long did Sexton get...? :fishing

Incidentally, if you want real bush justice, take a look at the Welsh; Paul Tito and Rhys Thomas.

 

[Cutter]

Will they start Hayes after 5 weeks off? Any other options? Is Flannery going to be fit? He is more precise in the lineouts than the alternatives.

Looking forward to this game. Cross thread pollenisation now, but I can't believe anyone would have the English at shorter odds than the Welsh or Irish to win the 6N. Crazy talk.

 

[Spook]

Hayes will definitely start. Ireland don't have anyone else.

 

[Lee Grant]

Cross thread pollenisation now, but I can't believe anyone would have the English at shorter odds than the Welsh or Irish to win the 6N. Crazy talk.

Exactly right Cutter. Puzzling.



This is a big match for Oz. If we beat Ireland we can beat the Welsh, and we should beat Scotland regardless going by their 6N form in recent years. There is a big hoo-haa about the Grand Slam (our version of it) but the reason why it is so big is that we rarely get to play all 4 of the unions on one tour. Is 1984 the last time we played all 4 on one tour? I'm too lazy to look it up.

My heart sank when the TV switched to the ground in 2002 when I saw the rain and knew that dear old Bernie didn't have a good kicking game. But it was the forwards who let us down and with ROG slotting 6 penalties that day we were forced to play catch up in conditions that didn't suit catching up.

Although our lineout is not great without Sharpe; so POC and Co. could smack us there, our forwards are better than the lot we had 7 years ago in the rain. I will be interested to see how the scrum goes on a heavy track. Aussies have not been great in such overseas conditions because the studs don't have sandy soil of home to grip on and thus technical scrummaging gets a premium. If we do well in the Dublin wet it will be a big tick on the Oz scrum CV.

Heavy rain is being forecast for Friday and Saturday. Can you finish putting the roof over Croke Park by Thursday night T78?

I wish we had Berrick Barnes for the rainy day but most of all I would like consistency of physical effort for 80 minutes as we had, more or less at HQ. Oz has flagged in the last 20 minutes in most games since the start of 3N and if they had a good 80 minutes, such as in Perth against the Boks you could almost guarantee that it wouldn't be there the game after.

Let's hope we can back up in physicality at Croke Park.



A nice snippet from Brisbane journalist Jim Tucker:


If there was ever any doubt about Wallaby great Simon Poidevin's famous assessment that Irish rugby is "15 lunatics in green", it is dispelled by the footage of O'Connell's passionate call to defend Croke Park like it was a medieval fortress. This is what the Wallabies can expect.

"I want them standing back thinking, 'What the f ... is going on here?', not for the first five minutes but for every f ... ing minute of the game," O'Connell roars. "F ... ing manic aggression. Did you scare anyone? Did you put the fear of God into anyone?"


Good man that POC. Love the guy.